SAND OF DEATH
Chapter 8
Hope gave them new strength and despite their exhaustion they soon had two tents put up, shielded from each other by the Rover as per Devon's instructions. They weighted down the roof in the middle with some of Danziger's heavier tools and hung containers beneath the resulting inward bulge. "Now," Yale explained, "the steam will rise to the roof and condense upon the tarp because the air outside is cooler. It will turn into water again and seek the lowest point." He pointed at the tip of the bulge. "From there it'll drip into the containers, giving us clean water to drink.
"And the fluids we sweat out will further purge our systems," Julia added.
"The fire's burning," Alonzo announced, gesturing at the men's tent. Through the tarp they could see the flickering of the flames. A large bucket of the foul water stood ready near the opening. They had found some rocks along the water's edge.
"Same here," Magus called down from the women's tent. "I'd say we're ready to do this thing."
Shielded by the Rover, the Eden group members quickly shed their clothes and crouched inside the tents. Devon ladled the first cup of water onto the hot stones and a soft cheer rose when steam did indeed curl up from the stones to drift toward the roof.
"Aren't you coming, Julia?" Bess asked from inside the tent.
"I'll be right there," the doctor called back. "I just want to make sure everyone's okay."
She walked around the Rover to the other tent. Silhouetted on the tarp, backlit by the fire, she could make out several shapes of men sitting around the fire and one smaller form that had to be Uly. Their shadows danced across the tarp as the fire inside flickered.
"Everything okay in there?" she called. The murmur of voices inside fell silent.
"Go away!" Morgan yelled, and for once Walman and Baines agreed with him.
Julia laughed. "Hey, I'm a doctor," she said. "There's nothing in there that I haven't seen before. But if you are all right, I'll leave you to it. Holler if you need me."
"Will do," Danziger's low rumble reached her and chuckling beneath her breath Julia turned. Quickly shedding her dirty clothes, she joined the women in the other tent.
* * *
Later that evening, feeling once again refreshed and cleaner than they had for days, they sat around a small campfire. The fires in the tents were kept burning, boiling kettles of water into steam which condensed against the roofs and dripped back into the containers.
"I wonder why this pool is still here, with all this desert around," Alonzo mused out loud.
"It is probably the last dribble left of what was once a huge, inland sea," Yale said. "Remember we think this entire wasteland was once filled with water."
"That's why the concentration of minerals is so high," Julia understood. "As the water evaporates, mineral levels rise."
"It makes me wonder what happened," Devon murmured, her arms around Uly who still looked pale. His eyes, however, were gleaming with life.
"Maybe the Terrians know," he suggested. "Can I ask them?"
"Oh no, you can't," Devon clucked. "What you are going to do, young man, is get to bed and sleep. And no 'dreaming', you hear?"
"Yes Mom," Uly said. He managed to look dejected while he climbed to his feet and started for the Rover. It had been decided that he and True would sleep in the back, high above the poisonous ground.
"Well, I guess we found out why the maps have these blanks," Morgan concluded. "There's nothing here that's worth charting. Poisonous dirt and poisonous water." He snorted disdainfully. The others laughed. It was a public secret that Morgan still held a quiet hope he would discover something that was going to make him a fortune.
"We should all get some sleep," Devon said, pushing herself to her feet. "Hopefully tomorrow we can reach those mountains and find a pass out of these blasted lands."
Julia and the others followed Devon's example. "Don't forget to replenish the water supply over the fire, and to swap the containers," the doctor reminded Cameron, who had drawn the first watch. Despite the fact that they knew they were alone out here, that nobody could possibly live in this place, they still kept their nightly vigil. It was a habit that was hard to break.
"Will do," he promised and she followed Alonzo, retreating for the night.
* * *
The next morning, when the first rays of the sun colored the sky, they had refilled three and half containers with potable water, enough to last them for two days if they were careful. They weren't out of danger yet but Julia felt more confident than she had in days. If they could cross those mountains... Everyone was convinced that they would be safe on the other side, that they would find a normal world of green plants and vegetation, of small animals and even the annoying bugs, once they crossed the tall peaks.
Danziger and Alonzo took the Rail out to scout ahead and look for a way that the vehicles could traverse. By mid-afternoon they returned with wide grins plastered on their faces. "We found a pass," Danziger announced. "It's a few degrees east of our current course. And it's a bit further than we thought. If we can reach the foot of the mountains tonight, we can drive across tomorrow."
"Good," Julia said, with a glance at the water containers. The worried frown was back on her face; although they had survived the storm, the desert might get them yet.
"Hey Doc," Alonzo said, pulling her into his arms. "We'll be fine. I promise. This pass looks really easy."
Julia smiled at him and refrained from mentioning that nothing on the planet had been easy so far.
* * *
They camped that night at the foot of the mountains, steep cliffs looming high over the small tents. Early the next morning True stood looking up at the sheer walls, craning her neck to see the tops which were painted orange by the rising sun. "They don't look very jagged," she mused. "Not like the other mountains. They look... a little smooth."
"Hmph," Morgan said, overhearing her. "They look like big, ugly mountains to me."
"True is right, though," Yale said while he joined them and shaded his eyes before he followed her gaze up. "These mountains must be very old, millions of years old. Their raw, sharp edges have been worn away over time, rounded and softened through erosion by water and wind."
"Okay, people, let's go," Danziger hollered, barring any further conversation. True ran over to take her spot in the Rover's cabin and the long caravan set itself in motion. Yale spared a last glance up at the mountaintops before following the others up the pass.
The pass itself was a wide trench cut through the mountains. Danziger and Alonzo had been right on the money; it was indeed easy to traverse. Its slope rose by small degrees from the valley floor and soon they left the fines behind while their route took them higher and higher above the desert.
"This looks like an old river bed," Yale said. "Probably one of the rivers that used to feed the inland sea." He thought it better not to mention that they might find it had been a rock fall which cut off the stream; why worry anyone unless necessary?
TBC
Chapter 8
Hope gave them new strength and despite their exhaustion they soon had two tents put up, shielded from each other by the Rover as per Devon's instructions. They weighted down the roof in the middle with some of Danziger's heavier tools and hung containers beneath the resulting inward bulge. "Now," Yale explained, "the steam will rise to the roof and condense upon the tarp because the air outside is cooler. It will turn into water again and seek the lowest point." He pointed at the tip of the bulge. "From there it'll drip into the containers, giving us clean water to drink.
"And the fluids we sweat out will further purge our systems," Julia added.
"The fire's burning," Alonzo announced, gesturing at the men's tent. Through the tarp they could see the flickering of the flames. A large bucket of the foul water stood ready near the opening. They had found some rocks along the water's edge.
"Same here," Magus called down from the women's tent. "I'd say we're ready to do this thing."
Shielded by the Rover, the Eden group members quickly shed their clothes and crouched inside the tents. Devon ladled the first cup of water onto the hot stones and a soft cheer rose when steam did indeed curl up from the stones to drift toward the roof.
"Aren't you coming, Julia?" Bess asked from inside the tent.
"I'll be right there," the doctor called back. "I just want to make sure everyone's okay."
She walked around the Rover to the other tent. Silhouetted on the tarp, backlit by the fire, she could make out several shapes of men sitting around the fire and one smaller form that had to be Uly. Their shadows danced across the tarp as the fire inside flickered.
"Everything okay in there?" she called. The murmur of voices inside fell silent.
"Go away!" Morgan yelled, and for once Walman and Baines agreed with him.
Julia laughed. "Hey, I'm a doctor," she said. "There's nothing in there that I haven't seen before. But if you are all right, I'll leave you to it. Holler if you need me."
"Will do," Danziger's low rumble reached her and chuckling beneath her breath Julia turned. Quickly shedding her dirty clothes, she joined the women in the other tent.
* * *
Later that evening, feeling once again refreshed and cleaner than they had for days, they sat around a small campfire. The fires in the tents were kept burning, boiling kettles of water into steam which condensed against the roofs and dripped back into the containers.
"I wonder why this pool is still here, with all this desert around," Alonzo mused out loud.
"It is probably the last dribble left of what was once a huge, inland sea," Yale said. "Remember we think this entire wasteland was once filled with water."
"That's why the concentration of minerals is so high," Julia understood. "As the water evaporates, mineral levels rise."
"It makes me wonder what happened," Devon murmured, her arms around Uly who still looked pale. His eyes, however, were gleaming with life.
"Maybe the Terrians know," he suggested. "Can I ask them?"
"Oh no, you can't," Devon clucked. "What you are going to do, young man, is get to bed and sleep. And no 'dreaming', you hear?"
"Yes Mom," Uly said. He managed to look dejected while he climbed to his feet and started for the Rover. It had been decided that he and True would sleep in the back, high above the poisonous ground.
"Well, I guess we found out why the maps have these blanks," Morgan concluded. "There's nothing here that's worth charting. Poisonous dirt and poisonous water." He snorted disdainfully. The others laughed. It was a public secret that Morgan still held a quiet hope he would discover something that was going to make him a fortune.
"We should all get some sleep," Devon said, pushing herself to her feet. "Hopefully tomorrow we can reach those mountains and find a pass out of these blasted lands."
Julia and the others followed Devon's example. "Don't forget to replenish the water supply over the fire, and to swap the containers," the doctor reminded Cameron, who had drawn the first watch. Despite the fact that they knew they were alone out here, that nobody could possibly live in this place, they still kept their nightly vigil. It was a habit that was hard to break.
"Will do," he promised and she followed Alonzo, retreating for the night.
* * *
The next morning, when the first rays of the sun colored the sky, they had refilled three and half containers with potable water, enough to last them for two days if they were careful. They weren't out of danger yet but Julia felt more confident than she had in days. If they could cross those mountains... Everyone was convinced that they would be safe on the other side, that they would find a normal world of green plants and vegetation, of small animals and even the annoying bugs, once they crossed the tall peaks.
Danziger and Alonzo took the Rail out to scout ahead and look for a way that the vehicles could traverse. By mid-afternoon they returned with wide grins plastered on their faces. "We found a pass," Danziger announced. "It's a few degrees east of our current course. And it's a bit further than we thought. If we can reach the foot of the mountains tonight, we can drive across tomorrow."
"Good," Julia said, with a glance at the water containers. The worried frown was back on her face; although they had survived the storm, the desert might get them yet.
"Hey Doc," Alonzo said, pulling her into his arms. "We'll be fine. I promise. This pass looks really easy."
Julia smiled at him and refrained from mentioning that nothing on the planet had been easy so far.
* * *
They camped that night at the foot of the mountains, steep cliffs looming high over the small tents. Early the next morning True stood looking up at the sheer walls, craning her neck to see the tops which were painted orange by the rising sun. "They don't look very jagged," she mused. "Not like the other mountains. They look... a little smooth."
"Hmph," Morgan said, overhearing her. "They look like big, ugly mountains to me."
"True is right, though," Yale said while he joined them and shaded his eyes before he followed her gaze up. "These mountains must be very old, millions of years old. Their raw, sharp edges have been worn away over time, rounded and softened through erosion by water and wind."
"Okay, people, let's go," Danziger hollered, barring any further conversation. True ran over to take her spot in the Rover's cabin and the long caravan set itself in motion. Yale spared a last glance up at the mountaintops before following the others up the pass.
The pass itself was a wide trench cut through the mountains. Danziger and Alonzo had been right on the money; it was indeed easy to traverse. Its slope rose by small degrees from the valley floor and soon they left the fines behind while their route took them higher and higher above the desert.
"This looks like an old river bed," Yale said. "Probably one of the rivers that used to feed the inland sea." He thought it better not to mention that they might find it had been a rock fall which cut off the stream; why worry anyone unless necessary?
TBC