The street ended at a cement barrier and a warning sign. Beyond was nothing but darkness. An inky, sucking darkness that seemed to draw in the warmth of the world leaving air lifeless. Miles could feel the heat of the day radiating from the asphalt he was standing on, but from the ravine was only frigid air. Wind pulled at his back, clawing at his clothes, drawing him towards the darkness.

The sound of Kappy’s engine had stopped, but Miles saw that there was a dirt path leading down around the barrier into the canyon.

Shaking slightly, Miles walked twenty feet down the path. The tub was parked at the first switchback. It was apparently unable to make the sharp turn and had been left there, out of sight from anyone on the street above.

And it was empty.

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They’d found some cheap rooms in a very seedy five story hotel. It stood crammed and narrow between two other buildings as if the larger buildings on either side had slowly crushed it over the years, squeezing the poor little hotel into its current vertical orientation.

A garage where they could park the Kappy’s tub and Miles’ tractor was more important than their rooms however, and this hotel had one. They’d kept the robot under the tarp and fortunately there weren’t any other vehicles in the garage. Miles doubted the noise of the robot’s turning wheel would attract any attention once the doors were closed.

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