ALLUSIVE AFTERSHOCK

by Susan Griscom

  He shrugged.

  I shook my head at Max unable to figure out why he was so unconcerned about Court, and scanned the hillside until I finally spotted him lying under a tree. I ran to him—the way he lay in the grass with his eyes closed, he appeared to be dead. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming when I saw his right arm move. Max came huffing down the hill and stood beside me.

  “‘Bout time you guys came back. I thought I was going to broil out here in the sun.”

  “How did you get over here?” I asked.

  Court turned his head toward me. “How the hell do you think? I crawled. You have no idea, even on the coldest days, how hot the sun feels on burnt flesh.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said in my softest voice. “We should have left you in the shade. I didn’t realize …”

  “Let’s get him back on the board so we can pull him to the cellar,” Max said.

  Max positioned the board next to Court. “Since you were able to get over here, do you think you might be able to get your sorry, heavy ass back on the board now that I put the thing right next to you?”

  Courtland glared at Max. “It’s comforting to know that disaster could not further tarnish my perception of you.”

  Max frowned. What was up with these two? Why did they hate each other so much?

  Court pulled himself onto the board, sank down on his back, and closed his eyes, but quickly opened them as he took hold of my arm and whispered, “Thanks for coming back.”

  I smiled and nodded, wishing the two of them could get along.

  We dragged Court to the steps of the cellar and stopped. I looked down at the cement steps. “Now what? We can’t push him down the stairs.”

  “That would be one solution,” Max said curtly.

  “Bet you’d enjoy that,” Courtland grunted. “Give me a minute here. I think I can get up if you give me a hand.”

  Court tucked the picture of his parents into the pocket of his sweatshirt. Max took hold of his uninjured right side, and I positioned my shoulder under Courtland’s burned left arm, which he draped over my other shoulder. I glanced at the charred flesh on his hand and then at his face. His intense green eyes stared down at me but he quickly averted them toward the stairs.

  “Let’s get this over with before I pass out.”

  We hobbled down the stairs and inched our way to a clear spot in the cellar away from the barrels and mess. We set Courtland down on the cold cement floor and he leaned his back up against the wall. To the left of him on the floor lay some sheets and a quilt similar to the ones my grandma used to make with little triangles and squares hand-stitched together and designs in neat, even stitches. My mom had draped the prettiest one my grandma had ever made over the foot of her bed for added decoration. I fought back the sob caught in my throat and picked up the quilt, unfolding and spreading it out on the floor.

  “Lay on top of this—it might give you a little cushioning.”

  He nodded and positioned himself face up on the blanket. “Thanks, Adela.”

  I walked over to Max, who had already righted the shelf and was picking things up off the floor. I heard Courtland call out. “Is there any water?”

  “I’ll get some. Max’s mom stocked this place with a few supplies last week right after the first earthquake.”

  “I just put the water on the shelf.” Max pointed toward the wall where the shelves now stood housing half a dozen or so cans of soup and three gallons of water. “The water won’t last long so use it sparingly.”

  I poured some water into a plastic cup and took it to Court.

  “Thanks.” He sipped some water and handed the cup back to me. “You drink some.”

  “What?”

  “You drink some. When’s the last time you had any water?”

  “Um … this morning, I think. Thanks.” I took a sip and gave it back to him. He needed the water more than I did. After all, I could walk over and pour some anytime I wanted, but I liked the fact that he even considered offering me some when he was in so much pain.

  He took another sip and pointed to a cotton sheet Max’s mom had left along with the blankets. “Do you think you can find something to cut a couple of strips from that sheet and soak them with water to put on my burns?”

  “Shouldn’t I try and find a first aid kit with some sort of ointment?”

  “You could. We should try to clean it first though and only use ointment if it’s an antibacterial. Otherwise, cool water and gauze would be best. If you can’t find a kit, water and a clean sheet will work if there is one.”

  I made my way over to the shelves and searched for a medical kit but didn’t find one. I looked over at the sheet, still brand new in the package. I wondered if Max’s mom would mind if I cut her brand new sheet into pieces—a silly thing to think about. Of course she wouldn’t mind. “There’s no kit,” I said over my shoulder, “so I’ll need to cut up the sheet.”

  As I searched the counter and the shelves, Max came up beside me and handed me his knife. “Go ahead. Use this. I’ll find some more candles.”

  I took the knife, surprised at his offer, but glad the Max I thought I knew was still in there somewhere. I ripped several strands of the soft white material and soaked them with water, being careful not to waste any. Before I placed the first one over part of Court’s leg, his hand grabbed mine and stopped me.

  “Adela, be sure to lay the strips gently over the burns and please don’t press.”

  I swallowed and nodded. I knew I should be as gentle as possible, but I didn’t blame him for wanting to warn me. I’m certain that if it were me, any pressure put on the burns would most likely send me to the ceiling. I didn’t want to inflict any more pain on him. He closed his eyes and I placed several strips over the burns on his leg the best I could. It was a little difficult with his pants in the way, but I managed to lift them up enough to get some wet pieces of the cloth against part of the burns. When I finished applying the strips to his hand and fingers, he opened his eyes and whispered once again, “Thank you.”

  I smiled, glad I was able to help bring him a little relief. I grabbed the water bottle from the shelf and refilled Courtland’s cup.

  “I’ll repeat, try not to use so much water. It has to last.” I glanced at Max who sat against the opposite wall hugging his knees to his chest.

  I couldn’t help but glare at him. Why was he being such a jerk? “I think he needs a little more. He’s in a lot of pain.”

  “I don’t want to die of thirst down here because you want to baby him.”

  I looked over at Courtland; his eyes shut tight, his eyebrows close together, sure signs the guy was in pain. He had to have heard what Max said. Maybe Max was being so mean because he was in pain himself. Well, we all were and I decided it was time Max put his differences with Court aside, whatever they were, because Court not only had the emotional pain, but also the physical pain to go along with it. That, in my opinion, trumped whatever miserable anguish Max was going through. “I’m not babying him. He has some serious burns here. I’m not an expert, but if we don’t treat them they might get infected.”

  “Fine, just don’t use all the water. When you’re done playing nurse, I want you to come with me. We should go out and search for other neighbors, maybe find some adults with first aid training.”

  “We shouldn’t leave him alone.”

  “Adela, we can’t stay here forever and if his burns are that bad, we should try to find someone who can help him. We will eventually need to find more water. My mom stocked this place for a couple of days, not a lifetime. I thought you wanted to find your brother and sister.”

  Oh, he did not just go there. “No one said forever and I do want to find them.” I knew Max was right about trying to locate others, but I glared at him for using my family to get to me. Ignoring Max, I took another cup of water to Court. I didn’t like the way Max was acting; making fun of Court in school was one thing, but this could very well be a life-or-death situation.

>   I sat on the floor beside Court and placed my hand behind his head to help him drink. He sipped a little then indicated he’d had enough so I took my arm out from under him.

  “I’ll share,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “I’ll share this cup of water. Drink some before you end up dehydrated.”

  “You’re worried about me?”

  “Of course. Why does that surprise you?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think … never mind. Thanks.” Lowering my head to the cup, I closed my eyes in an effort to hide my surprised, or rather pleased expression from Court. Wasn’t sure why it gratified me to discover he was concerned for me. Maybe because on some level, I knew my dad trusted Court and my dad would expect him to take care of and protect me.

  “How did you hurt your hand?”

  “Huh?”

  “Your hand, it’s all cut up.”

  “Oh. I almost forgot all about it. I tripped and cut it on some glass at my house.”

  “You should clean it and wrap a couple of strips over it so it stays clean.”

  I nodded and wiped it off the best I could with a piece of wet sheet. I cut another strip, wrapped it around my hand, and walked over to Max.

  “Could you help me tie this?”

  Max looked at my hand. “Good job,” he said as he tied the ends of the pieces of material. “I’m sorry I forgot about your hand. Does it hurt much?”

  “No. In fact, I forgot about it too. Court just noticed the cuts and said I should wash my hand and wrap it.”

  Max frowned. “Well, good for him.”

  I walked back over to Court to make sure he was comfortable and he looked at me and smiled. “Your boyfriend doesn’t like me much.”

  “He’s not …” I stopped mid-sentence, shocked at my sudden desire to keep Court from thinking Max was my boyfriend, when up until then, that was all I’d ever wanted. Even though God knew however much I wanted it to be true, it wasn’t. I didn’t want to discuss my relationship with Max, especially not with Courtland Reese. “Don’t mind Max. He’s upset about his parents.”

  “What about yours?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. My house was destroyed but my mom wasn’t there. At least, I don’t think she was. I’m hoping she went to the school to find my sister and brother or went with my dad to Sacramento for the day. That’s better than thinking she hid under the kitchen table or something and was buried under the debris. Max and I searched all over the place, but we … she wasn’t there. I suppose that’s a good thing.”

  “Maybe, but I’m sorry. I hope you find her.” His soft voice matched his eyes as they meet mine.

  “Your dad?”

  “He died in the fire.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” I hoped he recognized the same amount of genuine sympathy in my eyes that I saw in his.

  Court nodded, keeping his eyes on me.

  “Um … listen. We … I mean Max wants me to go with him to scout the area for more food and water, possibly locate some other people. I still need to find my brother and sister. Will you be okay here for a while? We shouldn’t be too long.”

  Court nodded. “That’s probably a good idea but be careful and try to get back before dark.”

  I gave him a puzzled look trying to figure out why he was so concerned about nightfall.

  “It’s gonna be hard to see when it gets dark. Without electricity there won’t be any street lights and it’s gonna get cold.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be back before then.” I stood up and walked over to Max. “Let’s go.”

  ~~ Courtland ~~

  The pain was almost too much to bear as I lay on the cellar’s floor, wishing I were dead. Good thing Adela and Max left me alone. I couldn’t keep from groaning any longer and didn’t want Adela or Max to feel sorry for me. I almost lost it a few times while Max and Adela argued about the water. What the hell did Max think I was going to do, drink a whole gallon of water in one sitting? The guy was a jerk and I wished to God I knew what she saw in him.

  The cold rags on my skin helped some but they soon turned tepid and I wished I had some sort of first aid kit or even a bottle of aspirin. Why would anybody stock a cellar for an emergency without a first aid kit? They always come equipped with some aspirin or ibuprofen. I could use a handful. I had to admit, it was pretty stupid of me to stand in the middle of the smoldering fire. I glimpsed at the picture of my parents again and decided it was worth every single moment of agony. If I hadn’t picked up the photo, the last item I had left to remember my mother by would have burned along with the rest of the house.

  I managed to prop myself up on my elbows and glanced around the cellar. Hmmm … plenty of wine barrels. A glass or two of wine might help my pain. I’d have to wait for them to come back since I couldn’t put much weight on my ankle yet.

  I spotted a radio on the shelf. Stupid Max probably didn’t even think to turn the thing on, see if it worked. This was his family’s wine cellar. You’d think the guy would be aware of what was down here. I leaned back and sighed.

  Ahhh, stop, Court. Give the guy a break. He was grieving for his family, just like you when you stepped into the burning debris.

  I’d always felt Max had had everything; money, looks, and any girl he wanted. I only wished he didn’t have Adela’s heart.

  ~~Adela~~

  Max and I trekked through the woods, the most direct route to the main road. The sun filtered in through the massive redwoods creating a fairytale-like ambiance, a lovely sylvan setting with moss-covered tree trunks and rocks. I pictured a little hobbit cottage holed into the hillside. It didn’t look like anything was wrong. Trees stood tall and birds sang loudly as my cheeks soaked up the warm afternoon sun.

  The temperature dropped when we reached the road. Without the shelter of the trees, a slight breeze filled the air that would surely turn cold tonight if it continued. I wished I had more than just a sweater on. I had several jackets at home buried somewhere under the pile of dust and rubble that used to be my house. I supposed someday in the near future, I should go back and sift through the mess. I only hoped my mom wasn’t lying dead among all the muck.

  We walked for about half a mile without seeing a single soul. My thighs were sore, especially when we headed up hill. We had traveled so far already today and it seemed that this journey could have waited until tomorrow. I sensed Max’s discomfort but I handled grief differently. He needed to move and do something. He wasn’t the type to sit and wait. Truth was I thought he just needed to be away from Courtland for a little while.

  Something jabbed into the bottom of my foot and I stopped, picking a pebble out from inside my shoe causing Max to turn and bark at me to hurry up.

  “Max, I’m tired. Please let’s turn back. It’s getting late and it’s going to get cold soon. I don’t even have a jacket. Plus, I should put some fresh bandages on Court’s burns so they don’t get infected.”

  This last bit of information seemed to irritate Max.

  “Fine. We’ll turn around right after we check on Murdock. His house is just over this hill. He’s a good friend of my dad’s and he might be of some help to us. Come on, we’ll go up this way—it will be faster.” He pointed to his right at the golden weeds growing out of the hillside, a hill most likely still infested with rattlesnakes. With little rain so far this fall, and the unusually mild weather, rattlesnakes would be out warming themselves in the afternoon sun.

  “Isn’t there another way? There’s not even a path.”

  “There’s a trail. It’s small, but still a trail.”

  I stopped walking when Max turned into what he considered a trail. “That’s not a trail, that’s a six-inch gap in the weeds. It’s still rattlesnake season. I don’t want to walk through that stuff. They love to hide in that brush.”

  “Really? You’re afraid of a rattlesnake? You just survived one of the most powerful earthquakes in history and you won’t walk through a patch of weeds because of rattlesnakes?�
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  “Shut up, Max. I didn’t rag on you when you didn’t want to walk across the narrow beam. Why are you being so cruel to me?” Okay, that was a cheap shot, but he deserved it. “You know I hate snakes.”

  “I’m sorry.” Max took a step toward me, placing his hand on my arm reassuringly before he perused the area. He walked to the side of the road and picked up two large sticks. “Here, take one. We can use these to knock against the weeds and warn any snakes to go away. They don’t want to see you any more than you want to see them. Trust me. Everything will be fine.”

  I’d trusted Max most of the day, but this time? I glanced down at my skinny jeans and flat black shoes with no socks. I didn’t think everything would be fine, but reluctantly agreed to climb up the weed-covered hill. At least we had our sticks ….

  We trudged up the hill with Max taking the lead, whistling as if everything was hunky-dory. We had no business walking through this stuff unprepared, wearing regular pants and no hiking boots. Thistle after thistle of thorny little spurs scraped against my poor unprotected ankles.

  As Max promised, everything seemed fine and I began to relax, when Max suddenly stopped and turned toward the left. His eyes focused on something in the grass. At the sound of rustling, then a rattle, I froze.

  Chapter 11

  ~~ Adela ~~

  Max pointed his stick in the direction of the sound. The tall dry grass rippled, and up popped the head of the largest rattlesnake I had ever laid eyes on. I opened my mouth to scream but my throat tightened like a stretched-out rubber band and nothing came out. My legs turned to cement and wouldn’t budge.

  The snake hissed at Max and braced its head, ready to strike. Max kept his body still, his staff steady and pointed at the snake’s eyes. The rattler inched its three-foot-long body backwards across the wimpy trail, bottom half coiled and long upper body poised to strike. The serpent’s long forked tongue hissed out of its two-inch diamond-shaped head as the venomous reptile focused on Max and his stick. All the while, it retreated, slithering sinuously and smoothly until I heard a thump as the creature’s heavy body hit the ground after dropping off the side of a cliff.