Just as they’re loading up, the front door of the large log-style home crashes open, Jan running outside being chased by her son. “Help!” She screams. “He’s gone crazy!”
Simon is closest and grabs a large branch off the ground, tripping Isaac with it.
“I’ll kill you before you kill me!” The young man is raging. He has something shiny in his hand, raising it towards Simon.
Sam realizes it’s a gun. A shot rings out, knocking the small pistol from Isaac’s hand.
Jan screams, while Jake runs to the young man, squirming on the ground. “I didn’t hit him, just the gun.” Jan runs over, putting a steadying hand on her son’s shoulder. Isaac lifts his head, biting her arm.
“He’s a biter!” Sam shrieks, shocked that he is biting his mother. “Thank God you’ve got that leather jacket on!” They surround him. Nadir puts a hunk of branch in the man’s mouth, blocking his bite instinct.
“Let me see your arm.” Jonathan requests. Jan lifts her sleeve, exposing her white skin, marked with red, but no puncture wound, which Nadir covers with comfrey.
“It will help the bruising.”
Jake holds down Isaac’s arms, saying, “Thank God you guys got me medicated. This is awful.” Rob holds his legs, which are kicking mercilessly.
“Did you say something about medication for this?” Jan asks.
“Yes. The problem is getting it and having enough of it. Do we still have any to spare?” Sam asks Jonathan.
Jonathan heads for the truck. “We only have one dose to spare.” He picks up a sack, walks back this way, looking at our group. “I’m keeping some for the return trip. We can’t risk giving it all away.” He sets the sack on the ground. “These are medications and supplies that might be useful, but not for this.”
To Jan he says, “we can give you a dose. One dose will tell you if this kind is going to work. If it does, you’ll have to get into Veneta and find more at a pharmacy or somewhere else. We’re finding that 200 milligrams of Seroquel is enough.” Jonathan takes the stick out of the man’s mouth, putting the medicine in. “Chew this. It will make you feel better.”
“Chew it honey.” Jan’s voice cracks. “You’ve got to do what the man says.” Her son spits it out on his shirt.
“Now what do I do?” Jan squeals, on the edge of hysteria.
“You crush it with something he likes that he won’t spit out.” Jonathan states in no uncertain terms. It is clear he expects no resistance. She rushes to the house with the pills.
“You know it’s going to be a challenge for her to get more medicine,” Jessie points out.
“There isn’t much we can do about that is there?” Jonathan asks.
“Not unless we either move here or let them go with us,” Sam says, hopelessly.
“Or some of us could stay here with them,” Jake suggests.
“That’s impossible without medicine,” Nadir adds.
“Maybe they have another lockable building they could put him in, if they don’t find more medicine, but I think we have to prioritize our own,” Rob expresses with concern.
Jan returns then, no decision made by the group. “Can we sit him up to take the juice?” She asks.
The guys lift him up, while he fights and resists, “Let me go! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”
“You’ve got to drink this. It will help you feel better.” Jonathan tells him. The problem is, he’s fighting so hard, Jonathan can’t get the juice up to his lips without risking the medicine getting dumped out. It’s just an ounce or so of juice.
“How about lying him back down, holding his head, pouring it in, and holding his nose and mouth shut?” Rob asks.
They lay him down, while two more guys hold his head and nose. Jonathan pours in the juice, and the others shut his mouth. “As soon as you swallow, we’ll let go of your jaw,” Simon promises. Sam watches his throat move so it’s clear he swallowed.
“How’s your arm?” Sam asks Jan.
“Oh, God. I don’t know!” she screeches, still borderline hysterical.
Jonathan lets Jake take over so he can look at her arm. He lifts up her sleeve. “It looks good. Did someone put comfrey on it?” Jan nods. Sam turns to watch Isaac, who starts screaming again.
“How long do you think this will take?” Sam asks Jonathan.
“It was about half an hour for Jake. Crushing it helps it work faster. We got Jake to chew it which helps get the medicine into the body faster through the capillaries in the mouth. He might have gotten some that way from the juice. It’s hard to say!” Jonathan yells over the unintelligible screams. “Isaac, take deep breaths. Screaming only makes you feel worse. If you can breathe deeply, quiet your voice, and start calming down, you’ll feel better sooner.” Jonathan says this in a quiet voice, and Sam would swear Isaac’s yells become quieter.
Sam admires Jan’s huge green houses, filling most of a large field. Beyond the greenhouses lies a field containing trees.
After what seems like forever, he quiets, perhaps exhausted. The guys let up his legs which don’t move.
“What’s growing back there, beyond the green houses?”
“A variety of fruit trees for biodiversity. One of those apples isn’t ripe until December.” Jan sounds calmer. “He’s looking better. Are you starting to feel better Isaac?”
“Umm…” Isaac mumbles. The guys loosen their hold on his arms. He lays prone.
“I think he’s okay.” Rob acknowledges. “Maybe we’ll make a tour through the green houses before we head back to town.”
“Okay. Isaac, get up. We need to go to the pharmacy to get you more medicine.” She helps him up. “Jonathan, can you make me a list of other options if we can’t find Seroquel?”
“Sure.” He starts writing. “I don’t think I would use Abilify if I could get something else. Haldol would also be a last choice. That’s my opinion.”
“Thank you.” Jan pulls Jonathan in for a hug. “You guys come back again soon. I hope I’ll see you within a week as I can’t use all this milk. I’ll try to make cheese with the excesses since cheese lasts longer.”
“We’ll come back won’t we guys?” Sam assures her. Sam can’t imagine living on the little bit of goat milk they get from Jessie’s goats. “Oh, you wanted us to take some cheese also?”
“Definitely. I’ll go bring a bag before you leave.” Jan rushes off to the house, leaving Isaac outside to adjust to the medication.
They all head into the green houses, picking vegetables and berries. They each have a bucket that Sam thinks will still fit in the back of the truck. “Holy shit, there’s a Meyer lemon in here and a lime bush!” Sam can hardly believe her eyes. The citrus aren’t ripe yet but they pick fall vegetables. There are lots of Brussel sprouts, which Gracie loves to cook. Some pick berries, while others go outside to harvest fruit.
Soon they’re back at the truck. “What a relief to be heading back home,” Nadir says, sighing. “That was a close call with Isaac.”
“Wait, here’s a bag of cheese!” Jan rushes to the car. “Can you look over these medicine’s from our house to see if any of them might help?” She holds up a second bag.
Sam rolls the window down to accept the cheese and medicine, “Thanks, Jan. We’ll come back to help as soon as we can.” She passes the bag of meds to Jonathan. He looks through the bag carefully. He hands a few of the bottles back separately. “The Xanax is an antianxiety med, which might help a little. You’ve got Lunesta and Restoril, sleeping meds which could help. Any of those could help, but I don’t think they’ll work by themselves.”
“Thanks. So, we could use these sparingly,” Jan summarizes. “I hope to see y’all soon.” Jonathan returns the bag and she steps back from the truck.
They drive down her gravel drive, continuing in silence until they get to Loraine highway. The sun dips below the tree line. Sam notices cattle in the field at Knee Deep Cattle Company, wondering if people are still alive there. The road is quiet, empty, and Sam begins
to relax, sagging into the seat, her long, copper hair falling out of the bun, cascading over her shoulders. Everyone’s worked hard, leaving little energy left to talk.
Nearly at the city limits, Rob asks, “What’s that up ahead?” Jessie sits up, looking out the front window.
“Crazies!” There’s a group not far down the Hill. “Can we avoid them by turning?”
“Maybe. They look close to that turn,” Sam says, hesitantly. She slows the truck. “What are they carrying?’
“It looks like tree branches?” Rob questions.
“I think so. How strange,” Sam says. Getting close to the intersection, it is clear that the crazies have seen the truck and are charging.
“Step on the gas!” Jonathan yells, leaning forward stiffly.
Sam accelerates in the turn trying to avoid the gang. The group charges the truck. She almost misses the group, but one of them is hit. “Keep going!” Rob demands. “It isn’t safe for us to stop. There are more of them than of us.” Jessie’s mouth is gaping in shock, watching out the back window as the guy gets up, limping back to his gang.
“Thank God we didn’t kill him,” Sam says. They zigzag through the hills back to the house, avoiding the main roads. There are a couple people wandering aimlessly half mile up from the house. They look confused and out of sorts. “Do you think those are crazies?”
“Yeah. They look weird. Don’t stop,” Jessie discourages.
Soon they’re turning down the last streets, almost home.
Twenty-Two
Eliana
Reunion
We’re just sitting down to dinner when Sheba starts growl-talking at the front window. “Do you think they’re back?” I shove my chair back, screeching the legs on the floor as I race to the window. “It’s them! They’re here!” Jedaiah’s hand grips mine.
“Omg!” Dixie cries.
The street looks quiet. “We should all help unload so everyone can eat together,” I say, striding through the door with Jedaiah, Sheba following. “Stay close,” I tell them. Sheba jumps on the gang, excitedly as they get out of the truck. There’s a stranger with them, climbing out of the truck. His worn cowboy boots emerge first, faded jeans follow, covering long, muscular limbs.
“Eliana, this is Jake,” Jessie introduces her husband as the rest of this tall, broad shouldered man appears. “Jake this is Eliana, Eli, and Jedaiah.” She claps Nick on the shoulder. “And Nick. You’re feeling better!”
“Nice to meet you, Jake!” Three chorus while Jedaiah hangs back behind me, peaking around my legs.
I walk around the back of the truck, grabbing a bucket of vegetables, handing Jedaiah a squash, and carrying them into the kitchen. More people and food follow. I head back out, grabbing a bag of frozen meat from the truck, carrying it to the freezer. “Look Jedaiah, we’re going to stack them here, like blocks okay? I’ll pass them to you.”
“Okay, like Legos,” he clarifies, taking the frozen bricks from me and beginning to stack them up. He has to stop, so we can make room for more. Sam brings a couple other bags.
“I’m trying to organize what’s in here so the meat can go together,” I explain.
Sam calls over her shoulder, “I think we brought six bags of meat so clear two shelves completely!”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” I assure her. “This is just disorganized. Look at this! An empty bag someone left in here!” I realize I’m talking to Jedaiah since Sam is gone. When she returns, we work together for a few minutes reorganizing until all the meat fits. Three more bags appear at our feet while we are working. “Listen, this is crazy, take some of it upstairs and some next door. There’s no sense in stressing trying to get it all in one place.”
“Bossy, aren’t you!” Sam laughs.
“Damn straight!” I chuckle in return.
Pretty soon we’re all at the table again. The kitchen is full of bags, baskets, and buckets of food to organize after dinner. Jedaiah scrambles into my lap.
“Well Jake, welcome to our humble home,” I welcome him, snuggling Jedaiah in. “Do you think you both will stay on?”
“I definitely want to stay. I don’t want to be alone in this new world.” Jessie makes it clear. “We can always go back up to our farm to care for the land and forage.”
“I think Jessie’s right.” Jake’s voice rumbles in a quiet bass. “But do you guys have enough medicine? I know I was violent before and biting’s not cool…”
“We have two others who survived the flu and need medication. We have a fair amount, but we’ll have to get more.” I start eating and thinking about that. What if we run out of medication and can’t get more? I make a mental list of places we can find medication, the behavioral health unit, homes, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, and potentially the jail.
The table is full of stories about Nick’s recuperation, Isaac’s madness, concerns for Jan, stories of the trip to and from Polyrock, bread making, and organization of food stores.
“What do you say we do some clean up after dinner, find space for the veggies, take stuff to the cellar, and organize what we have?” Sam takes charge. “I can’t believe yesterday we were worried about food.”
Rob and Jose move off to the side, probably to talk about well drilling, water storage, and gas for the stove.
I start filling the refrigerator with milk. Milk is stored next door and upstairs, while Katie and Gracie carry buckets of fruit and vegetables down to the cellar. There are some dry goods and oils that came from Jessie’s house.
By the time the food is organized, I’m exhausted. “I’m heading to bed. Does everyone know where they are sleeping?” Jake looks at Jessie.
“Is there still an empty house next door?” Jessie asks.
“There is. It’s a two bedroom. Do you want to go there with Jake?” I ask.
“Yeah, we’ll go there.”
I wake to a knock at the door, seeing that Gracie is already up. “Yes?”
“Eliana, can I come in?” It’s Jose. Butterflies dance in my stomach. Is he coming to talk about us? Would I want him to? It’s nice having him here. He’s always been a good man. I realize I miss snuggling with him.
“Sure. Come on in.” He opens the door, enters, and closes it behind him.
“Can I sit down?” I nod. He sits on the edge of the bed. “I wanted to talk to you before breakfast. Rob and I both agree that we need to go to Home Depot or Lowes to get some supplies. We need to build a water storage tank, dig a well, and change the stove configuration for when the gas stops. We looked it over this morning and we know what we need. You were talking about needing to go to Grower’s and Hummingbird.”
“Is your leg healed enough to go? I know you’re not completely healed.” My shoulders tighten, but I know this trip is necessary.
“We need to go. My leg has healed enough, since I’m not limping any more, and Rob needs my help. He doesn’t know this stuff as well as I do. What about you? Sam likes this stuff. Would she know food as well? Or do you think you need to go?”
“We’d have to take two trucks, wouldn’t we? We’d need to fill one with food and one with building supplies.” I’m processing out loud as usual.
“Si, niña.”
“I hate being here while you guys are gone and it’s probably my turn by now.”
“Okay. We can talk more at the table. I just wanted to check with you, first because you know more about food than anyone I know.” He smiles then and touches my hair. Then he gets up and leaves. Does he still love me? I lay and meditate for a while, manifesting a safe and fruitful trip. My mind keeps wandering back to Jose’s touch to my hair, feeling his hand that close to my face.
I remember when we met at a salsa class. He would dip me, getting very close to kissing me, but didn’t. Our eyes would meet, and I would swim in his deep, soulful, brown eyes, feeling very connected to him. I remember him coming to my house in the beginning and noticing I needed a new fence. It was falling down in places. He propped it up
with metal supports and then made plans to replace it. When we moved in together, I would tell him about things that made me stressed out while he held me, supporting me. I admit I’ve missed him.
When I enter the main room, breakfast is ready and most are seated. I grab a plate. “Who cooked?” There are pancakes and scrambled eggs. There aren’t a huge amount of eggs but that’s where I gravitate.
“Morgan and I,” Gracie says.
“Thanks ladies. This is so nice.” I scoop food onto my plate and join the group. Finding Jedaiah in my chair, he climbs into my lap.
“I think we need to go to Home Depot. Didn’t you think we need more food?” Jose says.
“The guys were talking about needing stuff for a well, water storage, and the stove,” Sam says. “We need flour and stuff like that. I’d like to really stock up if possible.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I have a key to Grower’s and their walk-in refrigerator might still have some decent food in it. Oranges at least last a while. I am pretty familiar with Hummingbird since a friend worked there.” I run through ideas as Jedaiah rests his head against my chest.
“Maybe you should go with us,” Sam suggests.
“I could go, I guess. Katie, you would stay to take care of Nick and Faith?” Jedaiah begins whining.
Nick disagrees. “I’d actually like to go with you guys. I’m okay as long as I’m on medication. Shouldn’t we try to get some more medicine with three of us needing it?”
“That’s a good point,” Jonathan agrees. “I could see how long I think the medication will last, given that three of us are taking it.” He gets up to inventory the medicine.
“I should probably join the group that’s going,” Jake suggests.
“I’d be happy to stay here,” Jessie says.
“Since we need to take two trucks, I think we should have four to a truck,” Rob suggests.
“I’m still dizzy so I probably should stay here,” Alex admits.
“I want to go,” Simon informs us. “What about you, Morgan?” He eyes her up and down.
Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion ( Page 20