Mother Earth: Return to the Womb

By Richard Wiggins

When civilization ends in a single day with his family on the east coast him on the west coast, Riley Thomas, leaves everything behind and begins his search for them because he knows his wife will need him and will expect nothing less. Heavily armed, Riley begins his journey as devastating earthquakes and worse transform the landscape. Soon after starting the moon disappears into the void, and the sun begins its death throes. Relying on luck, prayer, and perseverance Riley pushes east. Avoiding the masses of frightened, angry humanity, he can’t avoid everyone. There are those who need help, need family, need protection - his protection. When the world ends, one man with a goal becomes a beacon of life...and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Wiggins
• Release date: Mar 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781617521164

Book preview

Mother Earth: Return to the Womb

by

Richard S. Wiggins, Jr.

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

TreasureLine Publishing on Smashwords

Mother Earth: Return to the Womb

Copyright © 2012 by Richard S. Wiggins, Jr.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

This book is dedicated to my loving and lovely wife, Bobbi. Our relationship and love have only improved with time and adversity. It is the basis for this story. Like Riley and Betty, we, too, have expectations of each other we needn’t voice. They have been forged by the heat of passion and the sometimes grueling hardships of marriage. I love you, Babe.

MOTHER EARTH: RETURN TO THE WOMB

Chapter 1: Alone

The cell phone’s buzz jerked Riley away from the computer screen. He hurriedly snatched it from its holster before That’s Amore started playing. He knew it was Betty calling. She and the rest of the California family would be landing in New York about now. They were there for John’s wedding. Their middle son had finally decided to marry Summer after living with her for two years. It was about time. Riley liked the outgoing girl better than his son much of the time.

Just as the first note started, he got the phone flipped open. One note was enough. Across the hall, his young protégé, Dan, laughed, Come on Riley. You know we love that old song, heavily emphasizing old.

Riley sighed, thinking once more he should change the ring tone knowing he never would. Hello, he said.

We’re on the ground, Betty said. We’re taxiing to the terminal now.

Riley smiled. He loved the sound of Betty’s voice. It calmed him. He could imagine her just relaxing her death grip on the arm rest. Since the kids had scattered around the country, she had started flying more, but it still scared her. Valium was her best friend on flying days.

How was the flight? he asked.

It was… The connection went dead. At the same time the lights flickered then went out.

Riley started to hit redial but saw his phone was off. He tried powering it back up, but nothing happened.

What is going on? Dan asked coming out of his office.

We’ve had a power failure and my phone went dead as I was talking to Betty, Riley said leaving his office, too.

We…we’ve been hit by a solar storm, Leslie, the administrative assistant said, coming back to the men from the reception area. Like Dan, she was in her late twenties and slightly overweight.

What are you talking about? Dan asked.

I was listening to the news and about two minutes ago an emergency broadcast came on saying we would be hit by a solar storm and to shut everything electrical off. I thought it had to be some kind of joke.

I guess it wasn’t, Riley said. He headed for the office’s exit. Dan and Leslie followed. When they got outside the silence overwhelmed them. Leslie started sobbing. Dan put an arm protectively around her.

It’s okay, he whispered, a touch of fear in his voice. Up and down the street, people were silently exiting buildings staring in shock at the suddenly silent world. People were exiting their dead cars, some looking under the hoods, others just staring dumbly at the inert beasts. The vehicles were stopped haphazardly attesting to the difficulty the drivers had stopping them with no power for the brakes or steering.

What are we going to do? Dan asked. He and Leslie looked at Riley.

I have to get to Betty, he said. She will be needing me.

She’s in New York, Dan said.

Riley looked at Dan and shrugged. That doesn’t matter. Our boys will keep her safe until I get there. She knows I’ll come. He started for their parked cars. Maybe the solar storm or whatever it was only damaged running vehicles. Ours might be okay. As he spoke, he saw several people get in their cars and successfully start them.

See, he said. Every started car died within thirty seconds of starting.

Now what? Dan asked. Before Riley could answer, the ground began trembling. Everyone fell to their hands and knees. Trees and buildings swayed. Windows shattered with explosive force. Screams of fear and pain rent the air. Only after several minutes did the earthquake subside. Riley glanced to the south to the end of the street. The huge storage tanks were still up but they had an odd tilt to them. The emergency flare he had been told about when he toured the facility was burning brightly even in the mid-day light.

The ground trembled under them. He faced Dan and Leslie. I have to get home. I suggest you guys get to your families then get somewhere safe out of the city. He looked at downtown Sacramento. He couldn’t see any damage, but judging by the huge cracks and falling masonry in the buildings around him, it was there.

How are you going to get home? Dan asked. You live fifty miles away.

Riley laughed. Walk. At three miles per hour that is only a little over 16 hours. With breaks, I should be there within a day. He went to his car and tossed the car key onto the driver’s seat. Maybe it would run for someone some day. He needed to get moving.

He waved good-bye to Dan and Leslie. They were both sitting on the grass still stunned. Riley passed other dazed people milling around cars and buildings. No one seemed to want to leave the safety of familiar objects.

Many had slight injuries from being tossed about by the earthquake. They reminded him he would need to put together some kind of first aid kit. Maybe by the time he got home the world would be returning to normal, and he could just fly to New York to get Betty.

He reached the Yolo Causeway. It carried interstate 80 over the Yolo Bypass. The bypass was dry since it was early summer. The causeway was packed with dead cars and trucks. People were trooping off the causeway. Fear and anger were the dominant emotions on their faces. Riley spotted a state trooper amongst those gathering at the start of the causeway. He was doing his best to keep the people from panicking completely.

Do you know if the earthquake knocked it down anywhere? Riley asked.

The harried trooper shook his head. I don’t think so. It has some severe cracking, though. I wouldn’t drive across it. He and Riley looked at the piles of vehicles blocking all the lanes. They both smiled.

No worries there. I just need to get across on foot, Riley said. Before the trooper could answer, angry scared motorists demanded answers he couldn’t give. Riley climbed the fence to the bike path and started for the west side. He passed several other walkers who were gawking at every stalled vehicle and every wreck. A bicyclist passed him coming from the west. The young man was by him before he could ask how the path was.

Two hours later he walked off the causeway and was striding along the frontage road when the earth began rumbling. He dropped to his knees as the ground began undulating like waves on a pond. A wave tossed him several feet into the air. He somehow hit feet first and cushioned the fall with his legs as the ground continued swaying. Several hundred yards away, the legs on a billboard snapped.

When the earthquake finally stopped, Riley saw that the raised rail bed was a shambles with huge breaks in it. He wondered if anything could have survived such an earthquake. He checked himself and found only a couple of slight abrasions on his hands. He skirted around Davis. He didn’t want to get sucked into having to try and help injured people. Betty would want him to, but he had to get to her. That was his priority.

The road’s asphalt was completely destroyed. It was shattered into pieces that lay on other pieces. In some places gaping breaches had opened. Some rice fields were drained while others were now lakes.

It suddenly occurred to Riley that if the road beds and rail bed had been destroyed, the levees probably suffered much the same fate. He doubted the dams at Oroville and Shasta were designed for such earthquakes either. It had been a wet winter and the news had reported more than once all the lakes were well above normal. He started jogging.

His work shoes weren’t running shoes. His feet and knees refused to take the beating for long so angry with his uncooperative body, he resumed walking.

Riley reached Woodland at dusk. The I-5 overpass had fallen onto the interstate. He went into every convenience store looking for water, but all of it had already been taken along with anything edible. He did find some half eaten doughnuts in one trash can and took them.

He sat down next to the convenience store on the remains of a retaining wall and removed his shoes. He wasn’t yet half way home, and his feet were already complaining. He rubbed them for about ten minutes then forced them back into his shoes. The pain seemed worse. No more breaks for you guys, he thought sourly.

Outside of Woodland, the first bridge was down, so he had to wade across Cache Creek. Night enveloped Riley in a darkness he could not remember. Nowhere could he see a light other than the stars. Even the moon was gone which he thought odd since he was pretty sure it was supposed to be nearly full, but he wasn’t sure when it was supposed to rise.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness enough so he could walk without veering off the road, but he was constantly tripping over unseen hazards. He stopped often, but his flagging energy let him chill easily, so he had to keep moving. His feet quit complaining so long as he kept to his snail’s pace. He was stumbling along when he suddenly realized he was in a small town. It had to be Knights Landing. He stopped and listened but heard nothing.

As he began leaving the town, he heard water flowing. It had to be the Sacramento River. He felt his feet splashing through water. Fear compressed Riley’s chest. Was the flood getting ready to hit. He reached the draw bridge. He couldn’t see the other side, but the water was getting deeper at a steady rate. Not knowing what else to do, he crossed the bridge to dry land. He said a short prayer of thanks that the levee on the other side was failing first and continued on.

Thirty minutes later he saw the flickering light of a campfire. Soon he heard talking and singing, all in Spanish. He quietly eased by and continued on his way. He reached the Sutter Bypass Bridge and found it was collapsed, too. He worked his way across the bypass amazed that it wasn’t flooded. He only had to swim one small but deep channel.

When the sun’s rays finally began lighting the world again, Riley was within a couple of miles of home. He hoped against hope the home he and Betty had raised their three sons in would be fine, but he knew it wouldn’t be. Nothing seemed to have escaped the earthquakes’ wrath. It was no exception.

The modular home had been knocked off its foundation and leaned awkwardly to the south. The south wall was collapsed into the house with part of the roof following it. No windows had been spared. The front door was wedged closed by the skewed walls. Behind the house, the propane tank had been knocked off its pad and was spewing the last of its contents into the air. Apparently not all propane leaks led to violent explosions like in the movies.

Wiping tears away, Riley got his A frame ladder and climbed into the house through a master bedroom window being careful to avoid the glass scattered everywhere.

Chica, he called. Their old terrier mix dog didn’t respond. Chica, he called again but still got no response. Sighing, he stood and started working through the house. He found her crumpled under the coffee table. He gently picked her limp body up and checked it. He saw no sign of trauma.

I guess it was just your time, girl, he said sadly and set her down on the couch. He went to a faucet and was surprised when water came out. He found an unbroken glass and gulped down several glasses full. The refrigerator door was still closed and its contents that weren’t broken were still cool. He ate his fill of cereal using the last of the milk then nodded off in his bedroom.

He awoke to the sound of people talking and moving around outside the house. Quietly he went to his closet and got his .22 LR Colt target pistol. He slipped a clip into it and chambered a round while making sure the safety was off. The people weren’t trying to be stealthy. They were extremely noisy.

Who’s out there? Riley called.

It’s the Wellers and the Thompsons, Riley, a man replied. Riley smiled. They were long time friends.

Use the ladder by the window. The doors are jammed tight, Riley said.

Soon two men in their 50’s, two women the same age, and four boys in their 20’s climbed in.

You come to rob me? Riley asked thumbing the safety on the pistol and setting it down.

Nah, said the shorter of the two men. We didn’t know when or if you’d be home, so we came to get all your food, valuables, and water to take to our place where we could protect it and keep it dry. Riley nodded. Bob Weller was a good friend.

So you’re worried about the dams, too.

Oh yeah. I just hope all the levees break on the sides away from us. Even if they don’t, my place up in the Buttes should be high enough to keep us dry.

Riley laughed. True, but won’t you have most of Yuba City and Marysville up there with you?

Don Thompson shook his head. People are heading for food, so they are heading to Sacramento and San Francisco. They figure that’s where the aid will go first. Riley looked at him questioningly, but he could only shrug.

Well, I’m heading east. I have to go to Betty. After I get what I need, you are welcome to the rest. If I make it back here, we can divvy up what you think is mine.

Isn’t Mrs. Thomas in New York? Bob Jr. asked.

Regardless. She will expect me to get to her, and I will, Riley said, a catch in his throat but steel in his words.

The two older men knew Riley well enough to let it go. So, what can we do to help? Don Thompson asked.

I don’t need any. I’ll get all the food I can carry from the kitchen pantry and my closet. You can just start emptying the back pantry. I’m just glad you’re getting the food. Also, if you need water, I still have some water pressure and there are a couple of full 5-gallon water bottles in the kitchen pantry.

Let’s get to it, Bob Weller said and led his group towards the collapsed wall. Riley smiled at their reactions when they forced the wall up high enough to see the amount of food there. Riley had a thing about being prepared which meant he and Betty had a year’s worth of food stored all of the time. He, the boy scouts, and the Mormons Betty teased him often. They were always prepared.

Riley dragged his backpack out of the closet. He remembered the fit Betty had thrown when he bought it not because it was so expensive but because it was so expensive and she knew he would never use it. He would show her when he saw her. His stomach knotted thinking for a moment that he might not. He wiped away the tear that formed at the thought.

He emptied his closet into the bedroom. He wanted to take all of his firearms but laughed at the thought of being weighed down by so many rifles. He settled for his .22LR pistol and his old Haus .44 magnum single action revolver. He was very accurate out to about 30 yards with the .22LR and the Haus even loaded with .44 specials had good knock down power. He also decided to take his .22LR two shot derringer. He could hit almost nothing with it, but it might come in handy. He laughed at himself. In a couple of days he would probably be thumbing rides to New York hoping no one noticed he was armed to the teeth. Still, he made sure he had several knives including his double bladed dagger.

Are you going to New York or to war? Don asked peeking in.

I know, Riley said sheepishly. It’s just…I don’t know. I just want to be prepared, and I don’t know what for.

I know what you mean, Don said. It feels like the end of the world. He sat down on the bed. Yesterday when the power went out, I saw two jets drop out of the sky. One second they were zipping along making their contrails, then they just dropped. I didn’t see any big explosions or anything, so maybe they landed okay. I don’t know.

What the hell happened? Riley asked.

A special news report day-before-yesterday said something about the sun becoming unstable. I just figured it was another one of those apocalyptic shows designed to scare the crap out of us.

Well, I’m scared.

Yeah, we all are. They stopped talking and Riley continued slowly packing. Finally Don said, Are you sure you want to go to New York? We could sure use you here.

Thanks, but I have to go. Even if Betty is…I have to go. He couldn’t look up.

Don stood and patted Riley on the back. I know. Family is the most important thing. The timing of this just sucks for you.

Riley finished packing and redressing in good hiking clothes. He opened the safe and took out several rolls of silver dollars plus ten hundred dollar bills. He slipped on the pack and met the others at the front door which they had forced open.

Take my guns and ammo. Also, I left the safe open. I would appreciate it if you would take its contents, too. Some of it may come in handy at some point. Betty will be glad to know our valuables are in the hands of friends. Riley hugged the women, shook the men’s hands and started east. He didn’t want to go through downtown Yuba City and Marysville to reach the mountains, but he wanted to get out of the valley as quickly as he could so that meant going through the towns to get across the Feather River…if the bridges were still up.

As he walked along the shattered remains of Highway 20, Riley felt alone like he never had. He had walked away from his work friends yesterday, and now he had walked away from his neighbors and best friends. Still, he knew he was doing the right thing. Betty was his soul mate. He knew he would be with her after this life, but as long as any breath remained in him he had to try to get to her. If that meant walking away from everything and everyone, then he had to do it.

It wasn’t just Betty. All of his family was there including Gina, his granddaughter who also had a special bond with him. Some day she would outgrow the desire to be with grandpa first, but it wasn’t yet. He was still her number one man.

It was mid-afternoon when Riley reached the 10th Street Bridge. Neither it nor the 5th Street Bridge had survived the earthquakes.

You need to cross, a young, male voice called from below. Riley looked down and saw a young Hispanic man no more than twenty standing in a skiff tied to a rope loop that went across the river.

How much? Riley asked.

Twenty dollars.

Riley nodded