The boundless desert, with its searing heat, shimmered with wavering mirages. A massive sealed tent stood pitched in the middle of that vast emptiness. Outside, a solar panel leaned against a post, soaking up the relentless sun. A fair distance away, an advanced outdoor air conditioning unit hummed steadily.
Anyone who stumbled upon the scene might have thought they were tourists vacationing on Earth, rather than survivors scraping by in the Sea of Death.
Inside the tent, Ryan, Dot, and Dot's mother were enjoying the cool air drifting from the vents. Each of them held a thick slice of ice-cold watermelon, biting into it with audible satisfaction. Dot's eyes curved into little crescents as if this moment—watermelon, fresh air, a brief reprieve—was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced.
They'd even indulged in the luxury of rinsing their faces and hair with clean water, a rare blessing in the desert.
