Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion (

by Hernandez, Erica

  “Oh, my God! She’s dead! My baby’s dead!” Her tears cascade down her cheeks.

  “I know. I know. It’s unbearably painful.”

  “How can you? You don’t know!” She spits, pushing me away.

  “I do. My own son died. The pain has never left me.” My chest hitches remembering that first shock. She leans back into me, weeping on my shoulder. We stay like this for what seems like a long time. It reminds me of my first waves of grief, lasting 11/2 hours before I was so exhausted I couldn’t cry anymore.

  Eventually she stops, sniffling. “What will I do?” She asks me.

  “Just get through each moment and survive,” I tell her. “And cry. Many times, a day.”

  “I don’t want to stay here,” she says.

  “If your family agrees, you can come with us, if the rest can be moved.” She resumes crying quietly as I take her hand, leading her into the house. She walks straight to her husband’s side. “I don’t want to stay here. Oh god, I don’t want to stay!!” She crumples to her knees on the floor, falling over his chest. “They killed our baby!”

  “Cecelia? They killed Cecelia? Oh my God!” A cry is wrenched from deep in his chest.

  Sofia howls in grief while Spencer’s face tightens. Cyrus looks bewildered.

  “What do you think, guys? Could we move him on a sheet? Make a stretcher?” Sam looks at Oliver.

  “It’s possible.” Rob says. “We could also give you opiates. Do you even want us to try to lift you?”

  “For Savannah.”

  Rob leans over his head. “I’m going to try lifting your head, see if it’s tolerable for you, okay?”

  “Mmmm.”

  Rob lifts.

  “Aaaaah!” He screams in pain. “Noooo!”

  “Do you want to try opiates?”

  “I gave him some already,” I explain. “Does your car run?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah says.

  “Toss me a pillow while his head is up.” Rob suggests while Oliver moans. I toss a couch pillow which Rob tucks under Oliver’s head.

  “Savannah, do you have a strong sheet, or preferably a duvet? Oliver, do you still want to go, considering your pain? It may get better with the opiates. How long has it been since you gave them?”

  “Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Let me get Jonathan on the walkie talkie and see what he thinks of this.” I grab the walkie talkie. “We should be close enough. Hello? Anybody there?”

  It crackles to life with Dixie’s voice.

  “We’re okay. Can you get Jonathan or Katie?”

  “Katie! Take the walkie talkie. It’s Eliana!”

  “Eliana?” It’s Katie’s voice. “Are you guys okay?”

  “We’re fine but we responded to an S.O.S. call from Jessie’s neighbors. The dad was hit hard on the head. I’ve cleaned the wound, put salve on and bandaged it. It hurt him so badly I gave him opiates in jam. There’s still tremendous pain when his head is lifted. They don’t want to stay here after having been attacked by crazies.”

  She reviews the location and severity of pain, point of attack, range of motion, and detailed information about the wound. “So, you’re going to bring them here?”

  “If possible.”

  “Go ahead and give him another dose of the opiates if necessary. Do you have bud from the farm?”

  “Oh, God! Yes.”

  “Do you have a pipe?”

  “I’ll check the truck. Probably.”

  “Give him the CBD first. If it doesn’t work in 5-10 minutes, then give him another dose of opiates.”

  We sign off. “Can one of you go to the truck and look for a pipe, and a CBD bud? I’m pretty sure Alex brought them and left one in the truck.”

  “I have one in my room, in my bed side table,” Spencer admits. “If you have bud, that would be great. Maybe we could have some too.”

  “Which room?” I’m up.

  “I’ll get the bud.” Rob heads out.

  Spencer directs me and I head up the stairs to his room, grabbing the pipe and his lighter, then race back down the stairs. Rob meets me in the back room by Oliver. I load the pipe, put it to his lips, then pass it around to all the family members.

  “Does this have THC?” Savannah asks.

  “The bottle says 19.6% CBD and .9% THC,” I explain.

  She nods, allowing Cyrus to have some under these shocking circumstances. After she has some, she heads out, returning with a duvet cover. “Can you help me bury my daughter?” Her crying renews. Rob, Jake, and Sam follow her out.

  “Will you guys be okay for a few minutes while I go water the cows?” I ask. They nod. I head over to Jessie’s farm filling the water troughs. I pick some vegetables from the garden in the dimming light. Then I head back, leaving the vegetables in the truck.

  “Okay, man, let’s try again?” Rob is asking as I walk in.

  “Yeah, it’s less painful.” Oliver opens his eyes.

  “We’ll start at the other end this time,” Rob explains. Rob, Savannah, and Sam begin lifting him gradually onto the Duvet. “Spencer, Sofia, can you guys walk now?”

  They’ve been shifting a little. “Let me put more salve on.” There are no complaints as I salve up all three, rubbing it around the bandages on Oliver’s head.

  Sofia and Spencer gradually get up, walking to their truck and climb in the back seat. Savannah rolls a mat out in the bed of the pickup. We get Oliver on the Duvet, moving him to the bed of the truck. Savannah climbs in the front seat of Rob’s truck, staring vacantly while Sam goes to drive her truck. Cyrus and I load up their backpacks and a large basket, which they settle on their laps.

  “There’s more food here, if we ever get back,” Savannah tells us.

  “Is there a cellar?” I ask.

  “Yeah, we have food in a cellar,” she says in a monotone, tears continuing to leak from her eyes intermittently. Sofia and Spencer cry quietly. Cyrus looks shocked. I wonder if he witnessed Cecelia’s assault.

  At the last minute a German Shepherd comes out of the trees, jumping in the truck. “Wolf! You came! Oh! He’s bleeding!” Sofia exclaims.

  We’re ready to leave. “Is the bleeding slow or fast?”

  “It’s slow,” Spencer reports. “He’s licking it.”

  “Here. Put some salve on it and let’s get home.” As we’re pulling out, I contact our house.

  “Hello?”

  “Eliana, how are they?” Katie asks.

  “We managed to get them in their truck, we’re filled to capacity, and on our way back.”

  The return trip is easy and we arrive back at the house, tired, thirty-three strong.

  Thirty-Three

  Eliana

  Community Expansion

  Nate, Stephen, Katie, and Jonathan are on the porch, coming to greet us. Savanna stands shell-shocked as I pull her to me, holding her in my arms. Her tears resume.

  “Let’s get Oliver inside,” Rob instructs. I lead Savannah, watching the teens follow.

  “Is anyone else hurt?” Katie asks, following me inside.

  “Sofia and Spencer are both injured. They are all in shock, having suffered from the attack of the Crown Killer.”

  “We can save the couch for your dad,” Katie explains.

  I notice Gini at my side. “Hi Gini. How are you, sweetie?”

  She snuggles into my side. “Okay.”

  Jonathan takes over Oliver’s care. “Do you have salve handy, Elli?” He begins to peel off the bandage.

  “He’s worse than me.” Sofia points to Spencer. I grab the salve as Katie begins checking Spencer.

  “It’s my shoulders and my back,” he says.

  I take the salve to Jonathan, “Anything else I can do?”

  “You’ve done a great job already. This looks really good. Oliver, I’m going to put a bit of local anesthetic on it and give you a little morphine so I can give you a few stitches.” He turns back to me. “Can you get my bag?”

  “Sure.” I go bring it.

  R
eturning, I hear Katie speaking. “I think your back muscles are bruised. You may have strained tendons and I’m pretty sure you have a broken rib. It’ll heal on its own but you’ll have to be careful. No lifting anything beyond two or three pounds and we need to get salve on you several times a day. You could also be drinking comfrey tea.”

  I rub neat circles on Cyrus’ back. “I’m here for you when you’re ready to talk.”

  I hand Jonathan his bag. “Thanks.” He gets to work.

  “You want me to help salve up Spencer?” I ask as I head over to Katie.

  “Yes. That would be great. All over his back and shoulders. I’ll check Sofia. When you’re done, can you make them some comfrey tea?” She moves over to Sofia. “Can I see your injuries?” She asks Sofia.

  “It’s my wrists and ankles,” Sofia says blankly. “Oh! Careful!” Her voice gets tight with the pain.

  “How are you managing Spencer?” I ask, rubbing salve on his shoulders.

  “I don’t know. Better than if you guys hadn’t shown up. I can’t believe my little sister is gone.” His voice tremors.

  “It’s a painful road, losing someone so young, someone who wasn’t meant to die yet.” I find myself thinking of Rasheen. My chest constricts with the ache of loss. I see him in my mind, animated with the excitement of showing me his newest tattoo, standing in his grandparent’s home lifting up the leg of his shorts to show me the design on his knee. I push my grief away, listening to Spencer, hearing the sounds of someone trying not to cry. “Okay.” I pull his shirt back down. “I’m going to get something for you. I’ll be right back.” I go to the kitchen, gathering drawing paper and colored pencils.

  Portia says, critically, “The freezer’s full? Well, it’s probably a mess. I’ll go have a look. I bet I can make room for more.”

  “Wow, she always says stuff like that!” Gracie comments quietly.

  “Yeah. Well, at least she’s helping, but you’re right. She’s got a hair up her butt,” I agree, pulling out the water color pencils. I put the teapot on. “Can you put some of the tummy ache tea and some comfrey in a bag for when the water boils?” She nods as I head back into the living room to Spencer. “Can you sit up?”

  He shifts, moaning quietly. “Yeah.”

  Turing to Cyrus, I say, “I want you to try drawing your feelings. Or you could try drawing your family before Cecelia died and after. You need a way to process your grief, so I thought I’d give you some ideas.” I hand some supplies to Spencer and Sofia also. Spencer nods, accepting the pencils. His eyes are wet with tears. I stroke his hair, avoiding his back. I get Nate involved too, but Stephen declines.

  “You did a good job on the bandages,” Katie tells me. “Would you take Sofia into another room and check the rest of her for bruising? I’ll help you get there.” Katie looks back at Sofia. She murmurs as we help her to the back bedroom.

  “Is it okay if I lift up your shirt?” I ask her. She nods.

  I lift it gently. I see bruises and scratching around her hips. “Can I move your pants down?”

  She begins to cry. “They kept yanking on my pants!” I gently move her pants down, taking them off. The bruising and scratches all seem to be around the waist band and on the hips. They injured her but I don’t think they got her pants off. I begin putting salve on her scratches and bruises, while Katie caresses her.

  “I want you to know it’s not your fault. They are sick, terribly sick people. They didn’t manage to get your pants off, right?”

  She shakes her head as I start putting them back on. “Can you look in my pack to see if I have anything loose-fitting?” Her voice squeaks with the tears.

  I head out to get her back pack, stopping to check on Spencer. I pat him and Cyrus, “Good job.” I see they’ve started drawing.

  I pick up Sofia’s pack. “How’s the unloading going?” I ask Maddie who is putting things in the cupboards.

  “We’re making head way. We’ve got milk in every functioning refrigerator on the block! I can’t believe how much you brought back!” I give her the thumbs up, while heading back to Sofia. I set the pack on the bed. “Do you want me to look?” She nods. I unzip it and look inside.

  “Here are some long underwear or pajamas. They look like they might be snug to the body. Here are some leggings. Will they be soft enough?” She nods again and I help her put them on.

  “Do you want to stay here or go back to the living room?” Katie asks.

  “The living room is fine,” She says quietly.

  We help her to the living room. “Here’s some drawing paper for you also. Spencer and Cyrus can share the pencils. Draw something about how you feel, what happened, or something about the way your family was before and after, okay? Drawing will help you process your trauma and your grief.” She nods, accepting the paper.

  I head back into the kitchen.

  “I got the tea bag ready. Do you want honey in it?” Gracie asks.

  “Yeah. Thanks sweetie.”

  “You guys missed dinner. Do you want me to serve you?” She asks, reminding me I’m hungry.

  “Thanks, babe. I’ll go see if the others want to eat.” I head back in the living room. “Hey, guys, dinner is ready. Gracie is just going to heat some food up. Usually we eat at the table, but I know you guys are hurting so you can eat in here.”

  “I can come to the table,” Savannah says dully. “I don’t know if I can eat.”

  “You need to eat something, even if you don’t feel hungry.” I put my arm around her, walking her to the table. “I know you’re suffering from shock. It will protect you somewhat, but remember I’m here to support you.” I pull out a chair. Gracie sets a couple plates down.

  “Ooh, that smells good. Can you take a plate to them?”

  “Sure, mom.”

  I sit across from Savannah. I start eating and watch her fiddle with her food. The lamb chops are delicious with mashed potatoes or sun chokes. Sam dug up tons of them recently and I am grateful to have them instead of potatoes, which hurt my joints.

  “Eat a little, Savannah. You’re going to need the energy to cope with your grief. Crying takes a lot out of you.” I watch her put a spoonful of potato in her mouth.

  I’m getting full and notice Savannah has made a good dent in her food. “Would you like a private place to grieve or prefer distraction right now?”

  “I don’t think I can face being alone,” she says, looking glassy eyed, like nobody’s home.

  “Come with me. We’ll work. Guys, are you done? I could take your plates.” I walk towards them.

  “Thanks,” they say dully, in unison.

  Cyrus doesn’t say a word, just passes me his plate. I take the plates to the kitchen with Cyrus on my mind. I return to him, saying, “Cyrus, would you come with me for a minute?”

  He silently gets up to follow me. I lead him to the bedroom and guide him to my rocking chair. I kneel before him with my hands on his knees.

  “Something happened to you. You don’t look injured, physically, but you’re in shock. I wonder if you saw it happen?” His face flinches almost imperceptibly. “It wasn’t your fault, Cyrus. If you had tried to help her, you’d probably both be dead now and your family would be grieving both of you.” He begins to shake as the tears come, quietly, his mouth thin, his eyes shut. I lean in as he falls onto my shoulder, shuddering with tears. “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.” I whisper over and over. When his tears finally cease, he leans back, dries his eyes on a soft old cloth I keep around for periods of grief. Getting up, he follows me silently back to the living room.

  “If you get tired of drawing and want a book to read for distraction, ask Gracie or Eli. They have whole libraries in their rooms.” I meet Savannah, putting my arm around her to lead her to the garage. “Do you guys need help?”

  “Definitely. There’s a lot to unload. We’ve made a lot of progress. All the cold stuff is put away and we’re working on the rest.” Rob says, indicating the bed of the pickup. We begi
n unloading.

  “I would love a glass of wine,” Savannah says. “Could we open a bottle?”

  “I don’t see why not.” I grab a couple bottles and set them by the door to go in.

  When all the food is unloaded, we go inside to the living room to figure out where everyone can sleep. Eli and Simon volunteer to sleep upstairs so Sofia and Spencer can have real beds while they’re suffering. Savannah will sleep on the living room floor near her husband. I offer her the paper and pencils recommending she draw out some of her pain also.

  “I wonder if you have some paper I could write on? It helps me to write about my feelings,” she explains, “and could we open that wine?”

  “Sure. I’ll find you something to write on. We should raid the art supply store!” I bring her an empty journal, luckily finding one I’m not using.

  “This has been a hell-of-a day,” Sam says. “Let’s dance to end the night.”

  “Great idea!” I’m game.

  “I’ll try to dance!” Rob laughs.

  Morgan enters the room. “Faith is better, but she can’t dance yet. But I’m ready!”

  Maddie says, “I’ll put wine and glasses on the table so you all can help yourselves!” She pours herself a glass, sipping it. “Music, anyone?” She ambles over to the stereo, starting the music. “Bachata? Eliana, Jose, can you show us how?”

  “We’ll help too.” Eli offers, grabbing Dixie’s hand. Much of the healthy part of our group gather, moving the chairs near the wall, rolling up the rug, and sliding the coffee table away.

  “Dance class begins!” I laugh as Jose and I begin teaching. Eli and Dixie demonstrate from the other end of the room.

  Simon takes Morgan’s hand. “Come here, okay?” He pulls her close, leading bachata.

  “Fake it till you make it!” Sam says, laughing.

  Rob takes her hand. “I’ll fake it with you, no problem.” There’s flirting and teasing all around as they begin dancing. I dance over to Jose who’s having a wine cooler. Eli comes around the corner, bumps into him, knocking his wine cooler on the floor.