The group of three trekked down the concrete road. The sun was at its zenith, blazing down on the travelers; it must have been ninety degrees. The air was so dry that even the asphalt, like a desert surface, seemed to crack as if begging for water. The air in the distance seemed to move, cooking under the relentless sun. The world was a glorified oven, with nothing but garbage, cement, and high fences and barbed wire that appeared to serve no purpose, except to section off wastelands.

The three travelers kept walking. Their journey began without a purpose, toward a destination of which none of the three were sure. The law of the land was to keep moving and to find a place that had water, food, and shelter. When resources were depleted, people moved or they died. Such was the case with our travelers. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, a hat to protect them from the sun, and a meager amount of food and water, they left their camp in search of a new shelter. Such was the way things were, and how they’ve always been. 

You get used to the heat, the brightness of the sun, and the not knowing. Anne hardly sweat anymore. After all, sweating required water, and there wasn’t enough water to go around. Her legs were strong, and her frame willowy and compact. Anne took care not to eat gorge herself with food or water when it was available; instead, she secretly tucked away most of what her group finds and splits between the three of them. Each man was in charge of his own rations, and though they divided equally, Anne kept a watchful eye on where she stored her share. 

Desperation driven by hunger and thirst could drive a person to do anything. Smaller traveling groups were best for scavenging and protecting one another – if the group was too big, there would be less resources to go around and people often disappeared at night or died mysteriously. But no one was stupid enough to travel alone, for the lone traveler is vulnerable and lives a shorter life. 

Anne was very, very careful. She knew better than to trust the man and the woman she was traveling with. They were good traveling companions, and so they were her friends – “friends” meaning that there was an element of trust that they would keep a lookout when one of them slept and that they would split whatever food and water they found. What happens in the dark of the night or when two of the three were alone was another story. They all lived in a state of unease. They were together by choice driven by necessity and the will to survive.