“So, did you make it to Tahoe? What’s out there?” she blurted out.
All eyes went to Big John but time before dinner was limited so John laid it out simply. He explained how the hole that had engulfed Georgetown was massive. Once you passed that and headed east into the mountains, a lake called Stumpy Meadows that they all knew well had broken out of its manmade boundaries and had flowed down the mountain side. There was little left but a puddle with dead fish surrounding it. The bears had found this especially enticing. John explained that, as he continued on up into the mountains, it looked as if the earthquakes had rippled the landscape like waves in the ocean, but he could swear that the mountains were pushing upwards toward the east. He also joked about how he wished he was a cliff climber because of the fragmenting but that he had found a passable route. There was a little cabin on the way through the backwoods called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was gone, but the mountain people that lived there, forever without power, were still there living much the same minus their cabin. The high mountain lakes were still intact for the most part. Some were smaller due to the draining of water through the newly opened crevices, but there was water available to drink. He had made it to Tahoe. The pass was still walkable and horses would only speed the trip along.
Some people had survived in Tahoe and had small camps, but there was a fear of trying to stay there through the winter. The snowfall could be sudden and deadly, and they all knew it. Big John had stayed briefly with them but had quickly turned back because of his duty to return to those he had promised. Erika and Vince thanked him for his efforts. Their minds were already made up. They would be leaving with Big John. The conversation was brought up short because it was time to leave for dinner before the kitchen was closed for the night. Andrew cautioned John about talking too much about this. He didn’t want to rile up the camp before he had a chance to do crowd control. But it was too late. Andrew’s fears were quickly realized. There was no keeping this quiet. The whole camp was in an uproar faster than if someone would have tweeted the message to everyone in a not so distant past. They were quickly inundated with people who were waiting for the garden camp group to walk by so they could get the news. The crowd continued to grow bigger and bigger around them as they headed for dinner.
Andrew knew he had to act fast. He set up a tall stump near the food line and yelled, “All right, all right, everyone!”—all eyes turned to him—“we all want to know how Big John’s trip went and there will be plenty of time for that. Let’s all get some food, so the kitchen workers can finish their night’s work and then we will all hear his story together. Big John”—all eyes looked from Andrew to Big John—“would you please start the line as our guest of honor?”
Andrew had focused the group masterfully. Sending John through the line first would focus the group on the line and then their food so they could orderly hear the news rather than mobbing poor Big John. Erika scanned the full length of the line. The camp typically came for food in shifts, depending on what group they were part of. It was rare that the whole camp came at once and she had not seen this since they had arrived. Big John’s return was reason enough for everyone to eat together and tell stories long into the night. Seeing the people all in one area was overwhelming. Erika had seen the supplies the camp had and their raid on the Auburn camp had added greatly to the supply. They had been hunting, fishing, and gathering as much as they could, but still she had to wonder how long they could sustain this vast group. There were no grocery stores. No trucks bringing food from the four corners of the world. Next summer, the gardens would be productive and they had planted some winter crops, but this bountiful harvest was still a long way off. Erika had to wonder how long the fragile balance of the camp would last once the food ran low. They were already on pretty tight rations, and everyone was working much harder than they were used to just to survive in this altered reality.
“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Greg’s cheerful voice snapped Erika back to reality.
“What’s up G-man?” Erika replied.
“Hey, buddy, what’s going on?" Vince said in unison with Erika.
“Big John’s back, he came to your camp first, right? So, hook a brother up with the 411,” Greg insisted.
Erika noticed ears perking up in the crowd around them. “Big John’s going to tell the camp what he saw after dinner,” Erika said loudly for all to hear. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper, "we are outta here, Greg. Start packing.”
“Really?” Greg’s mind was wandering. He was obviously considering the implications.
“Is it Penni?” Vince questioned. He knew his best friend inside and out.
“Yeah, she just got our tent all situated to make room for me with her kids and all. She’s not really into trekking into the unknown. She loves Cali, you know? She loves the sun and she has always lived here.” Greg was obviously torn.
The crowd was perking up again, listening in on their conversation.
“Guys, let’s talk about it later, okay?” Erika warned as she motioned toward the crowd tuned into them.
Before long, they reached the front of the line and got their carefully allotted dinner. Penni and her kids had not been far behind them in line, and they all went to a grassy area to eat. Nancy and Brett were already there with Big John. Even though everyone was going insane with curiosity, they gave Big John space so he could eat in peace. There was a hardwired social law in effect and no one was about to step out of line.
After the meal, Big John took center stage. He never liked crowds but he laid it all out for the whole camp. He told them how widespread the quakes were. He explained how lucky they had been to not have been continuously rocked at this camp because the quakes were still shaking everywhere else. He explained how he was not staying and the best route seemed to be to go east, possibly all the way to the Rockies. The crowd was enraptured. A murmur would run through every once in a while, but for the most part, they were quietly reflecting on personal choices that would have to be made. Even Andrew sat with his hand on his chin, wondering how the group would respond and what he personally would do. Erika and Vince weren’t considering the options. They were out of here. They were only thinking about packing.
When Big John finished, he told the crowd that he was leaving as soon as possible to beat the winter that would inevitably come to the mountains. He was through. He had laid it out for the whole group, and now it was up to every individual to choose their path. Neither choice would be easy, but then, life never was easy, not now and not before. The crowd was abuzz with talking and arguing. Everyone had broken into their own private groups and each had to take a hard look at reality.
Andrew took the stage next. He laid out a whole new set of issues for everyone to consider. He explained that their supplies were rapidly dwindling and hunting was very scarce. They had retrieved some cattle that had become scattered after the quake, but in order to have more in the future, they could not slaughter that many. The water was becoming more and more polluted, not only from their large camp, but from other camps utilizing it upstream, and this would affect the health of the gardens and their water for bathing. If they kept supplying this many people, they would have to start raiding other camps in the area so they could take their supplies and resources, and he was very opposed to that idea. It was clear something had to be done. He acknowledged everyone’s hard work in building this camp into a place that could self-sustain and was not happy about the prospect of losing guards and hands, but the truth was they were coming to the end of a rope that may hang them all if something wasn’t done and quick. They had simply taken in too many people and everyone had to eat.
The crowd was now alight with talking. Vince and Erika left with their family group. They had already made their decision and there was nothing left to do but pack.
“Mommy, are we leaving?” Dexter questioned.
“Yes, baby, we are. Big John says it doesn’t look good for this area and we should go someplace safer.” Erika never like
d shielding her kids from reality.
“Where are we going? What about my friends?” Dexter was so innocent and his questions reflected it.
“Each family will have to decide what is right for them, Dex. But I am sure some of your friends will be coming too,” Erika replied sweetly to him. “Hey, Star, you ready for some more hiking?” Erika wanted to include her in the discussion.
“I guess,” she answered quietly.
“What’s up?” Erika questioned.
“I was just getting used to this place and I loved going to school again and going out to the gardens and visiting with the horses. Now, we are just leaving?” Star said in a sorrowful voice.
“Well, I’m sure we’ll find some place where we can do all those things again, and I know we will be taking some of the horses.” Vince stepped in to cheer the conversation up. “And we’ll all be together. It won’t be so bad.”
“Okay,” Star answered more cheerfully. She was a resilient girl and would flexibly glide through any problem.
They returned to their camp and started repacking. Each individual would carry their own pack. Plus the horse carts had to be redesigned to handle the treacherous road ahead. The carts would be more lightweight with better suspension systems to be more agile but still support the weight of the supplies, while putting less tension on the horses.
Within two days, everything was packed and ready. About fifty people ended up coming along. Greg had convinced Penni and her family to come along. Harold was also coming with his family. Kim was still recovering from her run-in with the mountain lion so she would have to ride in a horse cart. Stan the doctor decided he would be coming as well. He was convinced Ryan could handle the camp, and he would be needed more in the traveling group. Andrew saw the logic of leaving but his position as the leader of the camp held him here. He did all he could to supply them with traveling resources and he gave them ten of the horses. One horse for every five people, that way they could all carry an ample supply of materials. Rob decided to stay as well. He was now in charge of multiple military activities at the camp and was not about to walk away from it.
A lot of other people that Erika had met through her travels were staying as well. Jim Harlow, who had been diligently putting his electrical knowledge to use around the camp, was too involved in projects here to leave it. Jimmy D decided to stay. He didn’t want to leave California and had become very involved with Diana, who was determined to stay and help Ryan with the medical facility. Clay and Laurie Roberts decided to stay as well. They were in the groove of running the kitchen operations here in Lotus. Margie Cassavoy also decided to stay. She loved her new liquor setup and, with her knowledge of distilling water, she was too valuable to the camp to leave. Andrew made that very clear. Her partner Bob was not as convinced, and he decided to leave with the traveling party. Gloria, from the Auburn compound, was at odds with her son. He wanted to go but she had started a relationship with Ricardo the gardener, who was definitely not going anywhere. In the end, Jose decided to leave his mother and go. Glen was just as attached to the gardens as Ricardo and was staying put. Finally, Drew, the horseman, was not about to leave his post. He had all the horses to take care of and a lot of his hands that had helped him were leaving, including Dan and Val. He felt responsible to care for the horses that would remain and now he had the cattle to care for as well. Dan and Val, who had a horse farm in Georgetown, had already lost so much they decided they were ready to try something new and felt very confident that Drew could handle the horses here without them.
Many other people decided the best choice for them was leaving. Taylor and Tom had been with Erika since the Auburn River camp and decided if she was going, they were too. Randy and Michelle also felt the same way. Michelle was now pregnant with Randy’s child and although, traveling would be risky, they still wanted to go. Steve Dunch also decided to go; he had nothing to lose. Even though Richard had his school for the kids, there was no shortage of capable people to take his place, and since he had been through so much with Erika, he decided to take his kids and come as well. Bob and Cathy Meyer, who had been Nancy’s old neighbors, saw the writing on the wall as far as supplies and decided if Nancy and Brett were up to the adventure, they were too. There were about eighteen other folks that were strangers to Erika but decided that leaving was the best decision for them as well. Big John was a little taken back by the size of the group he would be escorting but he was a good man and was dedicated to making sure everyone made it across the mountains safely.
Chapter 34
It was a chilly October morning when the party set out. There were many tears shed. People staying behind had to watch their friends leave, and the people going had to say farewell to their friends. Spirits in the traveling party were high, though. They were stepping out into the unknown, but then again, staying at the camp would have been a big unknown as well. Erika was ecstatic. She had been waiting for this day since she arrived at the Lotus camp and the day had finally come.
They covered ground quickly that first day. Most of the group that had known Erika was at the front of the pack with her. The other folks that had come along made up a second pack following behind. Erika saw the division, but she knew it would dwindle as everyone got to know one another and time ticked by. Anyone who could not walk speedily rode in the carts as they made their way through the broken terrain. They were headed back toward the little town Erika and Vince had called home. Erika was shocked at how unrecognizable Georgetown was. This town had been torn to pieces. At one time, she had known this place like the back of her hand. She had walked her dog and her baby through the town and down all the back roads almost daily. She had taken her son to the library for story time and played at the park. Now, it was as if it had been run through a shredder. As they passed the town, her heart sank and her jaw dropped. She held Vince’s hand and squeezed it tight, marveling at the fact that her family had been here when the town was destroyed and they had survived. She silently thanked God for his leniency. No one talked much as they passed by. They all just stared in wonder at the level of destruction that had occurred here. From the edge of the hole, dirty people clinging desperately to life watched them pass. The skinny stragglers didn’t wave or ask questions; they simply watched the people go by. They looked tentative and it seemed that they were just thankful they were not being attacked for the meager supplies they were sustaining life on.
The group continued on into the broken landscape that was now strewn with fallen trees from the surrounding woodlands. Progress slowed to a crawl. They reached an area where a restaurant had once stood and decided to stop for the night. It was a tough decision. This place would have been looted and re-looted by any survivors for the precious food that might still be inside. The hope was that any survivors in the area would have already picked it clean and now avoided the sight. Everyone was on super high alert as the group made dinner preparations. There had to be other survivors around, and the smell of food cooking was an invitation to attack for the reward of a meal. Without the safety of their high walls at the Lotus camp, they were vulnerable.
Once the camp was set up for a long night, people’s moods began to improve. Every scrap of food that was prepared was eaten and, afterward, musical instruments were brought out. In the group of newcomers, there were a couple of people that played the guitar. Penni’s son, Mitchell, was learning to play as well. Jen was learning to play an old clothes washboard and it was a nice accompaniment to the guitars. Steve Dunch broke out a couple of spoons and the beat began to flow. It was a delightful evening, full of dancing and singing. Greg was in his element and entertained the crowd with his great voice and dancing skills. Dexter watched him closely and was really picking up on some of his moves. A little girl from the group that Erika was not familiar with from Lotus came and danced with him. Her name was Willow. She had blond hair and a very slender build. She matched his skills perfectly and it was so cute to see the children dancing together.
It was nice t
o have the two distinct groups merge finally. The children had been the little ambassadors. Erika and Vince introduced themselves to her parents. Their names were Susan and Edward Cooper. Edward had worked with computers before the quakes started and Susan had cleaned homes. Besides Willow, they had three other children—two girls and one boy. They said they kept trying until they got the boy. Zoey was the oldest at ten, Willow was five, Summer was three, and then there was Jensen. He was only two but cute as a button. He had blond hair and blue eyes and the cutest little round head. He usually clung tightly to his mother who was still breastfeeding him but took an interest in Ripper, and before long, he was climbing on his back and tugging at his ears. Ripper, with his vast patience, just sat there and let the baby play.
Everyone talked and enjoyed the fun atmosphere long into the night, but it was the last time they would smile for a while. That night, toward dawn, they were attacked by a group of stragglers. Michelle and Randy had been on watch duty and their rifles had met their mark. When the attackers had seen the first two of their party fall and realized how well armed this party was, they backed off immediately. The noise had everyone up and since they were already up, they decided to start off the day early. They left the bodies of the people that had come in to attack. They figured the scavengers would be back to claim them. Some people did feel bad for the folks that were barely surviving around here but everyone decided that if they left anything for the people, they might just be inviting future problems.
They made really good time that day. They stopped by the former mountain lake in the mid-morning to have a rest and some food. Big John had been right. There were a lot of bears in the area. They had been scavenging the fish that had once lived in the lake. Big John took one down with his rifle and the team of hunters had it gutted, skinned, and butchered in no time. This meat was rich with fat and would be a welcome addition to their food supplies. By noon, they were on the move again. They made it all the way to the little cabin known as Uncle Tom’s Cabin before the evening set in once again.
Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition Page 31