parking lot and entered her room, she changed her clothes, put on the old worn out blouse and shorts she had brought. She brought a small bag with a few bottles of water and some protein bars in it and nothing else. She had slid the cross pendant necklace over her head and started on her journey.
She kept to the road at first, passed a woman who looked ready to fall over, propped up against a wall outside of what looked like a bar. The woman stared at Marta with glossy eyes as she passed, mumbling something under her breath, then chuckling drunkenly.
Before long, she was in the desert, doing her best to head in the same direction that she and Felix had gone before. She knew she was in for a long walk, but she just thought about her parents. Thought about the days they must have walked to get to the States. Thought about the countless people who had died making the trek. Walking a few hours wouldn’t kill her.
Marta tugged on the ring as she walked, but it still refused to come off. She would need some soapy water, maybe some oil, to get the goddamn thing off her.
She regretted what had happened with Felix, but the only thing she could think about was her task. I have to do this. Nothing else matters right now.
The walk ahead was long and the air was still hot even though the sun had gone down. Her parents’ faces entered her mind as she pushed forward-her mother’s smile and father’s stern face-and for the thousandth time, she made a silent promise to them to see this thing out to the end.
7
The alarm went off and Cristobal stood in front of his monitors, his eyes sweeping over the green, night-vision images until he saw movement.
There.
A small family walked past his motion sensors, and he ran his thumb over the screen as he watched them stumble forward. A man, with what looked like a small child draped over his back, and a woman walking beside him. They both looked on the verge of falling over, and the child didn’t seem to be moving at all.
“Mamá!” He stretched a shirt over his head. “Llegó la carne. Una pequeña familia de cerdos.”
The old woman sat in her chair, facing the window. Rogelio sat cross-legged at her feet, smiling up at Cristobal.
“Muy bien, mijo. Ándale.”
Cristobal slipped on his boots, grabbed his keys from the hook beside the door. Alma stood on the second floor, gripping the banister, glaring down at him. She smiled, one hand on her belly, the other waving goodbye.
Cristobal only locked eyes with her for a second before jogging out the front door and hopping into the truck.
***
Marta finished off one water bottle and tossed it to the dirt. After walking for what felt like forever, she couldn’t hold off on taking a drink any more. She needed it. The night was scorching without so much as a breeze to cool her sweat-slickened skin. She couldn’t imagine trekking across the desert during the hottest parts of the day for days at a time. It only made her mission more urgent, only helped fuel her determination.
Everything looked the same around her. She couldn’t see very far ahead of her, and as far as she knew at that point, she had taken the wrong direction, was shambling off into nothing and getting nowhere.
But she kept walking. Even though her legs ached and her feet felt blistered, she kept walking.
Something shone in the distance. Marta blinked, wiped her forearm across her eyes, then squinted. The moonlight frosted something metal, and Marta picked up her pace until finally jogging toward it.
The fence. If it wasn’t barbed wire, she would have hugged it. It wasn’t until she was right up against the fence that she saw the abandoned house, but it was far off to her left this time. Somewhere along the way, she had veered off, but not by much. She followed the fence toward the house, her heart sprinting in place and her stomach doing somersaults. When she reached it, she nearly stepped inside, but the scent of decay made her pull her hand away
She kept to the road at first, passed a woman who looked ready to fall over, propped up against a wall outside of what looked like a bar. The woman stared at Marta with glossy eyes as she passed, mumbling something under her breath, then chuckling drunkenly.
Before long, she was in the desert, doing her best to head in the same direction that she and Felix had gone before. She knew she was in for a long walk, but she just thought about her parents. Thought about the days they must have walked to get to the States. Thought about the countless people who had died making the trek. Walking a few hours wouldn’t kill her.
Marta tugged on the ring as she walked, but it still refused to come off. She would need some soapy water, maybe some oil, to get the goddamn thing off her.
She regretted what had happened with Felix, but the only thing she could think about was her task. I have to do this. Nothing else matters right now.
The walk ahead was long and the air was still hot even though the sun had gone down. Her parents’ faces entered her mind as she pushed forward-her mother’s smile and father’s stern face-and for the thousandth time, she made a silent promise to them to see this thing out to the end.
7
The alarm went off and Cristobal stood in front of his monitors, his eyes sweeping over the green, night-vision images until he saw movement.
There.
A small family walked past his motion sensors, and he ran his thumb over the screen as he watched them stumble forward. A man, with what looked like a small child draped over his back, and a woman walking beside him. They both looked on the verge of falling over, and the child didn’t seem to be moving at all.
“Mamá!” He stretched a shirt over his head. “Llegó la carne. Una pequeña familia de cerdos.”
The old woman sat in her chair, facing the window. Rogelio sat cross-legged at her feet, smiling up at Cristobal.
“Muy bien, mijo. Ándale.”
Cristobal slipped on his boots, grabbed his keys from the hook beside the door. Alma stood on the second floor, gripping the banister, glaring down at him. She smiled, one hand on her belly, the other waving goodbye.
Cristobal only locked eyes with her for a second before jogging out the front door and hopping into the truck.
***
Marta finished off one water bottle and tossed it to the dirt. After walking for what felt like forever, she couldn’t hold off on taking a drink any more. She needed it. The night was scorching without so much as a breeze to cool her sweat-slickened skin. She couldn’t imagine trekking across the desert during the hottest parts of the day for days at a time. It only made her mission more urgent, only helped fuel her determination.
Everything looked the same around her. She couldn’t see very far ahead of her, and as far as she knew at that point, she had taken the wrong direction, was shambling off into nothing and getting nowhere.
But she kept walking. Even though her legs ached and her feet felt blistered, she kept walking.
Something shone in the distance. Marta blinked, wiped her forearm across her eyes, then squinted. The moonlight frosted something metal, and Marta picked up her pace until finally jogging toward it.
The fence. If it wasn’t barbed wire, she would have hugged it. It wasn’t until she was right up against the fence that she saw the abandoned house, but it was far off to her left this time. Somewhere along the way, she had veered off, but not by much. She followed the fence toward the house, her heart sprinting in place and her stomach doing somersaults. When she reached it, she nearly stepped inside, but the scent of decay made her pull her hand away
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