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Chapter 4: The Boy in the Desert.

There was nothing like driving alone through the desert; like being surrounded on all sides by endless stretches of sand and rock, like feeling the unrelenting sun beat down on you through the windshield. Noah kept his hands firmly planted on the steering wheel of his ancient SUV, making his way down the miserable blacktop road, not wanting to be alone in the aftermath of an EVO attack. He couldn't get his mind to stop running through the day's events, of the screaming crowd, and the EVO's tight grip and rancid breath. Things so easily could have ended for him, right there and then. If Providence hadn't shown up…

It would have been over.

Day turned to night, and Noah continued on, turning his headlights on the empty road, dodging the animals that scurried across his path. Hours had passed, and still, there was no sign of civilization anywhere. No road signs, no indication of human occupation. Noah turned to the GPS mounted to his dashboard, wondering if it was even taking him the right way. He was running low on gas, and if he didn't find a station soon–

He spotted it in the corner of his eye, something lying in the road. Something big.

Panicking, Noah slammed on the breaks, the sound of screeching rubber tearing into his ears. The car swerved, giving a violent groan of protest as it slid over the blacktop. Noah braced himself, hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel, his eyes screwed shut.

When the car finally lurched to a stop, the boy could only sit in shock, eyes locked straight ahead, heart pounding uncontrollably. After a few moments of silent panic, Noah forced himself to look at the thing in the road, and gave a yelp of fear when he saw what it was.

A body, resting in a heap on the blacktop.

He'd almost hit someone. With his car.

As if this day couldn't possibly get any worse.

Then, with a great whine, his car sputtered, the engine dying and the lights fading to black, leaving the boy alone in the darkness.

Great.

Gritting his teeth, Noah tried to get the engine to restart, twisting the key again and again to no avail. Muttering angrily to himself, he popped open the glove compartment, fishing out the emergency flashlight, clicking it on and illuminating the dark cabin.

What was he supposed to do now? He was sitting alone in the middle of the desert with a dead car, and a body in the road.

A body in the road? He had to make sure the person was okay. Noah clumsily forced the door open with shaking hands, running over to the body's side, shining the flashlight on their prone form. The stranger was a boy, his dark skin reddened by the daytime sun. There was sand everywhere, caked to his face, and his hair, and his clothes. His lips were severely chapped. There was no telling when he'd last had a drink of water.

Noah carefully took the boy's wrist, checking his pulse. It was faint. Much too weak to be a good sign, but he was alive. Holding a hand over the boy's mouth, Noah confirmed that he was breathing. He might be okay.

"Hey." Noah called, gently nudging the unconscious boy. "Wake up."

Nothing.

The last thing he wanted to do was move him. What if he'd been hit by another car, or broken his ankle while walking along the road? Noah took a deep breath at the thought, running the flashlight over the stranger's body, checking for any obvious injuries or blood. There was nothing that he could see…but, looking closer, Noah noticed that the boy was wearing an odd white jumpsuit, the top half tied around his waist…and the normally pristine gleam of a Providence uniform marred by dirt and grime.

Providence? Could this boy work for–

Suddenly, the stranger lurched forward, his hands grabbing the collar of Noah's shirt, pulling him off balance. Noah gagged, lashing blindly out with the flashlight, striking his attacker in the shoulder, and with a yelp, the boy relinquished his hold, falling backward to the pavement. Panting hard, Noah skittered backward, trying to put as much distance as he could between the stranger and himself, keeping the flashlight trained on him at all time.

It wasn't long before the boy managed to gather himself together, a shower of sand falling onto the blacktop and he shook it free from his hair and his skin.

"Augh." He groaned, holding a hand to his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Why'd you have do that?"

"Y-you kind of tried to choke me." Noah cried, trying to keep a brave face, despite the fact that he was scared shitless.

"Sorry, I guess." The stranger continued. "Can't really help my mad reflexes. Wait…"

Noah felt a shiver run up his spine as the boy stared at him, tilting his head in confusion, like a puppy, before a huge grin spread across his face.

"I know you!" He cried. "Noah! Remember me? It's Rex?"

"Rex?"

He suddenly flashed back to the day, months ago, when he'd met a weird kid named Rex who couldn't sink a basket to save his life.

Now that he had a chance to really look, he recognized him instantly. Jeez. His mom was right. He really was terrible at remembering faces.

"Rex." He said again, dumbfounded. Really. What were the odds?

"Si." The boy said, picking himself up, and dusting the sand from his body. "Small world, isn't it?"

"How the hell you'd get out here?" Noah demanded, scrabbling to his feet, brandishing the flashlight like a weapon.

Rex shrugged.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I was going to see my mom." Noah huffed. "But, then you were in the road, and I killed my car trying not to hit you. You're welcome, by the way."

"I can probably fix it." The other boy said, cracking his knuckles. "But, I have to know if I can trust you first."

"You have to know if you can trust me?" Noah asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You're the one who was lying in the middle of the road in a Providence jumpsuit. Care to explain what's up with that?"

Rex stared at him a moment, before letting out a big sigh, untying the sleeves of his jumpsuit, and slipping it back on. He pulled the zipper up to his throat and brushed off the remaining sand before taking a few steps towards the car, the beam of Noah's flashlight following him as he went.

"We're friends, right?" He said. "That means…we're supposed to be able to trust each other, doesn't it?"

"Rex I…"

It was then that he saw it. Three letters printed between the boy's shoulders; one incriminating word that answered some of his questions…

And raised even more.

EVO.

"You're an EVO?!" Noah demanded, taking a few staggering steps back. "What the hell?"

Rex didn't say a word. He merely reached out a hand, setting it on the hood of the car, turning suddenly sad, pleading eyes to the other boy.

"Don't freak out." He said.

Before Noah could react, Rex's hand lit up, blue light coalescing beneath his palm, a shrill screeching rising into the air. The light began to move, running along the car's hood in intricate patterned lines, covering it completely.

"Hey! Stop!"

Noah took a few hurried steps forward, before the roar of his car engine stopped him in his tracks. Rex drew his hand back, smirking as the light faded, and all was quiet once again, save for the gentle lull of the engine.

"I fixed it." The EVO said. "I said I could."

It was all too much for Noah to handle, and he began to sway, his knees giving out beneath him.

"Nononono." Rex said, rushing forward, catching the boy in his arms. "Don't pass out on me. We gotta keep moving."

"Keep moving?" Noah mumbled, blinking his eyes to drive away the black encroaching on his vision. "Why do we have to keep moving?"

"I'll explain in the car." The other boy replied, leading Noah towards the driver's side door. "Are you sure you're okay to pilot this thing?"

"Y-yeah I can drive."

"Good. Then drive."