Zen's War: Captivity
Chapter 46: A Question of Faith

They had all fit within the wagon, but it was extremely cramped. It would be slow going to get to the Dragoons, although it would still be faster than traveling by foot. They traveled along a frontage road beside Interstate ten. The road was extremely bumpy from not being repaved for so many years. They sat on two crude wooden benches, which were very uncomfortable. The sun beat down on them since the wagon didn’t have a canvas covering. The only compensation the lack of shade offered was a view of the countryside. Having something to look at would at least help to pass the time.

Off in the distance they could see a hacienda. Haciendas and the hacienda system were two of the most striking examples of the power that The Mexican Revolutionary Front had. The majority of haciendas were owned by officers and soldados loyal to Gutierrez. Haciendas were vast estates which encompassed small tracts of farmland. In desperation and for lack of other options many were forced to become laborers for patrones. In exchange for working the fields and taking care of the livestock, the peones; or peasants, as they are called in English, are compensated with food, water and land of their own. One major problem was the extreme lack of water available. Due to the scarcity of water the patrones were forced to come up with ways to collect and store large quantities of water. During the monsoons rainwater was collected in reservoirs dug into the ground and lined with concrete. Another source of water was from the desalinization plant in Puerto Peñasco. It was much more difficult to have it brought from Puerto Peñasco. Since the MRF had access to vehicles water could be brought by truck. Another way to transport water was by freight train. You could tell which patrones were the most powerful or influential in Gutierrez’s inner circle by the size and fertility of their farmland. The haciendas with the largest and most fertile tracts of land were obviously the most powerful and influential.

This particular hacienda encompassed a relatively large amount of land. There were many rows of what appeared to be stalks of corn interspersed with cotton. Zen could see five men spaced out around the field. One of the men was on horseback pulling a plow behind him, stirring up a large dust cloud as he went. The rest of the men were working the ground with hoes. All five of the men were shirtless, wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots. They each had a wide brimmed cowboy hat on their head. They all were extremely muscular from intense physical labor.

The hacienda itself was built in the old Spanish colonial style. Surrounding the hacienda was a wall made of stucco over brick, and was around six feet in height. The wall encircled the entire perimeter of the yard around the hacienda. The hacienda was a stucco over brick structure of a light pink color. It was two stories tall with two large arched windows on the top floor. There was a staircase that led up to semi-arched wooden doors. At the top of the staircase was a ramada with a roof that was supported by columns alongside the stairs.

They continued onward enroute to the Dragoons. They all passed around a jug of water that Father Valencia had in his possession.

Tired of silence Zen decided to get better acquainted with Father Valencia, “So why did you decide to leave the monastery?”

“I had become disgusted with the church’s corruption. I saw the other monks of the Jesuit order become greedy. They became rich at the expense of the poor and destitute. They claimed that they could grant forgiveness, even for mortal sins. Many women were told that if they performed sexual acts, then they would be forgiven, and not be swallowed up by the mouth of hell. Others were promised forgiveness, if they would donate silver and gold, and even their homes,” he responded, vehemently.

“That seems to be a very logical reason. I myself long ago became disillusioned with religion; not religion itself per se, but organized religion. Before the war I was a professor of anthropology. I studied theology extensively. In my studies I found many inconsistencies when it came to organized religion. I came across many historical examples of corruption and hypocrisy―”

“Not the anti-religion rant again. I’m so tired of hearing that same old argument over and over. Can you give it a rest for once?” Aurora interrupted.

“Why do you always have to interrupt me? Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I came across many examples of corruption and hypocrisy. One of which was the Crusades. The Pope said that if they killed in defense of Jerusalem, or other areas of The Holy Land, their slate of sin would be wiped clean. This never made sense to me because it was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments,” Zen said, finishing his statement.

“What were the Crusades?” Pablo asked, with a perplexed look on his face.

“You’re kidding right? You’ve never heard of the Crusades?” Zen said, dumbfounded. “Not all of us have had the benefit of an education. If you’re so smart why don’t you tell me?” Pablo responded angrily.

“The Crusades were a series of wars fought over the possession of Jerusalem between Christians and Muslims,” Zen explained.

Colonel Krakowski suddenly chimed in, “There won’t be any more wars fought there anymore, not with that level of radiation.”

“The Crusades occurred long before the advent of nuclear weapons; although, they probably would have used them if they had existed,” Zen said.

“Israel and the Middle East became nuclear wastelands for many of the same reasons that the Crusades were fought. Nuclear weapons were used using God’s will as justification for war, just as the Pope used God’s will as justification to fight the Crusades,” Father Valencia said, surprising Zen with his opinion.

“For being a man of God, you’re much more enlightened than I would’ve expected,” Zen responded.

“Just because I am a man of the cloth does not mean I’m not open-minded,” Father Valencia said, offended by Zen’s remark. “All of the men of the Jesuit order are literate and well educated.”

“Forgive me. I shouldn’t have assumed that you were ignorant.”

“I forgive you. It’s not the first time that I’ve been misjudged,” Father Valencia said, his ire rapidly diminishing.

“Sorry to interrupt this theological debate, but our main concern should be how much longer it’s going to take to get to the Dragoons,” Aurora said, returning their concern back to finding Sahara.

“I’d say around three to four hours at the least. By that time it will be approaching sundown,” Father Valencia answered.

“I knew we should have tried to hop a train instead. Now we’re going to have to camp overnight. Although, it would have been hard to predict when the next train would come,” Zen responded, trying to remain optimistic.

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