96 Miles

Thirteen-year-old John and his eleven-year-old brother, Stewart (Stew for short), are collecting water from the toilet of an abandoned house in their neighborhood. They are preparing to trek across 96 miles of Nevada desert to Brighton Ranch, a place that promises sustenance and safety. The power has been out for 21 days. They only have two canteens of water left and a small supply of food. In John’s eyes, walking to Brighton Ranch is his and Stew’s best chance at survival.

Stew is against collecting toilet water and argues that they should take a 16-mile detour to a reservoir instead. John pretends that they will think about it but has already decided against it. Both boys are thirsty and on edge, and Stew is annoyed that John is making decisions for them both. Stew even goes so far as to dump the toilet water John carefully collected back into the toilet, forcing John to gather the water a second time.

John is worried about the 96-mile journey ahead of them, but he’s also concerned about Stew’s attitude; usually Stew is determined and willing to do hard things, but for the last few days, Stew seems to have lost his will and hope for survival.