Chapter 75 Chapter 74

After tossing and turning all night, at dawn, Stu woke up, lying on the ground, only feeling trembling all over.Kojak curled up next to him.The morning sky is blue.Although still shivering, Stu felt hot. He had a fever. "Sick," Stu said softly.Kojak looked up at him at the sound, then ran into the valley wagging his tail.After a while, it brought back a short log and placed it at Stu's feet. "I said 'sick', not 'stick.' But that works too," Stu said to it.Stu asked Kojak to bring back a dozen short logs and build a small fire.Stu sat very close to the fire, sweat running down his cheeks, but he was still shivering.That was the final irony—he had a cold, too, or something like that.Two days after Grant, Larry and Ralph left, he was infected.For the past two days, the virus seemed to be considering whether it was worth making him sick—obviously, it was worth it.His condition is getting worse and worse.This morning he felt really miserable.

Among the odds and ends in his pocket, Stu found a small collection of pencils, a notepad, and a key ring.He stared at the key ring in a daze for a long time, and the scenes of the last few days flashed in his mind, and the sting of homesickness and sadness hit him one after another.This one unlocked the apartment door, this one opened the coat closet, and this one was a spare key for his Dodge, a 1977 car that was already rusting.Stu wondered if it was still parked behind the apartment building at 31 Arnett Thomson Street. On the keyring is his address tag: Stu Redman - 31 Arnett Thomson Ave. - (713) 555-6283.Stu took the keys off the ring one by one, weighed them in his palm for a while, as if thinking about something, and then threw them away with a wave of his hand.The key jingled into a tuft of dry sage.They would lie there, Stu thought, until the end of time, and his connection to the past world was lost.He pulled the card with his name and address out of the hard plastic case, and tore off a blank page from the notepad.

"Dear Franny," he wrote. Stu wrote down everything that happened before he broke his leg, and wrote that he wanted to see her again, but I'm afraid it won't be possible.His greatest wish now is for Kojak to return to the land of the free.Stu wiped his tears with the back of his hand and continued: I love you and I know you will be sad for me, but I hope you get through it, you and the baby have to get through it, that's the most important thing.Stu signed his name, folded it carefully, inserted the letter into the plastic case, and attached the key ring to Kojak's collar.

When all this was done, he said to Kojak, "My dear boy, don't you want to go around and catch a hare or something?" Kojak jumped up the slope where Stu broke his leg and disappeared.Stu saw all this with a burst of joy and a burst of bitterness.He picked up a 7-Up pot that Kojak had brought back as a stick last night, filled with the muddy water he had scooped out of the ditch yesterday, now that the silt had settled.He tasted it, and the water was bitter and unpalatable, but as his mother used to say, "It's better than nothing."He drank slowly, sipping the thirst in his throat, but his throat still hurt when he swallowed.

"Life is really hard," Stu said casually, and smiled again unconsciously.He felt the swollen lymph nodes under his palate with his fingertips, then lay down with his splinted legs stretched out, and fell asleep again. An hour later, Stu woke up from his sleep, and in a panic, he subconsciously grabbed the sand on the ground.Is it a nightmare?If so, the nightmare seems to be continuing.The ground beneath him moved slowly. earthquake?Earthquake here? At first, Stu always thought that he was delirious, that he had a fever when he fell asleep.But looking towards the valley, his eyes widened in astonishment: the soil on the surface shook layer by layer, and stones mixed with mica and quartz jumped up and down and shone.Immediately afterwards, there was a muffled thunder-like sound—from far to near, it rushed into his ears like a wave of sound.Suddenly, Stu felt a little hard to breathe, as if the air was suddenly squeezed out of the ravine that the torrent had washed out.

A wail came from Stu's head.He looked up, and on the west bank, the outline of Kojak was clearly visible.It was squatting, its tail tucked between its legs, its eyes staring westward toward Nevada. "Kojak!" Stu exclaimed in surprise.The muffled thunder-like sound frightened him—as if God suddenly descended from the sky and stepped on the desert not far away. Kojak jumped down the ramp and ran to him, whining.Stu put a hand on Kojak's back and felt it tremble too.He's going to see what's going on, he has to know.Stu suddenly realized: What was going to happen finally happened, right now.

"Son, I'm going up." Stu whispered. He worked his way up the east bank of the ravine.The slope is a bit steep, but there are many places that can be grasped by hand.For the past three days, he had been thinking that he could climb up there, but he hadn't thought it would make much sense.At the bottom of the valley, you can avoid the strong wind, and there is water.But now that he had to climb it, he had to see what was going on.Stu dragged his splinted leg like a stick.He propped up his body with both hands, stretched his neck and tried his best to look up, but the top of the valley still seemed very high and far away.

"No, kid," Stu said to Kojak, continuing to crawl forward. After the "earthquake" (or some other disaster), a layer of rubble accumulated on the valley floor.Stu dragged his body over the gravel, and began to climb up little by little with the strength of his hands and left knee.After finally climbing 12 yards, he suddenly began to slide again. After sliding 6 yards, he caught a protruding quartz stone in time and stopped his body. "No, it's impossible to climb up." Stu panted heavily, lying on the ground to rest for a while. Ten minutes later, Stu started climbing again.Climb 10 yards, rest for a while, and climb again.Climbing to a place with nowhere to grab, he moved a few inches to the left, and finally found another place to grab.Kojak walked up and down beside him, no doubt thinking: What the hell is this fool doing away from water and a warm fire?

Hot, so hot! It must be burning again, but at least the cold war is over now.Sweat ran down his cheeks and arms.Her hair, covered in dust and grease, hung in front of her eyes. Oh, God!I must be on fire!There must be 102 degrees, 103 degrees... Stu glanced at Kojak inadvertently, and it took about a minute before he realized what he saw.Kojak was also panting.Not a fever, at least not alone, because Kojak felt hot too. Suddenly a flock of birds flew overhead, circling aimlessly in the air, screaming. They feel it too.Whatever it was, the birds felt it too. Stu continued to climb, fear seemed to add to his strength. One hour passed, two hours passed.Stu moved inch by inch, foot by foot.By 1 p.m., it was only 6 feet from the crest.He could already see the paving stones protruding above.Only 6 feet left, but those last 6 feet were steep and slippery.He tried to twist like a snake, and the loose gravel immediately rustled and slid under him.Stu began to worry that if he moved, he would slide all the way back to the bottom, and maybe break his other leg too.

"Stuck," Stu said to himself, "what the hell do we do now?" Obviously, it was too late to think what to do now.Even though Stu didn't move, the dirt and stones began to slide under him, and his body fell a foot with it.Stu hurriedly grabbed the ground with both hands, and his broken leg fell heavily below. Stu suddenly realized that he forgot to take the medicine that Gran gave him. Another 2 inches, 5 inches, he slid down bit by bit.Stu's left foot was already in the air, and he could only hold his body with his hands.Now my hands started to slip, and I made 10 shallow marks on the wet ground.

"Kojak!" he cried helplessly, with little hope in his heart.But with a "huh...", Kojak rushed in front of him, and Stu subconsciously hugged Kojak's neck with both hands, like a person who fell into the water, not expecting to be rescued, just grabbing something, just grab something.Kojak didn't try to shake him off, pawing rapidly.For a moment, they seemed to be frozen there, like a living sculpture.Slowly, slowly, Kojak began to move, inch by inch, making a "rustling" sound when his claws scratched the rocks, and the sand and rocks he picked up kept hitting Stu's face, forcing him to stop. Do not close your eyes.Kojak dragged him, panting, and Stu heard the whirring of an air compressor. Stu opened his eyes slightly and found that they were close to the top.Kojak lowered his head and kicked his four legs desperately.Another four inches forward, it's time.With a yell, Stu let go of Kojak's neck and reached out to grab a protruding curb. The curb snapped loose and he scrambled for another.Two nails snapped off, and Stu cried out in excruciating pain.Pushing off his good leg, he sprang up—at last, finally—and lay on the pavement of Interstate 70, eyes closed, gasping for breath. Kojak lay beside him, licking his face and whining. Stu slowly sat up and looked west.He stared at it for a long time, but he didn't seem to feel the waves of heat coming towards him. "Oh, God!" he said at last, in a feeble, staccato voice: "Look! Look there! Gran! They're all over. God! It's all over, all over!" On the distant horizon rose a mushroom cloud like a clenched fist on a long, dusty forearm.The clouds swirled, their edges blurred, and they began to disperse.Against the dark orange-red clouds, the sun seemed to be setting just after noon. Firestorm, Stu thought. Everyone in Las Vegas is dead.Someone did what he was supposed to do.A nuclear bomb exploded, and judging from the scene and feeling of the explosion, it was a terrible large-yield nuclear bomb. Maybe all the nuclear bombs in a storage depot exploded.Grant, Larry, Ralph... Even if they didn't make it to Las Vegas, even if they were still on the way, they must have been roasted alive for being too close. Behind Stu, Kojak yelled unhappily. Fallout!Where is the wind blowing? does it matter Stu remembered the letter he had written to Franny, and he felt compelled to add what was happening now.If the wind blows the dust to the east, it will cause them trouble... More importantly, they need to know that if Las Vegas is the gathering place for the men in black, everything is settled now.The people there were vaporized, along with the deadly toys laid out waiting to be picked up.He should have added them all. But not now, he was too tired.Climbing up the slope had exhausted him, and the endless dissipating mushroom cloud in front of him exhausted his energy even more.He didn't feel the slightest joy, only depression and fatigue.Lying on the road, his last thought before falling asleep was: what is the equivalent?No one would know, he thought, and no one would want to know. It was 6 p.m. when Stu woke up.The mushroom cloud has completely dissipated, and the western sky is still glowing with a heavy pink color, like a piece of skin that has been scarred by a whip.Stu struggled to crawl to the side of the road and lay down, once again feeling that all the strength in his body was exhausted.He felt himself trembling again and had a fever.Stu put his wrist on his forehead, trying to feel his approximate body temperature: it might be over 100 degrees. At dusk Kojak returned with a hare in its mouth.It put the prey by Stu's legs, wagging its tail, waiting for the owner's compliment. "Well done," said Stu in a weary voice, "what a nice dog." Kojak wagged his tail even more, as if to agree with Stu: Of course, I'm a great dog.But it still looked at Stu, as if waiting for something.The award ceremony is not over yet.Stu tried to figure out what else to do, and he felt his brain spinning slowly, as if someone had filled him with honey while he slept. "Good job," Stu repeated, looking at the dead rabbit.Suddenly, he remembered, although he didn't know if he still had matches on him. "Go, Kojak," he said, mostly to please Kojak.Kojak hopped away and brought back a piece of dry wood in a moment. The matches were still there, but it was a little windy now, and Stu's hands were shaking badly.It took him a long time to light the fire.It took him 10 matches to ignite the branch, but a strong wind blew it out.Stu carefully lit the branch again, shielding the flames with his body and hands.There are only 8 matches left. Stu roasted the hare, tore one half off and gave it to Kojak, and ate only a small part of the other half.He threw the rest to Kojak as well.Kojak didn't move. He looked at the food, then barked uneasily at Stu. "Eat, boy, I can't eat." Kojak ate the rest.Stu looked at it and began to tremble again.Both blankets were thrown down there. As the sun set, the western sky took on strange colors.It was the most magnificent sunset Stu had ever seen in his life. . . . and yet, it was brought about by disaster.Stu recalled a documentary in which the narrator excitedly said that in the 1960s, there would be beautiful sunsets for weeks after nuclear tests.Of course, the same is true after the earthquake. Kojak climbed up from the ravine with something in his mouth—Stu's blanket.It spread the blanket over Stu's lap. "Hey!" Stu said, hugging him gently, "You're such a smart dog, you know that?" Kojak wagged his tail to show he understood. Stu wrapped the blanket around himself and moved toward the fire.Kojak lay beside him.Soon, they were all asleep.But Stu was a light sleeper, tired, and talked nonsense from time to time.In the middle of the night, he suddenly woke Kojak, shouting deliriously: "Harpo," Stu yelled, "better turn off the gas pump! He's coming! He's coming for you! Better turn off the gas pump! He's in that old Chevrolet over there!" Kojak cried uneasily.The owner is sick, this, it can smell it.But now there seemed to be another smell emanating from him, an evil one.He'd smelled it when he caught the hare, he'd smelled it when he killed the wolf by Mama Abagil's house, he'd smelled it all the way to Boulder with Glenn Bateman. With this smell, it is the smell of death.If it can jump and bite, Kojak will definitely rush up and drive it away from its owner.But it is invisible and hidden in the master's body.The owner breathed in clean air, but exuded the smell of dying, and Kojak could do nothing but wait until the last moment came.Kojak groaned twice more and fell asleep. When Stu woke up the next morning, the fever was even worse.The lymph nodes under the palate were swollen like golf balls, and the eyes were like a pair of hot pinballs. I'm going to die - yes, without a doubt. Stu called Kojak, took off the key ring, took out the letter from the hard plastic case, and added everything about yesterday to the end of the letter in detail.Then he put the letter back.Having done all this, he lay down again and fell asleep.It was getting dark, and in the western sky, the beautiful and terrible sunset burned down slowly.Kojak catches a chipmunk for dinner. "Is this the best food you can catch?" Kojak wagged his tail and grinned sheepishly. Stu cooked the chipmunk, split it in half, and managed to eat his own half.The meat was tough and had a strange smell, and after he ate it, he had a bad taste in his stomach. "After I die, I hope you go back to Boulder," he told Kojak. "You go back to find Franny, you want to find Franny, understand, you big stupid dog?" Kojak wagged his tail in confusion. An hour later, Stu's stomach suddenly writhed violently, as if it was a warning.As soon as he rolled over on one arm, the chipmunk meat in his stomach gushed out, and he almost threw up all over himself. "Fuck." Stu cursed angrily, and fell asleep again. Not an hour later, Stu woke up again, half sitting up with his elbows propped up.His head was burning faintly.The fire is out, but that's okay, everything that needs to be done has been done. A sound in the darkness alerted him, the sound of rubbing gravel.It may be that Kojak climbed up from the valley. Kojak is sleeping next to him! As soon as Stu glanced at Kojak, he woke up, his head poking out from its front paws.After a pause, it suddenly stood up, staring at the valley, growling in its throat. There was another sound of rubbing stones.Someone—something—was coming this way. Stu sat up with difficulty.It was him, Stu thought, who was supposed to be in Las Vegas, but he escaped.Now, here he is, ready to kill me before the flu virus kills me. Kojak growled louder and lowered his head, his neck hair bristling. The rustle was getting closer, and Stu could hear a slight gasp.Suddenly, the sound stopped, and Stu took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his arm.A moment later, a dark figure appeared at the edge of the ravine, its head and shoulders blocking the stars of the sky. Kojak snarled and leapt forward "Hey," came a confused but familiar voice, "Hey, is this Kojak? Really?" The roar stopped immediately, and Kojak ran forward, wagging his tail cheerfully. "No," cried Stu hoarsely, "it's a ruse, Kojak." But Kojak danced happily beside the figure, and that figure—that figure seemed very familiar.The man walked towards Stu step by step, and Kojak followed him, shouting happily.Stu licked his lips, ready to fight if necessary.He figured he could muster up enough strength to land a punch, or two. "Who?" he called. "Who's there?" The shadow stopped. "It's me, Tom Curran. Who's that? My God, who's that?" "Stu," Stu replied, his voice so weak that it seemed to be coming from a distance.Now, everything seems so far away. "Hi Tom, nice to meet you." Stu didn't see Tom - he passed out. At 10:00 the next morning, Stu woke up.Today is October 2, but neither Tom nor Stu can remember the date.Tom had built a big bonfire and wrapped Stu in a sleeping bag and blanket.Tom himself was sitting by the fire roasting a hare.Kojak lay contentedly between them. "Tom," Stu said with difficulty. It's Tom.Tom has grown a beard and doesn't look like he did when he left Boulder five weeks ago.Tom's blue eyes gleamed happily. "Stu, my God, you're awake at last, you're awake! I'm so glad, my friend, so glad to see you. What's wrong with your leg? I think it hurts. I hurt my own leg too. .I broke my leg one time by jumping off a haystack. Did my father beat me for it? My God, yes." "My leg is broken too, Tom, I'm so thirsty..." "Oh, here's water, all kinds of water, here you are." Tom hands Stu a plastic cup that used to hold milk.The water inside is clear and pure without sand.Stu gulped greedily, but choked it all up again. "Slow and steady, that's the trick," said Tom. "Remember, slow and steady. It's good to see you, my friend. Hurt your leg, don't you?" "Yes, it broke. A week ago, maybe earlier." Stu took a sip of water, swallowing it this time. "But there are worse things than that. I'm very ill now, Tom, listen to me, I've got a fever." "Yes, Tom's listening. Tell me what to do?" Tom leaned forward. Stu thought, what's going on?He looks much smarter, is that possible?What did Tom do in this passage?Does he know about the judge?And Dana?There is so much to talk about.But there is no time now.He was getting worse and worse, and there was a deep "cracking" sound in his chest from time to time, which was very similar to the symptoms of a super flu virus, which was really ridiculous. "I've got to get my fever down," he said to Tom. "That's the first thing. I need aspirin. Do you know aspirin?" "Of course, aspirin, for emergency... urgent... urgent care." "That's right, you go up this road, and when you come across a car, look in the trunk for a first aid kit - it probably has a red cross on it. If you find an aspirin in it Just bring it back. If you find a car with camping gear in it, come back with a tent. Okay?" "Of course," said Tom, standing up, "bring back the aspirin and the tent and Stu'll be all right, right?" "Well, this is just the beginning." "Well," said Tom, "how's Nick? I've been dreaming about him in my dreams. He can talk, and he's the one telling me where to go. Interesting dreams, aren't they? But whenever I try to talk to him, he Just disappeared, how is Nick?" Tom looked at Stu anxiously. "Let's talk about that now," Stu said. "I, I can't talk much now, let's talk about this. Remember to bring back the aspirin, okay? We'll talk about it later." "Okay then..." There was a trace of fear on Tom's face, "Kojak and Tom going together?" Kojak agreed.Together they headed east.Stu lay down again and fell asleep with his arms over his eyes. At dawn, Stu finally woke up.Tom shook his body and called out, "Stu, wake up! Stu, wake up!" Time always seemed to pass by like this, as if a few teeth on the gears of life had worn out, and they would slip from time to time, and Stu really felt a little scared.He sat up with Tom's help, his head hanging between his legs, and coughed so long and violently that he nearly choked again.Tom watched him eagerly.Slowly, Stu regained his strength, felt himself trembling again, and reached out to grab the blanket to wrap himself more tightly. "Found what, Tom?" Tom produced a first-aid kit with bandages, red syrup and a large bottle of aspirin.Stu was surprised to find he couldn't unscrew the cap on the bottle, so he had to hand it to Tom.Tom unscrewed the lid for him.Stu swallowed 3 tablets with water in a plastic bottle. "I also found this," Tom said, "in a car full of camping gear, but no tent." Tom pulled out a huge, fluffy, two-person sleeping bag with a bright yellow cover and bright star prints on the seams. Stripes. "Oh, great, as useful as a tent. Well done, Tom." "And these are all found in that car." Tom reached out and took out 6 cans from his arms.Stu could hardly believe his eyes: concentrated food, eggs, peas, pumpkin, beef jerky. "Food, isn't it, Stu? There's a picture of food on it." "It's food," Stu said gratefully, "just what I can eat." His head was a little dizzy, and he only felt a voice buzzing in the back of his brain. "Can we boil some water? There are no pots and kettles." "I'll go find it." "Ok." "Stu..." Stu looked at Tom's troubled face, which was still childish despite the beard, and shook his head helplessly. "Dead, Tom," Stu said softly. "Nick died, about a month ago. It was because of... because of political reasons. Assassination, I think you can think of it. I am also very sad." Tom looked down at the roaring campfire, and Stu saw tears dripping down Tom's lap like silver raindrops.But Tom didn't cry.Finally, he raised his head again, his blue eyes seemed brighter.He wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand. "I know he's dead," said Tom in a hoarse voice. "I don't want to think about it, but I know it in my heart. God, yes. He always turns away in his dreams. He's my master." , Stu...do you understand?" Stu took Tom's big hand and said, "I understand, Tom." "Yes, he's my master, and I miss him so much. But I'll see him in heaven. Tom Curran will see him in heaven. There he can talk, and I can think, can't I?" so?" "I think so, Tom." "The bad guy must have killed Nick, Tom knew, but God punished the bad guy. The hand of God came down from the sky, everywhere." A cool wind blew from the Utah wilderness, and Stu shivered even more. "Punish him for what he did to Nick and the poor Judge." "What's the matter with the Judge, Tom?" "Dead, shot and killed in Oregon." Stu nodded helplessly again, "And Dana, do you know how she is?" "Tom saw her, but didn't recognize her at the time. They found me a job as a cleaner, and once I saw her working, changing street lamps. She looked at me..." Tom was silent A moment, and then, as if to herself, "Did she see Tom? Did she know Tom? Tom didn't know. Tom... thought... she knew. But Tom never saw her again." After a while, Tom took Kojak to find cooking utensils.Stu fell asleep again. Stu had thought that the most Tom could bring back was a big canning box, but instead he found a saucepan big enough to hold a Christmas turkey.This is truly a gem in the desert.Even though Stu's lips were blistered from the burn, he smiled happily.Tom said he found it in an orange truck with a "U" painted on it.Stu guessed that this might be someone who took all the valuables at home while avoiding the flu virus. After half an hour, the meal is ready.Stu ate very carefully, only eating vegetables, soaking the concentrated food in water to make thin porridge and drinking it.He managed to swallow the food and felt much better after eating, at least temporarily.Soon after supper he and Tom fell asleep.Kojak was still sleeping between them. "Tom, listen to me." The next morning, Tom crouched next to Stu's big, fluffy sleeping bag.Stu ate very little for breakfast, his throat was sore and swollen, his joints ached, his cough got worse, and the aspirin didn't bring down his fever. "I must go to town and get some medicine, or I shall die. I must go today without further delay. The nearest city is Green River, sixty miles to the east. We must drive." "Tom Coren can't drive. Stu, God, Tom can't!" "I know. It was also difficult for me because not only was I very ill, but I also broke my right leg." "What did you say?" "Um... let's leave it alone for now. Can't explain it for a while. Don't worry, it's not the first problem. The first problem is to find a car to start it. Most cars have been parked on the road for more than 3 months. The battery The battery in the car is dead. We're going to try our luck. We need to find a car with a manual transmission on the top of the hill. There is a chance of success, and the area is very hilly." He didn't mention that the car would also have to be well maintained Better yet, there must be a little gas in the tank... and there must be a key in the car, too.Everyone on TV seems to know how to start a car without a key, but Stu doesn't. Stu turned his head and looked at the sky, where there were cotton-like clouds floating in the sky. "You're going to do most of the work, Tom, and you're going to be my legs." "No problem, Stu. We got the car, shall we go back to Boulder? Tom wants to go back to Boulder, and you?" "That's what I want to do most, Tom." On the distant horizon, the Rocky Mountains are just a faint outline.Has it started snowing over the pass?It is estimated that it will definitely go down.Even if it doesn't, it's almost there.In this high moor, winter comes early. "Maybe it will take a while," he said. "How do we start?" "Make a backpack first." "back……" Stu handed Tom his pocket knife. "You first dig a few small holes in the bottom of the sleeping bag, one on each side symmetrically." It took a full hour to make the backpack.Tom found some straight sticks, inserted them through the mouth of the sleeping bag, and then passed them through the hole at the bottom, and then retrieved some lengths of rope from the truck with the "U" painted on it.Stu secured the stick with a rope.When it was finished, Stu felt that it was not like the knapsacks that Indians usually use, but rather a strange rickshaw. Throwing the end of the stick over his shoulder, Tom turned his head suspiciously and asked, "Are you all right, Stu?" "Okay," Stu wondered how long the seams of the sleeping bag would last. "How heavy am I, Tom?" "It's not too heavy. I can drag you far. Let's go!" They set off.The valley where Stu had broken his leg—where he thought he would surely die—was gradually being left behind.Despite his weakness, Stu felt a tinge of ecstasy.Out of there at last, he could die somewhere else, possibly soon, but not alone in that muddy ditch.The sleeping bag rocked back and forth like a baby's cradle.Stu fell asleep.Under the thick dark clouds, Tom dragged Stu on a difficult journey.Kojak followed him. Stu woke up when Tom put him down gently. "I'm sorry," Tom said apologetically, "I've got to rest my arm for a while." He turned his joint first, then bent his arm a few more times. "Rest when you want," Stu said. "Slow and steady wins." His head buzzed.Stu took out the medicine bottle and swallowed two aspirins dry.He felt like his throat was covered with sandpaper and a sadist was striking a match on it.Stu checked the seams of the sleeping bag.Unsurprisingly, some places have opened up, but it's not serious yet.They were walking down a long gentle slope, which was exactly what Stu was looking for.On this more than two-mile-long ramp, the car can slip far with the clutch on.You can take the opportunity to fire it up and maybe even put it in 2nd gear. He looked hopefully to the left of the road, where an orange "Triumph" car was parked askew in the driveway.Leaning behind a wheel is a skeleton, covered in a bright woolen sweater. The Triumph was supposed to have a manual transmission, but he couldn't fit his splinted leg into its tight space. "How far have we gone?" Stu asked Tom, who just shrugged.Stu thought: Anyway, they must have gotten some distance.Tom had been dragging him for three hours before he stopped to rest, which was a lot of strength.The old road signs are no longer visible.Tom, as big as a calf, must have dragged him six or seven miles in his sleep. "Rest if you want," Stu repeated. "Don't wear yourself out." "Tom is OK, O-K, spelled OK, hey, everyone knows." Tom wolfed down a good deal at lunch, and Stu managed to eat some.After dinner, they hit the road again.The road winds upwards, and it dawns on Stu that they have to find a car on this hill.If they can't find it after climbing to the top of the mountain, it will take another 2 hours to climb to another mountain, and it will be dark by then; judging from the weather, it is likely to rain or even snow; followed by a cold night A wet night; then, bye, Stu Redman. They ran into another "Knight" sedan. "Stop," Stu whispered.Tom put the knapsack down. "Go look at that car, count how many pedals are on the front, tell me if it's 2 or 3." Tom went over and opened the car door.A mummy wearing a floral dress slid out of the car, as if someone had played a malicious joke.Her wallet also fell out, and cosmetics, tissues, and coins were scattered all over the floor. "Two," Tom called back to Stu. "OK, we still have to go on." Tom came back and took a deep breath, grabbed the handle of the knapsack and lifted it up.After another 1/4 mile or so, they saw a van. "Shall I count the pedals?" asked Tom. "No, no need." The car had three flat tires. Stu began to think they might not be able to find the right car.They were not so lucky.A little while later there was a station wagon with only one flat tire that could be replaced, but like the Cavalier, Tom checked and had only two pedals.Two pedals - automatic shift - useless to them - go on. The road became smoother and they were almost at the top of the hill.Stu sees another car ahead—the last chance. Stu's heart sank.It was an old-fashioned "Plymouth" car, manufactured no later than 1970. It was a miracle that all four of its tires had air, but the car body was corroded and dilapidated.It seems that no one is willing to bother to maintain it.Stu was familiar with this type of vehicle.Its battery was probably worn out, and the oil was probably darker than night in the mines.不过车内的方向盘上一般都包有一圈桃红色的绒布，后架上可能还摆着一只嵌着水晶眼珠的玩具狗。 “要我去查查吗？”汤姆问道。 “好吧，乞丐不能挑食嘛。”一阵淡淡的雾气开始从天边飘过来。 汤姆走过去向车内望了望，车里空空的。斯图躺在睡袋里浑身发抖。汤姆终于回来了。 “3个踏板。”汤姆说。 斯图努力集中精神思考着。大脑中尖锐的嗡鸣声不断干扰着他的思维。 这辆老式的普利茅斯几乎肯定开不动。他们只有下到坡那边，但那边的车头都是朝着上山的方向。他们可以越过中间的隔离带到反向的车道上去找，但隔离带约有半英里宽，而且中间都是大石头。也许他们可以在那边找到一辆手动档的汽车，但到那时天已经黑了。 “汤姆，帮我站起来。” 汤姆小心地扶斯图站了起来，没有让他的断腿过于疼痛。斯图的头像遭到重击似的“嗡”的一声，眼前金星四射，差点晕了过去。他一只胳膊绕在汤姆的脖子上，有气无力地说：“歇一下，歇一下……” 斯图也不知道他们这样站了多久。他在灰蒙蒙的混沌世界中遨游时，汤姆一直小心地支撑着他。终于，斯图又回到现实世界中。汤姆依然耐心地支撑着他。雾气越来越重，渐渐化成了细雨。 “汤姆，扶我过去。” 汤姆一手抱住他的腰，两人蹒跚地走到停车道边那辆旧普利茅斯旁。 “打开发动机罩。”斯图一边嘟哝着，一边在汽车护栅上摸索着。汗水顺着他的脸不住地淌下来。总算找到了发动机罩的脱扣，但他却掀不起来。斯图抓住汤姆的手，在他的指引下，汤姆把发动机罩掀了起来。 正如他预料的那样，里面是一台布满污垢，保养很差的Ｖ8型发动机。然而电池并没有他想象得那么差，是希尔牌的，虽不是最好的，但保质期刻的是1991年2月。斯图竭力排除着眩晕的干扰，算了算日子：电池可能在去年5月刚刚更新过。 “去试试喇叭，”斯图把身子靠在车上，对汤姆说。汤姆探身进车内。斯图曾经听说过溺水的人会去抓一根稻草，现在他明白了：他生存的最后一线希望就寄托在这辆破得叮当响，还没来及扔到垃圾场里的旧车上。 “嘟嘟，”喇叭里传来两声响亮的鸣叫。没问题，现在只要有钥匙就可以试一试，也许他该让汤姆先检查一下，但转念一想，斯图觉得没有这个必要。如果没有钥匙，一切可能就全完了。 他放下发动机罩，靠身体的重量把它卡上，然后一路蹦到驾驶座的车门外向里望去，心里已准备好看到一个空空的钥匙孔。key!钥匙就插在仿皮仪表盘上的钥匙孔内。斯图小心地将头探进车里，看到油表指示还有1／4油箱的汽油。斯图注意到仪表盘上刻着两个首字母缩写：Ａ． Ｃ． .真是个谜：为什么这辆车的主人，Ａ． Ｃ．为什么明明车开得动，却要把车停在一旁下去走呢？ 上帝之手。 汤姆在维加斯不就是这么说的吗？上帝之手从天而降，无所不在。也许是上帝为他们留下这辆70年代的破旧的普利茅斯，如同在沙漠中洒下甘露。这个念头有点离奇，但想想一位百岁的黑人妇女能带领一群难民走入希望的家园，这也算不上什么奇迹。 “而且她还能自己做饼干，”斯图自言自语道，“一直到她生命的最后时刻，她还能自己做饼干。” “你说什么，斯图？” “没什么。进去，汤姆。” 汤姆先钻进车里，企盼地问道：“开得动吗？” 斯图放倒司机座，示意科亚克跳进去。科亚克小心地嗅了嗅，然后一跃而入。“我也没把握，你最好祈祷它能开得动。” “ＯＫ。”汤姆说。 斯图花了5分钟才坐到了方向盘后面。他侧着身子，几乎是坐在前排两个座位中间。科亚克端坐在后座上喘着气。车内散放着不少麦当劳的快餐盒，闻起来有一股烂土豆的味道。 斯图扭动钥匙，车“嘟嘟”地响了不到20秒钟，电流表就指示电流不足。斯图按了按喇叭，这次只传来微弱的响声。汤姆的脸色一沉。 “我们还没有完全失败。”斯图说道。电池里还有存液，斯图越来越有信心。他踩下离合，挂上2档。“打开车门，下去把车推动后再蹦上来。” 汤姆怀疑地问：“车头方向不对吧？” “现在是不对。不过我们要是能把这辆老破车开起来，很快就能调头。” 汤姆跳出车外，按住车门框用力推起来。普利茅斯开始沿坡路向下滑动。当速度表指到5公里时，斯图喊道：“跳上来，汤姆。” 汤姆跳上车，“砰”的一声关紧了车门。斯图将钥匙扭到“开”的位置等待着。开车需要力气，发动机熄火时更是费劲。斯图几乎把身上剩下的力气全都用在控制车头方向上了。速度表指针指向10，15，20。汤姆花了一上午时间把斯图拖到坡顶，现在车子正载着他们沿上山的原路默默地滑回去。挡风玻璃开始蒙上一层水气。“糟糕，太晚了！”斯图蓦地想起背袋落在上面了。车速已达每小时25公里了。 “发动机还没有转，斯图。”汤姆焦急地说。 30公里——车已经足够快了。“上帝助我，”斯图喊了声，松开了离合。 普利茅斯剧烈地晃动了几下，发动机“哐哐”地转了起来，但紧接着“咚”的一声，又熄火了。斯图呻吟一声，失败的刺痛如腿上的疼痛一样剧烈。 “该死的发动机。”他大叫着又踩下了离合。“压下油门，汤姆，用你的手压下油门。” “哪一个是油门？”汤姆焦急地喊道。 “最长的那个。” 汤姆趴下去用手按了两下油门。车又开始加速，斯图不得不耐心等待。他们已经滑过下坡的中点了。 “就是这了。”斯图大喊着又松开了离合。 发动机吼叫着转动起来。科亚克也跟着叫起来。锈迹斑斑的管道里冒起了黑烟。车开起来了，虽然似乎有两个气缸坏了，但是真正开起来了。斯图快速地换上3档后松开了离合。他用左脚控制着所有踏板。 “我们开起来了，汤姆，”他兴奋地说道，“现在我们可以靠轮子跑了。” 汤姆欢呼着，科亚克也边叫边摇着尾巴。以前科亚克还叫大个子史蒂夫时就经常坐主人的车，现在能和新主人一起坐车，它真高兴。 沿着坡路开了约4公里，他们来到一个连接西向路段与东向路段的“Ｕ”型路口，路口处竖着一个指示牌：非政府车辆禁用。斯图踩着离合将车转上东向路段，转弯时车颠了两下，差点停下来。但现在发动机很热，斯图还是成功地将车头调了过来。他将车换回三档，身子一下子软了下来，大口大口地喘着气，心跳得又快，又微弱。灰蒙蒙的混沌世界仿佛又要降临，但这次他顶住了。几分钟后，汤姆发现不远处有一个桔红色的睡袋——斯图的背袋。 “再见！”汤姆兴奋地喊道，“再见，我们回博尔德去了。” 今晚能到格林里弗我就很满足了，斯图心里想着。 他们到达格林里弗时，天刚黑下来。斯图放慢了车速，小心地行驶在漆黑的街道上。街道上到处停放着被遗弃的汽车。在一个名叫犹他饭店的大楼前，斯图停下车。这是一幢三层楼高的暗灰色建筑。斯图又感到有点头晕。他觉得仿佛自己在幻境和现实之间游走。来镇上的最后20英里路上，他总感觉车里坐满了人。法兰妮，尼克，诺曼·布吕特，汤姆。他禁不住又往车里望了望，这次仿佛看到克里斯·奥尔特加，那个“印第安人首领”酒吧的服务员，倏地从眼前闪过。 too tired.他以前有没有这样疲劳过？ “就是这儿了。我们今晚就住在这儿了。尼克，我累死了。” “是汤姆，斯图，汤姆·科伦，天哪，是汤姆。” “汤姆，对。我们得停下来歇歇。能扶我进去吗？” “当然。能把这辆破车开起来，真是太伟大了。” “我想喝杯啤酒，”斯图对汤姆说，“有烟没有？我想抽烟都想疯了。”他一下子趴在方向盘上。 汤姆跳到车外，背着斯图走进饭店。门厅里又黑又潮，但有一个壁炉，旁边的箱子里还放着一堆木柴。汤姆把斯图放在一张磨秃了绒的沙发上，沙发上方的墙壁上挂着一个巨大的鹿头。汤姆开始生火，科亚克在门厅里踱着步，这里嗅嗅，那里嗅嗅。斯图的呼吸缓慢而短促，时而低声自语，时而大声尖叫，汤姆听得心都凉了。 汤姆把火生得很旺，然后四处转了转，为自己和斯图找来枕头和毛毯。他将斯图躺着的沙发向火边推了推，然后合衣躺在边上。科亚克卧在另一边，用身体温暖着中间的斯图。 汤姆躺在那里，双眼直盯着天花板。屋顶的墙角处布满了蜘蛛网。斯图病了，这是件棘手的事。如果他醒来，汤姆会问他怎样才能把病治好。 但假设……假设他不再醒来？ 外面起风了，刮得呼呼作响。雨点不住地拍打着窗户上的玻璃。午夜，汤姆入睡后，温度又降了4度，雨水夹着雪花簌簌而下。西面遥远的地方，风暴挟着巨大的放射性尘埃扫向加利福尼亚，更多的人会因此死亡。 凌晨两点，科亚克抬起头不安地叫着。汤姆·科伦突然站起来，眼睛睁得大大的，一副惘然的神色。科亚克不停地叫着，但汤姆似乎充耳不闻。他穿过大门走到风雪交加的屋外。科亚克窜到窗户边，伸开双爪把脸贴到玻璃上朝外望去。它寻找了一阵儿，喉咙里不时发出低沉而恐慌的叫声。一会儿，科亚克又回到斯图身旁卧下睡着了。 屋外，狂风怒号。