Zen's War: Captivity
Chapter 25: La Mercado

Finally they had reached the trading post. It was located in the center of what was once a University. The trading post was made up of many tents situated in the middle of a rectangular grass field, surrounded by abandoned college buildings. The tents were simple canvas sheets with a wooden post at each of their four corners. In the center of the field was a tall wooden flagpole with a raised Mexican flag. On the flag was the ubiquitous symbol of an eagle clutching a rattlesnake in its talons, perched atop a cholla cactus, in front of a green, red, and white background.

Standing beneath and around the tents were a variety of people. There were about twenty people, though most of them were men. There were only about three women and no children at all. All three of the women wore white cotton dresses that extended down to their ankles. The sleeves of their dresses extended all the way to their wrists. They each had long black hair, braided into a pony tail. One had a green ribbon tied around her ponytail. As they approached one of the women looked at Zen and his entourage suspiciously. She was extremely beautiful, her skin a cinnamon color brown.

In a way, the scene resembled a Renaissance fair, but without vibrant colors or jesters doing cartwheels. This wasn’t a fair really, but a market. But unlike a market of the pre-war era, there was no common currency, but only bartering. One could find many highly sought-after items there, including such items as salt and sugar. Salt was a popular item because of its ability to preserve meat. Another favorite was coffee, but it was an extremely rare commodity, as was tobacco. The most popular item by far was water, but it was also very difficult to find. Items such as salt and sugar were stored in large burlap sacks. Water was stored in pretty much any container that could be found. These included large aluminum trash cans, and of course canteens. In one tent there were two Hispanic women selling jackrabbit and javelina meat. Jackrabbit carcasses hung from strings tied around their ankles from the ceiling of the tent. The javelinas were stored inside burlap sacks on the ground beneath the tent and covered with salt. The dry desert air also helped to slow the rotting of meat.

In another tent Zen noticed four men standing there. These appeared to be officers, which Zen could tell because of the extravagance of their uniforms. They were of a dark blue color with silver trim at their collars and wrists. They had dark blue coats that had silver buttons up the front. They had almost knee-high black leather boots. Across their chests they wore brown leather bandoliers that contained bullets for the revolvers on their left hips, whose holsters were connected to a black leather belt. On their right hips hung a slightly curved sword that was in a black leather sheath. On their heads they wore rounded blue kepis with black bills. Two of the men were of a light brown complexion, probably mestizo, with black hair, while the other two were white. It was to this tent that Pablo gravitated towards. As they followed Pablo towards this particular tent the men seemed to become concerned. One of the men, who appeared to be the one in charge, tightened his grip around the handle of his revolver.

“¡ Que ondas !” Pablo exclaimed, as they approached the men; this being a Spanish greeting that only friends or people that knew each other well would use.

“Do I know you?” the man asked, from behind a thick handlebar mustache. His voice having a noticeable Spanish accent.

“Don’t you remember me?” Pablo responded disappointedly.

“Can’t say that I do.”

“You can’t remember your cousin Pablo? I remember you Carlos.”

“The name sounds familiar, but how does that concern me?”

“I guess it doesn’t; anyway, I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

“I hope it’s not something concerning these vagrants you’re traveling with.”

Zen who had overheard Carlos’s comment, came to their defense. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, looking Carlos in the eye.

“I knew this would be a waste of time,” Aurora told Zen.

“If you don’t have anything of value to trade, then you’re wasting my time and yours. In case you haven’t noticed this is a trading post. Nothing is free in this world,” Carlos responded to Aurora’s statement.

Zen wracked his mind, trying to think of some valuable item that they had to offer in trade. All they had were cans of beans and coyote jerky, neither of which were particularly valuable. He decided to offer the coyote jerky, but instead decided to lie and say that it was beef. By saying that it was beef, its value would be greatly increased. A plague had swept through the cattle population, killing off many of them. As a result of their limited numbers, cattle had become extremely valuable.

“How about some beef jerky? Of course, in return for some information,” Zen offered.

“How in the hell did you manage to find beef? Cows are an endangered species. What I wouldn’t do for a juicy steak,” Carlos responded with surprise and wistfulness.

“Are you interested?” Zen asked.

“Alright, what can I help you with?” he asked, suddenly changing his tune.

“About two days ago my daughter disappeared. We woke up in the morning at our campsite and she was gone. My sons here Hector and Derek are partially to blame,” he said, motioning to them, who waved nervously, “but that’s not important now. We have no idea what happened to her. Well, we have ideas, but they’re too horrible to mention. Her name is Sahara and she’s around twelve years old. She wouldn’t just run away, it’s not like her at all. She usually is afraid to go anywhere by herself. She’s pretty tall for her age, I’d say maybe five foot five. She looks a little bit like my wife Aurora. She’s got auburn colored hair instead of red, but she has green eyes also.”

Carlos’s eyes seemed to suddenly show some form of empathy. “I understand how you must feel. I have two young daughters myself. I can’t imagine what I would do if anything ever happened to them.”

“Have you seen any girls matching her description?”Zen asked, trying to remain optimistic.

“Unfortunately I haven’t. Very few girls or women pass through here. It isn’t safe for them to travel, especially alone. It’s too dangerous with all the slave traders, and sexual predators lurking around,” Carlos answered, with a look of concern in his eyes.

One of the other officers who had been watching the exchange with seemingly little interest suddenly came forward. “A couple days ago, I heard that there was a shootout between some slave traders and Permanentes on the border of Confederate territory. I was told by one of the Permanentes involved that the slave traders had a couple of teenage girls with them.”

“What happened to the girls?” Aurora asked.

“Well, most often the Permanentes take them to a convent to be watched over and taken care of. If they have a family they stay until they can be reunited with them. If they are orphaned or abandoned, than they usually become nuns themselves,” the man explained further.

“Do you know what either of them looked like?”Aurora asked, starting to become increasingly frustrated.

“I didn’t think to ask. I don’t know what they looked like, otherwise I would tell you.” “Do you have any idea which convent they would have been taken to?”Zen asked.

“There’s a convent about two miles east of here. It’s run by The Sisters of Mercy. Many girls are often taken there,” the man answered.

“I know where it is. I can take you there,” Pablo said.

Carlos then demanded, “Now give me the beef jerky you promised me.”

Zen reached into the backpack that Hector was wearing and pulled out a piece of coyote jerky, then tossed it to Carlos who caught it in midair. He took a bite and smiled with satisfaction. He hadn’t the least clue that he wasn’t eating beef, but a parasite ridden piece of coyote carcass. By the look on his face you would have thought that he was eating a piece of filet mignon.

It suddenly occurred to Zen that their window of daylight was rapidly diminishing. If they were going to reach the convent before dusk, they would need to hurry.

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