Half the Fallen Angels
Episode 2: City of Sublimation
Long enough the young man was driving in the dark. Finally he arrived at a small town, where people were on their way. There are only a few shops, cafes, a petrol station, a police station, lodging, and some other facilities inside. Even so, the small town was well lit by several street lamps and the outside lights of each building.
The young man lowered his speed. He thought of a good plan. Looking for a shop to visit. He was hungry because he had not eaten all day. Then spend the night at the inn.
"Nice Idea, then what do we pay him genius?", the young man spoke for himself.
Not finished the young man with himself, he was suspicious because of the scenery in the small town. Something he saw, exactly the state it was with the previous city he had left behind.
Some vehicles stopped in the middle of the asphalt road, some of which even hit a corner of the store building. The young man stopped, parked his motorbike in the side parking lot of the store that had been provided. Then get down, and walk.
In front of the store, there is a small gas station. The man approached him, looking at a parked truck right on the side of the charging machine. He then walked to the other side of the truck, and found a middle-aged man lying with a gasoline hose close to his palm. Gasoline spills that had come out of the hose look like new, have not dried at all.
The young man no longer cared. He ignored what he had just seen. He walked quickly, with an unsettled heart. He entered the store, picked up some snacks and drinks and put them in his left and right pockets on the black jacket he was wearing.
From the direction he walked, a little from the entrance to the cashier's desk, the hand and some of the hair of someone lying down on the floor. But his gaze remained straight ahead, not turning nor glancing. He came out of the shop, looking as if he saw nothing, but he could not hide the anxiety on his face.
Then the young man went to the inn, not too far from the store, but had to cross the street twice. He came in, took any room key that hung on the wall right behind the reception desk.
The young man walked in the hallway between the rooms. He saw the key he was carrying, the number four on the keychain. He soon found the door he was looking for. He unlocked the door, rushed in, and closed the door again and locked it quickly.
The young man took a deep breath, walked a few steps and then laid himself on the bed. The man's previously stiffened face was now subsiding.
However, a moment later came the memory of everything that the man had seen along the road earlier. Something he tried not to see. He suddenly moved his head, awakening himself from the daydreams.
"Aaah, it seems that I am very tired today", he said, tilting his body. He then fell asleep. The brief incident in the small town completely shifted his focus to the point that he forgot about his hunger.
***
Morning time. The young man woke up from sleep. He looked at the window. The space blue has been spotted but not yet completely bright. He then headed to the bathroom for a bit, and came out of it with a wet face. He also rubbed his face.
The young man brought out the food and drink he had in his pocket. Then put it on the table. He sat on the chair and devoured everything until his hunger was gone.
Along the way, the young man noticed many things, and compared them to the memories of last night. Nothing has changed since then. The car that stopped in the middle of the road was still in place, the truck and the middle-aged man at the gas station also did not change position, even the lights in the small town were still all lit.
Currently there are not many who stop in this small town, there are only a few vehicles on the road that can be counted fingers, in the inn just now many keys are hanging on the back wall of the reception desk, guests, and only a little did he find people lying on the sidewalk.
The young man came to the place where his motorbike was parked. Before leaving, he had tried to see from behind the glass wall of the shop, a cashier guard still lying in a similar pose.
There was no more worry about the young man. He began to get used to it, after seeing the same situation many times. After being felt enough with the location, he finally went to speed with his motorbike, starting to leave this small town.
The young man was getting away from the small town. Along the way, he often looked at the rearview mirror. From the rear view, the small town behind him is getting farther, until some of the city buildings look small, except for a large billboard that reads 'Desert Miles 47' brightly colored, brightly lit, still looks striking at altitude.
Until when the young man drove up to a certain distance, the lights from the writing on the billboard suddenly died. He who saw it from the rearview mirror, then stopped the speed of the motor and looked back.
The young man turned his head for quite a long time towards the small town. The billboard lamp bearing the name of the small town is no longer lit, but the writing pattern can still be read when viewed carefully.
("The lamp cannot die alone.", thought the man, silently turning to the small town.)
The man closed his eyes while shaking his own head. Pulling himself out of his own mind.
The young man actually understood, what was really happening. It's not that stupid, not to realize. Even from the moment he left the first city, he understood that this strange thing had something to do with him.
It was just that the young man continued to deny. Avoiding his own thoughts, for he himself has no right reason to reject them. It would be easier not to think about it for the young man.
In the blind man's head, the young man was driving down the asphalt road. Passing through the arid land along with some giant brownish-red rocks, and highlands towering like pillars.
This time he did not watch the rearview mirror anymore, hoping the billboard lights will remain lit. His gaze was completely focused straight ahead. Until the small town called 'Desert Miles 47' was not seen again.
***