The dirty steam at the edge of once a fire now slog and ash, draws back and pushes outward as he exits and pulls his mask off, dropping it as the rain stops, a last wisp and twist of smoke in an upward gust.
The sun.
The birds.
The silence fading into the suburban rescues ahead. He grabs a sammich from the donation table with a nod to the one tabling it, looks around to the losses, the suffering of nature where man knows nothing of the world.
"One should not live with the fires, when one cannot provide the waters to douse it." A crow lands nearby and caws its agreement. He throws down some sammich and takes another bite.
"Will you tell your friends and cousins ahead, I'm on my way, and if any desire the work, indeed I could use eyes in the sky." Another crackle and pecking at bread for the meats beneath. Eaten, it flies ahead with the bread.
As if following the bird, a helicopter flies over. He looks up. "Bout time." Last bite and walks on, grabs a water off another table and drinks before packing the rest in the satchel.
In the helicopter ~
Other - On the phone, "He's clear. Results verified. Still walking south."
...
Other - "I know."
...
Other - "I don't know where he is, but I don't think he could be far behind."
...
Her eyes glaze over.
...
Other - "Understood." Hand up and leans forward to the pilot, a command unheard, overhead it swerves to the east as the walker watches.
The rescue's side parked cars with their haulen trailers pass, leaving only road and nature ahead. An ant crawls, snatched by a hand. He sucks the juices and spits the husk (that's literally as much protein as a steak).
The passing beauty of mountains with the rarity of cars that can only happen where people fear to burn in the season which predicts it. The rain, the sun, the rain again, a lizard eaten at the fire. Nutrient grains from his pack, he sleeps and dreams of the road.
Dreaming or waking, it's all the same, he walks. Until finally city's edge, where suburb flirts with overpopulated disaster. He catches a coat blown in the wind and puts it on, a hat caught just the same.
Tosses the gear he had to the bush and into the light. To the brash noise (with a cool song) at the comic-con ~
Where the world plays at superheroes ... still. They're fucking adorable, we give them some airtime.
At a table signing, a black and white drops of some guy's likeness ~
Some Guy - "Who's it to ?"
Walker - "That would be to Gerald Edwin Chule, please."
He freezes ... signs and passes back
Walker - Picks it up and reads, 'Are you here to kill me ?' He smiles, "Oh that's a fucking keeper right there." A laugh looking it over, "No." Slides another picture, this one in an action stunt. "I wonder what his favorite restaurant is."
Some Guy - Like he's about to cry ... then writes.
Walker - Holds it up, "Mm. Sounds good about now. Just one more. And I honestly enjoyed this movie." Slides a picture across, "Who does he hire from, for security ?"
Some Guy frozen in terror, the walker looks back like he just took a sip of his favorite soda. "It's okay. You can tell him I'm coming. He will thank you." Smiles and looks down at the picture to observe the scrawling.
The music pick back up to the swirling crowd.
____________
Director - On the phone, "Low hanging fruit. He could pick that up with a single day's observation and now he might even change security entirely."
Other - "He wants him to change the security team."
Director - "Why."
Other - A laugh, she watches the walker walk by giving an absurd bow fit only for such environments and a smile. Into the phone as he walks on, "Because they'll be less familiar with the environment."
Director - "Do you think he'd even still go to the restaurant ?"
Other - "No."
The walker drops two pics in the trash as she watches, looks at the first one ... "Mm." Folds in in half and puts in the inner coat pocket.
Other - "I think he'll stay home."
The crowd sounds fades in to close the scene withe sound ~
"Excellent work."
____________
The Listener parks at a shitty motel, out the car and into the booth, clothes looking like he just woke up in a wet fire pit. The requisite look this would achieve, followed by a double check on the singed cash.
Listener - "Card melted."
Cash - "Glad you made it through okay. They were lucky for the rain."
Listener - "Yeah. I don't need any channels, just the room."
Cash - "You sure ? That one movie just came out on ... "
Listener - Holds up a finger with a head cock to the side, "MM. No thank you."
Cash - Looking a little around the sides at him, as though it would help see under the filth, "Hey ... aren't you ... "
Listener - "No."
____
Duffel bag on the bed, the shower on and a bucket of steam, he falls into bed with the bottle and a towel. Car out in the morn.
Driving along, he spots a vegetable cart and stops.
Vegetables - As he get out of the car all shined up, "Hey ... aren't you ... ?"
Listener - Big fake smile, "Yeah. It's me. Hey I was looking for a friend of mine ... refugee from the fires ... a little crazy in the head ... maybe taken on a bit too much smoke before the smoke it you know what I mean. Can't miss him."
Vegetables - "Yeah ... yeah I think I know what you mean ... "
Listener - "Yeah ?"
Vegetables - "You mean he smokes pot." Smiles pointing to him and nodding, "That was a good one."
Wincing eyes of rage in the sun with the sound of eagles ...