(This story here has the biggest personal connection to me, out of everything I have written.)

Within the setting suns glow, a small orange ember could be seen flickering in the open desert plain. Around the small campfire sat three able bodied men; a fourth laid stretched out behind the others, his head resting atop a rolled sleeping pad. The oldest of the three sitting men was the doctor. His body showed his age, his face had started to wrinkle, and his hair no longer stayed rooted. Within his glasses, the reflection of the fire danced and moved like a hellish imp. The other two men sitting around the campfire looked very similar. They both wore a small, black, boulder cap and red, green and yellow stripped suspenders. The taller of the two men was working on growing out a full-faced beard while the other kept his face clean-shaven.

The doctor broke the campfires lull by leaning closer to the center of the campfire and whispered “Carlos! Make sure to watch over the sheriff tonight.”

The shorter of the two twins blankly stared back at the doctor.

“Dr. Jalen, sir. Have you forgotten my brother is deaf?” The taller brother softly chuckled to the doctor. “Are you losing your wits about you in your old age?”

Doctor Jalen blushed in embarrassment. He turned towards the taller man and bowed his head. “I apologize, the past days events have jarred my mind. Achai, make sure your brother stays vigilant through the night. It would bring us great sorrow to wake in the morning and find our companion has crossed over the river Styx.”

            Achai responded back in a hushed voice, careful to not wake the sleeping man. “Si, I shall stay up tonight with Carlos. How much more water should we allow the Sheriff to have? I fear if we give him too much he might drown in his own fluids.”

            “Hmm, I see your point. Let him have no more then a few sips for the rest of the night. We have much land to cover before our journey is over, best to conserve our water.”

            Being not the best with words, Achai simply nodded and turned his attention to his brother sitting to his right. He started to sign the directions the doctor had given him. After a few minutes of in depth signing, he waited for a response from his brother. Carlos nodded his head in understanding.

            The doctor had fallen asleep before the sun had finally set. The remainder of the night, until dawn broke the horizon, was full of sitting and staring. Carlos got the attention of his brother and began signing a conversation.

            “My brother, how long have we known each other?”

            Achai smiled, this was the question that he loved the most from Carlos. He signed back, “As long as we have been alive, my brother.”

            “What would you do for me, my brother?”

“Anything and everything. I would put out the sun and move the earth for you if I could. What would you do for me, my brother?”

“I would save your life, if it meant losing my own.”

“Lets hope that day shall never come, for the two of us will live to be one hundred and two. Our grandchildren will live together in harmony and carry on our family business. All we must do now is get the sheriff the help he needs and then the two of us will be free to do what we want. We can stay in America if we please.”

The mention of America made the two men grin ear to ear. Thoughts of their future success jumped to each mans mind.

 Their nighttime daydreams were quickly snapped back to reality of the fire when the sheriff shook in his sleep and began muttering things. Achai leaned closer to the sheriff to see what he was muttering.

“Oh, Prince Charles. You think you won this round, but wait for next week.” This was not the first time the Sheriff had talked to himself in his sleep.

Achai looked at Carlos and signed, “Chess tournament with Prince Charles again.” The two smiled and laughed, but only Achai’s efforts were audible. The rest of the night was marked with nothing too eventful save for the rabbit that ran through the camp circle.  When the rising suns light turned from the pre-dawn purple to the mid morning bright yellow, the two brothers made an attempt to wake the two sleeping men.

            “Jalen, Sir. Please, wake up.” Achai crouched down next to the sleeping doctor, nudging his shoulder back and forth as to wake him. This unexpected awakening startled the doctor, for he thought it was still the night and the wounded man had died. He quickly sat up, found his glasses and looked at the other sleeping man.

            “Dear god, Achai! You scared me. I take it things went well through the night?” Jalen’s voice sounded rough and scratchy, full of the morning stiffness.

            “Of course they did sir. Do you think it would be possible for us to brew some coffee before we start to travel again? My brother and I are absolutely exhausted from not sleeping the past two nights.” Achai was raised on principals of respect and asking about things that he did not own. He saw no point in changing just because they were in the desert. After the water had boiled and the crushed coffee beans mixed together, the group assembled to ration out what little food they had prepared for their journey. 

            “We only have enough for two people.” Achai somberly said as he lifted his eyes from the beige leather sack in his hands. “I believe we left the bag unattended through out the night. It appears that a field mouse gnawed through the bottom of this bad and looted our pieces of bread. I say the sheriff and you, doctor, should eat. You are the weaker of us all, it would be what’s right.”

            “You best talk to Carlos about this before you decide for him,” Said Jalen.

The twins talked to each other for a few minutes before Achai turned back to the doctor and sherriff and handed them a small piece of leftover bread. Achai wondered to himself when the last time was that he had gone this long without food or sleep. The last he could remember was during a devastating drought from his childhood. He only could vaguely recall the strange ways his brother had acted during that time. It was if some other creature inhabited Carlos during that time.

The final destination was the North American-Mexican boarder. After being shot in the abdomen three days ago by the small town of Reynosa, the sheriff of the small town needed the professional medical attention of a modern Western hospital. The local doctor Jalen, as well as the two-jailhouse twins Carlos and Achai, made an agreement to help get the sheriff the medical help he needed. The sheriff was a good man to his people of Reynosa, so these men felt an obligation to do what they could to save a good mans life.

Having traveled all day, the group of men stopped and made a campsite after the sun started its descent into darkness. Lack of hunger and sleep had even the playing field with Age and Injury. The group slowed to the speed of few miles hour, forcing them to stop much earlier then they had hoped.

Achai signed to Carlos, “Please go gather some sticks. We need to make a fire before it’s too dark out. Don’t take too long either.” Carlos starred at Achai for a few seconds, his eyes having a white glaze over the cornea. Carlos quickly snapped out of his stare into oblivion and nodded as he made away from the group.

Alone in the setting night, Carlos was careful not to cross paths with any enraged vipers or roaming coyotes. He slowly paced himself, making sure to check the ground all around him. The dark of the night allowed sight no farther then an arms reach away. Carlos had been by himself for a little more than a half hour. He was fully focused on his task of finding firewood, removing his mind checking all around him for danger. Once he remembered to look around himself, his mind started to place things that were not actually there. Paranoia began to set in; the sleep deprivation began to play tricks with his mind. His thoughts revealed large, hideous night terrors and sadistic cannibals living in the wilderness. Carlos pushed these terrible thoughts out of his head and turned back towards the direction of the camp. Carlos’ eyes caught sight of something, and he could have sworn that it was real.

Out of nowhere, a man’s silhouette materialized, and it approached faster and faster with two arms outstretched. Terror overcame Carlos’ body, his legs locked together and his arms stiffened preparation of a fight or flight response. As the body moved closer and closer, Carlos had little time to formulate a plan.

He gripped the thickest stick that he had gathered and prepared to defend himself. As the blackness moved closer towards Carlos, but not close enough to truly distinguish who was in front of him, he swung his arm from up high to the ground. This motion brought the stick crashing down on the person’s head, bashing in the top of the skull. Caught in a blind rage, Carlos repeatedly cracked down on the now fallen body. It was only after this traumatizing moment did Carlos recognize the multicolored suspenders the person before him was wearing.