The morning after arriving in Cambria, Rowan and Lorena continued forward on the highway, where they came across a peculiar road sign.
“Hearst Castle, next right,” said Rowan. “Am I reading this sign right? There’s a castle here?”
“Seems like it. I mean, it makes sense. This place is beautiful.”
Lorena was right. They were right beside the ocean, and the vast blue infinity beyond them seemed almost unreal. Some of the grass along the road may have been dead, but green forests and lively trees stretched across the mountains around them. It truly was beautiful—even in the winter.
“Should we go check it out?” asked Rowan.
“I kind of want to see it. Maybe we’ll find something useful there.”
“Let’s head over, then.”
Lorena smiled in excitement. “Let’s go!”
Rowan concluded that he was yet again making another mistake. This couldn’t be a good idea, could it? They were bound to run into danger if they went seeking for a castle that everyone else would’ve been intrigued by. It probably didn’t even matter that they were doing this, though—they were likely to run into danger no matter where they went, whether they were in a castle or in a city. It certainly wasn’t practical to go looking for this place, but what they sacrificed in survivability they made up for with a brief respite for their minds. There was a sense of excitement that they hadn’t had in so long. Perhaps it was worth it, but maybe it was just another impulsive, nonsensical move that was going to haunt Rowan forever.
An overturned tour bus was slightly blocking the road ahead of them, but they were able to easily move around it, where they then spotted a couple of dead corpses on the floor.
“Where’s the castle?” asked Lorena. She tried to ignore the lifeless bodies, but she found herself staring at them for a while.
“We probably need to follow the road a bit further. Come on.”
They soon came to a large, open gate. There was a “DO NOT ENTER” sign plastered on it, and though it made Rowan stop for a split second, he presumed that the sign was already there before the bombs dropped. After all, the gate was open.
Rowan and Lorena proceeded down the road. They reached a spacious parking lot, passing a sign that talked about upcoming tours available at Hearst Castle. In front of them was not a castle, though, but rather a “Visitor Center.”
The boy tried to peer through the front doors, but they were far too tinted to see through. “No castle yet, but we might find something here.”
He fetched his crowbar out from his backpack and was ready to break the glass until he was interrupted by a man’s hoarse voice.
“Put away your weapon.”
Rowan slowly turned to look at the man, who was pointing a hunting rifle at him. He was large, bald, and lean—but he did not look particularly threatening. His wire-frame glasses slid down to the bottom of his nose, and he wore a blank, yet gentle expression on his face. His clothes were even rather clean and well-kempt.
“Listen, we didn’t mean to intrude,” said Rowan, putting his crowbar back into his backpack. “We’ll just leave and get out of here. We won’t come back.”
“Your leg,” said the man, pointing his rifle at Lorena. “What happened to it?”
Before Lorena could respond, Rowan shot out an answer. “She accidentally cut it with her knife while we were hunting.”
The man lowered his rifle. “Come with me, then. We’re looking for people to help out our community, and you both seem like you could help. We can get your leg checked out.”
“We’re fine,” said Rowan. “We don’t intend on staying. I have a place to get to.”
“You don’t get to just leave. Everyone who comes by Hearst Castle is required to talk to Tobias, and if you refuse, I’m afraid I’m going to have to force you.”
“That’s twisted, isn’t it?”
“You don’t seem too excited about the existence of a functioning, productive community in a world like this.”
“If you want me to be honest, it’s because I don’t trust you. I don’t trust any of this.”
“The girl needs medical attention, and both of you look like you need some food. You’ve got nothing to lose for checking this place out.” The man slung his rifle back over his shoulder, which was held in place by a strap. “Now, I need you to listen to me before I make this hard for both of us.”
He unlocked the door to the visitor center and sent Rowan and Lorena through, once again pointing his rifle at their backs. There was an empty gift shop on their right, and it was clear that this entire place was picked clean, just like Cambria was. The man directed them toward an exit, where a lone golf cart was sitting still on a narrow road.
“Hop in the back. And don’t try anything.”
Rowan and Lorena were astonished at the sight of what appeared to be the first working vehicle they had come across in weeks. Did this place really have a functioning community? Had they finally found someplace safe? They could not stay in wonder for too long, though, as the man ushered them into the back seats and started driving.
The sides of the road were lined with trees that had not yet lost all their leaves, and as the golf cart passed by them, a few squirrels began darting around in the detritus below. Soon, they reached a flat part of the road where they could finally see a large, elaborate structure of tall buildings in the far distance. Hearst Castle, it seemed, was at the very top of the mountain road they were following.
Rowan wanted to be hopeful. He wanted there to be some sort of lasting good at the top of the mountain. His heart and mind, though, ultimately refused this notion. It couldn’t be true. Even if it was true, what was he supposed to do? It wasn’t as if he could stay here forever. He needed to go home and find his family. In any case, any goodness would not last forever—and that was what made him wary.
Once they reached the peak, they were stopped by a closed iron gate. They could barely see inside of the place, but past the shrubs, bushes, flowers, and palm trees ahead of them were beautiful columns and stairs that emulated a perfect pastiche of some ancient Roman-styled temple. They hadn’t even seen any of the actual buildings yet, and it was still a captivating sight.
“Darius, let us in,” yelled the man. “I’ve got a couple of new folks for Tobias to talk to. They’re kids, so the conversation might go a little bit different this time around.”
A middle-aged but robust man came around the corner and opened the gate. His olive-colored skin was glistening with sweat, though he wasn’t breathing too hard from whatever it was he was doing. It was far from being a particularly warm day, too.
“Doesn’t make a damn difference whether they’re kids or not,” he said, leading all of them up the front stairs. “He better give them the same treatment that everyone else gets.”
They walked past Spanish-style villas, fractured monuments of unknown creatures, and large, magnificent, church-like structures. This place wasn’t just a castle—it was a grand architectural masterpiece. Rowan had no idea something like it was even built in California. He always thought that castles were only found in distant countries and continents, like Europe. And yet, here was one more beautiful than he could ever imagine, and it was in his home state.
A young woman with short blonde hair stopped them in their tracks. She was sitting next to a running fountain, which was more jarring than the apron she was wearing. “Hey, who are they?” she asked.
“More people,” said Darius, not even turning to look at the woman. “Henry brought some more.”
“Well, when you’re done with them and everything is clear, send them my way as per usual. I’ll be back on the job in fifteen.”
“Will do.”
They passed by a couple of more people who gave them odd stares. Unnerved, Rowan diverted his focus to the vast amounts of green and brown all around him. It still felt so unreal to him—the entire place was encased in shrubbery and trees, which sheltered it neatly from the rest of the world. There was a
bsolutely nothing more alluring than this, but there had to be something wrong with this place. It was far too perfect.
“Go in,” said Darius, opening up a large, black door to a rather conversely small building. “Don’t reach into your pockets, backpacks, or anything else unless you’re told.”
Rowan and Lorena followed the bald man into the room, with Darius shutting the door right behind them. It was an ominous, yet weird feeling. Darius’ demeanor made them feel as if they were now trapped in a prison that they could not escape, but the old man sitting in an office chair in front of them made them feel otherwise. He had given them a warm smile when they walked into the room, and he was now pointing at two chairs that sat in front of his desk.
“Henry,” said the man who must have been Tobias. “Thank you for bringing us some more new arrivals. I hope you didn’t give them too much trouble when you met them.”
“I tried my best not to,” said Henry, already on his way out the door. “But, you know how things are.”
“Ah, right. That’s fine, then.”
“What’s he talking about?” asked Rowan.
Tobias poured himself a glass of wine. “Henry is just a little paranoid, that’s all. He isn’t fond of the sick, much like many of us.”
“We aren’t sick.”
“You never know.”
Lorena perked up from her seat. “What is this place?”
“I’ll get to that, don’t worry.” Tobias took a sip from his glass. “But first, your names.”
“I’m Lorena.”
“And I’m Rowan.”
“Well then, Rowan and Lorena, it’s quite a pleasure to meet you two. My name is Tobias. I have a simple proposition for you that I think will make both of us happy.”
He scooted his seat forward and clasped his hands together over his desk. “We here at Hearst Castle are trying to rebuild a better society. We’re trying to build a community—one that makes this world better. To put it simply, you guys are here to either accept or decline an invitation to becoming a part of our community. I only ask that you two contribute if you want to stay here—that’s the catch of this place.”
“That’s it?” asked Rowan. “You guys just take anyone wandering off of the streets and ask them to be a part of the community? It can’t be safe here if that’s what you’re doing.”
Tobias laughed. “I’m not sure what you’ve seen out there, but let me tell you this: not everyone has evil intentions like you assume. People just want to survive, that’s all. I, and the other people in this community, give people an opportunity to do so. This place is likely the safest place left in California. People survive here, and they don’t need to lose their conscience to do it.”
“But I won’t lie to you,” he continued. “We lost a lot of people in the early days of making this place safe. We had to bury and burn a lot of bodies. There’s a reason why there’s nothing around this place. We sacrificed too much to make our home, but we aren’t going to let those sacrifices go to waste. We’ll support as many people as we can here, and that includes both of you.”
Lorena turned to Rowan and placed her hand on his arm. “Rowan, I—”
He shook his head. “I still have to find Caitlyn and my family. So I can’t stay here.”
“I know. But we can bring them back here, right?”
“Not we, Lorena. I can bring them here. If this place is truly safe, then you need to stay here. There’s no reason you should come with me.”
“Rowan—”
“It’s okay. I’ll be back.”
“No. I don’t care what you say, but I’m not staying without you, and if you leave me here, I’m just gonna go leave on my own and find you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m being serious. You’re not leaving me here.”
Rowan relented. “Fine, then. We’ll stay until your leg is better, we’ll find my family, and then we’ll come back.”
“Are you hurt?” asked Tobias, immediately turning to Lorena. “What happened?”
“I accidentally cut my leg with my knife,” she said. “It just hurts a little to walk, that’s all.”
Tobias took a hard, long look into her eyes. “You must see our doctor, then.”
“I will,” she said firmly.
“Great. Now, if you guys are going to stay here for any period of time, I again must ask you to contribute. This place cannot function if someone is failing to do their part.”
“What exactly do you want us to do?” asked Rowan.
Tobias pulled a notebook out from his desk and placed it in front of him, opening it up for Rowan and Lorena to examine. “This here is a list of jobs that are available in the community, and which jobs people are currently doing.”
He flipped to the next page and pointed at one of the columns. “Scavengers are always needed. Five out of the forty people here do that.”
Tobias ran his finger across several other columns. “Of course, there are other jobs that need to be done as well. There’s barricade work, guard duty, and various odd jobs you could do. Take a look.”
Lorena took the notebook from him and began reading through the different available jobs, although she was fixated on one page in particular. “Plague doctors?”
Tobias looked at her with a curious expression. “How old are you, exactly?”
“Thirteen,” she said sheepishly.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t know all the details, then. They’re not doctors, really, but they get rid of the sick. Their aim is to get rid of this plague. It’s an honorable job, but a dangerous one. Maybe you can become one someday.”
“Anyway,” he continued, “You two will have some time to think about it. You’re our guests for today, and you’ll be able to start work tomorrow. Get acquainted with everyone, but most especially Hailee. She’ll get you a nice, warm meal. Darius can direct you to her.”
Tobias stood up. “But first, you must go to Pete, our doctor. We need to make sure that neither of you are sick. Just precautions, that’s all.”
“We’re not sick,” said Rowan, a little bit more aggressive than earlier.
“Okay, then.” Tobias grinned. “I hope we talk again soon. Welcome to Hearst Castle.”
The children followed Darius out the door. The one thing that remained a question in Rowan’s mind was what would happen to those who were discovered to be sick. Tobias was obsessed with finding out whether or not Rowan and Lorena were infected, and though it was a normal concern for a community that wanted to survive, it seemed to be an extra concern for the people here. Tobias had mentioned the existence of “plague doctors,” and Rowan suspected that these doctors were not trying to cure the infection, but rather they were trying to get rid of it entirely through other means. Rowan didn’t want to think of the disturbing implications of that.
In an attempt to find hope in this small society, Rowan looked out to the distance, where he found peace in the vast, empty landscape. The area around the castle grounds really did seem like it was the safest place they could be, and the wide, majestic view of the ocean only further solidified that feeling.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the centerpiece of the entire estate. It looked like a mansion, standing several stories tall with two symmetrical towers on both ends of the building. The walls of the front entrance were lined with various pillars and monuments etched with angels and knights. The door itself was designed with an elegant pattern that reminded Rowan of a real castle: there were metal bars made of gold and brass, with all of them pointing to beautiful heraldic badges and house emblems of some forgotten family.
A woman smoking a cigarette was leaning over one of the balconies above, and she merely stared at them in wonder as they disappeared through the front door. As they walked through, a man lying on one of the couches in the main sitting room waved to them and welcomed them to the “Casa Grande.”
The first thing that stood out to Rowan was the fact that almost all of the lights were on. How coul
d a place of this magnitude support such high energy usage, let alone have any electricity at all? There weren’t any signs of working electricity in any of the cities that Rowan and Lorena had been to thus far. Could this be the only place that wasn’t affected by the bombs? No, that was clearly wrong. There were issues here before, but they were gone now. Somehow, some way, the people of Hearst Castle were able to restore power to this place.
“We’re here,” said Darius, leading Rowan and Lorena into a small room. “Once you’re done, I’m either going to come get you or you’re going to go take a right into the dining room once you leave. It shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“And if you do come get us? What happens then?” asked Rowan.
“Plague doctors. You’ll talk to one of them and then you’ll never be back here again.”
“So you kick us out?”
“That’s what they do. Our community can’t thrive if anyone here is infected—luckily for you two, neither of you seem like you’re sick. I know how they’re like. They’re all mentally disturbed killers.”
Two weeks ago, Rowan would’ve agreed with Darius. He wasn’t so sure anymore, though. On one hand, many of the infected he and Lorena had run into appeared to have a penchant for violence, but on the other hand, there were countless individuals out there that most probably couldn’t even tell were sick at all. Not all of the infected were violent, after all. Like the man at Pismo Beach. Still, Rowan, like many people, couldn’t hope to reform the policies here. It would make him vulnerable and at the whim of hate from others. If he wanted to be safe, he had to ignore this dilemma. That’s how things worked in the world before—and it was going to continue in this world, too. Those who were misfortunate enough to suffer were destined to experience the wrath of disdain and disinterest from those who had the power to help. It was always easier that way.
Seasons After Fall Page 13