The drive from Moab to the Grand Canyon took them a little less than six hours. It was a beautiful drive filled with the strange desert like that fascinated Relle.
She gazed out one of the back windows for a long while. Cedar sat beside her playing a rather competitive card game with Madd.
To Relle's surprise the trip did not seem to take all too long. She wondered if she was getting used to the long days on the road. Arlo announced to the entire camper that they were approaching the Grand Canyon.
The two kids couldn't seem to sit still as Arlo found a parking spot at what was once a visitor's center.
All five of them got out of the camper, feeling strange to be a visitor center with no one else around. They walked around the building and down a little trail that led to the canyon.
Sage and Cedar ran ahead, followed closely but Relle who was very worried about how close to the edge the children would run.
Laid out in front of them, was the canyon. It was so immense that it was hard to fully understand how large it was. Relle stopped chasing after her siblings once they stopped running.
They stood back from the edge a bit and stared at what lay in front of them. Relle stopped behind them with Arlo and Madd walking up next to her.
"It's beautiful," Relle said, but the words fell short of how she truly felt.
"I knew it'd big, but I didn't know it'd be this big," Madd said as he walked over to a display that talked about how the Canyon was formed. "You know I was always told that it was always really busy here," he laughed, "I guess we picked a good time to come."
Relle smirked at his comment but didn't want to give him the satisfaction of a laugh. She stepped up beside him, peering over the edge. "I've never seen anything like this."
"I don't think there is much like this," Arlo said.
It was hard to tell how long they were standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon for. Perhaps it was only minutes, or maybe it was hours. The sun was high in the sky and the heat of the desert was only beginning to build.
After some time, the five decided it was best to eat a quick lunch beside the canyon's edge before getting back on the road.
The lunch was simple and quick, but it hardly mattered what they ate when the view was so breathtaking. They spent about an hour, enjoying the sunshine and eating their fill. With a goodbye to the canyon, Arlo, Madd, Relle, Cedar, and Sage walked back to the camper.
Arlo was determined to get to the coordination by sundown. According to the maps, he figured it would take about three more hours. That would have given them more than enough time to get there before sundown.
However, as plans sometimes go, three hours was not quite accurate. After leaving the Grand Canyon, it took about four more hours of driving to get anywhere close to the coordinates.
Much of the drive was on bumpy backroads and small gravel trails. Despite the poor road conditions, Arlo was still adamant that he would reach the coordinates his friends had given him.
Down bumpy roads they drove. The hot desert sand was kicked up behind them in a large sand cloud that followed them down the dirt road. Relle sat in the back with her siblings.
She helped them to design paintings that they would hang somewhere in the camper. Sage was far more into painting that Cedar was. With all the time they spent on the road, Cedar was beginning to get impatient.
Just when Madd was about to say something about being lost, Arlo and Relle caught sight of lights on the horizon. Arlo chased the lights down, soon finding that they belonged to several large campfires as well as the headlights to a variety of vehicles.
Pulling in alongside another camper, Arlo turned off the engine and looked from Relle to Madd.
"I believe this is it."
"Who are these people?" Madd asked as he watched a man with a large gun strapped to his leg walk past.
"People like me," Arlo said, getting out of the RV and greeting the armed man.
Relle said still in the front seat. The few people she saw outside didn't look to be very friendly. Two men and a woman stood beside the nearest bonfire. Not one of them smiled. They all stared sourly at the fire.
"These people scare me," Madd said as if reading Relle's mind.
"I'm sure they're...nice," Relle said.
Madd snorted at her comment. It was dark out and both Sage and Cedar had already fallen asleep, which comforted Relle.
"Are you going out there with him," Relle asked, unsure if she wanted to leave the camper.
"I suppose I should. You should stay here though."
"I can protect myself," she said, touching the knife at her best.
Madd smirked, "yeah, I know, that's why you should stay here and make sure no one tries to break in. This is the most people we've been around for a while. We have no idea how desperate they are."
Outside the camper, Arlo introduced himself to the first few people he encountered. All the people there were suspicious, but he figured they had good reason. Heaven knew that not everyone he had come across on his journey had been kind and helpful.
"You say that you got these coordinates from The Alderman?" said the woman beside the fire.
"Yes," Arlo said. "Years ago."
The woman nodded, expressionless. "I can take you to see him. He likes to take a note of how many people are here."
Arlo nodded, "that's no problem." Before he took a step to follow her, Madd ran up beside him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm joining you, I thought that's what you wanted." Madd said.
"Fine," he grumbled. "We're going to meet their leader...just don't say anything."
Madd rolled his eyes but agreed to the conditions as he followed his father through the camp. Men and women sat inside large military-style tents with dark expressions.
Madd wondered just what they had seen to make them all look so dark. He figured the end of the world was a good enough reason as any to look a bit glum.
Arlo followed the woman closely as she marched to the center of camp. She stopped walking at a large bus that looked as though it had been sitting there for years and years.
The tires had been taken off, leaving the vehicle to sit on a few solid bricks. The sides of the bus were painted black with green letters that red, "the end is near".
Looking at the bus, Madd got a bad feeling. He wanted to reach out and say something to Arlo, but he did as his father had asked and remained silent.
Madd followed his father and the woman into the old bus. A man with long messy hair sat inside on a couch, he looked up as Arlo and Madd walked in.
"Are you The Alderman?" Arlo asked.
The man stood slowly, he was taller than Arlo by an inch or two, but not at all what Arlo had expected. The man wore dirty clothing and had a pair of glasses perched on his nose. "I am."
"I'm Arlo, I met you years ago online and you gave me these coordinates. I don't know if you remember but-"
"I remember," The Alderman said casually.
"Well, I appreciate the coordinates. I came here with my son Maddox as well as a teenage girl and two children," Arlo explained.
The Alderman's face soured at the mention of children, but he said nothing about it. "Well, we're glad to see that you made it to The Farm, welcome."
"Thank you," Arlo said.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like, of course we have just a few rules," he explained, stepping closer to Arlo.
"Of course."
"Our rules are simple. No harming others, no stealing, and of course everyone must pay their price."
"Pay what price? I have many items to trade-"
"No, no," The Alderman said annoyed. "To be a part of our community, you must turn in all your possessions in exchange for protection, food, and a good place to live."
"All my possessions?"
"Yes," The Alderman said as if he was growing tired of the conversation. "Your vehicle, your tools, etcetera. Don't worry, we will take good care of everything and provide you in turn with everything you need."
"Where would we live if I give you, my RV?" Arlo asked, his face growing more serious.
"Like I said," The Alderman seemed to be growing impatient. "Everything you will ever need will be given to you. We will provide a warm tent, food, water, even supplies to bathe yourself. All you have to pay is your possessions."
Madd watched as a wave of uncertainty passed through Arlo's face.
"Why?" Madd asked, earning a sharp look from Arlo.
"That's the price," The Alderman said unaffected. "If you don't like it, have fun protecting yourself from the other travelers out there."
"Thank you," Arlo said. "Let me talk it over with those I'm traveling with."
"You have a day to discuss," The Alderman said sharply.
Arlo gave a quick nod before leaving with Madd.
Relle waited impatiently in the RV for Madd and Arlo to return. When they finally did, Arlo looked confused and Madd looked angry.
"How can he just expect that from us?" Madd asked as he walked into the camper. "And why didn't you tell him to shove it us his-"
"Because this place is his," Arlo said simply. "I might not like his rules, but...that's what his conditions are for staying here. They have fresh food that they are growing here along with protection and housing."
"You're not seriously considering it, are you?" Madd asked.
"Wait, wait," Relle interrupted. "Tell me what happened."
Arlo told her what happened while Madd interjected little details as his father told the story.
"Ultimately, it's up to him," Arlo said. "It might not be a good deal for us but...it might be all we have. Besides, I've been planning to come here this whole time, to abandon this idea now seems..."
"It seems like a hard decision," Relle finished for Arlo. "I understand."
"I don't," Madd said angrily. "We have housing right here," he gestured to the RV. "We have protection and food too."
"This might not be the ideal situation but what do you propose we do?" Arlo looked at Madd. "Travel around forever?"
"...Yeah? Why not? Running out of fuel just means that we need to wait for a few sunny days. Getting low on food seems sorta unlikely with both you and Relle being hunters. Would it really be so bad?" Madd asked.
"That's no way to live."
"How do you know that?" Madd stepped closer to Arlo. "All you've ever done is hide."
"Maddox, this is-"
"A joke," Madd said. "All this," he looked outside. "Is a joke. The Elwood or whatever is a fraud. He's promising protection and food in exchange for everything you have. Is that someone you want to follow?"
For a moment Arlo looked so angry that Relle feared for Madd. Slowly, Arlo took a deep breath and let out a sigh. He walked over to the couch and sat down. Madd looked at Relle quickly before walking over and sitting down next to his father.
"Sorry," Madd said, looking at his hands.
"No, you're right. I was blinded by the idea of something that doesn't exist. Whoever these people are...I'm not one of them." Arlo looked at Madd and then to Relle. "Not a single one of the people looked happy...The Alderman is a greedy man who is taking advantage of people. I won't let him take advantage of us."