“Meet with me in the morning and we’ll discuss some of the plants Sergeant Bennett told me about,” Erika added.
“Will do…”
“All right…so what other changes to our survival situation might we have in store?” Erika pressed the crowd.
“If the rumbles like we experience when the bridge went out happen again, we might be pretty vulnerable under this mountain,” Greg added.
“True, but I don’t think camping out in the open is a better option,” Harold countered.
“I have to agree with Harold on this one, Greg,” Erika corrected cautiously. She noticed his face distort a little and his grip on Penni tighten. She reached her delicate hand up to hold his on her shoulder. Erika quickly mended the situation, “Let’s feel it out and see what happens. That rumbling could have come from the water itself.”
“We all felt the quakes in Colorado, Erika. They are not gone,” Greg continued.
“Or maybe they came from my butt,” Rob teased making a farting sound with his mouth. He was one of those kids that should have been playing football in college right now. He had an athlete’s mind and a great sense of humor.
Dexter laughed heartily at his joke and there were chuckles all around.
“Okay, boys, let’s not get too crazy.” Erika didn’t want them to lose focus. She didn’t want to, either. She was going through a checklist in her mind with them. She had to make the M.O.S.T.T.T. of this situation. Their mission to get home was obvious. Their operation or camp was now established. They had strategized about potential changes. They would use an isolation tactic to survive, hoping that they would not have to engage with anyone. They had the tools they needed to make it happen, and their techniques or plan of attack was formed.
“Actually...” Erika said, reflecting on her thoughts. “I think we are all set. Is everyone clear what their tasks are in the morning?”
She saw nods of approval and understanding from the group, glinting in the firelight.
“Perfect! Now let’s get some sleep so we can get to it bright and early,” Erika finished, walking over to sit on Vince’s lap.
CHAPTER 33
“WELL DONE,” HE whispered softly in her ear, the little bristles from his half-grown beard tickling her neck.
She shrugged at the sensation. “Whew…glad that’s all settled.”
His soft, luscious curls tickled her cheek as he snuggled up to her, “You’re a pro.”
“I hope so.” Erika worried about the quality of her leadership skills.
Vince blew on her neck tickling her more.
“Stop it,” she said softly to him.
“Then you stop it,” he replied, making his point.
“Penni, I want you to go get some sleep, right now,” Erika said firmly, looking over to her friend in the adjacent chair.
“I need to go back…” Penni started to argue.
“No you need to go get some rest.” Erika was not taking no for an answer. “I will wake you up in a few hours before I go to bed, and then Betsy can get some rest while you watch over Terrance.”
Penni could not argue with Erika’s logic. “Okay, that sounds like a plan. I’m just going to check in on them before I go.”
“No, I will go check in on them. You go sleep.” Erika countered her diversion.
“Come on, babe. She’s got a point,” Greg could see the exhaustion weighing heavily upon the woman he loved.
“Fine…I’m going,” Penni acquiesced and headed for one of the sleeping bags that Greg directed her toward.
“Night, mom,” her children said and hugged her before she laid her head down for the much needed rest.
Vince was still enjoying the feeling of having his woman’s warm body resting in his lap.
“I’m gonna head over and check in on Betsy,” Erika declared to him.
“No, you’re gonna stay right here with me,” Vince teased, wrapping his arms around her tightly and squeezing her body up against his.
“Mmmmm…” Erika moaned softly to him as she felt the warmth of his body enrapturing her. She wanted to stay right there and fall asleep in his arms. “No…baby, I have to go check on Betsy.”
“I know” Vince said, letting the strength in his arms decrease. “I just love you so much,” he added, squeezing her tightly again.
“I’ll be right back,”
“All right…get going then,” he said, releasing his hold on her.
She stood up to leave and felt his hand smack her on the bottom as she turned to leave.
“Ow…ohhh, you are so gonna get it!” Erika snapped back at him.
“I hope so,” Vince replied.
“Oh, come on, Mom and Dad,” Dex interjected, disgusted by his parents public show of affection.
Vince and Erika chuckled at the boy, and Erika left the glow of the camp fire to enter the bright light that the lantern in the medical tent provided. Her nose was assaulted with the smell of injury and antiseptics. It made her stomach turn and her face go pale. Sergeant Terrance Walker was asleep again, thanks to another dose of morphine. Betsy had his legs wrapped and an improvised IV dripping into his body.
“How is he, Betsy?”
Betsy jumped at the sound of Erika’s voice and turned to face her.
“Oh, Erika, I didn’t even here you come in,” Betsy replied, patting her chest. Her gray hair sparkled in the lantern light. Her green eyes were sunken into puffy patches on her face. She was tired and probably fairly dehydrated herself.
“Geez, Betsy, are you even taking care of yourself?” Erika stammered, deeply concerned.
“Oh you and Harold, you both worry too much,” she said, trying to brush off Erika’s concern.
“No, you need some more water and some rest,” Erika insisted.
“But we don’t have much water and Terrance won’t survive without it,”
“And we’ll lose both you and Terrance if you don’t drink some more. Don’t worry, we will have plenty in the morning,” Erika reassured her, pouring her a tall glass of the precious fluid.
Erika watched her slowly sip from her glass. They both knew that if you drank water too fast while you are dehydrated, that can be just as bad as not drinking the water at all. When she was about halfway through with the glass, she sat down in a chair next to Erika.
“Well here we are again, kid,” Betsy mused, reflecting on all they had been through together.
“Yup, here we are again. Seems like it just isn’t fair, is it?” Erika joined her in her musing.
“What?”
“Why did we get dealt these cards? Why couldn’t we just have normal lives in the good old U.S. of A. like it was before all of this?” Erika waved her arms in the air, indicating everything.
“Because, Erika, God knew we were too strong for a simple life like that.” Betsy chuckled again.
Erika loved this woman. She reminded her of Harold’s mother, Carol. She was still pure, still honest, and still simple in a complicated world. She was an anomaly.
“I guess so,” Erika agreed, laughing. “So, how’s he doing?”
“He’s doing fine right now. He’s sleeping thanks to the little bit of morphine that we have left but he’s gonna wake up and then he’s gonna be in a lot of pain. We only have two more doses left, so we are going to have to let him suffer and only use it when we absolutely have to. I have some pain pills but they are not going to work as well. The other problem is the tourniquets. Right now he has them on both legs right below his knees. They can’t stay on forever and, honestly, they’ve been on too long, but his lower legs are so badly lacerated I can’t stop the bleeding without them. I’m afraid he’ll lose both his legs.”
“Damn...” Erika pondered the thought. The idea of losing her legs had terrified her as a youngster. She had wondered how she would ever survive without being able to run, skate, dance and do most of the things she loved. Even back then, she wondered if she would want to live on without the use of her legs, but in this world, she couldn’t imagine how s
omebody could survive at all. It wasn’t exactly designed to be disability friendly. “That sucks, he was so strong, so proud.”
“I know.” Betsy looked as if she was feeling every bit of Terrance’s pain right along with him.
Erika wrapped her arm around Betsy and gave her a hug. She still smelled sweet, even through the nauseating stench of the medical tent.
“You’re doing all you can, Betsy. We’ll just have to pray for the best,”
“You’re right, Erika!” Betsy said cheerfully. “And right now I am going to work on getting some of his right leg sewn back together while he’s still out. Maybe then I can get at least one of those tourniquets off.
“Do you need a hand?” Erika wondered, hoping in the back of her mind that she would not have to see the wreckage beneath those blankets.
“No, honey, I need a sterile environment and we don’t have enough water to sterilize you as well.”
“You sure you got this?” Erika questioned, relieved she wouldn’t have to help but still unsure she should leave Betsy to face this alone.
“No, you go get some rest and make sure you get me that water in the morning,” Betsy replied, already turning to wash and get her tools ready.
Erika left the tent and drank in the fresh air. Seeing blood and injuries always brought back a flood of memories she wished she could forget forever. She took a deep breath and as she exhaled, she saw her boys talking and laughing in the firelight. She stood for a minute, just watching Vince teach Dexter how to play gin rummy, a card game that she and Vince had played for hours into long nights.
Vince looked up and saw her standing there. He motioned for her to come over.
“Hey, now that you’re back, we can get Rob and play some Euchre,” he suggested. He knew she loved the game, and it would keep them busy and their minds occupied for hours. When they were done they could wake Penni and send her in to relieve Betsy.
“Sounds good to me. You gonna be my partner?” she asked him.
“I want to be your partner, Mom,” Dexter chimed in.
“Oh, okay, Dex,”
Rob had brought Roxy with him on his arm as he sat down to play. “No Dex, let’s do young people against the old people,” Rob joked.
“Hey, we’re not that old.” Vince countered.
The four of them laughed and played cards by the firelight for hours, allowing Penni to get as many minutes of sleep as possible. When they could not hold their eyes open anymore, they went and woke Penni and Greg, who had fallen asleep with her so he could go on watch in the morning hours. Jen had taken the initiative to do the same and was ready to accompany him.
Vince and Erika entered the darkness of a small cave in the mountain wall. It smelled musty but the ground was sandy, soft and dry. Their sleeping blankets had already been laid out by Nancy for the two of them. Vince snuggled up around Erika and, enraptured in each other’s warmth, they slept soundly.
CHAPTER 34
ERIKA AWOKE IN a sudden panic in the morning. She shot straight up out of bed and felt the warmth of the day. Vince still lay in slumber by her side and stirred, unconsciously sensing her movement.
“What’s up, baby?” Vince mumbled.
“What time is it? It’s too warm to still be morning? Where is everyone?” she frantically wondered.
“It’s okay. They are probably just up having breakfast already,” Vince replied sleepily.
“Yeah, but I’m supposed to be the leader of this team. I can’t be sleeping in.” Erika was already on the move, strapping her boots onto her feet.
“Even the leader needs sleep, Erika, don’t worry. Everyone knew what they had to do today.” Vince was shoving his legs into his camos.
“I gotta go see what’s going on.” Erika dressed quickly as she leaned over and kissed Vince’s mouth. She felt his warm lips, and the loving connection made her linger for a moment before she spun around and left the cave.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Vince said, watching her leave. Her ponytail bounced from her hat and revealed her delicate neck. He wanted to reach out and stop her so bad. To caress that soft neck and kiss it all over. Oh, well, that would have to wait, he thought. He left the cave and headed over to relieve himself at the trench they had dug for waste.
When Erika reached the soft glow of the morning fire, Nancy was there waiting for them.
“Good morning, Mom. Why didn’t you wake us up?” Erika questioned, still rubbing her eyes.
“I just got up about a half hour ago, myself. Who would believe I could sleep as soundly as the rocks I was laying on out here? You know how much I love camping.”
It was true. Before the world fell apart, they had often joked that Nancy’s idea of camping was a night at a Holiday Inn with no room service. Now you lived a lot closer to nature than before, even in the Las Vegas camp.
“Where is everyone?” Erika asked.
“They all must have headed out to take care of the directions you gave them last night. I figure I’ll just stay here and get whatever kind of meal I can together so they can eat. Kim better find us something. She’s the only one waiting for you on the edge of the camp over there.”
Nancy pointed to the girl picking her way along the edge of a brush line, trying to find something of value to the group. Erika watched as she limped along, stooping occasionally to pick some type of plant.
“You know what, Mom?”
“What’s that, hun?”
“I think I am just going to go with her. It will be good for us to spend some time together, and she may need the help.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Nancy agreed.
“What’s a great idea?” Vince said, walking up.
“I’m gonna head out with Kim today, okay? Or, do you need me to help with the water?”
“No, I think we got it.”
Erika grabbed one of the few guns they had. It was just an extra .22 rifle that Sergeant Walker carried to hunt small game with, but they had enough ammo for it. Plus, Erika had grown up shooting one of these rifles and knew she could hit her mark.
“See you guys later,” Erika said as she bounced over to join Kim.
Vince picked his way down the canyon side to where the river team had assembled and were still determining the best way to haul up water. Harold was still scratching his head over why the river appeared to be turning into a series of puddles.
“Hey, guys,” Vince announced as he walked up.
“Good morning, Vince,” Harold replied. His dark eyes glazed over with curiosity.
“Still no water flowing?” Vince asked, knowing the answer already.
“Nope, can’t figure it out, but we need to start scooping quickly so we can get what we can,” Harold replied.
Vince was scanning the landscape for Dexter. He was supposed to be down here but all he saw were the silhouettes of Jen and Roxy as they walked up the edge of the river to join them.
“Where’s Dexter?” Vince wondered.
“He didn’t tell you guys?” Harold pondered.
“Tell us what?” Vince was perplexed.
“That he was going with Greg and Rob,” Jen interjected as she walked up to the two men.
“He was what?” Vince replied dumbfounded.
“Oh…he’s gonna be so dead when his mom finds out,” Roxy chuckled, delighting in the misery that was sure to befall the boy.
“You’re freaking right about that!” Vince stated furiously. “But she already left with Kim to go try and get food. How long ago did Greg and the boys leave?”
“They left before the sun was up. Betsy told me that Dexter said he had asked you guys and you all said it was alright. She’s so preoccupied with Terrance, I doubt she had any idea what was going on,” Harold attested, defending his wife.
“Probably not…that little stinker…his mom is going to kill him. Oh well, nothing we can do about it now. Let’s get some water moving and we can worry about it later.” Vince knew there was nothing he could do about it
now, and it would waste too much time going after him or Erika. They needed this water, so he would have to just focus on the task and pray for his son.
Erika spent the day traipsing across the landscape with Kim. It was a foreign place of deep canyons and flatlands that opened up into one another abruptly. The rocky, sheer cliffs were lined with old water marks and contained little for the two women poking around for food. In the riparian areas they found a plant called stone crop growing up through the cracks of the rocks. This plant would add essential vitamins to their diet. Erika instructed Kim to break the plant off at the base because they could eat the leaves and the stems of this rusty-colored plant.
The two women also found some raspberries to munch on their quest for more edibles to fill their packs with. The juicy berries were just becoming ripe, but Erika reveled in the flavor. It had been so many years since she had tasted a raspberry. They tried not to eat too many so they could take a fair amount back to share with the others.
As they cleared the canyon valley and stepping into the rolling meadow of an open steppe Erika heard a whistle. She stopped Kim dead in her tracks and listened harder. Erika’s eyes traced every detail of the landscape spread out before them for the source of the sound, and then she saw it. A little rodent with a fat body and a white face with a stripe across it. She steadied the rifle up to her eye slowly as the animal watched her cautiously, and then bang. The rodent rolled across the field, screaming in a high-pitched wail.
“You got it!” Kim shouted, heading for the animal.
“Wait a minute, Kim.” Erika held her arm out to stop her movement.
The animal in the field stopped kicking and finally lay silent. Kim went to go immediately retrieve the animal, but Erika held her back. All of a sudden, another rodent came out from the edge of the rock to inspect the commotion. Erika felt Kim’s body tense with anticipation as Erika leveled the rifle up again and another shot rang out. The second rodent projected the same high-pitched scream as it ran across the field.
“It’s gonna get away!” Kim shouted in excitement.
Before she could finish her sentence, Kim heard another shot from the gun and the animal fell to the ground, lifeless.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 2): Without Land Page 17
