The Crippy (Paperback) by Michael Just

In the wilds of southwestern Colorado lives a wanted woman. Sam speaks and understands any language, she has been kidnapped too many times, and is hunted by forces both earthly and extraworldly, who all want her for her linguistic gift. And she is 8 years old. When she is "traded" by her mother for a few good meth hits and a pack of cigarettes (in an effort to keep her away from her killer father), Mitch Cantsee becomes her de facto protector, agreeing to take her in for a few days. Within hours Mitch is rescuing Sam from Men in Black, and they go on the run into Navajoland, through the Grand Canyon, to Las Vegas, and up towards Mt. Shasta and Crater lake. Their mission, as Mitch understands it, could be the key to saving the earth from the destructive forces that are looking to decrypt Sam's mind. Sam and Mitch encounter a psychedelic wild west, both terrifying and otherworldly. They are punished and tested to their very limits. Will they ever get to stop running? Will they find the Mountain of the North, foretold to them by a bizarre, extraterrestrial 'angel' who guides them and torments them in turns? Can Mitch protect Sam and return her to herself? You may come to the end of this book feeling unsure of your reality. Be warned, but be engulfed.