“The bad people that took all the cars, they have a base where they stay. Remember where the grocery store used to be with the other stores around it. They took over the grocery store and ate all the food. They used the other stores for supplies and turned the whole area into a big walled castle. Mommy and I went there to try to find more food, but we were scared of the men. Mommy decided to turn back and stay hidden. One-night mommy went out and she got some fresh steak. It was so good I ate it all, but we haven’t eaten in a while now,” Star rambled innocently.
Erika went back to her packs and got out a big piece of beef jerky and an apple and gave it to Star. Erika thought she heard a thank-you pop out of her little mouth as she gobbled the food like a famished dog.
“Don’t eat too fast, Star,” Erika warned, “it may give you a tummy ache.”
“I don’t care. This is so good,” Star said with her mouthful.
“Here, have some water too.” Erika insisted, handing Star a canteen that Henry gave her.
“Oh, thanks,” Star mumbled, slurping down a huge gulp. When Star was done eating, she looked at Erika and asked, “What is your name, lady?”
“My name is Erika.”
“Where are you going, Erika?” Star wondered.
“I’m trying to get home. I was stranded at work when all this happened. Some very kind people gave me these horses, and here I am,” Erika explained.
“I hope you find them,” Star said with a distant look in her eye. “My daddy is already dead and now look at my mommy. I’ll probably die too.”
Erika’s heart ached for this baby girl. In these desperate times, she didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to her. “Don’t you worry, Star, you’re not going to die. You’re going to survive. You’ll see. Why don’t you curl up in this corner and try to get some sleep?” Erika suggested, pointing to a corner that was nestled close to the wall. If there were any unwanted visitors, Star would be farthest from danger.
“What about my mom?” Star wondered, watching her labored breathing.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her. You need to get some rest. It won’t be safe to have the horses here during the day. We’ll leave in a couple of hours,” Erika told her.
“Okay,” Star agreed. She kissed her mom on the forehead and went over to the wall. She rolled up into a little ball and quickly fell asleep.
Erika thought Star looked like an angel as she slumbered peacefully. Erika knew immediately she would protect this child for the rest of her life. Her mom’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. Erika didn’t see much chance of her making a miraculous recovery, and there was no one else to take care of Star. Star’s mother’s breathing grew more and more laborious and she was coughing up more blood. The coughing spasm roused the woman. She looked up at Erika through black and blue eyes.
“I. . .I’m not g. . .going to make it a. . .am I?” she slowly sputtered.
“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Erika replied with tears in her eyes.
“Thank-you s. . .so much for helping us. N. . .no one else would. You and S. . .Star must leave me here. You must g. . .go. I. . .I am dying.”
“I can’t just leave you here,” Erika said frantically.
“Y. . .You have to. The p. . .people from the compound. T. . .they will come. S. . .Star will die, and you will die. You must go a. . .and you must go NOW!” the woman insisted, trying to find the strength to save her rescuer and her child. “Y. . .you don’t know how dangerous it is h. . .here. The m. . .men from the compound come looking f. . .food and supplies all the time.”
“Star will never let me take her away from you,” Erika countered.
“Then you must end it. Y. . .you must make her leave and if killing me accomplishes that, than s. . .so be it.”
“Kill you? I can’t do it.” Erika declared frantically. She knew the woman was right. The woman was going to die, but she had never even dreamt of taking another person’s life until tonight. Now, this lady was asking her to take two lives in one night.
“Y. . . you have to. I. . .I can b. . .barely breathe anyway and I. . .I want Star to live. A. . .are you a m. . .mom? W. . .would you die to s. . .see you child live?” she sputtered as more bubbly blood poured from her mouth.
Erika knew the answer was yes. She slowly reached for the other blanket that she was carrying. She would snuff out this life, so another could live.
Chapter 9
Erika checked on Star to make certain that she was still asleep. Wadding up the blanket, she slowly leaned down toward the poor, battered woman. Her mind raced. She argued in her mind: Why can’t I save her and build a cart to bring her along? I don’t have the supplies to do that. The men will be back around and eventually those scavengers would find me, the woman, and Star. They’ll take my supplies and do God knows what to us.
The stresses of the situation built and built in her head. The endless argument in her mind ran around and around until the thoughts finally frustrated her so badly that she found the courage to bury the woman’s face in the blanket. Her labored breathing ceased. Erika sobbed softly over the woman. Composing herself, she went to check on Star. Star was fine. Erika stared at her, all curled up dreaming of days past. Wonderful days of carefree goodness that would never come again.
Erika snuggled up in the opposite corner and cried. What is happening to our world? she wondered. Never before had she dared to dream of the horrors that she experienced on this night. Her world was so desperately changed. She knew in her heart her family was out there, but would she ever survive this chaos, this anarchy, and this savagery to make it home? She couldn’t imagine facing them, knowing the realities that she survived and the things it caused her to do. Erika wept again, until finally she slept under the blanket that took Star’s mother from her.
It wasn’t long until Star roused from her dreaming. She quickly remembered the events that transpired before her nap. Looking toward her mom, she saw her there resting, or was she? Star stared hard, trying to see if the blanket was going up and down as her mother breathed. Star ran over to her mother and listened for her breathing. Hearing nothing, Star flung herself onto the woman and cried out, “Mommy. . .Mommy. . .No!”
Erika awoke to Star’s screaming and bolted across the expanse. “Star, you must be quiet,” Erika warned her, hugging the little girl.
“But Mommy?” she mumbled.
“I know, she’s dead. She died while you were sleeping,” Erika told her gently. Her blond hair laid across Erika’s arm as Star wept. The urgency of the moment prayed on Erika’s mind and she held the child at arm’s length. “Star, she told me to take you with me. We have to get moving. We’ve been here for too long already,” Erika persuaded her as she let Star go and started packing up her things.
“What about Mommy? We can’t leave her here,” Star begged Erika to listen.
“We don’t have a choice, Star. You saw that man. There could be more of them out there. We have to go. Now!” Erika said firmly. “You must trust me now. I’ll protect you, okay?”
“Okay,” Star whispered, unsure of what to do.
If Erika thought her world was upside down, Star’s world was a swirling vortex. Star’s mom and dad were dead. She would have to trust in this stranger. As a child, there was no option but to comply. She couldn’t feed herself or protect herself from the unknown. She could only hope this stranger, who offered a bit of help, could care for her.
Strapping the gear down on Kit, Erika grabbed a couple of pieces of beef jerky and some water for her and Star. Then she got up on Artaz. She turned toward Star, grabbed her arm, and swung Star up behind her. When they were both seated comfortably, she handed Star one of the pieces of beef jerky.
“Here we go,” Erika said, trying to sound cheerful.
She gave Artaz a kick and off they went. Erika weaved through the rubble, trying to keep the horses hidden behind this pile of rubble or that one. Each time she rounded a corner there was a chance for encounters with other survivor
s grasping for life. This kept Erika on high alert. Saying a prayer for her and Star, luck smiled upon them as they munched on their beef jerky.
Erika was going to have to make a major decision soon. The route that she was taking led to a bridge that used to span a dam that formed a mountain lake. She knew that if the dam broke in the quake, which obviously it had, then the bridge would not be there any longer. This meant she must cross the river itself, and climb through a mucky swamp to get there. Even though the canyon area was once a beautiful river ecosystem with forests and wildlife, once the dam was built, it was all destroyed. The forest was turned into lumber and the stumps were all that remained at the bottom of the lake. Dirt and soot that once coated the bottom of the lake formed a mucky ground and it was steep. Erika knew of a road that used to exist before the dam was built, but lots of other people knew of it as well. Erika feared it might be a major place of congregation, so she decided that way would probably not be so good.
“Hey, Erika,” Star whispered, tapping Erika’s shoulder.
Erika jumped a little when Star touched her and inquired, “What’s going on, Star?”
“I have to go,” Star replied, indicating a need to use the restroom.
“Okay, let’s stop here and have a break,” Erika acquiesced. She wanted more time to make her decision anyway.
Erika got them both a dried apricot and waited for Star to finish relieving herself. Running back, Star tugged at her pants to hold them up. Her body was skin and bones, but her blue eyes shone like a cloudless sky.
“Here, eat this, Star,” Erika demanded. She did not like the look of how skinny the girl was.
“Thanks.” Star took the apricot and quickly ate half of it. Then she savored every bite as she nibbled the other half. “What’s wrong, Erika?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Erika replied defensively. She didn’t want Star to worry anymore.
“What are you thinking about? You’re looking right at me, but it feels as if you don’t even see me,” Star explained.
Intrigued by Star’s astute observation, Erika realized that she could not hide these realities from Star. “I have to decide what will be the best way to get us home,” Erika admitted.
“Home? Your home? Do you think it’s still there?” Star wondered out loud.
“I don’t know but we’re going to find out,” Erika said confidently. She was sure that even if her home was not there, her family was. “I think we’ll ride the forested edge of what used to be the lake for a ways up. Hopefully, we can go far enough up to avoid major groups of people.”
“Okay, if you say so. I’ve heard lots of talk about the river from the bad men while Mommy and I were hiding. The bad people may be there, Erika. I’m scared,” Star said fearfully.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to make it. We just have to find a good area to cross. Regardless of how we cross that river, the sun is just about up. We need someplace to hide for the day,” Erika told her, looking around at old landmarks to try and get her bearings.
“Where are we going to go, Erika?” Star wondered.
“That’s a great question Star. There used to be some apartments at the edge of the canyon. They were built a long time ago and probably got destroyed. That should have left an area with lots of hiding places and not many survivors. We can hide the horses in the rubble there,” Erika explained, hopeful her assumptions would be correct.
“Okay, if you say so,” Star replied in a daze. It was sheer instinct driving her to trust in this stranger and continue on.
Erika and Star got back on Artaz’s back and urged him forward. The lead line pulled on Kit’s bridle and he followed behind. Travel through this area was very slow. There was debris from businesses and homes strewn everywhere. In the same way traveling through the forest had been a challenge because of the angled trees, travel through the city was challenging because of the angled telephone poles, walls, fences, and whatever else men had planted in the ground. None of Auburn was built to withstand an earthquake of this size and no one was ready. Erika wondered why no help came for her in that bomb shelter when the truth was there was no help for anyone. When Erika thought of global implications, she was really disheartened. She knew that if no help came from the Federal Government, California was not the only place suffering.
There was no time to worry about speculation now. She was finally getting close to home. But what about the river? she wondered to herself. How will I know if people are down there or not? Will they be friendly people or has everyone freaked out like those assholes in Auburn?
Even though some people took advantage of the lawless environment, they were just trying to survive too. The stress of actually surviving that horrific day pushed most people to a point of consciousness that they had never been to before. The vast quantity of carnage that they saw laid out before their eyes would haunt their dreams forever. If they survived the initial shock, they were left battling their neighbors for rapidly dwindling food supplies. In Auburn, a group of survivors banded together to start taking over grocery stores, gas stations, and whatever other resources they could find from the random looters. The shopping complexes were reduced to rubble by the quake. The survivor groups utilized the materials there to build their compounds around these areas, providing shelter and keeping other survivors away from their precious supplies. Their raiding parties stripped the small city of anything of value that remained. They ransacked solar panels for power and tried to restore some conveniences of their former life. Finally, even those complexes were left with depleted supplies, so these groups started attacking one another. These battles over the meager remains hardened the survivors even further. Murder, death, and war were not just a movie on the TV anymore; it had come home. These people were not afraid to kill to survive.
Approaching the apartment complex, Erika said another silent thank-you to the Lord for an uneventful trip to the area and prayed that she would not find anyone there.
“This is it, Star,” Erika whispered.
“Do you think anyone will be here?” Star questioned nervously.
“I hope not,” Erika replied, still thinking about the men in Auburn. She remembered what Henry said about the marauder camp’s location. They were far enough away to not be heard, but close enough to be very cautious.
The horses carefully chose their footing through the debris. Artaz shook a little with anxiety. Erika understood why. She shielded Star’s eyes from the horrible scene. The many floors of apartments that were stacked on one another came down hard. The roof was shaken to bits and more decayed bodies laid half buried everywhere. They were old and young. This tragedy did not discriminate. Erika could tell that the remains of the building were picked through, but the bodies were just left to rot. They had been dead long enough and exposed to the elements for long enough that they didn’t really smell anymore.
“Erika, I don’t like it here. I think we should find someplace else,” Star whimpered.
“We don’t have the time; the sun is coming up.” Erika replied sharply. She didn’t like being here anymore than Star, but she knew they needed to get out of the open. The night was gone.
Erika found a corner with a wall and no bodies. She quickly pushed the debris out of the way then led each horse in against the wall. She piled walls of debris all around them and even found some boards she could put across the top in a disheveled manner to camouflage them further. She felt bad about always leaving their gear on them but knew a fast getaway would not be possible if she had to load up gear first. She promised them that once she found her husband she was going to give them at least a week without a saddle or a pack.
With the horses hidden, Erika set to the task of feeding everyone. She liked the fact that she now had companionship, someone to look after. It gave her a welcome distraction to her overwhelming mission of getting home.
“I think we’ll have some beans tonight. A whole can! We need to keep our strength up. Of course, we won’t be able to heat them up, but I bet
they’ll taste good anyway,” Erika announced happily. She was trying to make small talk with Star, to keep her mind off life. She felt horrible about Star’s mother. Now Star was hers and Erika would protect her to the end. Looking around for Star, Erika was surprised to see her busy with her own plans.
“Okay, I don’t mind cold beans. If you get me a blanket, I cleared a place for us and even made a little roof just like you made for the horses. We can eat our beans there,” Star boasted.
It was a great little place Star had made. There was no wall space left so Star made a little hole in the rubble right next to the debris wall that Erika made for the horses. It was expertly done, and all the piles looked natural. Erika handed her the sitting blanket and Star disappeared into the makeshift tent. Erika got oats out for the horses and fed them in feed bags. Then she gave them some water from the bottle. She wished she had hay to give them, but grazing would have to wait for another day. In the meantime, oats would have to do. She got out the can of beans, a couple pieces of beef jerky, and some raisins. She thought of having one of her remaining cigarettes, but opted not to for the same reason a campfire was not possible. She didn’t want anyone to see or smell the smoke. When she had what she wanted and was satisfied that the horses were sufficiently camouflaged, she climbed over one of the rubble walls and entered Star’s tent.
It was not big, but it was the perfect size for two people to sleep in. The blanket felt nice when Erika climbed onto it. It was so soft. She was amazed that she even noticed; before she would have hardly cared. She used a tool she carried on her key chain to open the can of beans. A lack of utensils made eating the beans challenging. Erika and Star laughed at one another slurping on the can. Erika was amazed at how good cold beans could taste, when all you’d eaten was beef jerky and dried fruit for days.
After they ate, Erika lay back for a minute. She wanted to listen for people. If she heard anyone, she would follow them for information. If she didn’t, she would go out and scout the river. Lack of sleep and the stress of the day rapidly changed her plans. She fell into a deep slumber.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 1): Day After Disaster Page 9