The desert was vast and seemingly endless in all directions. Within the desert, water was scarce. It hadn’t rained in three months, and most of the few signs of vitality were beginning to disappear. The howls of the coyotes hadn’t been heard by anyone in weeks. Now, even the vultures had stopped their routine scavenges high above the desert landscape. During the day, the temperature was hotter than the fiery depths of hell. At night, it became so cold that the desert became unrecognizable to outsiders. These days, however, that wasn’t much of a problem. Outsiders hadn't been seen or heard from anyone for many years. Although they had no way of knowing for sure, the townspeople believed that their village was the only remnant of civilization in the barren desert wasteland.

The village was small in scale, yet when compared to the surrounding landscape it could almost pass for a haven of cosmopolitan life. Narrow dust-covered cobblestone pathways wound their way in between the ancient edifices that now served as dwellings. The entire village was arranged in a circular pattern, with a cluster of buildings surrounding a central plaza. In the center of the plaza was the village’s well. The well used to be a place of congregation for the villagers. Before the drought, the plaza would have been bustling with life. Now that the well had been depleted of its life-giving resource, people had little need to gather at the plaza anymore. Most of the inhabitants, in fact, were bed ridden, too ill to leave the relative comfort of their clay dwellings.
Over the last few months, the population of the village had declined significantly. When the drought first began, many of the inhabitants did not anticipate the devastation that would follow. As the weeks went by and water became scarcer, the village council had decided to hold a meeting with all twelve council members. Vitiosus, the eldest council member, had suggested that the council acquired the town’s water supply in order to safeguard the village’s few remaining resources. He proposed that the only way that the distribution of water among villagers could ever be equal was if the council regulated the amount of water given to each household. The council took a vote, and Vitiosus’ proposal went into effect.
At first, the rationing had worked. Each day, one member of each household was to go to the well at the center of the plaza in order to receive a supply of water for the day. Over time, the daily visits to the well had become less frequent, as mandated by the town council. Consequently, many of the villagers were forced to die of thirst. Several council members had died, leaving an even smaller group of individuals to lead the village. Along with increased death came increased blame. Many of the villagers had begun to place blame on the council for their loved ones’ death. This led to a loss of confidence in the council’s ability to lead. Gradually, protesters had begun to take to the village streets.
Today, Vitiosus had called for an emergency council meeting. Since he was the eldest, none of the others had questioned him. Even Eleos decided that he would the meeting, though he began to have his suspicions about Vitiosus’ motives. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Vitiosus, it was just that he didn’t quite trust him. Whenever anyone had a suggestion, it was obvious that Vitiosus didn’t agree because he would tactfully sway the discussion in his favor. He liked to be in control, and nobody questioned him because he was the only one in the village who had the mark on his forehead, just above his brow. Vitiosus believed that his mark gave him the divine right to rule over the village.
As Eleos walked towards the village hall, he had a feeling that whatever Vitiosus had to say to the council would be important, whether he agreed with it or not. Over time, it seemed, Vitiosus had learned to say the right things at exactly the right times. This, Eleos believed, was part of the reason that Vitiosus was successful at his manipulation.
When Eleos reached the village hall, he stepped up onto the wooden steps and turned the doorknob. The interior of the village hall was poorly lit, and if Eleos probably would have tripped on the uneven wooden planks if hadn’t known the layout of the hall so well. In the corner of the room was another door, and Eleos knew that behind that door Vitiosus would be waiting for him.
Vitiosus was seated at the end of a long table. In the corner of the room was a small glass window which provided the only source of light for the room. Seated in a column on either side of Vitiosus were the other council members, all eagerly awaiting Vitiosus’ words. As Eleos entered the room, he realized he was the last council member to arrive.
“Ah, Eleos, you have finally arrived,” said Vitiosus in his ancient voice.
As soon as Vitiosus had spoken, it was clear to Eleos that the mood in the room had changed. It was as if the air was suddenly filled with fear. Eleos carefully took his seat next to the others.
“Thank you all for coming,” continued Vitiosus. “We have much to discuss.”
Now the council began to focus its attention on Vitiosus as if its life depended on the words being spoken by him.
“As you know, the water crisis has gotten more severe. Although attempts at rationing the remaining water supply have been made, we can all agree that there is simply not enough water to go around.”
At this, the council nodded and muttered in agreement.
“It has become apparent to me that steps must be taken in order to preserve this community,” continued Vitiosus. Again, the council nodded approvingly. “The water must be given to those who can lead the village. Our future depends on our survival.”
The council erupted in applause. The vote was unanimous; everyone was in favor of the idea.
“Wait,” said Ereos. The cheering stopped. “We can’t just let the rest of the village go without water. They’ll die.”
“Ereos,” said Vitiosus, his voice stuttering for a quick moment, “I understand your concern, but we are this village’s only chance for survival.”
“No! I won’t accept that. I will not stand by while you massacre an entire village!”
“You will obey me!” Shouted Vitiosus. His face quickly changed from pale white to fiery red. “I alone have the right to rule over this village!”

“You have no right to kill innocent people! They are our family!”

As Eleos spoke these words, Vitiosus took a knife out of one of his shirt pockets, his veins protruding from his head and cutting through the mark on his brow. “Go! Get out of this hall! Leave this village!”

“Do what you want with me, but I will not abandon my people.”

At this, Vitiosus lunged forward and moved out of his chair “No person can kill me! No one! I was promised! I have the mark!” His head slammed into the wooden table and his eyes were closed forever.
The council stood silently around the remains of their once beloved leader, stunned at what they had just witnessed. Even though it was poorly lit, the room somehow seemed lighter. The council hadn’t noticed, but outside something was slowly tapping on the window. Gradually, the taps became rapid thumps as water rained down onto the desolate landscape.