Just the Next Thing to Dry up

There wasn’t much these days. The Scarfolds, Deystin and even the Shifts had come up empty. He had hoped that the extra two-hour trek to the Barrows would prove to be worth it, after all it was one of the last cities to go dry. But as he stood there in the middle of yet another desert, he felt foolish. Of course, this would be barren too, what had he expected? The other Raiders had told him, hell he had even heard it in the shadows at Carr’s floating market. Raiding was just the next thing to die.

“Damn it.” He grunted and kicked a curled up metal can. He watched it as it caught a gush of wind and flew even further away. He looked around the desolate landscape. He couldn’t even see the blue speck of Carr from out here. One of the last places in the world with water. He remembered the oceans that used to spread out for miles when he was a child. It seemed like a piece of fantasy now. He sighed, he could throw as much as dirt as he liked but it wouldn’t change the fact that this had been absolutely pointless. He pushed up the ventilated mask further up his nose and started making his way towards the can he had kicked. It was better than nothing.

The door barely remained on its hinges as he closed it against the strong winds. The lens of his googles clicked as they adjusted to the darkness inside. He brushed off the sand that clung to his clothes and took a look around. The pub was in a state of disarray, common in these parts. Wooden makeshift tables were spread out among the small space with barely anyone inside.

“Haven’t seen the likes of you around these parts in sometime.” A skinny young man said from behind what looked like a bar. He looked around Maia’s age, then again everyone looked around Maia’s age out here.

“The other one is over there, if you’re with her.” He said and nodded to the corner. The man shifted his gaze and gave him a contemplative look, but didn’t say anything more. He spotted Maia towards the back, her bag and face gear taking up a majority of the table. Their eyes met and a wide smile broke across her freckled face.

“Took you long enough old man” Maia said with a grin. He sat down and threw her a look.

“I told you to not call me that when we’re not in Carr.” He grunted, keeping his voice down. His joints ached and he itched to take off his own gear but he couldn’t, not out here.

“It’s not like anyone’s listening, plus we’re literally in the Barrows. You’ll be fine.” She said and rolled her eyes.

“Find anything?” He asked changing the subject. He didn’t want to lecture her on this topic again, he wasn’t in the mood.

“Oh, you won’t even believe Alistair.” Maia said eagerly. She began digging through her bag, sending out more dirt across the table. The boy from earlier slid a couple of cacti plants in front of them. A spoon dug deep in both. He nodded his thanks. He knew most places out here didn’t have fresh water these days, but he craved it more than ever. He didn’t expect the walk from the outskirts of the Barrows would have taken such a toll on him. He could hear Eli’s voice scolding him on why the laws were there - why he should be in Carr like everyone else his age. He would get an earful if he got caught sneaking home again.

“I’ve never seen anything this Neo before.” She went on, still looking through her bag.

He was digging into the plant to extract the juices when Maia stopped.

“Okay, I found it, but before I show you, show me what you have. I don’t want to be outshone again.” She said, giddy, her arm still in the depths of her bag. He put down the spoon and pulled out the rusty soda can. Maia’s eyes lit up as she took it with her other hand.

“Wow. It’s so Neo!” She exclaimed and examined the can closer. Moments like these, he remembered his age. Maia, like everyone else outside of Carr, only ever knew the world as it was now. A dried-up wasteland.

“What was it for?” She asked. Unlike other Raiders who were in the hunt for the money, Maia loved learning about the uses of the items they sought.

“It was used to drink soda.” He said and scooped a piece of jelly like substance from the cactus.

“I would have loved to taste soda.” Maia sighed dreamily. She snapped out of it after a second, remembering her own find.

“Okay, I think I may have you on this one.” She smiled. She pulled out her arm from her bag and took a look around the near empty establishment before opening up her gloved hand. There in it was a heart shaped locket. The chain was broken, the metal tarnished and the color of the locket lost in decades of rust. His heart fell.

“Isn’t it amazing? I haven’t seen anything like this before.” She said and touched it with her other hand. He didn’t have the heart to tell her she would only get 2 coopers if that for it. The can was worth more.

“What is it?” Maia asked and moved her hand closer for him to see it. He could be frank and just tell her it was worthless. He could tell her that all of Raiding was going to become worthless in the next couple of months, but he didn’t have the heart. For him, Raiding had been a way out, for her it had become her source of joy when everything else had failed her, like most of the kids these days. He stifled a sigh.

“I haven’t seen anything like it in decades.” He said with as much enthusiasm he could muster. It wasn’t a lie, he actually hadn’t seen a locket in person before. As a child, they hadn’t been in demand. He could see the light fill her eyes as she waited for more.

“It’s called a locket, it’s a sort of neckware that people used to wear back during the Neolithic times.” He said and took the locket from her palm. After a few seconds of struggling against the rusted clasp, he managed to pry open the locket to show the insides. It was empty except for the silver of the metal popping out.

“It was used to hold something important inside.” He said and gave it back to her. She looked at it in awe.

“It must be worth at least a silver.” She began and she examined the inside, rubbing her gloved finger across the tiny smooth surface.

“Don’t trade it, keep it for yourself.” He said. She looked at him bewildered.

“Really?” She asked. It was illegal in Carr to sell Neolithic objects, but worse if they found it in your possession. But it was something so small, and maybe one of the last items she would find out here.

“Well, if you can keep it hidden.” He said. He watched as she looked at it, contemplating her choice.

“If we can sneak you out and keep you hidden for this long, I think I’ll be fine.” She grinned and shoved the locket back in her bag.