10 !

10
The wide open night spurs you into the fluorescent grid of Lexington. With an edge of loneliness, you look into windows and see families watching each other. Solitude strengthens your desire to seek traces of the lost companions. You search all night, avoiding trespassing at the cost of being thorough.
While weaving around neighborhoods and highways, you become tired and delirious. Everything seems to echo the old man's sayings. Signs seem to give meaning to his illogical reproofs. Even squirrels mimic the man's laughter. You wonder if he has encoded you with the means to finding your friend.
As the birds begin to chirp, you find yourself in an encampment of migrant workers. Figures are hunched around trashcan fires and hidden in makeshift shelters. You scan the scene, seeking anybody familiar. The crowd seems to represent all backgrounds, echoing everyone you've ever met. Various features jump out at you, but they are part of strange faces.
You have become depraved for lack of sleep. Despite the vulnerable situation, you decide to blend in and settle down. The past drills itself into your head as you lie still.
[continue or return to chapter 9 to see the past]