Zen's War: Captivity

Zen awoke, his mouth dry with thirst. Aurora slept soundly in the tent beside him. The hot desert air blew through the openings at either side of the tent. It was one of those old-fashioned military tents that were long and triangular in length, with steel rods holding up either end. Nylon strings were tied to holes on the bottom of the tent, which were in turn pinned down to the ground with stakes. The tent was made of a canvas material with an army fatigue pattern printed on it.

Zen climbed out of his gray sleeping bag. He could not stand up all the way, since the tent was only four feet from top to bottom, and he was nearly six feet tall. He emerged from the tent, wearing only a pair of khaki shorts. From walking on the desert sand and rocks without shoes, the soles of his feet had become very thick and calloused.

He looked to the other tent, where he and Aurora’s three children slept, which was only about ten feet away from where he stood. They had placed their tents at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The area around their encampment had little vegetation. There were only a few saguaros, but most of them were so dried out, that only their skeletons remained. There were some creosote bushes, but most were dead as well.

Due to a lack of water all of life suffered. Running water was a thing of the past. It was nearly impossible to find water clean enough to drink, and as a result many survivors became ill. Bacterial infections such as cholera and dysentery became rampant. Because of a lack of medical treatment antibiotics were at a premium. Without antibiotics, many died as a result. Once water was found, the best way to make it safe enough to drink was to boil it. That was the only way to be sure, if water could even be found in the first place.

When Zen reached the other tent, he peered inside one of the openings. Immediately he noticed the three sleeping bags were empty. All three of his children were gone. He tried to remain calm, but it was unlike them to wander off without telling him or Aurora, which made him nervous.

Just as he was about to inform Aurora that their children were missing, Zen heard the sound of his oldest son Hector’s voice emanating from somewhere off in the distance. He could not make out what he was saying. He then realized that he could also hear his other son Derek’s voice also. The sound of their voices was coming somewhere from the east. He then figured out that their voices were coming from just over a small hill.

The area they were in was just north of an area once known as the Catalina foothills. What had once been home to the wealthy and elite of American society was now a wasteland. Where there were once luxurious houses, there were now only shanties.

South of the foothills, lay the ruins of a fallen city. The sounds of cars and people long extinguished. Far off in the distance lay the ruins of downtown Tucson. The buildings of downtown Tucson towered above the surrounding landscape. Many of the buildings were multiple stories, some at least ten. Their many windowed surfaces sparkled in the morning sun.

Hector suddenly appeared at the top of the hill. At his side stood Derek his younger brother and constant companion. Hector stood about six feet tall his black hair hung to his shoulders, his piercing blue eyes alive with concern. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his body was moist with perspiration.

“Sahara’s gone,” Hector said frantically.

Zen tried to remain calm. He was not one to jump to conclusions. In his mind there was always a logical explanation to any problem. There was no need to assume for a worst-case scenario.

“Didn’t you notice her leave,” Zen asked.

“Of course we noticed, but we thought she just went to the bathroom,” Hector added.

“Why didn’t one of you go with her? I specifically told you to keep an eye on each other,” Zen said, reprimanding them.

“I’m sorry, this is all my fault,” Derek admitted. “I should’ve gone with her.”

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is right now. The only thing we need to worry about is finding Sahara,” Zen said. “You two start packing up. I’ll wake Aurora and tell her.”

“Don’t tell her. If she finds out, she’ll blame me,” Hector responded.

“It’s just like you, to always think about yourself,” Derek commented to Hector.

“I wouldn’t talk; you’re one of the most self-centered people I know.”

“Shut up! Stop arguing. The more time you waste arguing, the less chance we have of finding her,” Zen said, ever the voice of reason. “Now go and pack up.” With that he walked off in the direction of the tent that he and Aurora shared.

Knowing that arguing with Zen would be pointless, Hector and Derek walked over to the tent they had slept in and began to fold it up. How she could have slept through Hector and Derek’s yelling was anyone’s guess. Aurora could sleep through a nuclear explosion. When he reached the tent, Zen opened the flap on the right end and climbed inside.

Aurora slept soundly inside of her grey sleeping bag. Zen’s mind raced searching for the right words to say to her. “Aurora, wake up, it’s time to go,” Zen whispered nudging her with his hand. She stirred but would not wake. He then grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Slowly she came to life.

“Let me sleep just a few more minutes. What’s your hurry anyway,” she answered.

“We can’t find Sahara,” Zen said.

“Don’t joke like that, it’s not funny,” Aurora said.

“Why would I joke about something like that?”

Suddenly, she sat up in her sleeping bag. Her matted red hair hung down to her shoulders, while her emerald colored eyes showed a look of shock and disbelief. She had awoken from a dream only to find herself in a nightmare.

“Why weren’t Derek and Hector looking after her!?” she asked, her eyes suddenly growing wider with anger.

“Good question. I was wondering the same thing,” Zen answered.

Aurora stood up suddenly, wearing a dirty pair of Levis, and white tank top. She emerged from the tent, squinting from the brightness of the sun. Anger seethed through her. Deep down she knew that blaming Hector and Derek would not help, but she could not control her response. Aurora shielded her eyes with her arm scanning the area for Derek and Hector, as Zen followed close behind.

Across the span of a few feet Hector and Derek were busy packing up their remaining supplies. The tent was folded up neatly on the ground beside them, their two backpacks lay on the ground, open, ready to be filled. They were forced to carry their supplies everywhere, their feet being their sole means of travel. Few working vehicles could be found, and even if they could there was very little gasoline available. Due to the scarcity of gasoline, other sources of fuel had become common, such as steam and vegetable oil. They were essentially living off the refuse of a fallen civilization, like ants feeding on a rotting carcass. Much of the technology from the previous century had not been lost entirely; instead it was only waiting to be rediscovered.

“Where’s Sahara?” Aurora asked, directing her question at both Derek and Hector.

They didn’t answer; they simply stood there with blank expressions on their faces’.

“Are you deaf? Answer me, God dammit! Why weren’t you watching her?”

“We were, but she normally doesn’t wander off by herself,” Derek answered, without making eye contact with her.

Zen’s mind raced, trying to think of where Sahara could have gone. He supposed someone could have taken her. He hoped with all his strength that had not happened.

“We need to start thinking about where she could’ve gone, or who could have taken her. Otherwise, we will never find her,” Zen added suddenly. “You both better start talking quick. You both know how dangerous it is out here. Did you see where she went?”

“Do you think if we saw where she went, we wouldn’t have followed her? If we don’t find any food or water, we’ll be dead before we can even start looking for her,” Hector stated.

Aurora came towards Hector with fire in her eyes, and grabbed Hector’s arm as hard as she could. “Let go of me. What the hell are you doing? This isn’t my fault; Derek’s just as guilty,” Hector said, with a cringe.

Derek looked at Hector with a furrowed brow. “If it was anyone’s fault, it was yours,” Derek responded, with his arms crossed against his chest.

Hector tried to free himself from Aurora’s grasp, so that he could grab Derek, but was unsuccessful. It was not until Zen placed a hand on Aurora’s shoulder, that she released Hector’s arm. “Blaming each other isn’t going to solve anything. I know it’s difficult, but we need to try to stay calm. We’re getting low on water. Before we find Sahara, we need to get water,” Zen said, trying to put things in perspective.

“You’re right we have a couple more days worth of food, but we’re getting dry. We need to get back to Tucson, maybe then we can find that water trader,” Derek said.

“What about Sahara?” Aurora asked. “If we follow Campbell Avenue south we can search for her, while we’re on our way to the water trader.”