Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion (

by Hernandez, Erica

“Let’s keep moving and focus on the fuckin’ exercise. Then on the way back we can stop and fill our packs,” Alex says. They mumble agreement, continuing the hike. There are flattish, grassy areas where they can jog, but most of the yards are lumpy with long grass, bushes, and uneven ground. Sam makes a mental note to take Eliana to look at potential fruit trees.

  “Okay, this is the last yard, so we’ll have to climb this fence, watch for crazies, and if it’s clear, cross the road,” Jose explains. The fence has a board at mid height so it’s easy to boost up and peek over. They scope out Ellen Street, admiring the quiet, before they hop to the ground and cross. The first house has no fence and a mess of rotten apples litter the side yard. They continue through several blocks of apparently empty houses.

  “Did you hear that?” Eli hisses at them to stop. They hide behind a group of bushes, listening. Three crazies come barreling out of the house ahead to their right.

  “It’s the government, trying to get rid of us,” one says loudly.

  “We’ve got to band together to stop them!” another agrees.

  “They’ve been following us. They’re out front now. We need to escape. I bet we can get away if we head up the hill.”

  They sit silently, unmoving, waiting for the group to move away. They head up the hill, then off to the right.

  “I think we can move again.” Sam pats Eli. “Nice ear.” They continue up the hill, weaving through residential roads, cautiously crossing streets, staying in back yards.

  “My parents had a garden in their back yard. She had a winter crop too.” Morgan says quietly. “I remember her being very big on carrots and beets. I’m sure she has other things too.” Her voice cracks, sobbing before she stops it.

  “I’m sure she was a wonderful gardener!” Sam responds, rubbing her back. They cross a few more yards. “It’s hard walking through back yards!” Sam grumbles. The houses all appear empty. They continue towards Morgan’s house.

  “Shhhh!” Gracie says. They all stop, taking cover behind a tree and some bushes. Sam notices people at the back door of a house just ahead. A man steps out on the porch with a gun in his hand, another man follows similarly armed. They’re conferring together but Sam can’t hear what they’re saying. A young head pops out and is pushed back in. A child. There’s no guarantee crazies wouldn’t have a child with them. They stay still, silent, none of them confident that these people are safe. The men come out, perusing their yard. Then one looks right at the group, leaning toward his friend, pointing.

  “Hey, guys, we’re healthy. If you guys are too, stick an arm out of the bushes and wave it, like this.” He sticks his left arm out to the side and waves it. “It’ll be the peace flag,” he says, chuckling a little. Those of our group on the edges, stick an arm out, waving. The guy nods.

  “Okay. I see your peace flags. We’re going to lower our weapons slowly. Please lower yours and come say hello!” He and his friend lower their weapons as the group lower theirs.

  “Let’s go. Looks like we’ve found another group of normies,” Sam teases. “We can stay cautious, not going indoors until we feel it out.”

  The group comes out of hiding, heading over. “They seem cool,” Nick says.

  “You guys gave me a fucking heart attack!” The guy chuckles again. “I’m Jay and this is Nate.” Jay is a forty something, barrel-chested guy with a mop of brown waves and circular wire rimmed glasses. His hearty chuckle is warm, relaxed. Next to him Nate is notoriously quiet, a blonder mop of curls encases his head, yet they’re clearly related.

  “My heart was attacked as well,” Jose laughs.

  “We met crazies a few blocks down,” Sam informs them.

  Jay chuckles again. “This is a crazy world we’re living in.”

  “Do you guys have a safe place?” Nate asks.

  “Yeah, man, we’ve got a place a mile down, a little closer to the fucking mobs, but it’s okay.” Alex laughs.

  “You guys want to come in for a minute. I’m sure the group would like to know there are other healthy people.” Jay’s chuckle is like a cat’s purr.

  They look at each other. Sam offers the slightest of nods as does Jose, then follows them in. “How many have you gathered?” Jose asks.

  “There are eleven of us. Some of us are out looking for family, we hope they’ll return,” Jay explains as we enter. “Sweetheart, they’re nice people,” Jay says to a door. “You can come out now, it’s okay.” A woman and a little girl enter the room. The little girl Sam saw before stays close to her mother, both sharing the slender frame and blonde curls of the young man.

  “Please come in, sit down. I’m Elise, this is Sahara.” She ruffles Sahara’s curls, leading us to the living room. “Please sit.”

  “How’re you managing? Your husband mentioned there were eleven of you?” Sam asks sitting near her.

  “Eleven?” She pauses. “There were eleven…” A tear leaks from her eye. “There aren’t anymore.”

  “What happened?” Sam asks, touching her arm.

  “Nate, could you take Sahara and read her a story?” she implores. Sahara nestles even closer to Elise.

  Nate comes over. “Sahara, you and I are due for some snuggling.” He burrows his face into her belly. “And some tickling!” He says, blowing a raspberry on a crack of skin. “And I’ll read you a book when you’re all worn out!” He picks her up and she hangs around his neck, burrowing in. He carries her off down the hall.

  “It must be bad,” Sam says, keeping her hand firmly on Elise’s arm.

  “It was awful. My daughter-in-law was out front with her older daughter, picking pears…” She chokes. “A group of crazies came out of nowhere…” She pauses, crying. “Oh, my God! They came with weapons,” she starts crying in earnest, leaning on Sam, quiet, racking sobs. “So much blood! They crushed their skulls and we had to stand in the house and watch!” Her sobs stay quiet but intensify in her body. Sam can feel the tenseness in her muscles, the grip of her fisted hands, and the soaking of Sam’s shirt from her tears. No one says a word while she cries. Sam notices her husband turn away, looking at the floor. He seems overwhelmed with the guilt of the protector. Sam hears Nate and Sahara’s laughter from the other room.

  Elise’s crying continues for several minutes, gradually abating. “I’m so sorry,” she says.

  “It’s okay.” Sam sits back awkwardly. “We’ve all had losses.”

  She smiles then. “Let me offer you something to drink.”

  “Water would be fine,” Sam tells her.

  Elise gets up, bringing a tray of waters. They all have some. “How many are you? Are you nearby?”

  “We’re down the hill on Todd street, about a block from Eighteenth,” Sam explains.

  “We’ve got about twenty in our group, but a few of us are out getting food,” Dixie explains in her chirpy way.

  “Wow, you’ve got a big group!” Jay’s chuckle is noticeably absent.

  “The bigger the better,” Jose laughs. “More survivors to find, more hands to get the work done!”

  “We didn’t see a garden when we came in. Are you guys growing any food?” Sam asks.

  “We have a couple fruit trees in front and a few small raised beds in back but not much, not anywhere near enough for this group.” Elise’s voice falls a bit.

  “We didn’t figure we could grow anything at this time of year,” Nate adds, returning with Sahara under his arm.

  Sam rubs Elise’s shoulder a little. “My dear friend has a connection with a local farmer. Our group should be out there now. When they get back we’ll have a better idea how things are at the farm. We’ve been getting meat and milk from them in trade, partly for working.”

  “Nate and I are hard workers.” Jay’s hand settles on Sam’s shoulder. “We’d love to join you next time you go, if that would be okay.”

  Sam looks up at him standing behind the couch. “We’ll know more this evening. I’m guessing they would be glad for the help.” Sam stands up. “We should pro
bably continue on. You guys are welcome to visit us down the hill as well.”

  The group begins heading for the door. Jay looks at Eli. “Are you always this quiet, young man?” He has a teasing tone in his voice.

  Eli smiles a little. “Kinda.”

  Jay claps Jose on the back. “It was great meeting you guys. Us normies got to stick together, huh!?“

  Elise and Sam hug. “Thanks for the shoulder,” she says quietly.

  “No problem. It needed a work out!”

  Morgan tussles Sahara’s hair. “You sure are cute!”

  They walk out, waving to their new friends.

  “Can we drop in at my and Faith’s houses?” asks Morgan. “We’re so close.”

  “Claro que si,” Jose says. Of course.

  They head further up the hill, Morgan staying in front, showing them how to cut through the back yards to arrive at her house. They head inside, lifting their shirts up to cover their noses, the odor of decomposing flesh assaults their senses. Morgan heads immediately to her bedroom, while the rest head to the kitchen.

  “Why don’t we go jog around the water tower first, then pick up what we need from here?” Sam looks at the others as Morgan returns. They nod and, heading cautiously out the front door, across the street, and begin jogging up and around the water tower.

  Returning sweaty from their run, they load up dried goods, filling several packs.

  “I have a little more room in mine.” Morgan says entering the kitchen. “I’d like to get a few things for Faith from next door. Could someone go with me?” Her voice cracks and Gracie hugs her as she breaks down in sobs.

  “I can go,” Jose says as her sobbing subsides. Eli follows along, while the rest remove the remaining food from the kitchen.

  “Let’s go check the garden.” Sam starts out the back door with Alex, Dixie, and Gracie following. Gracie vomits, just to the side of the door.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t wait anymore.”

  Sam rubs her back a little, “I know. I almost did too.” They head to the garden.

  “I’m keeping watch,” Alex states.

  “Wow, there’re lots of carrots, beets, and even lettuce here!” They take all the carrots, beets, and the last few heads of lettuce from the ground, beating off the dirt. They pick brussel sprouts and kale, loading the last back packs down with produce.

  “Oh, good, you’re getting the vegetables!” Morgan cries as they return.

  “There’s a lot!” Jose exclaims. “We’ll have to come back with a truck. Faith’s parents have a pantry of food and no one is left alive in the house. There’s just the foul odor.”

  They’re all relieved to be outside again. They head back up to the porch to get the full packs left there, then head down for the return trek.

  “Maybe on the way back, we’ll know where to be fucking cautious!” Alex laughs. They wave at Jay and Nate on the way by, staying quiet to listen for crazies. The packs are heavy, making the hike harder work than before. The return trip is quiet and soon they arrive home.

  “Well, look who’s here!” Maddie says, rushing to hug us as we walk in, Sheba growls, dances around them, and jumps up to give kisses.

  “Come to papa!” Alex teases as Maddie offers him a hug.

  “I’m so glad you guys made it back okay. Any problems on the way?”

  “We had a brief crazy scare,” Gracie shares.

  “But the big news is we met some more normies up the hill!” Dixie is bouncing with excitement, her black corkscrews bouncing on her back.

  “Where is everyone?” Sam asks, watching Jose head to the front door. “Are they all outside working on the fence?”

  “Yeah, the fence was the priority. Katie comes in from time to time to check on Faith. I’ve been in here making bread.” Maddie waves her hand over the hot loaves she has just removed from the oven, with the dramatic flair of Wheel of Fortune assistant, Vanna White.

  They head out front, admiring the progress. There is barbed wire around the front yard. Six people working on continuing the barbed wire atop the fences of the neighboring yards. Even Gini helped. They added a two-foot frame to the top of the already tall fences, attaching the barbed wire to the wood at the bottom and winding it around the frame at the top. Rob, Justin, and Jose already added a gate across the driveway so there is no open access.

  “I’ll stay out here to continue the barbed wire installation until dinner.” Jose gets right to work.

  “Yeah, this is the right fucking job for me,” Alex adds following Jose.

  They divide up naturally by interest. Sam follows Maddie back inside to put food away before starting dinner.

  “I’ll take the picture to Faith and put our things away. I’ll be back soon.” Morgan heads towards the couch, where Faith is sleeping.

  “Wow, you guys brought back the motherload!” Maddie exclaims as we begin unloading packs.

  They take much of it to the cellar, adding the contributions to the list on the wall. “It looks like we have a lot of food but we need 1800 pounds of food to feed us for a month and that’s modest,” Sam explains, mentally calculating how much they brought back today, 150 pounds if they’re lucky.

  Maddie just stands in the little path in the cellar with her mouth open. “It seems like so much. It’s packed in here.”

  “It’s crazy isn’t it?” Sam heads for the stairs. “That’s not all of it either. I’m going to see if we get to eat meat for dinner.” She tromps out to the freezer. It’s looking pretty depleted. There is frozen fruit from all the berries they picked in the summer, which haven’t been used yet, as they eat fresh apples and pears. But, as for meat, she’s not finding much. She digs around, hoping to scrounge up something. She begins organizing the berries, salsa, and frozen vegetables. “Oh! Look!” She cries, finding two pounds of buried salmon. It’s not enough, but it’s better than nothing. She carries it inside. “Look what I found!”

  “Salmon! Wow!” Maddie and Gracie shriek in unison.

  “It’s not enough. We’ll have to add beans or quinoa to have enough to eat. I thought we could make a salmon chowder. What do you think?”

  “Good idea!” Dixie claps. “Does Eliana have a recipe?”

  “Any chowder recipe will do. We can make two pots, one with potatoes and one with sun chokes. I’ll go dig some up. Thankfully we’ve had a frost, there’ll be less gas!” She’s laughing as she walks to the front window. No one is in the yard as the fence crew has moved on. She grabs her coat, both dogs following. She finds a small shovel and gloves, a bucket, and goes out to dig. Eliana planted these tubers several years ago and they’re aggressive. She used to complain about how difficult it was to contain them. Now Sam’s grateful for the food. Filling a bucket is easy. She hauls her load to the hose. The pressure isn’t what it used to be, but it’s sufficient. She rinses the roots, draining out the filthy water. “Well there is no shortage of sun chokes!” She says walking inside.

  “Wow! That’s a huge bucket!” Dixie is impressed.

  “We’ll see how well you digest them! We’re used to them,” Sam chuckles. “Eliana saw to it that we had these a number of times to adjust.”

  “My mom says some people call them fartichokes!” Gracie laughs.

  They begin the usual banter while they prepare the pots of soup, varying the recipe to suit what they have.

  “We’re used to them but the rest of you beware!” Sam teases. “Actually, the rest of you could have a few sun chokes and eat more of the potato chowder to adjust to the sun chokes. They’ll keep us in food. Luckily you all have the opportunity to get used to them slowly.”

  “That is fortunate!” Maddie laughs.

  The soup begins simmering as they take loaves of bread from the oven.

  Sheba begins growl-talking.

  “Ooh, I hope that’s them!” Sam follows Sheba and Mike to the front window. “Yep. That’s Jessie’s truck.” She scopes out the yard and driveway before stepping outside to help them unload. Rob, Eliana, and Simon
get out.

  “Oh, no! What happened to Jessie and Nadir?” Sam’s voice is raised in horror.

  “Don’t worry,” Eliana explains. “Jan needed help so they stayed. Isaac ran off and she couldn’t manage all the work herself. We’ve promised to return within a week to bring more help and rotate workers.”

  “We visited Judd’s community in Hawkin’s Heights on the way back,” Rob adds.

  “Where is everyone?” Eliana looks around. “I thought Alex would want to go because they have a marijuana grow.”

  “They’re working on the fences, adding barbed wire,” Sam tells her, soberly.

  Thirty

  Eliana

  Cold Prep

  It’s so good to be back. “Let’s create an assembly line, don’t you think?” Sam gushes, “Oh, look there are the rest! Are you coming back to help? Or just to see what they got?!”

  “I just want to see what shit you got!” Alex teases.

  “I got something for you to look at when we unbury it!” I say, excitedly. “They’ve got a marijuana grow out there. Isaac was handling it but he got sick and ran off, so you’re the man. I brought you some cuttings with strain information so you can see how close they are and check the quality!” I thump him on the back. “Doesn’t that just make your day?”

  “You know it!” He rubs my arm. “Let’s do this thing!”

  I follow Sam to the back of the truck and we get an assembly line going. I begin passing things out with storage instructions, starting with milk, then medicine, then the cases of wine, and the marijuana for Alex to check out.

  “Hey guys, take a break and come eat!” Maddie calls from the house.

  “Okay,” Sam puts milk on the table.

  “There’s more milk that I thought,” I say, confused. “I thought there would only be five after giving some to Sasha!” We sit down to eat dinner, then split groups into unloading, organizing food, and kitchen cleanup.

  “Mom, this weed is almost ready!” Alex bursts into the kitchen. “Another week might do it! This’ll be good to smoke though. Anyone want to try some? It would make cleaning more fun!”