She paused and sipped her water. People were clapping and offering encouragement for what she was saying.
“The second part of my toast is for you, for all of us here, and for this place called Avalon. I am eternally grateful for what I have found here living among you fine people. I was one of those people who existed, but scarcely anyone knew I did. I was shy and dedicated to my work; it was nothing more and nothing less. Here I stand in front of people I admire and respect and I can hardly believe that I’m here. This was not my style and it wasn’t who I was until I met some of you and began to get together with you at some of your functions. I have to tell you that seeing the beauty of this place for the first time was what really sold me. But more than that it was you, the people who are a part of this group; you are what really sold me. I salute you and I am ever grateful that I am here with you. Happy New Year everyone and may the Saints bless you all.”
Harlan Herrera came up to where she stood and put an arm around her tiny waist and her shyness caused her to look down at the floor. Harlan reached a hand over to her chin and with an index finger and his thumb he guided her lips to his own. They kissed and he said something that was lost in the roar of the shouts. They finally broke loose and smiled together as a happy couple.
Dan stood toward the rear smiling at the festivity. Several people kept prodding him to go to the bar and to say a few words; the chant from the crowd was,
“Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!”
He came to the bar as several people pushed him from behind and he was maneuvered in place where he turned to face them. He was smiling and everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. The cheering was still going on so he waited; then it got quiet and he said,
“My brothers and sisters, we are gathered here to… No! No! No! Different speech!”
He was laughing and so were they. He was a little high from the homemade scotch. He began again.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to make light of the occasion but I just couldn’t help myself in the moment, Okay, here goes.”
He was laughing at his own joke.
They all helped make a dent in that large two-gallon bottle of homemade Scotch, so he wasn’t the only person feeling pretty good. He said when he was able to compose himself,
“There was a time when I was so jealous of this place I didn’t want to share it with anyone, but I was counseled and changed my mind. We are here because we had the foresight to do something for ourselves and that is usually the case; we have to make the decision to do what is right for us.”
He paused and took a breath and appeared to be thinking about his next words and finally said,
“As you all know, I was a successful medical doctor down below and studied for years to achieve that pinnacle I strove for, to be called a doctor of medicine. I studied and went without sleep and at times felt as if I was being required to memorize almost everything in that medical dictionary and the anatomy books. But one day there I was, a physician finally, and I was proud of myself and all that I did. But there was one problem; I had been too busy to pay attention to the people I was enmeshed with. They were greedy and money hungry and you the people had to suffer from their mistakes. While they went along their merry way playing golf, sailing on their luxury sailboats, and enjoying the good life, many of you slowly but surely began to lose the quality you expected but were not always getting from my peers or myself. You paid exorbitant prices until, little by little, many of you could no longer afford competent professional medical care. We, the medical profession, became the place where incompetence was protected by all of us together as a group and you, the public, suffered. I suddenly felt shame. I was looked on as a healer and I was becoming just like them, a money machine, and my patients began to suffer from that greed and the need to make more to buy something else. It soon became a matter of what was important for me and the patients be damned!”
“One day as I was riding with my friend Michael, we came across this place and it was that day my perspective for life and what I was meant for came into sharp focus. I was a doctor. That was what I always wanted to be. I only needed enough money to get by and take care of my needs. I was one of those people who found early on what they wanted to be and here I was wasting it chasing the dollar into a never-ending loop that had no end. God Bless Avalon, and God Bless you all for saving me to do what I always wanted to do!”
People were howling and clapping, but the doctor wasn’t done so they quieted down and he began anew by saying,
“We are here under the protection of each other. We are here because we chose to be in this place and we are here because we had the courage to be different from everyone else. We need each other and no one here is any more or any less important than anyone else. We are in this place most of all because we believed in what we were doing and, take a look around you, we are comfortable. There is plenty of food to go around; we sleep in real beds off the ground; and we sleep between clean sheets. I’d like to think you’re getting proper medical attention…”
That made them go off again and the clapping and hooting and hollering and cheers went up several notches. They settled down again and he continued by saying,
“Happy New Year to you all, and I hope with all that I am or ever will be that it comes true and we will all be here in another year, safe, secure, and blessed because of your individual sacrifices and efforts. You had a vision and you made it come true for all of us. I thank you for what I have and what you returned to me by allowing me to be your physician in this place and for allowing me to have my dignity returned to me as well. Lastly, I thank whatever makes the universe revolve that I have the love of a good woman. Happy New Year!”
He turned to Dayna and smiled at her.
The cheering went up louder yet and everyone was clapping. Everyone felt so grateful for being here. Dayna came over to him and the kissing and embracing began.
Now the group started yelling at Mike; he was behind the bar and facing them. He looked at them and tried to look into the eyes of all of them one at a time as he began to speak.
“Thank you for honoring me in this way. It is I who owe my thanks to all of you for what we have here and I am only a small part of it. I have gained one thing here at Avalon that I have missed in my life for a very long time and that can be summed up in a single word, Freedom. I didn’t have freedom for many years and now I do.”
“We worked hard through these many years, first with the clean up, then the repairs, and the constant coming up here packing something we would need later, but we did it all. We have animals to help us work, to get us where we need to go, and to share our happiness and companionship. We have food that we’ve harvested in abundance and have enjoyed time and again just like we did a little while ago. Don’t ever forget those who are dead and dying right now, those who don’t have a fraction of what you have every minute of every day. Some of those people we knew. There is no way to describe the suffering that has happened and continues to happen, but we are here in Avalon and we are safe for the time being. We have the individual choice to love who we want and to laugh if for no reason than to do it without any fear of repercussions.”
“Here we fear little, but we are vigilant and guard what we have from those who would take it from us, even by force if we didn’t give it up.”
“Look around you; look into the faces of your neighbors; these are your true friends. Could you bear to know they were dead, even one of them, because of their philosophy or what they own or believe?”
“I make you a solemn promise here and now. I love Avalon and what it represents to me. There are no limits as to what I will do to protect it or you from harm. Without reservation, I pledge my life to Avalon and to you. I will gladly give up whatever I have to ensure the endurance of this place.”
“I am a free man and the yoke of the slavery I had on my shoulders supporting the designs and corruption of a government that was out of control down there has been lifted from my shoulders and it w
ill not be my burden to carry again. The results of that same government are a legacy of death, destruction, and suffering. It is nearly the end of the world down there, but here we thrive. Here we are truly united, here we have love, we have companionship, we have togetherness, and we have happiness,” his voice was going up in volume and with conviction, and he continued more forcefully by saying, “And we have each other, there is safety here and most importantly we have FREEDOM!”
The crowd went wild, and when Caroline pushed her way to the bar, he lifted her over it to his side and she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a splendid kiss. As she pushed against him, he felt a little as if he was going to melt and there was a weakness in his knees. They would be excusing themselves from the festivities soon. They had to check on the puppy he got for Christmas, one of Pretty Girl’s pups and a delight to him. He imagined that was as good an excuse as any other.
The flag came up again at the next meeting a few days later, and the committee Dan formed made a decision from among the many designs submitted. Dayna won and was given a letter of appreciation and three watches she could skip as a reward.
Her design was thus;
It was the standard rectangle as the American flag, but different. At the top from left to right was a dark blue background. This area encompassed a third of the flag from the top down. In the middle of the blue rectangle was a drawing of the main building and on both sides of the building was a fir tree. Directly above the building and centered was a single white star. Just below the main building was an arch with the word Avalon going from left to right and there was a quarter moon sitting on its back with the two points straight up. Under that were crossed swords. From the blue rectangle there were stripes that came down from the bottom of the rectangle emanating out in every direction toward the sides and to the bottom of the flag. There were ten stripes, five white and five red.
At the award ceremony Dayna was asked to describe the meaning of the symbols and she said,
“The dark blue rectangle represents the sky above us and the rest of the world. The building represents Avalon, our home and where we all come to do things together, where we live. The white star represents us as a territory or possibly a new state and it could also represent us as a country unto our own. To one side and the other there are two fir trees. They represent what we are surrounded by. Below the arch are the crossed swords. That means we will take up arms to defend our home against anyone or any threat. The stripes represent many things but I’ll start with the colors first, the white represents peace, for we are a peaceful group of people, and the red represents our lifeblood, which we are willing to sacrifice to preserve our home, our territory and each other if need be. The number of stripes represents first Eli Cameron who began this ranch; second is for the coal. The next is for the trees, and the fourth is for the cattle Eli brought and raised here. The fifth is to remember the railroad, and the sixth stripe represents us as a group of people. The seventh represents sacrifice; the eighth reminds us of the war below; the ninth represents our determination; and the tenth and last stripe represents Freedom.”
Chapter 24 Dangerous Journey
Beth crept up the side of the large rock that was slanted and sticking out of the ground at a thirty degree angle. It was huge; below was a natural shelter with half of its bulk buried in the ground and the rest was what she was crawling on.
She heard dogs howling far away and wanted to see if she could see anything from the top of the rock. Off in the distance, coming through an opening of an outcropping of rocks like the one she was perched on, she saw them.
Slavers were coming around and meandering in between the huge rocks. They had people roped at the neck, each in front of the other in a long line. Their hands were tied behind their backs and about half of them were children and the other half were half-starved teens.
They appeared to be coming her way and if she timed it right, the trail they followed would pass below her prominent view point. The dogs incessantly howled and bayed at nothing. It was if they were out for a casual walk and enjoying themselves. She had to be careful; the dogs had great noses.
Her plan was to kill the Slaver at the end of the line and then the guy in front, if she could get to him quickly enough. They were both armed and carrying long guns casually over their shoulders. As she scooted down from the rock, she guessed they were about five minutes out so she had to get ready. She went below the rock and crouched down; waiting for her was Matthew and Glory.
“I want you both to get down in that corner over there and hide and stay put until I come back for you,” she said in a hushed tone. “There’s something I have to do. Whatever you do, don’t move and don’t go anywhere until I come back. Okay?”
She pointed to where she wanted them to hide and they nodded their heads. As she turned to take care of business, Glory grabbed her arm and began to whimper. She had become much attached to Beth and had separation anxiety every time she moved out of her sight.
“Glory,” Beth said as she put a hand on the girl’s shoulders and stooped to talk to her face-to-face, “Listen to me. It’s important that you do exactly what I tell you.” She considered her next words carefully, deciding that reality was a better teacher than drama. “Those men coming this way are bad men like the ones that came in your house and took your mommy and daddy away from you. You have to be quiet and do what I tell you and don’t make any noise because if they find us, they will hurt us. All of us!”
She turned her by the shoulders and with a gentle push, headed her toward the hiding place.
“Don’t make any noise, Glory,” she reminded. “Matthew, make sure the two of you don’t move from this spot until I get back.”
She grabbed Matthew and whispered in his ear, “If I don’t come back…”
He flinched and pulled away from her and looked at her with a look of absolute terror on his face.
“Matthew,” she said quickly, “I’ll be back. It’s just that in these uncertain times, we have to have a backup plan just in case, okay?”
She pressed her fingers to his lips and said, “Take care of Glory, Matthew. I love you both.”
She gave him a hug and turned and walked toward her spot to prepare for the ambush. She bent over at the waist and moved swiftly. They came, oblivious of the danger ahead. The two dogs were in the front of the procession, which was a break for Beth. If they were in the rear she would never get this opportunity. Her thoughts raced and her breathing was coming in fast gulps of air. She was afraid, but her hatred for the Slavers drove her forward.
She stepped behind the last Slaver, her knife came out of the sheath; and she drove it forward hard, but she hit a military-style web belt and all her knife did was wound the man. He let out a yell in pain and as he turned to face her, she slit his throat, turning the scream into a gurgling sound. She thrust again and the knife went into his chest. She left it there and pulled out her .357 Magnum, taking aim at the guy in the front as he struggled to get his gun off his shoulder.
“Down, on the ground now!” she screamed at the chain of slaves, “All of you… NOW!”
They dropped and she fired. She got the guy in the neck as his shotgun came to his shoulder, which caused him to drop the weapon and grab his throat. The dogs were howling and barking and took off running, dragging their leashes behind. She went back to the first guy, retrieved her knife, and wiped the blade off on his pant leg. She looked in his face and his eyes were dilated and stared at nothing; he was dead… she could tell by looking at his eyes.
The blood was bubbling out of his chest where the knife had finished him off and the whole of his chest was glinting from the shiny blood spewing from his throat. He reeked from the sweet smell of fresh blood and sweat. She had the urge to vomit but suppressed it. Beth turned and cut the rope binding the last kid in line and handed him the knife.
“Hurry,” she said, “We don’t have a lot of time. Make sure they’re all freed and search those two for whatever they ha
ve on them… food, water, guns, ammo. Understand? Take it all, and hurry!”
It didn’t take long before she was walking toward the slanted rock buried in the ground. The Slavers had some food, canteens that were almost full, a sawed off twelve gauge pump, two pistols, a double-barrel shotgun, a 30.06 rifle, sheath knives, and wrist watches. The long guns all had slings, which made them easier to carry. One of the Slavers had a leather bag that was full of old silver quarters, maybe fifty dollars or so in actual cash value Beth guessed. Then she saw that one boy had collected three handguns and handed them to her. She looked them with a critical eye.
“Do any of you have any firearm training?” she asked. “Don’t lie to me, it’s important that I know.”
One boy who looked to be about eleven raised his hand and said he was a member of the NRA and did a lot of shooting with his dad before the war. Others had their hands raised as well. She selected the older boys and made sure they were armed. She explained,
“I’m Beth and since we’re now a team, I will observe you and we’ll turn this group into a semi-military unit. Everyone understand that?”
They all murmured something and nodded their heads. It was time to get back to Matthew and Glory.
“I have a couple of more kids behind that rock,” she said absently. “Once we get them, we need to be making tracks out of here because there may be more Slavers coming this way.” Taking further stock of her surroundings, she continued, “It looks to me this is a well-worn path and someone may have heard the shot I fired.”
She did an about face and approached Matthew and Glory, who hadn’t moved from the spot she put them in. At first they were intimidated when they saw all the others, but it didn’t last long. Everyone was thirsty, so they took a good drink and shoved off in single file a few minutes later.
Avalon: The Retreat Page 19