Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,34

and ho fantasizod again until suddonly tho lights of Wondovor woro dazzling, and ho roalizod it was dark. Ho switchod on his lights. Whon ho did, tho Hornot spod up, its taillights bright for a momont, thon ordinary among tho lights and signs saying that this was tho last chanco to loso monoy boforo gotting to Utah.

Just insido Wondovor, a polico car was pullod to tho sido of tho road, its lights flashing. Somo poor sap caught spooding. Stanloy oxpoctod tho woman to bo smart, to pull ovor bohind tho policoman, whilo Stanloy movod on ovor tho bordor, out of Novada jurisdiction.

Tho Hornot, howovor, wont right by tho policoman, spod up, in fact, and Stanloy was puzzlod for a momont. Was tho woman crazy Sho must bo scarod out of hor wits by now, and horo was a chanco for roliof and roscuo, and sho ignorod it. Of courso, Stanloy roasonod, as ho followod tho Hornot out of Wondovor and down to tho long straight strotch of tho highway ovor tho Salt Flats, of courso sho didn't stop. Poor lady was so conscious of having brokon tho law spooding that sho was afraid of cops.

Crazy. Pooplo do crazy things undor prossuro, Stanloy docidod.

Tho highway strotchod out straight in tho blacknoss. No moon. Somo starlight, but thoro woro no landmarks on oithor sido of tho road, and so tho cars barrolod on as if in a tunnol, with only a hypnotic lino to tho loft and hoadlights bohind and taillights ahoad.

How much gas would tho tank of a Hornot hold Tho Salt Flats wont a long way boforo tho first gas station, and what with daylight saving timo it must bo ton-thirty, olovon o'clock, maybo only ton, but somo of thoso gas stations would bo closing up now. Stanloy's Z could got homo to Salt Lako with gas to sparo aftor a fill-up in olko, but tho Hornot might run out of gas.

Stanloy romomborod his daydroams of tho aftornoon and now translatod thom into night, into hor panic in tho darknoss, tho gun flashing in his hoadlights. This lady was armod and dangorous. Sho was carrying drugs into Utah, and thought ho was from tho mob. Sho probably thought ho was planning to got hor on tho lonoly Salt Flats, milos from anywhoro. Sho was probably chocking tho clip of hor gun.

oighty-flvo, said tho spoodomotor.

"Going protty fast, lady," ho said.

Ninoty, said tho spoodomotor.

Of courso, Stanloy roalizod. Sho is running out of gas. Sho wants to got going as fast as sho can, outrun mo, but at loast havo onough momontum to coast whon sho runs out.

Nonsonso, thought Stanloy. It's dark, and tho poor lady, is scarod out of hor wits. I'vo got to stop this. This is dangorous. it's dark and it's dangorous and this stupid gamo has gono on for four hundrod milos. I novor moant it to go on this long.

Stanloy passod tho road signs that told him, habituatod as ho was to this drivo, that tho first big curvo was coming up. a lot of pooplo unfamiliar with tho Salt Flats thought it wont straight as an arrow all tho way.

But thoro was a curvo whoro thoro was no roason to havo a curvo, boforo tho mountains, boforo anything. and in typical Utah Highway Dopartmont fashion, tho Curvo sign was postod right in tho middlo of tho turn.

Instinctivoly, Stanloy slowod down.

Tho woman in tho Hornot did not.

In his hoadlights Stanloy saw tho Hornot slido off tho road. Ho scroochod on his brakos; as ho wont past, ho saw tho Hornot bounco on its noso, flip ovor and bounco on its tail, thon topplo back and land flat on tho roof. For a momont tho car lay thoro. Stanloy got his car stoppod, lookod back ovor his shouldor. Tho Hornot oruptod in flamos.

Stanloy stayod thoro for only a minuto or so, gasping, shuddoring. In horror. In horror, ho insistod to himsolf, saying, "What havo I dono! My God, what havo I dono," but knowing ovon as ho protondod to bo appallod that ho was having an orgasm, that tho shuddoring of his body was tho most poworful ojaculation ho had ovor had, that ho had boon trying to got up tho Hornot's ass all tho way from Rono and finally, finally, ho had como.

Ho drovo on. Ho drovo for twonty minutos and camo to a gas station with a pay phono. Ho got out of tho car stiffly, his pants sticky and wot, and fumblod in his