Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe

by R. G. Andersen-Wyckoff

  “Let’s do a radio check, Tara. Just push the button on the side of the radio and call Colby.”

  “This is Tara calling Colby,” she said into the radio, “do you read me?”

  “This is Colby,” came the response. “I read you loud and clear, or 5 by 5, as they say in radio lingo, or 10-2 as the CBer’s say.”

  While they were testing the radio, Carly was looking toward the Village and could pick out her home in the distance. There were thin columns of grey smoke rising into the clear blue sky above the Village and large numbers of ravens, hawks, and buzzards floating on the thermals. Now I know why there weren’t any large birds overhead this morning, she thought, they’re all circling over the Village. They must have found a ready supply of carrion to feed on there. She shuddered at the thought but kept it to herself. She was just glad the children weren’t with them.

  “Well, it looks like you’re set,” Bishop said to Tara and Jessie. “Have a sharp lookout and we’ll also do a radio check when we get to the Ranger Station and then from the house so we know that everyone can communicate.”

  With that they headed down the trail. Tara and Jessie watched them until they crossed the bridge Matt and Tanner had built and then disappeared into the trees. They then took their lookout posts and began scanning the horizon to get some reference as to what was already there.

  Bishop did another radio check at the Ranger Station, easily reaching Tara and Colby, and then each of the teams headed for their specific assignments. He did his last radio check when they arrived at his house on Morningside and all of the groups reported they were receiving 5 by 5.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Several hours passed without incidence. Bishop’s group had both trailers stacked to capacity with furniture and the trucks and cars loaded with curtains, drapes, plants, and sundry other things the ladies were convinced they couldn’t live without. Not only did they take everything they thought they needed from the Mavericks’ homes, they also visited all the previously vacant homes on Morningside and Philip’s home. I’m glad Philip’s not with us right now, thought Bishop. This could have been a little stressful on him.

  Though Colby had said he needed five or six doors, Bud salvaged nine of them and managed to get the frames and screen doors, as well, without damaging them.

  Jack’s team had made their sweep through the Ace Hardware and were now at the Country Club’s cart storage area where, after breaking the hasp of the double garage door, found the store room well-supplied with brand new batteries, still shrink-wrapped, several dozen gallon jugs of distilled water, and a commercial-sized battery charger on wheels. Jack and Matt were now quickly removing the batteries from the 28 carts currently in the barn while Philip stayed at the front door.

  Jack’s group had seen several small groups of men and women around what was left of Coyote Station and in the neighborhoods they passed through on their way to the Country Club from Ace. They also saw signs that people had been in the Clubhouse and were maybe even living there, but no one confronted them or even seemed to pay much attention. Had they been loaded with food or water, maybe they would have drawn more notice but such was not the case. Philip, who was their designated lookout, kept a sharp eye out anyway and didn’t make any effort to hide the hunting rifle he was carrying.

  Michael, Maria, and Jason had already been to the Saloon and Cucina Rustica, where they had found several large cases of bulk spaghetti pasta, as well as smaller cases of Fettuccine and Penne Rigate pasta, and were now at the Juniper Grille. Among the three restaurants they had found a large supply of commercial-sized plastic jugs of ketchup, mustard, relish, pickles, and peppers, and an abundance of #10 cans of peas, string beans, soups, mixed nuts, new potatoes, corn, baked beans, refried beans, baby corns, stewed tomatoes, fruit cocktail, sliced pears and peaches, applesauce, and lots of tomato paste. They also found large containers of lard, olive oil, and corn oil, and sacks of rice, beans, potatoes, onions, flour, and corn meal, not to mention containers of salt, pepper, sugar and various spices. Michael and Maria were beside themselves with their discoveries. They found a wide range of stainless steel fry pans, soup cauldrons, and other pots and pans at the Cucina. Michael commented to Maria that he could start his own restaurant with all this booty.

  They knew all too well what these items would mean to their survival in their new home. Jason was primarily keeping watch but also helped moved the food supplies to the mini-van, which was now noticeably sagging with the weight. Michael used his radio and called Bud. “This is Michael calling Bud. Bud, do you copy?”

  “I read you 5 by 5, good buddy,” Bishop responded jokingly.

  “You won’t believe all the canned goods and other food supplies we’ve found,” he said, “but we found something else that will probably come in handy, but have no room to haul them.”

  “What’s that?” asked Bishop.

  “Seven of those tall outdoor heaters they use on the restaurant patios around here when it gets cold,” he replied.

  “Whoa, that’s great,” said Jack, who had been listening in. “We also found a portable, industrial-size, electric heater here in the cart storage area. Must have been used to keep things from freezing in the winter.”

  “I can help,” said Tanner, who had taken the radio from his father. “Tell me what you need?”

  “Well,” said Michael, “we already loaded two horizontal floor units in our mini-van but there are three of the tall units at the Full Moon Saloon that are propane operated, and four electric units up here at the Grille. If you can pick up the three at the Saloon, we’ll move the four up here out to the front door for you.”

  “I’ve got some room in my utility trailer,” Tanner replied, “and I’m on my way.”

  “They’ll sure come in handy this winter,” Celeste said.

  “You’ve got that right,” chimed in Carly and Mel.

  “Anything to help take the chill off will be welcome relief when the cold weather gets here,” echoed Jenny.

  “Okay,” said Bishop. “Travis, why don’t you go with Tanner, and Bud and the ladies and I will finish up here and head back to the Ranger Station?”

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Tanner and Travis had no sooner left than Tara used the radio. “Dad, this is Tara, please come in.”

  “Go ahead Tara, what’s happening?”

  “I’ve spotted some activity down by the bridge, the one on Dry Beaver Creek.”

  “Okay,” responded Bishop, “we know which bridge. What are you seeing?”

  “There appears to be a large number of people on foot. They approached the bridge from the south and then stopped at the bridge. They appear to be playing in the water, or something.”

  “They’re probably thirsty,” replied Bishop. “Can you tell anything about them?”

  “They’re pretty far off, Dad, but some appear to have back-packs or be carrying rolls of stuff on their shoulders. I think there are both men and women and either some small adults or children, but it’s really difficult to make out.”

  “Since they’re on foot and currently stopped,” said Bishop, “if we leave right now we can all be back at the Ranger Station before…”

  “Oh, no,” cried Tara, “there’s a bunch of motorcycles and two pickup trucks speeding up to the bridge.”

  “All right; stay calm, Tara,” Bishop intoned, “just watch and tell us what’s happening.”

  The echo of gunshots could be heard at Tequa, Morningside, and Tara’s position on the mesa.

  “Dad, they’re shooting, but I can’t tell who. From the sound of it they’re shooting at each other. Some of the small people I could see in the creek are running northward along the creek heading roughly toward Rattlesnake and Woods Canyons. No one seems to be paying them any attention.”

  The gunfire ceased almost as fast as it had begun.

  “Dad, the guys on the motorcycles seem to be rounding up the others and putting them in the backs of the trucks. I can see some bodies ly
ing in the road but they’re not bothering with them. And they apparently didn’t see those who fled up the creek, or just don’t care about them. Now they’re leaving, going south the way they came. What are we going to do, Dad?”

  “Okay, Tara, you did well. In fact, you were superb. That’s exactly why we put you and Jessie up there. If the motorcyclists, probably the Scorpions, had come on into the Village, we could have been caught by surprise and who knows what might have happened.

  “Bud and Mel are telling me that they’re going to take Travis’ Blazer and see what condition the bodies they left behind are in. We just can’t leave people to die there on the bridge. The rest of us are heading in now and we’ll all meet at the trailhead. We’ll have to leave the two big trailers there and move the furniture up later.

  “Continue to keep a lookout, Tara, and let me know if you see anything else. Everyone else finish up what you’re doing and get back,” he finished.

  “10-4,” responded Tanner, Jack, and Michael.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Tanner, the last of the group to arrive, had just pulled into the Ranger Station yard, with the tall heaters standing like sentinels in his utility trailer, when the radio call came from Bud and Mel.

  “Bish, this is Bud,” came the call. “Do you copy?”

  “Go ahead,” responded Bish. “What do you see?”

  “Well, it’s not good. There are four bodies here on the bridge and a great deal of blood. Mel says they’re all dead. There’s one woman and three men. One of them is definitely a Scorpion, leathers and insignia and all, and his motorcycle is parked on the far side of the bridge. The other three are Hispanic. The one closest to the Scorpion still has a gun in his hand as does the Scorpion. The other two are lying by the railing with their hands stuck through the railing toward the creek. Mel says there are two children’s daypacks and a regular backpack lying at the creek’s edge, below the bridge. She figures they must belong to whomever Tara saw running upstream. There’s not much we can do here except confiscate the guns and maybe the motorcycle. We don’t have a shovel so we can’t bury these folk; we could move them off the road into the brush, though.”

  “Don’t touch anything,” exclaimed Bish. “If the Scorpions left the motorcycle they might just be planning on coming back for it. If we move any of the bodies or take anything, they’ll know you were there. We don’t need to alert them to our presence. Maybe they didn’t see the folks that escaped up the creek so you could probably pick up those packs. They might not notice anyway. Come on back and let’s get secured up at Duwa. Over.”

  “Gotcha, 10-4, Bish. Over and out.”

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Colby, having heard the radio report from Tara, alerting them to the confrontation at the bridge, told Tate to stay with the others and took the remaining ATV to where Tara and Jessie were posted. He was with them when Bud made his radio report.

  “Based on your report, Tara, and what Bud said about the packs below the bridge, it sounds to me like there might be children heading upstream towards us.”

  “I know,” responded Tara, “and it worries me. We can’t just leave defenseless children out there alone without food or shelter and probably not even knowing where they are.”

  “I agree,” said Jessie, “and it sounds like they might be Hispanic children. Even if they found someone to talk to, they may not speak English.”

  “Bishop, this is Colby,” he said into his radio.

  “Go ahead,” responded Bishop.

  “We heard my dad’s report and Tara, Jessie, and I are concerned there may be children out there along the creek, lost, scared, and without food or shelter. I think I should take an ATV and head down through the Woods and Rattlesnake Canyon floodplain, and following the creek downstream, just in case.”

  “Are you armed?” asked Bishop.

  “Yes, and I think I’ll take Jessie with me on the other ATV, just in case whoever we find, if we find anyone, speaks only Spanish. We still have about three hours of daylight left and that should be plenty to get all the way to the bridge and back going cross-country.”

  “You be careful, son,” cut in Bud. “You don’t know if there are adults out there too who’ve been traumatized and might be confrontational. And, keep in touch by radio, both of you.”

  “Okay,” said Bishop, “it sounds like you should at least give it a try. But, I’m with your dad; keep your eyes open and don’t take any chances. And that goes for you, too, Jessie.”

  Colby and Jessie met Jack, Philip, and Matt just as they reached the trailhead. They were unhooking the utility trailer, fearing that the weight of the full trailer would be too much for the Blazer to pull up the hill, as it too was loaded. They assured Colby that they would pick up Tara, unload at the village, and then return to take more of the batteries and other things they had scavenged up to the village.

  The ATVs headed out across the floodplain.

  Tara refused to ride back to the village with Jack, insisting that she wanted to stay there and follow Colby and Jessie with her binoculars. She could see them clearly, or at least their dust, as they moved down the floodplain.

  While she followed their progress there was a continuous flow of traffic to and from the village as they moved the supplies up from the trailhead. Bishop stayed with Tara to keep her company—actually he was concerned about Cole and Jessie and wanted to track their progress, as well.

  Meanwhile, Colby and Jessie moved steadily down the floodplain, moving back and forth across the slow-moving creek to stay where the ground was the firmest and to avoid boulders and debris. When they came to the point where Rattlesnake Creek met Dry Beaver Creek they began yelling.

  “Hello. If you can hear me please let me know where you are. We’re friends and we’re here to help. Don’t be afraid.” Colby was shouting in English and Jessie in Spanish. About half way between Rattlesnake Creek and the bridge they thought they heard something. They idled the ATVs so they could hear and heard the sound again, “Aquí, aquí estamos. Por favor no nos hagan daño. “

  Jessie quickly translated for Colby. “Someone is saying, ‘Here, we are here. Please do not hurt us.’”◘

  Chapter 22

  The Bridge

  Jessie was the first to spot them, about 200 yards ahead. First a young girl appeared from behind the large boulders where she had been hiding and then a younger boy with yet another very young boy clasping his hand. They were only about a quarter mile from the bridge in an area that had large tumbles of boulders strewn in the creek and floodplain by past flash floods. It would have been a hard-scramble for the children.

  Colby and Jessie turned off their ATVs, dismounted and walked slowly toward the children, Jessie speaking to them in Spanish in a soothing tone.

  The children were shaking, not from the temperature, which was still in the 80s, but from fright. Their faces and eyes told Colby and Jessie they were traumatized. As they approached the children Jessie held out some Power Bars she still had in her pocket and the two older children slowly, cautiously accepted them. The older girl immediately opened hers and gave half of it to the little boy. All three devoured the bars. Colby handed the older girl his water bottle.

  Speaking in English, the older girl said, “We will do whatever you want, just please don’t hurt us.”

  “We’re not going to hurt you,” Jessie replied. “Are there any more people out here?”

  The girl responded that she didn’t think so.

  “We’re glad we found you and can help you,” Jessie continued. “Would you like to ride on our big bikes and go back to our village?” she asked.

  The older boy’s eyes widened as he contemplated riding on the big bikes, the likes of which he had not experienced in his young years.

  The older girl, who was obviously in charge and greatly concerned for the other two children, agreed, and they slowly walked toward the ATVs. Colby had picked up the youngest boy and was carrying him on his shoulders, which elicited some gig
gles from the child, while Jessie took the other two by the hand.

  At the ATVs, Colby radioed Bishop to say they had found three children and there was no sign of any other people around. He indicated that they would be returning on the ATVs shortly, suggesting blankets and some food would be in order.

  Tara, who had been watching the whole thing with her binoculars and monitoring the radio call, radioed Colby saying, “Good job, Cole, and Jessie. I’ll keep an eye on the bridge until you’re back.

  Tanner, who also had been monitoring the entire radio exchange, had just reached Tara’s post and stopped to give her a ride to Duwa, but she declined and suggested Tanner wait there with her until Jessie and Colby returned.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  “My name’s Colby,” he said to the older girl.

  “I’m Teresa Esmeralda Jinosa Amado,” she replied. “But everyone calls me Tess. And these are my younger brothers, Manuel and Javier,” she said, pointing at the two boys. “He,” she continued, pointing at the older of the two boys, “is called Manny, and Javier is called Javi,” she said, pointing to the littlest boy.

  “And I’m Jessie,” Jessica said in return. “Colby and I are glad to make your acquaintance.”

  The three children smiled sheepishly.

  “Okay,” said Colby, “Jessie, why don’t you take Manny with you on your ATV? I’ll put Javi in front of me in the seat and Tess can sit behind me. Tess, you and Manny will have to hold on tight around our waists; okay?” he concluded.

  Jessie repeated the instructions in Spanish for the children, receiving a mild rebuke from Tess.

  “We can speak, English, Miss, or at least Manny and I can. We go to the American school in Camp Verde.”

  “I’m sorry,” apologized Jessie, “I just wanted to make sure you understood so you wouldn’t fall off and get hurt. Does Javi understand English?”