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until he got back to Perilous. If then.
 I gotta piss, the kid announced, wheeling the truck into the parking lot of
a dimly lit roadhouse.
 I could use a drink, Snowy said.
 Yeah, me, too, the kid said as he squeezed the truck between two parked
cars.  I could go for a couple beers. You want I should get a six-pack?
 No beer for me, thanks, Snowy said.  Just bring me some coffee, okay?
 Yeah, sure. Be right out.
Of course the kid did not come right out. The kid was in there swilling
medicine water, but Snowy didn t mind, because the cab was cooling off,
finally, and he needed the time to think.
I ve got to lose the kid, somehow, Snowy thought. If only I could drive one of
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these things.
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Snowy shifted over and put his feet up on the pedals. Now, this one made it
go, and this one & ? He knew it had something to do with this metal bar over
here, which you were supposed to move when the engine started screaming. Yeah.
Damn, he d never get this right. But he had to ditch the kid, for more than
one reason. The spell was about to blow, and, two, Snowy had to find Halfway
House soon or he d start losing his grip. Humans were okay in small doses, but
&
The door beside him suddenly opened. Speaking of humans, here was one: a tall,
skinny critter with lip hair. He was flashing something at Snowy, a wallet or
something with some kind of badge or emblem on it.
 Freeze! Snowy turned his head. Another human had opened the far door and was
pointing a weapon at him.
 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms! the first one blurted.  You re
under arrest!
Those things said, the two of them began to act strangely. Transfixed, they
stared at Snowy, their small eyes round and disbelieving.
 What s up, guys? Snowy asked.
Neither one of them could speak. The one nearest Snowy backed off, making a
noise like  Gah gah gah
  and looking fearful.
The other one blinked his eyes a few times and kept staring while still
pointing the gun.
 Well? Snowy demanded, throwing up his hands.  Look, if you guys  
He saw that his hands had reverted to their original furry state. He felt his
face. Sure enough, the spell had evaporated.
Snowy reached a huge arm across and snatched the gun away.  If you re not
gonna use that, pal, he said.
He gave the other guy a little push and sent him flying over a hood. Snowy
closed the door, found the ignition key, and twisted it. The engine came to
life, and the truck lurched forward. Snowy fiddled with the pedals and the bar
until the engine stayed on and the truck kept moving forward. Then he floored
the power pedal.
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There was nothing in front of the truck save for a hedge. But beyond the hedge
lay a field full of auto parts and other debris. He cut a swath through there,
then smashed through a wooden fence, flattening the tool shed on the other
side.
Snowy got confused for a moment; then the crashing and banging stopped and all
the debris and broken stuff slid off the windshield and hood, and he could
see. He was on the road, but apparently headed in the wrong direction.
Headlights rushed at him, horns blaring. He veered off the road.
He wrenched the steering wheel around, spinning the truck on the gravel-strewn
shoulder. He flattened a traffic sign, sideswiped a parked car, then roared
back out on the highway again, the truck s engine howling its pain.
He fiddled with the metal bar until the engine settled down. He found that
different positions of the metal bar gave different speeds, more or less. He
shifted to the highest speed and pushed the power pedal as far as it went.
He checked the mirrors. Nothing following. Maybe those guys had a big enough
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scare put into them that they wouldn t be interested.
Maybe. Well, little bit of luck that turned out to be. Now all he had to do
was find Halfway, and he d be home.
Damn, he was thirsty. And hungry. There was nothing in the cab & except for
that small metal can full of liquid that had kept rolling out from under the
seat. Snowy reached, found it, brought the can up, and bit a hole through the
top. He tasted the contents. Oily, definitely oily, but not bad. He chugged it
down and threw the empty can out the window. He burped. Now he was hungry.
Nothing around in the food department, save an open carton of cigarettes that
the kid had been smoking out of. Snowy ripped open a package and sniffed.
Weeds, yuck. But he was starved. He unhinged his jaws and emptied the contents
of the pack into his mouth. Then he threw the pack in, too.
He emptied three more packs until an oozing wad of the stuff had accumulated
in his mouth. Funny, it was more fun to chew than swallow. He spit some of the
juice out the open window.
Funny place, Earth.
Twenty-nine
Laboratory
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