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

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “Since they heard the story a few weeks ago. A man from our camp was up gathering information when you arrived and told your story. I was so thankful to know you were alive. That’s why I was so upset it took you so long to get here,” Nancy replied.

  “Mommy, Mommy, it’s about you and Star,” Dexter yelled excitedly.

  “I know, honey; it’s crazy, isn’t it?” Erika said.

  When the story finished, the crowd roared. Thankfully Erika didn’t share the part of what exactly happened to Star’s mom and the actors played it as Erika finding a girl in the bushes. The next play was about how a small group invaded and conquered the monsters in Auburn. When that one was over they announced that the stars of the shows were in attendance and asked the whole attack party, Erika, and Star to stand up and be recognized for their heroic achievements. Everyone cheered for them and Erika blushed. She did not enjoy being the center of all this attention. After that, her night became more miserable than joyful. People kept asking her about the story and if they could see her scars. These were two things she just wanted to forget, and they were shoved at her all night. Erika was surrounded by a crowd when suddenly Vince broke through and grabbed her hand.

  “You want to get out of here?” Vince asked, sensing that she was tired of the attention. He was also a little jealous and was sick of sharing her.

  “Hell yes,” Erika replied.

  They quietly snuck away and found Nancy and Brett. They let them know that they were going back to their little camp. Nancy assured them she would make sure the kids got back safely. Ripper knew something was up and was at Erika’s side in a second. They crept over to where the trail home was. Greg was there with a woman. Erika didn’t even notice them quietly chatting in the dark.

  “Sneaking out on me again?” he asked. Watching his friends throughout the night, he saw the tide turn. He was in a pickle because he wanted to be with his friends, but he met a wonderful woman tonight. She let him into the food line in front of her. In the end, he decided to ask her to come along

  “This is Penni and look what I saved, bro,” he boasted, shoving a bottle of Vodka into Vince’s hand. “That’s the real stuff, not a moonshine refill.”

  “Nice,” Vince admitted, smiling.

  “Sweet,” said Erika, “let’s go, then.”

  “Getting a little too crazy for you?” Greg questioned sarcastically.

  “Just a little,” said Erika with a sigh.

  The four of them made their way back to the home camp and lit the central fire there.

  “I am so sick of smelling like a bonfire,” Penni said. She seemed like a nice woman. Her sandy blond hair glowed in the firelight, and Erika thought her green eyes were gorgeous. She seemed older than they were, maybe in her late thirties.

  “I know,” replied Erika politely, “seems like there’s no escaping it.”

  The ice was broken, and the two women hit it off grandly. Erika admired Penni’s class and strength as a lady. Acting feminine was never one of Erika’s attributes. It was an uncanny matchup, but it worked perfectly. The four of them drank and talked the rest of the night. Erika dug out the few cigarettes that remained in her pack, and they smoked them along with a joint that Greg was saving. It was perfect. Erika remembered her disdain for large groups of people. She was much more comfortable in this setting.

  As the night wore on, other folks from the family camp returned. Some joined in the conversation around the fire and others went right to bed. Nancy and Brett returned with Dexter asleep in Brett’s arms and Star sleepily dragging her feet along. Once the kids were put to bed Erika and Vince stayed for a little longer at the fire. Then they went to bed as well. They made love. It was a fast, hot drug-induced extravaganza that drove them both into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 30

  Life wore on at the Lotus Camp over the next few days. There were small arguments over rations and social standards, but overall people understood the need to cooperate and survive together. Erika and Vince decided to train with the fighters. They practiced their martial arts and shooting skills, but they also learned many new wilderness survival skills.

  Greg’s body was healing. He trained a little when he was feeling up to it, but he mostly spent his time with Penni. They were really getting close. Greg was ignoring all the other girls and only wanted to be with her. Erika was impressed. Erika and Penni’s friendship was growing as well. Erika learned that it was probably best that Dakota died on the trek over here because Penni really wasn’t too much of a dog lover, especially not one that stunk and drooled a lot. It was an excellent friendship for Erika to have because most of the time she was off training with the guys. Spending time with Penni gave her a chance to be feminine and discuss girl things. They complained about kids and guys and talked about how to handle that time of the month now that supplies of sanitary napkins were running low. Most of the women needed them once a month and there were not enough to go around. The women got creative and employed old-school strategies, utilizing piles of rags sewn into washable pads.

  Dexter and Star went to school with the other kids. Richard taught them everything from history and math to fighting and survival skills. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn, be active in the community and play with other kids. Everyone welcomed the idea of the children attending school. They needed an education, and no one wanted bored children running underfoot all the time.

  Even though things seemed to be going well and no one wanted to admit it, there was an overwhelming feeling that the trauma wasn’t over. It was a hushed subject. The people here wanted to focus on the now, taking care of their families and carving out some kind of normal life for themselves.

  The rain came and went in scattered showers. This was a strange, early October for California. Even without the quakes, it was not normal to have this much rain so early in the season. It was still warm, though, and Erika was confident it was raining and not snowing up higher in the mountains. If it started snowing in the mountains, their hopes of crossing them this year would be crushed. They would have to wait for the snow to melt and that would keep them here.

  Even though life seemed to be going fine, Erika was still itching to go. She thought about it all the time and discussed it with Vince, but Nancy and Brett didn’t want to hear it. They were warm and safe and didn’t see any reason to go off into the unknown. Erika kept quiet and went on training, all the while planning what they would need to pack.

  Nancy could feel Erika’s restlessness and thought if she could just get Erika to take an interest in things at the camp, instead of training and hunting all the time, that she would have something to look forward to here in the future. Maybe seeing the gardens would settle her down a little, Nancy thought. It was a sunny day when Nancy woke up Erika

  “Would you like to take a break today and come out to the gardens instead?” she cheerfully asked her daughter.

  Erika didn’t answer immediately but Vince overheard the request. “I think that sounds like a great idea,” Vince chimed in. He was very interested in going out to see what they had set up. He always loved growing gardens and landscaping.

  Erika still hesitated. She was keeping her focus on training her body to match any threat that she encountered. She wanted to hone her hunting skills to ensure she could always provide food for her family. Vince, on the other hand, needed a break from the relentless training, and he was going to do his best to persuade her.

  “Come on baby, let’s just blow the day off and go check it out,” he pleaded. “We’re going to have to know how to grow food too; we can’t just hunt for everything we need.” He was trying to find a way of enticing her.

  “You know how to grow food, Vince, and we’re supposed to be working on defense techniques in the yard today. We may miss something good,” Erika retorted.

  “Look, it’s like our master instructor used to tell us, there’s only a handful of basic techniques. Then it’s all about application from there. We’ve been training nonst
op since we got here. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved hunting and learning, but come on, we need a rest. What would be so wrong with a walk through the woods with your sweetheart?” he said with a wink. “Plus, you could stop by and visit with Kit on the way home. You haven’t seen him in a while.”

  She thought on his words for a moment. “You’re right, I haven’t seen Kit in a while. Plus, I would like to see the horse setup and training area,” she replied, starting to feel swayed by his argument.

  Nancy could hear them discussing the issue outside their shelter. Excited that Vince was winning the argument, she yelled, “You two need to make up your mind because I’m headed out,” hoping this would finalize the decision.

  “All right, all right,” Erika yelled back, “just give us a minute.” She put down her martial arts training gear and loaded her holster with her pistol.

  “I’m going to check on the kids and make sure they’re getting ready for school,” Vince said with a wide smile. He was excited for the change of pace.

  Erika headed out to go see her mom. Nancy looked so beautiful standing in the sun. Her rich brown hair blew gently in the breeze as she finished loading bags of compost into a cart.

  “Oh, now I see why you wanted us to go. You want us to drag all that stuff out there,” Erika teased.

  “No,” she denied fervently. “I’m looking forward to spending the day with you, but since you’re coming. . .I might as well put all those muscles you two have been building to use,” she laughed, engaging in the banter.

  Erika helped her finish loading the burlap sacks, and before long Vince appeared with Dexter and Star. Erika gave them each a kiss and watched them trot down the trail toward the school, located in the central area of the main camp. Looking to the sky, she noticed that some clouds were rolling in. Good thing I’m headed to go to the gardens, she mused. The training field would probably be a muddy mess by the afternoon. Ripper tagged along at her side. She stroked his brindle coat as they watched the kids go. Sometimes he would follow them, but today he knew she was doing something different. He stayed to tag along with Vince and Erika.

  “You gonna come, Greg?” Vince asked.

  “Probably not, buddy. I’m headed over to help Penni at the kitchen. Penni won’t want to go hiking if the sun isn’t shining. She would rather stay indoors and wait for a warmer day. The kitchen will be plenty warm, though. She’s busy putting together tablecloths and decorations for the eating area.” He was an orderly guy and loved her attention to detail. “She said that we should still have some class even in this screwed-up situation,” Greg explained

  “I thought it was a complete waste of time when she first started beautifying the eating area, but I have to admit I like it too. Penni’s making the whole area more welcoming and comfortable,” Erika agreed.

  “Speaking of, I gotta get over there,” Greg exclaimed, looking at the position of the sun.

  “We’ll catch up with you later,” Vince told him.

  They left the shelter headed in different directions. Erika, Vince, and Nancy headed through a side gate to the camp and down a trail that used to be a road that Erika knew well. She traveled this road to get to her mom’s ranch. It was a long, winding road right next to the river, but it was barely a trail. The quakes moved it this way and that. Trees and rocks shifted and fell, making an even more treacherous path. There used to be a little bridge on the road not far from where you turned onto it. It was completely destroyed. The little creek that moved under the bridge was swollen from the recent rains and it made the crossing challenging. Erika saw that a new bridge had formed out of fallen trees. It shifted and swayed as they carefully pulled the cart across.

  “I’m so glad you guys decided to come,” Nancy said with elation. “I would have had to walk all the way out there to get an extra hand and then come all the way back. Then turn around to go back out.”

  “It’s no problem, Nancy,” Vince told her, yanking on the cart.

  “I have big plans for that load,” Nancy said mysteriously, leaving them to wonder.

  After the bridge crossing the walk became easier. Erika listened to the cart creak and the birds sing. She enjoyed the peace and quiet with her family. It’s nice not thinking about life-threatening issues for a change, she admitted to herself. Nancy directed them to stay on the right side of the trail along the river. Soon they came to where the winter crops had been planted and were being harvested. Erika and Vince were impressed. There were squashes, tomatoes, and pumpkins, planted near the river. The water was diverted to irrigation ditches with the push and pull of a board. The plants looked healthy and their bounteous vegetables were providing well for the Lotus Camp. Erika and Vince saw Betsy out picking weeds and harvesting ripe vegetables. Nancy went off to talk with the head gardener. Vince and Erika didn’t know the gentleman well, so they opted to go and talk with Betsy.

  “Hello, you two, nice to see you out here today,” Betsy said in her sweet voice.

  “Hey, how are you?” Erika asked.

  “Doing fine, isn’t this something,” Betsy said, looking over the garden site.

  “It really is,” Vince admitted. “How’d they pull this off?” He was dumbfounded by the amount of plants and the watering system.

  “Ricardo Manuella, that man your mom is talking to, he came up with the idea. A lot of people out this way were growing little family gardens. The garden team from camp went around and found all the plants they could salvage. Glenn Wales, the man who fills the shower, he’s lived in this area for generations. He knew how to utilize the river so that they could save all the plants they could find. Instead of hauling water all the way out to the plants, they moved them all here and developed this irrigation system. Pretty cool, isn’t it?” she said rhetorically.

  “It’s awesome.” Vince was enthralled. He immediately wanted to know all about how the whole system functioned, where they salvaged plants from, and what they were using for fertilizer. He started wandering about, talking with the various workers, and eventually ended up over by Ricardo and Nancy.

  Erika stayed behind with Betsy. She planted and harvested gardens every year before the quake. This one certainly was doing its job to feed the camp, but she knew they would be leaving. Erika thought it was kind of silly to focus on something that needed time in one place to be productive. To pass the time, she helped Betsy with her harvesting and engaged in small talk.

  “Where’s Carol?” Erika wondered.

  “Her arthritis was flaring up and she didn’t want to walk all the way out here today. She decided to stay home and take care of laundry,” Betsy replied, pulling on a stubborn weed. It was a direct answer for a direct question.

  “So, I know this is a touchy subject, but how’s Jen doing?” Erika blurted the question out. She never was one to beat around the bush.

  “She’s doing better,” Betsy mumbled with a far off look in her eyes. “She’s still not the same girl I knew not so long ago, but she’s getting better. She’s talking more, and she’s taken an interest in going out to the horses with her sister, Kim. The animals bring her peace, she says.”

  “I can see that,” Erika agreed. “I always loved just spending time with my horse when I was little. I hung a hammock in the stall next to his. I used to read and even sleep out there. I’m glad to hear she’s doing better. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible.”

  “I have to admit to you, Erika, that I was angry when everything first happened, and I blamed you a little as well. But you know what, life just happened. You couldn’t control what those animals were doing, and you came back for us. You would have given your life to save me and my children and that’s a debt that can never be repaid. All I can say is thank you,” Betsy confessed with tears in her eyes.

  The two women hugged one another deeply. They became sisters in life and felt an intense love for one another. They continued tending to the vegetables and discussed the daily goings-on of life at the Lotus Camp.

  It wasn’t
long before Vince and Nancy returned to collect Erika. Vince still towed a full wagon of compost. Obviously, this wasn’t the last stop of the day. They continued down the trail, past the garden site. Erika began to recognize the area they were in, despite the devastation that ravaged the area. Ripper knew where they were headed as well. He had always perked up in the car and gotten excited whenever they headed down this way. He was dancing about, happy to be in familiar territory. They were headed out to her mom’s ranch.

  When they neared the ranch, Erika couldn’t believe what happened. Her mom’s property was a corner lot. A huge hole formed across the street to the left. Besides the home being in shambles, Nancy’s property still looked okay. The pastures were wrinkled and even the fencing still stood intact. Bob and Cathy Meyer, her mom’s old neighbors, lost their home as well. They were well supplied before the quake and they put their products to use at the camp. Their property was in decent shape, though, except for the new ravines. Erika noticed there were windmills built to pump water from the wells. There were three of them scattered throughout the properties. It was sad to see the condition of the homes, but there was hope of utilizing what was left.

  “Still working on the property, Mom?” Erika questioned sarcastically. Nancy was always busy working this land. She loved it. It filled her days with a peaceful energy.

  “You know me, gotta stay busy,” Nancy answered as if it was any old day.

  “I can’t believe all this,” Erika said with a sigh. “All the memories in that house, Dad and Bob, do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Erika didn’t want to talk about her father, Roger, or her brother, Bob, before. It was too painful. Her father was across the country and her brother was in Canada when things went down. Both of them lived where they did because of their jobs. They loved to work and make money and it took them away from their families often.

  “All we can do is pray, Erika,” Nancy replied obviously shaken. She hadn’t said it out loud either. “Now, look here,” she quickly changed the subject. One of her children was here and life had to go on. “We’re hauling all this compost out here, so we can plant these fields next season. Remember Bob and Cathy’s llamas?”