Ryan Westfield - Surviving Chaos

“Did you find anything?” said Sadie.

James took one look at her, turning his head. She seemed to have calmed down a bit compared to when he’d left camp. But she was still upset. James knew she was relieved to see him, but her bad mood stopped her from expressing her feelings.

“I got something that’s going to put you in a better mood,” said James.

“Yeah? I don’t believe you. What’d you find? Another measly squirrel?”

“Something better.”

“What?”

“Check the bag yourself.”

Sadie couldn’t help herself. She got up quickly and opened the pack.

“Mushrooms?” she said, pulling out a thick handful. “What good are these?”

“I know you hate mushrooms,” said James. “But they’re food. I thought you’d be happy about getting something to eat.”

“Did you identify them, James?”

James nodded.

“Let me see them.”

James reached into his pocket and pulled out one for Mandy, who took it from him.

“I found them in the guidebook and everything.”

He looked up at Mandy to see a worried expression on her face.

“You don’t believe me?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that mushrooms are really tricky. I don’t know anything about them, except that you can easily confuse dangerous mushrooms with edible ones.”

“It’s fine,” said James, exhausted, lying flat on his back. “I tried them already.”

“You ate one?”

“Yeah,” said James. “I found the picture in the guidebook. It was either an edible one or a poisonous one. I tried it to make sure.”

He hadn’t wanted to tell them this. He just didn’t want to get into it all. But there was no way around it now.

“You thought you might be eating a poisonous mushroom?” said Sadie, her voice rising, her disdain and disbelief apparent.

“That was really dangerous, James,” said Mandy.

“Well, it’s over now. We can eat them. I’m alive, and we’ll have something to eat. The guidebook said they’re nutritious.”

Mandy looked like she was trying hard not to scold James, trying hard not to act like his mother.

Not another word was said about it, but the atmosphere had changed, growing even more despondent and depressing.

James rested while Mandy and Sadie started boiling the mushrooms. If there was one thing they had, it was plenty of water.

James lay there, wondering if he should go check on his mom. The truth was, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to see her injured, and he had to admit to himself that he had been avoiding visiting her. She’d always been such a strong woman, self-assured, and above all else healthy and vital. To see her confined to the Ford Bronco, unable to move and take care of herself, well, that was quite a downturn.

The night was dark now, and it was getting colder. James moved himself closer to the fire to stay warm, letting the warmth soothe his aching muscles.

After the mushrooms finished boiling, Mandy wordlessly served them.

The truth was that, even after all that physical effort, the mushrooms didn’t look appetizing at all.

James stared down into the little aluminum camping bowl at the murky brown liquid in which the mushrooms floated. No matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, he just didn’t want to eat them.

Sadie, on the other hand, had somehow already finished hers, and she was slurping down the liquid broth. “Wow,” she said. “That’s delicious.”

“Plenty more where that came from.”

“Actually we should ration them,” said Mandy. “And your mother needs some. I’ll go take them to her.”

“I can find more,” said James, even though he wasn’t sure. “I’m sure there are plenty out there in the woods. It’s just a matter of finding them. Have all you want, Sadie.”

He’d noticed that Sadie had already perked up quite a bit. The food was making her feel better.

“You eat, Mandy,” said James, standing up. “I’ll take these to my mom and then get another bowl for myself.”

“Thanks.”

James nodded at her, but she probably couldn’t even see the gesture in the darkness.

James started off towards the Bronco, which was a little ways a way, carrying the bowl of the soup that he didn’t want to eat. He turned his head back to look at his sister and Mandy sitting around the fire. It almost looked like a normal campsite, from before the EMP. But things had changed. James had changed. He’d never be the same again.

Max didn’t know exactly how he’d done it, but he’d found his way back to the road he’d come in on.

He’d gone through more backyards, winding his way through the town’s lesser-traveled areas. He’d passed some kind of old barn, and what had looked like an ancient and now-defunct granary. He’d found himself on the other side of the graveyard he’d seen when he’d come in.

The road was right on the other side of the graveyard, but Max knew he’d have to stay deeper in the woods alongside the road. He needed to reduce his chances of getting discovered. He didn’t know if they were still after him. But it was likely. After all, he’d killed those three young men. The mob would want blood and revenge.

Max walked through the graveyard, heading towards the woods. The ground was bumpy and uneven. He had to weave his way through the headstones, since they weren’t exactly in orderly rows.

Max tried to turn his attention away from the young men he’d killed. But his mind kept going back there. They’d been how old? Twenty-one, maybe older? It was hard to say.

There wasn’t anything else he could have done.

But that didn’t mean it should have happened.

And what was it all for? For a few gallons of gasoline. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Max knew he’d do it again, if he needed to. If he could have done it over, he would have done the same exact thing.

And he wasn’t doing it for himself. He was doing it for the others. For Mandy, Georgia, James, and Sadie.

They’d started out as complete strangers. Except for Chad.

But they’d become like a family. Maybe even closer. Before the EMP, Max had noticed that families had been becoming more fragmented. There were a thousand reasons for why it happened, and Max hadn’t spent much time speculating on them. He just knew what he’d seen.

Max hadn’t had a family of his own. But his new friends had become his family. He’d do anything for them. And he knew the feeling was mutual.

Max was feeling weak again by the time he got to the edge of the cemetery. He didn’t dare sit down to rest, knowing that people could appear at any moment. It seemed as if the cars from the area, the ones left, at least, were not working. But that was just a guess. It wasn’t enough to go on. A car might drive down the road at any moment, the driver spotting Max just heading into the woods.

He had to keep moving. He unwrapped his third Mounds bar and took a small bite. He tried to make it last, but it wasn’t any use. In a couple seconds, he’d devoured the whole thing.

Soon, he was feeling a little better.

But he knew that it wouldn’t last for long.

And he had a long way to go. A long way to go without any food.

But he could make it. Max knew that the human body was capable of extraordinary feats. As long as the person kept the right mental state. The mental aspect of things was, in Max’s opinion, what got to most people.

Before the EMP, Max had read plenty of stories of survivors, people who had survived when others hadn’t. Obviously having the right gear and being prepared was the number one thing that had helped people. But an often overlooked aspect of survival was the mental game. Sometimes those who had the same physical supplies as others ended up surviving, provided they could keep their head straight.