Free Hope and Undead Elvis by Ian Thomas Healy Page A

other side."
    "It hasn't taken the car yet. Maybe it won't."
    Hope rubbed her throbbing head and squinted up into the sky. "There are so many stars. I'd forgotten they were there at all. I worked so many nights in places like Vegas and Reno where it's never dark… You don't ever see the stars. They're beautiful."
    "That they are, Li'l lady."
    "When I was younger, I remember my brother showing me the constellations. I never could connect the dots and see what he described, but it was nice that he even took the time to do it. He was always nice to me." She sniffled a little. "I miss him. I've barely thought about him for years and now he's gone."
    "You don't know that."
    "Yeah, I do. I don't know how, but I do." She pointed toward the heavens. "That's the Big Dipper there, and Casseiopia. There's the North Star, and that little tiny cluster is the Pleiades. That's all I remember."
    The white band of the Milky Way stretched across the sky, the light of a million stars from a million years ago. Hope wondered if any of them had broken worlds orbiting them.
    A few black feathers and one clawed leg still clung to the radiator grille from when the black bird had smashed into it. Hope swallowed her distaste and picked them out of the chipped plastic. She flung the leg into the sand and let the breeze carry away the feathers.
    The breeze!
    Gentle air currents swirled past the top of the canyon, making Hope's hair move. She couldn't quite believe it, so she licked a finger and held it up. Her saliva dried cool on one side as the dry air washed over it.
    "Hey Elvis, maybe this part of the world isn't broken," she said. "It's nighttime, there's a breeze blowing, and look!" She pointed toward the horizon at pale shadows lit by the moon. "Clouds, and they're moving!"
    "Sure enough, Li'l lady." Undead Elvis turned away from her, took off his sunglasses for a moment and wiped them on his jumpsuit. Hope wanted to make him turn so he could see what his eyes looked like, but the moment passed and the sunglasses went right back onto his face once more.
    "Do you think we passed through the edge of something crossing the canyon?"
    "Maybe so." He replaced his sunglasses. "I guess we'll find out if the moon sets and the sun also rises."
    "I'm going to eat something and then take a nap," said Hope. "I think I've had quite enough excitement for one day. Or one week. Or one lifetime."
    "I'll stay right here."
    Hope squeezed Undead Elvis's hand. Maybe she'd name her baby after him. He'd been a prince and perfect gentleman to her. She wasn't used to such treatment, and it made her feel odd, like she was undeserving of positive attention.
    She climbed back into The Way to rummage for some fruit and to find the water jug. She retrieved a couple of apples but the jug had split and leaked all but a few swallows into the sand in the passenger footwell. She lifted the plastic gallon, careful to keep what little water remained from spilling.
    "Running low on water. This isn't good."
    Undead Elvis looked at it. "Nope. You best drink it all now, Li'l lady. It'll be evaporated by morning."
    Hope nodded and swallowed the last few drops. Already she could feel the claws of thirst scrabbling at the back of her mind. She ate the first apple but set the second one aside for when she woke up. "We better see if we lost anything else in that landing," she said.
    As it turned out, most of the fruit they'd salvaged from the oasis was either missing or crushed into inedible pulp. Hope set the apple, a pear, and three cherries on the dash. "Breakfast," she said. "What's that saying about giveth and taketh?"
    " The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away ," said Undead Elvis.
    "The Lord needs to quit takething away if I'm supposed to live long enough to deliver this baby."
    "Have faith, Li'l lady. I'm sure something will turn up."
    "I hope you're right."
    The last thing Hope checked before settling in was the Shepherds' gun. The case was still tucked safe beneath her seat, and it