Isolated

The caravan reached the little village of Dusken an hour past sundown. The air was still intensly dry, dusty, and so hot that the oxygen was hard to breathe.
Altogether there were nineteen camels in the caravan, each with a turbaned rider clothed for the long journey across the scene less desert. And that included Rahul, the lanky man with an olive-tone complexion, shaggy, dusty black hair that shone with sweat without the heavy-some material that usually covered his head, and the shaggy, greasy beard that he left unshaved.
Dusken was, unexpectedly, isolated. The streets were actually even and well kept, and the cabanas and mud-slapped buildings were not very old. Only human presence was missing.
Rahul dismounted his camel once the caravan stopped, feeling the blood flow back into his legs.
He took off his yellowed turban and wiped it across his sweaty hairline, then reached for his canteen, squeezing the last gulp of warm water onto his dry tongue.
There was some general confusion up towards the front. Adnan and Professor Ab del-Hali, the leaders, were arguing expressively about why their coming was not welcomed, and why there weren’t even any people, despite how healthy and recent the footprints in the sand were. They had important merchandise that they could clearly not sell to nobody, so in just a few moments, Professor Ab del-Hali decided something with his companion and began explaining to the group that they would be continuing on to the inner city, about four miles west of Dusken.
Rahul gazed around at the empty cabanas, having a strong impression that the sleeping mats were, possibly, still slightly warm from the owners' bodies pressing into them.
While the caravan began to move away, Rahul absconded from his friends and led his camel into the village. He knew the way to the inner city, so he was not worried about catching up to them.
Suspicion and a great deal of curiosity led Rahul to the cabana he knew so well. It was his childhood home, and old memories of his youth, before he had become a shephard and then a member of caravans, overwhelmed him.
Rahul stooped low in the doorway into the little room, waiting for his eyes to adjust. And when they did, they roamed over to the single mat on the dirt floor, where his brother lay, sleeping fitfully in a tangled position.