by Joyce, Anne
“You know that girl’s in love with you, right?” Julio stared at Maria up ahead with Paola and Danisha.
“Why do you say that?” Joshua replied.
“Oh, please. It’s obvious as hell. If a mountain lion crossed our path, she’d run over and defend you from it. If you can’t see it, you’re clueless. I’m guessing the feeling’s mutual.” Julio grinned.
“Well, she is beautiful…”
“Ah, I knew it. That’s why you risked your damn life for her when she got stung by the scorpion,” Julio laughed.
“That’s not the reason I tried to help her. I don’t think it is, anyway…”
“If you’re not even sure why you’re doing something crazy and dangerous for somebody, you’re probably in love with them,” Julio replied. “I think you two would make a great couple.”
“You seem to forget that she’s one of my best friends.”
“Isn’t it easier to start out as friends?”
“It can be a great way to ruin a friendship. Once you cross that line, you can’t always go back to being pals. Believe me, I know.”
“Oh, so that’s why you’ve never made a move on her! I thought you were just really shy and awkward with women.” Julio chuckled.
“You’re so funny, I forgot to laugh.” Joshua rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, if you let the chance slip by, I think you’ll regret it. You’ll spend the rest of your lives wondering what might or could have been.”
“That may be true, but that’s the last thing on my mind right now. I just want us to stay alive. I hope I haven’t led us down the wrong path.”
“You’re leading us to a better life. Don’t let Xiomara get to you. She’s scared and looking for someone to blame. You know it doesn’t take much to frighten her,” Julio replied.
“Thanks, Julio. You’re a good friend.”
“Cover your faces!” Maria shouted. Paola’s and Danisha’s high-pitched screams startled Joshua and Julio. They looked up to see the girls drop the containers and shield their faces with their arms.
“Dust storm!” Julio cried. He and Joshua dropped to the ground, pulling their shirts over their heads. Xiomara screamed and fell in the middle of the road. She curled into a fetal position with her hands over her face. Joshua crawled to her and helped her up. The wind and sand pounded his face and scratched his burned skin.
“I can’t see! It’s in my eyes,” she cried.
“This way!” Joshua said. He grabbed her arm and steered her away from the eye of the storm to where the others lay on the side of the road with their arms over their heads.
The wind whipped the sand in their faces and howled through a nearby stand of saguaro cacti. It seemed like it would never end, but eventually the force of it lessened and finally it stopped, leaving silence in its wake.
“Is everybody okay?” Joshua called as he hauled himself up, his voice raspy.
“We’re fine.” Maria helped Paola and Danisha to their feet. Xiomara opened her water jug and attempted to flush out her eyes.
Joshua brushed off his clothes and shook the sand from his hair. “Don’t use too much of that water,” he grumbled.
“Guys, look at this!” Julio called.
“What is it?’ Joshua stood over him.
“It’s a stone. It looks like it was part of a walkway. I never would’ve seen it if not for that little storm.” Julio brushed the dirt from it.
“So what?” Maria said.
“If this was part of a walkway, then a house was here. That means there could be more houses nearby. We’re going the wrong way. We need to go that way down the hill.” He pointed.
“Julio, that doesn’t mean- “Xiomara started to say.
Julio disappeared down the steep hill. The rest of them hurried after him.
“Julio, wait up!” Maria struggled with her containers.
Paola slipped on a pile of dirt, lost her footing, and tumbled downhill, landing with a hard thump on a rock. “Are you okay?” Maria scurried over to her. Paola sat up and started sobbing.
“Julio, can you slow down? Paola fell because she can’t keep up,” Xiomara called.
“I knew it! Get over here. You have to see this,” Julio hollered.
Maria pulled Paola to her feet and she stopped crying. When they caught up to Julio, he was pointing to a white house nestled among some saguaros.
“See, I told you there was a house,” he said.
“What if someone lives there?” Maria said.
“We go over and introduce ourselves,” Julio replied.
“That means we’ll have to share some of our food and water,” Joshua said.
“You know how I feel about sharing our supplies.” Julio’s smile faded.
“We might not have a choice. Do you think they’ll just let us into their home for charity?” Joshua said.
“What if the looters live there?” Xiomara questioned.
“I’m pretty sure they don’t live in houses like that,” Danisha replied.
“I think the two of us should go over first and make sure these people aren’t murderers,” Joshua said to Julio.
“I’ll go with you. You know I can handle myself,” Maria said.
“I know you can, but I’d rather you stay here with Xiomara and the kids. Julio, give her one of the rifles. You keep the other one in that sack and put it over your shoulder.” Joshua grabbed the handgun and tucked it into the back of his jeans.
“Be on the lookout for anything suspicious.” Julio slid the rest of the way down the hill. Joshua scurried after him. “This place looks normal,” he said as they reached the front porch.
A porch swing and several sets of wind chimes hung from it. A mat lay on the doorstep with the words “HOME SWEET HOME” written on it.
“This was once somebody’s American dream. You’d better wipe your feet,” Julio joked.
. “Let me do the talking.” Joshua knocked on the door. They waited in silence for several minutes. Julio tried to peer through the curtains but couldn’t see through the dark fabric. Joshua jumped and raised his weapon when the door cracked open, then heaved a sigh of relief. A frightened-looking older man stood in the doorway with a large butcher knife at his side.
“What do you want?” he said.
“We’re not here to hurt you. We’ve been walking for hours in this heat and we need a place to rest,” Joshua said as he tucked the handgun back into his pants.
“I feel for you, son, but this isn’t a rest stop,” the man replied.
“We could give you some food and water for your troubles,” Joshua offered.
“You have food and water?” the man sputtered. Joshua nodded.
“Come in.” He gestured. Joshua motioned for Maria, Xiomara and the children to join them.
“Josh, what the hell are you thinking?” Julio whispered.
“Zip it, Julio! We’re going to have to share whether you like it or not,” he hissed.
“How many are with you?” the man asked.
“There are six of us. Two women and two children are headed this way.” Joshua pointed.
“I’m Clyde.” The man extended his hand.
“I’m Josh and this is Julio.” Joshua introduced everyone else when they reached the porch and Clyde helped them carry the containers inside.
“Where did you get these?’ He stared at them in awe.
Joshua told Clyde about the Purifiers’ visits and his work on the turbines.
“That’s amazing. I didn’t think Purifiers visited anybody. I thought it was just an urban myth. Have a seat.” Clyde gestured at his green felt couch and recliners.
“Clyde, who are you talking to?” a woman’s voice called from the kitchen.
“We have some guests, darling,” he replied. “I’ll be right back.” Clyde picked up a canister of food and went to the kitchen.
“Wow, this place is like stepping into the 70s,” Maria exclaimed.
“I forgot how soft furniture is.” Paola pl
opped onto the couch.
“My wife is making us dinner.” Clyde strolled into the living room and slumped into the recliner.
“What are we having?” asked Paola.
“You’ll find out very soon.” He smiled.
Joshua’s mouth watered at the thought of a home-cooked meal.
“It’s amazing you’ve survived out here all by yourselves,” Xiomara said.
“We have our ways. We’ve got a well the Purifiers never found out about and a few chickens in the shed. We also have a generator. The well’s starting to run dry, though,” Clyde said.
“That was a wise idea to buy animals that can make food,” Maria said.
“We figured it would be cheaper and easier to keep them alive than cows. We’ve still lost quite a few. It’s too harsh of an environment. I don’t think there are many animals left out here.”
“The desert’s got animals. You just have to know where to look,” Julio said.
“So, you’re a good hunter?” Clyde replied.
“I’m an all right one.”
“What do you catch?”
“I catch snakes most of the time. I got a javelina last week.”
“You’re a very resourceful young man.” Clyde leaned back in his chair, impressed. “My family and I are far from skilled hunters. We bought this place when they started raising the water prices. We’d drive into town for groceries and things and then one day they didn’t let us in. They said to go home and that the city was closed to us now.”
“It’s closed to everyone who can’t pay a few thousand dollars in water taxes every month,” Xiomara remarked.
“It’s robbery from giants who shouldn’t be in power, but I won’t get started on that. Estelle says I bore people with my rants. So, what does javelina taste like?”
“It tastes like pork,” Julio replied.
“That figures.” Clyde laughed.
Paola got up and wandered the room, admiring the menagerie of trinkets on the mantle. “Come look at this, Nisha.” She held a music box. Danisha got up from her chair. Paola turned the knob and opened the box. The two girls watched in awe as a tiny glass ballerina danced and twirled to the music.
“Paola, you don’t just go touching other people’s things.” Maria gave her a stern look.
“She’s all right. She’s just curious like any other kid,” Clyde assured her. “The black girl doesn’t talk much, does she? What’s her name again?” He lowered his voice.
“Her name’s Danisha and she just went through something very traumatic,” Xiomara said.
“That’s too bad. I’m sure you’ve all been through a lot.”
“You can say that again.” Julio shifted on the sofa.
“Are the Purifiers as awful as everyone says? I’ve only met the ones who guard the town gates. Grouchy fellows.”
“They’re worse than the devil! They’ll shoot any poor person and steal their wife or daughter,” Joshua replied.
“Oh my! Well, maybe it’s a good thing my family and I are stuck out here,” Clyde said.
“Dinner’s ready,” Estelle called. Clyde got up from his chair and everyone followed him to the kitchen.
“This here is Estelle. She’s a great cook.” Clyde patted the frail-looking, petite woman’s shoulder. He set the table while everyone took their seats. Estelle prepared scrambled eggs along with the canned fruit. The two combined were a surprising tasty combination.
“I wish we could eat food like this all the time,” Paola said as she shoveled eggs into her mouth.
“She’s right; this is a wonderful meal,” Xiomara told Estelle. She smiled.
“Cassidy, get down here or you’ll go without supper,” Estelle shouted up the staircase. A tall, slender red-head hurried down the stairs. Her appearance caught all of them off guard.
“She’s breathtaking,” Julio whispered to Joshua.
“Who the hell are these people?” the young woman demanded.
“They’re friends, and they’re joining us for dinner. Where are your manners?’ Clyde said.
“Sorry, I’m not used to seeing strangers. I was starting to think we were the only people left.” Cassidy took a seat.
Danisha’s jaw dropped. Joshua and Julio exchanged stunned glances. “No hard feelings,” Julio said.
“There are plenty of people around, but they aren’t the kind you want to meet,” Danisha said.
“Eat your food before it gets cold, dear. That’s a topic for another time,” Xiomara hissed.
“Where are you kids headed?” Estelle said.
“Nogales,” Joshua replied.
“You’re going all the way to Nogales on foot? That’ll be a hell of a journey.” Clyde raised an eyebrow.
“Well, we kind of got stranded without transportation, but that’s a long story,” Julio replied.
“What’s in Nogales?” said Cassidy.
“Water that’s affordable,” Maria replied.
“I didn’t know such a thing existed anymore. You’re smart to get out of here. Things are out of control,” Estelle said.
“Where do you come from?” asked Cassidy.
Julio told her how they were driven out of Phoenix and what life was like in Shackville.
“That’s outrageous,” she gasped. “I heard they were dropping people in the wastelands, but I’ve never met anyone who experienced it. No one should have to go through that.”
“You’re some brave young men and women,” Estelle said.
“Are we the first strangers you’ve met out here?” Maria said.
“There were some transients who tried to steal our well water and force their way in here. That was a long time ago,” Clyde replied.
“Dad and I chased them away with kitchen knives. We never saw them again,” Cassidy added.
“You folks can stay awhile. Don’t feel like you have to rush off,” Clyde said.
“We appreciate that, but we’ll probably leave in the morning,” Joshua replied.
“You should stay and rest,” Estelle urged.
“We have a lot of ground to cover. The sooner we get to Nogales, the better,” Joshua said.
“The sooner we get to sleep, the better. I’m exhausted,” Xiomara said.
“Me too. Those water jugs are way too heavy,” Paola chimed in.
“You can sleep in the living room. I’ll get some pillows and blankets.” Clyde stood and wiped his mouth with a dish towel.
“I’ll drag the sleeping bags out of the linen closet.” Cassidy disappeared upstairs. Maria, Paola, and Xiomara helped Estelle clear the table.
Joshua grabbed Julio and pulled him into the living room. “These people have no clue about the looters,” he hissed.
“This house is kind of hidden and out of the way,” Julio replied.
“Should we tell them?”
“I don’t think we should get involved. There isn’t much they can do to protect themselves. The looters may never even find out about this place. Let’s just get up with the sun and leave before they can beg us to stay,” Julio said.
“We need to sleep by the containers and keep watch. We’re not sharing any more food and water,” Joshua said.
“Good idea. I’ll take the first watch. Xiomara and Maria can help.”
“We should tell them.” Joshua and Julio whirled around to see Danisha standing in the corner of the living room. There was a fierce look in her eyes, as if a fire had just ignited inside of her.
“Danisha, how long have you been standing there listening?” Joshua sputtered.
“Long enough,” she replied.
“We don’t need to cause panic in the house,” Julio said.
“Somebody needs to warn them. My family would still be alive if we’d been warned,” she said.
“These people aren’t prepared to fight anybody and they’re not going to be. If they leave, they’ll be dead within a couple of days,” Julio retorted.
“How do you know that?” Danisha demanded.
“Trust me. This family does not have combat skills. They don’t know how to live off the land either,” Julio said.
“They don’t deserve to end up like my mom and brothers.” She stepped in front of him.
“They don’t, but that’s how life is sometimes. The wastelands are a cruel place,” Julio said.
“Why can’t they come with us?” she said.
“Estelle and Clyde couldn’t make it all the way to Nogales. It wouldn’t be right to ask Cassidy to abandon her parents, either,” Julio replied.
“He’s right. It would be too much for them. Estelle doesn’t look like she’s in good health,” Joshua said.
“If you guys don’t tell them, I will,” she declared.
“Listen kid, you’re not calling the shots. “
“Cool it, both of you.” Joshua stepped between them. “We can tell them about the looters, but we’ll do it tomorrow before we leave. I don’t want you to mention them again tonight, understood?” He pointed a finger at Danisha.
“Okay.” She nodded and walked back in the kitchen.
“That girl’s got a big mouth,” Julio said.
“At least she’s talking.” Joshua shrugged.
Chapter Nine
“Are you ready?” Joshua sat up and stretched.
“Of course.” Julio got up from the floor and set his pillow and blanket on the recliner.
The yellow and orange rays of the rising sun illuminated the living room as Joshua and Julio woke the rest of the group. Everyone folded their blankets and grabbed a container. Julio held the door as they marched single file onto the porch.
“You cleaned up. What’s the occasion?” Xiomara eyed Julio and stepped outside.
“No big reason,” he mumbled.
“You said we could warn Clyde and Estelle about the looters,” Danisha said.
“We’ll leave them a note. There’s no time to chat,” Joshua replied.
“You had your chance to tell Cassidy. I’ll bet you didn’t even do it.” Danisha glared at Julio.
“What is she talking about?” Joshua said.
“He was in the den with her when he was supposed to be guarding our stuff,” Danisha replied.
“Are you spying on me now? The walls can’t be that thin.” Julio put his hands on his hips.