by R J Murray
Chapter 3 - Discovery
John went shopping. The shop was a cross between consignments, retro, new age, save the planet and most of the varieties of the punk movements in fashion and had been owned and run by two people who were greener than grass. Nothing artificial or synthetic was allowed through the doors, unless a customer was wearing it at the time and they got a pamphlet on saving the planet and back to nature, printed on recycled, homemade paper. John let himself try on everything, without limitation. Two hours later, dressed in mostly browns, with leather, canvas and brass being equally represented and leather boots with lots of brass and straps reaching almost to his knees. John put the long leather drovers coat on, doffed a wide brimmed hat and headed back out.
John had gone to the storage unit as well to find his few remaining possessions and had been disappointed once again. Everything except the violin was a mess of slime or damaged by the slime. The violin was in a leather case with a silk lining and was old enough that it was made with all natural materials. John had always been curious about the violin, remembering his mother playing it, but being told it was far too old and valuable to let him handle. He learned on a five dollar violin his grandfather picked up in a music store. He brought his mothers violin in its case to his base for safe keeping and to play in the evenings, along with those supplies he had found.
He had started searching the cave and was making progress. The floor was smoothly covered in dirt and small rocks, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling within a few hundred yards of the entrance. The cave looked like it had been there forever instead of only a few days.
As he moved deeper into the cave, John marked the path back out with color coded cloth markers on metal pegs, green for the path back to the entrance and red for dead ends. He had spent two days planning and making the things he felt he needed to successfully explore this cave system and hoped he hadn't forgotten anything.
John had been working through the cave system for over a week now and hadn't found a way out. He had pulled a lot of material out of the remaining buildings and much of it was stored at the mouth of the cave, including his drover’s coat. It was impractical for crawling through some of the smaller openings and he didn't want to ruin it. He had substituted a long jacket with a fleece lining and a different pair of boots, as the straps and buckles collected a lot of mud in the cave. He oiled his boots heavily, to keep the water from soaking into the leather and to make them easier to clean. When he was done with this cave, they would be ready to trash, which was OK, because he had several pair of boots that fit, but didn't suit his somewhat unique and unusual sense of style.
The loneliness, worry about his kids and grandson and the stress of just not knowing anything was wearing him down. He was running low on food supplies and only had a few torches left. Another day and he would be out and would have to spend days gathering more toilet paper if he was going to keep exploring. Without a way off the plateau John would eventually starve and this was the last torch before he had to head back to the surface. At least his beard had quit itching, although he was still looking for a razor and shaving cream.
Ahead, the cave narrowed and the roof started dropping lower. As he moved forward, even in the flickering light of his torch, John could see the end of the cave. There were no other side passages to try and there was nothing to do but go back.
Disappointed and a little scared, John headed back the way he came. He moved slowly, looking for a side path he might have missed, his only chance now. He was less than a hundred yards from the dead end when he saw one. It was behind a boulder and had been hidden in shadow when he came through the first time.
Crouching, John held the torch in the entrance and crawled in. It was downhill, steeply inclined causing John's hands and feet to slip in the loose debris. He went into the dark in an uncontrolled slide, the torch hitting the ground behind him and remaining where it fell. He reached the end of the tunnel, felt nothing but air under him and fell into the darkness. He hit hard, the only light available being the stars he saw just before he went unconscious.
When he woke up, he had no way of knowing how long he had been out. He stood up, feeling around carefully and found the roof of the cave only inches above his head. Several feet behind him was the wall he had fallen down, with the tunnel entrance somewhere above him. He felt around the roof, hoping that the opening was in reach and would be climbable. When he found it, he realized even in the dark that it would not be possible, due to the inverted funnel shape and the steep slope. His options were limited to move forward or die here. He decided that forward would be fine and headed slowly downhill, feeling his way in the dark.
After what felt like a couple of hours John saw a faint glow ahead and his heart raced as he moved carefully forward, determined not to fall again. He saw the outline of a boulder ahead and moved a little faster. As he stepped around the boulder, a huge cave opened up ahead of him and his heart sank. It was natural luminescence, bacteria or algae in the rock, but not a way out.
He stood still, leaning on the rock wall, letting his eyes adjust a little more before moving ahead. The floor sloped down again for a few feet, then leveled out. The floor felt like it was very rough underfoot, like loose gravel mixed with larger stones and he stepped carefully. There were shapes visible ahead of him and John struggled with the dim light, trying to make them out. His eyes were starting to burn when he realized that they were giant crystals.
He reached forward to touch the closest one and as his fingers came in contact with the surface, the crystal blazed with light strong enough to temporarily blind him.
Christine didn't have a destination in mind, but she knew they couldn't stay where they were now. They had already passed Linder and Eldorado and they were outside of Lenox, where they had restocked their supplies. The next big town would be Adel, perhaps ten miles away. Christine thought that there were a few smaller towns before, but wasn't sure of the names.
Since Tricia was still weak, she was carrying her most of the time and it was slow going. Even though she was young and fit, she wasn't much taller than Tricia and was carrying all of the supplies as well. As a result, she had to rest frequently. She really could have used the metal cart now, but when one of the wheels broke off in a pothole she had left it behind.
Ankle deep water covered the road most of the time and made for sore, tired feet at the end of each day. The water off the road was much deeper and the ground around them was turning to soft muck. If it continued, they may have to turn back but the road seemed to be holding up so far. It was still solid and if it didn't get worse, Christine wasn't willing to give up the time that she had already spent getting this far.
Late the next afternoon, the volcano began building its cone and belching smoke behind them, but they couldn't see it yet. They entered the outskirts of Adel, Georgia and started looking for a dry place to sleep and to restock. Unfortunately, there wasn't much above water. When they left the road bed, the ground started dipping almost immediately.
Disappointed, they got back on the road and headed for the next exit. They were still walking when the sun went down and the strange moons rose in the starry sky. Then the road started down as well and within a hundred feet the water was up to their waist. The road had dipped under water before, but they had been able to leave the road and walk along the rocky outcropping next to it. Here, they had no such luck and they could either sleep in three inches of water or walk back three miles to the last high ground they had passed.
Slowly they trudged back, unwilling to lay down in the swamp for any reason. After a mile, Christine was once again carrying Tricia and the supplies and moving even slower. She kept going, in spite of the burning in her legs and the pain in her back. She tried to shift Tricia to a more comfortable position, but there wasn't one.
When they reached the high ground, Christine couldn't get over the guardrail with Tricia on her back. She also knew that they would have to swim across the drainage ditch to get to the hilltop she was aiming fo
r and that wasn't going to happen like this either. She managed to get Tricia half awake to get across the guardrail and tossed her backpack across the ditch.
Stepping into the ditch with Tricia right behind, Christine shivered in the cold water. Getting Tricia by the hand she began the short swim to the other side without much difficulty. The current was stronger than she thought and the two were carried away from the road bed and around the small island before they reached it. The bank was rock and straight up and down here, with nothing to put her feet on. She could reach the top of the rocky outcropping but the rock crumbled under her fingers.
Tricia, already tired was starting to struggle in the water, trying to keep her head up. Christine put an arm under her and tried to boost her up to the edge but she just sank underwater with the effort.
Tricia, struggling, slipped away from her and Christine had to swim after her and pull her head out of the water again. She wanted to get back to the other bank but in the dark she couldn't see where it was. She was starting to panic.
Tricia wrapped both arms around Christine's neck, trying to climb on top of her. Christine went under again and couldn't get to the surface. Running out of air, with Tricia driving her further under with every move, Christine didn't see any way out. She wouldn't let Tricia die if she could help it, but she was afraid that there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening. As she started fighting her desire to open her mouth and breathe anything, even water, a hand grabbed her by the collar and pulled both her and Tricia out of the water onto dry ground.
Three days later, as Joshua and Loren were moving through a hilly wooded region they ran across a group of survivors, almost literally, on the downhill stretch of what was now a gravel road.
A girl of about twelve ran out of the woods right in front of the wagon and Loren was barely able to stop the skidding wagon before the horses stomped her. The poor kid was too scared to move when she saw the horses on top of her. When they were stopped she found her legs and ran back into the woods yelling at the top of her lungs. Joshua and Loren looked at each other and started laughing from relief.
People were coming through the woods from the direction the girl had run and Joshua pulled the rifle out and checked to make sure the safety was on. He wanted to be ready, but not accidentally shoot someone he was trying to win over. They didn't wait long before a short man of about forty, balding and with the remains of a once larger belly hanging over his pants came out of the woods. He stopped and looked at Joshua and Loren, then at the horses and wagon, then back at the two in the seat.
Joshua lifted his hand and waved. “Hi.”
The man stared at Joshua for a few seconds and smiled. “Hello. You got somewhere to go? We're getting supper ready, if you're hungry. Fresh venison, field peas and potatoes.”
“We would be happy to throw something in the pot, if you'd like. Loren here baked bread last night and we would be glad to share.”
“Fresh bread?” The man wiped his mouth. “Sorry about that. It's been a while since I've seen a loaf of bread. You people are really a welcome sight and not just for the bread.”
Joshua got down from the wagon and walked around the horses. He held out his hand and introduced himself and Loren. It seems that the man, Frank and his daughter, Cecilia, the twelve year old girl in the road, had both survived, but had to leave town when the peak of the mountain fell on their house and most of the other homes and buildings in town.
There were six people all living in a rough camp just off the road. Trapping, hunting and gathering from the gardens around them had given them plenty of food. As they pulled into the camp area, Joshua could see the rest of the people looking at the wagon and at them as the three of them got down and Frank walked ahead of them into the center of the clearing. There was a deer carcass hanging from a tree, in the middle of being butchered, baskets of vegetables being cleaned and there were several sheds around the edges. A couple of picnic tables were at one side and a cook fire with a spit hanging over it finished the scene.
Frank made the introductions all around. Frank and Cecilia, Tammy, George, Willie, Bubba and Gracie, all neighbors, now dependent on each other for survival and actually working well together. There were questions all around and food prepared, with Loren's fresh bread added to everyone's delight. She did really cook well and her bread was the best Joshua had eaten since he was a boy.
When the food was done, a jug came out and all the adults had a little sip to lubricate the social. The one question that was asked was when is the government going to get here? Where is FEMA, where is the Army, where is our help? No one could answer any of these, but they still asked and had been asking since the day they woke up.
What happened, why does nothing work and who did this were also among the top ten. No answers were coming, but Joshua felt that if there was a government, they should have been some sign by now. Joshua saw Frank looking at the pistol he was still wearing. Frank didn't ask, so Joshua took the plunge. “Any of you find a gun that works?”
Frank looked down at his feet for a minute before he answered a simple no.
Then he asked, “You're wearing one. Did you find one that works? If you did, it would make life a little easier. Trapping works fine, we got bows and arrows for hunting but we got bear and other things out here too. The dogs got strange on us almost right away. Even my own dog tried to eat Cecilia the other day and I had to put him down.”
Joshua pulled the pistol out and handed it to Frank. “Try it.”
Frank pulled the trigger and the click was loud. Disappointed, he handed it back. “Why do you carry it if it doesn't work?”
Joshua pointed the gun away from the camp and fired off a round. Everyone jumped and looked like Joshua had shot one of them. Loren spoke up. “It won't work for me, either. He can shoot every gun we've found, but I can't. I guess none of you can either.” Their faces showed that this was both a piece of good news and also very unsettling.
Before they could ask, Joshua answered. “I have no idea why. It just works for me. It kind of scared both of us at first, but we figured if at least one of us could do this, it was better than neither one of us being able to. Besides, Loren can do stuff too, stuff I can't do. She can handle a team and I can't seem to get them to stop trying to bite me long enough to get the harness on them and she bakes the best bread I've had in a long time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement on that last statement, and Joshua held the pistol out to Frank. “Would you feel better if I let you hold on to this?”
Frank looked at the pistol then shook his head. “Won't help me any and if we do need it, it would be better if you had it. But, thanks for the offer. Would you folks like to stay with us for a while, or do you have a place you're trying to get to?”
“We're just looking for people. We thought that we would have a better chance in a group. If you would let us, we could stay for a few days and get to know each other. If it doesn't work out, then we'll leave. What do you say?” The group looked at each other in silence until Cecilia spoke up. “Can you teach me how to bake?”
Elizabeth's group was now up to an even dozen, including a teenage boy named Nick and two adults, Bill and Mary. Elizabeth was glad she had finally found a grownup to take over for her, because she didn't think she could have done much more by herself. Even the older kids had just waited for Elizabeth to make decisions and to find food and water. Sarki wouldn't help anymore and Elizabeth didn't know what to do. Now, Elizabeth took care of just the little ones and if she needed help, Mary made sure she had it.
The last few days, however, there had been a lot of smoke in the air, and a funny smell. Bill said it was sulfur and said that maybe a chemical plant was on fire and that was the reason for the smelly smoke. Elizabeth didn't know one way or another; she just didn't like the smell, or the smoke. They both made her feel uneasy.
A few days after she had met with the adults, Elizabeth happened to find a mirror that was still in one piece. She, like John, Chri
stine and eventually, Joshua, found a different face looking back. Her hair was now more red than brown. Mary said it was strawberry blond, but Elizabeth wasn't sure. Her eyes were without question a bright, emerald green. Sarki said that her face was a little different too, not so skinny and her eyes were bigger. Sarki also said that Elizabeth was prettier now than before, but Elizabeth was not happy with being different. She wasn't sure where her parents were, but if they found her, would they know that she was their daughter?
Then there were the dogs. The second day, the one dog had chased them, or so they thought. But over the last few days, packs of dogs were seen on the streets and the adults told the kids to stay inside. Bill said it would take weeks before the dogs went feral, but there was no reason to take chances. Elizabeth wasn't sure, but it seemed like Bill thought he knew something about everything.
One of the other kids, an older boy that Mary was taking care of, went missing. They found a shoe and some blood and a dog track in the blood, but never found anything else. After that Elizabeth tried to keep her kids close, no matter what Bill said about it just being a coincidence. The group had stockpiled most of the food and water from the area by this time, as well as most of the clothes and equipment they could find, so there wasn't any real reason to go far from the store they were living in. The smoke and smell were a lot stronger now, but even Mary said that it was because the wind changed direction and was blowing more from the west than before.
The earthquake started the day after they found the shoe, but it was just a little one, barely detected because a stack of cans fell over. There were three more quakes that day and the next few days there were dozens of small, but noticeable ones. After a week of quakes and the increase in smoke in the air, everyone was frightened and waiting for something to happen. The biggest quake of all hit in the early morning, and the air was filled with smoke and ash.
Stepping just outside the barricade they had placed in front of the doors, they could see a column of smoke and ash rising in the west, above what looked like a mountain. When the top of the mountain exploded, they all just stood there, watching, until the debris started landing around them. Chunks of rock, some of them burning, crashed down around them. Some were small, but many were the size of a basketball and larger. A few were the size of a car.
Everyone jumped when the first really large boulder hit the parking lot in front of the grocery store and bounced through the front window. The rock was glowing bright red and the store caught fire almost immediately. Screaming and crying the kids and adults ran back around the barricade and watched from the windows.
Elizabeth didn't stop to watch. She grabbed Sarki and the kids she was responsible for and headed for the supplies in the back of the store. Grabbing up the canvas bags and back packs she handed them to the others and told them to fill them with water and food, while she did the same. Elizabeth also threw in the first aid kit she had assembled with Mary's help, then got everyone together and dressed them for outside, in case they had to run.
The ground shook again and Mary, looking around, saw what Elizabeth was doing and decided that it was a great idea. Organizing the others she followed the example set by Elizabeth. Bill and Nick, the teenage boy stayed by the window with a couple of the older kids. When Mary had the rest of the kids loaded up and ready to run, she yelled at Bill and Nick to get ready.
Bill had a few short ugly words for her before the lava bomb came through the front door and crushed him beneath its semi-molten surface. The other three were close to the impact and splashed by the molten rock. All four caught in the impact burst into flames as did the store and the barricade. Staring at the burning, screaming and still moving bodies, Mary was frozen in place by the horror of the sight. Elizabeth got her kids up and running past Mary, headed out the back of the store, giving Mary a shove as she ran past. Like someone coming out of a deep sleep, Mary started moving, dragging the other kids with her, following close behind Elizabeth.