by Kip Nelson
In times like these there was no chance for analyzing the situation, only acting on instinct. Darren fought through his blurred vision and threw himself forward, being as careful as he could to maintain his balance while also making sure he was there to find Brent. He steadied himself against the tree and planted his feet firmly on the ground, fighting against the water that sloshed around his legs. He thrust his arms down and reached around, spreading them as long as tentacles to try grasping his son. When he didn’t immediately find Brent, Darren inhaled deeply and ducked under the water for a better view, but the water was murky, and there was no hope of seeing anything.
When he brought his head up his eyes stung and he called out for Brent, continuing to thrash at the water, putting his hands in all directions in the vague hope of trying to get hold of anything. His voice was raw from crying, and he was unsure if Brent even would be able to hear him above the crash of the wind.
“Dad!” Darren twisted around.
He saw Brent’s head bobbing above the water. He was grasping with his hands, trying to get himself upright, but evidently was struggling. Darren wasted no time in getting to him. He threw himself in the water and swam across to Brent, getting hold of his arm. Brent used his father’s strength to stabilize himself. Brent’s hair was matted to his face and he looked the worse for wear. Darren hugged him tightly.
“Maybe you were right about not letting me out here by myself,” Brent admitted, chastened by his experience.
“Live and learn,” Darren replied. “Let’s get started on this dam.”
It was hard and slow work, both of them moving carefully so as not to put themselves at risk. The wind howled around their heads and the rain was getting heavier by the second. Because of their travails in the water they both were soaked through. Darren doubted there was a part left of him that wasn’t wet, and it annoyed him that the clothes he’d recently found to replace his other soaked clothes had suffered the same fate. At this point he understood why Tarzan always was clad in a loin cloth. It was hard to maintain a varied wardrobe in the wilderness.
Brent and Darren took hold of the tree and struggled to pull it. They had the roots in their hands and used the water to help them. The tree floated on the water nicely, but it still had taken a lot of effort for Brent and Darren to guide it in the direction they needed it to go.
“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!” Brent cried enthusiastically.
Darren wanted to tell him not to get excited too quickly, but he didn’t want to dampen Brent’s spirits, not when they were so close to achieving the impossible. The rain slashed over them, like gunfire splashing the water. They strained with all their strength to drag the tree into position. The bark was charred where it had been struck by lightning, and the roots were splintered from where they had been ripped from the ground unceremoniously. The wind howled around the forest like a warning siren. The worst was yet to come, and if Darren and Brent didn’t work quickly, they very well could end up like this tree, pulled from the ground and tossed aside like a ragdoll.
“Just a little more!” Darren cried, grunting through gritted teeth.
His arms felt as though they were going to drop off. He and Brent were weaker than usual anyway, and this task had taken them to their limits. They walked back the way they had come and gradually the water offered less resistance, receding to ankle-height. They dragged the tree to redirect the flow of water, and then reinforced it with bits and pieces of wood.
When it was done, both of them almost collapsed with relief. They were aching and tired, soaked through, but they were happy. They supported each other and gave each other a high-five as they gazed upon their handiwork. The water wasn’t going to reach the cave. They had saved their home.
“Let’s get back to the girls and tell them the good news,” Darren said. “I knew we could do this.” He turned his attention to the sky. “You see this, nature? You can’t bring us down!” he cried, letting out much of his frustration.
He and Brent went back, eager to get by the fire again. They were laughing and joking as they walked into the cave, but then stopped, stunned. Before them stood a proud mountain lion, sleek and fierce, with shining eyes and gleaming teeth. Across from her the girls cowered, panic etched on Betsy’s face.
There were three lion cubs on the ground, sleeping. The lion was sopping wet, making it look even scarier, and Darren had no idea what to do. He and Brent still had their knives, but he hadn’t taken the gun with him. The girls must have screamed, but he hadn’t been able to hear them over the rushing water.
He didn’t much fancy the prospect of fighting a mountain lion with just a knife, but at the moment they were at a standstill. Once again nature wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
Chapter Ten
First, the Dawkins family had been trapped by a tornado, then by rising waters, and now they were at the mercy of nature again as a mountain lion and her cubs had decided to make the cave their home. Mountain lions aren’t as big as lions, but they are no less fierce. Darren was standing at the cave entrance, while Betsy, Michelle, and Tara were near a wall between a group of rocks, with the mountain lion and her cubs across from them. Brent stood beside Darren.
The mountain lions’ fur was speckled and darker than what was usually seen on television and in zoos. Darren knew a little about mountain lions, and what he did know didn’t fill him with confidence that he and his family could survive. Mountain lions were predators, one of the deadliest on Earth, and one of them was standing before him with three cubs to protect.
Once again, it was a reminder that humanity had been too arrogant. Humans had exalted themselves as they ascended the food chain and had declared themselves masters of the planet, but the reality was quite different. Stripped of their technology they were shown to be just as vulnerable as anything else. Without the support network of a community Darren and his family were weak and fragile. If this lion decided to maul them, none of them would stand a chance.
“Dad, what are we going to do?” Brent said in a low voice, not wanting to make any sudden movements or sounds that would startle the animal.
“I don’t know,” Darren said.
Usually he had a plan, or at least the beginnings of one, but on this occasion he was completely lost. He was soaking wet and exhausted from having been out in the rain. He and Brent had dragged a heavy log quite a distance to create a dam at the cave entrance to prevent flooding from the rising water. In doing so, Darren almost had lost his son. Brent had lost his footing and been pulled under the water. Darren had thrashed around and managed to pull him free. Both were soaked to the bone and shivering. Really, they needed to get out of these wet clothes and close to the fire to prevent hypothermia or pneumonia from setting in, but right now they couldn’t do anything until they had dealt with the mountain lion and her cubs.
“Please tell me you brought the gun,” Brent said.
Darren shot him a look. He’d left it behind. Darren only had a knife, and the prospect of taking on a mountain lion with just a knife was not one that appealed to him.
“Just stay calm,” Darren said, loud enough so that the girls could hear as well.
“We’re still safe in here. The water isn’t going to come in,” he said, although that seemed like a small comfort at the moment. It seemed as though as soon as one thing was dealt with, another problem arose. There was never any time just to relax.
Darren’s mind was becoming frazzled with everything the world was throwing at him. At some point he knew there would be too much to take and he would break, but somehow he still was standing. He’d managed to endure a divorce, the loss of his job, the end of the world and everything that had followed. He’d almost died in a storm, had been chased by cannibals, and come within seconds of losing his life, but somehow he had survived it all, and he knew it was because of his kids.
Brent and Michelle needed him, as did Betsy and Tara. The latter two hadn’t been born of his blood, and he only had
known them a short time, but they quickly had become a part of his family. He cared about them as though they were his own, and only wanted the best for them. Right now they were too young to care for themselves. They needed him to teach them how to survive in the world. He couldn’t die until he had taught them all they needed to know. He wasn’t going to give up on life until he was confident they could take care of themselves.
Brent was close. He was becoming a man, even though he was only fourteen, or was he fifteen now? Since the world had ended it had become more difficult for Darren to keep track of the days. He knew it was somewhere around December and Christmas. Michelle just had had a birthday, although he knew he didn’t have the exact day right. He’d carved her a wooden animal from a stray piece of wood in the forest. It wasn’t much, but he felt glad he had managed to give her something. It seemed as though Christmas was going to pass without any celebration, though. It was sad, really. Christmas always had been a big thing in their household, all throughout his life, really.
When he was younger his parents always had had a huge open house celebration on Christmas Day where all their extended family and friends would come over. Some would stay for hours, others would just pop in for a drink and then go do whatever else was on the agenda. As the years went by the attendance dwindled as people got older and had other priorities, but his parents kept it going. Even though he had a strained relationship with them, Darren always had made it a point to get over there, even though Stacie had hated it.
She never was much of a Christmas person, and never took joy in the simple pleasures that it brought. The kids loved it, though. Michelle still believed in Santa Claus. Darren hoped she wouldn’t ask him what had happened to Santa. He didn’t think he’d be able to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why Father Christmas hadn’t visited them this year.
For all he knew it could have been New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s itself. The days blurred into each other, each one as bleak as the last. Spring still was a long time away, if it ever would come again. Without access to news Darren had no idea what was going on in the world. A violent storm had interrupted the reign of technology. There was no telling what else nature had in store for this planet. It was entirely possible that the weather systems had shifted and it would be stormy weather from here on out. It was a real possibility there would be no such thing as spring or summer anymore, and they would be living in an endless winter.
The thought made Darren’s stomach churn. It was hard enough bracing himself for these days when there was the hope of spring spreading its golden fingers across the land, rejuvenating the world and their spirits. The thought of it never coming…well, it was too difficult to accept.
All these thoughts flashed before his mind in an instant. Time seemed to stand still. Outside, Darren could hear the rain pouring down. It splashed in the stream that had overflowed, and crashed against the outside of the cave. It came down in thick sheets and showed no sign of stopping.
The mountain lion didn’t seem to take much notice of Darren and Brent. The girls had huddled together between some rocks.. The fire had gone out, only thin wisps of smoke remained, along with ash at the base of the wood. The food was still safe. At least the mountain lion hadn’t gotten to that, because they wouldn’t have shown the same restraint as Darren had done.
The mountain lion was long and powerful. It was currently curled up around its cubs. Their fur was soaking wet and dark and they were shivering. Their mother was keeping them warm. She licked them and nuzzled them and placed her paw on their heads, caressing them with her claws retracted. The three cubs all were small and vulnerable, just like the four children Darren was taking care of.
The mountain lion raised its head and looked directly at Darren. Its dark eyes were like an abyss, and something profound washed over Darren. In those eyes he saw himself. The animal was like him, just a parent trying to look after its babies. The storm was just as deadly to these mountain lions as it was to humans, and the mother had come here looking for shelter, just as Darren had done.
“Dad, are you going to get the gun?” Brent asked urgently.
“No, no, I’m not, Son,” he said.
“What?” Brent asked in a harsh whisper.
“Look at them, Brent. They’re just like us.”
“You’ve gone mad, Dad.”
“No Brent, I haven’t,” Darren said.
And when he turned to face his son there were tears in his eyes. They rolled down his cheeks, warm and salty. Brent looked at him in confusion.
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m crying for us, for them, I’m crying for this world. Don’t you see? We’re all in this together. We’re just like them, Brent,” he said, pointing to the mountain lions.
The mother mountain lion continued licking the cubs, cleaning away the rain water that had so drenched them. Darren sidled closer to his son, speaking in a low voice so nobody else could hear him. “You know what I’ve been through, what I’ve seen. All this time all I’ve wanted is to see some sign of hope, to know there’s somebody out there like me who is just trying to do right by their family, and this is it Brent. How can I kill them when all she’s doing is taking care of her family?”
“It’s the law of the jungle, Dad. It’s kill or be killed. I don’t think she’s going to be as concerned with this morality as you are. What’s going to happen when they get hungry? What’s going to happen if we make the wrong move? How are the five of us going to share this cave with these wild animals?”
“We have to share the world, Brent. We might as well start living now. I sense something in here, some deeply ingrained nobility. I don’t think she’s going to hurt us, and if I kill her, then I have to kill the cubs. They’d never survive in this world without her. That’s not something I’m prepared to do.”
As he said this the words choked in his mouth and emotion swelled within his breast. When he looked at the mountain lion, he saw a reflection of himself and the kids. He knew he couldn’t bring himself to harm them.
Of course, that decision brought with it a lot of logistical problems. The animals had taken up more than their fair share of room, and Darren wasn’t exactly in a position to dispute territory with them. And as much as he wanted to believe that he and the mountain lion had a bond that went beyond nature, he couldn’t deny that one wrong move could provoke her, and she would maul them to death in an instant.
“Dad, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you’ve gone crazy. I know you’ve been through a lot, but I think it’s finally happened. Just listen to what you’re saying. Do you really think we can live alongside mountain lions? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head out there?”
“No, Brent, and I’ve never been thinking more clearly. Don’t worry, I’m not a complete idiot. I don’t expect us to stay here forever with these animals. But I think we might be able to stay until it stops raining. They aren’t going to move until it stops. When it does, we can try ushering them out, although hopefully they’ll just go back to wherever they call home anyway.”
“What were they even doing out here? We haven’t seen any trace of them before.”
“No, you don’t ordinarily get mountain lions coming down here this far. They usually stay up away from the forest. I guess maybe they got curious, or maybe there’s a lack of food up there.”
“I don’t know, the way they’re looking it doesn’t seem as though they’ve been struggling for food.”
Darren suddenly realized Brent was right. There was something that hadn’t seemed right about the animals, but he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it until now. They were well-fed, not gaunt, like Darren and the others.
“It just goes to show that they were made for this world and we weren’t. They’re born hunters. We have to learn how to hunt like our ancestors all over again.”
“But what were they hunting? Just other animals, or people like us?”
“I think that’s a question better left unanswer
ed,” Darren said.
The mother mountain lion opened its mighty mouth and showed her sharp teeth. The strength of those jaws was enough to tear him apart. He imagined what it must be like to be torn limb from limb, and shuddered. A moment of doubt flashed into his mind, but he pushed it aside. He still had weapons, but more than that, he had faith. He would allow these animals to take shelter here, and in turn he hoped they would respect him and his family.
Thinking about the idea that humans had to learn to be predators again made him smile. He remembered a discussion at work about how if anyone from modern times was taken back into the past they instantly would rule the world because of their superior knowledge and expertise. In this case nobody had been thrown back in time, but the state of the world had regressed, and it was clear the humans weren’t the masters of the world any longer.
Darren had to tread carefully. He certainly wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as those before him. He wasn’t going to be arrogant, but he also wasn’t going to take any life if he could help it, and that included these mountain lions. While they were docile, he was going to remain the same. But he also was going to keep weapons close so if the animal did attack him, he would be ready. He hadn’t lost his mind, like Brent was afraid of.
“Let’s sidle round carefully and get to the girls,” Darren said. He and Brent pressed themselves against the cave walls and moved slowly. The mountain lion stopped caring for her cubs and watched them carefully.
“Keep it slow,” Darren said.
“Don’t worry, Dad, I’m not going to do anything to make it angry,” Brent said, and then turned toward the animal.
“Nice kitty,” he said, his voice trembling with fear. Darren couldn’t blame his son for being tentative, he was too, but everything he had been through had given him an instinct for danger, and it wasn’t flaring at the moment.