"Oh, God!" "What?" "Didn't you see that?" "There was a dead cat... hanging from that sign we just passed." "Really?" "Cool." "Don't you even think about going back there." "What color was it?" "Tiger-striped." "What difference does it make?" "Well, I thought it might be black, you know?" "Satanists out in the desert." "Marielle said the Nevada desert was full of oddballs." "I just don't know who could kill a living creature like that." "You're traveling through another dimension..." "A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind." "Very funny." "I can't wait to get back to Salt Lake City, at least." "Too much nature out here." "I'm starting to miss civilization." "What?" "What is it?" "A car." "Really moving', too." "Get over." "Give him the road." "It's a cop." "Why is he going so fast with his flashers off?" "Who's he gonna run them for out here?" "Well, there's us." "What's he doing?" "I don't know." "Hi." "What does he want?" "Well, I guess he wants to get back behind us again." "Well, why didn't he just pull over... and let us pass then, if that's what he wants?" "I don't know." "Why is he stopping us, Peter?" "Why?" "These asses have a quota to make." "They keep the posted limit at 55 so they can make it." "Don't pull over." "I don't have a choice, Mary." "Great." "Holy God, it's Sasquatch!" "Guess I was going a little fast, officer." "Had the hammer down a little, huh?" "Can I see your registration please, sir?" "No problem." "But the car's not mine." "It's my sister's." "We're driving it back for her to New York." "She's... she goes to school in Oregon." "Rand College." "Have you ever heard of it?" "Mar, could you get the registration?" "I think it's in the glove compartment." "I don't believe this..." "I can't find my license." "Sorry, officer, I..." "Oh, wait a minute, here it is." "OK, and, um, here's the registration." "Oh, good." "I see you're an organ donor." "Think that's wise?" "Well..." "Is there a problem, officer?" "Your name is Jackson?" "The one on the pink slip says Deirdre Finney." "That your sister?" "Right." "She's been divorced for about a year... but she kept her husband's last name." "Deirdre's a bit of a flake." "Bit of a flake, huh?" "Tak." "Can I ask you to step out of the car, Mr. Jackson?" "What for?" "Of course." "Come around back, Mr. Jackson." "Hell!" "Peter, what is it?" "Our..." "our damn license plate fell off!" "I doubt it." "Did you stop in Fallon?" "Yeah, we got gas at the Conoco there." "Why?" "They got some light-fingered kids hang out there." "I reckon your license plate is hangin' in their clubhouse right now." "You know this and it still goes on?" "Oh, Fallon is not my place." "Those are not my ways." "Gosh, no." "What should we do about that, officer?" "Well, you just take the plate off the front... and put it in the back." "That's should get you across the country." "You got a tool kit?" "These are yours." "Thanks." "I think I saw a tool kit in the trunk." "Yeah, OK." "There, behind my make-up case." "Hey." "What is this?" "Damned sister!" "Officer, I know what this looks like." "But we checked her stuff..." "But we're not customs officers!" "That... that is not our dope!" "No." "Let me have your keys." "Get in the car." "But..." "Are you deaf?" "Get in the car!" "Get in the car!" "OK, we'll get this taken care of." "In Desperation." "Get in the car, folks." "Tak." "Slow down, you'll flip us!" "What are you doing?" "Are you crazy?" "Officer, you saw our registration." "You know that isn't our car, and it's not our dope either!" "Do you think we'd be so stupid..." "Shut up, you New York deviant." "Wh... wh... what did you call me?" "I'm arresting you for possession of marijuana... with intent to sell." "You can't be serious!" "You have the right to remain silent." "If you choose to not be silent... everything you say can be held against you..." "In a court of law." "You have the right to an attorney." "I am going to kill you." "If you cannot afford an attorney..." "One will be provided for you." "Do you understand your rights... as I have explained them to you?" "Do you understand your rights?" "Just..." "Act normally." "I don't think he understands what he just said." "Do you understand your rights?" "!" "Do you or not?" "Answer me... you smart-aleck blue state unisex swingles!" "Do you or not?" "Do you or not?" "Yes!" "Yes, we understand." "Please, just watch the road." "Don't worry about me." "I got eyes in the back of my head." "You'd do well to remember that." "Up there on the horizon's the china pit." "Gotta go all the way to Peru to find a bigger one." "Yeah, we just started working her again." "They got some kind of technology... that makes even the tailings valuable." "Science, huh?" "Gosh." "Yeah, I think we're gonna be a boom town again... just like in the old days." "Officer, please don't kill us." "We'll do whatever you say." "Just don't kill us!" "Shut your quackin' yuppie pothead mouth!" "We're not potheads." "You look like potheads to me." "Yuppies killed Princess Di, you know." "Wasn't she beautiful?" "Officer..." "Shut up and walk." "Where is everybody?" "Disneyland." "Come on, walk, hay foot, straw foot." "You're Peter." "You're Mary." "So where's Paul?" "I mean, how can you sing Puff the Magic Dragon without Paul?" "Wait a minute." "Peter Jackson." "I love Lord of the Rings!" "You are useless." "You at least look healthy." "Get in there, girlfriend." "Forgot all about her." "You can never remember everything, now can you?" "I don't care if you're a Jew, a Hindu, or Mr. Magoo." "In Desperation..." "We don't care about those things much." "Peter!" "Peter!" "Let me go!" "Peter!" "Shotgun, get the shotgun!" "Shoot him, shoot him!" "Get it!" "Get it, woman!" "Pick it up, for God sakes!" "Don't do that." "Drop it, Mary." "Put it down, Mary." "Put it down." "Drop it." "Now, if you don't want to see your liver... come squirting out of your nose..." "I'd put it down, Mary." "Kill me if you're going to." "Now, why would I want to kill you... when things are just starting to get interesting?" "He killed my husband!" "He killed our little girl." "Three billion red Chinese don't give a damn." "How they hangin', old timer?" "Don't you hurt him!" "I'm warning you." "Who are you, boy?" "I'm David Carver." "I live at 248 Poplar Street in Wentworth, Ohio." "Yeah, but... who made thee?" "Canst thou say who made thee?" "Tak!" "I guess my folks did." "And God." "There's no god out here, little Dave." "Leave him alone!" "Haven't you done enough to our family?" "Even bald-headed hoppin'" "Satan... don't step his split-foot much west of Tonopah." "This is Desperation." "Only thing out here is can tah and can tak." "And don't you forget it!" "You're mine." "David, what's wrong?" "What's... what's wrong with him?" "There's nothing wrong with him." "What do you mean?" "Are you blind?" "I think your son is praying." "Well." "Hey there." "Are you a nice person?" "Well, I like to think so... but, then again, if I was Ted Bundy... do you think I'd tell you?" "I'd know." "I got a psychic streak." "Up yours!" "That's pleasant." "So what's your name, young lady?" "Cynthia Smith." "Smith?" "Oh." "Smith." "That's a likely story." "No, really, it is." "Sure." "Honest!" "OK." "Who are you?" "Me?" "Steve Ames." "A noble moniker." "So, haul your psychic streak on up here..." "Cynthia Smith..." "And let's make some miles, OK?" "Yeah, I guess you'll do." "Oh." "Well, thank you very much, cookie." "Don't call me cookie, and I won't call you cake." "Oh, my." "You gonna smoke that or gum it to death?" "Yeah, I quit." "Never hurts to keep in practice, though." "What you lookin' at, huh?" "Your T-shirt." "Yeah, right!" "I'm lookin' at your t-shirt!" "Come on, that's OK!" "We're all animals, right?" "Oh, come on, now!" "Give me a break." "I worked with Dylan back in '95 when, uh, he did Unplugged." "No way!" "Yeah, yeah way." "Yeah." "I was doin' amps and guitar tech... back in those days." "Are you a roadie?" "Well, this truck looks too small to carry a band's gear." "No, I'm workin' for this writer..." "And he's, uh, he's driving cross country... doing little speaking things, you know?" "And he does one every couple of days or so... and when he gets back to the west coast... he's gonna write a book about it." "Is he famous?" "Have you ever heard of John Edward Marinville?" "No." "Well, he's famous amongst book people, I guess." "Yeah, I pretty much stick with Dean Koontz." "Is he cool?" "Is he cool?" "Yeah... you know, once you get past the ego... which is like, the size of Tibet." "Yeah, I mean, he gets cranky every so often, but I like him... you know." "People drive across country everyday." "Why is he writing a book about it?" "Ah, well, it's like he's got this midlife crisis thing..." "You know, the guy's 60 years old." "He's been everywhere, he's done everyone, you know." "The guy rides a big Harley soft tail." "Hey, hey!" "Is his bike red and cream?" "Yeah, red and cream." "I think I saw him this morning!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you probably did." "Lookin' all handsome on his bike." "Handsome man, yeah!" "Yeah, and he knows it, too, believe me." "Well, he's got to be what... like, 50, 70 miles ahead of you." "Yeah, about that." "You know, I catch up to him when he has a gig..." "And I set up the sound systems for him..." "And I, you know..." "Make sure he's got the names straight, stuff like that." "And I'll have dinner with him if he wants somebody to talk to." "Not with, to." "But the guy's having the time of his life." "Yeah, he likes to play the lone wolf, huh?" "Yeah." "That's..." "that's the boss." "Lone Wolf McQuade." "A film before your time." "Come on, come on." "Go." "Water in the desert." "Thank you, Lord." "You want to come up here, sir?" "I think we need to have a talk." "Afternoon, officer." "A wise man once told me... no matter how much you squirm and dance... last two drops end up in your pants." "Sir." "Are you aware that parking your vehicle on a state road is against the law?" "And that relieving yourself in public... is also against the law?" "Well, I didn't see any crowd gathering to watch me, so..." "Sir." "Yeah." "Well, listen, you can... write me up if you have to... and I will take it with a smile and apologize... if that will improve your day." "I'm not gonna write you up, sir." "Just a warning will do this time, but..." "What?" "Something wrong?" "Holy God." "Holy God!" "You're John Edward Marinville, aren't you?" " Oh, I..." " Damn!" "I'm busted." "You got me again." "Damn!" "Glad to meet you." "I am shaking hands" "With the guy who wrote Delight!" "Yeah." "With the guy who wrote Song of the Hammer!" " Yeah." " This is..." "Wow!" "What are you doing out here?" "And on such an unsafe mode of transportation?" "I mean, they don't call them murder-cycles for nothin'... and I'm a wolf." "Are you workin' on anything new, sir?" "Yeah, a book of essays." "I thought I'd cycle across America... and get in touch with the common folk." "You know, get back to my roots." "That's amazing." "Sir, can I can I have your autograph?" "I mean, that'd... that'd..." "that'd make my whole day." "Hell, that'd make my whole year." "Yeah, that'd be fine." "Right here and?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." " All right." "Could you just make it out to Collie Entragian... your number one fan." "Thank you." "I heard you saw some pretty hairy stuff in the 'Nam." "I was just a correspondent, officer." "Just one more ink-stained wretch." "But, I must say... that the Vietnam experience defined me." "Nobody wrote about 'Nam like you." "I heard you saved some soldiers... when some suicide gook blew up a restaurant." "Well, it was gut check time for a lot of us." "We did what we could." "Yeah, well, some people don't do anything." "Some made the bread of forgetfulness... and drank the wine of cowardice." "Tak." "Hey, you don't want to ride around like that, Mr. Marinville." "That thing gets caught up in your back wheel... you're toast." "How'd that get like that?" "It can't be." "I always check these buckles before I get on the cycle." "It's the last thing I do." "Well, they say the memory's the first thing to go." "What's that supposed to mean?" "What the hell is that?" "That's a wolf!" "Shoot it!" "Ah, that's just a wild dog." "They're not dangerous." "Ordinarily." "Tak!" "Tak ah lah!" "Tak ah wah!" "What the hell did you say to it?" "Is that some kind of Indian dialect?" "Well, it's a lot older than that." "Now, since you can't take care of yourself..." "You big baby..." "Hey." "Gosh." "Houston, we have a problem." "That's not mine." "You put that in there when I was off doing my business." "Yeah." "Blame the cop, just like in your lefty New York stories." "Tak." "Why do you keep saying that?" "Why do you keep saying "tak"?" "I didn't say tak." "You said tak." "You say tomato, I say tomat-oh." "You say potato, I say potat-ah." "What the hell's the matter with you?" "Tomato..." "Tomat-oh." "Potato." "Potat-oh." "# let's call the whole thing off #" "My nose!" "That's not all I'll break." "My children of the desert." "Can toi." "What music they make." "Get up!" "On your feet, Lord Jim." "Upsa-daisy, you worthless piece of crap." "You've been redefined." "Watch what you're doing to me." "Shut up!" "You're in my house now!" "You're in the house of the wolf and the scorpion... and don't you forget it!" "You really did wet your pants this time." "You're a sorry excuse for a writer... and you're a sorry excuse for a man." "Your whole life is a lie... and I could just kill you right here." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "No." "No." "No." "No." "It's still showing." "I can still see it." "Cover it up more!" "More, please." "Yes." "Thank you for using Sky." "Your call is now being routed." "Have a great day." "Oh, damn it." "I was in a literary commune in Chicago." "Yeah, that's a new one on me." "Well, when you have a bunch of people... sitting around in a roach motel... smoking crystal meth, they're addicts." " Nice." " But!" "If they've been to college, they're a literary commune." "For a while, though, it wasn't bad..." "But then I realized I was getting old before my time." "So, I split." "OK, all right..." "Do me a favor." "just don't say anything, OK?" "He's... he'll be cool about it." "But his agent made a huge stink... about picking up, wayward hitchhikers." "Hey, boss, that you?" "Steve..." "Steve, I'm..." "Johnny?" "Boss, is that..." "Trouble..." "I hear you, boss." "What's wrong?" "Boss?" "About a mile and..." "about a mile and a half..." "Boss?" "Boss?" "Boss!" "Steve..." "Boss?" "Boss?" "!" "Steve, can you..." "can you hear me?" "S..." "S..." "Shoot." "Lost him." "Miss me?" "Where you taking me?" "The old calabozo, my friend..." "Where anything you bray will be abused against you... in the court of caw." "Well, aren't you going to at least say gesundheit?" "He's in trouble isn't he?" "Said something about the cops." "Oh, God." "Bad." "Not good." "Big ego." "Big temper." "Just hope he hasn't killed anybody." "All right, brace yourself, Cynthia." "There might be blood." "Yeah, I will." "I'm a woman." "I can deal with blood." "Look, John." "What in the name of God is going on?" "What's up with the praying, David?" "I've been doing it since Bryan's accident." "Everyone thought he'd die." "Your sister died." "I'd say that's a pretty lousy bargain." "Honey, leave him alone..." "I want to know about this!" "He's praying." "That's all." "He's not hurting anybody." "Praying is great." "Without it, the crusades would've never gotten off the ground." "Do you do this all the time, son?" "Or is it special?" "I ask for help in the morning and give thanks at night." "In the middle I just take a few minutes... and try to... get open." "Sort of like a football receiver or something." "It's hard to explain." "Bryan got you going on this?" "Bryan's accident." "You remember the doctor saying... how his recovery was almost miraculous?" "I saw him, Mom." "It wasn't "almost."" "Bryan, look out!" "Bryan!" "Bryan!" "Bryan, are you OK?" "Bryan, are you..." "Help me!" "Somebody help me!" "I think he's dying!" "Come on, please." "God, please don't let him die." "If you save him, I'll do something for you." "Anything you want, I promise." "Only don't let him die." "Please don't let him die." "God could work a miracle on your friend... but not on your baby sister?" "He couldn't save her from that cop?" "What kind of a god is that?" "I don't know what kind of god he is." "Look, leave him alone." "I want to know how you can get on your knees... and pray to a god who killed your sister!" "Lady, he's your son... and I don't mean to interfere." "But why don't you take it easy on the boy?" "I know you lost your little girl." "I lost my husband." "It's been a tough day on everyone." "Tough day." "Listen." "Maybe it's help." "No." "It's Collie." "I recognize the engine." "His name is Collie Entragian." "He's been on the force here for... about 12 years." "I'm..." "I'm the vet in these parts... and I took care of Collie's dogs." "He was a nice fellow." "Yeah, a real sweetheart." "Till this, I mean." "I'll tell you something, though." "He's bigger." "What do you mean, "he's bigger"?" "Bigger." "Taller." "A few inches at least." "That's impossible." "I know." "Look at us, would you." "Just one big happy family." "Tak." "I don't even know what I'm looking for." "His bike..." "Skid marks, or just anything out of the ordinary." " Wait, wait... what is that?" " What?" "He said something about an R.V." "Hey!" "What?" "What is it?" "Just a reflection, I guess." "Go slow." "Hello?" "Anybody home?" "Look." "This is some little girl's favorite." "See how the dress is patched?" "So why was it left in the sand?" "Yeah." "And why..." "Why are all the tires flat, you know?" "Like, not just one or two of them, but all of them." "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo." "Catch a tourist by the toe." "Don't you scream." "Don't you shout." "Time has come to take you... out." "Leave them alone!" "Haven't you done enough to us?" "In a word..." "No." "Come on out, hon." "Or this no chin, pencil neck, paper pusher... gets it right between the eyes." "Ellie, no." "And the boy goes next." "No!" "I'll be all right." "OK." "That's right, hon." "Fine as fiddlesticks." "If you want that... take me where my son won't have to see." "Oh, don't worry, hon." "I don't want "that."" "Especially not from "you."" "Mom, no!" "Leave her alone, you bastard!" "Leave my mother alone." "Don't worry, honey." "I'll be back." "OK?" "Make him stop." "Dad, make him stop." "Oh, God." "I'm warning you." "If you hurt her, you'll be sorry." "Maybe." "But I doubt it." "You're just a little prayboy, aren't you?" "Yes, yes, you are." "You just little prayboy in a baseball shirt." "Well, go ahead and pray." "See what good it does." "But God ain't here any more than he was... when Jesus was dying on the cross with flies in his eyes." "Tak!" "Tak!" "Ah lah!" "Him en tow!" "If you set a hand or a foot outside your cell... he'll have it off before you even know it was gone." "Leave her alone." "Son!" "I will put a stick through your mother and spin her... until she catches fire if I so desire." "And you'll not stop me." "And I'll come back for you." "Collie!" "Don't hurt her!" "Carver." "Carver." "Well, there was boy here as well as a girl." "David Carver." "Carver." "What do you got?" "Jewelry." "Earrings and rings." "You know, not Tiffany, but not cheap either." "Not the kind of stuff you'd leave behind... unless you were in a hurry." "Time for the cops, isn't it?" "Well, I'm pretty sure the boss said something... about being like a mile from the R.V." "So..." "Before we start yelling for the cops..." "You're crazy." "Cynthia!" "Why are you taking me here?" "!" "It's beautiful, isn't it?" "Oh, God." "Please, don't kill me." "Just..." "Now what?" "Well, there's a town not too far far east of here..." "Desperation." "They got some cute names out here, don't they?" "Yeah, I don't care about the name." "I just care about if they have at least one working phone... and maybe one working cop." "Yeah." "Wouldn't that be nice." "# Mother Mary #" "# What's the story #" "# Save my soul from Purgatory #" "Pie." "Murder God." "That's what it really says." "Pie, I'm sorry he killed you." "Never mind." "I have something for you." "Tak ah lah!" "Tak!" "Look, David." "David, are you OK?" "Could you please turn around?" "This is a little embarrassing." "David, whatever you have in mind..." "It can't be a good idea." "It's the only idea." "Who says so, son?" "My sister..." "God." "Are you going to stop this... before you son does something he regrets?" "David, you don't have to do this." "The cop's bleeding out." "He can't last much longer." "It won't take him long... to kill my mom if decides to." "David, I don't know what you're planning..." "But I forbid it." "Sorry, Dad." "What's he doing?" "David!" "David, you don't have to do this." "You'll get stuck." "Even if you do get out," "That thing'll eat you from the feet up." "Lord, close its mouth like you did with the lions..." "When Daniel was cast into their den." "Amen." "Stop it!" "Get away from him you ugly bastard." "Here, here." "Here!" "Here!" "Hey!" "Hey, come on!" "Get over here, you mutt." "Come to me!" "Come to me!" "Come on, take another bite!" "Come this way!" "Come to me!" "David, there's no time!" "Come on, move!" "Get out of there, David!" "David, pull it!" "Get out of there!" "Come on, come on!" "David, push!" "Get out!" "Get out!" "Call the police!" "Run, run, David!" "Please help me take care of my mom... and do what I'm supposed to do." "Hello?" "Anybody home?" "Tasteful." "Operators are standing by." "Hello?" "!" "Anybody there?" "It's dead!" "It's got to be the..." "Hey, wait!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait." "There are some garbage cans lined up against the wall." "The wind just knocked one down." "That's all." "I don't care." "I want to get out of here." "This place is empty, and it gives me the creeps." "There's trucks out there." "Where is everybody?" "I don't know." "But I just think... we ought to just keep..." "I know, just tell me... we're going to be laughing at each other... and feeling stupid in a few seconds." "OK?" "OK." "A few seconds." "Good enough." "Let's see what we see." "Do you hear that?" "Sounds like a kid blowing bubbles through a straw." "Do not worry, Little Nell, for I shall save you." "Dork." "Yeah." "It's just an aquarium." "No, look." "Look." "What?" "Behind the boat."