Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe

by R. G. Andersen-Wyckoff

  The older children were given the job of carrying all the wood pallets from the storage tent to the alleyway, where they were laid end to end to form a raised walkway. They also laid pallets for a walkway to the food storage tent, even though it wouldn’t be covered. It took two children to carry each pallet, and several rest breaks, but they approached the task with a smile. By lunch time there was no question that the new cover would more than adequately protect them from the coming rains and snow, even though it wouldn’t be water-tight. An opening was left between the east side of the frame and the wall of the outcropping and the covered frame was tilted that way, allowing the water to run off the cover along the wall. All that was left now was to dig a trench along the wall line that would move the water down to the restroom trailer before flowing under the walkway and then down the valley, close off the north end of the walkway from the north wind, enclose the awning at the restroom so the rain and snow wouldn’t blow into the entranceways, and install guy wires on each of the vertical supports that formed the framework for the walkway cover. Colby knew he could get the remaining tasks done by dinner time or first thing the next morning.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  The women, under Carly’s direction, had parked the Cherokee and utility trailer under the Hilton Hotel’s portico.

  “What we want to do is collect anything we can use from the Sundry Shoppe and the storerooms. We may not get another chance here so we want to be as thorough as possible this time,” she said.

  “Use one of these storage containers,” she said, pointing to the several plastic storage containers they had brought with them, “to put all the small stuff in.

  “We’ll use the laundry carts to put all the bed linens, pillows, blankets, robes, and larger items in. Jack told me that the key cards for the guest room doors have battery back-up systems that should work for about two weeks without power and it’s only been 11 days since the CME so, if we can find a master key card and get into the guest rooms we’ll take everything from there, as well. Wrap all the linens and pillows into a sheet so you can drag it down the two flights of stairs to the main floor, and put all the loose items, like toiletries, into a pillow case you can carry over your shoulder.

  “Okay, let’s do it, ladies,” she concluded.

  Someone had already pilfered the Sundry Shoppe but had left all the kinds of things the women were looking for: they had taken all the food and drink, shirts and sweatshirts, and jewelry, but had left the healthcare products and several cans of Similac, which quickly found their way into backpacks carried by Tara and Mel.

  They moved quickly to the reception counter but found no master key card, but did find lots of note pads and pens, which also went into the backpacks.

  Moving down the hall they found the storage and laundry rooms, along with several laundry carts. They began filling the carts with the fresh folded sheets, pillow cases, blankets, and towels on the shelves. When one cart was full one of the women rolled it out to the trailer while the others began filling another one.

  There were large cupboards along one wall and, to Jenny’s glee, when she opened them she found cases of soap and other toiletries, and—several cases of prepackaged coffee and tea bags. These quickly went into laundry carts and were removed.

  Along another wall was a row of half-lockers Carly surmised were used by the maids. Inside two of the lockers they found what they had been looking for: master key cards hanging on lanyards. They now could go to each room and strip the linens and blankets, pillows, and toiletries. Jenny reminded everyone to take the coffee and tea packets, as well, and Mel suggested they also take the shower curtains.

  Celeste came back from having taken a cart full to the trailer and informed them that the trailer was already full. There would be no room for the things they would take from the rooms. Without hesitation, Carly suggested that Tara and Celeste take the trailer load back to the village and the others would begin stripping the rooms.

  Before long the remaining three women were dragging sheets filled with bed linens, towels, and pillows down the halls, depositing them at the front entrance, and returning to the rooms to fill pillow cases with all the small stuff. As they finished each room they left the door ajar, using the night security latch to keep it from closing.

  In one room they found a baby crib, mattress, and linens, which were quickly moved to the front entrance. And, on the top floor, the suites had bathrobes and nice bedspreads, in addition to all the other things common to all the rooms. Mel asked if they should empty the mini-bar in each room. With some thought Carly responded, “I think that’s weight we don’t need and stuff that’s not really good for us, so let’s not waste the time.” And, that was that. But it didn’t keep the ladies from having a Coke and some peanuts, ‘just so they wouldn’t forget what they tasted like.’

  When the trailer returned they loaded all they had and found they still had some room.

  “There’s not enough room to get the books at the library, so let’s finish up here and plan on getting the books after lunch,” Carly suggested. “Let’s get all the laundry still waiting in carts to be washed, wrap it all in sheets, and we’ll wash it ourselves when time allows. No use wasting linens we can make good use of!”

  When all the soiled linens were put in the trailer Jason suggested they turn a couple of the carts over and take them along. “They might come in handy later,” he said, “for moving all kinds of stuff.”

  Carly agreed and they loaded up and headed back to the village to unload and have lunch.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  It was like a reunion of old friends as they all gathered for lunch in the Meeting Hall. It wasn’t a big lunch, by the standards they had begun to become accustomed to, but Michael told them there were some items they needed to get rid of while they were still edible. So lunch consisted of crackers and cheese, chips, cookies, and fruit cocktail, washed down with Tang. Not the healthiest, but enough to be filling.

  Over lunch they discussed their successes and what was still to be accomplished that day, if possible.

  Matt took this opportunity to tell Tanner about what he had found while clearing the cistern area and why he didn’t think they’d need to build any retaining wall now. “I’ll want to take a look at that,” Tanner exclaimed. “It appears that there must be a ready source of clay somewhere close by, because the floors of the kiva and pueblos and now the cistern used vast amounts of clay. And they used the clay as mortar for all their walls. There’s enough clay in the soil here to be mixed with water, making a paste that could be used as plaster, but that doesn’t appear to be what they used for the cistern and floors. We just need to find that source because we’re going to need it when we rebuild the pueblos. Our supply of cement won’t last for all that needs to be done. That would be a good job for you, Ellen,” he said, speaking across the table to her. “You have the expertise of recognizing good clay because of your background in pottery making. Maybe you could take someone with you for security and search along the creek bed and flood plain for it.”

  “I’d be glad to do it,” she replied. “I’d like to find the clay for making pottery later, anyway. As soon as we’re settled with the other things that still need to be done, I’ll get to it.”

  “Thanks,” responded Tanner.

  Travis indicated he was going to assist Colby in finishing the alleyway. Tanner and Bud would go with the women to collect as many books as they could from the library and then load the moveable bookcases on Bud’s truck and the flat trailer. The books would be stacked in the utility trailer and in the back of the Cherokee. Jason would go along as security again.

  Bud said that he had checked the water levels in the two water trailers and felt they should reload just in case the rains kept them from being able to haul the trailers up and down the hill; just to give them some breathing room until Jack had the new water system working. He asked if he could borrow Philip to help him. Jack indicted that both he and Philip would go with him wh
ile Matt finished the last few yards of trenching. Bishop also suggested they fill all their gasoline and diesel jerry cans for the same reason: it might be a lot more difficult later; but that could be their prime goal the next morning.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Bishop had warned Tanner to stay clear of the Saloon as they went to the library in Tequa. He didn’t want the women to see the now bloated body of the Scorpion or to go into the Saloon. Fortunately, the library was not near the Saloon.

  It seemed to Tanner that the more books they loaded into the trailer, the more there were, but he knew it was just his imagination. Carly had suggested they stick to history and “How To” books first, and then paperbacks. If there was still room they would take the classics and hardback novels last. “The paperbacks are purely for entertainment she said and we can always use them for toilet paper later,” she laughed. “The others are for our children’s education and to help educate us, as well.”

  As the books were removed from the portable shelves, Tanner and Bud moved them to the flatbed trailer. They waved at Bishop, Jack, and Philip as they went past in Colby’s truck pulling a water trailer. They noticed one of the 250-gallon water storage tanks had been put in the back of the truck, as well.

  Carly was surprised at how many books they were able to stack in the utility trailer, the back of the Cherokee, and the back of Bud’s truck. There were very few books remaining that Carly had any interest in rescuing; that’s how she looked at what they were doing: rescuing these books from being destroyed by weather, fire, or someone else. Now they would form the basis for the Duwanian’s education and entertainment. Bud and Tanner had been able to get all the shelving loaded and they were able to put a few of the cushioned reading chairs on, as well.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  As Bishop, Jack, and Philip crested the hill beside the Hilton Hotel, overlooking the whole of the Sedona Golf Resort, they saw a thin wisp of smoke rising from the condominium development that was part of the Resort, off to the west. But they saw no one. They drove Colby’s truck, pulling the water trailer, down to the pump station.

  Upon entering the small building and shining their flashlight around the room, they were delighted to see that the pump and extension cord were as they had left them and ready to be hooked to the generator in the back of the truck, next to the 250-gallon water storage tank they had also brought with them.

  Philip and Jack checked the wire connections to the pump and, satisfied they were secure, asked Bishop to start up the generator. But there was no response from Bishop. After calling out to him again with no response, they exited the building only to find Bishop facing a group of scruffy men. One had a rifle pointed at Bishop and a couple had handguns, but that appeared to be the extent of the weapons, unless you counted the baseball bats and shovel handles others carried.

  As the two men stepped from the building the man with the rifle shifted his aim toward them and motioned them to join Bishop, which they did.

  The man with the rifle said, “it would appear you’re planning on taking our water—again,” indicating they must have seen Jack, Philip, and Tanner getting water the first time.

  “Well,” replied Bishop, “I guess we didn’t know you owned the water here. There certainly is plenty of water down there in the aquifer for all of us to share.”

  With that, a bearded man stepped forward from the back of the group and stood next to the man with the rifle. He looked intently at Bishop who, after two weeks of not shaving and barely running a comb through his hair, was not easily recognizable. The man stepped up closer to Bishop and then a light of recognition shone in Bishop’s eyes at about the same time it appeared in the other man’s, as well.

  “Is that you, Jonas?” Bishop asked. “Jonas Caldwell?”

  “It is if you’re Bishop Westin,” the man replied, and they embraced.

  “My god, Bish,” Jonas exclaimed, “you sure don’t look like the prim and proper Bishop Westin who used to attend the Chamber of Commerce meetings. That gray beard of yours used to be trimmed so neatly!”

  “Well, you aren’t the picture of the Villager editor that I recall, either,” Bishop responded, “but then I guess the events of the past two weeks have taken their toll on everyone.

  “Look, Jonas, we’re not trying to steal your water, you know; there really is plenty of it down there,” he said, pointing at the ground.

  “I know, Bish, it’s just that we’re running out of bottled water and we don’t have any way of getting that water down there,” Jonas responded pointing at the ground.

  “You mean you don’t have any way of using the pump,” Bishop exclaimed, grasping the problem his friend and the others there were facing.

  “That’s right,” Jonas said, almost gloomily, “we don’t have a generator and, other than some small containers and the empty water bottles, we don’t have any storage facility. We saw three men get water from here a week ago, but we were too far away to recognize them, although I’m guessing now that it was y’all. By the time we could get over here from the condos, y’all had left. We saw how you had rigged the pump and we heard the generator, but it didn’t do us any good. We knew we just had to wait until you, or someone else, came back. And here you are.”

  “I’m sorry, Jonas, but maybe we can help you, especially if that fellow would stop pointing his rifle at me.”

  “Phil,” Jonas said, “you’d better put that rifle down. Knowing Bish, like I do, he could have you eating the barrel of that thing before you knew what was happening. Bishop and I are old friends and he was my father-in-law’s best friend.” With that all the men put their weapons away.

  “What we can do,” Bishop said, without consulting Jack or Phil, “is get you some water and fix it so you can continue to get it when you need it. Do you have any vehicles still running?”

  “A few,” Jonas responded, “so we’ve been rummaging through the hotel to get what food and drink we could. But we weren’t the only ones. Some other group of folks we didn’t recognize were camping in the old Saloon down in Tequa when some guys on motorcycles and a truck showed up and an all-out range war started. When it was over there were dead people and a bunch of the squatters, mostly women and kids, were put in the back of the truck and taken away. We were watching from the hotel and we skedaddled just as soon as they drove off. We’ve been reluctant to go back to the hotel ever since, though we would have been forced to pretty soon because we’re running out of water.”

  “We know who the bikers were,” said Bishop. “They were members of the Scorpion Motorcycle Gang from down in Rimrock. We’ve had some dealings with them before. They’re a murderous group and seem to like taking folks for slave labor and who knows what else.

  “But back to the water issue. Suppose we fill our water trailer and then we leave you the generator and this 250-gallon container. You can siphon gas from the vehicles that don’t run in order to keep the generator running when you need it. You should have ample water for a long time. You can store it in this container and fill your buckets and bottles from it. You can leave everything right here in the pump house so it will be here when you need it.”

  “That’s great, Bish,” Jonas replied, “but will that leave you short?”

  “No, we’ll be all right. When we need more water we’ll come back down here, if you don’t mind.”

  “Anytime,” Jonas answered. “Where are you living—still on Morningside?”

  “No, we’ve moved on out Jack’s Canyon,” Bishop lied, “so we could avoid the kind of confrontations you saw. We’ve got a couple of running vehicles and a good supply of gas. We’ve also got some gardens growing. How about you?”

  “You know Cindy,” Jonas said, referring to his wife. “She has always had a big garden and she’s got the other ladies doing the same now. But we need water for the garden and ourselves and your gift is much appreciated.”

  Jack started up the generator while Bishop and Jonas chatted about who knew what, wiping beads
of sweat from his forehead in relief that the confrontation had been short and ended amicably. That damn Bishop, he thought, he knows everyone, or at least the most important ones. Good thing he came along because it might not have ended so well if it had been just Philip and me.

  Philip showed one of the men how the pigtails were connected, just in case they came loose. He ran the hose from the well spigot to the water trailer and began the filling process. In the meantime, some of the men lifted the 250-gallon container from the truck bed and set it by the building. When the trailer was full they filled the container. When both were full Bishop turned off the generator and he and Jonas lifted it from the truck bed and moved it to the building.

  Bishop gave Jonas another hug and asked him to give his best to Cindy. “I hope everything goes well for you and your group, Jonas,” Bishop said, “I wish we could help more but we already have a large group to worry about. When you see us come back for more water come on over and we’ll catch up.”

  They got in the truck and slowly drove back up the hill toward the Hilton.

  “Okay, Bish,” said Jack, “who was that guy and why did you give them our generator and water container?”

  “Well,” relied Bishop, “Jonas is Hamilton Geddes’ son-in-law, the deceased founder and editor of the Villager newspaper. And, Hamilton was my best friend for many years. We started out together here in the Village. I watched his daughter, Cindy, grow up and she went to school with Tanner. I couldn’t just not help.

  “As for the generator and storage container, I knew we had filled the water tank in the restroom trailer and refilled the other water trailer from this one, so we’ve got a full supply for now, and that was one of our small generators; we have others. When your water system is up and running we won’t need to refill down here. “

  “So why did you lie to them about where we were living and coming back for more water?” Jack asked.