Jace didn’t speak for most of the walk. Gabe’s only companion was the quiet howl of the desert winds. The land was suspiciously devoid of people or signs of civilization. Large plants with, what looked like, arms dotted the edges of Gabe’s vision. He had never seen anything like this place, except in the old movies his dad liked to watch. As if on cue, a tumbleweed scurried across their path.

Eventually, the pair came upon the remnants of a paved road. Weathering, and not heavy use, Gabe suspected, had cracked the road so much that short grasses were beginning to plant their roots in it. He had never seen anything in such a state of disrepair. Gabe was continually realizing the depth of his inexperience.

“Are we still in America?” Gabe asked.

“Sort of,” Jace said, his tone ending the conversation.

Gabe had no choice but to remain silent until they came upon the first signs of civilization. He was desperately thirsty and couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating or not.

“Is that a town? Do you think they have water?”

Jace pulled his bag from his shoulder and grabbed a pouch from it. He tossed it in Gabe’s direction and kept walking. The sun had already begun its descent into the night. They had about two hours before it became completely dark, and even Gabe didn’t want to take his chances. Jace was strong, but Gabe knew he wouldn’t survive whatever was out there.

“That’s one of our satellite bases. We should get there in about 20.”

Gabe laughed at the absurdity of his day culminating in his arrival at some “base.” He sucked the water down quickly, without offering any to Jace. He held onto the empty pouch, the feeling grounding him in his new reality. Gabe trudged behind Jace, renewed with the promise of imminent arrival.

~

It was dusk by the time they reached the base, which looked like nothing more than a long street of wooden houses. Some of the buildings had signs, which led Gabe to believe they had been businesses of some sort. He recognized obvious staples: cola machines, golden arches, and check marks that looked familiar, but archaic. Otherwise, the signs were written in a language that looked like English, but Gabe was unable to recognize the words.

“Fri...free...ta…” Gabe tried to sound out the words on the signs.

“Don’t bother. That language’s banned. Won’t do you any good.”

Gabe shrugged and continued to look around. Something about this place seemed off, besides there being no people. It was almost as if someone had designed it specifically to look inconspicuous, but through its feigned meekness, its malignant atmosphere became obvious. Only an idiot would think this was a real, abandoned town. Gabe wasn’t sure how the rebels had been hiding here for so long.

Jace led Gabe up to a storefront and pushed the door in. On the inside, it looked like an empty deli. There were chips stacked up along the wall, their packages so faded that the aluminum underneath was showing. Jace sat down at one of the two tables near the window and crossed his legs.

Thinking this was a cue, Gabe sat in the chair across from Jace and put his hands on his lap. It felt good to sit down, his legs hadn’t had that much stimulation since high school. Gabe was never big on sports, but he was by no means overweight. “Skinny-fat,” his mother used to say.

“Are you going to tell me where we are yet?” Gabe tried to break the silence.

Jace checked his watch, nodded, and finally met Gabe’s eyes.

“We’re in an artificial shanty town south of the US border, designed by stereotype.”

“Ah, that’s why it looked so off.”

“Anyone with reason that gets close enough can tell. Luckily, we’re fighting someone beyond that.”

Jace tapped his fingers on the table and Gabe lost the will to ask Jace anything. He’d figure it out soon enough, he supposed. Gabe untied his hair to shake some of the dirt loose. Jace’s crew cut was starting to look desirable. He was always on edge, for some reason. Gabe wondered if it was just because he had to leave Selima, or if his personality was just sour. It wouldn’t kill him to be a little kinder to his hostage, Gabe thought.

They waited there for what seemed like hours until a small woman came up from behind the deli counter. Jace got up and whispered something to her and she beckoned Gabe over. He reached out his right hand to shake but, instead, she went for his left arm and checked his wrist. Finding nothing unsatisfactory, she nodded to Jace and motioned for Gabe to follow.

At the back of the deli was a storage room, complete with a mop and bucket for effect. The water in the bucket looked rancid, and Gabe swore he saw something moving inside. The woman opened a hidden door at the back of the room to reveal a set of chrome-colored stairs descending below the store. Gabe looked at Jace, hoping for some uncharacteristic encouragement, but none came.