Alo walked back into town, realizing after a few minutes that he’d forgotten to turn in his time sheet. Not getting paid for those snakes, he thought, fuck it, who cares? One would think he would’ve wanted the money, but after the past several hours, Alo just seemed to accept whatever terrible fate was coming to him.
More thunder boomed, and he began remembering when he used to dance at Native events full-time. Before all the bad things started happening.
He doubted he could complete one set now, not even if he tried. It would ravage his body and burn up his lungs.
It didn’t matter.
None of it mattered.
Dancing was about the experience and being one with your spirit. He hadn’t felt one with anything in a long time. Longer than he could remember. I wonder if Christopher is available? Maybe he’d want to spark it up?
Alo thought about it a little more. Just a little longer. Why would a prominent holy man want to go down to the same level as some young, dumb kid? Alo shook his head, no. That’s not going to happen.
“No,” Alo said aloud, “I’m just BEING dumb.”
Alo continued walking toward the far end of the pueblo’s main strip and noticed one of the police vehicles near the drainage ditch. He squinted, the dark clouds making everything much darker and more difficult to see smaller details. It was a damn police vehicle. One of the SUVs. The back hatch is open, and there’s someone moving inside it.
“Is that Tongo?” Alo said, “He’s upset cuz I’ve been smoking. He’s always upset. Fuck, I need to hide…”
He saw a group of stacked wood pallets nearby and hurried to hide behind them, keeping an eye on the SUV the entire time. He wasn’t a fan of hiding, but knew he had to. The last thing he needed was to catch a case. Marijuana might be legal, and he had a medical card, but adding formaldehyde to get wet certainly wasn’t. He had no idea how much jail time Angel Dust would buy him. Alo glanced again and saw the SUV hatch being closed. He sank further behind the pallets as the driver’s door closed and the engine was started.
There was something familiar about the driver, but it wasn’t Tongo.
The SUV was driven away, up the road in the opposite direction.
Alo stayed put for a moment, knowing he was going to investigate but unsure when he would do so. He took a deep breath and approached where the SUV had been. It was oddly groomed compared to the rest of the area, and he knew something was off. Alo noticed something large wrapped in a black felt blanket, covered with several leafy branches. He felt his nerves waking up, releasing him from the paralysis of his high. Alo walked forward and removed the branches, slowly taking the blanket off.
He saw a female foot, blood dripping from the upper part of her calf. Alo covered his mouth, queasy sensations rumbling in his stomach, and bolted, hurrying from the area as quickly as he could.
