Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition

by Sara F. Hathaway

  Erika told about her long horse ride through Auburn and how she had found Star. She left out the part about what the man had been doing to Star’s mom and the fact that Erika had been the one who finally ended her life. She simply made it sound like the man had killed Star’s mom in an attack and Erika left the scene with Star. Most of the crowd turned to look at the little girl with her golden hair waving in the light of the fire. Erika remembered how the crowd had responded to hearing about the Auburn gang so she talked as little as possible about them when she described the rest of her and Star’s journey home. She wrapped it up with “and you all know how I got here.”

  The crowd cheered and laughed because they knew she had been brought in to the camp, passed out again and soaked with horse blood. She looked back to Vince. He knew there was more to the end of this story than she was saying, but he wasn’t going to prod her in front of the crowd. If she was not telling the full story, she must have a good reason for it. Anyway, he just wanted her to finish so he could have her back in his arms again. He had not held her enough and wanted more. Greg too knew that there was more to the story, but he also knew why she wasn’t going there. He decided to help her out as long as the crowd was still in a good mood.

  “Was that worth waiting for, or what?” Greg had appeared so suddenly that Erika almost jumped out of her skin. The crowd cheered in approval. “Here she is, folks, The Sacramento Survivor.” The crowd all cheered again, Erika blushed and shot Greg an evil-eyed look.

  “I’d get out of here while you still can,” Greg whispered to Erika.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” she replied and jumped off the log. The crowd cheered again. Everyone was feeling great.

  “And now, folks, for your listening enjoyment, here they are, the only people who have instruments and know how to play them.” The crowd laughed in amusement at Greg’s jest. Greg was introducing the small group of people who had played the music for dinner. Each one had an instrument and they stood in front of the crowd and began to play an upbeat tune. The crowd began to sway as Erika made her way back to Vince.

  “You’ll have to tell me the end of that story one day,” Vince said with joy in his eyes as Erika approached. It had been so long since he had been able to watch her approach, to watch her move. He loved her more than anything in the world. "But in the meantime, may I have this dance?”

  Erika was shocked. It had never been easy to get Vince out on the dance floor and she welcomed the invitation. “Yes, you may,” she replied as Vince whirled her out into the dancing throng of people. They were together again, dancing, laughing and holding one another. It was better than any dream and Erika fell into the moment. She could think of nothing but him. She could not smell anything but the scent of his manliness. She drank in his warmth and they swayed to the music, completely immersed in their love. The song played on and on and couples began to disappear back to quiet corners. The kids were laughing and enjoying the night. Erika had glanced over from time to time to look at how beautiful they were with full smiles, all covered in dusty dirt. Joan had noticed Erika’s looks and knew that Erika and Vince would be looking for their own private quiet corner before long. She motioned to Erika for Erika and Vince to go. All was well.

  “I’m getting tired, Vince,” Erika whispered in his ear.

  “I’m just waiting on you, baby. What about the kids?” Vince questioned.

  “They’re with Joan. They’ll be fine,” Erika assured him.

  He had always been such a great daddy and he had stepped it up since he had been Dexter’s sole caretaker for so many months. They made their way back to the tent. Erika was still stunned, looking back on all the people. It was like being at some music festival out in some field in the middle of nowhere. Except no one would be going home after the weekend. This was real. A community brought together for the need of survival. People had grown so far apart in our high-tech society. Everyone burrowed into their own homes, communicating by e-mail, text, or some computerized social network. It was amazing how fast it had all been destroyed. None of those skills would help anyone now, so what was it all for, Erika wondered. What had been the point? This was the point: people helping people, people sharing stories of pain and love, and people coming together and supporting one another. Erika realized that maybe this little slice of life was more real than any other part of her life that she had already lived.

  Vince opened the tent flap for her and they made their way to their little room. Ripper, ever vigilant at Erika’s heels, followed them in, and they told him to lie down outside their little room. The noise from outside was intense and it covered the sounds of their passionate lovemaking. It was a hard and dirty event. Drunken sex had always been this way for them. With their senses numbed, there were moments of rough play and furious thrusting. When they had smothered one another completely in blissful fulfillment, they snuggled. They had always fit perfectly together and their love swirled around them like an unharnessed energy source. The alcohol, marijuana, and frantic sex took their toll on the couple, and they fell into a deep sleep. They slept more soundly than either had done since they had been separated so many months ago.

  Chapter 21

  Erika and Vince woke up to the bouncing of their two children. The children had gotten up early and couldn’t help but come in and bombard their mom and dad with hugs and kisses. Star was fitting right in as one of the family. Her leg was still very painful from the bullet that had grazed her delicate skin, but she was tough, and she didn’t let it slow her down.

  Erika was elated to be woken up by the kids. She snuggled them in tight and hugged them until she thought they would explode. The four of them reveled in the moment of intense love. She ran her hand through Dex’s blond hair and savored the scent of his body. None of them wanted to face the harsh reality that awaited them outside of the tent. They could hear the hustle and bustle of people waking up and trying to find something to eat. The feast that they had enjoyed the night before was not a normal occurrence since the great quake. Food was in very high demand, but everyone had felt obliged to contribute to Erika’s bounty of horsemeat that she had brought.

  “Let’s just get out of here today and have one more day of fun before we have to decide what to do with ourselves now,” Vince said flatly to Erika.

  “I’m down. I haven’t had any thought on my mind besides finding you and now that I have, I wouldn’t mind some calmness,” Erika agreed with Vince. She just wasn’t ready to face reality now that she had finally found Vince.

  “I know a great place we can walk to from here. It’s a rock that was sheered off in the quake and you can look out over the canyon. I spent many a day sitting there hoping I would see you coming up the canyon.” Vince said with a sad look in his eyes.

  “Well, I’m here now, so let’s go enjoy it together.” Erika’s eyes bounced as she started to get her things together.

  “We should let Greg know where we’re going in case there’s an emergency or something.” Vince had more time to adapt to this world and working in a tight-knit community. Erika had been used to just taking care of Star and herself.

  “Good idea. We shouldn’t be too long though. We need to help out with camp and figure out what we are going to do. I need to go find my mom too.” Erika started to stammer with her mind full of plans.

  “Slow down, babe. Your mom is alive and well. She is down in the Lotus camp, I have already seen her. Let’s just enjoy the day. All our problems will be here when we get back. Trust me,” Vince said with a certainty in his voice. He needed a calm day and wanted Erika all to himself.

  “You have seen her and she’s alive? Well, that makes me feel better. You’re probably right. Let’s get moving so we don’t get stuck doing projects here.” Erika was feeling antsy now after her morning of lazy snuggling. She wanted to get moving and do something.

  “I know I’m right,” Vince said hugging her tightly.

  “What do you want me to pack up?” Star asked Erika, tr
ying to be as helpful as possible.

  “We are traveling light today, Star, so don’t worry about packing; just go rest till we are ready to go,” Erika replied. She was concerned about Star’s leg and didn’t want her to overwork it. “We’ll just bring some of that dried horsemeat to munch on.”

  “G-man found me a good walking stick to lean on yesterday so I’ll go get that and Dexter, and I will meet you guys outside.” Star had taken over watching out for Dexter. She just wanted to feel useful. She loved Erika so much for rescuing her that she was more than ready to accept her new family as her own. Caring for Dexter was a job that needed to be done constantly, and she knew she could fill that role perfectly.

  “Okay, we’ll be out in a second,” Vince replied. As the kids left, he grabbed Erika and started to fondle her softly.

  “Knock it off, you silly man,” Erika jested.

  “I can’t help it. You are so beautiful and I missed you so much; I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough.” Vince had a handful of her breast.

  “Well, we don’t have time for that now,” Erika said with her eyes full of love. “The kids will be waiting and the whole camp will hear us.”

  “Oh, let them hear. I just want my beautiful woman.” Vince grabbed Erika and held her close. He gave her a soft kiss and they embraced. The energy between them was palpable and it swirled around them.

  “Okay, we need to go,” Erika said forcing herself away from him. She was trying to focus on the task at hand and said lightly, changing the subject, “I think I will take Kit with us. We may be able to find some grass for him to munch on along the way.”

  “Good idea. There’s not much grass left around camp but the land is rebounding between here and the Georgetown River camp,” Vince replied.

  The two exited the tent and greeted the people that were still hanging around the smoldering fire. Most of the camp was off helping accomplish one task or another. Everyone pitched in readily to help ensure the community’s survival. Joan was still there cleaning up the morning mess.

  “Where are you guys headed?” she asked, noticing that they were carrying packs.

  “We are going for a little hike so we can do some much needed catching up,” Erika responded with a wink. “Have you seen Greg around this morning?”

  “Yeah, he is over organizing some supplies,” replied Joan. "That guy has the hookups. He has stocked up all kinds of goodies.”

  “Yeah, he has always been a rather resourceful individual, to say the least. Would you let him know where we are when you see him and let him know we should be back within a couple of hours?” Erika didn’t want to waste any time traipsing through the whole camp.

  “Sure, no problem, do you guys need anything to eat? I think I can still salvage a little food from breakfast.” Joan wondered.

  “No, we never were very big breakfast eaters and with so little food around, I don’t know why we should start now,” Erika answered with a sarcastic grin.

  The couple walked over and put the leather bridle on Kit. They didn’t bother with the saddle because they were having a leisurely day. Ripper ran about their feet happily dancing with the excitement of a new adventure. Since Erika had returned to the family, he had rarely left her side. They used to joke about him being her shadow, and he instantly returned to his old routine upon her arrival. Dexter and Star were not far behind Ripper, and Erika convinced the kids to ride bareback on the horse. Erika thought it would be fun for them, but also Star would not stress her wound. Vince told her it was so that Dexter would not tire too quickly, and Star felt honored to be playing a part in the family game.

  As they left camp, Erika was shocked at the landscape. This area was a place she had known so well. It had glistened with green grass during the winter months when the weeds would grow high, and then in the summer, it would turn golden as the sun sucked the life from the growth. The trees had grown tall and proud and cherry trees dotted the landscape. It was her home, and now it felt completely foreign. The earthquake had not been kind to the region. Great scars ripped through the ground, and what had not been destroyed by the shifting ground was burned in the fire that had smothered the area. They walked along quietly. Erika was trying to take it all in. The kids engaged in a quiet chatter about games they had been playing with the other kids in the camp. Vince could see the sense of awe in Erika’s quiet gaze. He decided he would have plenty of time to explain it all when they stopped. He just wanted to hold her hand and be near her. Many days he had wondered if he would ever walk along with her again, and now here she was, glowing with curiosity.

  It took them a couple of hours to reach the space that Vince had spoken of. It was a rock outcropping that used to sit next to the lake. Since the dam had broken and the river had returned to its natural state, it now overlooked the canyon and river once again. The old Auburn River camp was just barely visible from here if you knew where to look. An individual on watch had seen the explosion the day Erika had fled, but Vince had no idea at that point what had happened down there and that his wife had been involved in the activity. Everyone was scrambling for survival, and approaching the other camps, especially one in obvious turmoil, was not exactly a great idea. So the lookout had watched with curiosity and relayed the story when he returned to the Georgetown River camp.

  The lookout space itself sat in the remains of a subdivision that used to dominate the area. Now, it was charred shells of homes that used to house a vibrant community. Survivors in the area had pilfered the remnants months ago and the silence was eerie. Erika recognized where they were. It used to be the backyard of one of their friend’s houses. Great big pine trees and pomegranate trees had once stood here. Now it was just charred remains.

  “Oh my gosh, baby. This was Jean and Barb’s house,” Erika exclaimed, shocked at the current state of the property.

  “Yeah, it was. Now, it’s their grave,” Vince said solemnly. "They never made it out. It’s a good lookout point though, so it is well used now. You can see a lot of the canyon from here, just like it was before they put the lake in. But you know, Erika, a lot of people didn’t survive so let’s not think about that now. Actually, it’s better to just not think about that at all.” Vince was desperately trying to avoid the negatives. He had been immersed in this desperate world and was accustomed to stepping over the world of the past, trying to remake some kind of a future. Today was not about that: it was about spending time together, thinking positively, and enjoying the precious time together as a family.

  Nearby, there was a patch of land trying frantically to rebound after the demolition where some grass was growing. They got the kids off the horse and they let Kit graze there. Vince spread their blanket out on the rocks that overlooked the canyon and the river below. The kids were amazingly resilient. They laughed and played with Ripper, leaving Vince and Erika to chat in the sunshine. Vince and Erika sat down on the blanket and embraced. They couldn’t get enough of each other. The months away had left them incomplete and now, together again, the two halves were whole.

  “So,” said Erika gently, “how did you and Dex survive this mess?”

  Chapter 22

  "Let's see...where do I begin?” said Vince. “I had talked with you on the phone when you dropped Dex and Ripper off at your mom’s. Not long after that, I got off of work early because we wrapped up that job we had been working on. Remember we had been landscaping that guy’s house with the Japanese tea gardens? So, I picked Dexter up from your mom’s house. Your mom and I chatted. She was working on fencing that day, and I helped her a little with pulling some barbed wire. Afterwards, we went back home. It was a nice day, not too hot. Remember we had been doing all that watering, trying to keep our grass green? It was so long that I decided to go and mow it while Dex played in the yard. He and Ripper were running amuck, and then all of a sudden, it sounded like a train was coming. The noise was so loud; I heard it over the noise of the mower. I turned it off immediately, wondering what the heck was happening. Then it b
egan shaking like I have never felt before. You could see the ground rippling like a wave and it shook violently. Dexter was over by the shed with Ripper and it was like we froze in time. The earth just kept rippling, wave after wave. Then, in a blink of an eye, the whole town, as well as our house, sank into the ground. It was all the old mining tunnels. They gave way to the movement and everything was devoured. Once all the buildings fell in, fires exploded from everywhere. Most of the propane tanks and gas lines blew, and it felt like a war zone.

  “I had fallen into the ground with the house but Dexter was still up on the ground. He was next to that little crappy metal shed. It still stood immune to the shaking. I was knocked out when I fell in and woke up to Dexter’s frantic yelling and Ripper’s wet tongue. Ripper had run down into the hole to find me. Well, I was pretty shocked and beaten up by the fall, but I slowly climbed my way out of the hole, with Ripper’s help.”

  As if he knew the two were talking about his heroic deed, Ripper ran up and danced around the two of them. He licked Erika as she petted him.

  “That’s because he is a good dog, aren’t you?” Erika praised the animal.

  “That day, I thanked the Lord many times that you talked me into getting that dog. It was horrible, Erika. Everywhere, you could hear the screams of dying people and the noise of explosions. I was in complete panic. The first thing I did was grab Dexter. I held him close as I ran around frantically trying to find and help anyone who survived, but I had no idea what to do and the screams began to fade. Honestly, I was scared to move. You had no idea what would fall into the ground or explode next. In the end, I only found four other survivors, and we rescued one man from under his house but he died soon after. It all seems like a blur now. A bad nightmare I can’t wake up from. The devastation was so complete.