It took a full twelve minutes for Ted’s order to be filled. Money changed hands before bag after bag was handed through the small window. It took another seven minutes before everyone was settled and chowing down on the fast food. Between mouthfuls of food, the four of them took turns muttering about the excessive heat and how they were all sweating like Trojans.

“Now I just want to go to sleep,” Maggie groaned as she finished the last of her sandwich and licked the mustard that had dripped onto her fingers. Cyrus barked to go out. Jack opened the door, and the big dog leaped down and sprinted off toward the back of the big tree, which looked as wilted as the rest of the straggly foliage surrounding the parking lot.

“Look, just make sure you all keep drinking. We have to stay hydrated. This kind of weather is not something any of us are used to, so pay attention to what your body is telling you. Before we leave here, we’ll go back through the take-out line for more water. Maybe if we pay the kid extra, he’ll fashion some kind of container with ice. Now, what’s next on our agenda? Are we done here at Happy Village, and are we heading back to Babylon?” Jack asked.

“Zack Meadows is still nowhere to be found. Charles and Fergus opted to go back to the hotel, so we could take a crack at seeing if he’s in his office. We are here, and he’s not located that far from where we are right now. There has to be someone there who knows something. I say we head there,” Ted said. The others agreed.

“We have to be back here by two-thirty. That guy Lionel finally answered my text, said he was in class and just got my text. He is willing for a meet-and-greet at that building they use as a clubhouse,” Dennis said.

“Then that’s the plan. Give us time to go through the drive-through and follow us when we leave. Who has the address for Meadows?”

“I do. I’ll program it into the GPS, so follow me when we leave.”

Ten minutes and a hundred dollars later, a Styrofoam cooler loaded with ice and water was sitting next to Cyrus on the backseat. Ted raced the van across the deserted lot and followed Maggie out to the highway.