“Pretty warm tonight because of those clouds; I hope the rain holds off,” said Nancy, snapping Erika out of her thoughts.
“Seriously, I don’t think I could handle any more rain after the trip here.” Erika was thinking of the arduous cliff crossing.
“Well, at least, we won’t be dragging Greg’s gimpy butt through two feet of mud,” Vince said sarcastically.
“Hey, I told you guys to just leave me. You guys are the ones who brought me so it’s all on you now,” Greg said in a pouty voice.
“Come on now, that’s enough picking on each other. We are going to have fun tonight,” Nancy said with a wink. She didn’t want the teasing to go too far and someone’s feelings getting hurt. “You’ll be right as rain in no time. Now get your butt over here so we can go get some hot food.”
Greg smiled and Nancy wrapped her arm around him. They were headed toward the food building and the crowd was thick. Their procession had blended with the rest of the camp and the mass of people was awe inspiring. It was like being at the fair, a concert, or a festival back in the old days.
“Usually, the camp comes in shifts to get food so we can stagger the groups. There is going to be a long line,” Nancy muttered.
“Oh well, there’s going to be food. Remember, we are going to have fun tonight,” Vince said poking Nancy’s words back at her in jest.
“Food!” Dexter yelled joyously.
“You hungry, little man?” Erika questioned.
“Oh yeah, Mom, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow!” Dexter said ambitiously.
“A whole cow? Wow! Let’s just start with a heaping plateful and we’ll go from there. Okay, buddy?” Erika quieted him.
“K’, Mommy but the line is so loooooong,” he said as if he would die of starvation. He began to run a circle around them in the line.
“I’m gonna get you!” Star yelled as she ran off after him. Her limp was becoming less noticeable as her leg began to heal.
“You guys can play around over there if you want while we wait in line. I’ll call you when it’s our turn.” Erika knew the pain of waiting as a child.
The kids ran off screaming. Soon they joined up with other kids from the rest of the camp and the games began. Ripper had found the other dogs that were there and they were all fighting over scraps from the kitchen. Erika had to admit it was a painful wait because the line was long and the food smelled delicious.
“This is worse than watching cooking shows when you’re hungry,” Erika told Vince.
“No kidding. I’m beginning to notice a pattern at this camp, long lines!” Vince replied.
“Greg, why don’t you go and see if you can weasel your way in at the front. That way you won’t have to stand here on that leg,” Nancy told Greg.
“Good idea, Nancy,” Greg replied. “At least I can get something good out of this bum knee.”
Greg hobbled off towards the front while they all waited. A huge fire could be seen in the middle of the field with lots of people around it and a group of people that had saved or made instruments were beginning to strike up a tune. Erika just couldn’t shake the feeling that this was like being at a festival. It was the only time in her life she had camped in such a mass of people. The noise of voices, the clatter of things being done, and the sound of music was everywhere.
Before long they were at the front of the line. The kids had not rejoined them yet so Vince and Erika each made extra plates for them. The food was an assortment of canned foods that had been salvaged. In addition to wild game, fish, vegetables, and herbs that had been gathered from the land. One particularly interesting dish was a plate of a weird nutlike root. Laurie explained to Erika that a woman from the Lotus camp had found a good cache of them nearby. It was called Yampa and it had a flavor similar to that of water chestnuts. Tonight, they had found enough to make a whole dish of them, but they could also be used as a seasoning like caraway seeds. This dish they had baked, and Laurie said it definitely was worth trying. Erika took a little bit just to try. She had never been a big fan of water chestnuts so it didn’t sound too interesting to her. Overall, the food was delicious and piping hot. No one talked while they devoured the nourishing food. They just sat huddled over their plates. The kids had finally rejoined the family and dug into the food with a fury. Once everyone at the camp had made it through the line, the people were allowed back in for seconds so nothing would go to waste.
When the food was gone, the music really started rocking. It seemed the camp was alive with song and dance. Erika and Vince held each other close and danced. Rarely had Vince danced in the past, and Erika was surprised that he would want to do it so often but there was no holding back now. Life was too precious. He had watched couples dancing during the months Erika was gone and wished so badly he could have been dancing with her. He was not going to pass up any opportunity to do so and Erika was in heaven dancing with her man. Young children and old folks joined in the fun and smiles were everywhere. Drinks flowed from Margie’s makeshift bar and Bob was hard at work refilling bottles from the stills. Erika saw everyone she knew merrily enjoying the evening. When she and Vince began getting tired of dancing, they sat at the large fire enjoying the company of their friends. Ripper finally showed back up and lay down behind them.
Randy and Michelle had officially become an item. They were holding hands and relishing in the fact that they were allowed to drink. They were old enough to fight and the rules of the old world didn’t exactly apply now. They told Erika that Andrew had taken them into the militia and they were housed over by the training area. They were assigned training times and guard duties. They also told Erika that Rob had been an especially welcome addition to the militia and was quickly becoming Andrew’s right-hand man. He was an experienced military man and knew training techniques. He was also an accomplished hunter and was now assigned to leading hunting expeditions and salvage parties. They also said that Taylor and Tom had joined the militia and were camped in the same area as Randy and Michelle. Soon they left to go and dance again and Erika was pleased to hear that they were fitting in so well.
Jimmy D arrived full of jokes and smiles. During their conversation, he informed Erika that, with all his knowledge of electrical issues, he had teamed up with the other Jim, Jim Harlow from the Auburn River camp, as well as Harold and a guy from the Lotus camp. They were camped close to the kitchen and they were working on getting power to the medical building as well as getting a communications station up and running. Before long, Diana Walker from the Cool camp arrived and sat next to him. Diana’s husband had been killed and she had two sons—John and Rain—who used to go to school with Dexter. She was a pretty woman and judging from the smiles and flirting that she and Jimmy were passing back and forth, it was clear they had something going as well. Diana used to work in a doctor’s office so she was handling incoming patients and supply maintenance and inventory over at the camp’s doctor’s office. She was camped over in the doctor’s area, which was not far from Jimmy D.
Steve Dunch came and sat down with Brett. Erika learned from him that he did not want to participate in the militia anymore even though he was a valued fighter. It was just too much for him. He had done construction in the past and was involved in building homes and salvaging wood. He was working daily with Brett and their friendship was growing.
To Erika’s surprise, Richard also showed up. He was finally childless for the evening. All the kids were keeping themselves busy and he joined the adult conversation. He said he really missed having adults to talk with, but the whole time all he did was talk about the school and how well the children were doing. It was his way of focusing on the now and not reliving the pain of losing Joan.
Clay and Laurie Roberts also sat down to talk with Erika and Vince, once the kitchen duties were done for the night. Having owned a restaurant in Cool before the quake, they knew most of the former Cool community very well. They knew that Vince’s parents had been in Washington and told him that they were saying p
rayers that they too were alive. A little tear came to Vince’s eye and you could see he was touched. It was a very hard subject for him to face. He was the kind of guy that usually kept all his feeling bottled up with a thick cork. When they mentioned his parents, it was obvious that they had popped the cork, but Vince was doing his best to keep the emotions contained. When Clay and Laurie left to go mingle with other folks, Erika held him tight. Eventually, he pushed away, assuring her he was “just fine.”
Despite some hard topics, it was so awesome to sit and visit with everyone. It was almost normal except that they were out in the open by a big fire, instead of huddled in some building somewhere. As the night wore on, the people began to feel the effects of the liquor. The dancing began to mellow and the storytelling began up on stage. It was a much more elaborate show at this camp. Actors backed up by the musicians played out the parts of stories both old and new. There was a rendition of “The Hobbit” playing out and the kids loved it. Survival stories were also acted out. Erika learned the story of the coming together of the people of the Lotus camp. They also told the story of someone’s family member who had come and found his family all the way from the Yosemite area. He had been out camping when the quakes hit, so he had all his supplies and just started hiking back to find his family.
Soon, Erika found out she was also the key character of one of the plays: a camp favorite. It was a play based on her experiences that she had told when she reached the Cool camp. It was obvious to Erika that certain areas had been embellished, but everyone was surprised by a survivor coming from the west. From what Erika understood, the entire western side of California was in dire straits. The ocean had not been immune from the quakes and great waves had ravished the coastline and the cities all the way up to the coastal mountain range. Thankfully, the mountains had seemed to create a barrier for the rest of the state, for now.
Erika’s mom broke up Erika’s daydreaming. “I didn’t want to tell you. I had already heard your story before you told me; I wanted to hear it from you.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. How long have they been doing a play from my story?” Erika was shocked that her story would now be played out but she should have realized after she saw them playing out the other stories.
“Since they heard the story a few weeks ago. A man from our camp had been 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 had finished, the crowd roared. Thankfully, they had left out the part about Star’s mom being raped and just played that part out with Erika finding a girl in the bushes. The next play was about how a small group had invaded and conquered the monsters in Auburn. When that one was over, they announced that the stars of the shows had arrived and asked the whole attack party, including 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. She was surrounded by a crowd when suddenly Vince broke through and grabbed her hand.
“You want to get out of here?” Vince saw she was tired of the attention, but 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 said 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. They had been quietly chatting in the dark.
“Sneaking out on me again?” he asked. He had his eye on them and had seen the tide turn during the night. Even though he had met a wonderful woman who had let him into the food line in front of her, he wanted to be with his friends and brought her along. “This is Penni, and look what we snuck away.” He held up a bottle of vodka—real vodka, not the homemade stuff.
“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. She had sandy blond hair and green eyes. She seemed older than they were; maybe in her late thirties.
“I know,” replied Erika politely, “seems like there is no escaping it.”
The ice was broken and the two women hit it off grandly. Penni was so feminine and Erika had never been very girly. It was an uncanny matchup but it worked perfectly. The four of them drank and talked the rest of the night away. Erika dug out the few cigarettes she had left and they had a couple of them along with a joint that Greg had been saving. It was perfect. Erika had never enjoyed large groups of people and 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. A fast, hot, drug-induced extravaganza that drove them both into a deep sleep.
Chapter 32
Life wore on fairly peacefully at the Lotus camp over the next few days. 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 was getting much better. 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 Penni; Erika was impressed. Erika and Penni were getting really close 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 and it gave her a chance to be feminine and discuss girl things. They complained about kids and guys and discussed 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 was no way that there would be enough for everyone so the women had to get creative and go old school with piles of rags sown into washable pads.
The kids went to school with the other kids. There they learned everything from history and math to fighting and survival skills. They had a great opportunity to learn, be active in the community, and play with other kids. Everyone welcomed the idea of the children attending school because 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, no one felt the trauma was over. It was a hushed subject. The people here just 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 weird, early October for California. Even without the quakes, it was not normal to have this much rain. It was still pretty warm though, so Erika was confident it was raining and not snowing up higher in the mountains. Snow now would totally crush their hopes of crossing the mountains this year. They would have to wait for the snow to melt and that would keep them here far too long.
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 just 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 just training and hunting all the time, then she would have something to look forward to here in the future. Maybe this would settle her down a little. It was a sunny day when Nancy woke up Erika and asked her if she would like to forgo training today and go out to the gardens instead. Vince, overhearing the request, was very interested in going out to see what they had set up. He had always loved growing gardens and landscaping. Erika was hesitant. She was keeping her focus on training her body to match any threat that she encountered. She was honing her hunting skills to ensure she could always provide food for her family. Vince had enough of the military training, though, and he was very persuasive.
“Come on, baby, let’s just blow the day off and go check it out,” he pleaded. “We are 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 that would make sense to her.
“You know how to grow food, Vince, and we were 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 is only a handful of basic techniques. Then it’s all about application from there. We have been training nonstop since we got here. Don’t get me wrong, I have 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 had shrugged off his wink so he continued to dig for enticing reasons for her to come.
Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition Page 28