Through Dry Places

By D.H. Gutierrez

An old Spanish mission lies beneath the surface of a serene Texas lake, its secrets hidden for decades. The receding waters of a drought expose its ruins and it becomes the source of inspiration for Matthew, an urban explorer struggling to maintain his once-popular video channel.

 

Determined to make it his next big video, Matthew sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding San Lazaro. But as he delves deeper into the decrepit halls and forgotten rooms, he finds himself face-to-face with his own fears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.H. Gutierrez
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223567066

Book preview

1

Jason, please talk to your boss. Tell him I’m filming something big this weekend. My channel is about to get an insane amount of traffic with this new video. I’ve been with X-Fuel for years now, and there’s never been any contract problems.

Next month will make it 3 years that I’ve been with the company, and I’d hate to have missed out on becoming a Silver tier influencer. I promise this video will make up for the missed posts.

Please let me know if he wants to set up a call. Thanks - Matt.

The indistinct chatter of students and the sounds of sneakers squeaking on vinyl floor tiles crept into the silence of the room. Matthew clicked send, pushed his keyboard forward, propped his feet on the desk, and stared at the ceiling. Dull thumps above his head told him someone in the dorm room above was bouncing a basketball. The sound of heavy footsteps came down the hall and stopped outside his door.

Hey Matt, Lemme buy an X-Fuel off you, Mike said, bursting through the door.

He grabbed a plastic jar from under the desk and held it toward Mike. Mike fished a handful of quarters from his baggy basketball shorts and tossed them into the jar among the other bills and coins. Mike grabbed a can from their shared mini fridge.

Thanks, he said, cracking open a can.

I don’t know how much longer I’ll be getting these on the regular.

X-Fuel? Mike said.

Yeah. I might be losing my deal.

What, did they find out you were selling your freebies?

Nah. They –

What about the pics of us mixing X-Fuel with Tequila and naming it Teq-Fuel. Did they see that?"

Good guess, detective, but no, Matthew tried not to laugh, They’re mad because I haven’t uploaded anything to my channel since last month."

Why didn’t you tell them you were with your family? That your grandma was in hospice, Mike said.

I just told them that it was personal. After that, they’ve been on my case if I’m behind schedule.

Well, what are you gonna do? Things come up. I don’t know why you didn’t just tell them what was going on. They might’ve been cool.

It’s not about ‘being cool’, It’s a business. They run ads on my videos, send me boxes of freebies, send me a check every month, and in return, they expect at least two uploads a month. I’m not holding up my end of the deal. On top of that, I keep getting these calls from my Grandma’s bank. Look at the letter they sent me.

Matthew opened the middle desk drawer, unfolded a thick envelope, and showed it to Mike.

Let’s see here. Collections, Asset recovery, Past-Due, Impact credit, Impending lawsuit, Blah blah blah, Twelve thousand dollars, Mike said.

You’re majoring in law. What does it mean?

There isn’t anyone else in your family that could handle this? No. All I have now are distant cousins.

So, it all falls on you, Mike squinted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

What does it mean?

It means you’re staying in tonight and working on making things right with X-Fuel.

2

Early the next morning, Matthew woke up ahead of his alarm. He loaded his equipment into his truck after a small breakfast in the dining hall. The condensation on his windshield told him it would be another humid day on campus, and he was glad to be on his way to the drier heat that waited for him near Lake Aguilar.

A hundred and sixty miles from Matthew’s dorm, the Oasis gas station carried everything a man needed to plow the next one hundred and twenty miles to civilization. He passed warning signs miles back reading Last Gas for Miles, making the station a mandatory stop for those who lived life with their needles on E.

After using the Oasis’ Cleanest bathrooms in the world and picking up a gallon water jug, he waited behind an older man getting hotdogs from the roller grill. The man in front of him put his hot dogs on a tray, then leaned over to cover them in ketchup, relish, and Pico de Gallo. The bottle of mustard reached the middle of the first dog before sputtering out, causing the man to shout at the attendant.

Jim, your mustard’s out! the old man said. Just grab one from the shelf, Lewis, Jim said.

Matthew turned around to the shelf in question. It had the usual convenience things—combs, diapers, toothpaste, and mustard, all on one shelf. He leaned into the aisle and snatched the mustard.

Here you go, Matthew said, passing the bottle to Lewis.

Thank you.

Lewis turned to the counter where Jim was looking at something on his phone. "Jim,