On their way back, Luke destroyed most of the equipment he had used on the mission and dumped the remains in a river in Big Bend National Park.
Putting on the sportswear which he had come in, he and Selina got into their car in the parking lot and returned to Shackelford. Entering town, Luke dropped Selina at her place. Selina asked, “You’re not going home?”
Luke shrugged. “I’m planning to spend two days in the mountains near my grandpa’s ranch to relax.”
Selina understood what he meant.
He had killed so many people in Mexico, and he didn’t want his family to notice anything wrong.
Selina thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll go with you. I need a quiet place to rest too. Let me tell my mom.”
She then got out and entered the house before returning a moment later.
Luke had yet to start the car, when both of them looked out of the passenger side helplessly.
Sandra naturally didn’t worry about where they were going, but Dollar had already tottered down from the patio, wagging its tail and whining outside the car as it did its best to curry favor with its young master.
Selina hesitated for a moment before she asked, “Can I bring him with us?”
Luke said, “Of course. Dollar’s such a good boy, right, Dollar?”.
Dollar wagged its tail even faster when Luke said its name and whined even more frantically.
Neither of them could refuse such a cute crybaby.
With a smile, Selina turned around and opened the back door. “Come here, Dollar.” Dollar climbed into the backseat unhurriedly and sat down obediently. Selina rubbed its big head affectionately and said, “Good dog.”
Luke started the car with a smile and drove out.
Though they were headed to the mountains outside his grandpa’s ranch, he wasn’t going to see his grandpa.
He didn’t want to see his family just yet, and that included his grandpa.
Stopping the car at the foot of the mountains near the ranch, they got out with their stuff and started hiking.
Both of them were familiar with the place.
Luke had spent too many weekends and holidays here during his childhood.
Mario, Selina’s father, worked at Luke’s grandfather’s ranch. Selina grew up in this place too.
But Selina had been in middle school when Luke went to primary school, and by the time Luke entered middle school, Selina had graduated.
So even though they knew each other, they didn’t interact a lot as kids.
Returning to the most familiar hometown environment, both of them relaxed significantly, their exhaustion and stress gradually replaced with tranquility.
Dollar followed Selina obediently and simply glanced at the little animals that jumped out every now and then without chasing them. It was too old and no longer as inquisitive. It only wanted to stay with its young master. Following a brook, they hiked deeper into the mountains where less people went.
Shackelford had a small population and the workers and cowboys were kept busy on the ranch. After crossing one or two peaks, there usually weren’t any signs of anyone else. Most people usually camped on the fringe. The deeper you went into the mountains, the more dangerous it was. Plus, the views were similar, so it was unnecessary to go that far in.
Half an hour later, Luke and Selina reached an open space near a creek.
The trees were far away, and there was even a bonfire pit in the open space.
This was a campsite often frequented by visitors.
It had water and an open space. It wasn’t far from the outside world but was quiet enough.
Apart from the birds and insects among the trees, there were no sounds of people at all. People who were accustomed to big cities might feel uncomfortable in this sort of environment; there was no sound of distant cars, or the occasional indistinct shout, or the sound of music or the TV being played too loudly. Even when the wind blew, there was only the sound of rustling branches instead of the rattle of bits and bobs hitting a window.
But Luke and Selina were very used to this sort of environment and even savored the serenity.
Also, they had Dollar to accompany them, so they weren’t alone. Taking out the ingredients which Selina had brought from home, Luke quickly prepared an outdoor barbecue and lit a fire with the firewood she collected. Adjusting it to a suitable size, he said with a smile, “The food will be ready in an hour. You can go out and have some fun before that.”
Selina stretched and said, “No, I’m going to take a nap.”
She then hugged Dollar’s big head and said, “Don’t disturb me. Go follow Luke, understand?”
The old dog licked her hand lovingly to indicate that it understood.
Selina then unzipped her tent and crawled inside. Very quickly, her snoring could be heard. She had really fallen asleep.
Luke stared for a moment before he turned around, waved Dollar over and scratched the dog’s chin.
Dollar narrowed its eyes comfortably and lay down next to Luke obediently.
The only sound in the open space next to the creek was the crackling of firewood. Selina didn’t wake up until quite a few hours later.
They didn’t talk much. After they ate, they roamed the woods separately.
As Luke walked alone, he thought about the aftermath of this mission, as well as Selina’s future.
Selina took Dollar with her, and seemed to have a weight on her mind as well.
The day passed peacefully.
At midnight, Luke, who was still browsing through files, suddenly stopped and came out of his tent.
Fire streaked across the night sky and then crashed into the woods in the distance.
Luke raised an eyebrow. Was that… a meteorite?
He had never seen a meteorite fall, but it looked like it.
However, it was too far away for him to be
sure.
Not far away, Selina sat up in her tent and asked, “What’s up?” Luke shrugged. “It looks like a meteorite fell over there.”
Selina hummed in acknowledgment and didn’t think much of it. She was about to lie down again, then paused. “You’re not going to go dig it up, are you?” Luke thought for a moment before he shook his head. “Forget it, there’s no need to go in the middle of the night. We can check it out after breakfast tomorrow.”
Selina yawned. “That works.” She then lay down and fell asleep.
Previously, she would’ve definitely gotten Luke to take her there for a look.
But since last night, she had been listless and uninterested in doing anything.
Luke shook his head helplessly and sorted out his things before going back to this tent to rest as well.
Selina woke up at six in the morning.
Sleeping here was much more relaxing than in the city. Since she had gone to bed early last night, she wasn’t inclined to have a lie-in out here in the wild.
After she got up, she saw Luke working out in the distance and called out a greeting. She then went to wash up. Dollar instantly got up and followed her.
Luke started to make breakfast.
Later, they could go take a look at the meteorite which crashed last night.
