Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition

by Sara F. Hathaway

  Until Joan yelled from the doorway, “The party is beginning and everyone is waiting on you two to start eating.”

  Then Greg yelled playfully from behind Joan, “So get your butts out here.”

  Chapter 20

  When Vince and Erika got back outside, it was a wonderful scene. The smells of the food wafted through the air. There were people playing drums and other various instruments in a joyful tune. Since Erika and Vince were the guests of the night, they were given the first place in line to get their food. Dexter and Star joined them, and Vince and Erika helped them with their plates. The food had been set up on a tabletop that no longer had any legs so it was stacked on some extra cinderblocks to make it stand higher.

  The food itself was rather interesting. There was the horsemeat roast, plus someone else had provided some venison roast to bolster the meat supply. There were normal side dishes like canned vegetables but there were also things like a dish of prepared cattail shoots, dandelion greens, wild onions, and wild carrots. There were also plates of blackberries, strawberries, and cherries, harvested from wild plants and old groves. Traditional vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes had been harvested from gardens that had been grown at the homes in the surrounding area. Very few survived the fires but the scavengers knew exactly where to find them. It was a feast for all. It was the first reason they had to celebrate since the big disaster, and this feast was not one that would be available again anytime soon.

  To eat the meal, everyone had to bring their own plate to eat off of and their own silverware or knife to eat with. This was a new concept to Erika but not to Vince and Dexter. Vince had brought an extra plate for Erika, but he had no idea that he would be gaining a daughter along with his wife. Erika gave Star the extra plate and Joan provided Erika with the bowl she had eaten her soup out of earlier. It was not as if they could go buy a package of paper plates and given the fragile condition of most plates, not many had survived.

  Vince and Erika went through the line, sampling all of the unusual dishes. Then when the family had heaped their plates full, they went to sit by the music players to eat. It was so wonderful to have a nice big meal. Erika had not eaten this well since she left Henry and Carol’s and she, like everyone else, would have a full belly tonight. Erika had never heard the great crowd that had gathered here in Cool so quiet. The hush went on and on as the famished people stuffed their faces with the much needed nourishment. When everyone had gone through the line, just about all the food was gone, and what was left was quickly gobbled up by individuals going for seconds. The musicians had plates set aside so they could eat once the music came to a halt. Then the crowd would be entertained by story-telling. It was definitely a new way of life for a people who had become so used to being entertained by televisions, computers, and technology.

  A wash station had been set up so that after eating everyone could clean their own dish, plus the dish that they had brought their food for the group in. Any scraps, and the bones were given to any surviving dogs. Ripper grabbed a huge horse bone and ran off to hoard it from the other dogs. It was actually a surprisingly easy process to get all the dishes washed, and Erika wondered why people had not done this before. She figured it was because, before the quake hit, everyone had a machine to clean up the mess in the kitchen. Or, people had opted to use disposable dishes; even though they created a lot of garbage, they sure did make clean-up a breeze. This new method required everyone to be responsible for their own mess.

  Now that everyone had eaten and they were feeling fat and happy, it was time for the alcohol to flow and the dancing to begin. The party rolled on. Some people got up and sang to the improvisational tune, while others danced around the fire. Erika and Vince sat in the glow of the fire just enjoying the feeling of togetherness.

  “Hey, baby, come here for a minute,” Erika whispered to Vince.

  “What’s up?” Vince questioned.

  “Let’s go out by the horse real quick.”

  “Okay, but we’re gonna have to be sneaky. These people are watching us like hawks.”

  Erika got up first and went to check on the kids. She told them to stay put and have fun, and she couldn’t help but marvel at how big their smiles were and how wonderful they looked. All the kids were dancing and laughing and it was like watching a dream. In the meantime, Vince had gotten up and made his way over to the back corner of the big tent where Erika soon arrived to meet him. They thought they were home free when all of a sudden a voice called from behind them.

  “Hey, where you guys going?” It was Greg. He had watched them execute their clever plan across the crowd.

  “Hey G-man, come with us. We’ll just be gone a minute,” Erika replied quietly. She didn’t want to alert anyone else.

  “So, what’s up, Erika?” Vince was intrigued by all this sneaking away and wondered what Erika had in store.

  “Would you like a… smoke?” she said deviously as she pulled a cigarette from her pack.

  “Oh you bet. I haven’t had one in weeks. Those things are like gold around here now,” Vince said amazed that she had hoarded them for so long and hadn’t said anything before now.

  “Oh, buddies, just you wait. I’ve got something even better,” Greg interjected before they could light their Camels.

  “Really?” Erika said questioningly. “What ya got, sucka?”

  “How about we… smoke a joint," Greg said all proud of himself.

  “Oh, serious?” Vince asked.

  “You bet, buddy. I’ve been saving this for a very special occasion and I think this is the very excuse I have been looking for,” Greg said, very pleased with himself.

  The three friends smoked the joint and the effects of the alcohol and marijuana blend soon began to take over. They all lit their cigarettes and talked about old times while they smoked them. It felt so normal to Erika, talking about high school mishaps and what if this or that would have happened, but the harsh reality of their current world was never far behind them. Just as they had finished their smokes, Joan came up behind them.

  “Hey, there you guys are. Everyone is telling their stories and we are all dying to hear yours, Erika,” she said urgently.

  “Calm down, we are on our way right now,” Erika responded. “I can’t wait to hear this either,” Greg interjected.

  “Yeah, me neither,” Vince said playfully with a wink at Erika.

  “All right, all right, if all you all are going to force me to relive that nightmare over and over, then so be it,” Erika said in a play-fully pathetic voice.

  “It’s over now, baby. We want to hear what happened,” Vince said sympathetically. After seeing all of her scars, he understood why she would not want to drudge through the journey again.

  “Oh, poor little baby,” Greg teased and Erika gave him a solid whack on the shoulder.

  When the four of them got back to the fire, Randy, from the Auburn group, was standing in front of the crowd. He was telling his story of how he survived the quake. He and Taylor had been close friends and used to work on cars in Randy’s garage. They were out there when the quake hit. The whole house came down, but the cars and the equipment for repairing cars in the garage had worked as a support and protected them from the crashing building.

  Erika was amazed at the great job Randy was doing telling his story. He used sound effects and huge hand gestures. The crowd was entranced, feeling every moment with Randy as he relived it through his storytelling. Erika had been to college and had known fellow students who couldn’t even get up in front of twenty people to do one little prepared speech but here was a teen that had no fear. After the experience that this young man lived through, it was no wonder, Erika thought. There was nothing left to be afraid of. He had faced death and, so far, he was winning his race for survival. She squeezed Vince’s hand and focused on the story again.

  After the quake had ended, the two dug themselves out from the rubble that had fallen all over, only to find that the house was completel
y devastated. Randy told about how distraught he and Taylor were and that their first thought was to save Randy’s family. Nothing like this was ever supposed to happen in Auburn, California. All of the quakes happened in San Francisco and LA, but there was no question what had happened. The two frantically searched the home. Just as the two were about to dive into the rubble that had been Randy’s kitchen, the gas line that had fed the stove in the kitchen erupted into a ball of flames. The two were blown back from the house and all of Randy’s hair on his head and face had been completely burned off.

  As the two lay on the ground, flattened by the blast, they scanned the area. They quickly realized that Randy’s house had not been the only home damaged, and it wasn’t even close to the worst. Everyone’s homes were in rubble and some had been completely engulfed by huge crevices that opened up in the earth. They had been so consumed with finding Randy’s parents at first that they had not even begun to realize the full scope of the dilemma. Besides the sounds of explosions from gas lines erupting, it was eerily quiet. There should have been tons of people screaming, but they were quiet.

  Erika had now become completely entranced by Randy’s story. She had a very limited experience with the quake because she had been hidden in a bomb shelter for months while the world fell apart. She was eager to hear more. Vince had found them a place to sit and when he grabbed Erika’s hand again, it made Erika jump.

  “Come on, babe, let’s go sit down,” Vince said softly.

  “Oh, right,” Erika replied distractedly.

  When the two reached the log Vince had found to sit on, Erika realized how absolutely spectacular it was to be with Vince again. She felt whole, completed. With him she felt warm and safe, and they sat close to one another caressing each other’s hands.

  While the two had been finding a seat, Randy’s story had continued on. Despite the eerie atmosphere, Taylor had completely freaked when he realized he had no idea where his family was and if they were okay. They ran the five miles back to Taylor’s house only to find a very similar scene. The house had killed both his parents and his sister. But while they were frantically searching through the rubble, Taylor heard a soft whimpering noise and knew someone was still alive somewhere. After telling Randy, the two teens searched for the origin of the sound. They realized it was coming from Taylor’s neighbor’s house. A girl they went to school with, Kim, lived there. Kim’s brother, Joe, was older, but he had often helped Randy and Taylor with the cars they had worked on. They found Joe, dead in his room. He had been playing a PlayStation when the home collapsed on top of him, but they still were hearing a whimper.

  Randy and Taylor kept searching and, soon, they found the source. It was Kim. She had been putting her clothes away in her closet when the quake hit and this had saved her. She was pinned under what used to be the roof, but besides a few cuts and bruises, she was going to be okay. The three teens were in complete shock from the situation. The landscape had suddenly turned completely foreign, fires burned everywhere, and the explosions were still happening. Since Kim and Taylor’s homes had not used gas sources, they were free of flame for now, but they were just piles of rubble on the edge of another crevice that had opened in the earth. Then all of a sudden there was another boom, an explosion ignited in the other neighbor’s house. Now, they wasted no time. Quickly, they searched through the piles of rubble and salvaged anything they could. Randy began to list items like sleeping bags, clothes, food, and medicine. He went on and on. They had used an old gardening wagon to help them carry stuff.

  The teens had frequently hung out at the lake and figured it would be a good place to go. There was water there, and there would probably be other survivors at the lake as well. The trip to the lake was an intense adventure. Between the aftershocks, the falling debris, and the rapidly changing landscape, it was a miracle they made it anywhere at all. When they reached what used to be the edge of the lake, it wasn’t there. That’s when they realized the dam had broken so they continued on down the sloppy edge of the land that used to be underwater. By now, they were very thirsty and determined to find water. Their very existence now depended on it. When they finally reached the water, they found other survivors there as well. They stayed there with them and built the river compound for protection from a group of survivors in Auburn that were bound and determined to take all the supplies in the area to ensure their group’s survival, even at the expense of others.

  When Randy came to this part of the story, the crowd became noisy and restless. Obviously, everyone knew of this group in Auburn and no one was happy about it. Erika herself had begun to resent this group passionately, and she could feel the uneasiness sweeping through the crowd. Before anyone could get too bent out of sorts, Greg jumped up, and he was in front of the crowd in a flash.

  “All right, people, let’s settle down; we are having a celebration here,” Greg yelled out above the noise.

  The crowd did not need much convincing and most people were laughing and cheering again.

  “And what are we celebrating?” Greg asked the crowd.

  The crowd responded, “A family reunion.”

  “That’s right and what story are we all waiting to hear?” Greg questioned the crowd again.

  Erika knew the answer but was desperately hoping she was wrong. The crowd quickly confirmed her suspicions.

  “Erika’s,” everyone screamed.

  Erika knew she could no longer dodge this bullet and the crowd began to chant, “Erika! Erika!”

  Greg looked at her from the front of the crowd and made a motion with his hand for her to join him. The crowd looked toward her as well, and the people parted again as she started to make her way to the front. Erika had never shied from addressing a crowd, but she was not fond of it either. Her body began to shake a little as she reached Greg.

  “Thanks a lot, G-man,” Erika said as she rolled her eyes. “Hey, someone has got to keep them focused. We could have had a riot on our hands.”

  “Oh, that makes me feel much better.”

  “They won’t bite… I hope. Anyway, get on with it; I want to hear what happened too.”

  Greg quickly jumped down from the log the speakers were standing on, and he went back into the crowd and sat with Vince. Erika looked over the crowd. She was surprised at how many survivors had gathered here, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the future would hold for them all. From her high spot, she could see the divisions in the group. The Cool folks had a little separation from the folks that came from the Auburn River camp. The teens separated themselves from the smaller children. She noticed Star and Dexter staring from the crowd, and they waved at her when she made eye contact. She waved back but the silence began to grow very heavy in the air.

  The crowd began chanting, “Story, story…”

  “Okay… okay, guys,” Erika tried to quiet them. "Where should I begin?”

  “At the beginning,” some smart aleck yelled from the crowd.

  Erika had to chuckle at his comment and the tension began to drain from her.

  “Well, actually, the story begins right here in Cool.” This brought cheering from the crowd. It seemed to Erika that it was a good place to start because people always loved to cheer for themselves. She started telling the tale of being at her in-laws’ during the day and then leaving for work. She knew her own family had not heard this story, and she could not help but center in on Vince. Her story began to flow as she looked into his eyes. There she found all the strength she needed to relive the nightmare again. She told all about the annoying guy who was always making a fuss about his wine and how his endless demands had actually saved her that fateful day. She told all about how horrible it had been to be trapped under the wine rack and then realizing that no help was coming. She could see Vince’s irritation at the fact that he was not there to help her. She told all about the bomb shelter and the toxic sludge that barred her escape. She told about how she devised her plan to get out of there. Vince, along with the crowd, nodded approval
at her ingenious suit and raft. Erika added in some extra gore just to get a rise out of the crowd when she talked about the raft ride and waking up in a pool of dead bodies. The kids were hiding their faces in their hands and Erika wondered if she had added too much. But there was no shelter here, not from this reality; the kids had to face it just like everyone else. Erika told about the volcanic eruption she had seen. The crowd agreed with her that it must have taken place over by the coastal range. Regardless, it had raised the water temperature and her raft had melted. She told all about her desperation of having made it so far and how she was not going to give up then. All of the folks in the crowd were on edge now, wondering how she would survive the heated toxic sludge.

  Erika continued on, explaining how she had dragged her raft to the edge but the heat and the pain from the melting plastic caused her to pass out. She looked at Vince again and saw the pain in his eyes. He would have given anything to have been with her then. He would have taken all that pain and shielded her but that had not been an option. All he could do was listen to her story, just like everyone else.

  Erika paused here and took a drink. It was strong, and she had never been much of an alcohol drinker. It made her face pucker and she looked at Greg in the crowd, knowing he had been the one making their drinks. He smiled a sly little smile and winked at her. He had made her a very strong beverage, maybe he thought it would loosen her up to have a little extra tonight. The pungent drink made her pause longer than she would have, and she noticed that everyone in the crowd was completely enthralled with the story she was telling. Erika was beginning to like this newfound power.

  This enthusiasm caused her story to get more detailed. She went on and on about Henry and Carol. She explained how they had survived the quake and how they had brought her back to life. She even displayed some of her scars to make the reality of her journey hit home. Not only had they saved her, they had given her all the supplies and tools she would need to make it home. They had even provided Erika with the horse that they had dined on tonight. Deep in her heart, Erika felt deeply indebted to Henry and Carol, and this feeling was not lost on the crowd, or Vince. Most people had a tear in their eye and were wondering if they would have been so unselfishly caring if they were given the ways and means to help someone so much.