The sign that came up fast on their right almost sent him over the edge inside his head.
SALT LAKE CITY—212 Miles
The sheer sameness of the speckled wonderment outside finally brought Alicia forward, just in time to catch a glimpse of the sign before they rolled past.
“Surely that can’t be right.”
“Why not?” said Burnfingers cheerfully. “Miles or light-years, what’s the difference? It’s all a matter of perspective.”
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” said Frank in a low voice.
“You can take as much of it as you have to, my friend, because you have no other choice.”
“Couldn’t we, maybe, pull over and rest for a while?” Alicia asked hopefully.
“Pull over?” Frank gestured outside. “Pull over where? I mean, I like the wide open spaces, but I like solid ground under them.”
“Nothing’s solid anymore,” Alicia observed thoughtfully. “You can’t count on anything being real anymore.” She turned to the diminutive figure on her left. “Isn’t that right?”
Mouse nodded. “Reality flexes.”
Frank half turned in his seat. “That’s nuts.”
“In and out, in and out.” Mouse moved her hands to illustrate. “Like a bellows. Here reality has been stretched thin enough to see through.”
“Wonderful.” He slumped back down in his seat.
After a while Burnfingers finally gave in to Frank’s repeated requests to let him drive. At first he was nervous, but a few minutes behind the wheel found him cruising easily. All you had to do was stay on the road, he told himself. Despite their success in escaping from Pass Regulus, he still had more confidence in his own driving than Begay’s.
The last thing he expected to see was an off ramp.
It was coming up fast on the right, and he slowed quickly. The sign nearby said CEDAR CITY. Alicia was sitting across from him now and he looked anxiously at her.
“Seems okay.” She glanced back. “Burnfingers?”
Begay came forward, studied both the sign and ramp. “Might as well. If it’s half right, we’re a long ways from Vegas and longer still from Regulus.”
Licking his lips, Frank flipped his turn signal and slowly started down pavement no thicker than plastic wrap.
There was a stop sign at the bottom of the off ramp. A normal-looking, battered red and yellow sign. As he hit the brakes the light changed, late afternoon replacing the awesome universal night around them. It was reality, snapping back like a rubber band.
“We’ve fallen through a crack,” said Burnfingers.
“We’re back.” Alicia let out a long sigh. “Thank God, we’re back!”
“Maybe,” said Burnfingers, but to himself.
The sign by the dirty asphalt read WELCOME TO CEDAR CITY, UTAH. Ahead they could see structures of wood and stucco, clinging to the lower slopes of snow-capped peaks. On a telephone pole nearby, a hawk sat examining the motor home. As they approached, it took wing in search of vermin. The air was warm but not desert hot, refreshingly devoid of pollutants or other surprises. Frank lowered his window, sucked in mountain air.
“Smells right. Looks right. Could we be back where we belong, back on the right reality line?”
“Reality is rife with off ramps,” Mouse replied gently, “but I admit it does appear promising. There is no need to try to find the interstate again. We can continue along this state highway.”
“You mean you can continue along. I’ve had it. I know I promised, but I can’t take this anymore, lady. Not even if we’re, like you said, linked together. No more.”
Mouse regarded him for a long moment. “I understand, Mr. Sonderberg. It has been harder than I thought. There will be dangers to you, but perhaps when I depart your company they will not manifest themselves. I will make my way alone the rest of the way to the Vanishing Point.”
Frank seemed confused by her ready acquiescence. “Well, okay. That’s more like it.” Alicia said nothing.
“What will you do?” Mouse asked him curiously.
He considered, hardly daring to believe their ordeal was nearing its end. “I dunno. I guess we’ll find a motel.” Now Alicia smiled. “An ordinary chain motel where we can get some rest. Then I’m calling a taxi, or a limo, or something. The outfit that rented us this machine can come and get it. I don’t give a damn if the taxi has to come all the way down from Salt Lake. I ain’t doing any more driving. We’ll head for the nearest airport. I’ll beg, borrow, or steal a charter plane to fly us home. We’re not even going into Salt Lake for a regular airline. I just want out of here as fast as possible.”
“I do understand. I hope all will be well with you.”
“Put me in the air headed toward L.A. and I’ll be well, all right.”
They entered town. A small Western town, salubrious in its ordinariness. Burger King, McDonald’s, a Kentucky Fried slid past, until their mouths were watering. They were followed by a small shopping center anchored by miniature Sears and JC Penney stores, then a Kmart. It was so much like Los Angeles on a smaller scale that Alicia started crying. Best of all, it didn’t change as they cruised up the main street. Frank pulled into the first motel with a Best Western sign out front.
The Vacancy/No Vacancy sign wasn’t working. That didn’t matter to Frank, who could have spotted the lifeless neon letters a mile off. He pulled up alongside the fenced swimming pool and parked.
“Guess I’ll be leaving you here, too,” said Burnfingers. He raised a hand to forestall Frank’s protest. “It’s all right. I know this country well and will have no trouble here. You have been good people. I did not thank you properly for rescuing me back at that casino. Maybe someday I may even be able to explain it to myself.”
“Didn’t exactly rescue you,” Frank replied. “All we did was help distract those guys who were beating on you and give you a chance to rescue yourself.” He checked his watch. “Least we can do is buy you something to eat.”
“That’s kind of you. I would enjoy a proper meal. It has been a strenuous couple of days.”
“Now there’s an understatement.” Alicia smiled for the first time in a while. Wendy, too, had recovered, though she wasn’t twisting and tossing her body in time to the music inside her head with quite the same abandon as before. She missed her tape player.
