Erika went on to tell her mom about Henry and Carol, and how Star came to be in the family.
“She watched the whole thing?” Nancy asked, outraged as she listened to what had happened to Star’s mother.
“Yeah, Mom, she was right there in the bushes.” Erika confirmed, still horrified by the story as well. She couldn’t believe what an animal that man was, or what she herself had done. It was like she was someone else that day, but she was thankful to have Star in her life. You have to take the good with the bad, Erika thought to herself.
As if reading her mind, Nancy said, “I really like that girl. She’s such an in-charge little lady. I never would have thought. . .that she. . .she went through. . .”
“I know, Mom. That’s just life now. That was the first time I killed. I was sick, but now I have killed so many more,” Erika said, pausing for a moment to reflect, “I’ve killed, Mom.” Erika was trying to rationalize these feelings. Her mother knew every fiber of who Erika was. She recognized that Erika was totally capable of killing if she needed to, but she saw the moral struggle clearly in her daughter’s eyes.
“Erika, you did what you needed for survival. You have to protect what’s good in this world. I’m so proud of you,” Nancy told her, squeezing Erika’s hand in her own. “It’s going to get better,” Nancy finished.
Erika wanted to believe that so deeply. She wished it with all her heart, but she knew it was not over. It was merely the beginning of the end. Vince was listening to their conversation while he was playing with the kids and stepped over to them. This was the first time he heard Star’s whole story and it all made sense now. He hoped that the kids hadn’t overheard as well and wanted to shield them. He walked over to distract the women.
“So, my lovely ladies, you all ready for a night on the town?” Vince jested, wrapping an arm around Erika.
“Are we ever!” Nancy said lightheartedly. They began laughing and teasing with one another.
“Who’s going to be the sober driver?” Erika chimed in.
“We definitely don’t have to worry about that now,” Nancy said sarcastically as Greg and Brett walked back in.
“Worry about what?” Brett questioned curiously.
“A sober driver,” Vince said, winking at Greg.
“No more DUIs!” Greg continued the game. “Hell yeah, maybe this place isn’t so bad.”
“If you weren’t such a ding-dong you wouldn’t have had to worry about that before the quake,” Erika laughed, poking fun at Greg.
“Oh yeah, Erika, I can still kick your ass with a bum leg and shoulder. Plus, I didn’t have anyone to take turns driving with when I was at the bar like you two,” Greg defended, putting up his fists like he was going to do something.
“Like you would have used a sober driver, even if you did have someone to trade off with,” Vince jested again.
“You’re probably right,” Greg admitted, lowering his hands, defeated.
“I’m gonna get ya, Uncle G!” Dexter yelled as he ran over to hug Greg. He nearly knocked him down.
“Come on, then,” Greg teased. He was always romping with Dex. “Oh darn, kid. I think you grew while I was in the shower.”
Dexter tried to wrestle with him for a little while. Before long he was scolded for the behavior, given Greg’s current condition. Star was also excited about the evening and the air was thick with joy.
“We better get going,” Brett said matter-of-factly.
They gathered up anything they would need for the evening into a couple of backpacks and headed out together with Ripper close on their heels. Outside, they met up with the folks from their little camp that were headed for the communal space. They all walked down the trail together, and as they walked they were joined by more and more people from all the other little camps along the way. Erika didn’t realize how large the Lotus group actually was, but it was huge. All the survivors from the surrounding area gathered here. The noise from the crowd increased as more and more people joined the procession. Despite the recent rain, and their current situation, spirits were high.
Tonight, there were lots of reasons to celebrate. The current group just got a ton of food and miscellaneous supplies, plus a doctor and loads of medical supplies. The Cool group found a more stable home with plenty of water. The Auburn group found a new home free from the tyranny of a psychotic leader. Plus, many families were reunited today. Most everyone was happy and smiling.
The procession filed through many areas of the trail where the quakes left the landscape completely disrupted, and narrowed into a walkway only big enough for a couple people to fit through, but everyone was polite and courteous. Little children were helped over the rough spots, and elderly people received any assistance they needed as well. Seeing the elderly people made Erika realize there weren’t many of them around. With their limited mobility, many had died in the first quake. Many of those that survived the quake were on medication that they could no longer get and perished because of it. People were calling it the great die-off after the quake. Even though Erika went through her own hellish situation, she was glad she had not been around to bear witness to that.
“Pretty warm tonight because of those clouds, I hope the rain holds off,” Nancy commented, snapping Erika out of her thoughts.
“Seriously, I don’t think I could handle any more rain after the trip here,” Erika replied, thinking of the arduous cliff crossing.
“At least we won’t be dragging Greg’s ass through two feet of mud,” Vince interjected sarcastically.
“Hey, I told you guys to just leave me. You guys are the ones who brought me, so it’s all on you now,” Greg teased.
“Come on now, that’s enough picking on each other. We’re going to have fun tonight,” Nancy demanded with a wink. She didn’t want the joking to go too far and someone’s feelings getting hurt. “You’ll be right as rain in no time. Now, get your butt over here so we can go get some hot food.”
Greg smiled, and Nancy wrapped her arm around him. They were headed toward the food building and the crowd was thick. Their procession blended with the rest of the camp and the mass of people was awe-inspiring. It was like being at the fair, a concert, or a festival back in the old days.
“Usually the camp comes in shifts to get food, so we can stagger the groups. There’s going to be a long line,” Nancy muttered.
“Oh well, there’s going to be food. Remember, we’re going to have fun tonight,” Vince said poking Nancy’s words back at her in jest.
“Food!” Dexter yelled joyfully.
“You hungry, little man?” Erika questioned.
“Oh yeah, Mom, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow!” Dexter exclaimed ambitiously.
“A whole cow? Wow! Let’s just start with a heaping plateful and we’ll go from there. Okay, buddy?” Erika said, quieting the young man.
“Okay mommy, but the line is so loooooong,” he moaned as if he would die of starvation. He began to run a circle around them in the line.
“I’m gonna get you!” Star yelled as she ran off after him. Her limp was becoming less noticeable as her leg began to heal.
Erika reveled in the sound of his footsteps and his voice laughing with joy. “You guys can play around over there if you want while we wait in line. I’ll call you when it’s our turn,” Erika explained, seeing more children playing in the grass.
The kids ran off, squealing with excitement. Erika watched them join up with other kids from the rest of the camp and the games began. Ripper ran by. He had found the other dogs that were there, and they were fighting over scraps from the kitchen. Erika’s stomach rumbled as she smelt the delicious scents wafting from the kitchen. She sighed deeply, staring at the line.
“This is worse than watching cooking shows when you’re hungry,” Erika told Vince.
“No kidding. I’m beginning to notice a pattern at this camp, long-ass lines!” Vince replied.
“Greg, why don’t you go and see if you can weasel your way in at t
he front. That way you won’t have to stand here on that leg,” Nancy told him.
“Good idea, Nancy,” Greg replied. “At least I can get something good out of this bum knee.”
Greg hobbled off toward the front while they all waited. As she inched forward, Erika watched a huge fire burning in the middle of the field. A large crowd gathered around it and the musicians struck up a tune. Erika kept relating the gathered crowd to a festival. It was the only time in her life she’d camped in such a mass of people. The noise of voices, the clatter of things being done, and the sound of music filled the air.
Finally, they reached the front of the line. The kids hadn’t rejoined them yet so Vince and Erika each made extra plates for them. Erika chose from an assortment of salvaged canned foods as she started down the line. After that there was a limited selection of wild game, fish, vegetables, and herbs harvested from the surrounding area. One particularly interesting dish was a plate of a weird nutlike root. Laurie explained to Erika that a woman from the Lotus Camp found a good cache of them nearby. It was called Yampa. Erika bit into the plant, noting the taste was like that of water chestnuts. Tonight, they found enough to make a whole dish of them, but they could also be used as a seasoning like caraway seeds. This dish was baked, and Laurie boasted about the recipe. Erika took a little bit just to appease her. Erika didn’t like water chestnuts and this plant’s similarities didn’t appeal to her. Overall, the food was delicious and piping hot. Hardly a sound could be heard while the people devoured the nourishing food. Erika looked up as she ate, noticing most people in the same position, huddled over their plates. The kids finally rejoined the family and dug into the food with a fury. Once everyone at the camp made it through the line, the people were allowed back in for seconds. Nothing would go to waste.
Erika listened to the music’s beat increase as everyone finished eating. The camp came alive with song and dance. Erika and Vince held each other close and swayed to the beat. Still surprised by Vince’s desire to dance with her, Erika knew as well as Vince there was no holding back now. Life was too precious. While Vince was alone, not knowing if Erika was dead or alive, he watched couples dancing. His only wish as he watched them was to have Erika in his arms. He was not going to pass up any opportunity to do so, and Erika was in heaven dancing with her man. Young children and old folks joined in the fun, and smiling faces flashed throughout the dancing throng. Drinks flowed from Margie’s makeshift bar, and Bob was hard at work refilling bottles from the stills. Erika loved watching all the people she held dear merrily enjoying the evening. After an hour, she and Vince decided to take a break. Walking hand in hand, they sat down at the large fire to enjoy the company of their friends. Ripper met Erika there. As Erika rubbed her hand through his soft fur, he curled up at her feet.
Randy and Michelle came and sat down. Their hands were tightly locked together, and they stared goofily into one another’s eyes.
“I see you two are enjoying yourselves,” Vince commented, chuckling with Erika.
“We sure are,” Randy replied. “Michelle and I have joined the militia. Andrew says if we’re old enough to fight, we are old enough to drink.” He smiled widely.
“You’re darn right, babe!” Michelle agreed strongly, falling into him and laughing.
“Obviously the rules of the old world don’t exactly apply now,” Erika commented, laughing at the drunken lovebirds.
“The militia housing is right over there by the training grounds,” Randy slurred, pointing back toward the main gate.
“We have to wake up freaking early for training, though,” Michelle added. “And guarding the wall is going to be boring!”
“Andrew loves having Rob here, though,” Randy continued, ignoring Michelle’s outburst. “He’s like Andrew’s right-hand man now. He used to be a training instructor in the military and he knows a ton about hunting. He’s basically going to lead all the hunting expeditions and salvage parties.”
Erika thought Randy must admire Rob a lot to keep going on and on about him. To her relief, Michelle broke in with more of her drunken babble.
“Taylor and Tom joined the militia too. They’re camped right by us,” Michelle slurred, looking longingly at the dancers. “Come on, Randy, let’s go dance again.”
Slightly embarrassed by Michelle’s abrupt suggestion of departure, Randy apologized to them as Michelle pulled him away.
“Nice to see those two settling right in,” Erika laughed.
“Ah, to be young again,” Vince teased back.
Jimmy D arrived, smiling wide. “How are you two doing tonight?” he asked.
“Pretty darn good,” Vince replied. “Take a load off,” he suggested, pointing at the log.
“What have you been up to, Jimmy D?” Erika asked.
“I used to be an electrician, so I’ve been teamed up with Jim Harlow’s crew along with Harold and another guy from the Lotus Camp. Uhhh. . .” Jimmy D stopped, deep in thought. “I can’t remember his name right now. Anyway, we’re camped right over there by the kitchen. We’re going to be working on getting more power to the medical building, as well as getting a communications station up and running.
“Very cool,” Erika commented as Diana Walker approached. Erika remembered her from the Cool Camp, but she didn’t know her very well. Diana’s two children, John and Rain, used to go to school with Dexter, and Erika heard that her husband died in the quake. She was a pretty woman and judging from the smiles and flirting that she and Jimmy were passing back and forth, it was clear they had something going as well.
“Hello,” Diana said as Jimmy D introduced them.
“Diana used to work in a doctor’s office, so she’s handling incoming patients and supply maintenance and inventory over at the doctor’s office,” Jimmy D explained to everyone. Then he whispered to Vince, “Plus, she’s camped over in the doctor’s area which was not far from my place.”
“Hi, Diana,” Erika said acknowledging her. “How’s John and Rain doing?”
Diana looked at her, perplexed, for a moment and then blurted out, “Dexter! He goes to school with the boys. You’re his mom.”
“Yeah,” Erika replied. “Very nice to officially meet you.”
“Same here,” Diana replied.
Before their conversation got very far they were joined by Steve Dunch and Brett.
“What are you up to, Steve?” Erika wondered.
“I’m done fighting. Rob tried to talk me into it, but I’m done. It’s just too much. I used to be a contractor and I want to help rebuild. I’m working with Brett now on salvage and reconstruction.”
“Happy to have him,” Brett added.
They were talking about a building project and Erika’s mind wandered as multiple conversations took place around her.
“Good evening, Erika,” Richard said, approaching the fire.
“Richard, I wasn’t expecting to see you here and with no children,” Erika commented.
“The kids are having so much fun. They don’t need me around. Plus, I don’t get very much adult conversation these days,” he teased.
“I know that feeling. After days with the kids you’re just dying for a little bit more to talk about than poo poo,” Erika laughed with him.
Then, although Erika didn’t mind, all he talked about was the children and the school. It was his way of focusing on the now and not reliving the pain of losing Joan.
To Erika’s relief, her conversation with Richard was cut short when Clay and Laurie Roberts sat down to talk with Erika and Vince.
“Finally got the kitchen shut down?” Vince asked.
“Yes, sir,” Clay announced, sighing heavily.
As the micro conversations fractured off once more Clay told Vince, “We’ve been praying for your parents up in Washington.”
“Thanks, Clay,” Vince replied sincerely. A little tear came to his eye. It was a very hard subject for him to face. He was the kind of guy that usually kept all his feeling bottled up with a thick cork. When Cl
ay mentioned his parents, it was obvious that he popped the cork, but Vince was doing his best to smash the feeling back down. When Clay and Laurie left to go mingle with other folks, Erika held him tight.
After a moment he pushed away. “I’m fine,” he told her confidently.
Despite some hard topics, Erika thought it was awesome to sit and visit with everyone. It was almost normal, except that they were out in the open by a big fire, instead of huddled in some building somewhere. As the night wore on, the people began to feel the effects of the liquor. The dancing began to mellow and the storytelling began up on stage. It was a much more elaborate show at this camp. Actors backed up by the musicians played out the parts of stories both old and new. There was a rendition of The Hobbit played out, and the kids loved it. Survival stories were also acted out. Erika learned the story of the coming together of the people of the Lotus Camp. They also told the story of someone’s family member who came back to his family all the way from the Yosemite area. He was out camping when the quakes hit. He utilized his supplies and hiked all the way back.
Once that play was over, Erika found out she was also the key character of one of the plays. A camp favorite, it was a play based on her experiences that she shared when she reached the Cool Camp. It was obvious to Erika that certain areas were embellished, but everyone was surprised by a survivor coming from the west. From what Erika understood the entire western side of California was in dire straits. The quakes created large tsunamis that had ravished the coastline and all the cities all the way up to the coastal mountain range. Thankfully, the mountains created a barrier for the rest of the state, for now.
Walking into the firelight, Nancy broke up Erika’s daydreaming. “I didn’t want to tell you I had already heard your story before you told me, I wanted to hear it from you,” she admitted.
“Wow, that’s crazy. How long have they been doing a play from my story?” Erika asked, shocked. She should have realized after she saw them playing out the other stories.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 1): Day After Disaster Page 27