Chapter Five

Tess

Hot and thirsty, feeling inspired and happy, the women had filled their cameras with spectacular photos, and the tension of the journey eased into contentment as they traced their way back to the vehicle.

“Latrine?” Gwen asked as they passed by.

“No. I think I sweated out any extra moisture.” By habit, Tess reached out and gathered a handful of air, then rubbed her fingers together. It was something that Abraham had done back in their years of flight in Ghana. He taught her how to feel the air not just for changes in weather but for any shifting dangers that vibrated the wind.

Gwen tipped back the last drop from her plastic bottle. “Same. Which is a shame because there are no wait lines like this morning.”

Back at their tour vehicle, Otto was nowhere to be seen.

Tess tried the front door. “Locked.”

“Rude,” Gwen frowned.

“But he was nice enough to park under the only scrap tree in the parking area.”

“And right near the latrine. Both handy and unpleasant.” Gwen cupped her hands around the sides of her face, shielding her eyes from the glare so she could see into the back window. Slowly, she made her way around the vehicle, looking through each pane. “You’re not going to like this.”

Tess raised her brows.

“The driver’s not the only thing missing.” Gwen looked the tree over for camouflaged critters, then sat on the elevated root next to Tess.

“That doesn’t sound good. Do I want to know?”

“Water,” Gwen said on an exhale. “He didn’t bring the gallon-sized water jugs with us.”

“Surely you’re mistaken.” Tess got up to do her own inspection and sat down next to Gwen. “Man! I knew that I was recalling that Texas desert story for a reason. Well, that sucks.”

“Little bit sucks for us.” Gwen agreed, taking off her boot and holding it upside down. A stream of sand fell to the ground. “Sucks more for our group. The others who climbed Big Daddy had water bottles with them, but they were the little, lunchbox-sized ones.” She looked up. “The sun’s overhead.” Focusing on her boot again, Gwen gave it a vigorous shake.

“As soon as we gather up,” Tess said, taking off her own boot, “we need to make a beeline for the ranger’s station. Surely, they have an emergency water supply there. I didn’t see a gas station or store on the way in.” She licked her lips and tried not to think dry thoughts. “Did you know that at a hundred and eighteen degrees, you can die in about two days? It’s a pretty gruesome death.”

“See how quickly your imagination turns to survival scenarios? Put your mind to rest. There were rangers at the gate coming in here, remember? And there’s that little campsite to the right of the entrance. They had a plastic water tower. It's a thirty-minute drive, and we’ll have access to some there.”

As the group trickled back to the vehicle, they became aware there was no relief for their parched systems. Without the anticipated water, there was little energy among them. It was very quiet as the friends draped themselves over each other and waited for Otto to get back from wherever he’d disappeared to.

Would Tess hang on her friends like that? Opposite. The rule of thumb was to huddle in the cold and let the air move over you in the heat.

Eventually, Otto showed up.

Gwen asked him why he didn’t bring water out for a desert hiking excursion.

His answer was a silent look of disdain that he shot in her direction.

Frankly, Tess had become anxious about this man as soon as she scooped dinner into her mess plate the night before. The stories he’d regaled her with on the hours-long trip south had made her think at the time that he was a skilled adventurer. After that meal, Tess realized his stories were braggadocio.

Since the dinner, she no longer trusted him to know how to keep their group safe.

In their work with WorldCares—even though their job had a lot to do with data calculations—it was imperative that she and Gwen get out and see the environments that they were analyzing. They had to see what was happening on the ground with the people. What did they eat? How did they cook? What were the cultural norms that Tess and Gwen couldn’t look up in a book?

In all her time putting the dots together in the field, nothing like this had ever happened. Their previous guides were systematic, with a protocol that was rigorously followed and an understanding that the health and welfare of their clients rested on their shoulders.

With Otto? Not so much.

The look Gwen sent her told Tess that her friend had come to the same conclusion. They were with an ego. A blusterer. A self-aggrandizer. Someone who might make a show of skill and yet—forget water on an excursion to the desert with the level of physical effort required of Big Daddy. It was unconscionable and dangerous.

Well, it was only a short time, and they’d be near the ranger station.

As soon as the doors unlocked, Tess piled into her place at the front and encouraged the others to be quick about it. “We should hurry,” she cajoled. “The sand is heating up.”

The blank faces that met her comment told Tess that these tourists didn’t know what they didn’t know. Driving on hot sand was dangerous.

Tess and Gwen were both in their early forties. Not quite old enough to be these people’s mothers, but it sure felt like the group needed some parental guidance.

Pulling on her seat belt, Tess felt apprehension slide down her spine. She understood what the heated sand meant.

They’d set off that morning in the chill of a still-darkened sky. They aimed to get to a particular spot to catch the sunrise.

The dunes in this area were unique in that they were comprised of sand with a high concentration of iron oxide. With time, the oxides rusted, turning the Namibian dunes a bright copper.

As the sun rose, it shone on the side of the dune, illuminating it in a vibrant orange. On the shadow side of the dune, the sand looked black in contrast.

The stark opposition and the crispness of the demarcation line between orange and black seemed hyper-pigmented against the bright azure of the cloudless Namibian sky.

It was a stunning visual.

It was absolutely one of the most gasp-worthy natural sights Tess had ever seen.

Driving on, they had entered the park. It had been a bouncing and bobbing ride as they wended their way over the roadless wilderness to get to the parking area.

Tess had felt bad for those in the very back row as they flew up and banged their heads.

But this morning, with the cool temperatures, the grains of sand were tightly packed, sticking together with friction. Now that they were moving into the high heat of the day, those same sand grains would expand, losing what little moisture they’d had. Now, the friction from the wheels would force the grains of sand apart, putting them at risk of getting sand bogged.

And the group had no water.

Water was the second thing in the hierarchy of survivability, right after air.

Too little water could mean heat stroke, which could be deadly unless quickly reversed. Tess had been at other scenes of crisis where there was too much water that was the threat.

No worries about the latter. Not out here.

The sooner they got to the ranger station, the sooner Tess could relax her guard.

They climbed into the vehicle with little energy, found their places, and pulled on their belts. Everyone was already fatigued and dehydrated to the point that they weren’t talking much.

Otto backed out of their place, and the bumping and jumping began in earnest as they made their way to the front of the park. Tess had decided to raise the water issue as soon as she saw the wooden entrance gate. But she and Otto were like sandpaper rubbing against each other. He might be able to pull off his ‘bushcraft master’ guise for the others, but Tess and Gwen had spent too much time with special forces operators and people with real skillsets to be fooled.

Otto knew they knew.

But Tess would be damned if she’d hold her tongue and put everyone in danger.

Those were the thoughts running through her mind when the back wheels started to spin, and the vehicle began to tip upward in the front.

“Everyone out,” Otto ordered.

Tess and Gwen got out and moved toward one of the small scrub trees that provided a bit of shade and a patch of packed dirt instead of the sandbox around them. By habit, both women lifted their knees and stomped to warn any critters in the area that they were there. From the relative shade, they watched as Otto let the air out of each tire to gain surface. Okay, that was a good start.

“I’m not particularly comfortable with this scenario,” Gwen said under her breath.

Tess widened her eyes so Gwen would share her concerns. They probably aligned with hers.

“Our group has no survival skills nor seemingly any self-preservation instinct,” Gwen said. “The sun is high, and while we are one of the first groups out, everyone will be heading for the exit here in the next bit. The tourists in the area aren’t used to being in desert heat. Everyone who was going to climb Big Daddy did it as the morning half of their excursion. No one is going to be coming into the park for the rest of the day. That’s my calculus.”

“And those who are leaving probably drank their water and wouldn’t risk slowing their forward momentum to help lest they sink in and get trapped as well,” Tess added. “No one’s going to stop on the way out.”

“Nope.” Gwen pressed her lips together. “No one’s going to stop.”

“Maybe Otto can get us out of this.” Tess stepped back out into the scalding reach of the sun as Otto scooped a hand in a come-on motion to rally the troops.

“I need you all to push,” he said.

“Taking bets on that, Tess?” Gwen asked as she moved over to the side of the vehicle and put her shoulder to the frame.

On Otto’s signal, the group put their body weight and muscle strength to work, trying to push the vehicle forward and getting sandblasted by the spinning tires.

The chances of them pushing this vehicle free were not great, especially if Otto kept using that heavy foot on the gas pedal.

The group had exhausted their energy. The effort under high temperatures was making them sweat.

A tourist tram drove by without looking their way or slowing their speed. Granted, they weren’t moving fast, but at least they were moving forward. “Next time one comes by, I’m going to run alongside and beg for water,” Tess told Gwen as they returned to their tree.

“Okay, you take the first one. I’ll do the second.” Gwen lifted her chin as Otto tried letting more air out of the tires. “Hey,” Gwen called over, “we’ve got floor mats in the vehicle. You can dig the sand out around the front of each tire and shove the mat as far under as you can get it. The rubber on the bottom will give you stability, and the friction of the carpet will help grip the tires. You can at least get the vehicle going forward.”

“No,” Otto said and moved to the next tire.

“It’s worked for me in the past,” Tess added.

Otto just shot a couple of daggers their way and kept making his round of the tires, letting out a specific amount that he measured with his gauge.

“I’m not feeling confident here,” Gwen muttered. “Got any other techniques you’ve seen work?”

“I have one, but it worked on mud, not sand.” Tess reached up and grabbed a branch overhead just to have something to do with her hands. “Hang on, inbound.” She pointed at an open-sided safari vehicle heading their way. They could see the moment that the driver recognized the problem and steered toward the more solid-looking ground on the other side of their tree. Tess jogged alongside. “Hey! Does anyone have any extra water? We have no water.”

An elderly lady dug in her bag and tossed out a small bottle as they pulled away. “Thank you!” Tess raised her hand in gratitude, then pocketed the water bottle as she made her way back over to Gwen. “Little bottle, but it’s something. That was kind.”

“Drink it now?” Gwen asked.

“If we rely on Otto, we’re going nowhere.” She pointed to the other side of the sand trap. “Mandy is out there with her shirt off, working on her tan.”

“Crazy.”

“Be that as it may,” Tess said. “I think this bottle will give everyone enough liquid to take a small sip and swish around their mouths to stop their gums from sticking to their lips. Barring that, it might help someone if they get heat sick, keep it from becoming an emergency. Though to be honest, I’m not feeling generous. I mean, I told them what could happen in this situation and how to mitigate it. Is anyone listening to me?’

“I’m listening because I’ve learned you’re usually right. They don’t know that about you, so no, they just think you’re a nag.”

Tess caught Gwen’s eye. “I’m depending on your begging skills to add to our reserves.”

“Next steps?” Gwen asked. “If we can’t get the vehicle out and no one helps, I’m thinking we’ll have to hike out of here.”

“That was my conclusion.” Tess was glad she had on a good pair of lightweight hiking boots. “As soon as the sun hits the horizon. We both grab our safety packs. We take all the water with us that we begged because we can’t save anyone if we go down on the trail.”

“And we pray not to get lost,” Gwen added. “It’s pretty far, and after last night, I’m worried about walking in the dark. It would be easy to get disoriented like Mandy did.”

“GPS.” Tess reminded her.

“Helpful. You downloaded the maps, though, right?” Gwen asked. “You’re not depending on connectivity?”

“I never depend on anything. I did the calculations. It’s a seventy-five-minute hike under normal terrain circumstances.”

“Of course, you did the calculations. So what?” Gwen looked over to Otto, who was showing off to the others as if he were a bushmaster, and this was a mere inconvenience for him. “We double the time when walking in the sand?”

“Right. So, say we start walking at seven. We could possibly get there while it’s light, which I prefer.”

“Here comes my shuttle.” Gwen ran out and did exactly what Tess had done. “Hey, we’re out of water. Do you have any to spare?”

This transport was moving faster than the other, probably hoping that the briefer its wheels pressed into the sand pit, the less he’d sink in.

Two water bottles flew out the sides, and Gwen tracked after them.

“Okay, you’re winning two bottles to one. I’ll take the next vehicle,” Tess said.

“You were telling me about a time you all pulled out of something like this? Mud?” Gwen pocketed a bottle and opened the other one. “If I’m hiking three hours in the sand, we can’t be wrung out.”

“The others?” Tess asked.

“I’m not a mama bird. Look at them. We said shade. Are they in the shade? No. Do they think this is inconvenient? Yes. Do they understand this could be life-threatening? No. We could share any water we beg from the next vehicle. Maybe.”

Tess accepted the bottle and took a drink.

“I’m feeling a bit resentful toward the group, to be honest. But that could be the first stage of dehydration.” Gwen accepted the bottle back. “You were telling the story of getting the car out?”

“Yeah. It was the same scenario in that there were no strong trees to use with the winch. Different because it was mud. The guys went forward and dug a hole as deep as they could get it and then a trench between the hole and the front of the vehicle.”

“Okay, I have the visual.” Gwen pulled off her hat and stuck it between her knees as she dragged the elastic from her bun and gathered her sweaty hair into a ponytail.

“They tied the winch line to our spare tire and put the tire in the hole. The line was in the trench.

“Got it.” Gwen put her ball cap back on her head.

“Then they filled in the dirt. They got the three heaviest guys to stand on the ground over the tire. Mmm.” Tess paused, trying to remember. “Maybe that’s not right. As I say that out loud, that seems too dangerous. Maybe the three heaviest guys happened to be standing close to the area where they buried the tire. Either way, that configuration was enough that they could run the winch and get our tires out of the mud. Took them ten, fifteen minutes?” Tess handed Gwen the bottle. “Otto’s calling us over to push again.”

“Necessary and dangerous.”

“Yup.”

The two rejoined the group. The metal on the vehicle, painted a dark olive, was heating up in the sun, and it burned Tess’s hand as she tried to find a good place to turn her effort into forward momentum.

Everyone did. Everyone tried.

The tires spun. That was a no-go.

Tess and Gwen moved back under their tree.

“You know, for such a dry and scrappy tree, the temperature is remarkably different under here.” Tess looked up at the sound of a motor. She saw a young couple heading their way. The woman was rolling down her window. The guy was slowing down. “Don’t slow down,” Tess yelled as she began to run alongside them. The woman leaned out her window, twisting her body to keep Tess in view. “What can we do?”

“Go to the ranger station at the front,” Tess yelled. “Tell them we’re in real trouble. We have no water. Eleven people. No water. Tell them to send someone. We need help!”