Although it was not even noon yet the Roman mosaic floor already felt like an oven. It was almost time to take a long siesta as it would be too hot to continue working at this archaeological dig. Still two weeks to go at this project recovering the old Roman villa surprisingly deep inland. And then she had to return to her boring teaching job in Germany teaching history to bored teens. It was such a joy to spend her holiday helping the two elderly Italians, the professor and his wife, with their private project. It might even get her academic credentials.
Theresa stood up from the part of the floor she had been cleaning and looked towards the noise of the approaching jeep. The professor and his wife were coming back early from their shopping trip to the nearest town it seemed.
But when the car stopped she realised it was the local student Mo on his own. "Theresa," he said "pack you things quickly. I have to put you on the minibus in town. The civil unrest in the East evolved into a full rebellion. Rebels are marching towards the capital now the only major city to keep them at bay fell this morning. All foreigners are evacuated."
"Minibus?"
"Where are the professor and his wife?"
He moved her to her tent. "Theresa please go pack your backpack. The Moretti's are already on a minibus to the capital. The professor said he would try to get a plane-seat for the three of you. When you have phonesignal again do call him. Now hurry so I can put you on a minibus as well. I will come back to pack the rest of our stuff".
That had been hours ago now and Theresa found herself at a small roadside restaurant halfway to the capital when the sun was going down. All the other passengers and the driver of the minibus were watching a small tv on the wall in the corner showing looting people and proud rebel soldiers and burning buildings. She had no idea what the reporter was saying but it looked grim. She could not get a hold to anyone with her mobile phone.
"Do you speak English, Sir?" she asked the bartender.
"A little. What you want to know?"
"The bus... It had to be going back on the road again I think. We are here now for an hour and a half and all they do is watch the news. I have to get to the airport".
"You best come with us then" she heard a deep male voice say behind her back. Turning around she was faced with a muscular wide shouldered 6" tall guy with greying short hair of about 50 who spoke with an Eastern European accent.
"That bus is not leaving anymore tonight. The capital is fallen. People are too frightened to go there. You would not be able to get a plane there. We are going to try south through the desert. You best come with us." Talking he pointed her to some other military looking guys sitting at a nearby table eating dinner. "Well my offer stands. Think about it" and he walked over to the table again carrying some drinks.
She turned back to the bartender. "What he says is right," said the man. "The airport is closed. It will be dangerous on the road for a pretty blonde foreign girl like you. Best go with them. They are securitymen from the oilfield nearby."
"I have no camping stuff with me. Do you have anything?" she asked him.
He looked at the wall where an old blanket hung for decoration. "I can sell you that and a big plastic bag to put it in that you can use to cover the sand. But that is all I have here what could help you."
With her backpack and the blanket rolled in the bag she walked over to the security guys still eating their dinner.
"If the offer is still open I would like to go south with your group," she said to the older guy who had spoken to her at the bar.
"Excellent" he said and pointed her to a chair and gestured to the bartender for food for her. "This young curly boy is Dimitri. He speaks English. The bold one is Pavel and he does not. So doesn't .." and he pointed to some Asian looking guy with a difficult name she did not get. "And I am Vasili. Eat your fill and drink as much as possible. We are leaving in 30 minutes to makes as many miles as possible when it is dark. The further away we get from civilisation the safer it gets".
They had all walked to an old army truck painted with some company logo that was probably in Arabic the name of the oil field. With her luggage and herself and some of the guys in the back they had been driven for hours. Her body was sore off all the bumping around on the wooden benches in the back and she felt so tired she could cry.
She was now sitting with a sleeping Pavel in the cabin while Vasili who was definitely the leader was driving. The news was on in Arabic and Vasili said the rebels had seized the capital and the presidential palace. The president was on the run. When he turned off the radio his hand touched her leg in passing. He started to quiz her. What she did for a living? Where she was from? How she ended up in this country? Who were the Moretti's? It felt like a third degree all those questions and the piercing blue eyes looking in hers.
The desert was passing the car window it seemed. It had been at least an hour since they passed through a hamlet. They had entered the big wide sandseas.
Suddenly Vasili halted the car, banged on the divider to the back and got out. He barked some orders in their native language what she thought sounded like Russian and his men went checking out the area. He stuck his head back into the cabin and said "Puppet we are going to find us a place to hide the car and ourselves. With our headlights and the car sound people can hear and see us coming for miles and we do not see a thing. We go and hide till daybreak".
Within it seems like 15 minutes they had the truck parked behind a rock-crop, made some hot tea on a burner and prepared themselves for bed.
Theresa had put her plastic bag out on the sand and covered it with her long thin coat that was regarded modest clothing for a girl in a conservative desert country. She had put on two sweaters and wrapped herself with the old blanket from the restaurant that smelled of years of cooking.
It was so cold. She could feel her teeth start to clatter and her knees started a whole new life of their own. She had not fully realised that deep in desert the temperature will drop to near freezing. Shivering she completely failed to sleep and kept tossing and turning. Her bones seemed to be ice.