The Autumn of the Whitewood

By CD Dennis

The modern-day world has just collided with a forgotten, ancient realm. Elaine Castle, a wildlife biologist, finds that the mythical creatures of her childhood, such as elves, goblins, and orcs, not only exist, but are locked in an age-old war. Elaine discovers her own dormant magical abilities as she learns about this new world she must live in.

If left untrained, her magical abilities would threaten to destroy her and everyone she loves. Only the elves can train her and she faces her own inner struggle as her companions begin to reveal who they really are. To make matters worse, she and her companions find themselves taking sides in the war.

In a world filled with dangers like banshee, dragons, and a centuries-old war, "The Autumn of the Whitewood" follows Elaine and her friends on their journey to Connemaigh, an old elven stronghold, in the hopes of training her. "The Autumn of the Whitewood" is a fantasy with a dash of romance and magical, as well as mythical creatures. It is the first book in "The Chronicles of the Starborn".

• Language: English
• Publisher: CD Dennis
• Release date: May 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311768643

CD Dennis

C.D. Dennis holds three degrees, including a M.S. in Biology. She enjoys writing, reading, hiking, animals, and everything in nature. She calls the mountains of North Carolina home. "The Autumn of the Whitewood" is her debut novel.

Book preview

Prologue

Truck Forty-six

The truck sputtered and stalled. This is the fourth time tonight it’s stalled! The driver slammed the palms of his hands into the steering wheel and cursed, Damn it! He lifted up his handheld two-way radio and held down the talk button.

This is truck forty-six, over… He had no doubt: unemployment was in his future. Static greeted him from over the handheld. Great… The walkie and the truck both dead. He held down the talk button again, but received back only crisp, dead static. Unfastening his seat belt unceremoniously, he pushed open the truck’s door. Supposed to be working on the transformers, but how can I if I can never get there? He gave a heavy sigh. Fifth time this week it’s malfunctioned.

Probably another outdated transformer overheating again, he said to himself. His weight fell onto his feet with a thud; he straightened the belt gripping his round stomach. The tight belt threatened to cut him in half. He stopped as the sound of a woman crying and gasping struck him, but he could see no one in the dark. The night was illuminated only by the headlights and the slender fingernail of the moon. Getting up in age, old man. He popped the hood switch and left the door wide open as he made his way to the front of the beater. I’ve had this job for two years and they still give me this old piece of shit. Startled from his thoughts again, he could swear that he heard a woman crying. No other sounds drew his attention as he listened. He shook his head, paying it no mind.

Getting old, he said as he propped open the hood and looked at the engine. Everything seemed to be in order, not that it meant anything. I’m going to get fired, and that wife of mine is going to be on my case. Twenty-six years together and still her mission in life is to make me miserable. Huffing, he stood still, looking down at the engine. His gnarled hand reached up and he ran it through his salt and pepper hair.

An earthquake roared through the valley. His eyes were still fixed on the engine as the rumble came and went. Earthquake? We don’t get those in these parts. He glanced around; the trees were in place and he saw no sign of a disturbance. Just my luck, the earth’s gonna open up and swallow the truck. Then I'll have to walk the rest of the way back to the main road.

The soft crying began again, drawing his attention from the earthquake. Turning, he saw a slim, dark-haired figure in white crouched on the ground. Hey! You okay over there? The figure stood, but didn’t look in his direction. Leaving the clearing behind, she moved into the forest. As she did so, he heard no rustling of leaves or cracking of branches. It was as though she floated above the ground. Darkness blotted out the sliver of moon as he considered following her. In the end, he chose safety over curiosity. Turning his attention back to the truck, he checked the spark plugs and all the connections to make sure they worked.

A roar echoed through the valley, snapping him out of his concern for the truck. The roar was like nothing he had ever heard. The lady is out here by herself and there’s a wild animal on the loose. Why is she out here? Another thought occurred to him. Highway Forty-one isn’t far. That woman in white may have been in a car wreck and wandered out here. That can happen. His mind drifted back to a time in his early twenties when he worked as an EMT. A call had come into dispatch. A Buick had run off the road during a snow storm. He didn’t work the day of the accident, but he’d heard about it his next day on. When they’d arrived on the scene, dispatch reported no sign of the driver and the car door was left ajar.

Three days later, a man walking his dog found her body, dead from exposure, in a field. She had to have been disoriented to wander out in the field like that. Slamming down the hood, he yelled towards the forest, Hey! Lady! You okay? He went back to the truck’s cab and pulled out the handheld walkie talkie. Pushing the button again, he spoke, This is truck forty-six, over… Again, static greeted him. Fuck it, he cursed as he put down the handheld and started walking the way the woman had gone. Everything else is going to hell; I’d probably get blamed for it if something happened to her. All right, fine. Hello? Ma’am? As he walked closer towards the forest, the earth shook again. He almost lost his footing, but he persevered.

The third wave knocked his feet out from under him. He lay on his back, unable to get up and struggled for breath as the sky blurred. Wind knocked out of you, old man. Keeping his eyes fixed on the sky, he noticed that the stars were different. While the pain receded, he started going over the constellations he knew in his head. Big Dipper… Little Dipper… Orion’s Belt… Should have paid more attention, old man. That’s it for the constellations for me. Frowning, he still looked at the sky. There were three red lights, stars just north of Orion’s Belt. Ones he didn’t recognize. He noted another deep blue star just to the west of those. The earth shook again as a dark shape blotted out the light from above. A loud whooshing sound accompanied the obscuring figure. Fire appeared all around the man of truck forty-six as he took his first terrified look upon oblivion. He could still hear the woman’s sobs echoing in his mind.

Chapter 1

Regression towards the Mean

The wind rolled across the plains. Tall green and red grasses flowed with the wind as though they were ocean waves. Green grasses began to turn brown with the change of season. Autumn was coming, and coming quick. Both grasses continued to sway with the wind as they were old friends, though the red was something new. The group took advantage of a sheltering patch of forest. The stand of trees was located at the bottom of a rolling hill, protecting them from unwelcome eyes.

Elaine could see the tops of the trees from where they now stood. These were ordinary trees, at least, giving a sense of familiarity. Their sheltering trees consisted of white pines, with a spackling of sweet gums around the stand. The soil must be somewhat acidic.

She had suggested that they begin to gather up the pine needles. They could be used for making beds and as kindling. Good for vitamin C, too… The group listened to her and followed her directions. Leading the group came as a surprise to her, but she didn’t mind it. That suggestion wasn’t the first time, or the last, that they listened to her. With the help from a few of the others she had taught them how to build a fire, find water, build shelters, trap and skin animals, and forage food. Her father was an avid outdoorsman and involved her in his passion. She was more than grateful for it now.

They began to gather more supplies. They siphoned gas when they could find it, but they ran out far too often. So far, they had abandoned four cars. It’s only a matter of time before there are no more cars. Elaine shivered as another gust of cool wind blew through where she and Jack stood. Chill bumps raised on her skin. Biting at her lip, she glanced over her shoulder and looked back at him.

Elaine tossed her light brown shoulder-length hair out from her eyes with a flick of her head as she pulled the nitrile glove over her right hand. The wind picked up, blowing her bangs back into her eyes. Trying to divert her bangs, she pushed out her lower lip and blew upwards. The grass here came up above the waistline of her blue jeans. The sweater pulled tight across her chest as she pulled the seam of the glove away from her wrist outwards. The glove gave a loud snap as her eyes twinkled. She looked at Jack. A necrotic carcass lay between them. He smiled at her, his gloves already on. Her gaze drifted over him. Old faded blue jeans and an old Black Sabbath t-shirt adorned his slim build. His nose was straight like hers, his hair the color of straw. Elaine swallowed, aware of the carcass and crouched down along with Jack. Clouds rolled in, roiling the sky with their greenish-black thunderheads, muting the sunlight and making it more difficult to see the remains. A frown pulled down on the corners of her lips as she continued to evaluate the body. She glanced up after a moment to Jack, whose expression mirrored hers.

What in the bloody hell is that? He asked in his English accent. Elaine held her hands up in reply with a simultaneous shrug of her shoulders. She couldn’t tell what the animal was, returning her gaze to Jack.

Any ideas as to what caused that? She asked as she pointed to the large puncture wound. He shrugged. Giving a soft sigh she looked back down, but the lack of light caused her to squint.

Elaine's mind drifted back to her memories of several months ago, the time when everything went to hell. Cities, centuries old, were decimated in moments by vegetation never before seen. Great trees with deep roots erupted from the ground, destroying foundations and crumbling buildings in mere minutes. Before this chaos, there was a time when things made sense, but it was also before she met Jack. What were the chances of a biologist from England and a biologist from the Appalachian Mountains being in the same area when the event occurred? Right outside of Denver, Colorado.

Denver didn’t look like it had before they met. She imagined that nowhere did. Elaine had liked Denver as it reminded her of her home in Asheville. There were a lot of microbreweries there. Asheville, like Denver, had a lot of those. Tasting new brews was one of her favorite pastimes. She suspected it would be a long time coming before she’d taste another. Many of the attitudes were similar, from the love of the outdoors to the friendliness of the people.

Now large trees stood where houses and buildings had. Large new lakes had also formed in the area; there was more than just the Cherry Creek Reservoir now. The earthen dam at Cherry Creek Reservoir had collapsed, washed out I-225, and flooded most of southeast Denver. There were a couple of other lakes from before like Chatfield or Aurora, but she didn’t know all of their names. Many more lakes now were about the area. The South Platte River increased its width by about three times its original size, while the mountains now reminded her far more of the mountains back home. Her home mountains, the Appalachians, had a lower elevation. The Appalachians were older with more rounded tops, while the peaks of the Rockies were cragged. Both mountain ranges consisted of limestone, but the Rockies also consisted of dolomite and her home mountains of crystalline rocks. The trees in the Rockies never quite reached the top of the mountains and they didn’t either in many places in the Appalachians. Trees close to the top of both often appeared otherworldly and gnarled. The base of the Appalachians consisted of rolling hills, but for the mountains in Colorado, the base was a plateau with a wall of mountains to the west.

Elaine didn't know for certain if the plateau that Denver sat on had risen, if the mountains had shrunk, or if it was a combination of the two. Massive earthquakes came and went – new and unusual trees, shrubs and plants that grew from out of nowhere. She had never seen purple leaves like the ones on some of the trees. The leaves weren’t like the purple leaves of the copper beech or the purple leaf plum; these were a much darker purple, eggplant in color, serrated, and veined. The bark on these new trees was a gleaming white and seemed to be relatives of the birches. She gave them the unofficial name of Betula purpura. Jack had agreed that they must be birches and smiled with a lifted chin when she had told him. He began calling them that too. His tone, smile, and lifted chin made her hackles rise. She had heard that tone and she had seen those actions before. He always did that when he was being condescending to others and right then it was her. I hate condescension.

The vegetation was beautiful in truth, but she worried about those who once lived in the areas affected by the event. She hoped that many of the people made it out, but she was also sure that many hadn’t. Perhaps they are also learning to live in this new world. Perhaps they were learning about these new species, like she and Jack tried to learn about the new plants and animals.

In addition to the new flora, strange new animals had also appeared, one of which lay dead before them. When the clouds finally began to clear, they could see the animal clearly. The colors grew more vivid and drew their attention back to the animal.

Elaine’s brow furrowed as she pursed her lips and studied the animal. Another of these new animals. This one seems quite antelope-like. The horns were spiral and shorter than an antelope’s horns. The color of the coat was dark, melanistic, suggesting it spent a lot of time in the forests. Why is it here then? In the plains? The even-toed hooves looked as though they enabled the animal to climb mountains with ease. The legs were slender, long, and deer-like. From the exterior, it appeared to be an herbivore and, more specifically, a ruminant: a cow, deer or antelope. She couldn’t know for certain unless they dissected the animal. She pulled the lips apart to look at the teeth. There were no incisors on the upper portion, no canines, and the molars looked as though they were used to grind cud. The dental pad was present too, also suggesting that it was a ruminant.

Ruminant? She asked as her hazel eyes met his blue-green ones. The animal’s dark blood had congealed into a vile pool at the bottom of the carcass and the overwhelming smell of rotting meat permeated the air. This animal was dead for more than twenty-four hours, but less than three days because the fluids were still oozing from the bloated carcass. The wind blew again, shifting the scent away from them and waving the tall grass about their heads. What she wouldn’t give to be able to test the animal’s DNA. That equipment would be hard to come by. Hell, the gloves were hard to find. Everything was hard to find; they made do with what they had.

Jack nodded, Think so. We can’t really take it with us.

The animal was too large for them to do so - almost the size of a horse. Horses… horses would be good. We need those. A pounding began again in her temples and a dull pain ached at the back of her neck, causing Elaine to nod with a frown. She refrained from lifting her hand to her temple. It must have been the lack of light earlier. Don’t kid yourself, Elaine; you’ve been getting them more often. Since the event, she had suffered from headaches more frequently. It could be the change in the weather. Storms increased in frequency and no one really knew when they would occur or when the clouds would just roll away to subject another area with their onslaught. As of late, they rolled away.

Elaine suspected he thought about dissecting it too, from the way his eyes flickered over the animal. Looking back at the wound, she examined the large puncture. Her hands went to each side of the wound and pulled them away from each other, pulling the opening taut, Definitely a puncture. The puncture penetrated through the top of the animal’s back, suggesting that the attack came from above. What in the world could bring down an animal in this way? A talon, maybe? She asked.

She looked up as Jack shrugged, Not sure I want to know. Well, maybe from far away. If something can take out an animal this big… He gave an awkward shrug. She found the shrug quite charming. It was one of those characteristics that had attracted her to him in the first place. Anna called it ‘adorkable.’ The memory, pleasant at first, was replaced with sorrow. They still had no idea what had killed Anna. It was a visceral scene. There was no clue that there was even blood splattered upon the purple leaves; it matched so well. Elaine walked through a patch to find Anna's blood covering her face. Anna’s intestines were ripped out and her chest lay wide open. The look on her face… She swallowed, remembering it. It looked like a scene in a horror movie she saw years ago, as a teenager. Anna’s death, thankfully, was quick and Elaine hoped she hadn’t felt much. Jack had pulled her away from the scene as she had cried a steady stream of tears.

Other people died as Anna had, with no trace of what killed them. There were occasionally obsidian arrowheads left behind and that seemed to indicate something intelligent. However, no one in their group had met anyone or anything yet that might fit this description. In their group, eight were killed the same horrific way Anna had been. Most of those killed were males. There were only about two dozen survivors left now.

Her group came across other groups of human survivors who also had experienced incidents like Anna’s death. One group even talked about other human-like beings that one man referred to as elves. Her group debated if they were rumors or not, but four members of the other group swore that it was the truth. Those four described them as being tall, lithe, with pointed ears, and some appeared to have magical abilities. She was incredulous at first, but as she thought of it she decided nothing would surprise her anymore: dragons, unicorns, hippogriffs... The groups were all cautious of each other, as would be expected, and usually continued on their separate ways. However, they picked up a few stragglers here and there and a couple of whole groups merged with hers, but she still had no idea about how many people were left out in the world. Other strangers said another mountain range rose in the east, not far from where Elaine’s group was now. She hoped to make it back home; back to an area that she knew well, but this new range may have damaged their plans. Elaine possessed no desire to have their group stuck in snowy mountains they didn’t know. Those same strangers stated that the Mississippi River was gone too. The announcement fueled her skepticism.

Her scouts, Dan and Richard, were from the area and were concerned with hearing the news. The mountains concerned her more. She frowned and desperately wanted to avoid the mountains now that fall and winter were coming. The mountains aren’t a place to be in bad weather especially if you don’t know your way around, like the Donner Party all those years ago. Closing her eyes, she tried to chase the thoughts away.

She forced herself to smile at Jack as she stood up from her crouched position and opened her eyes. Blood returned to her legs as she stretched. Her height was average, but perhaps a little on the tall side. Jack stood and bent forward to stretch the arch of his back along with his legs, his dark blonde hair swishing from side to side as he did so. He had a faux hawk when they first met. Now his hair was growing out and was uneven without a professional cut. More than once, Elaine thought about taking her knife to his hair and shaving it off as he slept. The devilish thought brought a smile to her lips. Looking up, he glanced at her as though he knew what she was thinking. She quickly wiped the smile off her face.

Jack straightened up, pulled off his nitrile gloves, stuffed them into his pocket, and walked over to her. Realizing that she still hadn’t removed hers, she pulled off her gloves. The cool air hit her hands, drying them, and giving relief from the sweat that gathered between the nitrile and flesh. His hands reached out and found her hips, brushing them with his fingertips. He was barely taller than her, even though he swore that both of his parents were over six feet tall. Every time she mentioned it he would just say "regression towards the mean." She remembered her old statistics professor talking about Galton and using height as an example.

Hey, there me Babby, we got a little time before we have to go back, you know. He winked at her as he said it. She preferred Babby and Bab as compared to what he used to call her: wench. She was not happy with that term of endearment at all.

Elaine gave him a sly smile. That we do, she replied. She swallowed as she glanced over her shoulder. She saw nothing that gave her pause. We’re safe. For the moment, at least.

The wind died down by the time they lay panting on the ground. She grinned at him as they curled around each other, the grass hiding them. He held her to him, wanting to keep her right there with him, We don’t get to do that as much as we should. She half-smiled as she nodded.

We need to get back to the group, she said as she sat up. He nodded in agreement. He didn’t want to go, but it was a good idea before the group started a search party. The search party was Elaine’s idea too; if people were gone for over an hour a search party was formed and no one went by him or herself anywhere ever. They hadn’t lost anyone since she’d made that rule. Jack was glad for the safety, but it did cut down on their personal time. Besides, he didn’t want any of the other men finding her half-naked in the tall grass.

The clock ticked on, but he grabbed her sweater anyway, wishing the moment would last a bit longer. Guess we can’t slummock here all day and night. Can’t have this back though, Bab. He had no intention of letting her get dressed just yet. She faked anger as she grabbed at the sleeve, halfheartedly. As Jack yanked it out of reach, she laughed. Her laugh was full of life and rang through the air. Maybe I’ll trade you for a kiss?

Elaine stared at Jack and rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow, A kiss, huh? A sly smile appeared in the corner of his mouth as he nodded. He had no shame in his emotions for her. Well, I suppose…, she trailed off as she leaned forward, touching her lips to his. His hand came up, stroking her cheek, and he relaxed into their kiss. Jack pushed his mouth hungrily towards hers. Her hand crept towards her sweater. Fingers finding the rough wool, she snatched it, pulled away, and gave a toothy grin. He analyzed the details of her face as he stroked her cheek. All Jack wanted was to pull her back down to the grass. She was right, though; they did need to get back to the group.

Glad I found you, Bab, Jack said as his thoughts traveled back to when they’d met. Jack had found Elaine on the side of the road, after everything changed, wrestling with a tire jack, unable to get the tire off. The nuts on the tire were stripped. Stopping, he offered assistance when he saw her. Elaine’s hair was cut in a bob then, just below her chin, with a slight wave and a sheen to it that caught his eye. The swell of her breasts and curve of her hips helped too. Her honey brown hair had shaken him. He grinned, remembering that day. Elaine was working in Denver, studying pikas in the Rocky Mountain National Park mainly. Jack, on the other hand, was passing through on his way to Arizona and wanted to drive over the Rockies in Colorado. He’d lined up a job working with a team on the reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf and was hoping for a second chance in his life. Jack knew he needed some time to himself and to analyze his past. It never failed to amaze him just how quickly life could change. He was driving west, right outside of Denver, between Lakewood and Golden when he saw her stranded by the side of the road. The cars left were abandoned and the white trunked trees sprang up in various places along the road. The damage left barely a road at all. Elaine popped a tire driving over the gnarled root of one of the new trees. Once stopped, he tried to help her change the tire, finding the nuts stripped. The Bob Dylan song Tangled Up in Blue always played in his mind whenever he thought about that day.

Since they could not change the tire, she hopped into his car. He guessed that he had made her comfortable enough to come with him. He realized later that she kept a knife on her, which had provided her with a degree of confidence in her safety regardless of circumstances or company. His lips twitched up at the thought. She threw her pack and a gas can now full from her old Jeep into his car. They grabbed everything else that they could possibly use, including paper, rags, and the car battery. Later that night, they took shelter near Denver International Airport, in an old cinderblock house. Grass had already taken over the floor, creating a natural carpet. He still looked back at that night fondly; it was the first time that they had known each other. The bond would come further down their shared road.

Opportunities to split up had appeared and yet they were still together. They were robbed several times, with a few getting away. One person managed to take the rented Buick he picked her up in, but the thief ran out of gas not far down the road. As they headed east, they found the Buick, taking any useful items left. Hoping to avoid the most common routes, their route ran parallel to I-70. They spent hours scavenging cars and houses for useful items as they passed. That’s the way life was since the event. As much as they could now, they lived off the land. Elaine had her wits about her when it came to the art of survival. He knew he needn’t worry about her survival skills. Just as long as she was okay, he was okay.

Jack pulled on his jeans, watching her dress. As she pulled on her sweater, it stretched across her breasts. He found that sweater for her. Hope she doesn’t find another one that actually fits any time too soon. Glad Bab ain’t noggy. Elaine had plenty of t-shirts, but not sweaters and she told him she’d fallen in love with the burgundy wool. Bending, he gathered his clothes and picked up his t-shirt, stained by mud and grass. They lay on his t-shirt and it was wrinkled now, but those would come out. Clean clothes were a luxury he missed. And maybe a bed from time to time would be nice. A bed with Elaine would be even nicer. He threw the shirt on over his head, pulled down, and pushed his arms through the sleeves. Sitting on the ground, he continued to watch her. Elaine pulled on her cotton knickers and he wondered what she’d look like in a nice pair of lacey ones. Boyshorts would be good. If he continued that thought he’d become aroused again. Pulling on her faded blue jeans, he donned his socks and struggled with his boots.

By the time he stood, she began pulling on her socks and boots. Glancing around, he could now see above the grass again. The skin on the back of his neck tingled as he looked. Nothing out of the ordinary. Jack picked that place on purpose, looking for a soft, and yet hidden place among the foliage. He noticed her right hand moved to her temple and she frowned in an all too familiar gesture. Another headache. Those chronic headaches were starting to worry him. His brow drew down as he stroked his chin. Elaine had them almost daily now. She went to work on tying her laces and once she secured them, he offered his hand to help her stand. She had the right amount of curves exactly where she should with a tiny waist. Yeah, boyshorts… He smiled to himself while giving Elaine a sly wink. Guess we should make our way back, Bab? Snap should be ready soon.

Nodding to him, she pulled her hair out from the cowl of the sweater. It took her time to get used to his way of speaking. Snap means food or meal time. His words are odd, but I’m sure they were commonplace where he’s from. Noggy means old fashioned, he said. Slummock means being lazy. I like half-soaked. Stupid. Great word for it. What the hell does him being a Brummie even mean? I suppose we should, she said as she surveyed the area.

Wondering if they took too long, he scanned the terrain. Jack looked over to Elaine to see her do the same. No one was in sight. I guess it would be bad if we didn’t follow our own rules, huh? One hour time limits, he said as she gave a soft chuckle.

Jack watched her raise her hand to rub her temple again. Elaine put on a brave face, but Jack knew the headaches were getting more severe. She said that she didn’t know what was causing them. Doctors were almost unheard of now. They hadn’t seen one at all since before the event. Elaine told him that she thought it was stress. A lot of traumatic things happened and it seemed that so many were now depending upon her, depending upon them both. That was what she said anyway. Jack wasn’t so sure about stress being a cause. His mother suffered headaches like Elaine’s, but that was because of his drunken dad more than anything. He guessed that was a stress in its own right. Jack hadn't told her about his parents and he didn't have any intention of telling her about them. Or about his having the same drinking problem. He hadn’t told her a lot about his past though, not wanting her to see him in a negative light. They were his problems, not hers. In a small way, she reminded him of his mother. He quickly pushed the sadness down.

Jack stood beside her and placed his hand on the small of her back, That would be true. Let’s head on back then.

The slow walk back to the camp was silent. It was enough to just have his hand on the small of her back, comforting her. There was something in the back of her mind that warned her that it was a possessive action. She involuntarily shook her head, trying to cast the negativity away. She did look over her shoulder a couple of times on the way back and smiled. He always smiled back at her.

Elaine knew that the scouts hadn’t made it back yet. They would have come close to where she and Jack laid if they returned. The sun was getting low in the sky now and the wind had died down. The scouts, Dan and Richard, let the group know that morning where this carcass was. They also found a hidden and mysterious road a few days before. Strangely, it was not paved as most roads were, but instead was made of cobblestones. The scouts came back to give information and to resupply. She didn’t know much history on the two of them except that they were old friends who grew up together in Missouri. Just a couple of months ago, they began scouting for the group. Dan and Richard hung around Denver for a while after the event, meeting them there. Often, the scouts would return with supplies they scavenged. Dan and Richard also taught the group how to set up snares for catching rabbits. Elaine was personally glad that they found them. Elaine and Jack had less of a burden because of them. The group was a burden. Jack didn’t seem to be grateful for them; he always hung around a lot when any man was near her. It was hard trying to teach everyone how to fend for themselves.

The camp came into view. She could see several of the group members gathering pine needles. A couple of the younger teens were raking the gathered pine needles into trash bags. Useful items like that were becoming scarce. As luck would have it, they also found a couple of crossbows and several guns, including a hunting rifle with a scope and a shotgun. Dan, Richard, and she knew how to shoot them already and first taught Jack. Dan and Richard had to teach her the crossbow. They, in turn, taught the rest of the group. It was tedious, but she had high hopes that everyone was becoming more self-reliant and, if push came to shove, could make it on their own. The most useful member outside of the four was Hagan. Hagan was a cook before the event and was protective of his cast iron Dutch oven and frying pan. That man always seemed to have some spices on him too. He was growing a black wiry beard since he didn’t have any new razors. Hagan badgered Dan and Richard to scrounge up some sharp razors for him. He used a knife to shave his head. Hagan said he didn’t want to do that to his face because of ingrown hairs. He looked as though he might be in his forties, but everyone looked older. Hagan was stout and round about the middle. A kid around thirteen came into the group with him; a tall, skinny kid who didn’t talk at all. Hagan just called him ‘Kid.’ Kid always responded to that, but his responses were precious little more than grunts or nods. Hagan told Elaine he didn’t know who the boy was, but found him outside of an old apartment building where he was likely squatting. Elaine suspected that a traumatic incident had happened to him either before or after the event. His skin tone was a similar shade of dark chocolate and she initially thought they were father and son.

Kid made an awkward friendship with another teen boy by the name of Jeremy. Elaine glanced over to Jeremy and Kid, who raked the needles into the bags. Elaine was glad to see them both smiling. Jeremy’s family had died, save he and his sister, when one of the fast growing trees destroyed the house they grew up in. He looked quite a bit like his sister, Anna, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Their last name was Alvarez, but they didn’t really look as though they had much Latino ancestry other than the dark hair and eyes. But now he was all alone too. She suspected that most of them had very little family left. It was all luck of the draw. They made sure that Jeremy didn’t see Anna’s body. The scene was difficult for the adults to take, let alone a kid. Elaine was a tough girl and she had sickened upon seeing her body and she was sure that it was worse because Anna was her friend. She could only imagine what it would be like for her brother.

The teen boys were rounded out by a lone girl, Abby, a girl that Jeremy watched a lot lately. She was a year older than him and her body began to fill out. As though Abby knew she was the subject of someone’s thoughts she walked from the pine grove carrying two baskets of mushrooms to Hagan. The girl’s hair was red, her eyes green and her complexion clear. True to form, Jeremy stopped his bagging and watched her. Elaine smiled and nudged Jack who raised his eyebrows playfully.

Aww, young love, she whispered to him. He nodded with a mischievous smile. She shook her head, knowing his trickster nature, hoping that whatever he was considering doing, he wouldn't. Abby acted oblivious to the attention. A few steps behind her came her grandmother, a small woman in her sixties named Ruth. She carried four skinned rabbits, holding them up high. Elaine studied the white-haired woman; to Elaine, her white hair seemed premature.

Elaine looked around for the two older teens. Those two she had a rough time with. Not that they weren’t good helpers, but they were identical twins who liked to play guess who I am. Those boys were redheads as well and both were tall and lanky. Their names were Michael and Matthew, but Elaine addressed them as Hey, you. She noticed Jack seemed to have a problem with them too. He always stepped closer to her whenever another guy was around. She was past counting on her fingers how many times she’d discussed his jealousy with him.

The rest of the group ranged in age from twenty to fifty-eight. All were willing to help and they did their part well. The cars sat parked under the trees, in a small clearing. Their tents were stationed in a ring around the fire and Hagan was busy at the fire with the Dutch oven. He was already dropping the mushrooms and chunks of skinned rabbits into the boiling water. Hagan produced some spices from his pocket and tore off the amounts that he wanted, putting