It was still and private in the back alley, where the figure stepped up to Langston's spot against the wall. The face wrappings lay loose about her neck, but a hood was up to conceal her identity.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Will you accept my offer?" Drawing a bundle of double dollars from within her cloak, she folded them into his fist and waited for him to count them.

He did not. "It requires more thought. Leaving means losing a steady job. There are far fewer guarantees, to work for you. And what can I tell my family, when I write them letters to tell them about my deposits for them? Will we even be somewhere that has post?"

"It happens every night, in my dreams. I feel that it will happen any day, again. But I trust you, and I don't think it'll happen if you're-"

"Learn to shoot a gun," he hissed.

"Will one gun stave off that many people?" she asked, half-sweetly, half-desperately. Besides, she thought, she'd already wasted enough money on the gun and bullets she'd tried to learn months ago. Her aim never improved with practice.

They leaned against the wall of the house, beside one another, listening to the winds and the sounds of each other's breath.

"Meet me here again tomorrow night, let me know what you think," Vanessa asked. "Whatever the answer, I'd really like my things from the house."

"Alright then, you hurry along," he insisted, taking her hands in his own. The wad of money was pushed into her palms. "This is yours to hold onto."

OXO

The day passed, and the night nearly, too, and the tall, thin woman met with the tall, large man again. Nodding, he murmured that he would leave with her that night, that he would accept her offer. He handed her a bundle, from which she pulled out a large book and clutched it to her chest, smiling. They navigated the alleys toward Langston's rented room, so that he may assemble his traveling gear.

Moonlight glinted off the embossed title of the volume she held tightly. 'The Bible.' He felt certain she'd eventually discard the thing for practicality, but until then he hoped she could enjoy the Good Book while she could. His family had only had a ratty copy, and they were lucky to have one at all.

OXO

Yawning again, Langston brought the last of his filled canteens up to his room, where Vanessa sat beside a lamp, eyes racing over the pages of her Bible. Now and then, she took her pencil to a page, taking notes by the passages, he assumed.

"We should rest before we leave," Vanessa mumbled from behind her book. "You're tired."

"I don't think I can sleep. But I'll lie still a moment," he agreed, easing onto his side on the cot. His eyes closed and he took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, his mouth thick and dry. He felt as though he'd fallen asleep, but how could that be?

Vanessa was sitting a foot away, face hidden behind the text. "Lie still, Langston, you've only gotten an hour. You could use more." Dropping the book open in her lap, she tucked her hair behind her pointed ears and bent down over the pages.

Struggling to sit up, he found his strength sapped from his limbs, his chest. His eyes could hardly stay open. "I think we should go."

"We can leave after you're rested," she insisted, speaking as though through gritted teeth. She let out a little muffled grunt.

At that moment, Langston's limbs crumpled beneath him, and he fell onto a pile on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorr…um, are you ok!" Vanessa panted out, leaning forward on her palm to finger his pulse. She was breathing quickly, and little beads of sweat stood out on her forehead.

Strength and senses dulled considerably, Langston could only slightly open his eyes and mumble out some question. From where he lay on the floor, he could see her text, still open but fallen upon her folded knees and the floor. The lines on the pages came into focus as he squinted his eyes, only inches from it.

"I can't lift you back up, but here," she said, sliding a pillow under his head, "you can sleep on the floor…I guess…"

Weakly lifting his hand, he turned a page, and another, and another, and another. Rip!

Reacting as the page tore out, Vanessa pulled her book away from his hand. Shocked, she slid the torn paper back into the volume.

Langston's eyes widened. "You ARE!"

"Huh?"

"You demon, you WITCH!" he croaked out in horror. "The Word of the Lord transformed into hexes and curse!"

"N-no, I bleached it and-"

"You TRICKED me!"

She paused. She supposed, yes, she did. Grabbing her book, she moved for the door.

Langston's face contorted into anguish. "Come HERE!"

Frowning, she recognized the look on his face, as the same as the people wore in July as they beat her. He wasn't looking at her like she was human anymore. "I was only testing out a theory," she whispered, "I was helping you, not hurting you," she stated sadly, staring down at her book intensely.

Langston fell unconscious.

Vanessa wasn't confident that the effect would last. Though she was very tired from the effort of making Langston sleep, she pulled on her travel gear hastily. She hurried out of the inn and into the dark desert, hoping to be well away before someone came for her.