The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 47

Winter continued to cripple the group’s efforts to survive, pounding the town of Cle Elam with repeated volleys of vicious weather. On one occasion, they were abruptly wakened by a crashing sound. Rushing outside to investigate, they discovered the house next door had succumbed to the weight of the snow left by numerous storms, leaving it in ruins after its roof collapsed. No house would be immune from the effects of winter’s heavy hand, and theirs was no exception. Now, in addition to their concerns regarding the procuring of food and water, they were forced to contend with the fear of being buried by untold tons of lumber. This, they, saw as a dire emergency and struggled to formulate a means of clearing the roof, but none of them had ever undertaken such a task. So it was decided that in the event of an imminent collapse, they would store all unnecessary items in the RV, ensuring a speedy escape. However, the plan would never serve its purpose, as the house, by some miracle, remained intact without so much as a creak.

What seemed to affect the group most was time. With life as it once was having passed on, keeping track of the days became impossible, and not knowing when Christmas was to occur only resulted in depression. There would be no lights strung in front of the neighboring houses, no Christmas trees or gifts wrapped in brilliant paper. The singing of Christ carols was never mentioned out of concern that it might drive some into deep depression. Even the holidays were gone, never to be celebrated again. It wasn’t until the days began to lengthen, and the snow began to melt, that the group’s spirits started to improve. But as winter came to an end, it was replaced by rain. Runoff from the northern Rockies also provided ample flooding, and the town of Cle Elam quickly became inundated with pools and rivers, undercutting houses and streets. If the group was to leave for a safer location, they would have to do so sooner rather than later before the only road into the town was washed out. But there was one thing desperately needed – gas. Survival would be impossible should they find themselves in the middle of nowhere with an empty tank. Now, Maya, as the self-appointed leader, felt the full weight of responsibility as she searched for a means of acquiring the fuel they needed. She had made it a habit of occasionally leaving the house and wandering the nearby streets. The house was beginning to close in on her and the walk; the smell of the mountain air helped her maintain her sanity. On one such journey, she stopped at what was left of the service station. The rainwater had receded enough that she was able to locate the port where gasoline was transferred into the underground tank. When they first arrived, Maya discovered the cap to the storage tank to be immovable, but while looking down at it, she gave it a kick with the end of her shoe. Although she saw no movement, she felt a slight vibration move up into her toes, and bending down on one knee, was surprised to find how easily it twisted free.

“Holy shit,” she whispered. “We can get out of here. Holy shit.”

Wanting to keep the water from getting into the underground tank, she twisted it shut, but not tightly. In her exuberance, Maya quickly got to her feet, but unable to maintain her footing on the wet concrete, she fell face-first into a deep puddle. Undaunted by her clumsiness, she got up and ran to the house.

Upon entering, her excitement launched into almost incoherent babbling as the group tried to calm her down.

“Maya,” Aurora said. “What is it?” The pause seemed only a heartbeat in length, ending with slightly slower babbling. In any survival situation, caution is always at the front line of the battle, and seeing Maya’s behavior, the group assumed the worst. While Aurora continued her effort to calm her, Jackson and Eli rushed to the windows, concerned that Maya may have seen a wolf or a bear. In the Pacific Northwest, both predators were commonly seen, and with the end of winter came the end of hibernation. But much as they looked in all directions, neither Jackson nor Eli could see anything that might pose a danger.

“There’s nothing out there,” Jackson said.

“I know,” Eli replied. “So what do you think she saw? It had to be something.”

With their suspicion resolved, they, again, turned their attention to Maya, who was now sitting on the couch trying to catch her breath. “Maya,” Jackson said.

He approached her with concern and, sitting next to her, gently grasped a trembling hand. Her state of mind seemed to be competing with her ability to speak coherently, leading Jackson to resort to physical comforting. Sliding back behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a firm squeeze. Suddenly, Maya’s unfettered chattering came to an abrupt halt as her body melted under Jackson’s grip. With his hands continuing to do their work, Aurora, again, inquired about what had brought her to such an excitable state. Maya could no longer contain herself and blurted out her answer.

“Guys!” she screamed. “We can get the fuck out of here!”

The group restrained their excitement until Maya could provide more information.

“I was down at the gas station,” she continued. “And I found the cap that closes the pipe to the storage tank. All I did was kick it – I don’t know why -- but it loosened. All we need is a way to get the gas out, and we can haul ass out of here.” The group’s excitement was beyond celebration but was cut short as Maya brought up another issue that needed addressing.

“So what can we use?” she asked.

It didn’t take much time for Jackson to suggest what he considered an obvious solution. “We need a siphon,” he said. “We need some tubing long enough to reach down into that tank and still get it into the RV’s gas tank.”

“Where the hell are we going to find tubing?” Eli asked.

After a moment’s thought, Jackson presented what turned out to be an uncomfortable suggestion.

“Well,” he continued. “There are only two places I can think of – the gas station and the local hospital.”

Aurora was suddenly gripped with fear. She did not like hospitals. Ever since her grandmother died, she swore she would never go near a hospital again.

“Even if we can find it,” she said. “How many dead people do you think are in there?”

“Aurora,” Maya said. “I get it, but we have to go anyway, and you can always stay here, okay?” Now, she had a decision to make. She could go to the hospital looking for tubing or stay in the house and wait – alone.

“Fine,” she replied. “I’ll go, but I’m not setting one foot inside that place.”

Everyone agreed, but it was suggested they go to the service station first. Although it was in ruins, it was thought that if someone could crawl through the collapsed structure, a siphon hose might be found. The odds of making this discovery were slim, but the group had only one other choice, and no one wanted to go into the hospital even if the chances were better for finding what they needed. After further discussion, it was also agreed that given the risk of contracting the disease that brought humankind to its knees, the hospital would be off-limits. They would have to find someplace else to acquire medical supplies.