Another Sweltering Day

Another sweltering day. It isn’t like Val expected any different, it has been the same miserably hot and dry weather for the last three years, but it did not stop her from longing for a simple breeze of cool air or any break from the heat. Val pulled up her hood to protect her fair skin, she had learned from her past mistakes, she never wanted to experience another blistering sunburn again. Then she pulled on her mask and pushed open the heavy metal door. Unfortunately, it was time for her to leave the place she had considered home for the last twelve months. It was time to carry out her grandmother's plan to rebuild a safe haven for the survivors.

Val went around to the back of the building and pulled a weathered tarp off a modified land rover, that she had been creating for the past year. Its boxy exterior offered provision from the elements, room to store food, plants and provided a place to sleep. After pulling herself up into the front seat, Val gently took off her gold locket and opened it in her palm. Within the heart-shaped heirloom was a small, folded piece of paper, she unfolded the sheet of paper revealing a hand-drawn map. She practically knew the map like the back of her hand, but reviewing it brought her a level of comfort and confidence she needed to complete this journey. She pressed the map flat and pinned it to the visor above her head. Val pulled out of the hiding spot where she had been parked and into a new dangerous world. She drove down the back road, away from the town she had been pilfering from. As she drove off, she brought her hand to her mouth and blew a kiss in the direction of three wooden crosses that had the engraved names of her family.

After driving across miles of seemingly the exact same landscape Val found a partially burned tree that bore no leaves but provided the most shade, she had seen in the past nine hours. She backed the rover into the shade and prepared to make camp for the night. Val left the driver’s seat, walked to the living quarters of the vehicle, and found her supply of dried deer and preserved pear. She ate a meager meal and drifted off into a restless sleep. The next day she arose confused as to where she was but slowly remembered her actions from the previous day. She would need to go raiding soon. Raiding was not something Val enjoyed, she found it morally wrong, and she thought if the world were ever going to be the way it was before, people could not get to attached to this way of living. People needed honest work that didn’t involve being a thief. That was one of the biggest goals of the safe haven, to provide safety and sustainable work without fear of losing it all to raiders in a matter of minutes.

After a few days of driving across unremarkable sandy lands, Val saw an upcoming sign which read WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA. The words North Carolina were marked out with red spray paint and replaced with THE END. Val scoffed and drove through the warning sign. She had drove through a multitude of state signs since everything started and they all closely resembled that one, none of them had scared her and this one was no different. Her intuition was right for the first portion of the trip but as she passed through the first standing town she had seen in a week; Val couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach. This was her first time raiding alone without anyone to help her if she made a mistake. This could be a life-or-death situation.

Val drove to the outskirts of town and circled back on foot. She made her way through the first steps without any problems, but the trouble always came in the second part, the part where she had to break in. She had stumbled across her fair share of dead bodies, terrified people, other raiders, and even rabid animals in the past, but this time she wanted a clean mission. In and out, get what she needed and leave. She went to the back of the rover and prepared to go out. Val slid down her sleeves, put on a tattered pair of gloves, placed her respirator mask over her mouth and nose, slipped on the skull mask over her eyes, it fell just on top of her nose piece. Finally, Val grabbed a large bag, empty backpack and locked the rover.

Val got through the first three houses with no issues and managed to collect a few canned goods, rope, and a bottle of water. She left the last house and stepped on to the street, out of the corner of her eye she saw something move. She stopped moving and slowly walked back into the open front door, where she crouched down and pulled a knife out of her holster. She waited so long her legs began to burn but she remained steady. Val debated leaving through the back door and running to her rover. When she was about to give in, she saw the thing that had scared her, it was a dog. “How could I be so stupid?” She said, annoyed with herself. She stood up and made her way back outside, she had wasted too much time. As she went along the row of houses, she realized the dog continued to follow her. He was probably hungry, but she couldn’t spare food right now. When she came out of the last house with a granola bar in her hand the dog stood up in excitement. It had been well over a year since she had a treat like this, but she couldn’t bare to see the skinny dog go hungry, so she unwrapped it and tossed half to the little guy. He scarfed it down so quickly it made Val assume that this dog’s owner was most likely dead, and he hadn’t been fed in a long time. She tossed the second half of the bar to the dog and walked back to the rover. As she began to put away her supplies the dog jumped in the door and laid down. Val tried to shoo him away, but it was no use. She left the town with a new companion, Rugby.

Val and Rugby traveled for the next month only stopping for emergency rations or to sleep. But when the rover started making an unusual sound Val had to take an unscheduled pit stop at a nearby town. She checked under the hood and spotted the problem. It would be an easy fix if she could find the part. As luck would have it the town had a small junk yard, Val made her way across the street and slid through a hole in the fence and scavenged for the part. In the distance she could hear Rugby barking, he had been a quiet dog as long as they had been together, so this worried her. Val briskly walked to the rover and opened the side door that led to the living area, standing just inside the back entrance was a little girl. Her hands were full of food and clothes. Val lunged for one of the guns hung on the wall and pointed it at the girl. The girl dropped everything in her arms and ran out the door. Val ran after the girl and grabbed her by the elbow. “What do you think you’re doing, kid?” Val demanded. She couldn’t just steal from someone and run away like nothing happed. This wasn’t like raiding where the owners are dead or the buildings are abandoned, someone actively lived here.

The girl apprehensively said, “I needed food.” she did look frighteningly thin. Her face was sunken in and Val’s hand fit around her whole upper arm.

“Okay, but you didn’t have to steal. I don’t like thieves,” replied Val.

“I am not a thief!” exclaimed the girl. Her lower lip quivered slightly as if the accusation offended her to a great level.

“People who steal are thieves” insisted Val. She didn’t want to hurt the girl, but she needed to learn a lesson. “Where are you headed and what’s your name?” Val continued.

The girl debated on whether she should tell the truth or not. “Jane” the girl lied, “And I live here,” she said continuing the lie.

“Liars are as good as thieves,” stated Val.

“And names hold power.” replied the girl.

“That they do” acknowledged Val “My name is Valentina, but everyone calls me Val.”

“Now I hold the power.” remarked the girl.

“The question is, what will you do with it?” asked Val.

She thought about her answer for a minute then said “My name is Lilly- and I’m just passing through. I heard there was a safe place in New York that the government set up for survivors to go. I may go there.”

With some hesitation, Val said, “Last that I heard the survivors camp was overthrown a while back, there’s nothing left.”

Val brought the girl back inside the rover and together the ate a mid-day meal. Lilly and Rugby played together outside in the shadow the rover made. He seemed to love the little girl and she him. Val made her way to the junk yard once again and within the hour they were ready to get back on the road.

“Alright the rover’s ready to go and I have lost too much daylight as it is. I’ve got to go,” informed Val.

“Okay, thanks for the food and the break from the heat,” stated Lilly.

The girls parted ways and Val drove off. In the rearview mirror she saw the little girl standing there looking at the shrinking vehicle. Val knew what she needed to do and turned around. She asked Lilly to join her on the journey upstate and Lilly eagerly agreed. After gathering her few belongings Lilly, Val, and Rugby were on the road.

Across a few states and many weeks of traveling, the bond between the girls grew and Lilly opened up to show her true spunky nature. As they made their nightly stops Val opened her locket and reviewed the map. They had finally made their way to Montana. In a few days they would be at their destination. Since they were so close to the haven, Val started stopping at towns to raid things that would be necessary for the building process. They stored things such as nails, rope, buckets, tools, and much more.

As they approached the location Val said, “We’re almost there. The haven should be just over this hill.” They could see a lush, green rolling valley that was perfect for building and planting from the bottom of the hill. Montana had been greener than the rest of the states, but this valley was a hidden gem waiting to be cultivated.

It took the two girls a month to build the first house which they shared. They added a water wheel to move the still water, animal housing, a large farm, and a bunk that housed the first survivors who came in the summer and many that followed. They went on the build a fence to protect the forming village and with raiding trips to neighboring towns they were able to provide a safe home and sustainable work for any and all.

Val stepped away from the village and climbed a nearby hill where she overlooked the progress they had made. When she unclasped the locket from her neck and opened it in her palm, she saw a worn photo of her grandmother. Under her breath, she said, “We made it Grams.” And she called the haven, Oasis.