Goin' South

As Dusty Rose drove the truck towards Arizona; it had finally happened, he and Cassie Martin were going to relax and ride together for a month and see how they worked as a couple. Contentment was a foreign emotion for him, but he was willing to give it a try; their relationship was beginning to heat up. Unfortunately, things don't always work out. Sweat stung his face; the hill seemed neverending. Finally, he made it to the top. His breath was ragged and sweat trickled into his eyes. The dogs were ahead of him, Sammy in front. Cresting the top, they stopped and looked back at him. Dusty's heart fell. His eyes bored into the now empty camping spot. A piece of trash skittered across the sand in a slight breeze. The hill afforded him a 360-degree view. In front of him was only cactus and dirt roads into the horizon, a vast, flat expanse-all empty. Cassie had vanished...