This is week 10 in volume 3 of the Saturday Survival Serial. To learn more about what the Saturday Survival Serial is, click here. To start at week 1, click here.
Al stared at the people he felt responsible for and felt guilty for yelling at them. He was not going to lose more of them on an emotionally driven rescue attempt that would almost certainly cost more lives.
He sighed heavily, looked at the sky to gauge the weather, and then at their surroundings. Sarah stepped closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“What if we found a place to camp close by, just for tonight, and check the water level in the morning. If we are close enough, those who survived will see the fire and come to it. We can check, carefully, tomorrow and maybe recover some supplies, too. Whatever we can bring with us to help ease the strain on their stores will help everyone. We have to consider the other camp’s resources now, too, since we will also be relying on them to survive. Plus, we have people who will catch hypothermia if they don’t get dry.”
He nodded, knowing wisdom when he heard it. Looking around at everyone, his heart sank when he realized that only 19 of the original 53 people who had populated North Camp were standing in front of him. It was almost enough to bring him to his knees with feelings of loss, guilt, and responsibility. The only thing that kept him going at this point was those looking back at him and the possibility, though small, of finding more people.
“Alright. Let’s find a place that offers some shelter and get settled in. I need three people with me afterward to walk the banks now and see if we can find anyone.”
The group gathered their belongings and started looking for a place to make camp. They settled on an area in a stand of trees where they could easily make wind breaks and heat trapping walls with branches from evergreens. Safe drinking water was a real issue and people were sent to find a stream or runoff that was fast moving and clear. They had pots to boil it in and Sarah had a hand crank water filter in her dive bag.
They were successful in their search for water and after the fire and shelter were set, Al sent a few people off to hunt for small game while he and the volunteers went to check the bank for survivors and supplies.
After an hour, they knew the water was just too high and fast moving to safely be able to retrieve anything. Thankfully, they did see some packs caught in a tree that was down across the water about halfway. Al tied a scrap of cloth to mark the tree for the next morning. He really hoped the water level would drop several feet overnight.
*************
Shannon walked into the ‘Food Commons’ as it was now being called in the Operations building for lunch. She stopped short and stared at all the people already at tables eating and the long line snaking around the edge of the room. She estimated there were over five hundred people in there and there were more coming in behind her.
Loud laughter from one of the tables shook her out of her stupor. She realized she had been standing there like some idiot and quickly walked to get in line for food. Trying to be casual about it, she took in all the details she could about what she saw. The scene seemed too normal, too real. The more she looked, the more she realized it was the lack of military presence she saw and felt. There were no soldiers in uniform anywhere inside, no one armed and watching. She glanced around for cameras and though she didn’t see any, was convinced they were there all the same.
When she got closer to the front, she saw they were serving hamburgers and almost drooled on herself from the instant saliva that came with the realization she was starving. Her stomach rumbled a protest loud enough for the person in front of her to turn and chuckle.
“I’m right there with you. I’m so hungry I could eat enough for three people and ask for more.” He smiled and offered his hand. “My name’s Tucker.”
Shannon found herself returning the smile, though guarded and shook his hand. “Shannon. When did you get in?”
“Yesterday, late. We had to take another route because a bridge was out. When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t sure where I was and it felt like I was dreaming.”
Shannon laughed. “Same here. I got in yesterday afternoon.”
They moved forward in line and grabbed trays, progressing along and choosing what they wanted to eat. The same surreal feeling came over her as she realized that music could be heard coming from speakers in the kitchen. I can’t remember the last time I heard music. Six months? A year?. The emotional response was so intense that tears sprang to her eyes before she could stop them. She moved quickly through the line, blinking rapidly.
Looking around, she spotted an empty table and started heading toward it when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Turning, her face broke into a smile when she saw Dale waving at her to come over and join him and Joli.
“I wondered if I was going to see you or not today!” Shannon smiled as she sat down. “Where have you been?”
Dale scoffed. “Setting up their communications, from scratch. The system they had in place was a joke and I told the guy to his face. He didn’t like it much but when I explained how he could increase his range with just a few tweaks, he backed off and left me to it.” He smiled with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “He was so impressed with the result that I have also been tasked with helping to create the network for the camera surveillance system.”
Shannon noticed that his band was the same color as hers and Joli’s. She glanced around and noticed other people had different colored ones. There were bright yellow, orange, and red ones. She wondered what they meant.
Joli and Shannon laughed before Joli said, “Still no sign of Edgar?”
Shannon and Dale shook their head. They were quiet for a few minutes while eating, lost in their own thoughts. Joli made a low, frustrated sound.
“I hate the things that spring to mind and being so on edge. I wonder if this is how a bird feels once it gets used to the cage. Going outside it is scarier than staying in. On the other side of it is feeling like, as Shannon said, still in jail but just a prettier one. I don’t know what the real boundaries are, who to trust other than you guys and Edgar, or what the future holds. I’m scared and don’t want to trust any of this for it’s face value and yet, I am so tired of all of it. So my choices are to either give in and just go with the flow, enjoying the pretty cage or stay on edge and possibly drive myself crazy.”
Instantly, the three of them looked around to see who might be watching their conversation or listening in. The old habits were hard to let go of. When it was obvious no one was paying attention to them, they relaxed a little. Shannon understood exactly where Joli was coming from and told her so.
“The worst thing to do is let yourself get caught up in that whirlwind because it will drive you insane.” She reached out and grabbed her friend’s hand, squeezing it. “You take joy in the happy moments given to us, keep your eyes open for opportunities and trust your gut when something seems wrong. What you don’t do it let yourself get overly paranoid. For right now, we are safe, fed, and alive to keep going.”
She let go of Joli’s hand and made it look like she was searching for something in her pockets, saying in a low tone meant for their ears only.
“I was wondering last night what threats this camp could possibly have. The answer is free thinking people who want to do their own thing and make their own choices, not be under constant surveillance in a guardless prison. There have to be other people out there who feel the same.”
She pulled out a piece of paper and made a show of reading what it said before folding it and putting it back in her pocket, smiling at the others. Keeping a happy expression in her eyes and on her face, she continued.
“I have decided that I am not going to willingly go along with this plan of the United Nations. I want to find a way out and go to a place I can be free. I hope you will come along with me but we all know how dangerous it would be and I understand if you stay. All I ask is you don’t betray me.”
She forced a laugh and hoped it didn’t sound as fake as it felt. The others chuckled back to help cover the seriousness of what was being said.
Dale nodded and looked down to his mostly empty tray. He scooped up the last of the green beans to one side and said quietly, “You know I am with you. Why do you think I insisted on redoing the communications system from scratch?”
This time, Shannon’s laughter wasn’t forced at all.
“I have to get going. This afternoon I’m taking a tour of the water and sewer systems to see what we’re dealing with.”
She stood up and was surprised when Joli did, too, and hugged her. “I’m with you,” Joli whispered in her ear before letting her go. They said their goodbyes and promised to meet up for dinner that night, keeping an eye out for Edgar.
*************
Twenty-four hours after setting off from Center Camp, the runner heading south made it to just outside Main Camp. The trail that had been cut through the forest and wetlands had taken a beating from all the rain and runoff. More than once, Caleb had to go around areas that were too deep for him to be able to keep his pack dry while crossing, which added to his time. He was grateful for the supplies in the pack and all the lessons he had learned from the people in Center Camp.
At just 26 years old, Caleb had come to be at Center Camp when a patrol had come across his little hideout about four miles away. It wasn’t much more than a shack that should have been torn down long ago but he had managed to scavenge a decent amount of food. Looking back, he was certain he wouldn’t have survived the winter there because it had no functioning heat source inside. The wood stove had rusted out long ago.
In college, he had been studying biology and wanted to be a scientist. He had gotten in on a track scholarship which is what made him a natural to be a runner between the camps. He had been into Parkour in his teens and enjoyed the challenge that the forest gave him, not to mention it was much more forgiving to fall onto soil than concrete when he missed his step. A whistle in the trees made him come back to the present.
“Howdy! Little late to be out and about, don’t you think?”
He couldn’t make out the features of the person speaking in the fading light. Caleb chuckled. “Well, I could have sworn I smelled apple pie and before I knew it, my feet were moving.”
The other person laughed at that and said, “If I smelled apple pie, I would be moving, too. Who am I kidding, if I smelled a fresh apple right now, I would be moving!”
Caleb laughed along and asked, “How are you? I’m Caleb from Center-” the guy stepped forward and he recognized him. “Oh hey there, Tanner! I didn’t recognize you!” They shook hands and turned to walk together into camp.
“You know, we really need to change the password. It makes me hungry and crave apples like no other.”
Tanner laughed and agreed. “We should make it broccoli or cauliflower or something instead.”
“Why’s it gotta be food? That just seems cruel in this world now.” They grinned at each other a moment before Caleb asked about Captain.
“He’s doing OK and is seen around camp more, which is good. Denise is still pretty much running the show. You hear we lost four chickens? It was awful but thankfully, Daniel figured it out before we lost anymore. I sure hope we have some broody hens in the flock. We need more chickens badly and not just for the eggs.”
Caleb nodded. “What caused them to die? Sickness?”
“Yeah, something like infectious corza or something like that. You’d have to ask him about it. He said basically they got a cold and if untreated can kill. Plus, it’s spreads fast. They cured the birds using some god awful smelling brew. Like witches over a cauldron.” Tanner made the motion of stirring a big pot and laughed. “Worked though.”
They walked up to the main building where Denise was last seen before Tanner turned to go back down the trail.
Caleb walked inside and took off his pack and jacket, leaving them by the door. He searched around and saw Denise sitting at a table with a few other people. He walked over and smiled to get her attention.
“Caleb! Glad you finally made it. I was getting a little worried. Have you eaten recently? Go ahead a get a bowl from the pot there.” She pointed and Caleb did as he was told, thankful for something warm to eat. When the sun dropped below the skyline, the temperature went down quickly, too.
He sat down and took a couple bites before saying, “I have a message from Center Camp for you and Captain to read. We need to act on it quickly.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out an old ziplock bag with the message inside, passing it over.
Denise looked at him curiously before she opened it and started reading. The expression on her face went through several changes as she kept going, eyes flying across the page. When she was done, she read it again before looking at him.
“Are we certain the rumors about the camps are true?” Caleb nodded and explained how the information had been relayed by Roger and Sticks, telling the more horrific plans of the settlement camps only to RR and Tyler at first.
“They think it should be kept to the leaders for now, the worst of it anyway, until everyone in all the camps can be told at the Gathering next month.”
Denise sat back for a moment, her thoughts reeling. She called for someone to go get Captain and when he showed up, handed the letter over silently.
While he read, Caleb said, “I need to head out tomorrow to South Camp to give them their message, too.”
All eyes turned to Captain as he grunted and folded up the paper. “Looks like we have some work to do. Denise, I want people to be sent out to the outlying homesteads with a message about a camp meeting at noon. Let’s make sure we have enough soup in the pot to feed them, too. We need to get everyone up to speed and get some volunteers chosen to go along. It’s beginning and we need to as much information as possible which means the group needs to get down there as soon as they can.”
She nodded and said, “It will take them a month or more on foot but I don’t know what we can do.”
Captain shrugged. “It’s simple. They can take the truck with the gasifier.” Denise gasped.
“What?! Are you kidding? We need that here for-” She was cut off by the look he was giving her.
“There are plenty of trucks out there we can convert over, which we planned to do anyway. It’s more important that they make it quickly. The sooner they are in, the sooner they can figure out how to get information back to us and we can be ready to meet whatever is coming our way.”
Caleb watched the exchange with interest. As a runner, he carried news and gossip between camps. It was one of the things he rather enjoyed about the duty.
Denise sighed and nodded. To break the tension, Caleb asked about the chickens.
“It was Infectious Coryza. It’s an airborne bacterial infection that can be picked up from wild birds. Daniel found an herbal remedy using sage and garlic in a sort of tea. He put it into their waterers and it seemed to clear it all up. Thankfully, they are laying again and we haven’t had any other problems. Who ever would have thought that spices could be a medicine for chickens?” She grinned and he knew he had succeeded in taking her mind off the shock that all the new information and proposed plan had caused.
He was given a place to sleep in the main building and promised an egg breakfast before he left for South Camp the next morning.
*************
Al helped Sarah up over a tree that had fallen across the trail. He had spent the morning with a few others salvaging what they could in the debris downstream from the old railroad bridge. The water hadn’t dropped as much as he’d hoped it would but it was enough to find seven packs…and five bodies. He had dropped on the side of the bank, crying as he recognized them, not caring who saw him or what they thought. He mourned loudly, letting it all come out before it ate him up inside. That wouldn’t help anyone and he had responsibilities to take care of.
After he had composed himself, he realized the others were next to him, also crying at the loss. They pulled themselves together and brought the packs back to the main group. Sadly, no one had shown up overnight even though they had lit a very large fire that cast light a long way out.
Now it was a couple hours after noon and they were still about seven miles away from their destination. At best, they would make it tomorrow and at worst, no one knew. He stuffed his secret worry about Center Camp also being gone when they showed up down deep.
After another mile, he called for a rest. A few people decided to scout around for wild game. Though their firearms and ammo was limited, one had a bow and several arrows and another had a slingshot that had brought them four rabbits the night before. Four rabbits wasn’t much between 19 people but when added to a soup, it went a surprisingly long way. Sarah handed Leo over to Austin and asked a couple other ladies to come with her to forage a little ways back down the trail. She had seen some fiddlehead ferns under some shade that were still coiled and low to the ground.
The hunters came up empty handed but the ladies had an old pillowcase a third full of the edible ferns and some wild onions that would be used that night since it was obvious they would be forced to camp again. Though everyone was sick of soup, the fresh flavors would be a welcome change from the last few days.
The group got underway again and made it another mile and a half before deciding to camp in a clearing. As people were setting a fire ring up, getting wood and water, they heard a long whistle that did not come from a bird. Everyone froze, looking in the direction of the noise.
Al saw a person down the trail raise their hand in a wave. He waved back but was unsure who it was. Get to him before he gets to us,was his first thought and he moved with purpose.
The person lowered their hand and hollered out, “Al? Is that you?”
Al stopped in surprise, straining to recognize who it was before replying, “Maybe. Who’s asking? What do you want?”
He could see the guy smile and then, “Why, I’m Apple McCrusty, of course!”
A couple people behind Al coughed a laugh behind him. He turned and could see several holding their hands up to their faces, stifling their laughter. It took a second before his brain processed what was said through the adrenaline rushing through his head. He looked back at the smiling man and laughed.
“Well Mr. Crusty, I prefer peaches to apples but maybe some others here are interested.”
As the guy got closer, it finally clicked that it was Russell from Center Camp. He shook the man’s hand with a laugh and said, “Apple McCrusty?”
Russell grinned. “Well, you kind of put me on the spot and I didn’t like the idea of being shot before I could say ‘apple’ something or other.” He looked around at the others and the smile turned to a concerned frown.
“What’s going on here? Why are you all camping here and so many?”
Al looked sad and explained what had happened. Russell stood in shock as he learned about North Camp flooding out and all those they had lost.
“Well,” he said, “I was sent here to check in on you and deliver a message. I don’t know that you should read it right now with all this other stuff on your plate. You’ll be happy to know the rest of the trail down is pretty clear except for a few mucky spots. Easily gone around, though.”
Al nodded, very happy to hear that indeed. He invited Russell to join them for a meal. After people had gone to sleep, Al opened the letter given to him and read it by the firelight. After reading it a third time, he just sighed and tucked it away. On top of his home being flooded out and losing over half the people who had come to be family, the thought of United Nation settlement camps being established, taking babies from mothers, and needing to send spies in was all too much for him to handle. He forced himself to go to sleep though he knew it would be anything but restful. Still, he was thankful for the escape, even if for a little while.
Keep on writing your stories, please! I thoroughly enjoy your talent. Thank you!
I already have the next trilogy planned out. Same disaster, completely different region 🙂