Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition

by Sara F. Hathaway

  Luckily, it wasn’t long until Star roused from her dreaming. She scuffled around in the dirt then quickly remembered the events that had transpired before her nap. She looked toward her mom and saw her there resting, or was she? Was the blanket going up and down as she breathed? She ran over to her mother and flung herself onto her.

  “Mommy… Mommy… No!” Star cried so loud Erika bolted out of her sleep and was there in a flash with her hand on Star’s mouth.

  “Star, you must be quiet,” Erika warned the little girl.

  “But Mommy?” she mumbled.

  “I know she is dead. She died while you were sleeping. She told me to take you with me. You must come with me, Star. We have to get moving; we have lingered here for too long,” Erika pleaded urgently.

  “What about Mommy? We can’t leave her here,” Star begged Erika to listen.

  “We have to, Star. We have no choice. You saw that man. There could be more of them out there. We have to go. Now!” Erika said this with extreme resolution. “You must trust me now. I will protect you. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Star’s reply was barely a whisper.

  If Erika thought her world was upside down, Star’s world was a swirling vortex. Her mom and dad were dead, and she had only a stranger to trust. As a child, she had no option but to comply. She could not feed herself or protect herself from the unknown. She could only hope that this stranger, who had offered a bit of help in a helpless world, could care for her.

  Erika packed the blankets up on Kit and 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 and grabbed her arm. Then she swung Star up behind her. When they were both seated comfortably, she handed Star a piece of beef jerky.

  “Well, we’re off,” Erika said trying to sound cheerful.

  She gave Artaz a kick and off they went. Erika always tried 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 the other survivors grasping for life. This kept Erika on the very highest alert. She said a little prayer for her and Star and luck smiled upon them as they munched on their beef jerky.

  Erika was going to have to make a major decision soon, though. 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 had gone 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 had once been a beautiful river ecosystem with forests and wildlife, it was all destroyed. The forest had been 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 and decided that way would probably not be so good.

  “Hey, Erika,” Star whispered as she tapped Erika’s shoulder.

  Erika jumped a little when Star touched her and replied, “What is going on, Star?”

  “I have to go.”

  “Okay, let’s stop here and have a break.”

  Erika got them both a dried apricot and waited for Star to finish relieving herself. Erika watched as Star approached. She was a pretty girl with hair so blond that, even covered with dirt, it was still golden. She was skinny and had blue eyes that looked 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 ate the other half. “What’s wrong, Erika?” she asked.

  “Nothing, why?” Erika was defensive because she did not want Star to worry anymore.

  “Well, you are looking right at me, but it feels as if you don’t even see me. What you thinkin’ about?”

  Erika was amazed by how astute Star’s observation was and knew that she could not hide these realities from Star. She decided to tell her the situation and see if this young mind could help.

  “Well, I have to decide what will be the best way to get us home,” Erika admitted.

  “Home? Your home? Do you think it is still there?” Star wondered out loud.

  “I don’t know, but we are going to find out.” Erika was sure that even if her home was not there, her family was, and continued thinking out loud. “I think we will ride the forested edge of what used to be the lake for a ways up river, and then, hopefully, we will be 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 mean men while mommy and I were hiding. The bad people may be there, Erika. I am 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, and we will need some place to hide for the day.”

  “Where are we going to go, Erika?”

  “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 was hopeful her assumptions would be correct.

  “Okay, if you say so.” Star was still convinced she was going to die. It was sheer instinct driving her to trust in this stranger and continue on a road to survival.

  Erika and Star got back on Artaz’s back and urged him on. The lead line pulled on Kit’s bridle and he followed behind. The 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, traveling 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 had been built to withstand an earthquake of this magnitude and no one had been ready. Erika had once wondered why no help had come for her in that bomb shelter when the truth was there was no help for anyone. Then, when Erika thought of global implications, she was really disheartened. She knew that if no help had come from the federal government, it meant that California was not the only place suffering.

  Oh well, she had no time to worry about that now. She was finally getting close to home, but what about the river? How would she know if people were down there or not? Would they be friendly people? Or had everyone freaked out like those assholes in Auburn?

  Truth is, that although some individuals took the anarchy idea too far, the people in Auburn were just trying to survive too. First of all, 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. Then, after surviving the initial shock, they had to fight off their neighbors for their dwindling food supplies. A group of survivors had banded together to start taking over grocery stores, gas stations, and whatever other resources they could find from the random looters. Most of the stores had been reduced to rubble so the group of survivors had used the remains to build compounds around these areas to keep other survivors away from their precious supplies. They formed raiding parties to go and search the small city for anything of value that remained. They ransacked solar panels for power and tried to supply some normality of their former life. Finally, even those resources started to dwindle, so these groups started attacking one another for supplies, which hardened these survivors even further. Murder, death, and war were not just a movie on the TV anymore; it became a reality. These people were not afraid to kill to survive.

  Artaz was leading the way to the area where the apartments had once been, and Erika snapped back to reality. She 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?”

  “I hope not.” Erika knew what Henry had said about the marauder camp’s location. They were far enough away to not be heard but close enough to still be very cautious.

  Slowly, Erika urged the horses into the debris. They were very anxious and Erika quickly saw why. It was a horrible scene. The many floors of apartments, that had been stacked on one another, came down hard. The roof had been shaken to bits, and more of the decaying bodies laid half buried everywhere. They were old and young. This tragedy did not discriminate. Erika could tell that the remains of the building had been picked through, but the bodies were just left to rot. At least they had been dead and exposed to the elements long enough that they didn’t really smell too bad 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 any more than Star, but she knew they had to get hidden fast. 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 no fast getaway would be possible if she had to load up gear first. She made a promise to them that once she found her husband she was going to give them at least a week without a saddle or a pack.

  Once the horses were 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 will 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 was trying to make small talk with Star just to keep her mind off of this life. She felt horrible about Star’s mother, and now Star was hers, and Erika would protect her to the end. She looked around, and to Erika’s surprise, Star was busy with her own plans.

  “Okay, I don’t mind cold beans. Bring a blanket too. 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.”

  It was a great little place Star had made. There was no wall space left, so Star had made a little hole in the rubble right next to the debris wall that Erika had made for the horses. It was expertly done and all the piles looked natural. Erika handed her the sitting blanket, and off Star ran to 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 had. She wished she had some 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 surprised that she even took notice of the comfort provided by the cloth. Before, she would have hardly cared. She opened the can of beans, but without utensils she and Star had to pour them into their mouths. It wasn’t so bad, and Erika was amazed at how good cold beans could taste, when all you have had was beef jerky and dried fruit for days.

  After they ate, Erika lay back just for a minute to listen for people. If she heard anyone, she would follow them for information, and if she heard no one, she would go out and scout out the river to see the best way across with the horses. But, lack of sleep and the high intensity level of the day finally caught up with her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Star awoke Erika with a shove. “Erika, I heard someone. Wake up!”

  “Okay, okay, I’m up,” Erika whispered groggily. “What is going on?”

  “I heard a vehicle pull up and turn off, over that way.” She pointed toward the old road. “The guys that were in the truck went that way.” She pointed down the old road that ascended into what had been a winding canyon road at one time.

  “Stay here and be quiet,” Erika commanded.

  She quickly grabbed a couple of broken wooden dowels that had held clothes in a closet. If Erika did have to defend herself in a pinch, she figured she would at least have something. She was fairly proficient at wielding the three-foot long fighting sticks known as Eskrima sticks but that had only been for fun or demonstration in the past. Erika was fairly well dressed for stalking the men. She had a green hoodie on that Carol had given her. With the hoodie, she could keep warm without wearing a huge, bright, white cook’s shirt. On her legs, she still wore the cook’s pants, but the motif of the restaurant had been a jungle theme, so at least the pants were mostly green and brown and provided excellent camouflage. Her clothes still had a splattering of Star’s mom’s and that horrible man’s blood. On her feet, she wore the moccasins that Henry had made her. They were finally breaking in from the constant use and were snug on her feet. Her moccasins helped to ensure that her steps were not seen or heard. Her hair was brown, so it did not stand out, and the dirt that now covered it helped give it a little more camouflage even though Erika thought it was gross and could not wait to give it a good shampoo and conditioning. She bent down outside of the tented area and rubbed her face with some mud. She did not want her face to be a beacon of white in a camouflaged area. She was not about to get caught by these weirdos, but she had to know what they were up to.

  Erika knew that they had gone down the old road but she wondered at the speed at which they had done so. How far had they made it since Star had heard them and roused her? There was no way to know, so Erika proceeded with absolute caution. It was easy to make out their tracks in the mud, and Erika was very careful not to leave any of her own that would be noticed by the men when they returned. She made sure she was following their tracks, but stayed well to the left of them and up another ravine. This way, her tracks were hidden on the top of the little ridge, and she was always uphill from her quarry.

  This was a treacherous route to choose. At one time, the canyon road had been a beautiful drive. Along the way, oaks, pines, and manzanitas reached for the heights of the canyon. Waterfalls cascaded down the sides and eventually joined the meandering river. Huge rock outcroppings made wonderful sitting areas for all of the travelers to enjoy the view, or just simply have a rest. Mountain bikers and hikers with dogs dotted the whole area, and during the summer, the activity was immense as people flocked to the river to avoid the heat. The brilliant forest that the canyon supported teemed with animal life as well, and the day that the dam was finally finished, many people cried for the wildlife that would have to find new homes.

  Man liked the area so much, they decided it needed to be altered and turned into a lake. They built their dam and flooded the land with water. The dam itself was a bridge from the town of Auburn to the town of Cool, and there was another bridge that had stood long before the dam was built. This bridge had been one of the tallest in North America before the land below it was flooded, but then it had originally been built to stand in the water anyway. Years of waiting for the flooding had already started to deteriorate it. Crazy people used to skydive off the bridge and Hollywood movie producers used it in their movies, but once the water inundated the area, it was just another bridge on a road. This bridge connected the town of Auburn to another mountain town called Foresthill.

  Before they flooded the land, man had to rape
it one more time. The trees were all cut down because it would have wasted the wood to leave them under the water, and they were too tall and would affect the boats riding on the water above. They cut down vast swaths of forest, and the nearby residents, all eager to get their beachfront properties, could hear the screams of birds and animals crying for their homes that they would never return to again. Now, only a ghost forest of stumps remained; the ground was a sloppy mush of dirt that had been saturated with water for years. But the months since the dam had broken had left the high areas of the former mountain range exposed. A crust formed on the top of the exposed dirt. Luckily, Erika was a little woman and very light. With her moccasins on, she could walk flat footed and float over this crust without disturbing it too much. Any tracks would be disastrous, so Erika continued cautiously on, delicately stepping from one stump to the next.

  Finally, she heard them in the distance. They were just on the other side of the hill around the next bend. They were posted up behind a couple of stumps. They were looking down the river and engaged in conversation. Erika seized the moment to slowly creep around to a stump that was on a cliff, almost directly above them. The area they occupied was a small cove that had a fair amount of stumps to keep them hidden from whatever they were looking at below them.

  Erika strained her eyes to see what was down there. She noticed a walled area down on the muddy edge of the wide river. Obviously, the walled area had been erected to keep out intruders like the ones lurking around below her. She paused from her thoughts to listen to their chatter.