*****
(Ben)
Once again, one of us saved the other. If Lila hadn’t shown up, there was no doubt that I would’ve been killed. But it also brought up the fear of how dependent we were on one another. Sure, we had each developed a sureness in ourselves, and our skills were improving by the day. After all, for Lila to do what she did to rescue me required an ability that neither of us would have ever developed in our old life. Now it was becoming second nature. But we still needed each other. It was a strange dichotomy. As our skills increased, so did our dependence on each other. Maybe it had to do with fear after all. The more violent acts we committed, the more scared we were of what we were becoming. Our need for each other increased because it remained the only positive thing each of us still had. This wasn’t the normal independence that we would have learned as we got older in our other life. That would have happened at a gradual rate of speed. It’s why people looked forward to going out on their own. They could handle it. This was a whole different world. We realized that we weren’t afraid of death, we were afraid of being alone.
Lila cleaned Ben’s wound with water from her canteen, then wrapped a fresher piece of material around his neck and tied it off in a knot. The wound wasn’t too bad, and Ben felt okay to keep going. They had to return to the convicts’ camp and find Jack. They hurried back through the forest. Finding their way back to the camp wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. The convicts had left an easy trail to follow. As they approached the camp Jack emerged from behind a tree, rifle in hand.
“I didn’t know if you had made it,” he said as he hugged his friends. “I was on my way to the meeting spot, but realized that the job here wasn’t done. If they had killed you, I had to do whatever I could to make sure they never killed again. So I came back to wait—for you or for them.”
And like that, one of the scourges of the new world was gone. Lila told me about her encounter with the survivors who had said that this group had killed so many people. What a waste of life. If people were serious about starting a new society, how many of the good ones had died at the hands of this group’s viciousness? Well, we were done. We did what we had to do with the convicts. Now it was time to do what we had to for ourselves. There was no society in our future. That, we’d leave to someone else. We needed to get on with our own dream.
“Funny,” Jack said, when they had found the spot where they had left their backpacks. “You guys are less than half my age, but in some ways, I feel I’ve learned more from you than from anyone in my life. You’ve taught me the importance of survival. Not just existing, but really surviving. I’ll miss what my wife and I once had, but I was missing that already. I won’t miss my wife, though. She had changed into exactly what I didn’t want to become. That whole group was something I hadn’t wanted to become. Maybe nothing would have saved them from the killers, but with the right guidance, maybe we wouldn’t have even been there in the first place. Reverend Wilson always talked about salvation. I don’t think he had a clue as to what it was. I have experienced the real salvation. I feel alive for the first time in my life, and I’m going to make the most of it.”
Ben and Lila offered to let him accompany them to the Smoky Mountains, but he politely declined.
“Your destiny is different from mine. The nice thing? I have no idea what mine is. I’m going to spend the rest of my life finding it. Without the noise of the previous world, maybe I can really find who I am.”
They all hugged. Jack had robbed the dead men in the camp of some of their weapons, including an M-16 and lots of ammunition—Ben finally allowed himself an M-16, as well—and various knives, so he was going off on his own, feeling safe. Most of all, feeling excited for what lay before him.
As they watched Jack head north on the trail, Ben and Lila turned south … toward peace.
You would think that finding peace in a world devoid of people would be fairly simple. It had been anything but. We were exhausted. We had assumed from the very beginning of the journey that it would be dangerous. Never in our wildest dreams, however, could we have imagined all that we encountered. And sadly, it wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. The next few months would be the happiest in our lives. But that bliss would be followed by our worst fear coming true ….
Part Four: Separation
Chapter 21
Determined not to stop for anybody, Ben and Lila made their way south along the trail. Their focus was on themselves, and only themselves. There was no guilt in that. They had done more than their share of helping others. With each passing day, the country got more beautiful. Lila was sick a lot, but it didn’t stop her determination to reach their new home.
They were also in a hurry because the weather was turning colder. Nick had told them that the climate in the Smokies was fairly moderate at the low levels. But he also warned that the weather, already inconsistent over the previous few years, could play a lot of tricks on them, and that the sooner they got settled for the winter, the better.
They met no one in that last leg of their journey, which thrilled them. The silence of nature calmed them, helping them to put aside the events of the past many weeks. Ben made sure to camp early enough at night to allow Lila the longest rest possible. They were fortunate to find lakes or ponds to camp by almost every night. The only somber moment came when they passed the wreckage of an airliner. Despite the fact that every plane in the sky would have plummeted to the ground that day, this was the first one they had come across.
They passed it with a reverence. It was scattered in a thousand parts over a square mile, but much of the fuselage was still intact.
“Look how big it is,” whispered Lila. “How terrifying it must’ve been for them.”
“They were already dead, remember?” said Ben. “They would have died instantly in mid-air. They never experienced the crash.”
“That actually makes me feel better,” responded Lila.
One morning, they rounded a bend and there, sitting in front of them, was a large sign that read “Entering Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” They stood in front of it, not uttering a word. Finally, hand in hand, they continued along the trail. At one point, they came across a visitors center and picked up some literature.
“Fontana Lake looks like a good place to head for,” said Ben that night by the campfire. He pointed to the map. “But not the main lake. I think that’s too close to the dam and the resort area. If we go up one of the tributaries off the main lake right here,” he ran his finger along the map, “we’ll probably run across some cabins, but it’ll be away from everything.”
“That sounds good,” said Lila. “Ben, can you believe how far we’ve come?”
“And all that we’ve learned in the process,” added Ben. “We should be very proud of ourselves. You know, my father tried so hard to make a man of me. I wonder what he’d think now.”
"He'd be very proud of you," replied Lila. "I realize now that even though your dad and my parents had trouble showing it, they loved us. Your mom was the only one who could really show that love. But they'd all be proud."
A few days later, they reached Fontana Dam. The lake was enormous and beautiful. The morning sun created diamonds in the water, and they sat on the edge of the trail in the warmth of the sun, just soaking in the scene. Suddenly, Ben had an idea.
“I’m looking down at the water and I see boats of all sizes down there. We’ve done a lot of walking. How about we borrow a boat and find our new home by way of the water?”
As he said that, he looked into the parking area of the dam and saw an old beat-up pickup truck. He left his pack with Lila, told her he’d be right back, and ran down to the truck. It was unlocked, as he assumed it would be. He found the ignition key in the visor, inserted it in the ignition and turned it, crossing his fingers. The truck started with a rattle.
“Yes!” he shouted.
The gas tank was about half full, but Ben figured he could find more gas somewhere. He pocketed the key and
ran back to Lila. She looked at him quizzically.
“If we’re going to make this our home,” started Ben, “we’re going to need some things we can’t find in the woods: cloth diapers, books on childbirth—all kinds of books, for that matter—a good supply of canned food, a good propane grill, an axe to chop wood, seeds for the spring, gardening equipment, a cradle … the list is endless. This truck can get us to a larger town so we can get all that.”
They made their way down to a marina, where they found a small boat with an ancient outboard motor.
“If old cars work, then this should too,” said Ben.
It did. They loaded their packs and Lila cast off. The sound of the outboard was almost out of place on the deserted lake, but the thought of rowing didn’t appeal to either of them.
“I read in the literature that when they built the dam, they had to create the lake over a town. All the townspeople had to leave,” said Lila. “So we’re floating over a town that was dead decades before the rest of the country.”
In a little while, they left the main body of water and traveled up one of the arms. Already it was more peaceful. All around them was forest. Many of the trees had lost their leaves for the winter, but there was still the sense of privacy. They passed the occasional vacation cabin, but nothing stood out.
Finally, they saw a little cabin nestled on the banks of the lake, and Ben knew immediately that they had found their home. It was important to Ben that Lila be comfortable with the choice—after all, she was the one having the baby, and comfort was going to be a big factor—and he could see the excitement in her face. The cabin wasn’t large, but it was sunny, with oversized windows, and a deck around two-thirds of the house. They pulled the boat up to a small dock and walked up to their new home. The inside was very simple: A living room, a kitchen, and three small bedrooms. There was a wood stove in the living room, as well as a fireplace. An outhouse could be seen at the edge of the woods. No other cabins were close by.
It was rustic, but that was exactly what they were looking for. Anything too modern would have been uncomfortable. The cabin came with dishes, cooking utensils, beds, and chairs, but not much else. Lila suggested they raid the resort across the lake for amenities, while also raiding the kitchen there for institutional-size cans of food. There was so much they needed, even to lead a simple life, that Ben was happy he had seen the truck. It would come in handy.
It was exciting! The next month was spent setting up our home. As best we could figure as we counted back, it was probably late November, maybe early December. In one of our forays into town, we found a calendar for the next year at a bookstore. We decided then and there that it was December 1st. We wanted to establish a date so that we could keep track of Lila’s pregnancy, when to start our garden, and to be able to give our son or daughter a birthday.
I scrounged for gasoline and did pretty well. We had very few choices for towns that were large enough to have the kind of stores we needed, but we settled on Waynesville as our source for everything. It was sixty miles away, but it was the best we could do. Bryson City was closer, but fire had destroyed much of the town. Waynesville, on the other hand, was surprisingly devoid of blackened buildings. We had gotten used to living in the woods, needing very little. But to survive a winter and plan for the future required a lot of things. I don’t remember how many trips we made, but our little cabin was pretty crowded in no time. One of the bedrooms became our storage room.
Finally, we had everything we needed. Our child would be well taken care of, as would we. Two of my favorite “buys” were finding a large selection of seed starter kits left over from the spring—so we could get our garden started in the house—and boxes of beef jerky. You never knew when that could come in handy if it was a harsh winter and supplies ran low.
There was a good-sized clearing on the side of the cabin. While Lila organized the inside of the house, I prepared the soil so that, come spring, it would be easier to start the garden. I had picked up some rolls of wire fencing, and fenced in the future garden against the expected hungry animal. Being clueless teens, books became our resource for everything and we developed quite a library.
We made numerous trips to the resort on the main part of the lake. They had a large supply of wood for their fireplaces, and, while I also had to chop a lot of wood, having this source made things a bit easier. By the time the first snowflakes fell, we were fully ensconced in our little home.
On one of their trips to town, Ben pulled Lila into a jewelry shop.
“Lila, maybe you’ll think this is stupid, but I’d like us to get married. We can have our own little ceremony at home and give each other rings.”
Tears formed in Lila’s eyes. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. For a long time I’ve thought of us as married. I think a ceremony would be perfect. And who better to perform it than us? We know us better than anyone else in the world.”
They spent the next hour picking out rings. Ben also found a beautiful onyx bracelet for Lila that he’d give her as a wedding present. Three days later, they held their ceremony. It was a bright sunny, warm day. They stood out on their deck, overlooking the lake.
Ben took Lila’s hand. “Lila, when we were in the freezer so long ago, I knew you were special. You had an intelligence and a heart that you only find once in a lifetime. The last couple of months have proven that. But it has also uncovered your courage and your soul. I never imagined being so deeply in love.” He placed the ring on her finger.
“Ben, there is so much to say, but I think you know it all, anyway. Your wisdom and your connection to the universe has kept me alive. When I think of where I came from, and what I now have in my life, I feel like crying. In a few months, I will give birth to a child … our child. The most beautiful symbol of the deep love we have between us. I am so proud to be your wife.” She placed the ring on his finger, and they kissed. And then they sat on the deck holding each other, knowing that they were together for eternity.
*****
Winter came with a vengeance and caught them off-guard. Being from New England, they were used to winter storms, but from the safety and comfort of their warm homes. Snowplows made traveling accessible, and supermarkets were convenient if they ran out of milk and panicked.
This was a new world to them. Rather than lose its intensity, the violent weather picked up with a destructive fury. They were embarrassingly unprepared for what hit them. The snowstorms were ferocious and constant, and the cold relentless. By mid-January (by their calendar), they realized that they didn’t have anywhere near enough wood to last the winter, and it had become impossible to hunt for fresh meat. The supplies in their storeroom were dwindling. They were trying not to panic, but it was hard to ignore the obvious.
“Food and wood,” said Ben one evening, as they sat at the table. The latest storm was on its third day. “Water will be fine. We just keep melting the snow, like we’ve been doing. But we have to get fresh meat.”
“Besides the fact that we’re sick of canned food,” said Lila, “I figured out that we only have about three weeks worth left, and that’s if we eat one meal a day.”
“The wood is about the same,” added Ben. “If it would just stop snowing, I could at least walk across the lake to the resort. They still have a lot there.”
“And we could cut a hole in the ice and catch some fish,” said Lila. “It’s going to have to stop sometime, right?”
Neither of us wanted to admit it, but we were scared. This was totally unexpected. Nick was right about the crazy weather. But all this? I should have stocked more wood, but I figured that I could always boat across to the resort and get more. Now, all we could do was wait for the snow to end, and it didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping soon.
They slept that night with the woodstove turned down lower than normal. They bundled up and held each other close. During these cold days and nights, they also discovered numerous cracks in the construction of the cabin that allowed the wind to b
low through. They plugged them as best they could. But as it piled up, the snow itself started to act as insulation, and less and less wind made it into the cabin.
The storm abruptly died the next day. One minute the snow was falling, and the next the clouds had parted and the sun was coming out. As the day wore on, the wind began to die down. They looked outside at almost four feet of snow on the ground. A snow shovel hadn’t been one of their priorities, but they did have a regular shovel for digging in the garden. The one positive was that the wind had been so strong, the lake was clear of snow. Perfect for ice fishing and to get wood from the resort.
Ben spent the rest of the day shoveling a path to the outhouse and a path to the beach. The next morning was cold, but the sun was out, so Ben decided to head over to the resort for wood and Lila was going to try her luck at fishing. They didn’t have any hole borers or saws, so they took the ax and chopped a hole in the ice. It was about eight inches thick, so Ben was confident it was strong enough to bring a load of wood back. One of the boats was of a lightweight construction and had a flat bottom. His intention was to pull it over to the resort and, hopefully, drag it back filled with wood.
They opened a can of sardines to use as bait, and Lila dressed warmly and took her fishing rod out to the hole. Ben put a couple of blankets in the boat just to be safe, gave Lila a kiss, and started the long trip over to the other side. He figured it would take an hour to get there, an hour to fill up the boat, and another couple of hours to drag it back.
The trip over was relatively easy. The boat was light and it slid well over the ice. The sun gave a little warmth to an otherwise frigid day. It took him a bit more than an hour to reach the resort. He then went through the tedious process of carrying the wood from the resort building down to the boat. He filled it as high as he could. The fewer trips across the lake the better. He also found a few institutional-sized cans of soup and threw them in with the wood.
Eden Rising (Eden Rising Trilogy Book 1) Page 18
