They drove north leaving Las Vegas. The sun had begun to fall and was beginning to set behind them.

They reached fire Valley, a section of the Mohave desert that's known for its rough floors and jagged wall of eroded sandstone that was more than a hundred million years old.

The center point of the Valley of Fire, was known as Hell. It had a rock formation resembling a pitch fork known as the Devil's Pitch Fork. All around was black volcanic ash. The place literally looked like hell.

Gates parked the Cadillac facing the sun. There was nothing like watching a sunset in the Valley of Fire. As the golden rays broke through the hemisphere, it illuminated the rock formations; it was a sight to behold.

He'd stopped at Burger Dogs , a small eatery near Fremont Street that sold hotdogs made of hamburger meat. They sold them plain, with chill, with chill and cheese, and with the works that was like a hamburger with lettuce tomato, mustard, and ketchup.

Toto had been wagging his tail from the smell of the meat.

Gates took out his sack of burger dogs. He'd gotten three with chili and two plain. He expected it to be a long night. He handed one to Sunny but she gave him a look that said Are you kidding me?

"Suit your self,' said Gates. Toto was eager to have one. Gates was ready to give him one but Sunny stopped him.

"Toto doesn't eat meat."

"He's a dog of course he eats meat, look at all the horses they grind up for dog food. It's not beef but it's meat," said Gates.

"Toto's never had meat. He's eats special food made from tofu," Sunny said.

"Tofu?"

"It's very nutrition. I get it in a shop in LA . A lot of Hollywood people go there."

"People in L.A. are crazy," Gates said.

"Not as nutty as those in Vegas," Sunny retorted.

As Gates bit into his chili burger dog, he couldn't help but feel sorry for little Toto. He was eager to try a bite. He was salivating and wagging his tail.

Sunny pulled him back.

"No, Toto." She reached into her bag and gave him a tofu treat. Toto held it in its mouth then dropped it, staring Gates finishing his chilli burger dog.

"How can you eat that crap?"

Like this. Gates shoved the food in his mouth and gleamed with delight.

"How can you do porn?"

"It's not porn. Its art. I wasn't naked. I was just wearing a bathing suit and lingerie."

"Well, what do you think those lonely men watching your art are going to do with it." Gates made a crude gesture.

"That's really gross. Just like a man always thinking with his penis."

"I'm not the one taking off my clothes and calling it art," said Gates.

"Whatever." Sunny got off the hood of the car.

"Don't wander off." Gates said.

"I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

"Hey babe, I don't care what happens to you as long as I get paid. But I wanted to warn you that this place is crawling with rattlesnakes."

Sunny froze. A rattlesnake's friends is only rattlesnakes. The thought of snakes all around her sent chills through spine.

"Hey, look out there's one by your foot."

Sunny jumped about five feet and onto a large rock. She was frozen and Gates began to laugh. Toto began to bark his disapproval.

"You're a bastard, Gates!"

"Your so gullible. There aren't any snakes here. This is black ash and it's full of sulfur. It burns their scales. You won't find a snake a hundred yards from here."

Gates began running form one rock to another.

"See no snakes here."

He went to another and almost stepped on a rolled up rattlesnake.

"oh shit! A snake!" Gates jumped back and fell. When he opened his eyes he saw a large black scorpion near his face. He was deadly allergic to scorpion and spider bites.

The scorpion whipped it tail around ready to strike. Gates closed his eyes.

It all happened so fast.

He opened his and saw Toto with the scorpion in its mouth. It bit it in half.

"You're a valiant little fellow." Gates said. He gave Toto a burger dog. "Eat up buddy. Don't worry what the Wicked Witch of the West says."

When Toto finished his burger, he crawled up on Gates' chest and fell asleep. Gates pulled a hat over his face and joined him for a nap.

Seeing Toto resting on Gates gave Sunny an odd feeling. For Rico and Toto never bonded that way.

"You men always stick together. Toto, you're a traitor."

***

"So what's your story toots. What bring you a diva from LA to Las Vegas," Gates inquired.

"I'm not originally form LA; I'm from Kansas."

"Your from Kansas and you have dog named Toto. Is your real name Dorothy?"

"No, it's Sunny. I came out here looking for something."

"Did you find it?"

"I thought i did. Sometimes dreams aren't so beautiful in real life."

"You mean your husband."

"Yeah, we're fighting right now. You know couples fight."

"Sure, I know couples fight but rarely does a husband shoot at his wife and then try to run her off the road at 120 mph. You either did something to piss him off or you did something to really piss him off. By the looks of it, I'd go with number two."

"So whats your story?" Sunny said. "W hat's your real name."

"It's Gates. I never knew my parents. They never filled out the birth certificate. So they called me Gates and left it at that. Really you should have picked a better question."

***

The sun had set. The desert was becoming dark and only a small shadow of light appeared form the west.

Gates had seen something to the east of the Devil's Pitchfork. Sunny followed his gaze and together they saw red and green lasers beams shoot up in the sky.

"That must be the lights Leon was talking about?" Gates said.

They drove around the pitchfork and veered off the road onto the sand dunes coverd with growth and tumble weeds. The Cadillac shook and bounced from the rough terrain and banging the under carriage.

"You need a truck. This car's falling apart." Sunny said.

"Listen, babe, this car's a tank. It can handle anything." Gates said.

The Cadillac made it to a clearing where there were hundreds of car gathered near a dead volcano. The lights were bright light and loud music.

Gates saw a lot of plates were from California, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. The people getting out of their cars were young and had blue and green hair and wearing neon and glow in the dark clothing.

"What the fuck is this?" he said.

"It's a rave. Welcome to my world, Mr. Gates. This should be a lot of fun."

Sunny grabbed Toto and walked towards the the music and lights.

Gates followed behind her feeling like Dorothy in Oz. He felt so out of place.

In the volcano, there were hundred of video screens along lights and lasers synchronized to a heavy dense sound of fast beat music

There were people walking around asking other if they'd found Jesus. Gates said no but he'd found the king. It didn't matter, he was handed pills and told to take them.

People immediately recognized Sunny Bunny and they gave her hugs and took pictures of her with their cellphones. People asked Sunny who he was and she said he was her body guard.

Sunny had disappeared into a mob of her fans. She asked around for Sheek. But no one had see him.

Gates went around asking for Sheek but he was always pointed away. They told him Sheek was like god. He was everywhere. He was lost in maze of music and people. He looked around for Sunny but she was no where to be found. He figured he needed to talk to some adults --people in charge. He asked a bartenderwaitress where the boss was and she pointed up at the second floor DJ booth.

"That's got to be where Sheek is." Gates said.

Gates went up to a DJ booth on an elevated scaffold. He almost fell and people below hollered in for him to jump. They said they would catch him.

He pulled himself up and looked down at the insanity. He disappeared into the room and went into the control booth and asked the DJ if he'd seen Sheek.

The DJ pointed over to a group of man standing in a circle. When Gates tapped one of the men on the shoulder. The man turned around and it was Ringo.

"Well look who came to dance," said Ringo with a devilish grin. " I never pictured you for raver, Gates. But if you came to party. We'll give you a party."

Ringo punched Gates in the jaw and Gates went down. Ringo pounced on him and kept hitting him in the chest.

"This pay back for earlier."

Ringo snapped his fingers and then three security guards came and picked up

Gates and then disappeared down a stairwell.

Sunny had not seen Ringo hit Gates but she did see the security guards take hims out the back door. She had been trying to keep an eye on him.

Now she wondered if she should just let him handle it on his own. After all every time she interfered, things went wrong. The last time Gates had told her for her not to do him any favors.

But Sunny's could not help feel she needed to do something. She reached into her bag and got her gun. She checked it and found it empty.Gates had taken the bullets out.

"Way to go Gates," she said. Now what was she going to do. She thought for minute and she remembered. The solution. Sunny ran out to the Cadillac and got Gate's bullet from the glove compartment. She loaded the gun and then ran back to the rave.

She went out the back door.

She creeped around and saw the security guards holding Gates while another man kept hitting him in the stomach.

"Is that all you got you pussy, Ringo."

Gates started to laugh. The men were filling hole in the ground with water. When it was deep enough Ringo began to dunk Gates face in.

"You can forget about going to Heaven tomorrow Gates. Cause i'll be sending you to hell tonight."

Madness took over Ringo Gates squirmed as he fought to breath and free himself from Ringo's grip.

The security guards watched unaware of Sunny who was standing behind them.

"Alright you fuckers, get him out of there!"

The security guards saw Sunny with the gun and freaked.

"You assholes get on your bellies."

Ringo didn't bother to turn around he was busy.

Sunny came up to him and put the gun behind his head.

"Get him out of there, now" said Sunny.

Ringo lifted Gates face out of the water. Gates was gasping for air.

"So Gates I know you like to handle things" said Sunny.

Ringo and he shoved Gates into the water again.

"Let him go

"What are you going to kill me." Ringo was calling Sunny's bluff and Sunny realized she only one option, she had to kill Ringo but no matter how much she wanted to pull the trigger she couldn't.

"You're not a killer, stupid girl," said Ringo.

"No, but I am," said Gates. With a growl, he got up and flipped Ringo over him and into the water. Then Gates reached around and grabbed Sunny's gun.

When Ringo came up to attack Gates. "Yippeekayar,," Gates pulled the trigger blowing Ringo's brains out.

Sunny was down on her knees crying.

"I couldn't do it."

Gates went over and picked her up.

"Hey, Princess, its okay. Its over now."

"I froze, I'm sorry," said Sunny.

Gate pointed the gun at the security guards on the floor. He told them if they didn't want to end up like Ringo then they needed to tell him where Sheek was.

"He's at he Candy store."

"Candy store?" Sunny inquired.

"He means drug lab." Gates said.

"Where?"

"it's in Fremont. You go block east and you'll see a building red brick with no doors or windows. That' the candy store."