"Was considered treason and what they were up to," Freddy corrected and received a hot glare from Dinah for his comment. "Whatever is was, it's too late now," he meekly added.
"There wouldn't be any benefit to them for us to understand their plans," William commented.
"Exactly," Dinah agreed.
"What kind of stories, Joshua?" Salazar curiously asked. He wondered if any of the things Joshua's grandfather had told him lined up with what his own grandfather had said.
"Once, he told me about some stone monuments he found in the southern sector. They were called The Georgia Guidestones. He said the statues had been there for nearly a hundred years when he saw them. Although I can't remember all of it, I do remember the gist of it. The monument was a warning to future generations to maintain the planet's population at no more than five-hundred million."
"Well, we sure missed that mark!" Sondra Clearwater snorted. She was a petite brunette in her late teens and in spite of her slight build; her face was quite cherubic and rosy. Her blue eyes sparkled with intensity and seemed filled with some kind of electrical light or current. Salazar remembered that Serena's green eyes often had that same glow to them.
Now, Sondra had his undivided attention.
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"I learned in school that the population of the United Sectors alone was once three-hundred million," Sondra explained. "Global warming, famine, war, plagues, drought, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions from every quarter of the world, and their damn one-child policy effectively whittled it down to less than a quarter of that in only a few decades. Still, if we're talking about the entire planet, that number is absurd. It doesn't even take into account the populations of Russia, India, or China. Before all hell broke loose, Russia had nearly one-hundred-fifty million people while India and China each had over a billion residents."
"Geez girl, where are you keeping all these statistics?" Freddy joked.
Sondra glanced his way and tapped the side of her head with her index finger in response.
"You actually attended school, real school?" Tereese snapped. "How is that possible? I was homeschooled. Hell, everyone I know was homeschooled because it was the law. Are you from the rich side of town where students had special privileges?"
"At least you had an education offered to you," William softly commented as his gentle eyes observed Tereese.
Ignoring the taunts, Sondra continued, "If the same attacks happened over there, we may very well be some of the only survivors left on the entire planet. Think about it, there are only fourteen people sitting here out of a half-million residents in August City."
"There will be more," Salazar gently predicted.
"You can't know that!" Sondra indignantly shot back, "Besides, if that math holds true for Russia, they might have a little over a thousand survivors. As for China and India, they each might have only ten-thousand people left alive… oh, it makes me feel sick just thinking about it," she gasped. Her eyes flickered erratically and she swayed in response.
Salazar reached out to steady her and the image he had of her future astounded him. Sondra was a gifted seer. He clearly saw her sitting in lotus position with her ankles crossed and her hands resting lightly on her knees while in deep meditation. As she sought to gain clarity for the hundreds that would join them in this place, she slowly rocked back and forth, then side to side, drawing energy from deep within the earth. During the vision, he witnessed the red earth-energy enter her lower body and expand as it raced up her spine and to her head. Then, it exploded out the crown of her head… no longer red; the energy was now silvery sparks flying everywhere.
Kundalini rising, he heard Henry whisper.
"What is Kundalini?" Salazar silently asked.
Kundalini is vital energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine until it is called into action in such a time as this.
Having never imagined anything like it, Salazar was stunned.
While Salazar had his vision of Sondra, at his touch, Sondra stiffened and with eyes wide, she quietly gasped, "You are the leader! You will protect and serve all these people!" Her trance only lasted a brief moment before she slumped again. Then, when the reality of her survival estimates hit her, Sondra cried out, "Blech! I'm going to be sick!" She immediately vomited. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she wheezed between violent heaves and retching. "I'm so sorry to have spoiled our shelter."
"You didn't spoil anything," Joshua kindly encouraged. "There is more to this huge place that this one small alcove. Let that be the least of your worries."
18| Comparisons
"Joshua is right," Miki soothed as she took a cloth and a bottle of water from her bag. She poured a little water on the cloth and then handed it to Sondra, "Here, wipe your mouth. We have to conserve the water, but that should help. Were you experiencing any symptoms before the bombing began?"
"I don't think so," Sondra replied. Now, her face was pallid and her hands shook as she reached for the dampened cloth.
"Maybe it's her nerves," Joanna offered.
"This ordeal would make anyone sick," Joshua admitted.
"I'm sure that coming from her part of the city, this has upset her delicate sensibilities," Tereese scorned.
"Let's not fight among ourselves," Miki chided.
"Perhaps she's pregnant," Sam submitted. "I don't understand how it is possible that I would know that; nevertheless, I can smell it on her. Before all of this, a woman had to be quite far along before I sensed it. I don't know what has changed in me. Still, I'm certain that Sondra is pregnant."
All eyes looked from Sam to Sondra and then back to Sam.
"Could you be pregnant?" Miki asked the delicate question.
"I suppose anything is possible," Sondra replied.
"What she is too polite to ask," Tereese clarified, "have you been exposed?"
"Are you asking if I have recently had sexual intercourse?" Sondra quizzed. Tereese nodded. "Well, yes. A couple of weeks ago I had a boyfriend, however, we broke up and I haven't seen him since."
"Not seeing him anymore doesn't mean that you're not knocked-up," Tereese tried to stifle a laugh and it sounded like a sneeze.
"The women in your family could get pregnant?" Freddy, feeling badly that everyone grilled Sondra, curiously inquired of Sam.
Sam nodded.
"How?" Freddy asked.
"The usual way," Sam replied with a straight face.
"Seriously," Freddy repeated, "how?"
"Freddy, I'm still not sure what you mean," Sam replied. "Do I need to explain procreation to you? Our men and women mated and produced children. The women of our tribe selected their mates and they could have more than one if they chose."
"A Matriarchal Society," Dinah proudly acknowledged.
"How amazing!" Tereese exclaimed, also liking that idea.
"Yes," Sam agreed as he smiled at both of the women.
"I believe that Freddy is trying to ascertain why the women of your tribe were able to conceive and how they managed to carry a baby to term," Miki explained. "Pregnancy is very difficult for most women in August City."
"I see," Sam replied. "It could have been the water, the fresh air, or the plant-based diet of our people. We lived off the land and ate very little processed foods. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. I honestly didn't know that it was a problem for the women in August City."
"Not only August City," Miki confirmed, "for all women in the United Sectors, possibly around the world. We don't have any way of knowing if it affected other women in other countries."
"Processed food such as these energy bars is about the only thing we get to eat," Joshua acknowledged.
"I didn't know," Sam repeated. "Our women were healthy and easily birthed two or three children during their childbearing years. The officials didn't like it; however, because we were not officially part of August City, they didn't have jurisdiction over us and could not enforce their foolish regulations."
"Filthy heathens!" Phillip snarled under his breath. Only Sam and those closest to Phillip heard his comment. The others inched away from him in an attempt to put some distance between them and his unadulterated bigotry.
"Who did have jurisdiction over your people?" Miki asked.
"Our tribal elders had authority over legal matters," Sam answered also ignoring Phillip's caustic remark.
"If we truly are the only survivors as Sondra has said, that would certainly make it a small, small world," Tom muttered, feeling the weight of such crushing odds.
"Perhaps some of your people survived," Salazar suggested as he gazed at Sam. "When we can dig out a path, we'll go check on them."
"That figures!" Phillip spat out as he glared at Salazar. "I can't believe you would put the lives of others at risk to go search for the family of this godless savage. If I was the leader of this group, I certainly wouldn't. I wouldn't look for this stupid doofus's wife either. He left her to die, let her die. Why risk the lives of others to save someone who shouldn't be saved."
"You think you are the asshole who should decide who lives or dies?" Jesse nearly shouted.
"I'd make a better leader than this overgrown child!" Phillip yelled in response.
"The day someone like you is in charge is the day I head to the dead-lands," Freddy grunted.
"I'll go with you," Dinah volunteered.
"You can count me in," Tereese added.
"A leader has certain qualities that you do not possess, Phillip," Sondra's clear voice rang out.
"Yeah?" Phillip snarled. "Does he have to be stupid enough to fawn over your every word while sniffing around your skirt? Why, you're just a whore, coming here pregnant and alone. Do you even know who the father is?"
"Enough, Phillip!" Salazar commanded.
Phillip's mouth was open to say more but he promptly closed it and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall behind him. Phillip couldn't explain what he was feeling, even if he had been asked, but he did not want to take the chance that he might get tossed outside.
It boiled down to one word: fear.
Even though he was an adult well in his thirties, Phillip was irrationally afraid of Salazar. That fear goaded him into making stupid decisions and comments.
Phillip had hoped that he would provoke the younger man into making a rash decision or a misstep so that the others would see that he was not the person they should follow. Instead, Salazar had made him look like a fool. Phillip was once again disappointed by the responses he had gotten from the other survivors.
19| Directions
After Sondra had recovered her composure, Salazar reassured, "There are more survivors out there. We simply have to find them. Where were you when the attack began, Sondra?"
The young woman blushed lightly as Salazar's clear emerald green eyes held her own and she recalled the things Phillip had said about their leader hanging on her every word and sniffing about her skirts. She liked Salazar and she felt flattered by his careful attention to her discomfort. Still, she realized that she might not have accepted his proclamation about more survivors if she hadn't seen a vision of him as the leader of hundreds of people.
In that vision, she had seen the power that emanated from Salazar. Although he was lean and strong, it was more than physical energy that made him a true leader. It was also spiritual energy that caused all those with him to feel important and safe as if he was their guardian angel. Sondra considered that he might be young, younger than she was in fact; however, from the glimpse she'd had of his future, he was so much more than anyone could ever imagine.
Now, she intrinsically trusted him.
"Well, Commander," Sondra began, "I live… lived with my parents in Springhaven; although my grandmother lives… lived on the edge of Fallhaven and not the good side either. I thought if I came to get her she would be safer with us in our basement. My mother and I argued over that possibility… Unfortunately, I never had time to reach my Nana. Everything happened much more quickly than I anticipated. First, I couldn't get through the mobs in the streets and then someone hijacked my car so I was on foot…,"
"Oh, this just gets better and better," Phillip sneered. Unable to follow Salazar's directive for more than a few minutes at a time, he simply could not keep his mouth shut; however, what really irked him was that this stupid bitch had named Salazar as Commander. "You had a car which means you're one of those rich bitches. Only a precious few people from Springhaven or Summerhaven had that privilege. We ought to toss your ass outside and let you live with the consequences of what your kind caused."
Sondra blanched white from Phillip's verbal assault and swayed away from the heat of his anger. With her senses picking up every emotion, she could feel the intensity of his hatred like a blazing hot wind. The feeling was nauseating and she struggled to keep down more bile that threatened to spew out of her mouth.
Phillip on the other hand was elated. From the ghostly color Sondra had turned, he knew he had hit pay dirt. He was thrilled that Sondra was shaken by the things he said. He hoped she would be the first to go since she was already a huge fan of Salazar as leader. If he couldn't win the people over to his side, then it was safer to get rid of them one-by-one, "Toss her out," he yelled.
"Unless you want to be the one on the outside, Phillip, then you will keep a respectful, civil tone with everyone here," Salazar warned. The pitch of his voice and the clench of his jaw didn't allow for disagreement.
Phillip abruptly shut up. His cheeks blazed with embarrassment from being called down by the youthful man. He defiantly crossed his arms over his chest again as if blocking out what Salazar said.
Salazar quietly contemplated Phillip, realizing that the fumes had affected Phillip too and not in a good way. However, if what Henry had said was accurate, each one of the survivors had a purpose to fulfil. Each one was important. Salazar knew this was a 'wait and see' situation. He would be patient and delay any decision or judgements about Phillip for now.
"Please continue," Salazar encouraged, turning his attention back to Sondra.
"I don't even know how I got here," Sondra slowly began speaking again. "I wandered around for some time, trying to stay out of sight. I was hoping to get somewhere safe to wait it out. I felt as if I was in a maze with dead ends at every turn. Then, I saw you and your mom duck inside here. You didn't look like the other people tearing up the city; you appeared normal, so I made a decision to follow you."
"Did you come into contact with any of the fumes?" Salazar asked already fairly certain that she had. Everyone in the streets had been exposed to the gases.
"I don't know… I suppose that I did. I know that it was difficult to breathe and my throat felt dry. I began to cough and I threw up before I got here… then when we were inside and sat down, I felt achy and feverish as if I had the flu… so I'm pretty sure that I did," Sondra unhurriedly admitted.
"Try to get some rest," Miki encouraged while she watched Sondra closely.
The young woman's blue eyes filled with electric energy and glazed over while she stared up at the ceiling. Miki wasn't sure how she knew it, however, somewhere deep inside she recognized the look on Sondra's face. Sondra was having a vision.
"Everyone around the entire world is dead or dying," Sondra's clear voice rang out, sending chills through those in the alcove. "I see the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Big Ben crumbling to the ground. The Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral are in ruins. The Great Wall of China and Grand Buddha of Leshan, Sichuan is gone. The Taj Mahal is no more. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is now nothing more than powder. The military of each country has, by order, attacked their own people. Planet Earth is on fire and we are on our own!"
Then, before Miki could react, the young woman fainted.
When Sondra came to, Miki and Joanna attempted to make her as comfortable as possible. They helped her to lie down against the side of the rock wall and Miki washed her face with the dampened
cloth.
"How long have you had the gift of sight? What else did you see?" Miki softly asked so as not to be overheard by the others. Sondra appeared alarmed by the question. Like Salazar, she had kept her unusual insights a secret. Miki sensed this and added, "Don't be afraid, you can talk to me."
"It's never been this strong before. I don't really understand what is happening to me. Before, today I merely had suspicions and feelings about things. Sometimes, I had warnings… just little nudges such as 'don't go there' or 'turn around.' Now, I think I am actually seeing the future," Sondra tearfully explained. "The things I have seen today… well, it's horrible and if the government found out, I'm sure I would disappear. I'm frightened, Miki. If anyone found out, we could all be in danger."
"What government?" Miki pooh-poohed. "There isn't anyone left that has that kind of authority. You certainly won't find such biased and outdated ideas here with us. What else did you see?"
"I saw that what we are experiencing has happened before. The destruction of this planet is not new and we will continue this horrible cycle again and again. Those who fled will return one day and the cycle will begin again. We've done this many times before. However, the most horrifying thing I saw was that all of us, here in this room, were completely alone on this immense planet as it spun through the universe. It was terrifying to know the vastness of space and be one of the only ones left alive. Oh, it was simply appalling. I felt as if I might fall right off the surface of the planet and into the endless darkness of space. I was afraid that I would be lost forever in that black abyss."
From some internal sense deep within, Miki understood the meaning of what Sondra had seen. She couldn't explain her 'knowing' any better than Salazar or Sam or Sondra could, yet she trusted it just as they had trusted their own heightened feelings and sensitivities.
"I believe that vision is more symbolic than reality, dear. I believe the people in this room, this cave, will lead and guide any other survivors," Miki softly encouraged. "I'm also certain your insights will be very valuable to this community for we will be a group of people who welcomes those talents. Rest now and we will discuss it in more detail later."
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