Well, if he took the lid off, he would find Cokes, sandwiches, and a few cans of beer. They had also stolen the hiker's lunch. Those people were probably going to have a really terrible day now.

He did, reaching back and peaking in. He now felt like the worst person in history.

Let's just hope one of them had a cell phone, because if they didn't, then they had even more of a hike ahead of them now, to get back to the main road.

He closed it and sat forward again, feeling really bad and therefore sick to his stomach.

Electa was watching him. "We didn't have a choice, Vexin," she said softly. "I know that doesn't make it right, but it really was life or death."

He nodded, letting himself for once fall into the softness of her voice and relax in the words of teh only person that wouldn't kill him now. He didn't know why, but he started feeling that he disliked her less and less.

~~Little time skip~~

Even in the moonlight, the ground looked dry, dusty, as though it hadn't rained in a thousand years. They'd crossed over into New Mexico a few hours earlier, crisscrossing their way on remote back roads--which, once they'd gotten out of Texas, had abruptly turned to dust. The Chevy groaned along at about thirty miles an hour, with the wheels spitting up a steady stream of dirt and pebbles as they rumbled over the uneven ground. Occasionally one would ping against the windshield, nicking it. Electa had frowned as she drove, concentrating on steering them around the ruts and dips. Finally it had gotten so dark that driving had become too risky in the Chevy, so she'd pulled off the road and they'd stopped for the night.

They hadn't seen another living soul in hours.

Now Electa sat leaning against the car, drinking one of the Cokes they'd found in the cooler.

Vex stayed in the car, tossing five little white pills in a palm as he stared at them even in the dark. He hated these strong pills but he'd run out eventually and then be subject to his agonizing pain of his soul situation.

She stared out at the desert. It had always reminded her of the ocean in a weird way--so endless and utterly silent. And cold, now that the sun was down. She had her leather jacket on. Electa drained the Coke and then played with the aluminum. Even since they'd pulled off the road, her mind had been replaying over and over again, like a bad dream, the moment when she'd seen the rifle pointed at Vexin...the split second when she thought he might die. Her heart had almost stopped.

Vexin's mind was more blank than hers, although he kept having to shake her out of it. He still didn't think of her as much a friend, but he kept reminding himself that she just needed him for things. That was the reason he gave himself that she had ... pretty much kept him safe. He refused to think she cared for him, no one usually did so he had half an easy time pushing the thought away.