56

It is midday when you rejoin Interstate 10 to continue your drive west. The sun is at its height and it feels as if it has pushed the temperature to five degrees above unbearable. To save fuel you try to keep your speed below twenty-five miles per hour, even though the lack of a cooling breeze drives you to distraction.

You were hoping to be able to scavenge some fuel in Ozona, the first town through which you were due to pass, but when you arrive there you find that it has been totally destroyed. A gently sloping mound of dust and rubble is all that remains of this town. You are forced to continue without respite, and throughout the long, hot drive, the experience of Ozona is repeated many times before you reach Bakersfield in the early evening.

During your drive you must take three Drinks (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points per drink missed).

You are both tired and suffering from mild heat exhaustion, but after having at last reached a town that is still standing, you agree that you must search for fuel and water before it gets dark. As the town is divided in two by the freeway, you decide to split up and search one half each.

If you wish to search the north side of Bakersfield, turn to 137.

If you choose to search the south side of Bakersfield, turn to 267.