Lucy directed me past the city of Desert Peak and on to LA where we could do some 'serious shopping.' A lifetime in the vast wasteland of Hell had left me way too sensitive to all the noise and smells of this world and the distractions made my skin ache. I itched to stick my earbuds in to cut down on the information overload, but every time I tried, Lucy tugged them out. Finally she confiscated my player altogether.
“We should get you a phone, anyway," she insisted, pushing me into a service store. Half an hour later I walked out with a shiny new toy that made Lucy happy - since she could call me - and satisfied me because I could still have all the music I needed to make life bearable.
Hours later, we dropped into chairs at an outdoor café after pawning a copious amount of bags off on t
