My heart pounded in my chest and my knees rattled about as much as the end of the snake’s tail had. I clutched the stick and would have demanded we turn around, except I realized by that point it was just as far down as it was up. We continued up the hill, taking slow cautious steps. The stick I held shook in my white-knuckled grasp as I swayed it back and forth through the tops of the thorny brush, looking for any undesirable movement. Somehow, I managed to hold back sobs, but not the tears already sliding down my cheeks.
When we finally reached the top, I jumped onto the road, turned toward Max and shoved a hand against his chest knocking him backwards about two feet.
“Don’t you ever, ever make me walk through rattlesnake-infested weeds again!”
“Okay, okay. Sheesh. I just didn’t want to walk up the hill the long way. I’m tired and upset about our folks and now I need to put up with Courtland for the next who knows how many days. We’ll stay on the road on the way home if you want. Come on.” He took my hand in his and we walked up the long curvy driveway to Cooper Murdock’s place.
***
Cooper sat in front of his barn on a bundle of hay with his face in his hands. I was surprised to see the stable still standing, considering mine wasn’t. A pang of jealousy pierced the back of my mind, but was immediately squashed by sorrow as I glanced over at his house. Red chunks of tile lay scattered in and around the house where the back part of the roof had caved in, covering three-quarters of the building.
“Coop, you’re okay!” Max shouted and we ran to him, excited to find an adult close by. I worried about Courtland’s burns and the idea of a grown-up around to help gave me some hope.
Cooper raised his head and watched us walk closer. Dark streaks stained his cheeks and my heart sank in my chest again. I looked around for his wife and baby but they were nowhere to be seen.
“Cooper? Are you okay?” Max asked.
Cooper just stared at us as if he didn’t comprehend the question.
“Lisa and the baby?”
Cooper shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” Max and I said together.
“They were in the house when the quake hit. Lisa had been giving Annie a bath at the time. Maybe they’d finished. Maybe they never even started. I don’t really know. I was outside tending to the horses when the rumbling started. I figured the shaking was only another aftershock and wouldn’t do any damage until I realized it wasn’t stopping. I ran toward the house as the hillside slid into the back wall. The entire back of the house is under dirt and the ceiling caved in. Lisa and Annie never had a chance.”
Cooper’s voice choked on a sob and he wiped his hand over his eyes. I glanced at Max who stood stock still as I inched my fingers into his palm and he squeezed his hand around mine.
“I should be dead with them,” Cooper continued. “Lisa wanted me to stay inside and take pictures of Annie’s bath for the baby book. She was so tiny, only three days old. I told her I’d come in a minute after I checked on the animals. They’d been making some strange noises and acting antsy. I figured they still had the jitters from all the aftershocks we’d been having after last week’s quakes. I told her to wait. Maybe she did, but they were in the back of the house by the nursery when the roof collapsed.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Murdock,” Adela said.
He wiped the palms of his hands over his entire face and glanced up at me. “Cooper. You’re Adela Castielle, right?”
I nodded.
“Your mom helped with Annie’s delivery. A wonderful woman. Is she okay?”
An ache bubbled in my chest as I shook my head. “I don’t know. There wasn’t any sign of her around the house.
“Ahhh, jeez. I’m so sorry, but maybe she’ll turn up. What about you, Max? Your folks okay?”
“No, they’re … both gone. The house burned down. I’m pretty sure they were inside. There was no sign of them anywhere else and both cars were in the driveway.”
Cooper hung his head for a moment before he stood and embraced Max in a long hug. They held on to one another for a long time before Cooper pulled slightly away and patted Max on the back. “I’m real sorry, Max. Real sorry. Your dad was a good man and your mom a terrific lady. She was also here with Lisa during her entire labor. We'd have never made it to the hospital in time. Lisa's water broke and then things just started moving along so fast and ... well, if your moms hadn't been around, I don't know what I would have done. Good thing they are both doulas. Maybe they’ll show up. Have you heard anything? How big was the quake? Do you know how much damage there’s been?”
“No, we haven’t heard anything. Other than some people in town who helped us get over a fifteen-foot wide chasm in the middle of the road, you’re the first one we’ve come across.”
“Other than Courtland,” I added.
Max frowned. “Right.”
“Where’s he?” Cooper asked.
“He’s in Max’s cellar waiting for us to come back. He has some serious burns on his leg and arm. He sprained his ankle and can’t walk on his own and needs a doctor,” I said.
“Well, I’ve got a first aid kit somewhere in the barn along with a radio, if that’ll help. I’m sure there are at least some Band-Aids in it for your hand, Adela.”
I glanced at the cloth tied around the cut hand that I kept forgetting about.
“I’ve been sitting here like a dead weight, feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t do anything for Lisa and Annie. Wasn’t sure what to do next.” Cooper squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his lips tightly. He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and gestured toward the wide double doors to the stable.
“Come on. I’m glad you two came by. Let’s go find out how much damage this quake caused and if we’re going to get any help soon.”
We walked to Cooper’s barn and I was surprised to see a lone horse standing in the pasture on the other side of the building.
Cooper tipped his head toward the solitary animal. “That’s Old Willy. The other horses ran off when I opened the gate but Willy, I think he’s too ornery to be bothered by the shaking and rumbling. Have a seat on one of those hay stacks and make yourselves comfy.”
The inside of the barn looked completely unharmed except for a toppled-over haystack scattered on the ground. Cooper found the first aid kit and handed the metal box to me.
“Should be a booklet inside to give you some advice on the burns or any other treatments you might need.”
“Thanks.” I took the box by the handle and set it down on the straw-covered ground beside me.
“Here’s the radio.” Cooper pushed in the power button on an old battery-powered unit that sat on top of a wide post, and static from the radio filled the air. He adjusted a few of the buttons and fiddled with the two long antennas sticking out of the back of the antique-looking metal contraption until we heard a male voice amongst the static and listened to the announcer describe the devastation from the quake.
“A megathrust quake,” the guy said. “A multitude of epicenters occurred throughout California, one triggering the next. The first one started on the San Andreas Fault line, registering 9.1 on the Richter scale. Another in Northern California activated several other faults, including the Bear Mountain fault, which ran right through Lotus.”
“That must be why the earthquake went on for so long,” I muttered.
We listened to the announcer tell how sand-blows occurred at Santa Barbara. Several rivers, including the American, overflowed the flood plains, breaking two major dams and flooding most of Granite Bay and Folsom, two major towns west of Pleasant Ridge. There were reports of sunken trees and miles of buckled roads between Stockton and Sacramento. Many major buildings toppled to the ground in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. All the highways were closed until all the infrastructures were tested for safety. So many bridges and overpasses had collapsed and many roads had multiple rockslides, making them impassable.
“My dad,” I whispered.
“Your da
d?” Cooper asked.
“My dad went to Sacramento this morning. He has to be okay, right? They’re supposed to have all those earthquake-safe buildings.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Cooper said and glanced at Max, their faces showing the doubt my heart denied, but I refused to accept the grim possibility of my father’s fate. My dad had to be alive.
There had been reports of multiple quakes as far north as Redding, south to San Diego, and east to Las Vegas. The damage assessment was undetermined as authorities were having difficulty communicating with many cities and towns and most of the rescue teams were coming in from other areas. Almost the entire state of California experienced tremors.
Several tsunamis as high as thirty feet occurred along parts of the coast, wiping out cities as far as ten miles inland. The damage from those had not yet been assessed.
“You kids better get going back to Courtland. He’s going to need that kit and it’s going to get dark and chilly soon. The temperature tonight is gonna drop below the norm because of the quake.”
“Don’t you want to come with us?” Max asked.
“No. I want to stay here. I’m going to bury my wife and baby girl. Then I’ll take old Willy out, scout around, look for other people. I wasn’t much use here saving my own but maybe I can help somewhere else. Take this extra gallon of water with you. It’s not much but might get you through another day before you’ll have to scout the area for more. It’s gonna take some time for me to get to the pipes to get more, providing the pump in the well survived. I’ll know more in a few days. Wish I had more to offer but all the food is under dirt, along with the entire kitchen. You’re gonna have to learn to hunt, Max.”
“Thanks, Cooper.”
“Max, take care. If you need anything, I’ll be around here for a day or so before I take off.”
“Will do and if you change your mind and want to come to the cellar, the offer still stands.”
The wind picked up and I was glad we took Cooper’s advice and left when we did. Funny—Court had warned me about the same thing. The sun was on its way down and there were enough clouds in the sky to make a very dramatic sunset. The sun looked like a big ball and the clouds, mingled with the dust and grime from the destruction, floated through the bright orange. It was rather beautiful, but the thought of how it got that way made my stomach turn.
We walked down the hill. Max kept his promise and we stayed on the road away from the rattlesnake-infested weedy areas.
“I wonder if Courtland is okay.”
“He’s fine, I’m sure. You seem to care about him a lot.”
“He never did anything to me to make me dislike him. Why do you hate him so much?”
“Guy’s a jerk wad. Always has been. He’s always looking at me with those accusing eyes of his, like he can see right through me.”
He probably could. He had that way about him, but I kept that piece of information to myself. I didn’t even tell Max about how Court prevented me from being thrown and trampled by Big Blue, or how he’d just saved me during the quake when the school roof toppled down on top of us. Max harbored some resentment against Courtland Reese and I was curious to find out what happened between them.
“That’s no reason to hate someone.”
“We just don’t get along. Ever since we were kids, he’s made me feel uncomfortable. Back in fourth grade, he and I had a fistfight. He was big for his age and flattened me with one punch, gave me a black eye. I didn’t even get a good solid punch in.”
“So you hate him because he’s stronger than you are?”
“No. And he’s not. Not anymore.”
I did wonder about that. Court was still larger than Max, not only in height but … well … jeez. Court was solid muscle. I’d noticed that when I helped him get back onto the board, but bringing that up right now was not the best idea. Anyhow, trying to figure out who was stronger seemed ludicrous. “What did you fight about?”
“Hell, I don’t remember. I think I said something about his mother being a half-breed. I didn’t know until later that she had died in a car accident that same day.” He shook his head.
“Why didn’t you apologize when you found out?”
“I don’t know. One thing led to another. That’s not all of it.”
“Why would you call her a half-breed anyway? I didn’t realize you were so prejudiced.”
“Look, I don’t have a racist bone in my body. He made me mad. We’d found that stupid mutt and ...”
“Shiloh?”
“Whatever. It wouldn’t listen to a thing I told it to do. Anyway, he told me I didn’t know the first thing about handling a dog so I decided I’d show him how I handled stupid people who thought they knew everything.” Max chuckled. “We were kids. I guess I showed him, right?” He glanced at me. “That was a joke,” he added when I didn’t laugh. “Ever since, we haven’t gotten along. Anyway, Adela, why do you care how I feel about Courtland Reese? Do you like him?”
Now I did laugh. It was easier since I didn’t quite know how to answer that question. I didn’t dislike Courtland. I’d resented him for a while because my dad considered him an expert and preferred his advice to mine when it came to Big Blue. I didn’t think anyone could handle him better than me—until that morning last week after the first earthquake. Big Blue really scared me and for a second I thought I was going to land flat on my face and the horse I loved beyond almost anything was going to hurt me unintentionally. Courtland handled Big Blue so easily, soothing and calming my horse’s nerves. Blue had never taken to anyone besides me and my dad. I had to admit, I was jealous of Courtland’s gift, but was also in awe of the way he took the reins and led Blue around without telling me to get down. When I thought back, I realized he wanted me to stay on so Blue could get used to me again. I thought he was being mean, but he was actually helping me.
“Adela?”
“What?” I glanced up at the sound of Max saying my name, his voice soft now, gentle, I’d almost think … caring.
“You do like him, don’t you?”
I thought about that. “You mean, ‘like’ like? As in crushing on him? No. Don’t be absurd.” My throat tightened at the possibility that I did.
“Well, if you want to like him, go ahead. It doesn’t matter in the least to me.”
So there it was. I stopped walking for a couple of seconds to process what Max said. If Max hated Court so much, why didn’t it bother him if I “liked” him? God. I suddenly wanted my mom. I’d never really been able to talk to her about my feelings for Max, but she knew I cared for him in a way other than just as a friend. But the thought of not ever being able to talk to my mom again about this or anything else was almost too much too bear at the moment and it was much easier to think about Max and whether or not I liked Court.
“Come on, we’d better hurry. It’s almost dark.” Max grabbed my arm and tugged me forward.
The wind picked up, blowing hard against us, making me shiver. If it got any stronger, some of those fires would spread. We picked up our pace and I struggled to keep up with Max’s long strides, especially carrying a large first aid kit. Max carried the gallon of water, which was probably lighter, but there was no way I thought he would carry the kit, knowing it was for Courtland.
Then I had another puzzling thought about Max. Did Max mean he didn’t care if I liked Courtland as a friend or in a different way? I guess I wanted him to care a little more than he did. The possibility of never finding my mom and dad or my brother and sister made me remember that Max might be the closest thing to family I had left and the thought of him not caring how I felt about another guy made it worse.
Chapter 12
~~ Courtland ~~
The thought occurred to me that it was entirely possible Max and Adela left me down in the cellar to die, but at least I was out of the sun. I was certain that if Max had his way they would have, but I didn’t think Adela had it in her. She struck me as someone with a great amount of empathy and awareness of
the attitudes and feelings of others, even when she tried to hide her sensitivity. Adela wasn’t hung up on unimportant idiotic things such as make-up and flirting with all the guys like so many of the girls at school were.
She would come back. At least, I hoped she would.
Even if she didn’t, I would be okay, except for the broken heart I’d have to suffer. My burns would eventually heal as long as they continued to get the cool moisture they needed. At the moment every movement I made aggravated the little nerve endings at the burns making the pain almost unbearable. The tips of my fingers actually stung like the prickles of tiny needles stabbing me continuously and that royally sucked.
They closed the door when they left and the light from the single candle wasn’t much, but I didn’t need to see anything. It would be safer and really, why did I need light? I wasn’t going anywhere. Conserving what little supplies we had was the smart thing to do. I had to give Max that much, even if he was an idiot most of the time.
Finally, the door to the cellar creaked open and a little light filtered in. By the small amount, I guessed it was getting pretty late in the day, but still light enough to see as I propped myself up on my arms to greet whoever was coming. As it turned out, I didn’t need to see at all as Max’s loud, irritating voice bellowed down the stairs. As annoying as it was, I was relieved to hear it.
“Adela, what you do with your life is up to you,” Max said.
“You know, I think you’re being a bit childish about the whole situation.”
They reached the bottom of the stairs, stopped their jibber-jabbering, and stared at me.
“I thought you would be sleeping,” Adela said.
“Not a chance. You guys are loud enough to wake the dead.”
“Sorry. How are your burns?” she asked.
“They sting.”
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