[After this :]

The door opens.

The door closes, and Sands leans his head back against it to stare blankly up at the ceiling.

“Hi,” he says, after a moment’s pause.

He doesn’t realise it’s Mal’s room he’s heading to until he’s in it, and even then it takes a moment of blank staring for the surroundings to register ( Read more... )

The van grinds to a halt in the motel’s car park, and Sands is out of it almost before it’s stopped moving, staggering as his feet hit the ground. The sandy, dusty, still considerably deserty ground.

His scowl deepens and, rubbing at his sore wrists, he heads towards the motel. Whether anyone follows him or not is of no concern.

Out in the shadows by the lake, there’s a little yellow light floating from side to side in mid-air.

On closer inspection, could be there’s a cigarette on the end of it.

Come a little closer, and it becomes quite possible there’s a Sands on the end of thatHe’s pacing back and forth, one hand drumming on his thigh and the other clenching ( Read more... )