Chapter 14
Evelyn cautiously leads her small group back up the very same incline that, just moments before, they had frantically been trying to escape from. The dust has cleared, and slowly, they inch their way up the obstructed path, littered with rubble. They encounter Noah, his arms around Josette, her face buried in his chest, sobbing as usual.
Noah raises his hand to stop them. “Before you come any further, be warned.”
Heeding his words, they stop dead in their tracks.
“Craig’s body is behind me. He was struck and killed by rocks. His skull has been shattered, and the sight of him is… ghastly. You won’t want to see him, I assure you.” He says nothing more, but escorts Josette to Evelyn, who greets both of them with open arms, tears welling in her eyes.
She looks at Noah and mouths,
Is she alright?
He shakes his head no, and says aloud, “Take her away from this while I take care of Craig and while you’re down there find a suitable place to set up camp.”
“Of course.” Evelyn takes Josette under her wing and leads her down the path with Luna following.
Noah’s words resonate throughout the group, and no one dares take another step. Some of them weep, while others reach out for an arm or hand to hold. Standing in a broken circle, they appear lost as they come to grips with yet another member of their tribe gone in the blink of an eye. Hiroshi and Hank eventually break from the others and proceed toward Craig’s body, followed by Max and Jacob. The others go back down the hill, wanting no part of the carnage.
When Hank sees Craig, he gasps and quickly turns his head. Trying with all of his will not to vomit, he runs to join the others fleeing the scene.
Hiroshi is soon joined by Jacob and Max, who both shudder when they see the horrific fate of their fallen friend. Little remains of Craig’s caved-in head. The top of his skull is shattered; fragments of bone and brain are strewn across the rubble and his right eye bulges far out from its socket in a way that resembles a pickled egg. His jaw is completely unhinged, and blood and mucus pulse in fits and spurts, splattering against the dust and ruin.
Noah finds a large rock off to the side, which he rests next to Craig before giving terse orders: “Jake and Max, go back down with the others and help set up camp. There’s not much light left, so move quickly.”
Rather than obeying him, they stand frozen, transfixed by the macabre scene.
“Go on,” says Hiroshi, with surprising firmness. He nudges Jacob, who in turn reaches out to Max, pulling him away. They begin to trudge slowly down the hill, shaking their heads in disbelief.
“You can join them if you prefer,” Noah tells Hiroshi, as he grabs another large rock.
“No. I will help you.” Hiroshi steps forward, and together they pile rocks over Craig’s body in silence. In short time, the corpse is covered by a heap of stones. They stand there for a moment in silence after they finish, making their peace with the departed.
They find what remains of their crew below, scurrying like ants, grabbing loose pieces of wood and tinder to pile on the crackling fire. Evelyn and Luna are doing their best to provide some sense of normality. They dole out various tasks in the hope that keeping them busy will distract them from the recent tragedy. And while the survivors move about quickly and with purpose, it is obvious they are all on edge.
Chopped pine collects near the tent, where Josette is convalescing with Alice, who is trying to comfort her. Noah and Hiroshi help to finish a lean-to shelter, and before the sun has given way to the moon, the travelers find themselves gathered by the fire once more while Luna prepares a cabbage stew with chicken, rice, and green beans.
As darkness settles over them, Evelyn and Noah go off for a walk in the light of a mammoth half-moon. The clearing is lush, surrounded by illuminated peaks. They wade through a sea of waist-high grass that tickles their elbows with every step. The air is fresh and the night is cool but comfortable.
“This reminds me of nights spent at your parents’ ranch,” Evelyn says, reaching for her husband’s hand.
Noah squeezes it, fondly. “If only we could be there now. Those were better days.”
“Well, considering the present, I suppose they were.” She gazes across the field, then turns abruptly to face him, looking deep into his eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
Noah’s expression immediately strikes Evelyn as odd. “Are you certain?”
Confused and disappointed by his reaction, she lets go of his hand and crosses her arms. “I can’t believe you!” She recalls her conversation with Luna, who had anticipated that he would react this way. But that’s not what really bothers her; she looks further into his eyes and senses his discomfort. Her eyes widen as she realizes.
“YOU KNEW!” she gasps.
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean!” Her eyes are sharp as daggers. “How could you have known?”
Noah winces. “I’m sorry Eve, Mia told me everything while we were hiking.”
“Mia?” Her eyes race back and forth. “That little bitch!”
Noah laughs, but immediately regrets it as Evelyn casts an icy glare. “It’s my fault, really,” explains Noah, trying to mend the situation. “I told her to tell me everything she knows, although I sense she was having her way with me a bit on that one.”
Evelyn is quick to forgive, if only because she is more curious about how Mia knew. “You need to come clean about that girl straight away!”
“Yes I do, and I promise... I will. But Mia overheard you and Luna this morning. That’s how she knew.”
“Do you also know that —”
“Luna is pregnant too, yes.”
Evelyn’s eyes drift off into the distance. “Of course you do.”
Before she can utter another word, Noah, filled with equal parts joy and despair, lifts her high, the stars dancing in her hair. He pulls her in close, kissing her passionately. “I love you, Eve,” he whispers.
Glowing in the light of the moon, Evelyn says, “I adore you, Noah. More today than the day before — and not because I discovered I’m pregnant.” She shakes her head back and forth slowly in reflection. “No. I love you more each day, because I am certain there is no better man in this depraved world. I always wondered what our children would look like, but I’ve never feared what they would become, because I know we will raise this child to be as you are; and the world will be a better place because of it.”
“Then that is what we will do,” he promises, greatly moved. His infectious smile shines across the whispering reeds.
*************
At the break of dawn, the survivors encircle the grave of Craig David Horowitz. Fifty-seven years old, and having suffered the loss of his wife, Rachel, less than a week ago, Craig leaves behind two children, Abby and David. All of this information comes by way of Josette, who insists on saying some words. When their respects have been paid, and before they move on, each leaves a stone, yet another fragile steeple memorializing a friend left behind.
It is a quiet morning for the hikers as they continue the perilous journey. With the loss of Craig, Noah is forced to reconfigure the lineup, and because Josette is so fragile, he pairs her with Evelyn. He assigns Hank with Luna and moves Jacob with Hiroshi to bring up the rear. They serpentine through the hillside scattered with rubble as fast as they are able, and Noah leads them to even higher ground in hopes of avoiding another rockslide.
Noah and his scout hike wordlessly for a long while. Her uneasiness was evident the moment they broke from Craig’s funeral. She avoids making eye contact and often moves ahead of him to ensure that she won’t have to. This game of cat and mouse continues until Noah asks, “Mia are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she snaps, with little conviction.
“I never got the chance to thank you for alerting me to the earthquake. I hope you realize your warning may have saved all of our lives, no matter what happened to Craig.”
“I’m not so sure. I feel terrible... about everything. I don’t understand why I wouldn’t have seen it before if I was to see it at all. Why not sooner? Before it was too late.” She bites her lip.
“I don’t know why, Mia. But I
do
know that others would have perished if not for you. And when I say others, that includes you and me.”
Mia looks down at her feet, at the heather grey trainers with fuchsia laces a full size too big for her. “I know what you are trying to do, and I know I have a tendency to blame myself for things, but regardless, I don’t want to see the future. Not now or ever again. It’s a curse and it only causes me pain, and everyone else around me suffers in the process.”
Noah sighs deeply. “You will discover Mia, as you grow older, that in this world what you are equipped to do has little bearing on what you
want
to do. I advise you to embrace your gift, even if you want no part of it — for your own sake and for the sake of others.”
Mia frowns. “I guess you would know that better than most. I assume while you were in the army you were responsible for the lives of others whether you wanted it or not. But at least you had the choice to leave. I don’t have that luxury.”
“You have assumed too much,” he bristles. “My time in the army has left nothing but a trail of dead soldiers — men and women whom I personally recruited, who died too soon for a senseless war. But none of that matters now. What matters is that we live on and help others the best we can. And that is all I am asking of you. Will you do that for me?”
Mia looks at him with remorse, feeling foolish. She no longer feels sorry for herself, as her pity now rests squarely with him. “I will,” she promises.
“Terrific. Now, there is another matter we need to talk about.”
Mia nearly freezes at his serious tone, but manages to respond with a weak, “Okay.”
“Continue to keep me apprised of your visions, but please, keep the daily natter to yourself.”
Mia’s face reddens, fully aware of the implication, and she nods sheepishly, as they continue hiking through the foothills.
It is late in the morning, and the sun burns brightly overhead. With the rising temperatures, the others begin to shed their layers and deplete the water supply. Noah has led them out of the highlands and through a dense wilderness of evergreens, strewn with huge boulders, some as large as cars. After hours of hiking, they come across a small oval-shaped lake surrounded by an emerald forest of towering pine trees. Noah frees himself from his backpack and drops to the ground. Lying prone, he cups the water with his hands and gulps.
“Glorious!” he proclaims. He continues to drink, finally pouring water over his head and face, filthy after two days of hiking.
Mia follows his lead, vigorously shoveling water into her mouth with her hands. Behind them Max leads the charge to the oasis, and as they file in, Noah inspects them one by one. He can see the fatigue on their weary faces, and some appear to be hobbling uncomfortably. When Hiroshi and Jacob arrive, Noah announces that they will take a short rest, an announcement that causes Sarah, Alice, and Patrick to cheer sarcastically.
While most collapse around the lake, Mia uses this moment to make peace with her brother. They seek refuge on top of a large slab of rock, basking in the sun. During the idle time, Noah and Hiroshi wade in bare feet, lifting rocks in hopes of finding crayfish lurking beneath. Luna decides to help, but promptly slips on wet rocks and falls backward, soaking herself and splashing several others in the process. Her fall is met with an appreciative roar of laughter, and soon the others join her, splashing in the lake and laughing like children. It is a strange scene, but one welcomed by Evelyn, who watches admiringly as she tends to Josette’s and Sarah’s blistered feet.
The rest ends up being longer than Noah had intended, but it appears to have rejuvenated everyone’s spirits. Which is good, because he pushes them for five more grueling hours of uninterrupted hiking over a monotonous procession of hills and valleys that seem to continue on and on as if being fed from an endless reel. Finally, mercifully, Max catches up to Mia and Noah.
“Is everything alright?” Noah asks, looking back to see that everyone is accounted for.
“Yeah, everybody is fine,” Max assures him. “It’s just that several people are complaining to Evelyn that they need to stop; they are too tired to go on. But I want you to know that I can go all night.”
Mia rolls her eyes and puffs out her chest in mockery. “I can go all night,” she repeats in a deep voice that sounds more caveman than man.
“I’m serious!” Max snaps.
“So am I!” Mia jests.
“Enough!” growls Noah, irritated. The twins are silent as he ponders their next move. He looks to the sun, calculating that they have over three hours of light left in the day. He struggles to accept that those three hours will go to waste, at the same time realizing that his wife and Luna are pregnant and several others are weak to the point of hobbling.
“Okay,” he finally concedes.
“Seriously?” Max sounds disappointed.
“Yes,” Noah confirms. “Now, go tell them that we will set up camp when we reach the next suitable clearing.” He nods in the direction of the others, signaling for Max to go. As he jogs back to spread the word, Noah turns to Mia. “That was hilarious, by the way.”