THE BEGINNING Book Two (THE EVENT)

by Marshall Huffman

  CHINA

  The walk had been hard on everyone. Two of the older people died along the way but over twelve hundred made the long trek to Hunan. They found eighty more survivors as well when they came across the Hunan Fengyun Mining Company. Gathering food and water became the number one priority. They scavenged every grain of rice they could find and anything else that could be eaten. They had chosen an area near the Yangtzi River near the city of Yuèyáng. This area was one of the major producers of rice in all of China so it seemed like the ideal place.

  They had not realized that the same catastrophe that had killed the people had also killed the crops. Transporting the rice was another major obstacle that had to be overcome when they did locate some.

  Small motor driven bicycles that had makeshift crates attached to them were used so they could haul the grain back. Ky also decided that they needed to send some of the people to the capital of the providence, Chángshã. They would be able to find much more food and they could bring it back to the central staging area. Ky lead the first group so that they could see that he was willing to do his fair share of work. They started out at first light. It was an eventful trip. One bike suffered a flat tire only three kilometers into the trip. Another’s motor just stopped running. One of the men in the group was somewhat of a mechanic and was finally able to get it running again but they lost two hours.

  Any time they came across a vehicle they would drain as much gas as possible and fill all the bikes. As they were crossing the railroad tracks, Ky remembered the story about the workers that had used handcarts to get to Beijing. If they could find those, it would be a lot easier to transport food back to Yuèyáng. As they rode along the tracks he kept an eye out for any sign of the handcarts but saw none.

  They finally arrived tired and hungry in Chángshã in the late afternoon. Dust had caked on their faces and hair.

  “Is that the Chángshã University?” Ky asked, pointing to the tall building with a rounded center column.

  “I think so. My sister went to the University. I have seen pictures of it. It looked much like that.”

  “Good. We will go there and rest. They will have rooms for students,” Ky said. When they arrived they found an extra bonus. The river ran right in front of the University. They all stripped down to the minimum of clothing and rushed into the cool water. Ky felt alive again as the water washed the dirt and grime from his aching back. He bathed in the water for as long as he felt they should stay.

  The sun would be setting soon and they needed to find shelter. With reluctance they finally all headed off to the University. Locating the dorm was easy and they were soon settled in. Cold rice balls were all they had for dinner.

  Ky lay back on the bed and tried to remember his mother’s cooking but it only made him hungrier. What he really needed was sleep but it did not come easily. Even now, the lack of sound made it hard for him to fall asleep.

  Food was the first priority the next morning. Chángshã is a huge city and they were able to find an abundance of food within a few blocks of the University. They ate until their stomachs could hold no more.

  “Two of you come with me. I want to go to the train station and see what we can find. The rest of you start gathering supplies. We will not go back until tomorrow. I think by the time we get loaded it will be too late to start back. We have plenty of food, water and a nice soft bed to sleep in. It shouldn’t be much of a hardship,” he said and laughed.

  The three of them headed off in the direction that Ky thought would bring them to the train station or at least close. If they could find a train track, they could follow it until the found the station. It proved to be harder than he had anticipated. He did not fully realize how big the city was. The total population for Xiang, which is short for Hunan Province, was or had been over 60 million people. Chángshã’s population alone was over two and a half million people. It was well over an hour before they stumbled across the railroad tracks and followed them to the station.

  Ky was disappointed when they found nothing useful to help transport the food back to Yuèyáng. While returning disgusted with the wasted time spent, they came across an old Unimog truck with a canvas top. What a German truck made by Mercedes was doing here was less of a concern than if it would run.

  “We have tired many other trucks. None have started,” one of the others said.

  “Yes, that is true but would it hurt to try one more?”

  “It is a waste of time. Just because it is German does not mean it did not suffer the same fate.”

  “You are probably right but we have nothing to lose.”

  “Except more time.”

  “A couple of minutes more will not matter,” Ky said, parking the bicycle and climbing in the cab of the truck.

  He was relieved to find none of the remains of the previous driver inside. He turned the ignition over expecting nothing to happen but was surprised when the starter engaged. It ground for several moments before the engine started with a large puff of dark black smoke. The diesel engine injectors were worn causing it to smoke. The engine made a loud clattering noise but it did run. He looked at the fuel gauge. It was almost three quarters full. He could see the stunned look on the others' faces.

  “Get on, we will drive this back and load it full,” he said excitedly.

  The others put their motorbikes in the back and scrambled in after them. The old truck belched smoke as Ky took off.

  The others looked in disbelief as Ky drove the Unimog to where they were stacking food.

  “How did you get it to run?”

  “I don’t know. I just turned the key and it started.”

  “But we have tried every truck near here and none would start.”

  “All I can say is that this one runs; why I don’t know.”

  “It is foreign,” one of the others said.

  “I don’t think that has anything to do with it,” Ky said.

  “It was made by foreign devils,” he insisted.

  “I do not care. All I know is that it will make getting the food back much easier and we can bring a much larger amount. We will have to find a way to get fuel for it. It will probably get us back to Yuèyáng with what is in it now but we will need to get more for other trips,” Ky said.

  “There were many large transporter trucks at a warehouse I saw,” one of them told Ky.

  “Good, we can get fuel there. We should load up now and then see if we can find any other trucks that can be used to haul food.”

  They spent the next two hours loading the truck until Ky felt like it could hold no more safely given the condition of the roads.

  “We will take the bicycles to find other trucks like this one,” Ky said and they headed out in several different directions.

  They tried many other trucks and could find none until they happened upon a 1965 Fodon. Everyone shouted with excitement as the truck finally started. They were able to locate three other trucks that would start by the end of the day.

  “Why do only these start?” someone asked.

  “They are cursed by the devil.”

  “No, they are old like you. I am starting to realize that the older vehicles work but the new ones don’t. I don’t know why but that seems to be the case. The simpler the engine the more likely it is to still run. Look at our motorbikes. Everyone has a very simple engine. The big fancy new cars and trucks were damaged for some reason.”

  There was general agreement except for the old man who still insisted it was the work of the devil. After loading all of the food that they could carry on the trucks they decided to spend the night in the Dolton Hotel. It was a far cry from the dorms at the University with its 51 floors and five star rating but even so, Ky didn’t really sleep any better.

  They started out early the next morning after eating. The trucks would make the trip a lot easier and everyone would be surprised at the amount of food they brought back.

  A kind of stunned silence met them when they arrived with the food an
d the vehicles. They became instant celebrities within the small group. Food was stored in a central location and two kitchens were set up to feed everyone.

  A routine was established for washing clothing on days when bathing was not permitted. While they had some hardships, because most of them were from rural or small villages it was still much easier to adapt to the new situation. Occasionally they would have new arrivals join them but the vast majority went on to Beijing. While housing was plentiful, they had no electricity so everything had to be cooked over propane gas or wood fires.

  Men were assigned to gather wood from the nearby forest and others were given the task of chopping it into logs that could be used. Some were assigned to ferrying food back from Chángshã on a daily basis.

  By the end of the month the size of the group of survivors had grown close to nineteen hundred. It was time for them to meet with the others that had fled out of Beijing when they did.

  The agreed meeting place was in Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubie Province. Like many cities in China, it is a blend of old and new. Wuhan is actually three cities in one. It includes Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang, which are located where the Han and Xunshi rivers join the Chan Jiang. It is known to Westerners as the Yangtze River. It is often referred to as the city of white clouds and yellow cranes. The agreed upon meeting place was at the Palace of the Yellow Crane. Standing 52 meters high, all three rivers can be seen from the five story tower that was originally built in 223 A.D. When Ky arrived, three of the other groups were already there.

  “You have done well.”

  “You seemed to have done likewise,” Ky replied.

  “We lost some of the group when they decided not to come. They stayed where they were.”

  “We lost a few as well but we gained more than we lost,” Ky told him.

  “Now that we are starting to arrive we need to have a meeting with each of the leaders and determine our next course of action.”

  “I agree. We are missing many of the other leaders. We should wait a few days before we hold our initial conference,” Ky suggested.

  “Yes, indeed, but not too long. No more than a week,” he said.

  “One week. I hope the others show and were not all caught,” Ky replied.

  “I doubt they all were. The military didn’t seem too concerned by our breaking out. I think they looked at it as less to look after and fewer mouths to feed.”

  “Yes. I did not hear that many rifles fired and they certainly did not put much effort into chasing us,” Ky agreed.

  “We should take turns having people in the tower at all times to spot anyone coming, friend or foe.”

  “That is a wise decision. One for each side would be best. It will also help to make sure they do not fall asleep.”

  A schedule was worked out among the leaders so that each group would send teams at various times of the day to stand as lookouts.

  By the fifth day only two other groups had joined them, leaving three unaccounted for. The six leaders gathered at Wuhan were beginning to worry about the others. If they were safe and just decided not to come, that was one thing, but if some had been captured that was quite another.

  “Everyone knew we were to meet here. If they captured some of them they would have tortured them to find out where we are.”

  “I think we should move while we have the chance,” another added.

  “You are wrong. If they knew we were coming here they would have set a trap before we arrived,” another leader said.

  “Unless they wanted to get all of us and are just waiting until the right time.”

  “How would they know when the right time is? They do not know we agreed to wait another week for the others.”

  “If they are watching they could see we are not making preparations to move yet. They would know we were waiting for something,” Ky added.

  “You are all worrying about nothing. Why would they even want to capture us? Or kill us for that matter?” he asked.

  “Why did they confine us in Beijing and almost starve us to death? They are the military, which is reason enough for them most of the time. Any time a large group of people gather they feel threatened. You know our history. If we are not under their thumb we are considered a threat,” Ky replied.

  “We are doing nothing to threaten them. How is being here a threat?”

  “We are alive. We survived. That is suspicion enough for them. I suppose in their eyes only military people should have survived. Since we did we must have been up to something. It may sound irrational to a reasonable person but it is the history of our military. What they do not understand means that it is sinister,” Ky replied, looking at the various leaders.

  It was silent for a long time.

  “Anyway, that is not the issue. Are we going to wait or are we not?”

  “Why don’t we vote?” Ky said.

  Six pair of eyes turned to him as if he were from outer space. Using a democratic process to determine the outcome was an unusual suggestion.

  “I think that is a good idea. We can each decide what we think we should do,” one of the leaders said.

  “And all abide by the decision,” Ky added.

  “I am not so sure I can agree to that. If I determine we want to go I do not want to have you tell me I can’t. This process is not a good one. I will decide what my people do,” one of the leaders replied.

  “Then we will never accomplish anything,” Ky said emphatically. “Doing things that just suits one group will never allow us to rebuild. We will fall into the old ways of warring areas of the country. We will have hundreds of years of civil war once again. Is that what each of you want? Pitting one group against another? Back to the days when one providence never trusted the other? Stuck forever in the past? Never knowing if you will be attacked? We will spend more time building armies to kill each other than building a nation,” Ky said insistently.

  Several nodded in agreement but two of the leaders did not.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked one of the two men.

  “I am afraid of nothing?” he said.

  “You are afraid of doing what the majority wants even if it isn’t what you personally want. This is about how you feel. You want to be in charge of not only your own fate but the group’s. This isn’t about anyone one person. This is about what we have to do as a nation. Is being in control so important that you are willing to kill for it? To put aside what needs to be done to help China survive and become a viable country again?” Ky asked.

  The man stood up quickly and looked angrily at Ky. He started take a step toward him but decided against it when he saw that Ky did not flinch.

  “You think you are better than me? You think you have the right to speak for me? What gives you that right?” he demanded.

  “The good of China,” Ky said softly.

  “I will think on this,” he said and turned and walked off.

  A few seconds later the other man that had been sitting stone faced got up and left.

  “I did not intend to cause a division in the groups,” Ky said as they left.

  “It was the right thing to do. Better now than when we really needed them. If they want to go off on their own, so be it. At some point they will see that you are right and come back into the fold.”

  “Yes, but at what expense to the people who follow them?” Ky asked.

  “We can do little about that. If they choose to follow him they will be choosing their own fate.”

  “Yes but he can help influence their destiny. If he turns them against us, he controls the destiny of the individuals.”

  No one said anything for several seconds.

  “It is out of our hands for now. We should do as you suggest and vote on waiting or going ahead with the plans for the future,” one said.

  Ky passed paper around.

  “Mark either W, for wait, or G to go.

  Each man marked his paper, folded it, and handed it back to Ky. He mixed them all carefully and t
hen opened each one and read the markings.

  “Wait. Wait. Go. Wait. Three want to wait, one to go now. Then we wait two more days. Is that agreeable to everyone?”

  Each of the men agreed that they accepted the results and would abide by them.

  The last day saw the arrival of one more group. It was only a hundred or so but they had made it. They told of their travels and how the military had been looking for survivors to round up and put in camps until they sorted things out. The leaders listened intently as they described some of the tactics used by the Army to lure survivors in so they could be interned.

  Signs saying all survivors should report to Beijing for medical care, housing, and food had been posted in many provinces. Others told survivors that they should report to various locations for food and shelter. They had even left some larger cities alone but posted groups of soldiers nearby and would sweep in at night and round them up. It did not paint a very healthy picture for the future.

  “Have they killed any of the survivors?”

  “Not that we are aware of but the ones interned in the camps are forced to do manual labor and to cook for the soldiers,” he told them.

  “Labor camps?”

  “That is the way it appears. Men are separated from the women and are forced to live apart. All children are sent to another camp for what they call proper indoctrination and schooling.”

  “The past has already returned,” Ky muttered.

  “Is this China or Nazi Germany?” one man asked but no one spoke up.

  “Then we must proceed with caution. Eventually they will come here and try to take us in.”

  “I would imagine they already know you are here. This is the most people we have seen anywhere so they are going to have to plan a much larger operation. It is only a matter of time before they feel confident enough to come in and try to incarcerate you,” they were told.

  “Then we need to make plans quickly,” Ky said. They agreed to meet later in the day.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHINA

  Six men sat at the foot of the Temple of the Yellow Crane. Two groups had still not made the trek to Wuhan and one of the group leaders already there did not show up for the meeting. It appeared that he had decided to go his own way as Ky and the others had feared.