Thirst

Written by Nenad Jakovljevic

Photography by Aida Ebrahimi

A motorcade of shining black metal, enveloped in green fumes and yellow dust, slithered on the dark asphalt of the relatively new Superhighway 12, which connected Madison with almost everything else to the north. But what else was there? The once considered “green state” of Wisconsin had become a gray Pollock painting, and equally as enticing and vibrant. The countryside, observed through fences reinforced with barbwire, beneath signs that stated “Warning: Restricted Area,” “Quarantined” and “Trespassing Is Punishable by Death,” displayed various shades of yellow, brown and red soil that the wind whipped into submission, much like They were attempting to do to us.This dark tentacle of civilization passed through the electric security gate, guarded by 30mm self-operating machine guns and heat seeking rockets, before it picked up speed and moved along miles and miles of unpaved road towards the solitary outline of a still defiant patch of woods on a small hill. Upon hitting the tree line, the Armored Personnel Carriers, or APCs, split into two groups of three, passing through the dilapidated remnants of a dairy farm. One group went straight across, while the other circled to the right.From the dust, dark brown figures emerged, the ones we called “Roaches.” Who came up with the idea to call them that, I had no clue, but I did understand why. The shape and color of their body armor, with ribbed Kevlar plates and antenna-like extensions on their helmets, accompanied by proboscis-like gas masks, would lead anyone to link them to pests. And if they weren’t annoying enough, they were hard to kill and came in ever-exhausting numbers. Now they placed themselves in a symmetrical formation and moved in towards the cabin. In seconds, they had reached their objective.They blew the door off its hinges, and a moment later, a scream, followed by wails and pleading, sounded from within the wooden structure. In no time, some Roaches dragged two humans out by their hair and slammed them against the ground, rifles pointed at the base of their skulls. The silver hair of both prisoners glistened red. Blood ran down their wrinkly foreheads, coalescing around their sunken eyes, dripping onto their sun-tanned faces, and teaming up with their bruised mouths to coat their typically dried and cracked lips. Rough, calloused hands raised in supplication, for mercy and leniency. One of the Roaches, wearing a green and yellow band with an emblem of a sun around his left arm, stepped forward. The old couple cried, but had the good sense not to speak.From the cabin, another Roach exited, carrying a taped glass jar and a metal pitcher with something in it. He handed both items to the somewhat sunnier Roach, who cocked his head to one side while examining the discoveries. The old couple did their best to control their sobs, but I could still hear their gasping breaths accompanied by the sound of Roaches respiring through their gas masks over the wind lifting more dust into the air.“Is this it?” the Sunny Roach leader said, his voice distorted behind his black mask.“No, sir!” the second Roach responded. “There’s a barrel in the corner. It’s full!”“Did you test it?”“No, sir! I’ll do it now, sir!”“Don’t bother. What difference does it make now?” the Roach leader said, handing back the pitcher and unscrewing the lid of the jar. “Just as I thought.”“Sir?”“Heirloom seeds. Tell me, what are the rules regarding this item?”“All non-genetically modified, codified or appropriated seeds are subject to confiscation, examination and destruction, as they are a direct violation of the Codex Alimentarius, an internationally agreed upon accord of all Union members,” the Roach recited.“Textbook answer,” the Roach leader said. He closed the jar and exchanged it for the pitcher. “The Academy still stands for something.”“Yes, sir!”The Roach leader stared into the pitcher and then disengaged his gas mask, revealing a human face after all. His wide, curvy nose, and thin lips along with a tan complexion, made him seem a foreigner in this land. He sniffed the contents of the pitcher, placed one finger in it, and then licked it ceremoniously, and with his curiosity satiated, he proceeded to drink from it. The fluid dripped down his chin and beard, and disappeared in the toiled earth beneath his feet.Wiping his face with his free hand, he said, “Mmm, tastes just like the real thing, almost pure, almost right and quite worrisome.” He reached inside the pitcher and pulled out a cylindrical shaped contraption. “Hmm, very imaginative. What components have you used?” He knelt close to the old man, who kept staring at the ground. His tongue licked the places where his front teeth used to be, and he mumbled something.“Really? And ground bark? My, my, how crafty of you. Private!” he yelled.“Sir!”“What is the regulation in regards to water ownership, possession and filtration?”“Water is not a basic human right. All water is the property of the local Water Magnate, and its use is administrated by the appointed Magistrate and enforced by the ‘Executive Water Preservation, Distribution and Regulation Policy H-2.0,’ which prohibits collection, possession and filtration of all water and all water derivatives without the explicit permission of said Magnate and without a permit issued by said Magistrate. All individuals found in possession of unlicensed water, unsanctioned water collection and water filtrating materials are subject to penalties that include—”“That will be enough,” said the Roach leader, raising his hand and standing up. “All water is the property of the local Water Magnate. All water. All. Not a glass, not a bottle, not a pitcher. ALL WATER! I don’t understand why it is that you fuckers think you can steal water and get away with it!”“We…we didn’t steal anything,” the old woman said. “It came from the sky. You can’t own the sky.”“Oh, you have a voice now? How interesting. Everyone is a philosopher. ‘The water was from my cactus.’ Really? And where did the cactus get it from? Just happened to stumble across it? ‘I filtered my pee. The water was mine.’ Exactly! It was yours when you drank it, but nothing allows you to keep it forever. It is water on lease. And now you, with your ‘It came from the sky.’ Well, no shit it did, but who do you think helps the rain come along at all? You think it just happens to fall, like in the old days? No! We have methods of forcing it to fall, and where does it fall? On the ground, and then it evaporates and gets re-absorbed by the clouds. It still belongs to the local Magnate, not to you and your toothless accomplice here.”“We didn’t—”“Shut up!” he said, kicking her across the face, this time audibly breaking her nose. She swallowed the blood that filled her mouth, and she started to shake.From behind the cabin, another Roach emerged and made a beeline straight to the Roach leader. “Sir?”“What?”“We found a hole. It was hidden behind some bushes.”“Get your asses up,” ordered the Roach leader. “Let’s take a look at some of your other transgressions.” He took another sip from the pitcher. The Roaches formed a half circle around the old couple, who were holding onto each other. They followed the leader, disappearing to the other side of the cabin. There, they found him leaning on a nearby rock, looking down into an exposed, wide hole in the ground.“Rainwater, huh?” he said.“It’s the twuth,” the old man answered, holding his jaw.“The truth is, I don’t give a fuck what your truth is. The only thing that matters is my word, and right now, you made a mess of things. Private! What is the rule on rainwater and wells?”“Collection of rainwater is strictly prohibited and punishable by law. Digging, drilling and maintaining wells for personal collection of water, its use and gain, are strictly prohibited and punishable by law. All violations meet the criteria of subversion, including insurgency and terrorism, and as such are punishable by law.”“We use the water to wash ourselves. We can’t afford to buy it,” the old woman muttered. “We can’t buy it. Our chips are disabled.”“That’s not my problem!” yelled the Roach leader, before splashing both of them with water from the pitcher and throwing it into the well. “You are my problem. Heirloom seeds and the garden you planted. A barrel filled with water and your magical pitcher with a homemade filter, which is basically the equivalent of an improvised explosive device. If that isn’t bad enough, you have a well in your backyard. Not a puddle, but a well! And you attempted to conceal it, which shows intent, which proves your guilt. So many violations. So much paraphernalia and contraband, that I don’t know where to begin to charge you.” He paused. “I don’t like complications. I like simple solutions. And I’ve decided that I will not charge you.”The elderly couple looked at each other, and even the Roaches moved their heads in a position of wonder.“You won’t?” the female asked.“No,” the Roach leader said, and the elderly couple interlocked in a massive hug. “I will help you wash yourselves,” he continued. Then he kicked both of them into the well. I heard a scream, followed by a splash of water and the sound of struggling. “You cannot charge, if there is no one to charge,” he said, snagging a grenade from one of the other Roaches and flinging it into the well. With a quick heel turn, he motioned for his men to follow him.An explosion silenced the screaming in the well, and red water flew high into the air and landed, the red drops being soaked into the soil. The little bit of grass around the well started to slide into the already closing hole in the ground.“Orders, sir?” one of the Roaches asked.“Full sanitation protocol with counter-insurgent measures,” he answered, walking towards his APC. “God, I’m thirsty.” He reached inside the vehicle, grabbed a tall water bottle, and took a long series of gulps. “Fire always makes me thirsty.”The windshield of his vehicle reflected his primary crew lighting up the cabin with flamethrowers, and the secondary crew hauling big bags of salt and pouring it over the burning garden. The tertiary crew was already in the process of burying smart explosive mines, which can detect human physiology and attach themselves to targets with disabled chips.The Roach private approached the vehicle. “Sir?” he said.“Yes, Private?”“Sir, I have to ask. Why didn’t we secure the well, instead of blowing it up? It’s water that could be used.”“Are you going to be the one to come here and keep it secure, day and night?”“No, sir.”“You see, Private, we are in no man’s land. This is the territory of the rebels. And considering how far we are from the superhighway, it would be a logistical nightmare to try to secure this little, insignificant pool of water. In the great scheme of things, we achieved much more than your little brain can probably process at this time.”“Could you be more specific, sir?”“I sure can, Private. Take notes. This will serve you for the rest of your life. What are water prices driven by, primarily?”“Supply and demand, sir.”“Excellent. So, do you think that the price of water is likely to go up, if there is more water suddenly available?”“No. No, sir, I do not.”“Wonderful. So, you see, Private, you just made our employer real happy. One more well out of reach is more money for him to make, and in turn, more product for us to get. On top of that, we just denied our enemy a valuable resource in both food and water, and made it even harder for them to survive. And you wouldn’t have guessed that, am I correct?”“No, sir, I would not.”“You see, they didn’t teach you everything at the Academy, and that’s fine. Practical application of your training is as valuable as your theoretical work, if not even more so.”“I understand, sir,” the Roach said, saluting.“Good. Everyone, form up. It’s time to move out. We are not done for today!” He motioned with his hand, and in seconds, all of the Roaches ran back to their vehicles. In no time, I watched them depart in a great cloud of dust, which rose with the smoke and vanished upwards into the grey sky. Orange flames caressed the trees nearby and proceeded to devour, greedily, the little foliage that had managed to survive the acid rain that fell some days prior.