“What do you mean?” cried Lucy, jumping to her feet. “How can my family know where we are?”
Rick pulled the phone from his pocket. “We have a satellite phone but no charger. I’ve already spoken to your father so he knows we are in Hammer Mountain Park…” The barrage of questions that flew at him forced him to hold up his hands and demand calm. “Listen to me, all of you. Joshua knows everyone is OK, and is seeking out your families at this very moment. He and I have agreed to talk again tomorrow morning, at which time he should be able to tell me how your families are. I’ll pass the news on to you as soon as I get it.” Once again he held up his hands to quell the erupting questions. “Listen up, OK? I mean it. Just stay quiet until I finish.” When the group was finally quiet again he said, “Joshua and I also agreed to limit our calls to one short conversation a day since we don’t have a phone charger. Unless there is an emergency, we do not turn on the phone except for my one morning call to Joshua.” He scanned the faces around him and was pleasantly surprised to see Lucy nodding in agreement; he was afraid she would demand the phone to keep for herself. “You need to know that the earthquake originated from the ocean floor and hit the whole Pacific Northwest. The entire coast got quakes and tsunamis. Cleardon City was hit, but keep in mind that we have a good tsunami warning system and there was plenty of time for evacuation. Remember, our city got the highest rankings in the Pacific Northwest for earthquake and tsunami preparedness.”
Rick answered the myriad questions as best he could, and then settled by the fire in the space Brenda had saved for him. For the next few minutes, the solemn group ate their meager dinners in relative quiet. Some spoke softly among themselves while others stayed lost in their own thoughts. The teens were calm, and Rick gave Brenda full credit for that. By organizing a simple meal, and providing a warm fire and a dry place to sleep, she had given them the sense of security they so desperately needed.
“Did Joshua say if Ron is OK?” wept Andrea. She was the only person in the group who had cried nonstop throughout the afternoon.
“Rick just told you he didn’t know, Andrea,” snapped Lucy. “We’ll find out in the morning.”
Andrea, obviously stung by her idol’s sharp words, covered her mouth with her hands and cried harder.
“Get a grip, Andrea,” whispered Brenda, who was sitting beside her. “And cool it on the wine. We have enough going on without your drunken blubbering. You are upsetting the kids.”
“Fuck you, Brenda!” bellowed Andrea. She shoved Brenda so hard that she fell into Shelly, who bounded to her feet and began to cry. The remaining teens cut eyes at each other and squirmed nervously.
Lucy walked up behind Andrea and bent over her shoulder to whisper, “Cut the drama! Now! Otherwise, go back to your rock and stay there. I mean it, Andrea. We don’t need this right now!” She picked up the box of wine that Andrea had placed on the grass behind her and carried it several yards away. If full view of everyone, she held the spout open and let the wine drain into the ground. Andrea watched submissively as her shoulders heaved. At least half of the teens had begun to cry with fear for their own families, and Brenda and Rick did their best to soothe them. Within a few minutes, the group was quiet again except for occasional sobs coming from Andrea.
“We are sleeping by the fire tonight, on top of these tarps,” said the exhausted looking Brenda. “It will be tight but we can share body heat. Go and get your warmest clothes from your bags so we can settle down for the night. Bring something to use as a pillow, too. We have a big day tomorrow.”
Andrea waited until most of the teens were beyond hearing distance before she moaned, “I hope Ron is OK. His job is right in the low-lying area of Cleardon City and he was at work today! I’m so afraid that he didn’t get out in time! Even if the tsunami warning sounded, he would have had to leave on foot! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” Her voice grew shrill as her sobbing heightened.
“Stop it or leave!” demanded Brenda under her breath.
“Andrea, I’m not going to warn you again!” hissed Lucy. “Either calm down or get away from us!”
“Calm down? You two don’t get it, do you? You don’t get it because both of you live on the outskirts of town and have nothing to worry about!” Andrea rose to her knees and reached a hand towards Rick. “I need to use the phone, Rick. I need to see if Joshua had a chance to check on Ron. Just for thirty seconds, OK? Joshua won’t mind. He considers me family. Please! I am begging you!”
“Even I can’t use the phone and I’m Joshua’s daughter!” said Lucy in a voice trembling with outrage. “What is the matter with you, Andrea? Why are you making this so difficult for everyone?”
“I just need to know that Ron is OK!” Andrea wailed at the top of her voice. Her last bit of control slipped away and hysteria took over. “I can’t lie here all night worrying about Ron! Goddammit, Rick, give me the fucking phone!” Teens rushed back to the fire as the commotion exploded and were standing in huddles when Andrea suddenly lunged for the phone lying on the ground in front of Rick’s crossed legs. He barely had time to grab it before Andrea was upon him. She knocked him onto his back and was lying on top of him, using her nails to pry the phone away. It took Brenda, Lucy, and Abby to finally pull her off. Rick popped breathlessly to his feet as Andrea, howling with rage, charged again for the phone. She grabbed his wrist with both hands and began to twist. Rick used his free hand to try to break her hold as Brenda and Lucy attempted to drag her away. In a craze of fury, she sank her teeth into Rick’s shoulder. The phone flew from his hand and landed in a glowing pile of embers and ash.
Brenda shouted and shoved Rick backwards before he could plunge his hand into the coals. The force of the shove knocked him off his feet, and he hadn’t yet hit the ground when spurts of blue flame shot from the location where the phone had fallen. There was a ten second span of shocked silence before Andrea gasped. “I am so sorry! I am so sorry, you guys!” Huge eyes looked pleadingly at Lucy when she cried, “It was an accident, Lucy! I swear on my life! It was an accident!”
“Get away from us, Andrea,” sneered Lucy, turning her back in disgust. “I swear, I will kill you myself if you don’t just stay the hell away.”
Andrea sobbed as she stumbled towards the area where she and Tara had spent the afternoon. Tara, her eyes downcast, shivered once and followed her mother.
Rick’s temples throbbed with tension as he rubbed the bite on shoulder. “She didn’t break the skin, at least.” He went silent and stared glumly into space.
Lucy sat down with a sigh and put her face in her hands.
Brenda watched the distraught teens with near despair. Expressions of deep anxiety, grotesque in the fire’s dancing glow, once again marked their faces. She forced as much calm into her voice as she could manage when she said, “Listen to me, everyone. We are going to get you out of here, we promise. The phone was a convenience that we can live without. Joshua Zeem will do everything in his power to rescue us as soon as possible.” She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice devoid of anger. “You just saw what happens when worry and fear get the upper hand; it just makes things ten times worse. You are going to have to put your fears to rest and trust us.” She let her gaze touch every face and received slight nods of acquiescence before she said, “Lights out, everyone. Let’s get some rest and deal with tomorrow when it comes.”
Abby lay down with the rest of the group, closed her eyes, and listened as the sounds of crying slowly diminished. She wasn’t overly worried about the safety of her own family; on a Saturday afternoon in early June, her sisters would be at cheerleading practice at Saint Mary’s and her parents would most likely be at home with her little brother. All of them knew to run outdoors in the event of an earthquake, and both her home and the high school were out of the tsunami danger zone. Still, sleep would not come to her. She lay silent and helpless as Rick, Lucy, and Brenda, believing that the children were out cold, quietly cried themselves to sleep.
Chapte
r 5 The Plan
When Brenda awoke at sunrise, Rick, Abby, Leanna, and Caleb were already gone. She cried silently for a minute before she rose and tossed some sticks on the fire: a fire Rick had considerately built before he went in search of water. She shivered in the chilly air and began to organize breakfast for the remaining three adults and eight children. Rick and Caleb emerged from the woods on the south side of the picnic area with Abby and Leanna close behind as she was finishing up. Rick broke into a smile of triumph and gave her a thumbs-up gesture as she hurried towards him.
“Caleb found a natural spring about half an hour south of here. It’s small but it is good enough.”
“Good boy, Caleb!” Brenda bent to kiss the top of the panting dog’s head. “You may be the only dog I’ve ever liked!” Rick laughed until he saw a dark expression cross her face. “Rick, we need to talk.”
“Now is good. Abby and Leanna are trustworthy.”
“Someone is hoarding food and toilet paper. Two rolls of toilet paper went missing last night, and when I uncovered the food this morning, a box of candy bars and a box of power bars were down to two bars each. Both of those boxes were almost full when I finished passing out dinner last night. Believe me; I am counting each food item so I’m not imagining things.”
“Lucy stole the food and a roll of toilet paper, and Andrea stole the other roll of toilet paper. Caleb was sleeping beside me and he woke me up when he heard them sneak over. Lucy took her stuff right after everyone fell asleep. Andrea took the toilet paper a couple of hours later.”
“That does it!” cried Brenda with angry tears filling her eyes. “Come with me, Rick. It’s time we put an end to Lucy and Andrea acting like they and their children are the only people who count. These kids are scared and hungry, and they are being such troopers!”
Rick laid a calming hand on Brenda’s arm and said, “Abby told me about the thefts while we were on our hunt for water, and I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. We are going to let Lucy and Andrea keep their loot so we don’t subject the kids to any more drama. We just can’t afford another Andrea tantrum, and we definitely can’t put Lucy on the defensive. She’ll pull her superiority crap and start making decisions that affect all of us. You and I are going to keep the peace at all costs until everyone is safely at the spring.”
“But Rick, it’s just so unfair and so… wrong. It is just so wrong!”
“It stops today. It stops today because we are going to divide up the food, the drinks, and the toilet paper into equal portions. We will do it right after breakfast and everyone will be responsible for carrying and watching their own stuff. That will also free you up from having to monitor the food and organize meals for fourteen people.”
“Can we at least take back the food that Lucy stole?”
“Brenda, Lucy is going to choke on the memory of that stolen food for the rest of her life because when the time is right, we will confront her. But now is not the time. We have to let her keep it. We just can’t afford to set her off.”
“Can we trust the kids to manage their own food? What are we going to do if one of them gorges on their stash and runs out? Everyone is starving and we are barely managing to feed them enough to keep their energy levels up.”
“We warn everyone in advance that they are out of luck if they don’t manage their own stash. It’s all we can do.”
“Shhhh. Lucy is coming,” whispered Leanna.
If facial expressions could suck the substance out of someone, Lucy would have withered to dust at the glare Brenda gave her. Lucy averted her eyes before she said, “We have a couple of problems, you guys. Tara looted Andrea’s windbreaker pockets while Andrea was passed out last night and stole the OxyContin. All three pills are gone. Tara admitted to taking them and said she took two last night and one this morning.”
Rick heaved a frustrated sigh and said, “This isn’t good, you guys. One of my wife’s cousins was addicted to Oxy when he got busted for dealing in northern Utah. He ended up having to cold turkey in a county jail. He said it was the worst experience of his life; the withdrawal symptoms were like the most awful flu he ever had, times ten.”
“Tara looks fine now, but I guess she would since she still has the drugs in her system,” said Abby. “She looks a lot better than she did last night.”
“Yeah, but when she crashes, it will be a full crash and burn,” answered Rick. “We need to rush through breakfast and get everyone down to the spring before the drugs wear off. She’ll never make it otherwise.” He turned to Lucy and said, “We found a fresh water spring a little south of here. We need to move everyone down there as soon as possible.”
“Well, here comes problem number two. Andrea, Tara, and Reba only brought flip flops with them. They have nothing to hike in.”
“You are kidding me, right?” cried Brenda. “I didn’t let any of the kids get on the bus without asking them if they remembered to pack their sneakers. The one mandatory requirement for working at Raptor Bluff was close-toed shoes. Tara and Reba told me they packed sneakers!”
“Tara and Reba lied to you, with Andrea’s blessing. They weren’t planning to go into the raptor center at all. Andrea assured them that I would sign their community service forms even if they didn’t do any work. Reba told me a few minutes ago.”
“Of course Andrea counted on you to lie for her kid, Lucy!” retorted Brenda. “She’s always been above the law because you let her use her relationship with your family to do anything she damn well pleases! She is also a nutcase when she doesn’t get her way and you know that! I can’t believe you even allowed her to come on this trip!”
“That’s enough…,” Rick started to say but Brenda cut him off.
“That was one hell of an example she set for the kids last night! Who cares about my family, or Rick’s family, or those poor kids’ families, right? Andrea expects to use the phone to check on her family and attacks when we tell her ‘no’!” She spun on her heel and walked away.
Lucy flung a nasty look at Brenda’s back before she said, “What am I supposed to tell Andrea, Rick?”
“Tell her that she, Tara, and Reba can hike to the spring in flip flops or stay up here and die of thirst. We are leaving in less than an hour and if they are not packed and ready, we go without them. Oh, and Lucy? You and Dakota need to sift through your stuff and put aside anything that you can’t carry. Tell Andrea, too. Abby and Leanna will let the other kids know.”
“How do you always stay so calm?” Abby asked him as they walked towards the fire with Caleb bounding beside them.
Rick ignored the question and said, “You have to carry what you pack, so throw out anything that isn’t essential. If I were you, I would take a change of clothes, all of your socks, your warmest wraps, and your rain ponchos. You aren’t going to need cute clothes, makeup, or shampoo where we are going. And leave plenty of room for food. You will probably want to pack your water in your backpacks so it’s easier to carry. Collect some empty water bottles, too. We will fill them at the spring.”
While Brenda divided the food and drinks into fourteen equal portions, Abby and Leanna instructed the other students on what to keep and what to discard from their own belongings. When the packing was complete, the pile of abandoned items was double what they planned to carry out with them. Brenda pulled Abby and Leanna aside when it was time to leave. “I want to thank you girls for your help. I mean it. Thank you.” She kissed each girl on the cheek. “Rick and I had a short talk a few minutes ago. We will probably split up into teams once we get to the spring. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you have done, in case we don’t have a chance to talk again.” She gave the girls a quick hug and said, “Hey, Rick is signaling that it’s time to go. We better hurry.”
“Rick! Rick! Where are you going? Wait up!” Lucy shouted, running after Rick as he led the line of people towards the woods.
A scowl of irritation rippled across Rick’s face but he stopped walking and waited for he
r to catch up.
“You can’t leave yet! I packed all of our heavy stuff and our drinks in one bag for you to carry. Dakota and I can’t manage on our own.”
Abby nudged Leanna and nodded at Brenda, who was so outraged that even her ears were red.
Rick also noticed that Brenda was at the edge of her tolerance so he squeezed her arm in warning before he said to Lucy, “So unpack your heavy bag and redistribute the weight into your backpacks. Then repack your duffel bags with your lighter items. I told you exactly how to pack almost an hour ago.”
“But Dakota and I…”
“Don’t argue with me, Lucy.” Rick’s voice was still calm but there was an undertone to it that caused Lucy to take a step backwards. “You and Dakota are responsible for carrying your own supplies just like the rest of us. Right now, Dakota has almost nothing in her backpack and both of her hands are empty. Your pack looks light, too. What’s in there? Empty water bottles?” He looked at his watch and said, “You have five minutes to reorganize, and then we are leaving whether you are ready or not. Everyone carries their own weight.”
Lucy’s eyes were narrowed with indignation when she hissed, “Dakota is only twelve years old and I can’t carry for both of us!”
“Mom!” cried Dakota, mortified that her mother singled her out as the weakling of the group. She had already slipped her backpack off her shoulders and was loading it with bottled drinks from Lucy’s duffel bag. “Shelly is only thirteen and her backpack is full. I’m not a baby! I can carry my own duffel bag, too.”
Rick handed Caleb’s leash to Abby and said, “You know where to go. You and the others can get started. I’ll be right behind you with the slower folks.”
The Trip to Raptor Bluff Page 5