Cruisin'

"I have a question," Natalia said not wanting to spend this car ride in a deathly silence. "You said you needed the money off the bounty on that serial killer. Why would you need money if the world is about to end?"

Stanley Exhaled, "I guess if I want your trust I might as well be as they say up north, transparent. I want to use the money to get to Greenland."

"Oh really," Natalia jumped in excitement, "We are also going there, in fact, we-"

"NATALIA!" Marcelina shouted and glared at her through the rearview mirror.

"Oh right, I guess I shouldn't just outright say that," Natalia nervously laughed.

"Why ain't that dandy," Stanley snapped his fingers. "I believe this is the start of a beautiful new friendship and cooperation. Help me find Rungi and bring him to the lord's justice and I will help you reach the green lands of the north."

"Nobody asked for your help and we don't want it!" Marcelina frowned. "We did fine without you and we will continue doing fine without you. The nearest town and you are out of this car."

"Why you gotta be so confrontational, miss redhead." Stanley shrugged. "Do you know how to cross the great American desert?"

"American desert?"

Stanley placed a finger on his chin, "Well you must know that when the Americans launched nuclear missiles upon themselves, in their wake the only thing left of the old America was a radioactive wasteland, also due to climate change the weather is now far harsher with all sorts of hurricanes and other severe disasters. Your blue jeep won't cut it, it don't have what it takes to cross the desert to reach the unaffected north."

"And you know how to get there?" Marcelina doubted what he said but if it was true, she didn't really know how to cross such a vast and dangerous place.

"Yes ma’am! I know how we can cross the thousands of kilometers of desert but I won't offer my knowledge unless you help me get the bounty on Rungi."

"Kilometers?" Natalia looked puzzled. "Don't you Americans use miles?"

"The old America used the imperial system, the newly independent state of Michigan uses the metric system like the rest of the sensible world," Stanley laughed.

"We could just torture all the information out of you," Marcelina looked through the rearview mirror directly into Stanley's eyes.

"Oh, but you wouldn't want to try that," He turned his gaze towards Natalia, "I will have to break this little blonde girl's neck that you are so fond of. Now, none of wants to resort to violence but if I am forced to do so, I can guarantee you that you won't turn around in time to save her."

Natalia shuddered, despite Stanley being unarmed and having a rifle pointed to his face, he did not flinch, nor did he believe that he was in any danger. In fact, he behaved as if he was the one in control of the situation, he acted as if they were his hostages. Marcelina gulped, she felt the seriousness of the threat, Stanley was keeping a friendly demeanor but behind his soft smile was a killer instinct.

"Okay…" Marcelina wiped her face from sweat, "I suppose we could work together. I am still not sure why you need the money for the trip to Greenland."

"Well, Michigan shares a border with the Canadian colony, that border is very militarized, if you want to cross you need loads of cash for the necessary paperwork, and you would need to surrender yourself and the next 11 generations of your descendants into slavery, although since it's the end of the world that won't matter won't it? I would need to purchase a new mode of vehicular transportation if we were to drive to the immigration ferry boats to the island of the green lands. And another note, I don't suppose you know how to get on those ferry boats, you need citizenship, another valuable knowledge you will need on your journey to the promised land."

"So, if we help you in your quest to find Rungi," Marcelina cleared her throat, "You will help us to reach Greenland with you?"

Stanley nodded, "We would naturally split the bounty money and cover all of our expenses. There is plenty of money in it for all of us."

"Why don't you just kill us if you are so strong and take our car and do everything yourself," Natalia said regaining a bit of her confidence.

"I suppose I could but, if I am gonna hunt down that Rungi fellow, strength in numbers am I right? Also traveling alone is not healthy for one's mind, body, or soul. I vastly prefer company to solitude, and what better company than fine young ladies as yourselves."

"I still don't trust you," Marcelina smirked, "you have given us a good sales pitch, I guess we could stick around together. You've got yourself a deal captain Stanley."

"Much obliged," Stanley lowered his hat and bowed.

"One more thing," Marcelina raised her voice, "If I see you doing anything suspicious, or if you threaten Natalia one more time, I am putting a bullet in you, and I won't miss."

"Feisty," Stanley said in a cheeky tone and shrugged, "That goes without sayin' miss redhead."

"It's Marcelina."

"And I'm Natalia!" Natalia tried her best to earnestly smile.

"Pleasure to meet y'all," Stanley bowed once more.

"The pleasure is all yours," Marcelina smirked.

"Indeed it is."

***

On the road, Marcelina drove full speed to their next destination according to the directions of Stanley Stevenson. They were no longer moving north, rather taking this detour to find food and possibly tracking down Stanley's serial killer target.

The tires rolled on the hot pavement, the solar powered engine roared as the blue Jeep zipped at top speed, blitzing through the Mexican countryside. The trio sat in silence, Marcelina focused on getting her hunger satisfied as fast as possible. Natalia held her rifle pointed at Stanley, but she had become unfocused, her mind drifted to thoughts about what she was going to wear tomorrow. Stanley held his left hand on his chin and stared out the window, looking out into the distance.

Natalia became bored and suffocated in this silence and said: "Um Stevenson?"

"Please call me Stanley," He turned around.

"So, from what you are wearing, are you some kind of priest?"

Stanley clapped his hands, "I am glad you asked, while I am in service of the lord first and foremost, I am with the new reformed church of Michigan. The Pope would call us heretics, but there ain't no Pope to call us out so what they gon' do." He laughed loudly and the girls just looked at him in silence.

"Aren't all of you Americans church the cult of the emperor?" Natalia raised an eyebrow.

"That was the old system under the Emperor, no more Emperor, no more cult, thank the lord for that!"

"So, what does your church exactly do, why did they send you to hunt down this Rungi?" Natalia asked curiously.

"As I've said before, I am an inquisitor, I hunt down the sinners of the world and send them to the lord. Because we are on a time limit here, the world ending in one year, we have no time for trials, judges, juries and prisons. The church of Michigan has taken upon itself the responsibility of an accelerated trip to hell and huge rewards for us that do the lord's work on our dying Earth."

"If you believe in God," Marcelina turned her head towards him, "What do you make of this solar fissure. If god exists why isn't he stopping our extinction?"

"I can't tell you why the end is upon is," Stanley shrugged, "it could be judgement day. Who knows? If it’s judgement day then we have nothing to worry about, it has been foretold that it will come eventually. If it’s not judgement day and the lord in his wisdom is planning something new, then who am I to tell the almighty what he should and shouldn't do?"

"I see a town in the distance," Marcelina changed the subject, an inhabited settlement could be seen in the horizon.