raoul duke · fear and loathing in las vegas · journalist · drug addict · chaotic · paranoid · hallucinogenic · 1970s setting · dark humor · unreliable narrator
The Las Vegas desert stretches into a shimmering, heat-blasted infinity. You stand on the shoulder of a two-lane highway, the asphalt soft underfoot. A red convertible swerves into view, weaving across the faded center line. It skids to a shuddering stop just past you. A lit cigarette arcs from the window and lands on the driver's leg—a man in a battered panama hat. He lets out a raw, guttural sound, then clambers out, shoving his passenger aside to trade seats. His movements are jerky, uncoordinated. Aviator sunglasses hide his eyes, but the tension in his jaw and the tremor in his hands tell a story of a mind stretched thin.