Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion (

by Hernandez, Erica

  As they turn north again, Sam asks, “Does it look okay out there?”

  “Not too bad,” Rob assures her. “It looks worse up ahead but I think we can avoid it.”

  They turn west passing wetlands, Home Depot, then Lowes. The traffic mess is centered on the bigger street on the other side of the stores. Soon they’re on the home stretch.

  “I think the bleeding is stopping,” Katie reports. “Can you open the bandage so we can put it on her leg?” She asks, rather than ordering. “We’ll keep her leg elevated until we get back to the house, clean it again, and stitch her up.” Katie’s nimble fingers bandage Faith’s leg.

  “Shit! More crazies.” Jessie floors it as they head through the large intersection, once again narrowly missing an angry mob.

  “Fuckin’ shit,” Rob yells. “They’re chasing us! That’s crazy! “

  “That’s rediculous!” Sam adds.

  “We’re losing them, but chasing us? That’s nuts!!” Rob just can’t stop. “I can’t believe they’re still chasing us. They’re blocks away now!” They turn off the main road towards Nick’s house.

  “After this stop, could we run by my place? It’s close and I’m concerned about my animals.” Jessie’s been quiet most of the trip.

  “Sure, we will, Jessie,” Rob promises.

  “Will Faith be okay that long?” Sam asks Katie.

  “I think so.” Katie looks far away, thinking about it. “I taped it shut, the bleeding has slowed down and it’s clean.” Sam prays that Nick is alive along with his wife and son.

  They cruise down an empty, peaceful street, turning into a col-de-sac, parking in front of a brown, ranch style house with an overgrown lawn. “We should stay in the car. We can’t move Faith or Jessie,” Katie reports.

  “That’s Nadir’s truck! He must be inside.” Rob starts to get out. Sam wonders what Nadir found and if he came alone.

  Rob opens the unlocked front door. “Nadir! Are you here?” There’s no answer, no sign of anyone in the living room or kitchen, which is open to the front room. Rob heads down the hall, finding the bedroom. They’re both there in the bed. “Nick, Jenny.” There’s no response.

  Nadir is kneeling on Nick’s side of the bed, “He’s sick,” Nadir says, face drawn.

  Sam finds Simon at Jenny’s side. “Did you check her pulse?” Sam asks, quietly. Simon shakes his head, two fingers on her pulse. Sam’s heart sinks realizing Jenny’s dead. There’s a young boy, of about four years, on the floor. Sam feels his pulse, realizing he’s sleeping or sick. She’s shocked by this horrific situation. She didn’t know them but they were close friends of Eliana’s and the boy, Jedaiah, looks terribly skinny.

  “I’m so sorry, Nadir. Jenny’s dead and your grandson looks malnourished.” Sam’s chest tightens. She didn’t know Jenny but the boy will grieve.

  “Nick’s alive. Nick, can you hear me?” Again, there’s no response. Nadir feels his forehead. “He’s burning up with fever. What about Jedaiah? Does he feel feverish? We should feed him.”

  Sam feels Jedaiah’s forehead. “He feels okay. Jedaiah, are you hungry?” He opens his eyes, looking at Sam with huge, blue eyes, like his dad, dark eyebrows and hair like his Iranian grandpa. “I’m Sam, a friend of your grandpa’s. He’s over there, taking care of your dad.” Jedaiah nods, shrinking back into himself, then looks up at his mom’s arm hanging over the side of the bed. “She died, sweetie. I’m so sorry. Would you like to hug her goodbye?”

  “No!” He screams at them. “She not died! No!” He stands up suddenly, tears leaking from his eyes. He climbs on the bed, hugging his mom’s body, which is cold and stiff. Sam rubs his back in neat circles with one hand, stroking his thick brown hair with the other. “It’s okay to cry, sweetie. It’s hard to believe.” Sam looks around the room, finding a picture of the three of them. It’s a good one of Jenny. She picks it up, tucking it into her backpack.

  Nadir rolls Nick towards him, trying to lift him. “I can’t. Would you try, Rob? Jedaiah, you give your mom some big hugs, okay. Then the angels will take her to God for us.”

  “Damn straight!” Rob moves in, grabs Nick, tossing him over his shoulder, while Jedaiah screams and cries, laying on his cold mom.

  “Okay, you’ve got him. I know you’ll want to bury them but I don’t think we can do that now, given Faith’s condition. Why don’t we wrap Jenny in a sheet and let the angels take her?”

  “Yeah, okay.” Nadir looks blank, in shock. Jedaiah has quieted as Sam continues rubbing his back.

  “She’s freezed.” He looks up at Sam with his tear streaked face.

  “That’s right, Jedaiah. That’s how you know the angels took her. I took a picture for you. Would you like to show me where the medicine cabinet is?” Jedaiah nods, reaching for Sam’s hand, continuing to cry quietly.

  “Then we can go to the kitchen. You can show me what you need.” Sam and Jedaiah head out.

  “I wanna my blanky,” Jedaiah whines.

  They stop in his room, find his backpack, filling it with his favorite toys, his stuffed bunny, and his blanky. “Are these the most important things?” Sam asks. “We might be able to come back some time if you need more.”

  “Wait,” Jedaiah says, grabbing a couple more stuffed animals.

  Then they stop in the bathroom to clean out the medicine cabinet. There’s not a ton of medicine but there’s a little. In the kitchen, Jedaiah asks, “I want my crackers, my snacks, okay?”

  “Sure, little guy. You show me where they are,” Sam promises. Jedaiah points as Sam lifts him up on the counter. He pulls cheddar bunnies, organic juice boxes, and some other snacks from the cupboard.

  There’s some fresh food that’s still good. Sam fills a couple grocery bags, passing Jedaiah a cheese stick. “Eat this sweetie, you need some good fat on those bones.” Jedaiah takes the cheese stick Sam opened, wolfing it down. Sam hands him a second one. The boy seems to be starving. Simon joins them helping to clean out the cupboards. Nadir follows, on auto pilot, cleaning food out of the cupboards. Then Nadir runs into a back room, returning with two large backpacks full of something. “We need to take these. This is good medicine.”

  They drag the bags back to the car, saying goodbye to Nadir. There wasn’t a lot left. Nick and Jenny probably ate it before they got sick. “You wanna lock the door and take the key?” Sam admires the adorable but skinny Jedaiah, watching him snack on crackers.

  “Yeah. You think we can save him? I don’t want to lose anyone else.” Nadir’s voice takes on a high quality, clearly trying not to cry.

  They load up, filling foot space with the grocery bags, knowing they’ll need the food with all the mouths they have to feed. They lay Nick across the packs in the back.

  “Is everyone in?” Rob turns the pickup around.

  “I think so. Take the quickest route,” Katie confirms. It seems reasonable and they’re eager to get Faith and Jessie back to the house.

  “Here, Jedaiah, would you like more cheese?” Sam asks. “You look hungry.”

  Jedaiah takes it without a sound, wolfing it down, still hungry. They hear the yelling of crazies nearby. Rob is quick to turn the pickup back the other way. “I’m glad they didn’t see us.”

  They only have to drive slightly out of town. “First left there.” Jessie directs. “My little farm is on the right. Can some of you get the fruit and vegetables in my truck along with the goats, chickens, and bunnies? I have portable cages so we’ll have milk and eggs down there. We’ll have plenty of space with the neighbor’s yards, right?”

  “Yes, Jessie, that’ll be great,” Rob laughs, no doubt thinking of the milk which he loves. “Sam can drive your truck back.”

  Rob, Katie, and Sam grab huge baskets Jessie has, filling them with apples, pears, and figs. They load up the bunnies, goats, and chickens in cages, then the produce. It’s a tight squeeze but she has a huge truck. They put the food in the passenger seat and in the cab. She has a better fall garden than Eliana so they grab another
basket, cutting lettuce and other vegetables,. They discover tomatoes ripening in her green house. Then they’re packing back up to head home. “Are those animals going to be okay so tightly squeezed in together?” Rob asks.

  “I think so. They’re used to each other.” She nods. “It’s too bad the cows have to stay here in the field.”

  “I saw Sam fill up the water tank,” Rob says. They decide to cut through the hill, avoiding the main road. Sam follows up the hill behind Rob. Finally, they reach the top, turning towards Eliana’s. There are some cars parked haphazardly along the edges of the quiet road, devoid of people.

  Back on Eliana’s street, Sam sighs audibly about the long stressful day. Rob backs the pickup into the driveway behind the other cars, with the tailgate facing the walkway to the house. Sam parks Jessie’s pickup in front of the house, behind Nadir’s. It’s past breakfast and she’s starving.

  “Aunt Elli!” Jedaiah jumps out of the pickup.

  Sixteen

  Eliana

  Hospital House

  I’m not thrilled they’re leaving again, but I know it’s necessary. We keep working on the grape juice steadily.

  “I think we should all eat lunch. Aren’t you hungry?” I still don’t feel hungry. I just feel heavy with half of us gone on a risky mission and several here who are sick or injured. Alex hasn’t responded and now Jose is hurt. Thank God Jonathan is better.

  “I’m hungry. Aren’t you?” Eli picks a grape stem out of Dixie’s hair, while putting grapes in another batch of jars. She bonks him with her hip as I realize they’re flirting! There are murmurs from Gracie and Dixie regarding food.

  “I ate, so I’m good.” Jonathan waves me off from giving him more food. I pull out the leftover spaghetti, putting it on the wood stove to heat.

  “We probably shouldn’t be using the microwave since there is limited sun in the winter,” I say. “We have some stored energy which we should probably save for heat and laundry.”

  “That’s a good point, Mom,” Jonathan agrees. “Might as well use the wood stove.”

  We get the batch of juice into the canner and all sit down.

  “It feels good to sit down and eat after all that work!” Dixie’s almost bouncing in her seat. That girl never runs out of energy. She flips her hair, peaking at Eli to see if he noticed.

  Gracie sits in the chair with her feet on the edge, her knees tucked under her chin. “

  You know your father doesn’t like you to sit at the table like that,” I admonish.

  “Just let me while he’s sleeping okay?” I let her. I think it comforts her somehow to curl up like that.

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll just check on Alex and Jose.” Jonathan mixes his coffee milk as he gets up from the table. I seem to have turned everyone onto that drink before I discovered I couldn’t drink caffeine.

  “Hey, lazy head. Are you awake?” I hear Jonathan harassing Alex.

  “Don’t fuck with me, man!”

  I shove my chair back, practically leaping out of it. “You’re awake again!” I race over to Alex. “How do you feel?”

  “My head is killing me.” He moves it slightly. “God damn, I’m thirsty and hungry.” He tries to sit up. “Oh, fuck, it hurts!”

  “I’ll get you something.” I rub his head a little. “What do you want to drink? You can have tea or grape juice.”

  “Juice.” I head to the kitchen to get it, while listening to Jonathan harass him.

  “You’re gonna milk this one, aren’t you, dude?”

  “Yeah, I just love being flat on my fucking back!” Alex’ sarcasm is brittle. “How the hell are you? Weren’t you down with the flu? Aren’t you crazy yet?”

  “Yeah, I’ve sort of recovered.” Jonathan lifts the edge of the bandage, gently, observing the color of the wound. “Watch out though. I can get paranoid and freak out on you!”

  “Well, shit, we’ve got to spice things up a bit, eh bro?” Alex chuckles.

  I return with a water bottle filled with juice. “Drink up!”

  He accepts it, guzzling. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Okay, bro, I’m gonna check out your head, see how it’s healing.” I watch as Jonathan gets Alex to follow his finger, then does a crude hearing test. He’s doing what he can. “Okay. I’m going to take your bandage off in a minute. I’ll be right back. Mom, you want to wash up and help?”

  “Sure.” I go scrub and meet him at the couch. Jonathan has bandages, tape, and ointment for cleaning, along with salve. He takes the bandage off, using a gauze pad to clean the wound. “It looks pretty good, but we’ll put comfrey salve on to help it heal faster.” I hold the salve for him while he puts it around the stitches. “Okay, good, another bandage?” He bandages Alex again. “Hey, bro, that’s gotta be a record for you! No cursing for almost five minutes!!”

  “Mom, is there anything I can eat on my fucking back?” Alex asks, cursing once again. “It kills me to lift my head.”

  “Jonathan, wouldn’t it make sense for him to take some pain medicine?”

  “She’s right, bro.” Jonathan lightly smacks his chest. “Set your stubbornness aside and take some pain meds. Tomorrow it could be a lot better!” I get out the CBD oil.

  “Could we just give him the oil? I know he’d prefer it.” I ask Jonathan.

  “The challenge is dosing,” Jonathan shrugs. “I don’t know how much to give him.”

  “A dropper full to start,” Alex suggests. “I’ll take more if I need it.” I draw the oil into the dropper and hand it to Jonathan.

  “Bottom’s up, dude.” Jonathan squirts the medicine under his tongue and hands him the water bottle. “Then in half an hour you can sit up like an adult and eat!!” Alex shuts his eyes, reaching up to rub his own head. I step in, rubbing it for him.

  “Thanks, Mom. God! It fucking hurts!”

  I remember my Reiki training, calling on the spirit world to help heal my son. I place my hands gently on the crown of his head, taking deep breaths. I call my guides, his guides, God, and Jesus, Please, let me be your hands. Use me as a conduit to heal his head. I move one hand to his wound, the other to the base of his skull. I project love at my son, checking with my guides, centering myself to listen to their guidance. Gradually, I move my hands in sequence. Then I hear a hint of a snore. He’s sleeping now.

  I haven’t finished my lunch. I go get my plate, scraping the food into a small pot to put on the wood stove, thanking the spirit world for allowing us food and heat.

  I return to the table as the timer goes off on the canner. “I’ll get them.” Morgan gets up with her plate.

  Gracie and Dixie follow. “This is the last batch of juice. What next, Mom?”

  “Can you guys write the date on them and take them to the garage? Simon, how’s your arm? We should probably change your bandage.”

  “I got this.” Simon begins pealing the bandage off, while sitting at the table.

  “Maybe you could leave the table first, eh?” I nudge him gently. “You’re going to need another hand, but alright. Ladies, when you’ve got those out to the garage, would you look through the vegetable buckets and see what’s next?” I get my food and finish it.

  “Sure, we’ve got it covered.” Dixie’s on it.

  I head into the kitchen. “So, what’s the scoop, poop?”

  “You’re gross, Mom! We finished the grapes and need to start the tomatoes,” Gracie wrinkles her nose.

  “Okay. Jonathan, how’s Jose?” I walk over to see how he’s doing.

  Jonathan inspects the wound. “His leg looks good, a healthy color, no infection. I’ll clean it up, put more comfrey on, and a new bandage. You go ahead and do food!”

  “Okay. I wish there was more comfrey to harvest. Can you guys start a pot for boiling water to take the tomato skins off and get another pot out for diced tomatoes? I’ll be right back to help. Gracie will you come with me?”

  “Do you really need me?” Gracie hedges.

  “I’d like your company
,” I explain, not wanting to force her when she’s helping in the kitchen already.

  “Alright,” She practically groans.

  “Sheba, come on, girl.” Sheba comes running and we head outside with Dixie’s dog, Mike, following behind. He’s a boxer and stays close to Sheba at all times. The yard is quiet, just the sound of chickens in the back. We each grab a bucket, cruising the yard. I dig up some comfrey root since the leaves all have powdery mildew. I’m sure I won’t get it all so it will grow back next year.

  “I’ll cut more peppermint and check the persimmons,” Gracie offers.

  I head for the fig tree and pick the last couple decent figs. Then I cruise the garden, checking the kale for aphids. We’ve already put all the tomatoes in the green house to ripen. Luckily we’ve had a warm fall. Gracie joins me as I head for the fenced section of the garden, clearly finding some food to pick. Gracie slips in the green house, waters the seeds, emerging with a few ripe tomatoes.

  I wonder if they’ve figured out a way to save enough water for human consumption, and for watering the plants in summer if the world continues to fall apart. We’ll need a way to save large volumes of water. Immediately, my mind jumps to Jose, injured in the house. He’s my solution man. I search around the yard, finding a few more buckets, righting them to collect water. Then I look at Gracie who’s gotten so willowy with her slender grace, admiring her thick, shoulder length hair. “Sweetie, wow! That’s a lot of peppermint!”

  “Mom, they forgot the downspout on the shop.” Gracie points to a large barrel.

  “Oh, good eye!” I exclaim, scooting the barrel into place. Sometimes I wonder if she reads my mind. We head in the house, plunking the bit we found on the counter.

  Dixie has changed the music.

  “Tonight’s the night we’re gonna make it happen!” I sing with the Pointer Sisters as I join the tomato crew. Maddie harmonizes with me and we hip bump.