“Yeah, I’m fine, but what about the girls?” Erika was still in shock and was only thinking about how bravely Jen had been standing guard over her obviously injured sister.
“You girls okay?” Vince questioned as he carefully stepped around the lion and ran toward the two girls.
“I am fine but it got my sister!” Jen was still standing over her sister, breathing heavily.
Erika followed Vince over toward the two girls. “Holy shit! That was crazy!” Erika said, heavily feeling the effects of the intense adrenaline boost.
Kim lay motionless on the ground. Erika grabbed Jen off of Kim while Vince checked her for injuries. Her leg had been swiped by the lion and would need immediate medical attention. It appeared that the horse had reared when the lion attacked and Kim had fallen off. She had hit her head when she fell but her skull was whole, and she was probably just knocked out.
“Jen, you did it! You saved your sister, with just a stick!” Erika was praising her bravery heavily.
“You sure did, Jen,” said Vince, “but she is going to need to see Stan right away.”
“I did?” questioned Jen. “Yeah, I did! Thank God you guys came when you did. How did you know we were even up here?” “Drew told us, it was just lucky we arrived when we did,” said Erika.
“What about our horses?” asked Jen.
“I have them tethered just around the bend,” Vince reassured her. “Look, guys, I am going to take my horse and Kim and ride her down into camp. Can you guys manage the other horses?”
“You bet, babe.” Erika was still pumped from the adrenaline. “I am going to gut that thing and bring it back with us. That hide is too valuable to leave for the scavengers. Plus it is a nice trophy for a wild experience.” She was almost joyful about the ordeal.
“You guys just be careful, the scavengers are exactly what I am worried about. Get it done quickly and meet me at the medical building. I will stop and tell Drew to alert Harold and Betsy on my way.” Vince was concerned about the girls, but he knew Erika would not let this animal go to waste. It was best to just let her gut it and bring it. She was fast at gutting anyway.
Erika and Jen got Kim up on the horse in front of Vince and the two of them rode off down the trail. Erika had her knife out and was quickly splitting the belly of the lion. Jen had never seen an animal gutted before and she watched attentively. Before long, its innards were lying on the ground in front of it and Erika wondered exactly how they were going to get it and the three horses back to the camp. Erika tried to put the lion up on Kit, but even with his good temper, he was not going to have a predator of that status on his back. They ended up strapping the animal to a couple of logs with some extra leather from one of the saddles and pulling it behind the horse that Jen had been riding. Erika rode Kit and guided the horse that was pulling the travois. Jen ended up riding the jittery young horse that Kim had been riding.
It was not an easy ride home. Jen’s nervous horse smelled the animal that had attacked them not far behind and was dancing all the way. Jen pulled at its bridle and talked softly to it but the thing was spooked badly. Its eyes rolled in its head and it almost went sideways down the trail instead of straight. Kit, upset by the other horse’s nerves and the smell of the lion, danced a little as well. Usually, if Erika was riding bareback and the horse was spooky, she would just hold a handful of mane but she had Kit’s reins in one hand and the lead rope for the other horse she was towing in the other. She gripped hard with her legs and held on for dear life.
Finally, they reached the horse paddocks. Each girl was sweating heavily and the horses were completely exhausted. Drew had already returned from alerting Harold and Betsy and was there waiting for them when they came down the trail. He quickly grabbed Jen’s horse and tethered it to a post. It stamped nervously in the setting sun. Jen jumped down and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I hear you are the hero of the day,” Drew said to Jen as he reached for Kit and winked at Erika.
“I wouldn’t say that. I just protected Kim, but it was a good thing Erika and Vince showed up when they did or I think we would have both been in big trouble,” Jen said in an exhausted voice.
“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. You stood with a stick, fending off one hell of a mountain lion to protect your sister. That takes guts, girl,” Erika said proudly. She knew this was the perfect opportunity to get Jen out of her shell and proud of herself again. “Check it out,” Erika said to Drew as she unhooked the travois from the other horse.
“Wow, that thing is huge! I would call you a hero for sure,” Drew said to Jen.
“It is pretty big. I never even thought about it. I just knew I had to protect Kim.” Jen was staring at the lion again, impressed that she had even thought she could beat that animal with nothing but a stick.
“You’re darn right it is,” agreed Drew as he led the other two horses off to the tether. He had some buckets of water ready for them. Not only did they need some feed and water to settle down but they were getting baths as well. He cared deeply for the horses and knew they had a traumatic day and would need some loving. “Now get that thing the hell out of here, you two, before it spooks all the horses and I have a stampede on my hands,” he said with a wink.
It wasn’t far back to the garden camp so they each grabbed one of the travois poles and pulled the beast all the way home. Darkness was closing in as they entered the light of the fire. The whole garden camp minus Vince, Harold, and Betsy were there, clapping for the two heroes. Dexter and Star ran to Erika and just about knocked her down with a hug. Erika’s mom just stood there with a look like I told you not to get yourself back into something dangerous. It was a great feeling and Jen’s smile stretched from ear to ear. Everyone gathered around the lion and gawked at the size of it. They looked at the claws and wished they could have seen its teeth but they had been blown out of its head. Erika and Jen left the animal in Brett’s capable hands. He didn’t care for hunting anymore, but he certainly knew how to survive off the land and he was quite skilled at skinning. Erika and Jen were bloody and messy with horse sweat and dirt so they headed off to the showers.
After the shower, they left for the main camp. The night had fallen and most people had already come and gone from the food line but Nancy assured them there would be something they could eat, and they needed to go and check on Kim. They headed off down the trail, pretty tired but still in high spirits. The camp was buzzing with the news of what had happened. The main fire was burning bright and people were gathered around it. They knew eventually the participants from the big drama of the day would show up. Penni and Greg were at the kitchen when Erika and Jen arrived. Clay and Laurie were exhausted from a long day of preparing food for the camp and when they heard everyone was okay, they had gone to bed. Penni, being the excellent caretaker that she was, knew Erika and Jen would still need to eat something, especially now. She had some hot leftovers ready for them. Erika thanked her deeply and immediately knew why Greg was so smitten with her. She was always so considerate and kind.
They ate their food at the communal fire, while they enchanted people with the tale of what had happened. Vince had heard the commotion from the medical tent and came over to meet with them. He assured them that Kim was going to be fine. She had bonked her head solidly when she fell from the horse but she had come to and was answering basic questions with accuracy. Stan was more concerned with the slashes the lion had put on her leg.
They would fester with infection for sure. At least they had a supply of antibiotics and antiseptics, but it was still questionable if he would be able to save her leg or not. The animal had just about ripped her calf muscle off. He would have to stitch the muscle and the skin, and he was still not sure if it would ever function like it did before. He congratulated Jen again for her extreme bravery and Jen smiled wide with pride.
Before long, Betsy joined them at the fire. She hugged her daughter fiercely and told her how proud she was of her. Erika didn’t
think it was possible for anyone to smile any bigger than Jen already was but receiving this praise from her mother did the trick. Betsy thanked Erika and Vince again and again for helping her daughters and bringing them home safely. She thought it would be very hard to let any of her children out of her sight again and commented on how many more gray hairs she would have now. They all said a prayer for Kim before Betsy left to go and attend to her.
It was deep into the night before they all headed back to the garden camp. They thanked Penni for keeping the food warm and wished her and Greg a great evening. Greg was now staying with Penni at her tent, which left a room for the kids at Erika and Vince’s tent. The fire there was burning low but Nancy was waiting up with Brett when they arrived. He had taken care of the animal and the pelt was salted and awaiting tanning. He had saved all the claws and gave Jen and Erika each half of them. They could be tradable in the future, especially with the story that came with them. They talked quietly for a little while before everyone headed off to bed. They all slept soundly that night. Thankful that they all had their skin attached.
Chapter 33
Time plodded on at the Lotus camp. Erika and Vince trained vigorously, but Erika made more time to spend with the horses. Kim kept her leg but was recovering slowly, as she was racked with infection and fever. Jen had a whole new attitude and worked with the horses daily. Greg and Penni’s relationship grew strong. The injuries Greg had received at the Auburn compound had healed, and he was soon at full strength, training, and building around the camp. Nancy was busy with garden plans and kitchen duties. Life was good and the quakes were few.
Erika still could not shake the feeling of impermanence, though. The more she enjoyed each day at the camp, the more she feared the feeling. She knew they would have to go. She should have been happy. Her family was together, their days were full, but she couldn’t get complacent. She blamed the past overwhelming circumstances for her feelings. She tried to drive them away, but it still seemed to her like she was standing on the train tracks just waiting for the train to come around the corner.
Finally, the issue came to a head. John Green returned from his scouting mission. He was tired and raggedy from his trip. Big John pitched his tent near Erika and Vince’s, scarfed down some food, had a shower, and went to sleep. He hadn’t said much, and rumors of his arrival spread through the camp like a wildfire. Folks were already forecasting the outcome of his mission. The horrors he must have seen. Erika’s skin crawled with the fear of the unknown that was palpable in the air.
Erika had heard the news when she was over at the horse paddocks working with Kit and returned immediately. She found Vince busy cutting firewood for the camp. When their eyes met, they knew this was it. They would be on the move before the week was done. They chatted quietly about nothing while they waited. Vince just kept on splitting while Erika paced around the ground, her mind alight with curiosity. Before too long, Erika could see her mom coming up the trail from the kitchen. She had been organizing food inventories and collecting compost that was ready. It was much earlier than she was supposed to come back. Erika figured the ladies at the kitchens had probably sent her for information, which Nancy was probably desperate for anyway. Who could blame her, they all were. Nancy was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t see Erika watching her approach until she started to climb the hill to the campsite.
“Oh, you’re home early. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Nancy said startled by Erika watching her.
“I could say the same,” Erika said with a gleam in her eye. It was pointless to put on charades with one another. Each knew the other too well.
“So, where is he?” Nancy went right to the point. It wasn’t her normal beat around the bush style and Erika stammered for a minute.
“Vince said he went to sleep,” Erika replied flatly. “Poor guy must have been beat.”
“Thank goodness he made it back safely,” Nancy said, full of concern. "I didn’t see him at the kitchen. Did he get some food?”
“Vince gave him a can of soup we had in the tent,” Erika answered. Big John was going to force an issue they had been avoiding talking about for weeks and Erika knew it.
“Well, what did he say?” Nancy was bursting with curiosity.
“I don’t know, Mom. He just went to bed. Probably wants to recharge before getting inundated with questions.” Erika was just as curious but trying to hold it altogether.
“We’ll know soon enough, I guess.” Nancy’s disappointment with this lack of information was obvious. “Andrew will probably want to talk with him first anyway,” she continued almost to herself.
“I’m surprised he isn’t here yet,” Erika said with a chuckle.
“No, I heard”—Nancy lowered her voice—“from some of the
guards that there are problems with another group that is camped over closer to Placerville. We have had to go further and further to hunt and so do they. I guess there have been a couple of confrontations now. Andrew doesn’t want to alarm the whole camp, but they are putting more and more guards at the gates.”
“I know, I have gate duty in the morning.” Erika was hunting often and training with all the soldiers so she already knew about the looming threat.
“You do? Why didn’t you say anything?” Nancy was offended at being left out of the loop.
“Because Andrew didn’t want to alarm the camp, Mom,” Erika said, knowing her mom would have told someone at the kitchen and then she would have been to blame for letting the cat out of the bag.
“But I’m your mother and I wouldn’t have told a soul.” Nancy’s eyes glinted in a mischievous way.
“Oh yeah, sure,” Erika teased and hugged her. Nancy couldn’t help it; she loved gossip, and if it was happening, she would know. The kitchen was gossip central. Everyone relaxing and enjoying meals discussed the day’s events. Nancy was frequently there. She relayed information and supplies from the garden to the kitchen. She was always talking with the kitchen ladies and knew all the stories.
“Where’s Star and Dex?” Nancy questioned, looking around. It was their day off from school and they were usually hanging around.
“They went out with the garden crew this morning. Ricardo said he would keep a sharp eye on them. They’ll be back before dinner.” The children had been restless in the morning and they had begged and begged to go out to the gardens where they could play in the waterfalls by the river.
“They’ll sleep good tonight then,” Nancy replied. “The garden crews are trying to plant some chard seeds and broccoli seeds that we found. I think the seeds are still good and it’s worth a shot anyway. It’s a little late for a summer crop but we are going to need the food. Stocks are going quick and finding food is getting harder and harder,” Nancy rambled on with a look of concern in her eyes. “There’s just too many of us,” she finished, staring at Erika absently.
“Let’s not get into it now, Mom. There’s no sense in starting this conversation when we don’t know what Big John has to say.” Erika was used to being on the defense on this issue.
“No, Erika, I’m saying it may not be an argument anymore.” The tone of Nancy’s voice made Erika take notice. “I work in the supply house and I work out in those gardens we have going. I can see the reality of our situation. Every day, more and more gets used up and less and less comes in.” Nancy was concerned.
Erika was shocked. For weeks they had argued this question of staying or going. "Still, Mom, let’s see what Big John has to say before we make any decisions. Plus, have you talked with Brett about this? You know how he feels about it.”
“He’s the one who threw the obvious in my face,” Nancy replied with a little disdain.
“Really?” That was even more shocking. Brett had argued fervently about staying put. He knew this area. He had stomped these grounds since he was a child, and he made it very clear he was not going to leave now. They had come to find out he had doubts all along and now was changing his tune altogether.
&nbs
p; It was just before dinner when Big John woke up. Andrew had arrived to talk with Big John but was waiting patiently, sipping tea with Erika, Vince, and Nancy. Groups had returned home from their day’s forays. They commenced to the evening events of getting cleaned up and getting ready to head over for dinner. They chatted about the day’s events and discussed the garden details with Nancy. Harold had been over at the communications building where they were finally making some headway on communications rather than energy supply. They had not had contact with anyone yet and were very curious about what Big John had found as well. Dexter and Star returned home with the gardeners. They were full of pride over how much they had accomplished out in the fields and what they did while playing in the river. The evening noise grew louder and louder. No one wanted to leave for dinner because they were all eager to hear what Big John had to say. Even some folks from the other camps close by were showing up, which was very unusual given that the garden camp was the furthest camp from the central area.
“Good evening, John,” Nancy said when she saw him stagger out sleepily from his tent. A hush fell over the crowd.
“Hey, Nancy, so good to see you,” Big John said in a deep voice. They hugged one another.
“Are you all right? Do you need anything?” Nancy wondered.
“Nope, all in one piece,” Big John beamed as he shook off the sleepiness.
“How about some tea then?” Nancy scurried to grab him a cup. “Here, sit here,” she said as she pointed to a seat on the way by to get him a cup.
Everyone greeted Big John as he sat down. He had met Andrew before he left and he greeted him warmly as well. Dexter was playing with Star and John commented how big he had gotten and how nice it was to see everyone again. In this uncertain environment, you never knew how things would go. Each meeting could be your last. The curiosity over his journey could not be contained for long, Erika had to ask.
Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition Page 30