STRANDED: Box Set: Books 1-6

by Theresa Shaver

  “We’ll be just fine, April.”

  With the saddest smile Mrs. Moore had ever seen, the girl replied, “I know we will, Mrs. Moore. I trust you. Do you think Walter is still here?”

  “Walter?”

  “Yes, that’s the name of the security guard we talked to. The one that said he would take care of Mr. Carter and then lock the park down.”

  “Thank you! I’ve been trying to remember his name. I very much hope that he’s still here. If we can convince him to help us it would make things so much easier. He’d have keys to all the doors and know where we should go to best survive safely.”

  They dropped into silence as they moved closer to the gates, both of them contemplating what might be in store for them. The huge chain wrapped around the front gates brought them to a halt and the rest of the group formed up behind them. Seeing the chains across the entrance to the happiest place on earth was unsettling. It just reinforced how wrong the world had become.

  April moved closer to the gates and wrapped her hands around the bars. She stood on tiptoes and peered farther into the park.

  “There he is! I can see him, Mrs. Moore,” she exclaimed excitedly.

  Mrs. Moore stepped up to the gate and squinted her eyes to try and see where April was pointing. Far down Main Street was a bench, and sitting on it looking lost and alone was the older security guard, Walter. She called his name as loud as she could and saw him flinch. He turned his head and saw them waiting at the gate. It seemed as though there was no life left in him as he slowly pushed himself to his feet and walked down the road to them. His face showed signs of mourning and the grief was clear for all to see in the slump of his shoulders. When he arrived at the gate, he gave a brief nod to the teacher.

  “It’s my great misfortune to have to tell you that for only the third time in history Disneyland has closed its doors. I’m sorry.”

  Mrs. Moore nodded and reminded him, “Yes, I know. We spoke earlier in the day. Do you remember me?”

  The guard stepped closer to get a better look at Mrs. Moore before nodding his head.

  “Yes, of course. I put your friend to rest in the gardens. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, Walter, that was very kind of you. Are you all alone in there?”

  Walter looked back at the park and absently nodded.

  “Yes, they all left. We have a procedure we’re supposed to follow but most just walked away. There were two other guards that stayed and helped me lock everything down but they left not long ago to check on friends and family. I have nowhere to go. This is my home.”

  Mrs. Moore could see how lost this poor man was and she hoped that she could reach him with their plight.

  “I’m sorry, Walter, you told me that you’ve been watching over and helping the visitors of the park for forty years. I was hoping you would be able to continue that service with us.”

  The guard looked at Mrs. Moore in confusion and seemed to notice the group of parents and children behind her for the first time. He looked at her questioningly.

  “We came here from all over the world and now we have nowhere to go. The city is on fire and the streets are filled with chaos and violence. We were hoping you would invite us into your home where we and our children could be safe.”

  Walter cocked his head to the side in thought as his eyes scanned the children and parent’s faces.

  He seemed to be talking more to himself than the group when he started to list things off.

  “The emergency lights are all working in the tunnels and I checked the generator that’s down there. I don’t know why but it still works. Hmm, maybe because it’s underground. There’s a lot of food and water stored throughout the grounds. Probably enough to feed hundreds for a year or two if you keep the freezers working that long. There’s certainly enough room in the staff areas for people to sleep. Hmmm…”

  Mrs. Moore couldn’t help the smile from forming on her face as she watched the man transform before her eyes. Walter’s shoulders had straightened and a lively spark had come into his eyes as he thought through all the different areas of the plan.

  She let out a chuckle as he turned away from the group and looked back into the park in concentration.

  “Walter?”

  “Hmmm, oh yes, sorry!” he mumbled as he turned back to her expectantly and looked at her through the bars of the gate.

  Mrs. Moore smiled at him and asked, “Can we come in?”

  His face changed to surprise as he reached for the keys on his belt and started to unlock the chains.

  “Of course!” he said as he pulled back the gate. “Welcome to Disneyland. Welcome to my home!”

  ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  Hours later, after much work and hauling of supplies, and with a lot of their newly formed group already bedded down for the night, Mrs. Moore and April stood at the entrance of a staff tunnel. They looked out over the park to the horizon and with the sunset, they could see the hazy orange glow of fire everywhere above the city. Mrs. Moore put her arm around her student and they took comfort from each other.

  “Mrs. Moore, do you ever think we’ll make it home?” April asked sadly.

  The teacher tightened her hold on the girl.

  “Oh yes! We’ll go home, April. It might take us months or even a year but we’ll make it. Trust me.”

  Part Two

  ESCAPE

  Chapter Eight

  April Davis lay on her makeshift bed staring up at the perforated ceiling tiles above her. When the lights flickered, she tensed her hand around the chain of Disney-themed novelty flashlights. After a few minutes, when the lights stayed steady, she relaxed her grip and let out the breath she’d been holding. She stayed still and waited. Waited for what she felt was coming; she just didn’t know if it’d be the final failure of the generator that gave them light or the takeover by the men who had slowly invaded their sanctuary under the amusement park. She let her mind drift back to the time when they had first escaped the chaos-filled streets and found safety here.

  The first few days were a blur as they all raced to pull as many supplies from the park’s stores and restaurants as they could. Some of the fathers worked at welding the entrance doors to the tunnels closed with tools found in Disney’s mechanical area. They left four exits open and there was a guard posted at them at all times. April ran on autopilot during that time. Having been abandoned by her mother and still adjusting to the end of the world as she knew it, the best she could manage was to carry things that others thrust into her hands. It was at the end of the second day when the fog cleared for her; when the sound of breaking glass and gunfire snapped her head up from the pile of Tinkerbell sweatshirts she was sorting through. Looters had finally entered the park and their time above ground came to a panicked end. Everyone rushed to the closest entrance to the tunnels that hadn’t been sealed. Once they were all in, the doors were locked and guarded.

  Sixty-two people had formed the group of survivors and a good portion of that were small children. April and her friend Jessica chose a small office to make into their room and cleared it of filing cabinets and the desk before assembling makeshift beds. Jessica had a brilliant idea when they had found a storage room filled to the brim with pallets of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. They hauled and dragged back as much as they could before stringing toilet paper rolls on twine from the pallets to form cushy mattresses. Using decorative, cartoon-covered throw blankets and a stapler, they made bags that they stuffed with the toilet paper roll mattresses and sealed the ends with more staples. They weren’t perfect but it beat lying on the hard concrete floor. The suitcases they had brought from the hotel served as dressers and they added various cartoon-themed clothing to the meagre amount they had from home.

  Once they had finished their new bedroom, they wandered the halls to see what else was happening. Mrs. Moore and Walter were whirlwinds as they floated from group to group organising people and supplies. Walter had provided a map of the tunnel
system and it was taped to the wall of the large staff room lounge. Walter had closed off the majority of the tunnel system leaving them a small area to inhabit. He’d disconnected all electrical to the closed off parts to lessen the draw on the generator. One of the biggest strokes of luck for the new community was at the time of the EMP, there had been a fuel truck delivering gas to top of the tanks. It’d help them keep the lights on for a while longer but they would still have to ration the time they kept the generator running. Walter had worked up a timetable of seven am to seven pm for running it. The rest of the time they would depend on the many small flashlights and candles to light their rooms. Even with such strict measures, they would run out of fuel, so any scouting and scavenging parties sent out would have to look for fuel to bring back.

  Mrs. Moore had people write in their room location and on a separate piece of paper what their skills were and what they would be able to help with. She had already organised a small group of men who were willing to head back out into the city to loot garden centers for seeds and tools. Mrs. Moore predicted that it would take at least two weeks for the madness in the city to burn out before they could start cultivating some of the green spaces for gardens. Until then, only scouts and scavenging parties would be allowed above. It amazed April how so many people were working together to set up their new home with calm purpose. It was over the next few weeks that reality started to hit home and each person ended up having a breakdown over all that they had lost.

  Gradually things started to fall into a routine. Child care, food prep, cleaning and guard duties were rotated. It was on the one-week anniversary of the EMP when Liam burst through the door of the child care area with a panicked face. He zeroed in on April who had been reading a story to a group of three- to six-year-olds and frantically waved her out of the room. Trying to stay calm, she passed the book off to one of the other minders and slipped out into the hallway where he was pacing back and forth waiting for her. Liam reached for her hands and took a deep breath.

  “It’s your mom. One of the scouts found her out by the main gate. She’s…I’m sorry, April, she’s hurt pretty bad.”

  April swallowed painfully past the lump that had formed in her throat. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she’d never see her mother again.

  “Where…where is she?” Her voice came out in a rough rasp.

  Liam’s face was filled with understanding and sadness.

  “They took her to the first aid room. Mrs. Moore is with her and one of the mothers who’s a nurse.”

  With a shaky nod, April turned and slowly walked down the hall towards the first aid station. She didn’t know how to feel. Her mind flashed back to the ugly last moments she’d shared with her mom in the hotel. How does a person get past that? With the door to the first aid room only steps away, she came to a stop. Liam’s hand on her shoulder made her flinch. She had been so consumed with her thoughts that she didn’t even realise he’d followed her. When he gently pulled her around to face him, she stared blankly into his face. He let out a sad sigh at her expression.

  “I know things were hard with her and I know it ended badly. But, April? She’s your mom. There are a lot of kids here that would give anything to have their mom here with them, problems and all. Just…try and remember the good.”

  April saw the tears in his eyes and realised that he was right. It was a gift to have a family member here. No matter how difficult her mom could be, she was hers and she wouldn’t be alone anymore. With a nod and hand squeeze, she turned and took the last few steps to the open doorway.

  What she saw made her gasp. Lying on the medical table was someone she didn’t recognise, no one would.

  Her mom’s face was an ugly purple, blue with black and yellow thrown in. It was so swollen it looked almost like a balloon. She was still wearing the same clothes as the last time April had seen her, but now they were torn to shreds and covered in grime and blood.

  April stood in the doorway in shock and was vaguely relieved that her mom was unconscious. Mrs. Moore glanced up from where she’d been gently washing away the crusted blood that clung to her mom’s hair. When she saw April standing there, her face took on a soft look of pity. Dropping the cloth, she skirted around the table and reached out her hands in comfort. Giving her shoulders a squeeze, the teacher glanced back at the figure lying on the table.

  “As far as we can tell, she’ll be okay. It’s impossible to tell if anything is broken but so far it seems like she took a bad beating and…uh…other damage. We won’t know for sure until she wakes up, though.”

  Mrs. Moore looked back towards the table and April’s eyes widened when she realized what the “other” damage was. Her mom’s skirt was bunched up high enough that she could see the bruising and blood streaks that covered her inner thighs. A choked sob broke from her tight throat and she raced out of the room seconds before she heaved the contents of her stomach all over the floor in the hallway.

  A gentle hand rubbed her back as hitching sobs wracked her body. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t her mother have just come with them in the beginning? How would she be able to cope after being abused so badly? April rubbed her face roughly with her hands at the horrible thoughts in her head before standing up straight and turning around to go back into the room. No matter what happened, she’d be there for her mom and help her in any way she could.

  Liam was standing next to her and he gave her hand a pat before moving away so she could pass. Mrs. Moore stood in the doorway.

  “April, why don’t you let us get her cleaned up and changed? I’ll come and get you once we get her settled in a cot and you can wait with her until she wakes up.”

  With tears of gratitude and relief in her eyes, she gave a small nod and let Liam lead her away. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked and gave thanks for their growing friendship. He always seemed to be around when she hit a low point and her thoughts were starting to drift towards him more and more often.

  Rustling from across the small room broke April from her memories and she turned her head on her stolen hotel pillow to see the heap of clothes and blankets on the other bed settle back down and go still. Turning to stare back up at the ceiling tiles, she couldn’t help but think it might’ve been better if her mother had never woken up at all.

  When Mrs. Moore ushered April back into the medical room hours later, it was a different version of her mother who awaited her. They cleaned her up and put her in fresh clothes but the person inside that April had known her whole life was gone. Eyes like a wild animal and slurred mumbling were the only reactions that Laura Davis gave at the sight of her daughter. The woman huddled in a corner against the wall and rocked herself while her eyes darted around the room. April had tried to talk to her but eventually gave up. Heartbroken, she left her alone.

  Days passed and turned into weeks and even though her mother seemed to calm somewhat over time, she still wouldn’t speak to anyone and would flinch at the slightest noise and skitter away to a quiet corner. Eventually, they had to move her into the room April and Jessica shared when the medical room was needed by others. It had only taken a few days before Jessica moved out and left her alone with her traumatized mother. April would lay awake at night and listen to the whimpers and cries as her mother fought the nightmares that plagued her sleep. It took days for her to realize that her overbearing and controlling mother wasn’t going to return. She finally stopped trying to console her and just started to talk to her as if she could understand her. April told her mother stories and memories of their past. Her mom would mumble sometimes but she never seemed to connect with what her daughter was saying.

  April had tried to keep track of the days but living underground made it difficult and she soon gave up and fell into the routine of eating, chores, cleaning and trying to keep her mom cleaned and fed. One of the best days came weeks later when the scouts who patrolled the park told everyone that no looters had been seen in the area in days and they determined
it would be safe for small groups to go above and start planting seeds.

  April lifted her face to the sun and drank in its warmth for the first time in weeks. She felt amazing as a soft breeze whispered through her hair. When she opened her eyes and looked around, she saw others doing the same thing and a rare smile cracked her face. The thought of fresh vegetables made her mouth water so she scanned the group for Mrs. Moore and headed towards her. It’d take time for their seeds to grow but she was looking forward to the soothing labour of planting them.

  Mrs. Moore had a map of the park in her hand that Walter had drawn circles on to show them where to work. The pretty vision of rows of growing vegetables and fruit was quickly dispelled when Mrs. Moore explained how they would be doing camouflage gardening. At the blank looks and confusion that greeted this new concept, she explained, “We don’t want anyone to know we’re here and we don’t want all our hard work stolen once it starts to grow. Instead of giant plots with straight rows, we’ll cultivate small patches and let the grass grow between them. It won’t help if someone stumbles right on top of them but most people will naturally walk on the pavement or concrete instead of overgrown grass. With all the green space in this park, we should be able to grow just as much as a traditionally shaped garden but it’ll be well camouflaged by the long grass in between. Just be sure to mark the areas we plant on the map so we can easily find them in the future.”

  There were looks of surprise and admiration on the gardeners’ faces after her explanation and April was once again filled with gratitude for her teacher. This woman had saved their lives and her knowledge would continue to do so.

  Working the ground was back-breaking work to start but even with aching muscles, April wished she could do it every day so that she could enjoy the fresh air and warm California sun. They set up another rotation so that everyone could have time above ground and even the children were allowed up to help. The scouts stayed sharp-eyed for anyone coming around and only twice were they quickly ushered back underground when people came into the park.