“Well, hold on now,” said John. "I was about to explain before I got interrupted.” He shot Greg a sideways look. “Our camp fared better than this one, but we flooded badly. Water came down the river so fast it washed away most of our tents and supplies, but we saved everyone.”
“See, we are going to die, everyone one of us,” came a voice from the crowd. This time Erika picked out who it was. It was Bob Hawthorne, the moonshine maker. He was probably drunk already, she thought.
“Bob, I thought we agreed that kind of talk was getting us nowhere,” Erika snapped at him and most of the crowd glared at him. He quietly fell back behind some other folks. He was perfectly happy to speak out when he was anonymous but singling him out made him shrink.
“So, what are you thinking, John?” Erika knew he hadn’t finished talking before he was interrupted, again.
“I am thinking we should get out of California. Maybe it isn’t as bad on the other side of the mountains. There’s no way to know for sure, but let’s face it, the coast is gone and who knows when those quakes will stop. We haven’t received any help from the East so something must be going on there too, but it can’t be as bad as this,” John finished.
This is why Big John had come, to get Vince and Erika and leave. He had not planned on taking all these people, or facing all this commotion.
“Where would we go? I’ve always lived in California,” a voice from the crowd questioned.
“I think he’s right. Who cares where we go? We need to get the hell out of here,” another voice yelled in a panic.
“All right, all right, everyone,” Erika broke in. “Let’s not get all excited again. Obviously, this gives us some food for thought. It’s clear we need to leave here so I think our first stop should be the camp down in Lotus. Hopefully, they fared better than either of our camps. Even if they didn’t, they have water and the injured people Ryan is caring for won’t survive long without it. Let’s go pack whatever stuff we can and make some kind of stretchers for the wounded. Whether you stay here in California or leave with us is an individual’s decision, so go pack your stuff and think about it.” Erika had no idea how she ended up in this leadership role but she desperately wanted to disperse the crowd so she could talk privately with Vince, Greg, and John.
As the crowd was dispersing, there was another commotion as people started to fend off a raggedy man that had come up out of the canyon. No one had been on lookout and his approach was startling. He was asking for Erika. The crowd began to part as he was ushered over to where she was. Some of the crowd left, but most of them remained. They were curious about who this man was and why he was here asking for Erika.
Vince and Greg didn’t like the look of this man and posted up quickly in front of her to protect her from this crazy, looking guy. Vince couldn’t help but wonder what this guy had in mind for his wife. Vince and Erika had usually been side by side in the past and each knew each other’s friends well.
“Where is Erika? I have to talk to her,” the deranged man pleaded insistently.
“Look, buddy, I don’t know who you are but—” Vince began to fend him off but was interrupted.
“Harold… Harold Duncan, is that you,” Erika questioned in a shocked voice. She began to see through the dirt-layered face, the light brown eyes that looked so much like Henry’s, his father. His strawberry-brown hair was smacked down to his head and it looked as though dried blood held it in place.
“Oh my God, Harold, what happened to you? Vince, go get Ryan, he needs a doctor.” Erika was scrambling to get past Vince and Greg to Harold and make sure he was okay. Vince was still blocking the two from one another in a defensive pose. “Vince,” Erika yelled, breaking his glare at the man. “This man’s father saved my life. This is Henry’s son. If it weren’t for his father, I would not be here at all. Can’t you see he needs help? Please, go get Ryan.”
“I’m on it,” Vince replied. Now that Vince was filled in on the full story, he didn’t hesitate to fulfill his wife’s wishes and ran off down the hill to find Ryan.
“Here, Harold, sit down over here,” Erika said in a concerned voice. There was a stump they had been using as a seat for eating and Erika led Harold over to it. “Now just relax and rest for a minute. Ryan will be here soon and—”
Harold cut her off. “I can’t rest, Erika. I have to go,” he stammered starting to get up.
“Go? Go where? And where are Henry and Carol and Betsy and the kids?” Erika was very curious now. He was all alone. There was no way Harold would have left them. They had been well supplied with food, weapons, and horses. Now here he was alone and in rags.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. That Auburn group, they attacked Mom and Dad’s house. They took everything from me: my wife, my kids, my parents, all the supplies, all the horses. It was horrible. They caught us off guard. I tried to fight their leader, Doug, I think his name is, and I was winning for a while but then one of his men cracked me over the head and I guess they left me for dead. I woke up and they were all gone, and so were all the supplies.” Harold was in tears now looking desperately at Erika.
Just then, Vince came back with Ryan. Ryan had a few of the precious medical supplies with him. As Ryan stepped in front of Harold to treat him, Erika stepped back to fill Vince in on what was going on.
“That sucks, baby, but I don’t know what we can do. We just got wiped out and we have to go find your mom.” Vince was just trying to face the facts.
“I know, Vince, but we have to do something. These people saved me. They didn’t have to but they took pity on me, cared for me, and supplied me for my journey home. Henry even gave me Kit. I would not be standing in front of you now if it weren’t for Henry and Carol. Now they need me. I can’t just walk away, Vince. I have to do something.” Erika’s voice was firm.
“Erika…” Vince’s voice was more sympathetic now. He had a feeling she was not going to budge on this. “We don’t even know if they are still alive.”
“They are alive!” Harold had been listening to their conversation as Ryan was shaving his head and stitching up the huge gash on it. “I have been watching my family being held hostage by those animals. I have just been waiting for a chance to rescue them. This last quake really rocked that Auburn compound, but there are still too many men in there for one man to take on. I can’t do this alone but I will try if I have to.”
“You said they took your supplies too?” It was Rob Burton speaking up. He had stayed behind to see what was going on. Rob used to be in the military and knew it was best to always gather as much information as possible in any given situation.
“Yeah, they did,” Harold answered. He was almost appalled that Rob was more interested in the supplies than his family.
“Vince, I don’t know if you noticed, but supplies are running really low around here. I’ve been doing the math and I don’t know how we are going to move all these people without more supplies. Those guys at that Auburn compound have really been busy stocking. We could use all that.”
Greg stepped in to protect his friend. "Rob you’re always looking for a fight. What if we all die? Then all those people we are trying to save would really be in trouble.”
Greg’s friend Denton spoke up next. “Look, Greg, I know we’ve been friends for a long time, but I got to agree with Rob on this one. We can’t make it very far without more food. Most of what we had left was lost in the fire. We are running out of options.”
“We can always rummage the houses that are left along the way,” Greg countered.
“Oh, you mean the ones we pilfered last month. There’s nothing left, Greg, face it.” Denton was right, even though Greg didn’t want to admit it.
“Regardless of our supply situation, I am going to save Harold’s family or die trying.” Erika was just as irritated as Harold that the conversation had gone from rescuing good people to getting more supplies, and her mind was set.
Vince knew there was no changing her mind now, so he simpl
y replied, “Then I’m going with you. Someone has to keep an eye on you.” He gave her a wink.
“Then so am I,” said Greg.
“I’m in,” said Rob.
“I’m in,” Denton chimed in.
Big John had been standing off to the side while this drama played out. He finally stepped up, “Okay guys, it looks as if you have some stuff to take care of. My mission is to get us out of California. I am going to go back to the Georgetown River camp and see what they want to do. I will let them know that we are leaving and see how many of them feel the same way. Then I am going to go scout a clear route to get us out of here. I will meet you at the Lotus camp after you have rescued Harold’s family and got the supplies. God knows we are going to need them too.”
“Sounds like a plan, John,” Vince replied. He really wished they could just be going with him now, but he understood why Erika felt the way she did, and there was no way he was leaving her again. “We will meet you at the Lotus camp. That way, we can get Erika’s mom and Brett and get out of here.”
“Take care of yourself and your woman, Vince,” John said with concern in his eyes. “You know what kind of men they are down there. Just be careful.”
“We will be. Don’t worry. Ain’t nothing slowing me down,” Vince said with a smile. He was scared and knew exactly what kind of evil men were down there, but he covered it with sarcasm.
Big John left, and after explaining the entire situation to the rest of the camp, they had a group of volunteers willing to risk their life for this mission. There were eleven of them in total. Erika, Vince, Greg, Rob, and Denton had heralded the call for volunteers. Taylor, Randy, and Tom from the Auburn River Group were all young men, but they were strong and ready to take direction. Steve and Jimmy D, also from the Auburn River Group, stepped up as well. They were ready for some payback after the last clash with the Auburn Gang. The last volunteer was Michelle from the Cool camp. Although she was kind of spacey, she was a great shot with a rifle and was a welcomed addition to the group. Even though Richard really wanted to go, in the end, he decided to stay behind with the children and help lead the group to the Lotus camp. There were not too many able bodies left so he would be crucial to that group. After the attack, the two groups would rally in Lotus, where Big John would find them. Then they could all decide their next move after that.
Rob, having military experience, led the attack group. He picked Harold’s brain for all the information he could gather about the Auburn Gang’s camp. How did they patrol it? Where are their traps set? When did they eat? Where did they get water from? Did they have power? Rob asked a flurry of questions that Erika would have never even considered. This was just as well because while Rob was forming an attack plan, Erika and Vince were busy packing up Kit and his cart. Star would be leading Kit and Dexter was going to ride in the supply cart. Richard would keep an eye on her though, to make certain she was not stressing her injured leg too bad. The pace would be slow because of all the injured people they had to carry, so they all had faith that Star would do fine. Ripper was going with the kids because he could severely hamper the attack if his anxiousness got the better of him. Plus, he would protect those kids with all his being so Erika knew that was the best place for him. They loaded Greg’s old dog, Dakota, in the cart with Dex as well. Kota wasn’t looking too hot and they wondered how long he would be able to keep surviving in this world.
It felt really wrong to Erika and Vince to be sending the kids off on their own. But they would be well cared for. They had gained a lot of faith in Richard and the group of good folks they had met up with in Cool. Plus, they were headed for Lotus, where Erika’s mom was still camped. She would find them and protect them. When Erika had the horse ready to go, she turned and watched Dexter and Star playing in the sunlight. The kids would play. No matter what was going on and how scary the world got, the kids would play. They were so innocent, aware of the world, but not yet fully conscious of its implications. Erika’s eyes began to sting with tears. She jumped as Vince wrapped his arm around her. He stood next to her, staring. It was a moment to remember. If she still had a cell phone that worked, she would have grabbed it to capture the moment in a digital image. Those days were gone now.
The two vigilant parents took the time to play a short game of tag with their children. They had no idea when the next time they would get the opportunity to play innocently with their children would be, or if they ever would at all. They ran and laughed. Others joined in the game. Life was going so incredibly wrong, the fun was almost like an addictive drug. You just couldn’t help yourself. Other people in the camp stopped whatever they were doing and watched, but the game came to an end all too quickly. Rob appeared ready to head out and the groups were quickly directed off to the areas they were meeting at before departing.
Erika and Vince hugged Dexter and Star as hard as they could and tried to appear positive and optimistic, even though tears were forming in their eyes from the fear of never seeing them again. They tried to savor every sight and smell of the children and hold it tight in their memories. They choked back the tears as they kissed good-bye, but each one knew deep down inside what had to be done. The kids ran off to join Richard and head out for the Lotus camp. Ripper was unsure which way to go, but Erika told him to stay with the children and he hesitantly went off to fulfill his job.
Chapter 25
Vince and Erika dragged their feet as they went to join Rob and the others and gather their weapons. Vince had brought Erika’s bow, a quiver full of arrows, her knife, and her rifle with a fanny pack full of bullets. She tucked the knife into the sheath attached to the fanny pack and clipped the pack around her waist. She snapped the quiver to the bow and put the bow over her shoulder. Her hands began to sweat as she held tight to the rifle in disbelief of what they were about to do. Vince carried a crossbow that John had given him with a quiver full of bolts, his knife, and his rifle with a similar fanny pack full of bullets. Michelle and Randy were given the most accurate sniper rifles the group had because they were the least physical individuals and the best shots. They also had knives in case they ended up getting up close and personal with an enemy. In fact, everyone carried a knife, even if it was just an old steak knife. They were not only good protection; they were also convenient eating utensils while they were traveling.
Handguns were not something that the people from the group headed for Lotus were willing to give up but Greg, Harold, Denton, Rob, and Steve all had theirs from before the big quake. Ammo was limited but the amount they had would have to do. Richard had given his pistol to Taylor in exchange for a nice rifle. Besides the rifles that Erika, Vince, and Rob carried, the group had given up three more to the cause, and Greg, Jimmy D, and Steve carried those. Tom only had his crossbow but he was very happy about this because he was very confident in his accuracy and speed. There were some other bows and crossbows that were handed out among the group but, again, ammo was the issue so every shot had to count.
When they were all loaded and ready to go, they turned and watched Cool become a ghost town as the other group moved off slowly toward Lotus. There was a very grave mood as they started the descent down the canyon. Erika was still surprised at the level of destruction these quakes had caused. Great rock ledges and ravines that had seemed so strong and indestructible were leveled.
“You okay, baby,” Vince asked. He had been watching her mind wander.
“Oh yeah, just another day in paradise,” she replied sarcastically. There had been a song they often sung when they were at home all cozy in their house. It referred to all kinds of domestic problems but how it was all okay and it was “just another day in paradise.”
He caught the reference immediately and chuckled. “We can still turn back, you know. We don’t have to do this,” Vince said. He was still trying to give her an out.
“Yeah, we do,” she replied flatly.
“I know we do, but I was just wishing that you might run away with me and we could just stay in each o
ther’s arms and be safe forever.” He could at least vocalize his dream.
“So do I, but we both know there is nowhere to run to. Carol and Henry need us and our group needs these supplies. We just have to keep going.” She was trying to convince herself as much as him.
“Well, at least if we are going to die, we will do it together.” He was trying to be sarcastic but deep in the recesses of his mind he believed it might be true.
“You got that right, guys. At least we will die together,” Greg teased. He had been listening in and came up behind them. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders.
They had all been friends for so long and the emotions were running hot. They all laughed to relieve the pressure. It was contagious, and the group all laughed at themselves and the task before them. Soon, they were all quietly chatting as they continued their descent. The chatting quickly came to a halt when Rob, who had been scouting out in front with Harold, returned at a quick trot to the group.
“The old river camp is right down there,” Rob whispered. “There will surely be scouts out there on the opposite ridge. This is where we split up. I’m going to take Jimmy D, Steve, and Tom, and we are going to go through the river camp to take out any scouts and then go straight at the main gate. We will put on a great show with these pipe bombs I made. In the meantime, Harold says he knows where they are keeping the prisoners. He and Denton will circle around the top of the canyon and sneak in from the back. Erika, Vince, Greg, and Taylor, you guys go with them and protect their rear entry. Randy and Michelle, you will go too. Harold says there is an old juvenile hall with a tower still standing. You will have to take care of the guards posted there. Once you take out the guards, post up there. You can see the whole compound from up there and you will be able to provide cover for us all. We will attack at nightfall. As soon as you hear the first explosion, you guys move in. Any questions?” Rob had laid the plan all out. It sounded easy enough. The adrenaline was pumping now. No one but Rob had combat experience and everyone’s eyes had a wild determination in them.
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