Considerable Destruction Series (Book 1): Evasion ( Read online

  I put a yoga video on YouTube, listening to them while I start my workout.

  “Shut up, Eli!”

  “Aw, bet Dixie’s not freaking out!” He starts arranging the wood in the wood stove.

  Gracie turns back to me with a sad, worried look in her eye.

  “If one of us gets sick, the others will become nurses, right?” I encourage her. “We’ll make sure the sick one gets Lysine and selenium, cold or cough fighter tea and we’ll rub on comfrey salve, right?” I remind her as I change position into a downward dog. “We could make a Gatorade copy. A hot lemonade with salt and honey. Anything I’m missing?”

  She looks less scared now, “I can check if we still have throat soothers and elderberry/zinc lozenges. And how do you get fever down, naturally?”

  “A lukewarm bath will help and possibly wet socks with lemon.” I remind her, moving into a forward fold. “Also taking calcium and vitamin D can help, remember that study we read?”

  “Oh yeah!” she looks pleased now, “the one about fevers needing to get calcium out of our bones to bring the fever down…”

  “Yes, and chicken soup or bone broth, remember that one?” I continue following the video while we talk.

  “Oh, yeah! The one about the cartilage! And gelatin!”

  “And apple cider vinegar mixed with water?” I coax more memories.

  “Wait, wait. I want to write these down and put them on the fridge! Dixie, let’s find some good colors and make a project of it, okay?” Gracie isn’t worried now.

  “Okay, cool!” Dixie and Gracie traipse into the kitchen searching for art supplies. “But, what about the cookies?”

  Gracie is animated now. “We have all day. Let’s do the fever list, so it will be easy to find now while we still have the internet. Then we can make cookies. My mom has lots of cook books if we have to use one.” I don’t bother to remind her that we have two natural health books also.

  “Thanks, Eli. That’s a great fire.”

  He walks over, joining me on the floor. “I wonder what’s going to happen with this flu… If the hospitals are full and people are falling on the streets, it must be pretty bad… And we’ve been exposed.”

  “I’m sure. I was exposed at work yesterday too. Listen, let’s start our fight. I already took Lysine and Selenium but you guys can and we could take the homeopathic remedy, the osci-whatever it’s called!” Eli gets up while I continue my yoga.

  “In this cupboard?” Eli asks.

  “Yeah.” I breath out, back in downward dog.

  “Here’s the oscillococcinum.” Eli pulls it out and sets it on the table. “Where’s the Lysine and Selenium?”

  “They’re on the shelf by the table,” I explain.

  Both girls are at the table now, writing out natural fever reducing methods in beautiful calligraphy with multiple colors. They’re so engrossed, they ignore me. Later, I head in the kitchen for some cold tea, passing out vitamins. I put the full tea pot on the wood stove to heat with cold fighter tea.

  “The cold fighter tea is brewing now. Do any of you have any symptoms? Congestion, sore throat, anything?” I head back to my mat to meditate in corpse pose, tired from yoga. They look at each other, shaking their heads.

  “Thank God. We’ll take the osci in about fifteen minutes.” The girls finish up the poster, then begin making chocolate chip cookies. I tune out the kids, meditating for a while.

  As I tune back in, I hear Dixie say, “Eli, we need a taste tester! What do you think?” Her tone is coy.

  “These are awful. Can I have another?!” Eli teases.

  “If they’re awful, you can’t have another!” Gracie admonishes, always falling for his antics.

  “Dixie, I need another,” he tries, ignoring Gracie.

  A feeling of foreboding descends, tightening my chest and my shoulder muscles, a bizarre sensation after being tremendously relaxed from the yoga and meditation. I tune in deep within myself to connect with the message my spirit guides are sending. It’s Sam and Simon who I sense inside, struggling with their own anxiety. I get up to put away my mat, finding myself looking for something to do to distract myself from my discomfort. I go out to the freezer to get some meat to defrost, bring it back to set in warm water. “Wow, those cookies smell incredible!”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Gracie says, while Dixie just grins, bouncing into Eli, sneakily handing him another.

  I walk to the bathroom for a private place to think. Sitting on the edge of the tub, I take a few deep breaths, visualizing Sam and Simon. They’re at the sporting goods store still and it’s unclear why they’re not heading home. For several minutes I sit visualizing pure golden light surrounding them for protection. Even when I’m done, I feel restless, wishing I could be there to help them. Back in the kitchen, I ask, “Are you guys about done in here? I’d like to start cooking. Could you clean up a bit more?”

  “Don’t worry Eliana, we’ll get you set up!” Dixie promises, getting busy. Gracie pitches in, while Eli heads to the living room to check on the fire.

  “How long do you think this will last?” Eli asks from the front room.

  “I don’t know, sweetie,” I answer, walking to the edge of the kitchen. “It seems like it could take a while for things to get dealt with. If as many people get sick here as in Canada, we lose 90% of the work force. A lot won’t get done…”

  Eli arrives back in the kitchen. “Mom…” He waits until I’m looking at him. “We could lose the police.”

  “That’s true…” When he says it, it sinks in. There’s no denying it out loud. “We could lose a lot more than just police. We could lose water and electricity. Jesus!” I stand there, frozen, my mind a million miles away, imagining water no longer coming out of the faucet, electricity no longer functioning. “I wonder how long it will last?”

  “Mom, will we be safe?” Gracie begins but Dixie joins in midway.

  “As safe as we can.” I attempt cheerfulness, not knowing what to say. I wish Jose were here, and Rob, Sam’s husband.

  “I’m going to call Papa.” Gracie picks up her phone.

  “Me, too.” Dixie grabs hers, Eli doing the same. They all walk out of the kitchen for privacy. I begin dicing onion, my stomach beginning to cramp up on the left side, then I realize I feel slightly nauseous. I automatically press on my inner wrist, seeking out the nausea acupressure point. “God, what’s taking them so long?” I ask quietly, more to myself than to anyone else. “I’m running out back to pick some stuff for dinner!” I holler, heading out the back door with scissors and a basket. Plants and nature will connect me with the earth to calm my worries. I’m generally not a worrier, but this crisis hasn’t exactly promoted a calm mind. Harvesting chives, leaks, kale, and sorrel, I’m thinking I’ll make stir fried veggies with bacon. Lower leaves I take to the chickens and bunny, setting my basket outside the coup to take the veggies in. I pick up Ciarran, Gracie’s black, Netherland dwarf rabbit, snuggling him close to my chin. He practically sits on my shoulder, comforting me with his soft fur. I carry him back into the house with the basket of eggs.

  Coming into the house, I hear the kids. “Any luck?” I walk into the kitchen, meeting Gracie as she walks towards me, hugging both me and Ciarran.

  “He hasn’t responded. God, Mom, could he come back here, now, with all this going on? Sometimes he drives me crazy but I want him here now.”

  “I couldn’t get my dad to respond either.” Dixie comes closer now and I draw her into our hug.

  “Papa hasn’t even read my text yet,” Eli adds, hanging back, playing tough.

  “Maybe they’re working outside. You know how typical that is. He’s always outside working when the weather is decent and yes, he’s welcome here.”

  “Let’s try to stay busy making dinner to keep our minds occupied. Then, if Sam and Simon aren’t back, we all sit down, meditate, and visualize golden light around them, okay?” I ask, wondering if they’ll agree. They look at each other, and shrug.

  Four<
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  Sam

  REI Reunion

  “Okay, load up.” Sam climbs in the RV, wiping her clammy hands on her jeans, not one bit excited about going to REI Sporting Goods in this mess. “Did you clean your gun?”

  “Of course, Mom, and I’ve got my knife. You put the Bug-Out-Bags in here too, right?”

  “Yeah, let’s hit it.” She tries to convince herself everything is going to be fine, putting on a good show for Simon, while she’s freaking out inside, her heart racing. She’s hot despite the cool weather.

  “It’s not bad in the RV,” Simon comments, turning the radio onto a rock station with nothing but static, “Shit. That’s not good.” He grabs a CD, inserting it, then groaning when Red Hot Chili Peppers blares from the speakers. The RV is too old to play music from his phone. He pulls out his phone next.

  Sam glances over, “Could you stay alert and off your phone while we’re out, please?”

  The parking lot for Albertson’s Grocery seems quite empty. At the gas station in front there are more cars than usual but in strange places, not just at pumps. The people in the cars seem really still. More people are slumped over at the bus stop with one on the ground.

  “I’m calling 911. There’s a lot of sick people out here.” Simon makes a point of turning his phone back on. “It’s busy. That is fucked up! I’m putting it on redial.”

  “This just keeps getting worse.” Sam weaves around cars, which appear to have been pulled off the road sloppily. Her head starts aching. “Maybe you can check the news updates about this flu, what’s it called?”

  “The Mortiferum Virus, yeah.” He’s quiet for a minute. “Shit. I can’t believe this flu. They’re saying it’s the worst they’ve ever seen. Apparently, there have been more deaths from this flu than from any other in history including the Black Plague,” he says with awe. “They’re saying this flu is killing healthy people. Even the flu shot isn’t helping!”

  “Didn’t you say you and your friends were talking about that yesterday?” Sam remembers him mentioning it.

  “Yeah. Those of us who were still at school hadn’t had any immunizations or flu shots. Do you think the government could have caused this by leaking something in the flu shot? One guy’s dad works for the government in a drug testing plant and he overheard his dad saying something about a bioweapon leak.”

  “That’s creepy, but I wouldn’t be surprised,” Sam says, turning away from downtown, crowded with cars. “I’m going for Lincoln Street. We’re never going to get through all those cars!”

  “Weird. It doesn’t look like any of them are moving at all. Do you suppose that many are dead?”

  “Maybe,” Sam says, cruising easily down the unused residential streets, arriving at REI, finding a parking spot right in front. “Come on, let’s do this fast.”

  “I get it, Mom,” Simon says, vaguely irritated.

  “Hello!” They greet the skinny blonde guy behind the counter, heading upstairs for boots and outer wear. “There’s a guy laying on the stairs!”

  “I see him, Mom. I’m not blind!”

  Simon’s sarcasm is the bane of Sam’s existence. “Do you need help?” She asks the man on the steps. There’s no response.

  “Fuck!” Simon mumbles, two fingers on his neck. “He’s dead!”

  Sam shakes her head, mouth agape, shock descending. They scoot around the guy, heading for boots, finding what they need, passing another guy slumped over on a chair. Beads of sweat appear on Sam’s brow, her breath shallow. “We can’t deal with all these people. We need to just get what we need and get out.”

  “I’m not arguing,” Simon growls.

  They grab outer wear quickly, then dash downstairs. The guy at the counter looks a little woozy, coughing, a hacking, wet, grating sound erupting out of him as he leans on the counter, perspiration beading up on his forehead. She’s torn between helping the clerk and getting out fast, deciding their kids take priority. “We can’t help him right now,” she tells Simon, quietly as her heart gallops in her chest. Simon just nods, snatching things on their list. Sam wants some newer sleeping bags, passing a woman and man slumped together on the floor, freaking her out. Sam jumps back, in shock, then forces herself to continue. They finally get all urgent supplies and get to the counter. The dude is swaying and sweating profusely. Sam starts putting their items on the counter as his knees buckle and he sinks to the floor.

  “Holy shit!” Sam peeks over the counter.

  “Fuck, Mom! Do you think…?”

  Sam just looks at Simon, then back at the space where the man was, craning her neck to look over the counter. “Young man?” There’s no response. They stand there for a minute, not sure what to do.

  “We need this stuff,” Sam says finally. “I’ll add it up and pay REI when this crisis passes. I think we have to consider what else we might need. With this going from bad to worse, we’re not going to be able to come back.”

  “Okay. Let’s get this to the RV first.” They bag up their stuff, load it on their shoulders, and carry it to the RV.

  Sam’s feet feel tingly and her head is pounding, but nothing is stopping her now. “Come on.” They race back in. “Grab a cart and fill it with food, water purifiers, you know what we need, right?” Simon nods, racing for the food snatching all the freeze-dried emergency food, the power bars, everything. They take sleeping bags, first aid kits, water filters, disinfectant pills, polar pure, and load up necessities. “Grab a couple water Bug-Out-Bags.” Sam suggests since Simon is closer to them.

  They choose a pressure cooker, knowing that Eliana’s is jammed. They move to warm stuff, finding a woman and a child slumped against a shelf, stopping Sam in her tracks. Sam can’t pass a child without helping and puts two fingers against his neck, finding it cold. “Good Lord. This is serious.”

  “I know, but we’ve got to keep going. Come on.” Simon keeps her moving, grabbing wool socks, gloves, mittens, insulated blankets, and more they may need it.

  “We’re going to have to load this up. I don’t think we can carry any more.” Sam moves toward the counter to load stuff into bags, not wanting to do it outside. The store is eerily quiet, adding to her nerves. Sam packs boxes of power bars into the RV and scopes out the surroundings. It still looks quiet but she sees movement a couple blocks away. In complete silence, she motions Simon to follow her back inside. “One more sweep and fast. I saw movement a couple blocks away.”

  They go through the store again, adding anything they might need. They move swiftly, quietly, pausing only to consider their needs, eating power bars on the move.

  “Mom, let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve got a bad feeling,” Simon says suddenly, his voice intense. Sam struggles with her breath, remembering Eliana telling her to take deep breaths. They race out to the RV, Sam’s pony tail swishing back and forth across her back, vaguely aware that the sun is in the western sky now and it’s later than they realized. They organize the gear into the RV, checking around the sides intermittently. A small group is approaching.

  “Let’s get in, now!” Sam loosens her gun holster, opens the door, and is about to get in, when the group starts throwing large rocks. “Fuuuck, stop it!” She screams, then starts shooting at their feet. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone if it’s not necessary. Simon redirects the closest ones with ground shots. They turn, screaming, and attack their comrades. Some push closer, continuing to throw large objects at the RV. Most projectiles fall short but a couple hit the doors. Sam rolls the window down a bit so she can shoot, balancing her gun on the RV door. Finally, Sam edges into the seat, noticing Simon beside her, guns the engine, backing up fast. She spins the wheel, and burning rubber, drives out the way they came in.

  “Hurry, Mom, they’re still chasing us. What the hell? Why would they run after a vehicle?” Simon cranes his neck around, keeping an eye on them. “Faster, Mom!”

  “I’m going, but I had to turn around!” Sam yells.

  “Okay, we’ve lost them. What the hell?” S
imon’s voice almost screeches with tension.

  “What would make someone behave that way? Fear?” She heads out west, back to Eliana’s, cruising for a few blocks in quiet.

  Up ahead she spots another crowd of these deranged people, throwing objects at houses and windows. She turns into a long elliptical driveway, ending with a garage. She pulls around the gravel driveway, hiding the RV from view.

  “You thinking of waiting to see if they migrate elsewhere?” Simon asks, quietly.

  “Yeah. I don’t want to have to go back the way we came with no streets to cut through.” Sam takes deep breaths but they’re raggedy.

  “Should we try knocking here, see if we can go inside, lay low for a while?” Simon asks.

  “Let’s roll the windows down a crack and listen for a minute, okay?” Sam’s not sure what the safest option is, but doesn’t want to make rash decisions. Sam and Simon roll their windows down an inch to listen. You can hear the crash of broken glass, the thud of large objects against wood, and screams. It doesn’t seem to be getting closer but it isn’t getting further away either. They sit for a couple more minutes, nervously listening. “Let’s go knock.” Simon looks at Sam for agreement.

  “Okay. What if they don’t answer?” She’s not eager to stand on the back porch any longer than necessary with this violence nearby.

  “We could try the garage,” he suggests.

  “We have to consider the possibility that if they don’t answer, they could be sick and need help.” She’d rather go in the house than the garage but doesn’t want to break into someone’s home. “I think we should knock first but if they don’t answer, we should go in and offer help. Didn’t Dad teach you to pick locks if necessary? That way we won’t damage the door.”

  “I guess we have to consider that with all we’ve seen.” Simon grabs his Bug-Out-Bag.

  Sam grabs hers, exiting the truck, walking up the back steps to the house. It looks deserted. “Let’s knock quietly.” Simon nods as Sam taps on the door. After a minute with no response, Simon picks the lock, entering a mud room which opens up into a kitchen.