Chapter 12 Chapter 10 Transformation

The bell rang, announcing another visitor had entered the convenience store, and I ducked my head guiltily behind the shelf we were examining. Stop acting like a criminal.Melanie suggested. I didn't pretend.I answered succinctly. Glowing sweat seeps out, and my palms feel cold, even though the small room is very hot.The wide windows let in too much sunlight, and the humming air conditioner couldn't keep up, no matter how hard it worked. which one?I asked. the larger one.she told me. I grabbed the larger of the only two bags, a rucksack that seemed to hold more than I could carry.Then I turned to the corner, where the shelves lined with bottled water.

We could carry three gallons, she was sure, and that would give us three days to find them. I took a deep breath and tried to tell myself I wasn't going to do it.I just want more cooperation from her, that's all.Once I have all the circumstances, I'll find someone—perhaps a different hunter, someone less repulsive than the one I've been assigned—and pass the information on.I'm only doing it deliberately, I promise myself. My clumsy attempt at self-delusion was so pathetic that even Melanie didn't notice, wasn't worried.It must be too late for me, as the hunter had warned, perhaps I should have taken the plane.

Too late?I was hoping so!Melanie muttered dissatisfiedly, I can't force you to do anything, if you don't want to, I can't even raise my hand!Her mind was filled with groans of frustration. I looked down at my hand, which was resting on my lap, instead of reaching for the water, which she wanted so badly.I could sense her impatience, her almost desperate desire to act.Fleeing again, as if my existence had been but a brief hiatus, now a wasted time she had left behind. Sensing this, she made a sneering look in my mind, and then she got back to business.Come on, she urged me, let's get going!It was getting dark soon.

Sighing, I haul the largest flat-pack bottle of water off the shelf.I caught it on the edge of the next shelf before it almost hit the floor.I felt my arm pop out of my shoulder joint for no apparent reason. "You're kidding me!" I exclaimed loudly. Shut up! "Excuse me, what did you just say?" asked a small, hunched man from across the aisle, another customer. "Uh—it's nothing," I whispered, not meeting his eyes, "this pot of water is heavier than I thought." "Do you need help?" he offered. "No, no," I replied hastily, "I'll take a small bottle."

He turned to pick out chips. No, you won't, Melanie reassured me.I've carried loads heavier than this.You make us both limp, Wanderer.she added impatiently. Sorry.I answered absently, amused by the fact that she was using my name for the first time. Slowly stand up straight. Struggling to pick up the flat jug, not knowing how far I might be expected to carry it, I finally made it to the checkout counter.Seeing that there was a way to lighten the load, I hastened to push it over the edge and onto the counter.I set the bag on top of the water, then grabbed a box of granola bars, a donut roll, and a bag of potato chips from the nearest shelf.

Water is somehow more important than food in the desert, we can only take so I'm hungry, I interrupted, and these are light. It's your back anyway, I guess, she said cautiously, and then she ordered, get a map. I put together a map she wanted among other things, which was a topographic map of the county, which was just a disguise for her. The cashier, a white-haired man with a big smile on his face, scanned the barcode. "Going for a hike?" he asked cheerfully. "The mountains are beautiful." "The start of the trail is just north," he said, and began to show directions with his fingers.

"I'll find it," I promised hastily, pulling the heavy, unevenly distributed thing off the counter. "Get there before dark, sweetheart, you don't want to get lost!" "I will." Melanie had some caustic thoughts about the friendly old man. He was friendly and he was genuinely concerned for my safety.I remind her. You're all sneaky, she told me sourly, didn't you ever tell you not to talk to strangers? I felt deeply guilty when I answered.There are no strangers in my kind. I can't get used to not paying for things, she said, changing the subject, what's the point of scanning?

For the inventory, of course.When he needs to reorder, he should remember all the items we took away!Besides, what's the point of money if everyone is being perfectly honest?I paused for a moment, feeling guilty so strongly it was actually a pain, except for me, of course. Melanie shunned my feelings, worried about this deep guilt, worried that I might change my mind.Instead, she focused on her burning desire to get out of here and move toward her goal.Her concern seeped into me, and I quickened my pace. I walked over to the car with the bag and put it on the ground next to the passenger door.

"Let me get it for you!" I looked up suddenly and saw another man in the store standing next to me with a plastic bag in his hand. "Ah thank you." I finally managed to get the words out, my ears buzzing. We waited for him to load our shopping into the car while Melanie ran away nervously. Nothing to be scared of, and he's friendly too. She continued to gaze at him distrustfully. "Thank you," I said again as he closed the car door. "Happy to oblige." He walked to his car without glancing back at us.I climbed into the seat and grabbed a bag of chips.

Look at the map, she said, and wait until he disappears. Nobody paid attention to us.I promise her.Still, I sighed, opened the map, and ate potato chips with one hand.It might be a good idea to have a little idea of ​​where we're going. Where are we going?I asked her, we have found the starting point, what should we do now? Look around, she ordered, and if we can't see it here, we're going to try the south side of the mountain. see what? She put the recorded image in front of me: a rough zigzag route, with four abruptly changing angles along the way, and the obtuse angle formed at the fifth point is very strange, as if broken.Now I see the line I should have seen, four rolling sharp peaks, the fifth point seems to break I went from east to west, crossed the northern horizon, and took a quick look at the skyline .So easy it feels like a mistake, as if I only imagined the image after seeing the silhouette of mountains forming the northeast horizon.

That's right, Melanie is almost singing with excitement, let's go!She wanted me to get out of the car and go on foot. I shook my head and looked down at the map again.The ridge was so far away that I couldn't guess how far we were from it.Unless I have no other choice, I'm going to get out of this parking lot and into the desert, which is impossible. Let's be sensible.I suggested, finger following a narrow ribbon on the map to an unnamed road that connected to the highway for a few miles to the east and then out roughly in the direction of the mountains. Of course, she agreed smugly, the sooner the better. We found the unpaved road with ease.The flat dirt road cut through sparse brush like a pale scar, just wide enough for the next car to pass.I have a feeling that in different areas the road will be overgrown due to lack of use - more vigorous vegetation will grow there, unlike desert plants which take decades to recover from such an invasion.A rusty chain stretched across the entrance, one end riveted to a wooden post and the other loosely looped around another wooden post.I walked over quickly, unhooked the chain, piled it on the bottom of the first post, and ran back to the car with the ignition on, hoping that no one would stop by and offer to help me.There was no traffic on the highway when I drove onto the dirt road and then hurried back to refasten the chain. "Both of us" relaxed as the tarmac disappeared behind us.I'm glad there's apparently no one left that I have to lie to, either in words or in silence.Being alone makes that feeling of betrayal less intense. Melanie felt at home in the empty place.She knew the names of all the thorny plants around us, and she murmured the names to herself, greeting them like old friends. Creosote, Mexican thornwood, prickly pear, prickly pear, mesquite. Far from the highway, far from the trappings of civilization, the desert seemed to take on new life in Melanie's eyes.Though she appreciates the speed provided by the rickety car — our car doesn’t have the ground clearance necessary for this kind of off-road journey, the wobble reminds me that dirt roads have traps everywhere — her feet itch , I want to walk by myself and run in the hot and safe desert. We might have to walk, it all seemed to me too soon, but when that time came I doubt it would satisfy her.I can feel the real desire, the freedom, beneath the surface.Following a familiar rhythm, moving her body in strides, guided only by her will.For a moment, I realized that she was imprisoned, like a disembodied being.Locked in, but unable to control his body.Confined, with no choice. I shivered, refocusing on the unevenness of the road, trying to avoid the intertwined emotions of pity and fear.The other hosts have never made me feel so guilty, and of course none of the other hosts got in the way of complaining about their situation. Just before sunset, we had our first disagreement.The long shadows created strange patterns on the pavement, making it difficult for us to avoid rocks and potholes. right there!cried Melanie, and we saw another shape far to the east: an undulating rock, interrupted by a sudden spur, shaped like a long, thin finger pointing toward the sky. She quickly turned toward the bushes, no matter what damage it would do to the car. Perhaps we should follow this road to the first landmark, I pointed out.The little dirt road continued to meander more or less in the right direction, and I was terrified to leave it.How else would I find my way back to civilization?Am I not going back? Just then I thought of the Hunter, the sun touching that dark zigzag line on the western horizon.What would she think if I hadn't made it to Tucson?I suddenly laughed out loud.Imagining the scene of the hunter furious, Melanie was also very happy.How long would it take to rush back to San Diego to find out if this was just a ploy to get rid of her?And what would she do if I wasn't there?What if I'm not anywhere? I can't think very clearly about where I will be at that point. Voila, a dry river bed.Wide enough for a car - let's walk along it.Melanie insisted. I'm not sure we should go that route yet. It was getting dark soon and we had to stop.You are wasting time!She wanted to scream in frustration, but there was no sound. Or save time, if I'm correct.Besides, it's my time, isn't it? She didn't answer with words, and seemed to reach into my mind, approaching the convenient dry river bed. I'm the one doing it, and I'm going to do it my way. Melanie responded with wordless anger. Why don't you show me other routes?I suggested that we find out before dark whether everything is visible. No, she interrupted, I'll do this part my way. You are playing childish temper. Again she refused to answer.I continued towards the four steep peaks while she sulked. The sun disappeared behind the mountains, and night suddenly enveloped the entire landscape. For a while, the desert was the orange red of sunset, and then it turned into blackness.I slowed down and fumbled around the dashboard to find the switch for the headlights. Are you crazy?Melanie snapped, do you know how prominent the headlights are here?Someone is sure to see us. So what do we do now? Wish the seats could recline. I let the engine idle, hoping to think of alternatives to sleeping in the car, surrounded by the black hollowness of a desert night.Melanie waited patiently, knowing I had no other options. It's just crazy, you know, I told her, park the car and take the key out of the ignition.There really can't be anyone here, we'd find nothing, and we'd be terribly lost trying.I have a vague feeling that what we plan to do is going to endanger the body—no backup plan, just roaming in the heat with no way out.I knew Melanie understood the dangers more clearly, but she kept those details to herself. She didn't answer my accusations, and the questions didn't bother her.I could see that she would rather spend the rest of her life wandering alone in the desert than go back to the life I had before.Even without the threat of a hunter, she would prefer this. I leaned against the back of the seat, pulling it as straight as possible, and lying on it was far from comfortable.I doubt I'll ever fall asleep, but there's so much I don't allow myself to think about, my mind is empty and lifeless.Melanie was also silent. I closed my eyes and found little difference between this and a moonless night, falling into a dream with an unexpected sense of comfort.