You change you mind and decided to go on foot.
You continue to ignore the woman pitiful, yet arousing sensations her struggle produces for you. You feel a little bad about her fate and even think about letting her go, but it goes away as you remember that you would have been in the same situation. You try to move, but the woman struggles only increase until…”BUURRRPPPP!!” A loud, wet belch fueled with the remaining air inside escapes from your belly with enough strength to make you stagger and fall on your butt.
It has been a while since you got out of the vault and the only thing stopping you from returning was that they would eat you if you did. The evidence of your deed is sagging in front of you, digesting and making the journey harder for you. When you exit the highway tunnel and turn onto the dry lakebed, you can feel the sun slowly cooking you; its rays feel like the vengeance from your ‘causalities’ for the fate inflicted on them. Speaking of the sun, you should start building a fire somewhere before it sets.
When you were a little dweller, in a better time, you could be found most of the time on the library. You used to be fascinated by the idea of living in the great outdoors, so you managed to read at least two survival books written before the bombs. In one of them you remember that it said that you could create fire by hitting a piece of Flint, a rock that you could find in places rich in water, with a piece of metal. To your good luck this place looks like it was a big recipient of water in the past so it can work.
You start to grab pieces of dead wood and some jagged rocks as you wander onward. However, you're still out in the blazing heat. On the one hand, this area is plentiful with dried wood and debris, but on the other hand, there's not a drop of water in sight. Luckily you have a canteen of water at your belt that once belonged to Jessica. It's still quite full, and if you take it easy and don't waste too much sweat by overexerting yourself, the water may last you long enough to find more.
You can feel the heat beating down on you quickly making you thirsty and your skin sore. Coming out this way was a mistake, but it's too late to turn back. The good news is the bodies of your two victims, plus the meal inside Jessica's stomach, made for several gallons worth of hydration considering the human body is worth about 70% water. Your gluttonous ability may have saved your life in crossing this desert. Without eating Jessica and the unnamed woman from earlier, who you realize has finally stopped screaming, you very well would not have a chance to make it to the other side of the lakebed without wasting your water supply.
You can probably withstand a little longer out here on the lakebed, but there's not much out here. You see a rusted old boat, but that's literally all there is. It could provide some shelter, or you could move on.
