Mrs. Moore shot a quick glance at April before looking down at her hands and sighing before answering her.
“Not everyone was willing to leave. Some of our people had a hard time accepting that help wouldn’t be coming. The students that left were naturally independent and didn’t hesitate to go. I couldn’t leave the rest of my students alone so I chose to help them shelter in place. That decision cost two adults and five students their lives. It’s something I’ll have to live with for as long as I have left on this earth.”
April shoved back in her chair and went to her teacher, grasping her hands.
“NO, nothing that happened was your fault! You’re the only reason so many of us are alive!” She turned to face the others and explained, “It was my mother. She fought Mrs. Moore at every turn and convinced the others that they couldn’t leave. Two of the boys ran away at the first sign of trouble and Marco and his men caused the other deaths. What happened today to Molly and Ashley was beyond any one’s control!” She turned back to her teacher. “YOU saved us. YOU got us this far and YOU will get us home!”
The older woman brushed a silent tear off her cheek and gave April a grateful hug. Val leaned against the counter beside them and asked April, “Where is your mother?”
April sniffed back the tears in her throat and explained what had happened when they tried to escape from the tunnels. Val gave a sharp nod.
“Then she died a hero.”
April nodded in agreement and with a final pat for her teacher, returned to her seat. Everyone was silent as they thought about what they had just heard. April wanted answers so she asked them about what the young girl had told her. Val seemed to look inside herself as she remembered those first days.
“Yes, that’s true. Almost all the people who are here now didn’t live here when the crash happened. A lot of the women worked in these homes as domestic staff or maids. I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong. There are still original owners living here but there aren’t many and we didn’t force anyone out and take over their homes. My background is military and I was home on leave when it all happened. I knew exactly what had happened when everything went dark. I knew that the apartments my friends and family lived in wouldn’t sustain us so I gathered as many as I could and we came here to get the rest of our people. We had planned on heading up into the mountains but once we got here I saw how we could use the wall and gate to our advantage as well as the reservoir. Almost all the residents of this neighborhood that were here that day were wives. Their husbands were stuck in the city and not one made it back. They were grateful that someone took charge and blocked the gate. None of them knew anything about surviving without modern conveniences. We helped them to survive and live. A few couldn’t take it and left of their own free will but most stayed and learned how to help us survive. I’m not a dictator. We vote as a community on all major decisions including all the former residents. A lot of the ladies chose to move in together so they wouldn’t be alone and they opened their doors to the rest of us.”
Mrs. Moore leaned forward.
“You were more than lucky. Strong leadership and a willingness to work as a team helped you all. We’re grateful to you for taking us in but how do we go forward? Juan had mentioned a refugee camp farther north?”
Val sent a look at her two friends before answering.
“Yes, I don’t know their total numbers but we do know there are over a hundred thousand people spread out through the valley in camps and towns.”
April and Liam both gasped in shock at the number but Val just shook her head.
“I know that sounds like a lot but think about how many millions of people lived in California before that day. That’s less than three percent who survived. I’m sure that others got out in different directions but what’s left is just a drop in the bucket compared to how many died in the first few weeks.”
Mrs. Moore nodded.
“What do you know about what conditions are like there?”
Val snorted in distain. “I know you couldn’t force me to move my people up there!”
At the teacher’s, and the students’, concerned look she sighed.
“Look, it’s not like they’re bad people. It’s just, they’re still trying to run things like the old days. They’ve got politicians running things and maybe that’s what they need with so many people there but they’re constantly trying to get us to move and they just don’t get why we wouldn’t want to be governed by them. It really bugs a few of them that we don’t want to have to carry around ration cards for every meal and water or have a curfew imposed on us. We have a really good thing going here and we work hard every minute to keep it. There’s no way any of us would give that up!”
Mrs. Moore smiled in agreement.
“I would feel exactly the same way if I was in your shoes but unfortunately we can’t stay here. It’s my responsibility to get my students home so we’ll be forced to travel through that area.”
Camila joined the conversation for the first time.
“I should be able to help you with that. My job is communication and I monitor the Ham radio we have set up here. I’ve gotten to know a few of their radio operators. From what they’ve told me, I know that they’ve set up a trade route that runs north into Oregon and up into Washington. Last time I chatted with one of the girls she said something about pushing into Idaho. I haven’t heard anything about Canada but if they have secure routes that far north, it’s one step closer. I’ll get on the horn first thing in the morning and feel them out. I can’t promise anything but we’ll have more information after I talk with them. You should consider staying for a few days while I put something together. We’d like to hold a funeral for the two girls you lost.”
Mrs. Moore bowed her head.
“That would be very kind of you all. We can’t thank you enough for your help.”
Val, Juan and Camila all rose from their seats. Val reached over and placed her hand on Mrs. Moore’s shoulder.
“There aren’t very many of us left so it’s our duty to help when we can.”
April took that opening and asked,
“Will you help me?”
At Val’s questioning look, April squared her shoulders.
“Will you teach me how to shoot a gun?”
A smile spread across Val’s face as she started to nod her head.
“It would be my pleasure. That’s one of the most important skills you can have these days. Tomorrow, after the funeral, I’ll teach any one in your group who wants to learn.”
After that, the three leaders took their leave and the rest said good night. April lay in the soft clean bed and thought about what they had learned that night. She’d always had hope that they would make it home but now that she knew more about what was ahead of them, she had more certainty.
Chapter 15
The next day dawned grey and overcast as if the sun was in mourning with them. The group of city survivors gathered at the community’s new cemetery that already had far too many graves. The group was surprised and humbled that so many people joined them to say goodbye and pay their respects to the fallen girls even though they hadn’t even known them.
April and Liam stood together as a local minister read from the bible. The other girls wept softly but all April could feel was anger. She felt hollowed out inside as if the only thing left for her to feel was the rage of injustice. When the minister had finished his reading, Mrs. Moore stepped forward and scanned her remaining student’s faces before beginning to speak.
“Ashley and Molly were my students but in the last six months that changed into so much more. We’ve become a family. A family that is united in survival. We’ll all feel the loss of our sisters for as long as we live and we’ll carry them in our hearts forever. Our whole existence has changed and we find ourselves in a new harder, crueler world that sometimes takes lives too soon. Ashley and Molly wanted to go home so we’ll carry their spirits with us and all the others we have lost a
s we fight every step of the way there. We’ll not give up. We’ll not quit until we have carried them home!”
With tears in her eyes she reached down and picked up a handful of dirt and dropped it down into the first grave before repeating it at the second. One by one, the fallen girls’ friends repeated the ritual and walked away.
April felt Liam take her hand as they walked towards the hall where lunch was being set up. She acknowledged him with a brief smile but her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about numbers. They had gone down into the tunnels under Disneyland with seventeen people from home, including her mother. They had left the park with thirteen and now they were down to eleven and they hadn’t even made it out of the first state. Odds were against them all making it home and April was more determined than ever to change those odds. She looked around the busy hall and zeroed in on Val. The woman looked up from her conversation and must have read what April was feeling because she nodded her head and patted the gun she’d holstered on her hip. Satisfied the woman hadn’t forgotten, she headed towards the food tables and filled a plate.
They settled at a table filled with their fellow students. April took in all their faces and sighed. She understood how sad they all were but she’d hoped to see a few with the spark of anger as well. Taking a deep breath she addressed the other students.
“After lunch, Val has promised to teach me and anyone else from our group who wants to learn how to use a gun. We need to learn how to defend ourselves. We’ve already lost six of our group to violence so we need to learn how to counter that.”
Kara stared across from the table at April in disgust.
“How can you be so cold? I just lost my best friend and you want us to learn how to kill? What is wrong with you?”
April stared back at her with hard eyes.
“What’s wrong with me is I don’t want to be the next one to die! Maybe if we all knew how to handle a gun, we could have saved Molly and Ashley!” When Kara broke the look and lowered her head, April scanned the faces of the rest of her group. Mrs. Moore was at the end of the table and gave the slightest of nods for her to continue.
“I’m beyond sorry that we lost two of our friends. Don’t forget my mom died a few days ago as well. I’m not cold! I’m mad! I’m furious that I can’t spend the next month under my blankets sobbing for all that we lost and posting my feelings on Facebook because this world won’t let me. There are a hundred different ways that we can die every day now and I have to face that. We all have to face that! Learning how to shoot a gun and how to defend myself is the only way I know how to try and control what I can’t control!” April threw her fork down on her uneaten meal and shoved back from the table. Standing, she glared at the other girls and declared,
“I WILL fight to get home and to live. Will YOU?”
The teenage girls that had been protected all their lives stared back at April in silence until Jessica slowly stood. April gave her a nod of encouragement.
Jessica’s face was filled with anguish when she spoke in a harsh tone.
“It’s not just about dying. It’s about how you want to live. One of Marco’s men raped me before we left the tunnels. I had to lay there and take it because I had no way to fight back. Now I have to live with what he did to me every moment of every day. I will learn to shoot a gun and I will fight.”
The sadness and shock that the girls had been consumed by slowly started to clear and in its place grew anger and determination. One by one they stood and vowed to fight until they were all on their feet.
Mrs. Moore finally stood up at the end of the table and her expression showed pride.
“Very well, students, let us learn to fight.” She nodded towards the other end of the table where Val stood with her hands on her hips.
The military woman nodded grimly to the teens.
“Follow me.”
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Two hours later, April’s ears were ringing and her arms, neck and hands ached from the recoil of the handgun she’d practiced with. She felt good about her results. She was far from a crack shot, but she now felt more comfortable with handling a weapon. Susan, Kara and Megan were a total mess. All three of them would scream, squeal and flinch every time they pulled the trigger. They also refused to keep their eyes open when taking a shot. Val eventually gave up and deemed them too much of a threat to themselves and those around them and dismissed them from the training.
Jessica had been downright scary with a weapon in her hand. Her face had been cold and hard but her eyes were filled with rage as she pulled the trigger again and again even after she was out of bullets. Val had to talk her down and pry her fingers off the weapon. She was escorted away by Mrs. Moore and Maya. April could only hope the two women could get her to open up about the rape and release some of the pent-up feelings she had about what happened to her before they left the tunnels.
Mrs. Hardsky and her daughter, Jenny, did well and kept calm as they practiced. April, Liam and Emma were the only other students that showed they could handle the weapons so counting Mrs. Moore, they had six people that could help defend the group. Val wasn’t sure about Jessica. After they had all finished shooting, Val had brought them to a table and looked over every weapon that the city group had brought with them. She added one from her own stock and then showed the group how to oil and clean the weapons to keep them in good condition.
“Never point a gun at someone unless you’re willing to shoot it! It’s important for you all to face the reality that the old laws are gone. There’s no 911. There’s no police to come save you. If you want to survive you have to protect yourselves. Your whole lives you’ve been told it’s wrong to hurt others but you have to harden yourselves against that. We’re at war! Until the world settles back into some form of civilization you must think like a soldier. If someone is trying to hurt you or your group, it’s up to you to stop them. If that means taking a life then that’s what you have to do and then you need to move on. Follow your instincts, trust your gut. If it’s screaming DANGER then believe it and act accordingly! I’m not saying you should pull your weapon at every encounter. Sometimes just having it in plain sight is enough of a deterrent. There are a lot of good people still left in this world but there are also a lot of bad ones that are reveling in the chaos. You’re all good people so follow your instincts and you should make the right choices. Now, weapons we have a surplus of, ammunition, not so much. I can give you a few boxes but that’s all.”
They all thanked Val for her help and went to get cleaned up. April rubbed at her ears and rotated her neck to ease the tension in it as she walked with Liam back to the house they were staying in. He gave her a nudge with his elbow and cracked a smile.
“What do you want to do now, Annie Oakley?”
April snorted a laugh.
“Oh, I don’t know, let’s go to Starbucks for a latte then catch an afternoon matinée and end with dinner at Applebee’s,” she joked.
Liam chuckled, “Yeah, not seeing that happening!”
April agreed with a wistful sigh. She wondered if any of those things would ever come back in her lifetime. As they climbed the front walk, her thoughts were lost in all the things she’d never have the chance to see or do or have now. She laughed a little inside when she realized that none of those things made it to her top wants list. Being home with her dad was number one. Being safe and fed was number two and three. With all the things in the modern world disappearing, the basics became the most important again. Family, love, safety and health had way more value than anything that had been taken away.
The two teens split up and went to their rooms to wash away the smell and gunpowder. April’s two roommates where in the room sprawled out on their beds flipping through very outdated magazines. She looked at them and then looked at her own bed and contemplated crashing on it when she realized that Cindy hadn’t been at the weapons training class.
“Hey, what happened to you today? Why weren’t you with us?�
�
Cindy tossed aside her magazine and focused on April.
“Not gonna happen! My dad used to take me hunting and I was always a wreck. I figured it would be a waste of time and bullets for me to try again so I talked to Mrs. Moore and Maya about it. What I did do was go to the little medical clinic they have set up and took a crash course in first aid.” At April’s raised eyebrows, Cindy explained further. “I could never shoot poor Bambi but I never had a problem helping to field dress him. Weird, I know! Anyway, blood and guts don’t bother me so I figured I could be our medic! They have a doctor and a few nurses here so they set me up with a needle and thread and taught me how to do stitches. I’m going to go back later for some more practice and whatever else they are willing to teach me. I heard what you said April and I agree with all of it but my strengths don’t include firing a gun,” she finished defensively.
April was so happy she could barely speak.
“That’s, that’s…awesome! Cindy, that’s so amazing that you can help like that!”
Cindy grinned back but swung her head around at Susan’s snort. The girl was leaning on her elbow and with her head cocked to the side she gave them a bland look.
“How nice, we now have a mercenary and an EMT. I guess that means I’m useless!”
April and Cindy shared a look before Cindy bounced down on the bed beside Susan. She gave her a playful shove before saying gleefully,
“Nope, when I go back to the clinic you’re coming with me. They said they’d teach me how to take out a bullet from a pig!”
April and Cindy dissolved in to giggles at Susan’s shocked expression. As the two girls laughed, Susan was shaking her head.
“What’s so funny?” asked Liam, as he leaned against the frame of their open door.
Stranded (Book 4): City Escape Page 12
