Arid

by Joyce, Anne

  Arid

  Anne Joyce

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Publisher’s Note:

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

  Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com

  Copyright 2018 – Anne Joyce

  To my mother, Cindy Joyce Banks, and everything she gave to Xiomara Guzman

  Chapter One

  Joshua opened his eyes wide, jarred awake by shrill screams and cold clammy hands shackled around his throat. Edgar was wild-eyed with matted hair, kneeling over him and trying to choke the life from him. “Where is it? Where are you hiding it?” Edgar shouted. “What did you do with the water?”

  “Edgar, get the fuck off of me!” Joshua grabbed the older man’s bony shoulders and tossed him on the floor like a rag doll. “What’s gotten into you?” he gasped, rubbing his neck.

  “I know you took all of the water! You stole it!” Edgar yelled.

  Joshua rested his hand on Edgar’s back and drew himself close to the sunken creature that had once been his trusted friend. “Listen to me. I didn’t take anyone’s water. There’s no water to steal. Now go home and get some sleep.”

  Joshua pulled Edgar to his feet and shoved him out of his filthy, run-down shack in the barren desert wasteland. Edgar stumbled and fell face-first in the dirt. He groaned but made no attempt to get up. Julio, having heard the commotion, ran toward Joshua. A short, attractive Latino woman named Maria and her eight-year-old daughter, Paola, were close behind him.

  “What’s going on?” Julio said. “Are you okay, Edgar?” His Hispanic accent seemed thicker when he was excited or confused.

  “I woke up to him choking me. He thinks I’m keeping water from everyone,” Joshua replied.

  “You’re crazy, old man. What the hell is wrong with you?!” Julio barked.

  “He’s severely dehydrated and overheated. He’s not in his right mind. His hands are cold so he’s probably hypothermic at this point. His body’s shutting down,” Joshua said.

  “Can’t we do anything for him?” asked Maria.

  “I put several more cans in the ground and laid the plastic tarp over them, but I got very little water. I even tried draining a few cacti and all that came out was a gooey substance. There’s no water source for miles and even if there was, you can’t walk far in this heat without fluids. You wouldn’t last more than a couple of hours,” Joshua replied.

  “Do you think anyone could spare some of their water rations?” Maria said.

  Julio snorted. “We don’t even have enough water for ourselves. If you share water with anybody, you risk your own life. They left us in this shithole to die, and it’s working.”

  “Stop talking like that. You’re going to scare Paola!” Maria hissed.

  “She should be scared and so should you. Why do you think they dumped us in the middle of nowhere? They’ve taken everything from us–our cars, our houses, our money. They gave us no way to survive. They’ve got no use for us anymore. The Purifiers haven’t even been here in weeks,” Julio retorted.

  “They need Josh’s help because he knows more than any of them about the wind turbines,” Maria countered.

  “Then why the hell aren’t they here asking for his help anymore?” Julio replied.

  “Enough already!” Joshua said. “Maria, please take Edgar to Xiomara’s place and see if she can help him.”

  Maria pulled Edgar to his feet and she and Paola helped him to Xiomara’s. “It’ll be okay, Edgar. Xiomara will make you better.” Paola patted his arm. Edgar glanced at her and stared off into space. “Just pretend you’re somewhere else, someplace better. That’s what I do when I feel sick or depressed.” She put her arm around him.

  “What do you think Xiomara’s going to be able to do for him?” Julio wanted to know.

  “She used to be a nurse,” Josh replied.

  “That doesn’t do much good out here.”

  “Julio, do you have to make every situation worse?” Josh snapped. He didn’t mind Julio’s pessimism most of the time, but today it was grating on him.

  “I’m sorry, man. I just don’t think the Purifiers are coming back again, and I’m not sure how we’ll survive,” Julio sighed.

  “I know. I’ll try to think of a plan, but for now everyone needs to stay indoors. If we’re sweating in the sun all day, we’ll end up like Edgar.” Joshua rested his hand on Julio’s shoulder.

  “All right, bro.” Julio nodded.

  Joshua went back to his shack and drank the last of his water ration for the day. It was sweltering, stuffy, and miserable inside. The little battery-powered fans didn’t help much. He glanced at the tall, skinny, unkempt man in the mirror and didn’t recognize himself. His chiseled, dirt-smudged cheeks looked hollow. His filthy, tattered clothes hung on him. At twenty-eight years old, he never could’ve imagined that this would be his life.

  He was once a consultant for a large clean energy firm, a proud husband, expectant father, and the owner of a beautiful three-bedroom house in Scottsdale. Now he lived in a tiny, two-room hut that couldn’t even keep the debris out in a dust storm. His lumpy straw mattress made him yearn for his old Serta bed.

  He tried to remember a time when people wouldn’t have killed one another for something as basic as water. Memories of being on the high school swim team and fishing trips with friends now seemed like a myth. It was as if nothing else existed but arid, uninhabitable land.

  Only cacti, dirt, rocks, shrubbery, saguaro, and other plants surrounded them. Mountains stood tall and proud off in the distance. They seemed much closer than they really were. Houses and paved roads were vague memories. Their closest neighbors were corpses in a cluster of shacks several miles away. It felt like he’d been wiped off the face of the earth, never to see civilization again. It was a lonely, helpless feeling. How the hell did it come down to this? he wondered.

  It all started with a nuclear war in 2040. A surprise enemy attack destroyed parts of the southwest and scourged thousands of miles of land. The lack of rainfall made it even more difficult to rebuild and recover. Most of the country hadn’t seen a drop for months. Some billionaire moguls started draining lakes and selling the water to cities experiencing droughts. Multi-million-dollar companies and politicians saw a chance to make money and ran with the idea. They purchased the rights to all bodies of water across the country and made them inaccessible to the public. Lakes and rivers were surrounded by razor-sharp barbed wire fences. They depleted the country’s water supply to sell it back to the public at ridiculous prices. Laws were passed that banned citizens from collecting rain water. Water exportation to the public was blocked and ocean shorelines were patrolled by armed guards. Joshua shook his head.

  The lower and middle classes went bankrupt and their lives were consumed with poverty, sickness, and death. When the national crime rate reached an all-time high, the water barons formed the army of brutes they called Purifiers. Joshua clenched his fist at the thought of them. The poverty stricken, including himself, were forced out of their homes by Purifiers and sent to live in shacks outside of town. If Shackville residents were deemed useful in any way, Purifiers were ordered to bring them food, water, and other basic amenities.

  They usually visited Joshua’s group every few weeks because of his expertise on wind turbines. His advice was needed so the banks could build more turbines to pump water.
On several occasions he was taken to the construction sites to assist them. His assistance was well rewarded then, but now their food and water supply was running low. There was no way to know when or if the Purifiers would show up again.

  He sat on his wicker stool and ran his fingers through his coarse brown hair. He had to think of a way to get some food and water. He got up and paced the floor, but only the same tired ideas came to mind. He was never one to give up, but Edgar’s predicament made everything seem much grimmer. His head began to throb. He sat on his dirty floor and leaned against the wooden bedframe. He couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone that there wasn’t a plan. The group looked to him for guidance and he hated the thought of letting them down.

  He couldn’t believe there were only eight of them left out of twenty-five. They were like family now. Julio was by far the strongest and possibly the reason they were still alive. He taught them how to live off the land and catch food. It was obvious he’d spent most of his life fending for himself. Joshua couldn’t have asked for a more loyal friend. Julio seemed to think of him as the big brother he’d always wanted. Joshua thought Julio seemed lost and searching for a place to belong.

  Xiomara was the caretaker and surrogate mother of the family. She put others before herself, sometimes at her own peril. Her kindness and compassion knew no bounds. She respected every living creature around her. She was a vegetarian before her exile and made it clear that she only ate meat for survival. In the beginning she’d been determined to keep everyone alive, but the harsh climate soon foiled her plan. Joshua knew it hurt her soul to watch their group dwindle. She became more withdrawn and introverted with each person they lost.

  Joshua didn’t think Blane and Skylar would survive the wastelands, but they proved him wrong. Their angelic appearances and gentle demeanors were deceiving. They were much stronger and more capable than they looked. Blane was accustomed to hard work and did more than his fair share. Skylar tried to stay positive and offer encouragement, even in the darkest of times.

  They were pleasant, down to earth, and easy to get along with. They made an adorable, doting couple; sometimes it was a little nauseating. They seldom argued, but their fights were passionate, as well as was their make-up sex. Having the hut closest to them meant Joshua was stuck listening to it. Joshua could tell that Skylar wanted children. She volunteered to look after Paola any time Maria was busy.

  Joshua thought the world of Maria. He considered her the ideal woman–tough, pretty, smart, and caring. She was also refined, eloquent, and educated. She always behaved like a lady. She instilled the same values in her daughter. Paola was the center of her universe and Maria sought to raise her right. Even when things seemed hopeless, Maria managed to be brave for her. No one ever saw her cry.

  Paola took after her in many ways. She was very intelligent for a child who never had the chance to go to school. She possessed the grace and charm of a little princess. She stayed happy and upbeat most of the time and Maria tried to shelter her from the reality of their situation as best she could.

  Edgar tested Joshua and Julio’s patience, but he gave a lot of sound advice, despite being stubborn, ornery, and set in his ways. He liked to give orders, which didn’t sit well with anyone. He clashed the most with Julio, who did not like authority.

  I don’t know why they think I’m full of great ideas. I couldn’t help the other seventeen. Joshua crawled into bed, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep. “No!” He sat up in his bed panting and sweating. His heart pounded like a drum. He looked around the room but everything was dark and quiet. “Must have been another bad dream.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. He grabbed his flashlight and headed for the outhouse.

  “Sleeping beauty’s finally awake.” Paola grinned. She stood over a small patch of plants, plucking them from the ground and tossing them into a basket. Maria shined a flashlight for her.

  “What are you doing out so late?” asked Joshua.

  “Xiomara said certain plants retain a lot of moisture. It could help Edgar,” Paola replied.

  “It hasn’t rained for a while, though.”

  “Some of these plants have extensive roots that can hold moisture for a long time. There may not be much left, but it’s worth a shot. We’ve got to do something,” Maria said.

  “You’re right. How’s he doing?”

  “He’s barely hanging on. Xiomara gave him half of her daily water ration, but it didn’t help much,” Maria replied.

  “Dammit! I warned her about doing that!” Joshua muttered.

  “You know she’s not going to listen. She was a nurse for twenty years and she volunteered at the Humane Society. The woman’s spent her life trying to save everyone and everything. That’s just who she is,” Maria replied.

  “Mama, is this going to be enough?” Paola held up a basket half full of greenery.

  “I think so. Take it to Xiomara and see what she says.” Paola ran to Xiomara’s hut.

  “You sure are sweaty. Maybe you should eat a plant. I think there’s a couple left.” Maria shined the flashlight on him.

  “No way, they upset my stomach. It was just another dream, I guess.” Joshua sat on the ground and stared at the night sky. Stars shone like jewels. The moon was full and yellow.

  “You don’t remember your dream?” Maria sat beside him.

  “No and I’m glad. They’re never the kind I want to recall.”

  “How long do you think we’ll last after the water rations are gone?” She stared at him.

  Her question caught him off-guard. He shifted in his spot and looked away. “I just need to form a plan,” he muttered.

  “You don’t have the vaguest idea what to do. I can see it in your eyes.”

  He leaned back and rested his head on a rock. A deep sigh escaped him.

  “It’s not your fault.” She lay beside him. “We’ve tapped this area of its resources. What else can we do?”

  “Every day is an uphill battle just to make it to the next. There’s got to be more to life than this.”

  “Maybe we’ll be rewarded in the afterlife for all of our struggles.”

  “That might be so, but right now I’m worried about this one.”

  “If there’s a way to make it through this drought, we’ll figure it out. It’s not all up to you. We’ll have a meeting about it tomorrow if Edgar’s health improves.” She patted his leg.

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Don’t stay up all night thinking about it.” She got up, kissed his cheek, and walked to Xiomara’s hut.

  Chapter Two

  Bang! Bang! Bang! The pounding on Joshua’s door jolted him out of bed. He glanced out of his tiny window. The sky was still dark and dotted with stars. Dawn would soon be approaching. “I’m coming,” he muttered. He staggered across the room and opened the door. Paola stood on his front step like a wilted flower, her sleek black hair messy. Her big brown eyes were puffy and red. “Edgar’s dead.”

  ***

  Maria, Julio, Blane, and Skylar stood around Edgar’s body on Xiomara’s bed. “I did everything I could. He needed IV fluids. He needed a lot more than what we have,” Xiomara said when Josh and Paola entered her hut. He could tell that she’d stayed up all night with Edgar. Xiomara always looked tired. Her jet black hair was greying; fine lines trailed from her cheekbones to her jawline. The role of Shackville nurse was draining her.

  “You did your best.” Joshua rested a hand on her shoulder.

  “We’re having a moment of silence,” Julio said.

  Joshua, Xiomara, and Paola joined the circle. Joshua thought of the first member of their group to die. He was diabetic and ran out of his medication. He begged the Purifiers to get him some insulin, but they refused. They said he wasn’t valuable enough to waste that kind of money on. It wasn’t long before he became delusional and incoherent. When he started vomiting every day, Joshua knew it was a death sentence in that desert.

  He couldn’t even remember then man’s name, but Joshua w
as saddened by his passing. Edgar’s death just made him angry. He thought of all the wealthy moguls living like kings, eating steak and caviar while Edgar was literally dying for a glass of water. Judging by his expression, Julio seemed just as angry. Everyone else looked depressed.

  “Are we going to bury him?” Skylar wanted to know.

  “The ground is too dry. It hasn’t rained for months,” Julio said.

  “He should have a proper burial. He doesn’t deserve to be eaten by buzzards,” Skylar said.

  “We’ll bury him. It might be a shallow grave, but it’s better than nothing,” Blane replied.

  Blane worshipped Skylar and no one could blame him. She hadn’t bathed in weeks like everyone else, but it took little away from her beauty. At first glance she looked like a mirage with her striking blue eyes and long blond hair. Joshua wondered for the hundredth time how she ended up in the wastelands. She could’ve been a fashion model or an actress. He could only guess that she was there because of Blane and had chosen love over everything. She never complained about their situation nor did she seem to have any regrets.

  ***

  “Shit, the ground is harder than bricks!” Julio grunted. He and Blane stabbed at the earth with their shovels. Joshua and Xiomara carried Edgar’s body outside wrapped in a bedsheet.

  “This is as deep as we’re going to be able to dig.” Blane wiped the sweat from his brow.

  “That’s more than good enough, baby,” Skylar said.

  “Does anybody have any last words?” Julio asked when Josh and Xiomara lowered Edgar into the hole.

  “Let’s say our final goodbyes inside. It’s freezing out here,” Maria said.

  “You’re just cold because you’re not working up a sweat like Blane and me,” Julio replied.

  “No, she’s right. It’s a lot colder than it’s been in weeks.” Joshua stared at the sky. Several birds flew in the direction of the rising sun.