Page 31 of Factory Thief

He peels out and disappears down the road. Victoria shouts after him.

“No, wait! God damn it…” She turns to me and shakes her head. “This is no good. You’ll have to hide, and stay hidden.”

“How is that going to work? I won’t be able to ride with you.”

“That’s right, you won’t. I’ll get the ride to civilization, and then come back and get you once I procure the means.”

“I assume procure the means is a euphemism for stealing a car, and what am I supposed to do while I wait for you to get back?”

“I don’t know, take a nap, finish the unfinished symphony…look, Jack, I’m coming back for you. I promise. Okay?”

I look into her green eyes and know I can’t resist.

“Okay.” The sound of an engine approaches and I rush back to my hiding spot. Victoria thrusts both her thumb and her hip toward the road. An old-style station wagon pulls over to the shoulder and she moves to the passenger side window.

I can’t make out what they’re saying, but the man looks like a kindly elderly sort, almost like everybody’s grandpa. I figure she’s good to go, but then Victoria abruptly stiffens and shakes her head.

“You’re turning down a ride from Grandpa Walton?” I shake my head. “Unbelievable.”

I come out of hiding. “Why didn’t you get in the car? He seemed harmless.”

“Yeah, he seemed that way to you, but I recognize that vibe. That guy was a total creep, I’m telling you.”

She glances up the road nervously when the sound of another engine approaches.

“Now, get back to your hiding spot. Hopefully this next one will be a winner.”

I go back to my place with great reluctance. I’m not sure what criteria Victoria is using to determine who she should accept a ride from, and I’m thoroughly confused as a result.

My confusion only grows when a purple and black van pulls to the side of the road. The entire side of the van is covered with an airbrushed mural of a half-naked barbarian warrior, bristling with muscle, a great ax over his shoulder. His free hand holds a chain which leads to a kneeling, simpering nude woman. Tresses of hair and the chain block her naughty bits and keep the image a strict PG-13.

The hairy creep who leans out to speak to her makes me cringe. To my shock, she gets into the van.

“Unbelievable,” I say. “How is that—I just don’t—fuck…”

I’m worried for her the moment the Conan-chic door shuts. All I can do is hope she stays safe. I putter about in the woods, wondering if I should try and hitch my own ride and test her hypothesis. I decide against it. I’m a fugitive, an escaped convict. The last thing I want to do is hitchhike, that’s literally what they expect.

The morning bleeds off into the bright light of noon. The sun nears its zenith overhead, blasting away the last of the moisture from the ocean and leaving my clothes heavy and stiff with salt. I begin to itch all over and yearn for the simple comfort of a shower or a bath.

I’m starting to worry Victoria may not come back for me. Why should she, really? Because we slept together? Just because it was an amazing revelation to me doesn’t mean she felt the same way.

Am I an idiot? Did I fall for her charms only to get a knife in the back? The fact of the matter is, she has a lot better chance of escaping from both the law and the Xtera group on her own than if I’m slowing her down.

Maybe I got duped. Maybe I can sit out here in the woods until I rot. No, that’s silly, I’ll die of frustration long before then.

I finally decide to start walking toward town, keeping parallel to the road but not coming upon it or within eyesight of the drivers.

I don’t get far when the sputtering, laboriously churning engine of a beat-up truck reaches my ears. To my amazement, Victoria sits in the driver’s seat, a twisted coat hanger holding up her sideview mirror.

“Hey, good looking,” she says when I come trotting up. “Looking for a ride? You’re going to have to show me some leg first.”

“Thank God you’re okay,” I say, getting into the passenger side. “That guy who picked you up looked like a serial killer.”

“Olaf? No, just European. His wife was in the back, along with his bandmates. Nice people, by the way.”

“You’re something else, you know that?” I can’t help but laugh. I’d like to just enjoy this moment. She came back for me, after all.

But I can’t risk letting her get close to me, if it’s not too late already.

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