The Changing Earth Series (Book 1): Day After Disaster

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  Jen smiled wide with pride as Betsy joined them at the fire. She hugged her daughter fiercely.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Betsy exclaimed. Tears streamed down her face as she held Jen tightly.

  Erika didn’t think it was possible for anyone to smile any bigger than Jen already was, but receiving this praise from her mother did the trick.

  As Betsy let go of Jen, she looked to Vince and Erika, “And thank you two very much. You saved my daughters and brought them home safely again.” She hugged each one of them in turn, knowing it would be very hard to let any of her children out of her sight again. “I’m sure I grew a whole head of gray hairs tonight,” Betsy commented, trying to laugh.

  “Why don’t we say a prayer for her?” Jen suggested, knowing the pain her mother was struggling through.

  They all prayed together before Betsy left to go and attend to her daughter.

  It was deep into the night before they all headed back to the garden camp. They thanked Penni for keeping the food warm and wished her and Greg a great evening. Greg was now staying with Penni at her tent, which left a room for the kids at Erika and Vince’s tent. The fire there was burning low, but Nancy was waiting up with Brett when they arrived. He took care of the animal, and the pelt was salted and awaiting tanning. He saved all the claws and gave Jen and Erika each half of them. They could be tradable in the future, especially with the story that came with them. They talked quietly for a little while before everyone headed off to bed. They all slept soundly that night, thankful that everyone was still alive.

  Chapter 32

  Time plodded on at the Lotus Camp. Erika and Vince trained vigorously, but Erika made more time to spend with the horses. Kim kept her leg but was recovering slowly, and was wracked with infection and fever. Jen displayed a whole new attitude and worked with the horses daily. Greg and Penni became inseparable. The injuries Greg received at the Auburn compound healed, and he was soon at full strength, training and building around the camp. Nancy was busy with garden plans and kitchen duties. Life was good, and the quakes were few.

  Erika still couldn’t shake the feeling of impermanence, though. The more she enjoyed each day at the camp, the more she feared the feeling. She knew eventually they would leave. She should have been happy. Her family was together, their days were full, but she couldn’t get complacent. She blamed the past overwhelming circumstances for her feelings. She tried to drive them away, but it still seemed to her like she was standing on the tracks just waiting for the train to come around the corner.

  Finally, the issue came to a head. John Green returned from his scouting mission. He was tired and raggedy from his trip. Big John pitched his tent near Erika and Vince’s, scarfed down some food, took a shower, and went to sleep. He didn’t say much, and rumors of his arrival spread through the camp like a wildfire. Folks were already forecasting the outcome of his mission, the horrors he must have seen. Erika’s skin crawled with the fear of the unknown that was palpable in the air.

  Erika heard the news of Big John’s arrival when she was over at the horse paddocks working with Kit. She brushed him down and returned immediately. Vince was there, busy cutting firewood for the camp. When their eyes met they knew this was it. They would be on the move before the week was done. They chatted quietly about nothing while they waited. Vince just kept on splitting, while Erika paced around the ground, her mind alight with curiosity. Before too long, Erika could see her mom coming up the trail from the kitchen. She was organizing food inventories and collecting compost that was ready. It was much earlier than she was supposed to come back. Erika figured the ladies at the kitchens sent her for information, which Nancy was probably desperate for anyway. Who could blame her? Erika mused to herself, we all are. Nancy was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t see Erika watching her approach until she started to climb the hill to the campsite.

  “Oh, you’re home early, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Nancy remarked, startled by Erika watching her.

  “I could say the same,” Erika said, with a gleam in her eye. It was pointless to put on charades with one another. Each knew the other too well.

  “So, where is he?” Nancy asked, getting right to the point. It wasn’t her normal beat around the bush style and Erika stammered for a minute.

  “Vince said he went to sleep,” Erika replied flatly. “Poor guy must have been beat.”

  “Well, thank goodness he made it back safely,” Nancy said, full of concern. “I didn’t see him at the kitchen. Did he get some food?”

  “Vince gave him a can of soup we had in the tent,” Erika answered. Big John’s presence was going to force them to have a conversation they were avoiding, and Erika knew it.

  “Well, what did he say?” Nancy asked, bursting with curiosity.

  “I don’t know, Mom. He just went to bed. Probably wants to recharge before getting inundated with questions,” Erika explained. She was just as curious, but trying to hold it all together.

  “We’ll know soon enough, I guess,” Nancy murmured. Her disappointment with this lack of information was obvious. “Andrew will probably want to talk with him first anyway,” she continued almost to herself.

  “I’m surprised he isn’t here yet,” Erika said with a chuckle.

  “No, I heard,” Nancy lowered her voice, “from some of the guards, that there are problems with another group that’s camped over closer to Placerville. We’ve had to go further and further to hunt, and so do they. I guess there have been a couple of confrontations now. Andrew doesn’t want to alarm the whole camp, but they’re putting more and more guards at the gates.”

  “I know, I have gate duty in the morning,” Erika replied. She was hunting often and training with all the soldiers, so she already knew about the looming threat.

  “You do? Why didn’t you say anything?” Nancy asked, offended at being left out of the loop.

  “Because Andrew didn’t want to alarm the camp, Mom,” Erika explained, knowing her mom would have told someone at the kitchen and then Erika would’ve been to blame for letting the cat out of the bag.

  “But I’m your mother, and I wouldn’t have told a soul.” Nancy’s eyes glinted in a mischievous way as she said the words.

  “Oh yeah, sure,” Erika teased and hugged her. Nancy couldn’t help it. She loved gossip and if it was happening, she would know. The kitchen was gossip central. Everyone relaxing and enjoying meals discussed the day’s events while they ate. Nancy was frequently there. She relayed information and supplies from the garden to the kitchen. She was always talking with the kitchen ladies and knew all the stories.

  “Where’s Star and Dex?” Nancy questioned, looking around. It was their day off from school and they were usually hanging around.

  “They went out with the garden crew this morning. Ricardo said he would keep a sharp eye on them. They’ll be back before dinner,” Erika told her. The children were bored hanging around the camp. They begged and begged to go out to the gardens where they could play in the waterfalls by the river.

  “They’ll sleep good tonight, then,” Nancy commented. “The garden crews are trying to plant some chard seeds and broccoli seeds that we found. I think the seeds are still good and it’s worth a shot anyway. It’s a little late for a summer crop, but we’re going to need the food. Stocks are going quick and finding food is getting harder and harder,” Nancy rambled on with a look of concern in her eyes. “There’s just too many of us,” she finished, staring at Erika absently.

  “Let’s not get into it now, Mom. There’s no sense in starting this conversation when we don’t know what Big John has to say,” Erika replied. She was used to being on the defense on this issue.

  “No, Erika, I’m saying it may not be an argument anymore.” The tone of Nancy’s voice made Erika take notice. “I work in the supply house and I work out in those gardens. I can see the reality of our situation. Everyday more and more gets used up, and less and less comes in.” Nancy was concerned.

  Erika wa
s shocked. For weeks they argued over this question of staying or going. “Still Mom, let’s see what Big John has to say before we make any decisions. Plus, have you talked with Brett about this? You know how he feels about it.”

  “He’s the one who threw the obvious in my face,” Nancy replied with a little disdain.

  “Really,” Erika exclaimed. That was even more shocking. Brett argued passionately about staying put. He knew this area. He had stomped these grounds since he was a child and he made it very clear he was not going to leave. Now, Nancy was telling her that he had doubts all along and was changing his tune altogether.

  It was just before dinner when Big John woke up. Andrew arrived to talk with Big John but was waiting patiently, sipping tea with Erika, Vince, and Nancy. Groups returning from their day’s forays commenced with the evening routine of getting cleaned up and getting ready to head over for dinner. Nobody left, though. They hung around, chatting about the day’s events and discussing the garden details with Nancy.

  Harold returned from the electrical building. After cleaning up, he joined them at the fire.

  “Any luck?” Vince asked, inquiring into his success with the new communications setup they constructed.

  “No,” Harold replied, distraught. “It’s so weird, Vince, we know there’s other survivors out there. They have to be trying to communicate. It’s just dead. Like something is blocking every signal altogether. I’m curious what Big John found. What’s going on out there?”

  “Isn’t that the question of the year,” Vince laughed.

  Dexter and Star returned home with the gardeners.

  “I planted a whole area with broccoli and watered each little seed carefully,” Star boasted.

  “Well, I found the best skipping rock ever!” Dexter countered. “It skipped nine time! Nine times, can you believe that, Dad?”

  “Wow, that’s quite the rock and that’s a lot of planting,” Vince replied, hugging the children. “Good job, guys.”

  Dexter and Star smiled broadly as the evening noise grew louder and louder. No one wanted to leave for dinner. They were all eager to hear what Big John had to say. Some folks from the other occupational groups even wandered into the garden camp before going to dinner. This was very unusual, given that the garden camp was the furthest camp from the central area. Everyone stopped their conversations and turned their heads as the zzzzz sound of the zipper was heard coming from Big John’s tent.

  “Good evening, John,” Nancy said when she saw him stagger out sleepily.

  The crowd held perfectly still.

  “Hey, Nancy, good to see you,” Big John said in a deep voice. They hugged one another.

  “Are you all right? Do you need anything?” Nancy wondered.

  “Nope, all in one piece,” Big John beamed as he shook off the sleepiness.

  “How about some tea, then?” Nancy asked, scurrying to grab him a cup. “Here, sit down,” she instructed, pointing to a seat on the way to get him a cup.

  Everyone greeted Big John as he sat down. He met Andrew before he left, and he greeted him warmly as well. Dexter was playing with Star. John commented how big he had gotten and how nice it was to see everyone again. In this uncertain environment you never knew how things would go. Each meeting could be your last. The curiosity over his journey could not be contained for long, and Erika had to ask.

  “So, did you make it to Tahoe? What’s out there?” she blurted out.

  All eyes went to Big John, but dinner was only served for so long. In the back of their minds they knew time was tight. They needed to get over there soon.

  Big John laid it out simply. “The hole that engulfed Georgetown is massive. I passed it, headed east into the mountains. I made it to Stumpy Meadows (a mountain lake that supplied water to the surrounding area). The concrete spillway is gone, and the water flowed down the mountainside. There’s not much left but a puddle with dead fish surrounding it. The bears are loving it, though,” he chuckled, thinking back on a close encounter with a little black bear. “As I continued past Stumpy, it looked as if the earthquakes rippled the landscape like waves in the ocean. I swear the mountains are pushing upwards toward the east. I wish I was an agile guy or that I brought climbing gear. You need to be a monkey to get around those ravines. I found a route, though. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was in horrible shape. I’m gonna miss that backwoods hole in the wall, but the mountain people that are still there living much the same, minus the cabin. You know they only got power a few years ago,” Big John reminded them.

  “It’s true,” Vince agreed.

  “After resting for the night, I continued up into the mountains. Spider and the other high mountain lakes are still intact for the most part. Some were smaller due to the draining of water through the newly opened crevices, but there was water available to drink. I made it to Tahoe,” Big John announced. “The pass is still walkable, and horses will only speed the trip along, except. . .”

  “Except what, John?” Erika asked.

  “Tahoe was like a ghost town. I didn’t see anyone, but it’s enough to know we can get there. If we can get there before the snow, at least we can winter there. If we get really lucky, we can be in Nevada before the first flakes fly,” Big John said enthusiastically. The snow fall could be sudden and deadly and they all knew it. “I turned back as soon as I could to come get you guys. I did make a promise, but we have to leave tomorrow.”

  “Thank you for coming back,” Vince and Erika agreed.

  “We’ll be ready to go,” Vince assured him.

  Their minds were already made up. They would be leaving with Big John. The conversation was brought up short because it was time to leave for dinner before the kitchen was closed for the night.

  Andrew approached Big John on the way out. “Please, don’t talk too much about this yet. I don’t want everyone riled up before I can do some crowd control,” he requested.

  “You got it, Andrew,” John agreed, but it was too late.

  Andrew’s fears were quickly realized. There was no keeping this quiet. The whole camp was in an uproar faster than if someone would have tweeted the message to everyone in a not so distant past. They were quickly inundated with people who were waiting for the garden camp group to walk by, so they could get the news. The crowd continued to grow bigger and bigger around them as they headed for dinner.

  Andrew acted fast. He set up a tall stump near the food line and yelled, “All right, all right, everyone!” All eyes turned to him, “We all want to know how Big John’s trip went and there’ll be plenty of time for that. Let’s all get some food, so the kitchen workers can finish their night’s work and then, we’ll all hear his story together. Big John,” all eyes looked from Andrew to Big John, “Would you please start the line as our guest of honor?”

  Andrew focused the group masterfully. Sending John through the line first made people think about the line and then their food, so they could gather in an orderly fashion to hear the news rather than mobbing poor Big John. Erika scanned the full length of the line. The camp typically came for food in shifts, depending on what group they were part of. It was rare that the whole camp ate at once, and she hadn’t seen this since they arrived.

  Big John’s return was reason enough for everyone to eat together and tell stories long into the night. Seeing the people, all in one area, was overwhelming. Erika knew what the camp supplies looked like. Their raid on the Auburn Camp increased the supply. They were hunting, fishing, and gathering as much as they could, but still, she was curious how long they could sustain this vast group. There were no grocery stores. No trucks bringing food from the four corners of the world. Next summer the gardens would be productive, and they planted some winter crops, but that harvest was still a long way off. Erika wondered how long the fragile balance of the camp would last once the food ran low. They were already on tight rations and everyone was working much harder than they were used to just to survive in this altered reality.

  “Hey guys, what’s up?” G
reg’s cheerful voice snapped Erika back to reality.

  “What’s up, G-man?” Erika replied.

  “Hey buddy, what’s going on?” Vince asked.

  “Big John’s back, he came to your camp first, right? So, hook a brother up with the 411,” Greg insisted.

  Erika noticed ears perking up in the crowd around them. “Big John’s going to tell the camp what he saw after dinner,” Erika said loudly for all to hear. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “We’re outta here, Greg. Start packing.”

  “Really,” Greg’s mind was wandering. He was obviously considering the implications.

  “Is it Penni?” Vince questioned. He knew his best friend inside and out.

  “Yeah, she just got our tent all situated to make room for me with her kids and all. She’s not really into trekking into the unknown. She loves Cali, you know? She loves the sun and she has always lived here,” Greg explained. Obviously, they’d discussed leaving already.

  The crowd was perking up again, listening in on their conversation.

  “Guys, let’s talk about it later, okay?” Erika warned as she motioned toward the people leaning toward them to listen in.

  Before long, they reached the front of the line and got their carefully allotted dinner. Penni and her kids were not far behind them in line, and they all went to a grassy area to eat. Nancy and Brett were already there with Big John. Even though everyone was going insane with curiosity, they gave Big John space, so he could eat in peace. There was a hard-wired social law in effect and no one was about to step out of line.

  After the meal, Big John took center stage. He was a reserved, quiet man but he laid it all out for the whole camp. He told them how widespread the quakes were. He explained how lucky they were, that they hadn’t been continuously rocked at this camp because the quakes were still shaking he went. He told them he was not staying. He was headed east, possibly all the way to the Rockies. The assembled survivors were enraptured. A murmur would run through the crowd every once in a while, but for the most part they were quietly reflecting on personal choices that would have to be made. Even Andrew sat with his hand on his chin, wondering how the group would respond and what he personally would do. Erika and Vince weren’t considering the options. They were out of there. They were only thinking about packing.