I fell asleep early that night, but it was a restless sleep. My dreams consisted of pale figures, bloody floors, and pain. When I woke up, my lower abdomen felt like it had been stabbed. I rolled around, wondering why the hell I was getting period cramps now of all times. It was early–too early–in the month for that.
With a groan, I got up and grabbed the Advil I had packed. I walked to the bathroom and put the pills in my mouth. When I went to fill up a cup with water, no water came from the faucet. Frustrated, I walked back into the room and found a half-finished soda I had brought up with me. I downed the pills with a bit of stale soda and laid back on the dusty bed.
As I lay there, waiting for the pain to subside, I decided that Judgment was an awful town. It was dirty and run-down. There was no water in the sink, and Coyote had thoroughly scared the shit out of me.
And then there was The Watchtower.
From my spot on the bed, I gazed towards the tiny window. The curtains were closed as much as I could close them. However, a little gap remained. In that gap, The Watchtower stood. In the darkness of the room, I gazed outside, staring at the strange structure.
My stomach churned, just like it had when I had been forced to pull over. Only this time, I didn’t vomit, I just stared out at The Watchtower in silence. I wanted more than ever to go home.
“I only have to wait for the morning,” I said to myself. “Then I’ll be out of this backwards town.”
When I woke up the next time, morning light poured in through the space between the curtains. I woke slowly, thankful that the pain I had felt the night before was gone. I got dressed and attempted to brush my teeth, only to realize there was still no water.
I let out a sigh, grabbed my key, and left the room. I found Alma sitting behind the front desk, reading what looked to be a particularly steamy romance book. When she failed to notice me, I cleared my throat.
“Oh! Sorry, hun,” she said, putting the book cover down on the desk. “I didn’t see ya.”
“There’s no water in my room,” I said. I knew I was being rude, but I was tired after such a weird night of sleep.
“Right,” she adjusted her glasses, still avoiding my eyes. “Well, that’s because the water truck hasn’t arrived yet. But don’t worry, it’ll be here by tonight.”
I blinked. “Water truck?”
“Judgment has no water. We’ve never had water. We have it shipped in like food or fuel.”
I had never heard of such a thing. I almost didn’t believe her.
“We’ve got a big old tank on top of the motel,” Alma said cheerily. “Giant thing. Weighs a ton when it’s full. The truck will fill it up along with the rest of the shops’ tanks.”
“So, there’s no water in town right now?”
“Nope, but as I said, he’ll show up tonight. But if you’re feeling peckish, the general store will be open in a few minutes.”
“Alright,” I said with a sigh. “Thanks.”
As Alma suggested, the general store opened shortly after I arrived. It was small, hardly larger than most convenience stores. The entire shop felt like it had been suspended in time. Nothing had been updated since the 1970s. All the refrigerators were old and well-worn. An old box TV sat behind the counter, playing an old soap opera.
The store was small, but I was still surprised by their lack of supplies. There were no fresh veggies, no dairy, and no dry goods for baking. All that appeared to be in stock was their meat selection.
To give them credit, the meat looked phenomenal. It was fresh and came in a variety of cuts. Hell, most of it looked like far better quality than anything I got back at the deli in Phoenix. I couldn’t help but linger in the meat aisle, wondering why meat–out of everything–was so well-stocked.
Despite their incredible meat selection, there was no water. Not gallon jugs or cases of bottled water. There was nothing. I turned and walked to the front. A young boy stood behind the counter, looking helplessly bored as the TV drama played on beside him.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a monotone voice.
“Do you have any water?”
He looked genuinely surprised by the question. “Water?”
“Yes, like a gallon jug or something. It doesn’t have to be the nice stuff, I just need something.” I explained.
“Sorry,” he said. “Don’t have any of that.”
“Really?” I was surprised.
“No, ma’am,” he said.
I nodded and left the shop, feeling angrier than I should have. No water in the motel, no water at the store. Coyote was right to tell me the town was god-forsaken. I was beginning to understand.
When I made it back to The Cozy Snake, I found Varo lingering outside on the front steps, smoking a cigarette. He gave me a slight nod as I approached and handed me a Styrofoam cup.
“Figured you might want some coffee.”
I clutched the warm cup, suddenly grateful. “Thanks.” I took a sip and instantly half of the irritation I felt lifted away from me. “This is a weird town,” I said after a moment.
Varo blew out a cloud of smoke and shrugged.
“There’s no water here. They bring it in on trucks, I guess. Isn’t that strange?”
“It’s unusual, but I’m sure the water is on its way. No one can live without water.”
I realized then that I was overreacting. I took another sip of the coffee and attempted to calm my nerves.
“So,” I said after a moment. “I’m gonna try and pack up and head out within the next hour. I kinda figured you’d wait with Lu but-”
“You might want to hold off on leaving,” Varo said.
His dark eyes drifted past me and focused on the distant horizon.
I turned around to see what he was looking at. The skies were a hazy shade of tan and brown.
“Fuck,” was all I could say.
Varo smirked as he took another drag of the cigarette. “It’s best to wait out dust storms. It’s hard to tell how bad it’ll be. There’s no cell service out here if you were to run into a problem.”
I stared at the approaching storm in disbelief. No water, no cell phone service, and an approaching storm–I didn’t know if I could hate a place any more than I hated Judgment.
Unbeknownst to me, dust storms were cause for celebration in the town of Judgment. And by ‘celebration’, I mean excessive drinking. From what I gathered, most of the town had decided to hunker down in the bar while the storm passed. According to a handful of folks, it was something of a tradition.
Whisker’s Whiskey was the only bar as well as the only restaurant in all of Judgment. With the storm approaching quickly, we all found ourselves sitting together in the restaurant. It wasn’t my idea to join the crowd, but according to Alma, the motel would be ‘uncomfortable’ during a dust storm.
I wasn’t willing to wait around and figure out what she meant by that.
A group of kids played a board game on the floor while adults stood or sat in groups talking. A line of old men sat at the bar, drinking to their heart’s content. Coyote and Leon were among them.
I sat with Varo and Lu at a small table that was intended for only two. My knees kept bumping into theirs.
“Thank you, Harper,” Lu said as she sipped on her cup of soda. “Sorry you’re trapped here, now.”
“It’s alright,” I said as I sipped my rather strong gin and tonic. “It’s part of my job,” I shrugged.
“So, you’re a real private investigator? That must be so fascinating,” Lu pressed on.
I laughed. “Not as much as you’d assume. I mean, it has its moments, but most of the time, things are pretty straightforward. People are…predictable.”
“You’re like a real Sherlock Holmes,” Lu said more to herself than to me.
I said nothing. I hated that comparison.
“Was I hard to find?”
“Not particularly,” I said. “The only strange part has been this town…and your motivations for going someplace so far from home.”
“Well, I was born here,” she said matter-of-factly. “So, I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to assume-”
“I’m sorry, what?” I was now focused more on Varo than I was on Lu. “She was born here?”
“I…I may have failed to mention that detail,” was all Varo said in his defense.
“I usually call that withholding information.”
“You’re not a cop,” he raised an eyebrow and finished off the double-shot of whiskey he had been nursing for over an hour.
“No,” I said. “But why wouldn’t you tell me about this town? You acted like you had never heard of Judgment. You didn’t need me, you could have found Lu on your own. Why the hell did you bring me here?”
At some point while I yelled at Varo, I stood up. The bar had quieted significantly by the time I finished what I had to say.
“Listen, Harper, I-”
“Fuck this.”
I turned away from the table and stomped across the restaurant. I didn’t care how many eyes were on me; I just needed to leave. I opened the door and rushed outside into the bitter, desert storm. Sand stung my skin, but I forced myself to run towards where I had parked my car.
I found the old sedan and jumped in, starting it up quickly. It started, and the air vents kicked dust and sand into the cab. I coughed and turned off the vents. I gazed out the window, realizing the visibility was just as terrible as I had imagined it.
However, I could still see the road. So, I gripped the wheel hard and pulled out onto the street.
The wind whipped around me like a monster wanting to get into my car. It howled and shook the old vehicle. The wheel tugged in my hands, and the car felt like it was magnetically drawn towards the ditch. However, I refused to give in to fear. I needed to get out of this wretched place.
I could only make out just enough of the road to see about twenty feet ahead of me. I stared at the wall of golden dust and hoped that it was near its end.
I don’t know how long I drove for. Every muscle was tense as I drove through that storm, my eyes strained to see through the dusty skies. I think if I had waited just a little longer in Judgment, I would have had a better chance. But like so many things, the odds were stacked against me.
Judgment did not want me to leave.
Just as I was beginning to feel more comfortable with the road conditions, a giant object emerged from the dust. I swerved slightly to avoid hitting whatever was standing in the middle of the road. My right tire was suddenly caught by something on the side of the road, and I lost control of the car.
My world went black.
The entire town was there, standing under the shadow of The Watchtower. They were dressed in loose sand-colored cloaks. Their hoods were pulled up so far over their heads, I could hardly see their eyes. While their robes matched the landscape, my dress matched the giant stone behind me.
I stood in front of the crowd, the great white monolith behind me. I was terrified. My heart beat so fast I thought I was going to be sick or pass out. Beside me was one of the cloaked figures. He held my arm so hard, I was certain it would bruise.
I wasn’t listening to the words he was speaking, but the crowd seemed enraptured by whatever he was saying. I was trying desperately to see anyone I knew.
Was my mom there?
My friends?
Would they help me?
Would they stop this?
I got no answers to my questions.
“Today, our young Ophelia will walk into The Watchtower a girl and return a woman,” the man beside me said as he raised his hand upwards.
The crowd bowed to one knee in unison. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I continued to search the crowd for someone, anyone to help me. At the outskirts of the group, someone was looking up under their hood. Her eyes found mine.
Carmen.
She stared at me with the fear of a mother. But there was more than just fear in her eyes–there was anger. She clutched her young son tight against her chest. He was watching me, too young to understand what was happening to me.
As I stared into Carmen’s eyes, I saw a tear slip down her cheek. I didn’t want her to cry. I liked Carmen. She was friends with my parents, and she always invited me over to watch old movies with her son. I couldn’t understand why she was crying.
Beside me, the man who held my hand said, “Ophelia, do you accept the gift you have been given?”
“I do,” I had practiced this part a hundred times.
“And how will you accept it?”
“Under the watch of our ancestors,” I recited.
“From birth comes life.”
“And from life comes death,” I replied.
I had to tear my eyes away from Carmen’s. She was making me feel worse. It was an honor to be chosen.
“Turn,” the man said quietly.
I turned to face The Watchtower. Behind me, the crowd was silent.
“Go forth to serve the ones who give us life.”
I stepped closer to the towering structure. At its base was a narrow crack in the stone. I knew I was meant to enter, but now fear was catching up to me. However, if I faltered, there would be punishments. I knew that well enough to force myself to keep walking.
As I approached the great stone, tears were flowing freely down my face. I wanted my parents. I wanted to go home. I didn’t want this.
I had to start from the beginning. Love this, Gracie! Can't wait for the next chapter.
Excellent story.