The Changing Earth Series (Book 3): The Walls of Freedom

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  They approached Star and she signaled that the boat was circling the ship and would soon be within view. They were looking for a way up and would have found the small craft tied to the side long ago.

  “Hello!” someone yelled from the boat.

  “Should we answer?” Star wondered.

  Vince shook his head no. They stayed quietly hidden behind the side of the ship. They could hear confused talking down below. Before long a rope came up over the edge and locked onto the side with a pointy grappler head.

  Dexter looked wild-eyed at his father. He was about to jump up. Vince signaled for him to stay put and stay down. He wanted someone on the line before they exposed themselves. Vince stared at the rope and watched it gain tension as someone began to climb it.

  Vince signaled the movement to Erika. Her heart pounded. He held up one finger, then two, and when he put up the third they jumped up with their rifles drawn. There was a man making his way up the rope.

  “Hold it right there,” Vince yelled.

  “Let’s not be hasty,” boomed a gruff voice from the boat. He had a rifle aimed back at Vince.

  “Yeah, let’s not be hasty,” Erika shouted to the man with the gun on Vince. Her sights were set on his head and she could see the green of his eyes through the scope.

  “Now, slow down, lady,” a woman’s voice yelled from the side of the boat. The woman showed herself. She had a rifle in her hand and Erika could see a little red dot on her heart.

  Dexter saw the dot appear and stood up between his mother and the dot.

  “You slow it down, lady, that is my mom,” he screamed, pointing his AR at the lady.

  “Everybody hold on!” the man halfway up the rope yelled. “Looks like this is a numbers game and you vin.” His voice revealed a Russian accent. “Plus, you caught me...how do you say...with my pants down. We’re all friends here.”

  “Don’t try and sweet-talk us. What do you want here?” Erika yelled.

  “We are merchants, I’ve never seen this boat here before. We just came to see what it was and where it came from,” the man replied.

  “And what you could salvage from it,” Vince yelled down.

  “Of course. That’s the name of the game, right?” the man replied honestly. He was stuck, to high up to drop down and too far down to climb up quickly. “We tried to say hello and when no one answered, we assumed no one was here.”

  “You assumed wrong,” Dexter yelled at the man.

  “Dex...” Vince said quietly. He shook his head at the boy, indicating for him to remain quiet.

  Dexter was disturbed by the scolding from his father; after all, he had been the key to the changing of the status of the stand-off. He shook it off and held his ground. Star remained hidden, ready to surprise the boarding party with yet another armed individual, if needed.

  “So vat do you want to do here?” the man questioned. “I can’t hold this rope forever. I can either climb down and we will drive away or I can come up and we can discuss a trade.”

  “I don’t know what you have to offer that we need,” Dexter chimed in again, in an effort to solidify his position as a capable man.

  “Dex,” Erika corrected giving him a little kick with her leg. “Let your dad handle this.”

  “How about a ride,” the man said.

  Erika and Vince looked at one another, lightbulbs going off in their heads. Catching a ride with these guys would be much easier than trying to float on Swiss cheese and probably much more comfortable for Daniel.

  The man noticed their hesitation. “Do you need a ride?”

  “Maybe we should just kill them and take their boat,” Star whispered from her hidden position.

  Vince looked at her and crinkled his face up then shook his head no, but he still followed up on the suggestion.

  “What’s to stop us from killing you all and taking your boat?” Vince shouted. He was not in a trusting mood.

  "Mommy, can we see the big boat now?” A little boy bounced over to his mother who still had her gun fixed on Erika.

  “Vince, no,” Erika mumbled.

  “You see there. I am a family man, a trader, not a threat,” the man on the rope replied.

  “What about your man there. The one with the gun on me. He looks to be a fighter,” Vince pointed out.

  “Don? Don is harmless; well actually, he’s not, but he is with me... Don, put your gun down...you too, Toni,” the man said to the crew.

  The guns lowered to a non-threatening position.

  “Vince, maybe we should at least listen. This may be our best chance at getting out of here,” Erika said quietly to her husband.

  “Come on up, then, let’s talk,” Vince replied.

  Dexter rolled his eyes at his parents.

  “Think you can help me with the rope? My arms are killing me,” the man pleaded.

  “Dex, Star, pull him up,” Vince commanded.

  Dexter did as he was asked and once the man was over the edge he immediately shook Vince’s hand in a gesture of peace.

  “Hello sir,” he said to Vince. “I’ll let the boy hold this,” he continued as he handed his pistol to Dexter to further relay his peaceful presence. “Wow, this is really something,” he declared, taking in the landscape.

  He had a strong Russian accent. Standing next to Vince, he was just a little shorter and his hair was a thin coat of gray rimming his mostly bald head.

  “Very nice to meet you as well, young lady,” he said, approaching Erika to shake her hand.

  “Always nice to meet a friendly face,” Erika replied.

  “Not to many of them left now-a-days, are there?” he stated.

  “No sir, there isn’t,” she replied frankly.

  “Okay, so now what?” Vince questioned, unsure of what to do next.

  “How about telling me your name, sir. We can start there,” the gentleman said.

  Vince hesitated. He and Erika hadn’t discussed what to do if they met someone. He wondered if the government would have disseminated their names in an effort to find them.

  “I...ah,” Vince stammered, looking to Erika for guidance.

  “My name is Vlad. My fine bride down there is Toni,” Vlad offered, trying to break the palpable tension.

  “My name is Erika and this is my husband, Vince,” Erika told him honestly to test his response. “Those are our kids Star and Dexter.” Erika didn’t see any tone of recognition on his face and she figured they still had the upper hand anyway.

  “And you guys are wanted by the government,” Vlad responded candidly.

  Vince shot Erika a look. Why did she always have to open her big mouth, he thought.

  “How did you know?” Vince asked, wondering if they were really that avidly searching for them still.

  “I didn’t. You just told me,” Vlad replied. “I’ve met a lot of people in my years on this coastline, and anyone that hesitates to tell you their name usually has a reason for it. More times than not, the government is to blame. Am I right, friend?” Vlad said cheerfully, trying to keep a peaceful situation.

  “You’re right,” Vince admitted.

  “What happened? Let me guess: You took too many rations? Picked up a gun? Went agaist a landowner,” Vlad wondered.

  “We escaped from Vegas,” Vince answered.

  Vlad took a step back. “You escaped a camp? This truly is an odd day. No wonder you folks are out on this ship. How long were you in?” Vlad prodded.

  “Ten years,” Vince answered.

  “Ten years? That’s all the way back to the Great Quake,” Vlad said, astonished.

  “Yup, we’re from California,” Erika piped up. “We helped build that dammed camp!”

  “This is a first for me,” Vlad replied, shocked by their story.

  “So now what do you plan on doing?” Vince asked, still unsure of this man. “You going to try to take us in for the reward I’m sure they are offering for us?”

  “No...no...no, friend,” Vlad replied candidly enough.
“Never have been a big supporter of overbearing rulers who think they have all the answers. I was just a simple fisherman like my father and his father, but all this garbage in the water has spoiled the fish. I get by trading with the coastal refugees that have rebuilt little communities. I float peacefully with my family so I can avoid all of the mainland turmoil.”

  “What about the US and Russian navies, don’t you have to answer to them?” Vince wondered if before long the US Navy would be paying this ship a visit.

  “Most of the US ships were taken up the Mississippi Sea to maintain order within the States. They do have a couple ships patrolling the Pacific. They are mostly up North staring at Russia’s ships, making sure that no one tries to seize the opportunity for ill will while the countries are recovering,” Vlad explained as he waited for this family to relax. He knew something was amiss. They were way too tense.

  Chapter 9

  “Mom, we should go check on Daniel,” Star whispered to Erika.

  Erika looked up at Vince. He knew what they were discussing by the look on Erika’s face, and Daniel was never far from his thoughts these days. He indicated with his eyes for her to go. He was worried about his young son, but even more worried about the threat this strange man posed.

  “What is the problem?” Vlad questioned, picking up on the signals sent by husband and wife.

  “Our youngest son is very sick and we don’t know why,” Vince replied.

  “You’re taking iodide, right?” Vlad asked.

  “Yeah...well, we think so. We got it from some guys we ran into. There may have been a couple days we missed because we were passed out in our boat.” Vince’s concern for his son allowed him to open up and reach out for help.

  “My wife has been studying with this woman in Reno...” Vlad began.

  “The medicine woman in Reno?” Vince interrupted.

  “Yes, you’ve heard of her, then?” Vlad asked.

  “Yes, we have. That’s where we were headed,” Vince explained.

  “I can bring up my wife. She has been studying medicine with her. Is that okay?” Vlad wondered.

  “Yes!” Erika blurted out. She was always so frustrated when she could not control a situation, and her son’s sickness was far from her control or even her understanding. She had kicked herself time and time again for not getting more involved in medical information when she had the chance. Now she really didn’t even care if it was a trap at this point, she just wanted her son back.

  Vlad went over to the edge of the boat and called for his wife to come up. “Do you mind if the children come up too? They would love to run and play here,” Vlad questioned.

  “No, bring them up,” Vince replied. He had always loved kids.

  The young woman came over the edge of the boat with a toddler in her arms. He had hair as black as his mother’s but straight as an arrow. The woman, Toni, and her husband pulled their five-year-old child up the rope next. The boy had dark hair as well, but its shade was more brownish than his mother’s or little brother’s. Both children looked very well fed and clothed. They had energetic smiles across their faces.

  They marveled at the jungle environment they had instantly entered.

  “This is insane, Vlad,” Toni said in amazement. “Were you right? Is it the USS Missouri that was anchored in Hawaii?”

  “I believe it is, bear,” Vlad replied.

  “Hi, I’m Toni,” she introduced herself to Vince and Erika.

  Vince and Erika introduced themselves and explained their current predicament. Toni agreed to try and help. She had Don send her up a bag of medical supplies. Then she, Erika and Star headed off to check on Daniel. The men stayed behind to discuss trading terms. Even in this life, nothing was free. Vince kept thinking, It was a good thing we collected all that fuel we never used. It was a highly valued item that would be more than sufficient to pay for passage, medical help, food and more.

  Daniel’s condition had changed very little. He was sweaty and clammy but didn’t have a fever. When Toni roused him he was in pain, but it seemed to come from all over inside. His blood pressure was high but not dangerously.

  “Has he had any past medical problems?” Toni wondered, assessing the boy.

  “No, he’s always been totally healthy,” Erika replied full of worry.

  “And you’ve been giving him iodide?” Toni questioned. She said the last part in her husband’s accent.

  “Yeah,” Erika answered.

  “The little ones are especially susceptible. You didn’t eat any fish, did you?” Toni speculated.

  “God, no. I didn’t even see any except dead ones by the shore.” Erika was disgusted by the thought.

  “You’d be surprised,” Toni laughed. “The starving idiots sometimes eat anything. Makes them very sick.”

  “I bet,” Erika admitted. “We were eating our leather at one point but I’d still eat that over those nasty fish.”

  “I am going to make him a tummy-soothing tea for him to drink,” Toni mumbled, digging through her bag. “He’s been drinking and eating, right?"

  “Yeah...a little when he’s awake and I’ve had to mush up the big chunks smaller and smaller,” Erika replied nervously.

  “And he’s been going to the bathroom,” Toni questioned.

  “Yeah, not very much, though. We were really dehydrated and we thought he would come around like we all did, but he didn’t.” Erika had tears in her eyes.

  “Don’t worry, mamma,” Toni said, trying to ease her tensions, “We’ll figure it out.”

  The sound of boys playing in the trees echoed around the boat. Star turned her head toward the noise.

  “Go on, Star. Go see what’s going on. There’s nothing you can do here. We’ll start dinner in a little while,” Erika told her, sensing her desire to just relax and have some innocent fun with the little children.

  “I love you, Mom,” Star stated, kissing her on the cheek. “And you too, little bro,” she said as she kissed Daniel gently on the forehead.

  Toni had gathered up all the materials she needed for her tea and was heating water in a kettle.

  “Bottled water? My husband would die for this. He would be the talk of the trading circle,” Toni remarked, staring at the plastic bottle of fresh water.

  “We found it here. I am sure Vlad can have some. We can only carry so much, once we get off this ship,” Erika responded. “What’s in that tea?” she wondered.

  “It’s a mixture of field mint, pineapple weed and wild ginger,” Toni responded, while she measured out the amount of each herb for the tea.

  “Pineapple weed? Isn’t that a wild chamomile?” Erika wondered, trying to remember all she had learned of herbal medicines.

  “Yeah, it is! I’m impressed,” Toni replied.

  “Sounds like it’s a good mixture.” Erika had dabbled in herbal healing out of sheer hatred for the western medicines that were being pushed upon the population before the Great Quake. She had read a lot during her time in Vegas, but without access to forageable areas she couldn’t connect the picture of the plant to a real-life specimen.

  The two women made small talk. Erika found out that Toni had been sixteen when the Great Quake hit. She had lived in the Seattle area when the water came in and she had been sucked out into the ocean, where she floated for days before Vlad came along and saved her.

  Erika picked her brain as she examined Daniel further. Vince’s parents had been in Washington, and this woman had been up and down the new coastline. The water had pushed inward much more than Vince and Erika had speculated. It eventually receded, but it left nothing but destruction in its wake. Erika wondered how his parents had ever made it out. Must be some story, she thought.

  While they attended to the young boy the fog rolled in thick and cold. Star had a main fire started for making dinner, and Vlad supplied meat and most of the other fixings, besides what they harvested from the island. He was happy to give in return for the gasoline and the bottled water. The two families campe
d together that night by the light of the fire.

  Erika watched Toni breastfeeding her small boy, George, and she longed to have her own baby son well again. She sat by Daniel and stroked his hair as she chatted with Toni. Dexter was having all kinds of fun entertaining Vlad’s oldest boy, Boris. He was a little merchant and always had a “great deal” to offer, even if it was trading a stick for a rock.

  Dexter showed him how to play American Baseball with a mango and a big branch, but their fun came to an end when Dexter took his turn at bat and smashed the mango into little bits that flew out in all directions. Both boys were juicy from the event, and they laughed as they collected the broken bits and ate them.

  Vince, Vlad and Don talked long into the night about the current state of affairs and the best routes to take to get up North without too much interference. Most of the remaining land had been calculated and doled out, but there were still environmentalists screaming about virgin untouched woodlands. They got their way, but it was mostly mountaintops and inhospitable places that were put aside. No one was very concerned about the state of the wildlife. They were much more concerned with returning to some form of the life they had formerly known before the quake, the riots and the starvation. It would be these areas that Vince’s family would have to exploit to travel. By the end of the night. Toni still didn’t have an answer for Erika. She didn’t see anything that should be causing the boy’s body to react the way it was.

  Erika wrapped Daniel up tightly in her arms and slept with him. She awoke many times to his painful thrashing during the night and was up pacing the edge of the ship long before anyone else. She jumped when she heard Toni’s voice behind her.

  “We need to get him to Dlores in Reno as soon as we can,” Toni admitted.

  “That’s where we were headed before that storm,” Erika replied. “Do you think she would turn us in?” Erika asked, admitting her fears.

  “No, she is a sympathizer. She will help you and she has the equipment to do so,” Toni assured Erika. “If it were my son, that’s where I would be headed.”

  “Shhhh...” Erika commanded, her ears sensing something in the distance.