The Changing Earth Series (Book 1): Day After Disaster

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  Turning to see who approached, Mike saw Erika and yelled, “Oh my God, is that you, Erika? Is it really you? Where were you? What happened? Come and give me a hug,” he demanded.

  Mike gave Erika a huge hug. Erika loved it. After being alone for so long it felt wonderful to be wrapped up in the warmth of old friends who loved you and would take care of you. After a while Mike released his hug, extended Erika out to the reach of his arms, and looked at her. Then he hugged her again. Erika grew up with Mike’s sons and she knew that one of them had died. Mike didn’t know the fate of the other. She didn’t know how to approach this subject. As if Mike knew exactly what Erika was feeling, he held her closer and whispered in her ear, “Maybe Burt will make it home too.”

  “I hope so, Mike,” Erika choked out. Tears were starting to fill her eyes. It was as if all the emotions of the day couldn’t be held back any longer.

  “Hey there, nice to see you made it home, Erika,” Cliff said, returning with the drinks. Erika and he were not as close, but they knew one another and exchanged greetings. His distraction from all the emotions was welcome. The alcohol Erika drank before did not help to suppress the feelings that the reunion with Mike created.

  Mike was always friends with Erika’s mother as well and asked, “Have you seen your mom yet?”

  “No, why, have you?” Erika asked, excitedly.

  “No, I haven’t. I was just wondering if you had seen her, yet. I’ve heard that there’s a camp down in the Coloma area, so there’s hope. I think Vince was going to check it out,” Mike replied solemnly.

  “Well, isn’t this shit cheery,” Greg interjected. He wasn’t going to let the tension get too high. He felt he needed to stomp down the bad feelings. That’s who he was, and Erika loved him for it. Everyone laughed, and Erika thought it was weird: How can we laugh at a time like this? On the other hand, how can we not? If we give up and succumb to the negative energy, we’ll all die right along with everything else.

  “Erika, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Joan declared, entering the bar. “We just about have everything ready to go for tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come back and get cleaned up. Your clothes are dry from this morning if you want to put them back on. Plus, everyone decided you should present the meat tonight for us since you’re the one who butchered it.”

  “Oh, okay, Joan,” Erika replied, put off by all this attention. She just wanted to blend back in with the group, not “present” things to them. She was afraid she would have to tell her story tonight and that was going to be quite enough. Although, Joan’s suggestion of changing outfits made sense to her. If she did get a little tipsy tonight she didn’t want to make a mess out of the delicate clothes Carol gave her. Plus, she was thinking about Star and wondering how she was getting along. “That sounds good. I would like to change my clothes and check in on Star,” Erika replied, turning to leave with Joan.

  “I’m going to hang out here for now. Margie needs some help getting supplies together for tonight and I need to go and run Dakota. He’s been in the tent for a while,” Greg said. “I’ll hook up with you in about an hour.”

  “Sounds good to me, G-man.” Erika replied, hugging him again. Her heart bounced as she left the bar with Joan. She felt so much better, almost fuller. She’d found a sense of family, of familiarity, and it felt great. Now if her boys would just get here, it would be so much better.

  Chapter 17

  The sun was just entering an area of the sky that signified late afternoon was approaching. It got hotter. A bead of sweat dripped down Erika’s face as they crossed back over the old highway and headed up the hill to where the river group was camped. The wonderful smell of meat roasting filled the air. Steve was still over at the drying fire, preserving the meat. Erika noticed a few more men had joined him. They were sitting around the fire and a bottle was being passed around. Erika knew what that must be. Everyone would be well fed and having fun tonight. She could feel the energy in the air, the sense of anticipation, something people could use to dispel more stress and despair. It was a chance for people to come together even more, to dance and play.

  Erika’s first order of business was to check on Star. She went over to the tent and peeked in.

  “The kids are taking a nap right now,” Joan whispered. “I told them that we were going to have a big night tonight and it might be a good idea to get some rest before the fun begins.”

  “Good idea. Is my stuff still over in the cart?” Erika asked quietly.

  “No, we needed some of that wood to make a bench next to the fire. We put all your stuff in a section of the tent for you. Come on,” Joan instructed, leading Erika into the tent. She pointed to a pile on the edge of a sleeping area that was her things. Erika noticed lots of little piles and figured that everyone had their own and designated sleeping blankets.

  “Thanks, Joan,” Erika whispered.

  “No problem, I have to go check on the dishes for tonight. You got everything you need?” Joan asked.

  “I think so,” Erika replied.

  “Okay, I’ll see you after you change,” Joan commented, closing the tent flap.

  Erika heard her crunchy footsteps move away from the tent. Making her way to her pile, she looked over at Star, all snuggled up sleeping like a baby. Erika went over and pulled the blanket up around her more. Star stirred a little.

  “Erika, is that you?” she asked sleepily.

  “Yes honey, it’s me. Are you doing alright?” Erika whispered to her.

  “Yeah, my leg hurts but I’m okay,” Star moaned.

  “I want you to get some good rest because we’re going to have some fun tonight,” Erika told her.

  “I’m not supposed to be up out of bed yet,” Star said sadly. She looked bummed out.

  “You’re only young once, Star. I think it would be alright if you came out for just a little while to hear some music and stories,” Erika encouraged her.

  “Really?” Star’s eyes were wide with anticipation.

  “Yeah, really, but I think you better get as much rest as possible, so you have all the energy you are going to need.” Erika replied, giving her nose a little rub with her finger.

  “All right,” Star responded cheerfully. She rolled over and snuggled back into her blankets. Erika tucked her in some more and stared for a moment at her beautiful new daughter. Then she headed over to her pile again.

  The anxiety of seeing her family was killing her. She tried to stay focused on the task at hand. That way time would pass faster. Erika decided to change her clothes first. She took off her soft-sheet outfit and put back on the blood-stained jungle pants and her green shirt. She decided to bring her hoodie with her because it was hot out now, but later it might cool off. The end of September was always unpredictable that way. No more hot August nights. It was usually warm in the day time but at night, if there were no clouds to keep the heat in, it was cold. She looked around and although she liked these people, she didn’t know where she would actually be sleeping tonight. She decided to put her things together in a neat bundle. She could pass more time organizing her things, and if she decided not to sleep here tonight, it would be easy to move.

  Erika was at a loss because she didn’t have a bag or a backpack to put things into. In the end, she decided to spread out one of the blankets that she was carrying and put everything neatly in the center of it, then fold in the sides and make it into a sack. She began to pack up her things. The rope that she carried went on the very bottom because it was dirty. Then she put one of her blankets on top of it, her bundle of clothes on that, and finally her other blanket on that. Erika hoped that this way her good outfit would stay nice. She was still carrying the first-aid kit but all that was in it was some gauze, a couple of Band-Aids, and some antiseptic. She put her two extra lighters, her four kitchen knives, and the five candles that remained in it as well. She put a lighter in her pocket with her three-quarter pack of Camels. She put the new pack that Greg gave her as
well as her pack of Marlboros and Marlboro Lights in the first-aid kit, to save for later. She put the kit, her two remaining boxes of tampons, and the bag of rice on top of the blanket in the sack. She finished packing her two saucepans on top of that and tied the sack up at the top.

  Staring at her packed-up supplies, she didn’t know what to do next. This was the part of a party that Erika absolutely hated and this time it was even worse. It’s the time when everything is ready to go, but no one is there yet. Usually, Erika would goof around with Vince before anyone else showed up, but this time even he wasn’t there yet. Thinking of him, his eyes and his warm embrace, caused her to go more stir-crazy. He would be coming before too long, and she was absolutely ecstatic. She couldn’t take it any longer. She got up and left the tent, breathing in the fresh air. The sun was indicating it was early evening and she knew it couldn’t be long now. She decided to go over and give Kit some attention. Feeling bad for not giving him more attention earlier, she walked over to a little pen they made for him. It was constructed from burnt boards crisscrossed in x patterns to form a holding pen. He nickered when he saw her and came over to the edge so she could pet him.

  “Hi Kit, how you doing?” Erika said gently, rubbing her hand through his soft hair.

  “I’m doing fine,” a very familiar voice said from behind her. Erika spun around so fast she almost fell over.

  “Vince!” She ran to him and threw her arms around him and he hugged her. They never wanted to let go. They kissed as tears streamed down their faces. Erika looked into his eyes and soaked in their beauty. She never thought she would look into those eyes again. They embraced again. She smelled his smell, his manliness emanating. This was her man, her soul mate, she would have crossed the whole darn world to find him if she had to.

  “Oh my God, Erika, I thought you were gone. I didn’t want to believe it, but I thought you were dead. I’m never going to let you go again,” he declared, hugging her with an extreme desperation. He squeezed so tight it hurt but Erika didn’t mind. She didn’t want him to ever let her go again either. She felt whole. She had her other half and now they could both live.

  Erika cried as Dexter ran to them yelling, “Mommy, mommy.” His golden hair shined in the setting sun and his gray-blue eyes shone like the sky. Erika lifted him up into the air and wrapped him up in her love.

  Ripper, their dog, was at his heels and ran to Erika with his tail wagging furiously.

  Watching his wife hold his son, Vince grabbed them both and threw his arms around them. He hugged them, and they just stood that way for a long time. They all cried but no one moved. Except for Ripper: he danced and pranced around the family, yelping in joy.

  Reality was everyone’s worst enemy. It was only a matter of time until it broke the trance of the reunited family. There was so much to discuss. Erika wanted to know it all at once: how did they survive, who else they had been in contact with, the list went on and on. She knew that these conversations would take time and there were much more pressing issues to discuss right now.

  “Baby, there’s someone else you have to meet,” Erika said excitedly to Vince. “It’s a very long story, but I saved a little girl named Star. Her mother and father both died. There was no choice but to take her as my own. I hope you guys will love her like I do. I want you to come and meet her.”

  Vince held Erika in his arms again and replied, “Erika, I know that whatever happened I am just. . .so thankful that you are home. If God returned you to me with another child to add to our family, then I say great! Let’s go meet her, what do you think, Dex?” His gorgeous gaze moved from Erika to his young son waiting at his heels.

  “Yay! I got a new sister!” Dexter yelled in excitement.

  The whole camp was a buzz of activity when the family returned to the camp. The entire river group and most of the Cool group were all standing around the main fire in the river group’s area on the hill. A column formed as the family approached the crowd. There by the fire was Greg with Star. Greg knew that Star would need an update with all the commotion going on and he was there for her immediately. He made certain she felt welcome and waited with her to meet the rest of the family. Star hopped as fast as she could over to Erika when she saw the family approach. Erika hugged her and raised her up into the air. Vince, overwhelmed with love for his wife, held the two of them tightly in his arms and Dexter wrapped onto their legs.

  Finally, Vince backed up for a moment, and looked at the little girl. He said cheerfully, “This must be Miss Star, the one who I have been hearing so much about. My name is Vince and it is very nice to meet you.”

  He was great with kids. He seemed to know how to communicate with them better than most adults. Star sensed that immediately.

  “This must be the Mr. Vince I’ve been hearing so much about. Anyone that Erika loves as much as she loves you is A-okay in my book,” Star replied smartly.

  “Aren’t you a little gem. You’re going to fit right into this family, Super Star,” Vince hugged her again, lifting her out of Erika’s hands, and raised her high above his head. The whole crowd cheered as he spun her around and delicately returned her to the ground. He’d noticed her hobble when she ran up and didn’t want her to land too hard on that leg.

  The crowd continued to cheer. The people were just happy to have something positive to celebrate, and this reunion story was just what they needed. Greg loved moments like this and he was just the individual to take advantage of it. He suddenly jumped up on a gnarled stump that was sitting by the fire and addressed the crowd.

  “People, people,” he cried out, waving his arms in the air. It took a couple of minutes, but the crowd began to hush.

  “We’ve all been through absolute hell!” Greg cried out.

  The people cheered in agreement and a man yelled out, “Yeah, we have.”

  “Now, we have something to celebrate. A family reunion for us all!” he shouted out to the crowd.

  There was more cheering and shouting.

  “Erika was returned to us from the depth of the hell that was once Sacramento, and even I don’t know how she did that,” Greg explained, pausing for a moment and giving the crowd a chance to do more shouting and cheering.

  “Well, tonight, folks, we’re going to hear it,” he yelled to the crowd. There was a huge cheer that went up from the assembled people. “And. . .” Greg waited for the crowd to quiet down, “we’re going to party!” he declared.

  The crowd erupted into a flood of sound. People were so eager to feel good; they just wanted to feel normal again and a celebration was a perfect way to vent the frustrations of lives that were spiraling out of control.

  “So, let’s party, folks. Everyone go and get ready. Let’s put together a feast to go with all that meat, bring your beverages, and don’t forget to do a little cleanup on those grubby-ass faces,” Greg announced, feeling great.

  The crowd was a vortex of activity: cheering, laughing, and scrambling to get everything ready.

  Erika marveled at how pleasant it was to see everyone smiling and pumped up with positive feelings. She watched the crowd begin to disperse, everyone going off to their respective camps to get ready for the party. She saw some people washing themselves and their kids out of little buckets and others were cooking in salvaged pots and pans, but everyone was busy and the positive energy floated thick in the air.

  Erika and Vince were awe struck with the activity. It was a bit overwhelming to be the center of so much attention. After months of being apart all they wanted to do was find someplace quiet and share each other’s company. Dexter and Star hit it off immediately and they were already deep in conversation. Greg knew that whether Vince and Erika liked it or not, they were going to be the stars of the show. Unless someone organized the chaos, Vince and Erika would be bothered by folks all night, wanting to hear their stories and share in their reunion. He cleared the crowd, but it came at a cost. Erika would have to share her story tonight. Greg jumped down off the stump and strolled nonchalan
tly over to the couple.

  “Okay guys, I got you a few minutes of time,” Greg said. “Where are you going to stay?”

  Erika and Vince looked at one another and shrugged. Neither of them had thought past finding one another.

  “I guess we’ll just stay here for now. Until we can figure out what we’re going to do,” Vince replied.

  “Okay, I’m going to go back to my tent to get freshened up for the party. That little honey from the watchtower will be around tonight, and I plan on getting me some,” Greg said slyly.

  “Same old Greg,” Erika teased, rolling her eyes.

  “Cool, man,” Vince replied after chuckling at Erika for a moment. “We’ll see you later and thanks for everything, Greg,” Vince said with a hint of a tear in his eye. Greg had returned his wife to him and, with her, his whole life.

  “No problem, bro. She did all the work getting here. All I did was welcome her home,” Greg replied modestly.

  “Well, thanks anyway,” Vince said, choking back tears.

  Vince and Erika left to go and spend some well-earned time together in the communal tent that the river group constructed. Joan set up another blanket, forming another private room in the corner area. There was no one else in the tent right now, but there would be later, and this addition made the tent seem much more private and cozy. Star and Dexter decided that they wanted to play outside with Ripper, and since Tyson and Little Jimmy were outside playing as well, Erika didn’t have a problem with that. Star was using a small walking stick to help her take pressure off her leg. Erika told her to take it easy, but deep inside she knew Star would have to stay strong to survive in this world. Joan helped to ease Erika’s mind with a promise of keeping a sharp eye on them.