Chapter 21-24 Summary

In chapter 21, Ballard and Vaughan meet at an airport bar. Vaughan gives Ballard some LSD before he hands him the keys to his car. The two men drive around as they have many times before until the drugs begin to take effect. They participate in crazy behavior, driving the wrong way up a flyover. Later, Ballard parks near a junk yard and he and Ballard make love in the car. Throughout the act, Ballard thinks of the imagery of the car in the sex act, increasing his excitement for Vaughan. In chapter 22, Ballard climbs out of the car the following morning to escape the after effects of the drugs. When Vaughan wakes, he drives the car into a palisade, narrowly missing Ballard.

In chapter 23, Ballard stays home with Catherine the following few days after his encounter with Vaughan to recover from...