They were in the southern part of the city now, often referred to as the greater outer-rim area. It was hardly a city now, more like a suburb bordering on farmland. Far in the distance was the second wall—the wall that separated the entirety of Zestiris—both outer-rim and tower-zone—from the rest of the world.

“Still want me to keep following?” asked the cab driver, loosening the collar on his shirt.

Max could tell the driver was getting anxious. Following a garbage truck from the tower-zone was already a sketchy thing to do, but now driving this close towards the second wall. The man clearly didn’t want to get himself into any major trouble and this was the kind of job that had trouble written all over it.

The second wall was very far in the distance, it looked almost like a mirage or the seaside from a great distance away.

Much closer though was a large impending mound of garbage.

The dump was in view.

A good distance ahead of them, the garbage truck from the tower-zone stopped in front of a barbed wire gate.

After a few moments, a partition swung up allowing the garbage truck to drive through.

“I don’t know if they’ll let me pass,” said the cab driver, nervously.

The garbage truck was getting smaller and smaller as it went deeper into the dump. If they didn’t continue after it soon, they might lose it forever. Their whole high-stakes mission down the drain.

“You know what,” said the cab driver, throwing his hands in the air. “I can’t do this. I won’t drive you two any further. Please leave.”

“Are you kidding?” said Casey, getting frustrated with the man. “We gave you a gold coin.”

If that was the man’s decision, thought Max, so be it. They didn’t have time to waste arguing with him. The garbage truck from the tower-zone was getting away.

Max opened his door and pulled Casey along with him.

“What are you doing!?” squirmed Casey. “Let me go!”

“C’mon,” said Max. “We don’t have time to waste.”

Max quickly turned his head to the cab driver and thanked him once more.

He drove off a second later, leaving Max and Casey conspicuously standing at the side of the dirt road.

Max took in the dump in front of them. He didn’t see how it would be possible to enter through the official front gate, but the good news was: the piles of garbage were so high, they spilled over sections of the barbed wire fence.

“Looks like we’re climbing garbage,” said Max.

He got up onto the mound of junk and started climbing up over busted refrigerators, air conditioners, and black bags of stinky garbage.

Casey followed behind him, squirming and grumbling about the sudden gross turn their mission had taken.