Liz always hoped a major catastrophe would bring people together and unite them in the common struggle for survival. However, she rapidly realized that, while there were cooperative people such as Sandy and Edwin Wright, there were many more who would gladly rip food out of her children’s hands without a second thought. Those were the people who kept her looking over her shoulder. Those were the ones to fear.
Sandy’s voice drew Liz out of her brooding thoughts.
“We lost almost a month’s worth of rations to those damn rats.” Sandy shook her head, jaw set hard. “Those bastards are too clever for their own good. I had the rations wrapped in three feet of plastic sheeting and a canvas tarp, and they still got in and ate everything.”
“We’ve been ‘rat-attacked’ a few times, too.” Liz squinted at a nearby cluster of tree stumps, a good hunting ground for more mushrooms. “You have to be careful about leaving things outside the walls of your cabin. I don’t think it was just rats either. I think some of the other people in the old group are stealing already.”
“Is that why you decided to stop working with them?” Sandy asked.
“Yeah. I think we’re better off staying away from anyone else in the mountains. We trust you and Edwin and Derek, but no one else. As long as we stick together, I think we’ll be okay.”
“I agree. Some of the things the others have been saying make me nervous. Some are talking about joining up with another group.”
“The cult?” Liz frowned.
“Yeah. I think that’s what they meant, but they never came out and said it. Edwin and I stopped going to their meetings a few days after you and Luke stopped. I didn’t like the direction they were headed. We would have been fine if they’d stuck to the plan.”
“We have enough to deal with right now. Trying to work with uncooperative people isn’t on the agenda. Not anymore.”
“Trying to protect our food is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Other people suck if they’re stealing, but don’t get me started on the squirrels.” Sandy gestured toward the east, where her and Edwin’s cabin lay. “I swear they tap dance around the traps I set and nibble on everything. Makes me wish I could get a cat up here.”
Liz nodded in agreement. She sat on the same log she’d overturned, so she could rest her legs for a moment. “Kyle says he saw a mountain lion on the edge of the perimeter the other day. It would be good for rodent control if it wasn’t looking to eat us, too.”
“Have you seen any sign of Justice?” Sandy asked, referring to Liz’s golden retriever.
“No. I haven’t seen him in days. I don’t know where he went off to. I just hope the mountain lion didn’t get him.”
“I hope so too. Maybe he’s just off hunting.” Sandy lifted a rough limestone rock. She frowned when she didn’t find mushrooms. “How are your kids doing?”
Liz chewed her lower lip before answering. “As well as could be expected, I suppose.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “Kyle wants to impress Luke and me so bad that he keeps taking stupid risks to prove he’s worthy of being called an adult.”
“Sounds like Kyle.”
“Right.” Liz nodded, but then her face grew dark. “But at least he wants to help. Sierra constantly whines about everything, from not being able to log into Facebook to not being able to go to parties and missing out on her college years. If she doesn’t toughen up soon, she’s going to drive me and Luke nuts. Yesterday I asked her to gather more prickly pear cactus fruit. She rolled her eyes and said her back hurt. As if mine doesn’t.”
“You can eat prickly pear cactus?” Sandy arched an eyebrow in inquiry.
“Yep. I used to pick a bag full on hikes. I’d juice it.”
“What does it taste like?”
“A cross between watermelon, pineapple, pear, and cucumber. It’s actually really refreshing on a hot day.”
“We won’t have many of those any time soon.” Sandy smirked.
“True, but it has a good amount of vitamin C and magnesium. It only takes three cups to hit your daily goal. Vitamin C’s going to become more and more important as time goes on. Not just because we want to avoid scurvy, but because it will help to keep us from getting sick.”
“We should gather some prickly pear later today.”
“Let’s finish mushroom collection first, then we’ll go. If we’re lucky, we might come across a fat grub to toss into the soup pot.” Liz laughed and shook her head at the massive upheaval in her life. “I can’t believe I’m living in the mountains with no electricity, talking about eating grubs.”
Sandy pursed her lips and stared at the overcast sky. “I don’t think any of us ever considered this future for ourselves. But all you can do is all you can do.”
“What if all we can do isn’t enough?” Liz asked softly.
The question hung in the air as they continued to search for mushrooms. Several minutes later, a tiny white flake drifted from the sky and melted on the back of Liz’s bare hand. She glanced at the sky and frowned.
“Here comes the snow.” Sandy clucked her tongue. “Winter is practically right on top of us.”
Liz turned to Sandy and gave voice to her fear. “I haven’t spent a winter in the mountains since I was a little girl, and it was harsh then. I don’t know how we’re going to make it through, honestly.”
Sandy nodded and picked up a fat mushroom cap.
“Edwin and I aren’t looking forward to it. We aren’t spring
