Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion (

by Hernandez, Erica

  “Well, they’re off to a great start,” she acknowledges.

  “I also brought these in, to keep them alive,” I explain, pointing to several herbs, a tomato plant and a few hot pepper plants.

  “Lemon verbena, tarragon, and lemon grass. What’s that?” she points at a large, furry plant.

  “Cuban oregano,” I explain as she steps back outside.

  We walk by one garden, butted up against the green house. “Ooh, you have lots of cilantro!” She admires the bed. “What’s in that one?” She points to another bed as we cross the yard. “I mean the peppermint is obvious, but what’s behind it?” Jedaiah runs to the trampoline, climbing up to jump, making silly faces at me.

  “Asparagus. It’s been producing for a few years now. Over here you can see brassicas, roots, fruit, and berries we’ll enjoy next year.”

  “It was hard to leave my garden, but I don’t have that much food,” she says. “A lot of it was ornamental. So, what about back here?” She heading for our biggest garden.

  “There’re more brassicas, herbs we’re trying to over winter. Then Jose and Rob are building cold frames to grow food in during the winter. I don’t know how they’ll do, but we’ve got to try.”

  “Thank God!” She puts her hands, firmly on her hips. “It’s hard to imagine a winter without vegetables.”

  “We’ve also made note of where there are gardens up the hill, so we can get more vegetables. Worst comes to worst, we can pick dandelion greens.”

  “Well, there’s that! I could help out here. I’ve discovered some methods to sustainably enhance the growth of plants in back yard gardens.” She is a landscape architect but got her master’s degree in some form plant enhancement.

  “Good. We’re going to need all the help we can get. You, Jose, and Alex can put your heads together.” I head to the chicken coop to see if there are any eggs. “You’re such a great jumper, Jedaiah!”

  “Look, Eliana! The apple tree is healthy!” Jose is animated about this Golden Delicious, which was sick for years.

  “That’s amazing. It’s producing great apples.” I pick a few more apples. “My sister wants to help with the gardens.”

  “Let her know I’m working over here if she wants to come help? I can bring the eggs when I come,” he offers.

  “Okay.” I say and to Jedaiah, “You’re jumping really high!” I head back over to where she is perusing the vegetable garden. Alex is heading out.

  “Hey cutie. How ya doin’?” I ask.

  “I’m fuckin’ fabulous! I tried out some of that bud and it’s really close, really good shit!” He heads past. “Portia, you fuckin’ drove all the way from Portland?”

  She hugs him, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Portia, Jose wants to show you…”

  She interrupts me. “Not necessary. I’ll just talk to Alex about the gardens.”

  “This was something else, but if you don’t want to listen, we can talk later.” My chest aches from her disregard.

  “See. This is why you have problems with your relationships!” Her tone is harsh. I’m shocked. She interrupts me, laying on the insult. I’m about to answer, then I turn around and head for the house, finding Jedaiah holding my hand. If she’s insulting me, it’s obviously not a good time to talk.

  Jose stops me crossing the yard. “Hey, I heard you guys talking about what happened to our niece. I think we should get the group together at lunch and plan a watch crew. Hopefully, sick people like that won’t ever find us, but I’d rather be prepared.”

  “You’re right. Should we talk about it at lunch? It’s important the girls are aware.”

  “I’d rather Gracie didn’t know but I think it’s unavoidable,” He looks pointedly at Jedaiah. “It’s probably better everyone knows we’re taking precautions.” He starts to reach for me, then stops.

  “It’s okay,” I tell him. He was going to hug me, I’m sure of it, but I’m not quite confident enough to hug him. He just looks at me and doesn’t reach out again. I head inside with the apples to what sounds like a party in the kitchen. “Hey, guys, don’t party without me!” I head through the mudroom, to the kitchen. “Whatcha guys makin’?”

  “We’re making some kick-ass soup!” Maddie exclaims.

  “Yeah, this broth is amazing,” Gracie adds, plucking Jedaiah off the floor.

  I walk over to Gracie and hug her one armed while she stirs the soup. “You gonna give me a taste or do I have to beg?” I’m trying to stay light hearted but I’m hurting inside from Portia’s insults and Jose not continuing his effort to connect. I was doing fine without Portia here. I still wonder why they came, given that it was a two-hour drive before the Mortiferum Virus, and their trip took days. My thoughts bounce between Portia, family members showing up, and wondering if I’m ready to resume a relationship with Jose. I always struggled with his lack of communication about emotionally intimate issues. We could always talk about kids or household issues, now some of that would translate into new solutions for a new world, but not our own intimacy.

  “Here.” Gracie lifts the spoon and gives me a taste, juggling Jedaiah.

  “Yummy. Is there meat?” I’m hankering for chicken.

  “It’s got beef in it.”

  “I wanna taste,” Jedaiah whines.

  When everyone’s seated, Jose looks at me, pointedly.

  “Many of you probably heard Stephen’s story about my niece. We heard a similar story from Danielle a while back. Clearly things are changing and becoming more dangerous. Remember what happened yesterday? I think they’re becoming more organized. Jose and I were talking about developing a watch crew. Does anyone have an opinion on the matter?”

  “I have to agree with you guys,” Rob interjects. “Jake and I were talking about the same thing.” A number of others in the group have similar concerns, while the rest are quiet. While we eat, Sam offers to develop a schedule. She organizes jobs that need to be done, people interested in the watch crew, and creates a rotating schedule for all chores based on interest and skill.

  “We’ll have to avoid having anyone who has had the flu on guard at night, because lost sleep could exacerbate the mental problem.” I clarify this as Sam creates the schedule because some people are offering to do jobs that are not wise for them. “But they can help with guard duty during the day.”

  “That’s a good point. It’s possible we would get worse with lost sleep.” Jonathan has seen similar things and knows where I’m coming from.

  Sam gets the schedule done and people head off to their designated jobs. I’ll be cooking tonight but don’t need to start right away. I’ll check out my options, size up the freezer, and how much meat we have. We have twenty-three people now. We’re cooking at least 3 pounds of meat and that’s stretching it. I head out to the freezer to have a look. Assuming we can get more at Polyrock, I think we will have enough. I get out a leg of lamb to defrost. Dixie and Gracie are in the kitchen with Bree. Nadir takes Jedaiah.

  “Are you guys on kitchen duty?” I ask. “I’d love some help.”

  “Yes. Thank God,” says Dixie. “I do not want guard duty. Laundry’s not too bad, we’re on that tomorrow. Music is getting rationed now since we have to survive on generators, but it’s easy to charge a phone while the washer and dryer are running!” She gushes.

  “We can dance while the washer is running!” Gracie teases.

  Gini walks in. “Portia said I could go. She didn’t need help in the garden.” I practically gawk at her. She hasn’t said that much since she arrived.

  “I’d rather work in here too. This is the warmest room in the house except by the wood stove.” Gracie rubs up against me teasingly.

  Rob walks in from the back yard. “It feels like the weather is turning. I’m afraid it’s going to freeze tonight. I’m going to take Sam, Alex, and Jake into some neighboring houses to bring down more blankets.”

  “Make sure they’re not from an infected house,” Sam insists.

  “Thanks
, Rob,” I say. “I’ve been wondering how people are doing who are sleeping alone. We need to make this a regular check in as we move through the winter.”

  That night at dinner, our issues are addressed. “I would like those on guard to check in and I’d like to hear if people are warm enough at night. We need to think more about keeping warm this winter. I think it may freeze tonight.” Rob introduces his concerns.

  “It’s been pretty cold on the couch already.” Jose informs us.

  “It’s cold on the floor too,” Alex adds.

  “I’ve been cold,” Faith adds.

  “We could use bed warmers: a hot brick, a hot water bottle, or a jar with hot water in it.” Sam points out.

  “It got cold enough that we decided to share the bed,” Gracie adds. “When it gets really cold at night, Danielle joins us. It gets really tight. We can’t get three in the bed all night long.”

  “No, that’s not practical,” I agree.

  “Yeah, sometimes I just get in with them for a while to warm up.” Danielle is a little embarrassed.

  “We will bring a bunch more blankets down from some of the empty houses,” Rob explains. “It’s going to get colder this month, and in December, and January.”

  “With the bed warmers and enough comforters, we won’t need to worry,” I point out. “Rob, keep your eye out for down comforters.”

  There’s a buzz of conversation as people process the issue of something as basic as warmth. It does get quite cold in the winter, nights well below freezing is normal as winter deepens. We’ve even had some winters as cold as Finland since global climate change. It’s a killing cold and I hope we don’t experience another winter like that for a long time. There’s going to be limited energy from the solar panels this winter so we’re going to have to depend on wood heat, to avoid using the gas. We’re also going to need to avoid lights to save the energy for more important things, like the washing machine. We’re already hanging clothes to dry on wooden racks in the laundry room and near the wood stove. Thank God I have my mother’s kerosene lamps and candle sticks.

  “We could have rotating shifts to keep the fire going during the night,” Jessie suggests. Danielle nods.

  “I’d be happy to take a bed partner!” Simon banters.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m down for that!” Eli elbows Simon, knowingly.

  “I’m fuckin’ ready!” Alex adds loud enough for anyone to hear.

  ”We’ll just have a lottery for who gets to sleep with whom!” Maddie says, sarcastically.

  “On a more serious note, maybe some of us could bunk together, just on a friendly basis,” Danielle suggests. “At least in the bigger beds. We might check tomorrow and see if any more of the empty houses have wood stoves.”

  “I know there are more wood stoves in the neighborhood. I think there’s one a couple houses up, maybe the one just south of the house you guys are in,” I say to Sam and Rob.

  “For now, we brought some camping mats and sleeping bags down since I got the impression you guys wanted to stay here tonight,” Danielle says.

  “I’d be happy to help with fire duty,” Stephen offers.

  “Me too,” Nate adds.

  “It is actually pretty cold next door. The house is pretty big, but there’s no wood stove,” Sam explains. “We use the oven to heat the kitchen in the morning. We may have to quit using that house and move up one. It’s just too cold. This one is much better insulated. Nice job, Jose.”

  He grins his thanks. “I guess we could work on insulating the other houses.”

  “That’s great,” I say. “I just want everyone to have a warm bed.”

  “I think I’m going to sleep on the front living room couch since it’s vacant.” Jose claims it.

  “We’ll be fine on the floor tonight,” Nate emphasizes.

  “Danielle, if Bree doesn’t need you here, you’re welcome to come sleep with me. I’m in a queen-sized bed next door,” Maddie offers. “But it is cold.”

  “Do you think more blankets would help?” I ask, concerned.

  “Maybe. Bree, is that okay with you, since you have Gracie?” Danielle asks.

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” Bree agrees.

  “How about you, Gini?” She walks over to Gini and touches her back.

  Gini just nods, agreeing.

  “I guess I’ll take you up on that!” Danielle agrees. “Then maybe we won’t need additional heat!” She, Maddie, and Justin head out.

  Rob and Jose bring in the mats and sleeping bags.

  “I’m going next door to get that wood stove going,” Jake says, heading off.

  “Sam, you want to help me in the kitchen?” I ask brightly. “I bet we could get the kitchen spiffed up in no time!”

  “Don’t leave me out! I know you guys are going to make it a party in there!” Dixie laughs, heading into the kitchen, teasing and hip bumping.

  “Portia, would you like to help me in the garden?” Jose asks. “It’s dark, but I have head lamps. It feels like it may freeze tonight so we should cover the plants.”

  “Yeah, what do you have to put around the plants?” Portia follows Jose out back, with Alex following.

  “We have good mulch.” Alex’s voice fades as he heads out the back door.

  When the kitchen is done, we return to the living room for a game of cards. Alex returns just before we start. “Can I talk to you outside?”

  “Do you guys mind waiting?” I ask the girls.

  “Go ahead. We’ll recruit some more players!” Bree and Gracie giggle.

  I follow Alex through the garage and outside for some privacy. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’ve been thinking about the marijuana at the farm. The buds we have are pretty close. A couple of the strains are high CBD strains, good for sleep and anxiety. One of them encourages appetite. You wanna try one with me? It’s an indica/sativa hybrid. I think it’s going to be really nice.”

  “Sure, I’ll try it with you. I’m pretty shaken with Portia showing up. It could help right now but I’d rather stick with mostly indica so it won’t interfere with my sleep.” We’re quiet while he loads his pipe.

  “I’ve got just the one for you.” We smoke a couple hits. “Are you good?” he asks.

  “Yeah. I’m good.” We stand there for a few moments feeling it relax us.

  “I’d like to get out to the farm again pretty soon to check on the plants,” he reiterates.

  “We need to go because we promised and we’ll need more meat.”

  We head back in, bumping into Nadir and Jedaiah. I hug him, “Good night squirt. I love you.”

  “I love you, aunt Elli.”

  Stephen, Nate, and Portia are now in on the game. “Some of you could sleep upstairs if you wanted. There are a couple mats up there which are vacant. They’re on a thicker rug too.”

  “We’re good down here tonight, but we can talk about other options tomorrow,” Stephen says.

  The game gives us an hour reprieve before we head off to bed. Jose follows me to the bathroom. “Can I join you to brush my teeth?” He asks.

  “Sure.”

  “It’s nice being back here,” he tells me. “I just miss you at night. It feels so cold without you next to me.” He reaches out, touching my cheek.

  “You were always my radiator,” I smile. “Gini’s been sleeping with me, but maybe now that Danielle went next door, she’ll want to sleep with the girls soon.”

  He steps in a little closer, whispering. “It’s driving me crazy living here and not sleeping with you. I miss your legs…” He reaches down, running his hand along my left leg. “Your body still looks like you’re twenty.”

  “Aww, That’s sweet. You look pretty good yourself,” I tell him. His hair is jet black with no obvious grey, but he has a receding hairline. I touch his cheek. We struggled being together but it was never that bad. My problem was his lack of willingness to cook but now in this community, there are lots of people to cook so it doesn’t matter as much. I think of
all the work he does outside with fences, security, the well, and the garden. He’s a crucial member of our community. The nature of our relationship is changing.

  “So, how is the well coming? Have you found water?”

  “We have!” He gets animated. “We were struggling to find a spot to dig when Justin came out, saying he’s a water witch. He used a stick and was pulled towards that spot at the bottom of the slide. So, we dug there and struck water with that amazing drill! Está muy nitido!” It’s so cool.

  “That’s amazing, not to have to carry water from the creek up the hill!” I just stand there, marveling over how much work he helped us avoid. Our water pressure has been waning the last couple days and we figured our days of running water were numbered.

  “Let me think about it and talk with Gini,” I say, finally, responding to his initial request.

  He reaches to pull me into a hug. “I’ve never stopped loving you,” he whispers into my ear.

  I lean in, feeling his arms around me, secure and comfortable.

  Later in bed with Gini snuggled up next to me, I ask her, “Now that Danielle is moving, do you think you’d want to sleep with the other girls?”

  “I dunno, maybe. I miss my mom and dad…” The tears begin. Maybe she’s not ready yet.

  Thirty-Two

  Eliana

  Dulling Infected

  Days pass without incident. Portia and I cross paths briefly, politely without any extensive conversations. Having meditated, I climb out of bed and do yoga. Walking to the kitchen, I think about how low our freezer looked last night. The meat was slim pickings.

  Portia is leading the kitchen crew. “Good morning!”

  “I made you tea.” Maddie points to the tea kettle, moist with condensation. It’s a stainless-steel pot that I never used on the stove because it doesn’t whistle.

  “Thanks Maddie, you’re so thoughtful.” I pour myself some tea.

  “I wanted some too. You have great tea here!”

  “Do you have any black tea?” Portia asks. She starts fishing around in the cupboard. She looks at me, “I only drink black tea.”