Caesar's Pearl 2 Chapter 1
10 Years Later:
In the ten years since the Simian Flu has run rampant across the planet an extremely large percentage of the worlds human population has been annihilated. Only small pockets remain across the globe with one of them being the city of San Francisco in California. The once shining and thriving city bustling with life, activity, and people was now a desolate place with mother nature crawling her way back in.
But those that have survived the apocalyptic outbreak had adapted and found their way. Basically using unconventional methods that haven't exactly been used since the Stone Age along with going without things people have been using so commonly in their lives. It's hard, but not completely undoable. The problem is that everything had to be rationed these days especially fuel. There was only so much of it left and electricity couldn't really be harnessed anymore because the facilities went offline years ago. Basically this is the era where technology went to die with so much of it being left to rot.
San Francisco is a big place and with such a little population remaining a lot of places was still left untouched and unexplored even off limits to those without the proper security clearance. Not a lot of people dared to explore them anymore. Those who did always went with a purpose.
One person in particular walked through them almost daily. Now was one of those times.
One such individual that was now degraded to living this way was scouring through an old junkyard that had a bunch of abandoned and wrecked cars in downtown. Clad in light protective goggles with green lenses, facemask, a brown leather jacket, jeans, knee-high boots, and a black shirt this person was burdened with a substantial backpack. Wielding an assortment of tools the scavenger was trying to excise an assortment of devices from underneath one. One after another, bits of booty found their way into the bag that ley beside the slender figure. The last thing the scavenger di is drain what small amounts of fuel she could siphon from the fuel lines in the car. What little this person could get might be useful. When the bag was full or close to it depending on the amount and size of the stuff she got the scavenger secured it shut commencing to crawl out from the car.
There a border collie was patiently waiting for her to show up. When he saw his human was done he sat up wagging his tail.
Removing the goggles from her eyes and the mask from her face the scavenger smiled at her pet. She was nearly seventeen with dark hair and eyes that carried a hint of something deeper within. There was a freshness about her that the surrounding harsh landscape had failed to eliminate, but the years of hardship she went through left their mark.
Hefting the bag proudly, Margo said "Not a bad days work if I do say so myself."
Ranger barked in agreement prancing around her happily.
Well that wasn't precisely true. Hopefully if the broker isn't so stingy this time around it would be enough to ensure that she and Ranger had something to eat tonight if not a few days.
"Come on, Ranger. Let's go," said Margo.
Ranger barked taking the lead. Margo hefted a piece of larger salvage recovered earlier as she followed him.
Ranger and Margo left the junkyard arriving at the spot where she left her motorbike. Margo had found this bike when she was fifteen inside a garage when she'd been scavenging through some houses one week. When she found this motorbike it made her think of her old bike from before the outbreak. So she decided right then and there to take it home and fix it up. She's been riding it ever since. Just like with the old bike Ranger would follow running beside her. It was good exercise for the border collie. He never failed to keep up with her.
Attached to the back of the motorbike was a crate she had outfitted with wheels so Margo could easily carry all her finds whenever she did a scavenging trip. After she loaded all the car parts Margo pulled out a canteen to rehydrate. She shared the water with Ranger and he gratefully lapped it up from her palm.
After double-checking that she had everything Margo climbed onto the seat. She then revved up the engine on the bike and they were off. Margo and Ranger expertly traveled through the deserted streets avoiding all obstacles by memory making their way to the San Francisco Colony.
The entire Colony was built into the lower levels of an unfinished skyscraper whose construction had been in progress when that apocalyptic plague struck. Because of all the chaos and hassle that came with it no one had sought to finish it since or make any repairs for damages that came afterwards. To be frank there wasn't even close enough of equipment to follow through with the construction even if they wanted to. The Colony saw it as a lost cause with good reason. Even in it's unattractive state there was still a use for it.
The lower twenty floors had flooring that allowed the place to be used for housing to a few thousand people. The bottom six floors occupied the entire block and enclosed what had been envisioned as an upscale mall and luxury office complex. Here the survivors in the Colony ate, slept, worked, and traded in and out throughout their daily lives.
Margo was practically the only person who didn't live here. Even to this very day she and Ranger still lived in the old Victorian house cherished by her family for so very long. She preferred it there over of being over at the Colony. This place was much too crowded for her tastes.
The Colony's mechanics and engineers had taken over an area that had once offered parking and delivery space. Here they stored what meager supplies of fuel could be salvaged. This was where Margo was headed. Here she could trade her acquired fuel and parts for different rations of food. The better the stuff the more you got.
Margo parked her motorbike a safe distance away from the entrance so no one would steal it during the time she left it alone. This was merely an extra precaution since she was carrying the keys with her anyhow.
Margo maneuvered around the barricades and sentry platforms that were lines in front of the stairs leading into the entrance to the street level of the building. It was pact with people coming in and out. Margo wasn't the only one bringing stuff in. Other scavengers left each and every day, but, unlike Margo, kept to the center of the city nearest to the Colony instead of the outskirts. They feared what was out there while she did not. This was why she usually came with the best.
Ignoring everyone else Margo went straight to the usual tent she went to in order to clean the merchandise she brought before she presented the stuff to the hawker at the exchange booth. Appearance didn't really matter just the overall function of each, but it never hurt to do a bit of polishing first. Best not to be lazy. Whenever Margo was doing this she was happy Ranger was around. None of her fellow scavengers were not above stealing from one another when the opportunity presented itself in order to better their situations somehow. On the rare occasions something like that happened to her she quickly caught the bastard/bitch senseless to teach them a firm lesson. Needless to say on the last one where the guy ended up with a broken leg no one tried that again. Still it's better to be safe than sorry. People always thought twice whenever there was a dog involved no matter how docile they may be.
Margo was pleased when she found she was finished with her task sooner than expected and quickly went to the exchange booth to get the goods before anyone else did. Compared to the tent this shelter was a lot neater and well constructed.
Standing in the booth was the hawker himself a middle aged man named Martin and he's as stingy as they come. For those who don't have regular jobs in the Colony and are forced to forage like her to get provisions they're forced to come here. To put it simply everyone hated him. It's no secret that there's a rumor that he cheats some of the scavengers in order to keep the majority of the rations for his own benefit. His large girth definitely says that. Unfortunately no one can prove it, not even those high in rank. So they were stuck with Martin.
Isn't that a major bitch?
Martin took his time scanning over the merchandise she'd brought to him today including the fuel she had. While it was a paltry sum her hopes were really riding on that one.
"A decent offering, if nothing remarkable," said Martin. "Today you get a quarter portion."
Very disappointing. Margo had been hoping for something that would last her a couple of days at least if not a week. She desired some time off with Ranger to relax. Now she wasn't going to get it. Margo was going to have to go out again tomorrow to scavenge some more.
Right on cue a packet appeared in the transfer drawer in front of her. It contained powder to create a single pancake, a few slices of bacon, and a small bag of instant ramen.
Margo knew it was best not to argue with this guy or else she'd probably end up with nothing. A girl's got to eat and she, also, had Ranger to provide for. She didn't have the luxury of being picky. Not in this day and age.
Maybe the traps Margo had set up around where she lived would hold something better. Having to be so self-sufficient for so long Margo had numerous traps set out to catch whatever animals she can. She can't catch anything big so she settled for stuff that was small.
Hefting the now empty sacks and the newly acquired food Margo headed for the exit whistling for Ranger. He obediently trotted at her heals.
As Margo and Ranger were leaving the building they were unaware that they were being watched. Near some cars that were being loaded a young man sat with an open sketchbook in front of him with a keen eye. On the open page in front of him he was drawing Margo's face as he saw it.
Alex is a boy the same age as her. Like Margo he had suffered from the plague losing his mother at a young age. There was a big difference between them though. Margo was left with only Ranger as a companion while he still had his father and stepmother. He had a crush on her, but she never really acknowledged him and he was too shy to actually go up to her and say something. So this was what he did. He didn't see her that often so he drew her each time he glimpsed her. He had a fast hand and a skilled pen.
As he was watching Margo and her dog go his stepmother Ellie is observing him.
"Planning on talking to her any time soon," she asked, smiling.
A red hue crawling onto his cheeks at being caught, Alex said "No."
Ellie laughed in amusement.
A small party was being sent out on a mission into the mountains to get to a dam they knew was up there. The Colony had a very limited supply of fuel left and when it ran out they'd be without any sort of power. They needed to get up there fast and get it working. To them it's not only the last thing they have to keep the Colony alive, but a way to finally get contact with the outside world. Up until now the reach they had was limited. This dam could easily change all that. The team is made of six if you could count Alex. The people involved are his parents Malcolm and Ellie with three others who are Carver, Foster, and Kemp.
Carver was being a jackass as he usually was.
Teasing Alex about Margo, Carver said "Don't get your hopes up with that one, Kid. She's a loner."
"Why is that? I never really see her around here," said Alex.
"That's because she doesn't," said Malcolm, stepping down from one of their jeeps. "To be honest we're lucky enough to know her first name. Margo lives outside the barricades. No one knows where. She keeps to herself only coming in when she's trading for provisions. We sent some people out to try and find out where she lives, but she gives them the sleep every time. So we just leave her alone."
"She's a mystery, Alex," said Foster, adding in his take, lifting a crate of tools into the back of a car. "One no one can really solve."
They may be right, but that didn't lessen the interest Alex had in her. He doubted anything ever will.
On her way home Margo stopped at three traps she had out near her neighborhood. They were all empty except for one. Inside was a squirrel. That would be Ranger's dinner for tonight. Squirrel is one of his favorites.
The moment they got back home Margo immediately pulled into the side of the house. She opened the gate leading into the backyard before walking it in. She always put it here not wanting to risk anyone stealing it from the front. They never had a garage so covering it with a tarp became necessity.
Despite the houses age it was in pretty good condition. Margo is the cause for that. She did the best she could both inside and out. Margo went inside to get some things to cook with after she started a fire in a fire put she'd found one day. The interior of the house was dim without a lot of lighting. Like her food Margo had to ration the fuel she kept for herself to use in a generator. Like today she didn't want to waste any of it instead saving what she had for days she really needed it like in winter on the coldest days. It all comes down to survival.
Vines crept up the walls covering some of the windows. The plants worked their way through the siding, but Margo kept them out of the interior. A lot of stuff was covered in dust. She'd have to fix that in the next day or two. She kept forgetting to do most of the house.
Now the kitchen was constantly spotless considering she cooked a lot from the pots and pans in there. Which is what she took outside now.
Here she cooked the food she now had along boiling the squirrel she'd caught in a pot of boiling water. Margo boiled the ramen she had in a separate and smaller pot carful not to contaminate. This was how Ranger liked it his squirrels. He was used to it by now. If it were anything larger she would skin and share it with him. She pulled it out at the same time her food was done timing it perfectly.
Margo took the food and went up to the attic. As they did regularly when sharing a meal Margo and Ranger sat on the roof of the house. They liked it up there.
Ranger dug into his squirrel as Margo chowed down on her rations as if she had not eaten in days.
When Margo's meager meal was over she set her plate and cup aside turning to gaze at the city as she usually did at this time of day. At one point her gaze tracked on the Redwoods her family had loved so much. In spite of her circumstances Margo never dared go there. There were too many memories that linger, too much pain. She couldn't bear it. The fire may have been long ago, but she dreaded seeing the skeletons of dead apes and recognizing one of them.
Margo didn't want to take the chance and taint the memory's of her brother Caesar. He was still too dear to her to forget. Absentmindedly Margo fingered the locket medallion on her wrist. She opened it up unveiling the pictures inside. One of her, Will, Caroline, and Charles with the other being her and Caesar.
This is Margo's greatest treasure by far. One that she would never let go.
As if sensing his mistresses solemn and forlorn mood Ranger crawled into her lap getting up in her business in order to ease her burden. She laughed as he lay on his back belly up groaning, shutting the locket closed. Margo obliged him rubbing his tummy in little circles as he preferred it. In response Ranger opened his mouth panting tongue lolling out quite in a comical style. As she spoiled him with a massage Margo couldn't help, but return her thoughts to these long ten years. To the changes that not only happened with the world, also, with her too.
.
The earth is cold
The fields are bare
The branches fold against the wind that's everywhere
The birds move on
So they survive
When snow so deep
The bears all sleep to keep themselves alive
They do what they must for now
And trust in their plan
If I trust in mine, somehow I might find who I am
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
.
From the nearby trees a robin flew from its nest landing about two feet away from Margo on the roof. It chirped at her and she smiled Ranger lifted his head ears perked up. He inched forward to sniff the bird, but it flew off before he could get too close. Ranger hugged shaking his head. Chuckling Margo scooted over picking up his head and laid it in her lap while she rubbed his head.
.
My world has changed and so have I
I've learned to choose
And even learned to say goodbye
.
Faint images of Margo's mother, father, and grandfather appeared before her. The smiled waving at her. Then as they faded away a vision of Caesar took their place. He appeared the same as the last time she saw him ten years ago as he singlehandedly took his freedom and those of the other apes he'd liberated from the shelter and zoo. Then he too disappeared leaving her alone with Ranger again.
It was starting to rain a little now dousing the fire below. Margo wasn't worried about firewood. Like her motorbike she kept the firewood supply under a tarp closing up whatever she didn't need for the time being. Best to get out the buckets. She never missed an opportunity to replenish her stores of fresh water.
.
The path ahead is so hard to see
It winds and bends but where it ends
Depends on only me
In my heart I don't feel part of so much I've known
Now it seems it's time to start
A new life on my own
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
.
Yes…where can she go?
Authors Note:
Surprise!
Got to admit this one is a doozy. I don't think I've ever written a chapter this long before and guess what I've come to realize. The one-year anniversary of when I actually started writing the Caesar's Pearl series is almost here. Go figure, huh. So I thought this was a fitting time to give an update to celebrate. Don't you agree? Ha! Ha! ;)
The song you see here is from the 2nd Pocahontas movie. Where it pertains to Margo I believe it suits her very well.
Also, yes, yes I know Alex is supposed to be fifteen in the series, but here I'm making him seventeen to suit matters much better.
None of you are going to believe what happened to some months ago recently. I was on the way to get my nails done for a potential job interview when suddenly another car slams into my from behind. An idiot driver wasn't paying attention so I and the car in front of me got hit pretty hard. I'm fine, got lucky, not a scratch on me, but it could've been a lot more serious. The back of my head hurt and my left side is really starting to feel the pain. Nothing was broken just sore and bruised.
Bad news is my car got totaled. I really liked this car to I've had it for three years. Good news is I was able to buy a new one.
That day was looking so bright and then this crap happened.
For those of you who drive here, take my advice. EYES ON THE ROAD! I came out alive this time around. The same thing might not happen for any of you if you get into an accident. It's harsh, but the truth.
Regretfully it is a lesson that many of us have to face sometimes no matter how hard we work to prevent it.