Derrick Favors drove along a barely-used desert road. It had been almost an hour since he had seen any sign of civilization, here in the barren Utah flatlands. The only lights he had seen were his rental car’s headlights, illuminating the night when he dared to use them. He was totally lost now, and he knew it. His phone would have told him perfectly where he was, had he not destroyed it a mere 10 minutes into his journey. It lay in broken pieces on the passenger seat, next to the red-stained hammer that had done the deed.
He came to another unmarked crossroads. He stopped, a look of intense concentration on his face, then turned left, only to double back and choose another random direction. He had done this repeatedly on his winding journey, as if to shake off a pursuer.
Suddenly, he stopped, as if satisfied that he had evaded all followers. He clambered out of the sedan, fumbled with the trunk latch, and reached inside. The sense of caution that had marked his travels had disappeared, now, he bore a smile as he retrieved a shovel and a bulky object encased in a large white cloth. He hoisted the object over his shoulder and began to walk.
After venturing so far into the desert that he could only faintly discern the outline of his vehicle, he placed the object on the ground and began to dig. His basketball player’s frame and the loose soil made the task easy; before long, he had a hole half as deep as he was tall, and twice as long. He placed the object in the hole, sprinkled it with the remains of his phone, and, whistling, began to cover it again with soil. Again, it was a quick job. As he walked back to his car, he turned back to look at his handiwork. No traces of his presence remained, at least, any that were noticeable to a human.
Derrick could sense the sun readying itself for the new day as he drove away from the scene. He smiled; it was a new day for him as well. He drove for a long time, not bothering to attempt to retrace his steps. He knew that, eventually, he’d find his way home. A home that would have a new appreciation for him.
“Thanks, Rudy” he muttered as the sun finally peeked above the horizon.