Chapter 20. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
”Know ya’ can win, or know when to run. Anything else gets ya’ killed.”
– Adelais’s Scratch Pad
Outer Region, Los Tios, Mexico
Adelais drove past the makeshift clinic as he finished his last piece of jerky. After so many pieces, the rations tasted raw in his mouth—little more than bitter meat. But they kept him fed long enough to make it back home. Not far from the town outskirts, Adelais drove on.
Finally reaching the bar, he parked the truck in the back, next to a large heap of several old blankets. He walked past, lifting one of the blankets, and trudged inside through the kitchen. He headed straight to the basement, finding a young brunette woman sitting in the bed next to Siggy’s, reading.
“The hell’re you?”
“Alma. You’re Adelais, right?”
“Yeah. Car outside yers?”
“Yep.”
“Huh.”
Adelais trudged over to his bed, stripped naked, and collapsed.