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and wiggled around to try and get up.
    Rudy didn’t want to hear the screaming. He rushed out the door to catch up with Coraset. She was already a good distance up the road, and he had to run to catch up with her. They walked at a fast pace following the cleared road. The sun was beginning to set to their right side, creating hues of blues, from the lightest of sapphire to the darkest of navy.
    As the night approached, Rudy became much more aware and fearful. Coraset didn’t speak of the sounds they heard, the eerie shuffling in the blackness, the howls of coyotes, and other unseen life of the desert. She never slowed her stride, and Rudy was becoming tired the more they walked. He wanted to take a breather, but at the same time, he didn’t want to stand still and be a victim of the hidden dangers of the desert. Coraset slowed down a little, knowing he needed somewhat of a break.
    Rudy didn’t like the silence. The distant landscape was scary. He stated hoping to get his mind off of the sights and sounds, “You wanted to know how I ended up in prison?”
    “You stole a point card,” Coraset reminded him.
    “I was bored. I was trying to go against the grain, push against the rules, you know.”
    “So, how did you do it?”
    “ I was going home from work. I saw a woman walking in front of me, and I decided to snatch her purse.”
    “ Rudy, that’s horrible,” Coraset remarked.
    “ It felt so good at the time to push back against Erato’s norm. By the time I got home, the police was waiting for me. I was arrested and was on trial the exact same day. They sentenced me to jail for a year. Can you believe that?”
    “ You’re lucky. They could have put you in jail for five years,” Coraset commented.
    “ Yeah, I know. When they told me I was going to the Mojave Prison, I nearly craped my pants.”
    “I hope you really didn’t,” she said as she cringed at the thought.
    “No, I didn’t, but I was scared out of my mind. Pushing against the rules seemed like a good idea when I first did it.”
    “ Now and days you could end up dead,” Coraset said.
    Rudy agreed silently. His thoughts immediately went back to Dewey. He wondered why Coraset helped him. Why she didn’t leave him in the desert? He did try to kill her, and Rudy had no doubts Dewey would have tried to kill him, too.
    He asked , “Coraset, why did you help Dewey before we left?”
    “ Old habits,” she admitted.
    “ But he tried to kill you.”
    “ I know, but I wasn’t going to leave him in the heat. At least, in the shed he’s a little cooler, and he has food.”
    “ You’re like an oxymoron, Coraset.”
    “ I don’t like insults, Rudy.” She warned.
    “ It’s not a real insult.”
    “You call me an ox and a moron .”
    “That does sound bad, huh?” Unable to contain his laughter, Rudy explained, “I’m just saying, you helped the guy that tried to kill you, and you shot him, too.”
    Coraset thought about his statement and nodded in agreement. “Sometimes you have to be the better person, Rudy.”
    That one statement said it all, and Rudy took in the advice with a new found respect for Coraset. She was hard when she had to be, but she was compassionate, too. He resolved there wasn’t anything difficult about her.
    They continued walking the sandy road. Their backdrop was the unknown desert, and they felt exhilarated. Their destination was closer with each step, with each moment, and they walked all night.

C HAPTER S IX
     
     
    The Mojave Prison set against the background of a yellow colored landscape to the east. The sun was barely up behind the huge structure. Coraset and Rudy were tired from the long night trek, but Coraset knew they weren’t even close to where they wanted to be. Her determination was still set to leave the desolate landscape, and Rudy was just as determined to keep up with her.
    They jogged out of eyesight of the guard towers; a good distance from the main road that went passed the prison. Coraset