He began with Yuma and told them the story of heading east to Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and of finding clues as to the possible survival of Ben.
“We wondered who covered your mother in the supermarket, and …”
“You saw my mother?”
“Yes … sorry,” answered Sean, suddenly realizing the sensitivity of the situation. He moved on quickly, describing the visit to the house and the restaurant. “There were clues that you may have survived, but Aaron didn’t want to have too much hope. But I knew deep down that he wanted to believe it. Although,” he chuckled, “he was pretty sure you were too inept to survive.”
Ben smiled. “I was.” He looked at Lila. “We both were. Somehow we made it through.”
“Somehow? Not the stories I heard. Anyway,” he went on to relate their adventures heading west, meeting Brittany, and finally showing up in Paradise.
“So, it was different back then?” asked Ben.
“Totally. It was the early days of Paradise. It had promise … so much promise.”
Brittany brought tea and homemade cookies and sat down next to Sean.
“How much power did the town have?” asked Lila.
“Not much at first. When we got there, it had lights. They were dim, but they worked. You have to understand, it wasn’t like now, where we’ve been used to living with no power for so long. We still missed the conveniences back then. Even a little bit of electricity was intoxicating.” He took a sip of his tea and put his hand over Brittany’s.
“Was it an established town or a new one?” asked Ben.
“Kind of a cross between the two. There was a town—or the remains of one—nearby, but it wasn’t inhabited. This town sprang up in the parking lot of a small power plant on the banks of a river. Over time it expanded beyond the parking lot. That’s when we arrived. We were met by a man named Baxter. He had been an engineer at the plant when the power went out. He spent a year trying to get the power back, and eventually succeeded to some degree. By then, a couple dozen people had congregated around the plant in tents, and a small community popped up. Baxter was a really good guy whose singular purpose was to bring power back to the country as best he could. His strength, however, was also his weakness. He was a nuts and bolts engineer, not a leader. Smart and cordial, but his vision was focused in on the power, not building a town. By the time we got there, a town council was in place.”
“The beginning of the end,” said Brittany in a quiet voice.
“It was,” agreed Sean. “Problem was, we didn’t see it until it was too late. I suppose it was the beginning of the ‘evil’, as you call it, but it was enough for us, so we left.”
“And my brother?”
“He chose to stay. He really had no choice. It was the age old story. He had fallen in love. Emily was the only teacher in the town and wouldn’t leave her kids. No matter how bad it got, she felt she couldn’t leave them without a teacher.”
“And Aaron couldn’t leave Emily,” added Brittany. “We understood. When love hits, you can’t really do anything about it. She felt she had a job to do, and Aaron decided his job was to protect her and make sure she had the freedom to teach.”
“And no matter how bad it got,” said Sean, “Aaron was the one person they didn’t mess with in that town, so Emily had free reign at the school.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” asked Lila.
“Well, that brings us back to the story of the town. I imagine in your travels you’ve run across a fair amount of greed and power trips.”
Ben and Lila glanced at each other, and the memories rushed in—the camp where Lila had been held prisoner; Ben’s long months in the prison cell in Washington. Those were the extremes, but how many other examples had they encountered that were just as insidious, but not as overt and organized?
“We’ve seen our share,” answered Ben.
“Well, it was no different in Paradise. The town council was full of people who all ‘knew’”—he made quotation marks with his fingers—“the right way to do things. With such a small number of people in the town, you’d think they could come to some consensus, but no. As is always the case, the biggest and loudest prevailed. The stage had been set before we arrived, so the loudest were already basically in charge by then.”
“What did you do?” asked Lila.
“Nothing at first,” answered Sean. “We were new. We had to get the lay of the land. Also, the problems weren’t immediately apparent. It didn’t seem like it was really any different from other town governments. As the town grew, the more powerful town council members slowly weeded out the weaker—or maybe I should say more honest—members, and replaced them with puppets who would go along with anything they decided. They decided that the power wasn’t increasing fast enough. The pressure on Baxter to produce more than he was able became unbearable. Aaron and I—having electrical backgrounds in the Marines—tried to help, but it wasn’t enough. They found Baxter one morning in bed, dead of a heart attack.”
Sean continued. “Baxter had taught a few people some of what he was doing with the plant, so they were able to continue his work. But it was slower without his expertise. Eventually, though, the lights were stronger, and electricity began to filter its way into the town. People could use refrigerators, we had running water, and you actually started to hear music from some old record players people had found in antique shops.”
He took a sip of tea and set it down on the table.
“The seat of power, if you want to call it that, changed hands a couple more times in just a couple of months. It was becoming quite chaotic. Dangerous, really. So I think people were actually relieved when the don came.”
“The don?”
“You know, like in The Godfather. I don’t think he really was a don. But he was some kind of Chicago mobster. Came in with about twenty tough guys. It didn’t take long for him to be running the town. A lot of the townspeople embraced him, but it was clear where it was all heading. That’s when we left. We tried hard to get Aaron to come with us. I could tell he was torn. He didn’t want to stay there—it was just as obvious to him that while the don might bring temporary order, the long-term prospects were anything but rosy—but he was deeply in love and Emily wouldn’t leave. Tiff was a few months old—old enough to travel—so we left. We heard about the Yellowstone community and decided to give it a try.”
“Could the ‘don’ be capable of everything we’ve heard about … and seen?” asked Lila.
“Don’t know,” answered Sean. “We weren’t there long enough to know how far he would go, but I suppose anything is possible. But why? What does he gain by importing people?”
“Strength,” replied Lila. “If he was really some kind of mobster, wouldn’t his success depend on how large his organization is? And what better way to build loyalty than to dangle the enticement of electricity in front of people.”
“Even if everyone hated him,” added Ben, “they would probably do their best to tolerate him if it meant living with electricity. It’s amazing what people can rationalize.”
“Okay, I can accept that, I suppose, but why destroy other towns? Why discard older people? I mean, we had some old people living in Paradise, and it didn’t look as if he was going to do away with them.”
“They were established already,” answered Ben. “Politically it wouldn’t be in his best interest to mess with the status quo. As for why he would destroy other towns, that’s easy. It’s the age-old story of conquerors. He’s building an empire, and the only way to ensure success is to eliminate the competition.”
“You seem to have a good grasp of history,” noted Brittany.
“We read a lot of books in our years in the forest. At one point I got into a history kick. Not sure why, exactly. Nostalgia, maybe? It’s like in one brief moment we wiped out thousands of years of struggle by man. I guess I just wanted to learn more about those struggles.”
There was a moment of silence, as they all seemed to drift into mem
ories of the past. The only sounds were the children playing in the background.
“Well,” said Sean, finally. “Why don’t you stay here tonight—in fact, as long as you need to. Can I assume you will be joining our community?”
“We would love to,” said Lila. “I guess we have to think about finding a place to live.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Sean. “I have lots of lumber I’ve brought in from my forays, and lots of people who have promised me labor if I ever need it—their part of the barter. I don’t need anything done, so I’ll take them up on it for you. All you have to do is decide where you want to live. I can show you some choice locations that haven’t been claimed yet. Some of the most beautiful spots you’ve ever seen.”
“That’s so kind of you,” said Lila. Ben hadn’t seen her this happy and excited in a long time.
“For the family of my best friend, I could never do enough. Which leads to a question …”
“Am I going to make the journey to Paradise at some point?” asked Ben.
Sean nodded his head.
“I’m anxious to see my brother,” he answered, “but for years I thought he was dead. My first priority has to be to make a home and decide how we can give back to the community. After that? Yeah, at some point I need to find him.”
“When you do,” said Sean. “I’ll come with you.”
I may have sounded nonchalant about my timetable for going to see Aaron, but in fact, it was burning a hole in my heart. And I knew that Lila was very aware of my need to find my brother. But as deep as the feelings were, my first responsibility was to my family. It wasn’t just building the house. It was everything involved with survival: making sure we had plenty of wood for the fall and winter; gathering a small herd of animals—cows and goats for milking, chickens for eggs, and animals to provide meat if hunting got lean. And a million other things to do to get established.
No, I didn’t foresee being able to find my brother until the following summer at the earliest.
Or so I thought…
Chapter 25
The spot they picked was one of the most spectacular places Ben had ever seen. In a valley virtually untouched by the earthquake—in fact, Ben was amazed at how little of Yellowstone had been affected by the quake. Maybe it had something to do with the strength of the rock underneath the ground, but he was just speculating. He knew nothing about geology. It could have just been a fluke thing.
In the valley were acres and acres of long grass, with a wide stream winding its way through the middle. Tall cliffs surrounded the valley, giving it the illusion of total privacy. Yet, at the same time, it was only a mile from the road that ran down to the town. Once they got Katie started in the school, traveling time would be less than an hour by horseback.
As promised by Sean, help was abundant. Once they decided on the location, it was only a few days before the frame of the house was constructed. A couple of weeks after that, it was livable. A few of the workers put up a small corral and barn. Ben and Lila were blown away by the enthusiasm they encountered among the neighbors. Nobody complained about the work and everyone seemed genuinely happy to welcome the newcomers.
The house was small, with two tiny bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room, and a small living room. Sean brought them a woodstove for the living room and a wood cook stove. A pantry was dug under the kitchen, with a ladder and trapdoor. The coolness of the pantry would take the place of a refrigerator to some extent. During the winter, the outdoors would be their freezer. One of their neighbors, Hank—Ben thought it an appropriate name for a cowboy—helped them round up some wild cattle. Hank had grown up on a ranch in Wyoming and knew his stuff when it came to cattle.
“You can let them out into the valley to graze,” he explained. “In the beginning they might wander a bit, but if you keep bringing them back to the corral at night, they will eventually roam less and less.”
Hank also brought them some chickens and pigs, as well as two goats.
“I have a surplus,” he explained. “Over the last couple of years my pigs and chickens have multiplied. Don’t need so many.”
“I don’t know my role yet in the community,” explained Ben, “but if there is anything I can do for you, just give me a holler.”
About a month after the house was finished, Ben was working to create space for a garden when he heard the approach of hoof beats. He looked around to see two bearded men sitting atop horses and looking down at him with frowns.
“You’re getting pretty snobby in your old age,” said one. “You too good to look up old friends?”
And then the recognition set in. “Nick? Jason? Oh my God!”
The frowns turned to smiles and both men jumped off their horses and embraced Ben. Lila looked out the door of the house and gave a squeal. She ran out and hugged them.
Brittany was visiting that day—she and Lila had become best friends and spent a lot of time together—and she said, “You guys all know each other, I assume. Hey, Nick. Hi Jason.”
“Hi Brit,” responded Nick. “We do. We met a long time ago.”
“They were the ones who warned us about the coming earthquake on the east coast, and suggested we settle in the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Ben. He turned to his friends. “I can’t believe you’re here. We heard all about the plague back east and knew you had avoided it. Heard it from a guy we met named Frederick.”
“Older guy with a limp and really bad body odor?”
“That’s the one.”
“We’ve been here about two years now. We’re about four miles deeper in the wilderness. You know us, we like to keep to ourselves.”
“We’d probably be there too,” replied Ben, “but we need to be closer to the town so Katie can attend school. She needs that socialization.”
Nick and Jason had changed dramatically in appearance. When Ben and Lila first met them, they still had that “civilized” look about them. Now they were both broader in the shoulders, muscular, and seemed totally at home in their new surroundings.
“We saw a veterinarian’s office in town,” Ben said to Jason. “Is that you?”
“I take my turn in there a couple of times a week. There’s another vet, and he lives in town, so he’s there most of the time.”
The two men stayed a couple of hours and caught up. Of course, the question of Lila’s eye patch was broached, so the story was related.
“That really sucks,” said Jason. “But I’ve got to say that it makes you look even sexier.”
“A high compliment, coming from a gay man,” added Nick.
They all laughed.
“In all seriousness, it’s really not so bad now,” responded Lila. “I’ve gotten used to it. My ankle is almost more of a pain than my eye, but now that we do more riding than walking, the ankle doesn’t act up so much. With everything that has happened to this world, if this is the worst I have to deal with, then I consider myself lucky.”
They made arrangements to tour Nick and Jason’s property as soon as possible, and the two men rode away. Nick was in search of a top-of-the-line telescope to do some stargazing. Since Sean hadn’t run across one in his travels, they were going to scour the remains of the outlying towns themselves.
Ben, meanwhile, went back to work chopping wood for the winter and growing whatever vegetables he could this late in the season, unaware of the panic that was about to befall them.
*****
It came a few weeks later, as they were approaching the latter stages of summer. With the help of Sean and Brittany, Nick and Jason, and others, they were almost settled. The whole process took far less time than Ben could have hoped for. As in Monett, he was amazed at the contentment among the residents. Living alone for six years, Ben and Lila never experienced the transition between worlds with others, so it came as a surprise as to how settled the remaining population had become. Their only memories were of the shock and sadness they encountered everywhere they went that first year.
As much as th
ey had liked their life in the Great Smoky Mountains, it couldn’t compare to their new home. If that was Eden, this was certainly Heaven. Their view of the surrounding mountains was spectacular. The stream that ran through their property was wide enough to be considered a small river, and the meadow was lush with tall grass and colorful flowers. They had truly found their home. The transition was complete. The world they had once known was gone. They had long ago ceased to miss the “conveniences” of their old life, but now they had taken that next step, that of fully embracing the peace and tranquility that their new world offered. It was a significant change of consciousness—the meaning of which didn’t escape them.
Katie was fully ensconced in school. The sole teacher in town turned out to be an enthusiastic middle-aged woman who somehow managed to creatively and effectively teach thirty children of diverse ages without anyone feeling lost. She challenged them, and they embraced it. She taught them about the world before the event so that they could understand where their parents had come from, as well as the attitudes and culture that made them who they were. But she also spent much time on the making of America—the early discoverers, the native peoples, and the migration west from the cities—making sure none of the students missed the similarities to their own life. In the process, Katie formed numerous friendships, proving to Ben that Lila was correct in her dreams for their daughter.
At seven, Katie had become fairly independent, and would often ride by herself to friends’ houses—those who weren’t more than a couple of miles away. At first, these were the few times when Ben missed one of the remnants of his old life—cell phones. How nice it would have been to be able to have Katie call when she arrived at a friend’s house. But even that anxiety dissipated when he saw the ease with which she was able to get around.
It was a beautiful sunny day when she disappeared. She was going on a picnic with her best friend Sophie, and Sophie’s mom, Brenda. It was nothing unusual. Katie and Sophie spent a lot of time together, usually in the presence of Brenda or Lila. Although Lila didn’t feel the closeness with Brenda that she did with Brittany, they were good friends nonetheless, and she was forever grateful for the interest Brenda showed in Katie. In Brenda’s hands, Katie would always be safe.
Eden Lost (Eden Rising Trilogy Book 2) Page 17
