Chapter 1
It all started in the desert.
Joe wasn't normal. He wasn't normal and he knew it. It wasn't something you could put your finger on nor was it something a stranger might see from a distance. He had always been that way, or for at least as long as he could remember.
Looking at the meat counter he picked up a rib eye steak and examined the price. It was marked $34.99 and he quickly put it back choosing a package of hamburger instead. As he moved on to find some bread, he thought about just that. He wondered what had happened that put him in this spot. Not just this spot in the Safeway supermarket, but everything about him. Ever since that day he wandered out of the desert dazed and confused, Joe tried hard to remember a time before this and wondered what might have happened.
He thought about that day as he picked out some hamburger buns. He was lucky, he wasn't injured in any way, just thirsty and hungry and tired, so very tired. A traveler had seen him stumble and stopped, backing his car to pick him up. They stopped at a roadside diner and the stranger marveled at Joe, watching him drink glass after glass of water. After a quick sandwich, they drove on and at the outskirts of the next town, he dropped Joe off and proceeded into town.
Looking at the meat counter he picked up a rib eye steak and examined the price. It was marked $34.99 and he quickly put it back choosing a package of hamburger instead. As he moved on to find some bread, he thought about just that. He wondered what had happened that put him in this spot. Not just this spot in the Safeway supermarket, but everything about him. Ever since that day he wandered out of the desert dazed and confused, Joe tried hard to remember a time before this and wondered what might have happened.
He thought about that day as he picked out some hamburger buns. He was lucky, he wasn't injured in any way, just thirsty and hungry and tired, so very tired. A traveler had seen him stumble and stopped, backing his car to pick him up. They stopped at a roadside diner and the stranger marveled at Joe, watching him drink glass after glass of water. After a quick sandwich, they drove on and at the outskirts of the next town, he dropped Joe off and proceeded into town.
A whole series of events one would call lucky started to happen. A sign on the road said recycling yard. As Joe walked towards the driveway to it, he saw two good sized trees and an old couch just before the fence. He rolled the couch over and positioned it under the trees. The gate was locked and someone had recently just thrown the couch off and left. He was asleep before he knew he had laid down.
Page 1