Erika shook the thoughts of her family out of her head and focused as they exited the wooden boat house. Entering a bustling city street, Vince and Erika let the hoods of their jackets fall down across their faces, shadowing them from wandering eyes. Melvin led them down a thin street to a back alley. The buildings were patchwork remnants of the past, closely packed together.
They approached the back door of one of the buildings. Melvin knocked three times with a two-second pause between each knock. The door squeaked open a crack, and Melvin whispered something to the woman inside. The door shut, and Erika could hear locks clicking on the other side. The door cracked just enough for them to enter one at a time.
“And who have ya’ brought off your boat today, Melvin?” the red-haired woman inside asked in an Irish accent.
“Who they are doesn’t matter. We need hair dye and transport out to the southern territory,” Melvin explained.
“Headed straight to the man, are we? You know my house is at your disposal, Melvin. Derrick came through here just yesterday making sure your route was clear. Yes sir, you two must be darn important,” the red-haired woman pressed, looking into Vince’s eyes.
“Jessica, don’t pay them no mind,” Melvin warned. “Which bathroom?”
“The big one, upstairs,” Jessica answered.
Melvin led them up the winding staircase. Running her hand along the railings, Erika noticed they were made of cherry wood. The intricate craftsmanship impressed her. More lavish furnishings continued the upscale ambiance of the place as they entered a large bathroom with Italian tile floors.
“This place is really nice,” Erika commented to Melvin.
“Yeah, Jessica is great, a little nosey, but very trustworthy,” Melvin commented. “What color do you want?”
Melvin was holding out various hair-dye colors. Vince chose blond and Erika chose red. Why not have some fun with it, she asked herself. The horrible smell of the dye burned their nostrils as they waited for the time required. A hot shower took care of the smell on their hair and their bodies.
“Melvin said we were going south. I thought we were going straight into Dallas,” Vince commented while he tugged at his blond curls in the mirror.
“I think it’s the safest way, Vince. Remember, Melvin said that Southern Texas is still free territory. They provide oil and the Federal Government leaves them alone,” Erika replied.
“Really? That’s cool. Maybe we should find a place to live there,” Vince mused.
“After all this is done, we may very well have to,” Erika commented. “There’s no way the Governing Board will let us off twice. We knew that before we left.” Erika looked somberly at him. “But how could we sit there and do nothing, Vince? Would we have been able to live with the fact that we knew what was coming and we could have saved our loved ones, and we didn’t?”
“You know I couldn’t have, Erika. That’s why we are here, but who knows what will happen to us after this,” Vince pondered.
“Whoever does, Vince?” Erika mused.
“Live together, die together, right, baby?” Vince teased as he hugged her tightly. “I like the red,” he commented, kissing her.
“The blond is…is…weird,” Erika jested.
“Couldn’t agree more,” Vince concurred as he flung on his baseball cap.
Erika heard a knocking at the door.
“You two all set?” Melvin questioned.
“We’re decent,” Erika answered.
The door swung open and Melvin was all business.
“There we go. Much better, but I would still pull those hoods down tight. Here, Vince, new hat.” Melvin handed him a Dallas Cowboys hat.
“Are you serious?” Vince declared, appalled by the replacement.
“Get over it, man. You’ll blend much better with that hat around here. The coastal towns of the southern region are being put into lockdown. They are looking for someone with your descriptions. We have to move fast,” Melvin explained.
Vince shook his head at himself as he looked in the mirror, gazing at the man with blond hair and a Dallas Cowboys hat. Erika laughed softly at his vanity.
“Blue looks good on you,” she teased.
“Not as good as purple,” Vince smirked.
He tucked his Vikings hat into his bag and finished strapping down his gear. Vince watched Erika illuminate as she stepped into the morning sun.
“You coming?” she asked, looking back. Her red hair burst with color from her pony tail and her brown eyes reflected the sun’s new rays.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” Vince replied.
Chapter 5
The pace Melvin set was brisk and pointed, but not fast enough to draw attention. The delicious smell of breakfast cooking from the marketplace wafted through the air as they approached it. Erika’s tummy growled. Ignoring it, she weaved with Vince and Melvin through a throng of people preparing for their day selling wares in the marketplace. The three travelers blended in with the other country folks who had gathered to make exchanges. Except these travelers weren’t here to stop to shop: they kept a steady pace toward the southern end of town.
There was an old habit that Erika had developed from years in the refugee camp. She subconsciously counted the number of soldiers present in the marketplace. Panic struck her as she watched their numbers inconspicuously began to increase.
“They’re going to lock it down, Melvin,” Erika whispered urgently to him as the hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end.
“This way,” Melvin instructed.
They hustled with him down an alley as whistles began blowing in the street behind them. Melvin led them to one of many “rat holes,” as the Militia called them. This particular rat hole was hidden by a grate that looked like it was an old air-conditioning system, but when you slid it out there was a small hiding space behind it. They crammed in behind the grate and shut it in front of themselves. Erika had jammed in last and could barely see the alley in front of her through a small hole.
It was chaos out there. Erika could hear whistles blowing, people screaming and others shouting. Staring through her small viewing window, Erika saw a few people run by. It sounded like they ran into the building next to them. Erika could hear a door slam and a heavy lock fasten. For a while nothing happened in the alley. Although Erika could still hear the whistles blowing. Suddenly, a woman became visible through the small hole. She ran to the end of the alley with two Mercenary soldiers giving chase.
“Papers, ma’am,” the young soldier yelled.
“I forgot them at home,” the lady insisted.
“Then you must come with us for ID verification, ma’am,” the soldier insisted.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” the lady snapped. “I am a landowner and I will not tolerate this kind of treatment.”
“If you don’t have your papers, then you are going to have to come with us. Come on, ma’am,” the young soldier ordered, approaching her.
When he tried to grab her, she grabbed his sidearm from his waist. Before the woman could shoot the young man, his partner shot her through the head. The first soldier looked with relief toward his partner.
“Stupid refugee bitch,” the soldier cursed the woman.
He bent down and took his gun from the woman and shot her twice more in the chest before they left.
Erika sat there, horrified at the scene that had played out before them. Blood formed a small pool around the woman as they waited for the all-clear signal. Two hours later, when the soldiers were finally satisfied with their sweep, they sounded the all-clear. Melvin slowly slid the grate open.
Erika stood over the woman with tears in her eyes. I’m so sorry, she thought to herself. One of her tears fell and Erika watched it splash on the woman’s arm. Her brow furrowed with interest, noticing the woman had gripped her chest when she fell and had an unusually large bump across it. Curiosity got the better of her. Erika carefully unzipped the woman’s jacket. It was tight around the bulge. As t
he zipper moved down, Erika was shocked to see the head of an infant start to appear.
“Oh man,” Vince said sorrowfully, watching Erika.
“Probably an unlicensed baby, Vince. That’s why she put up such a fight,” Erika told him sadly.
“There’s nothing we could have done. If we draw attention to ourselves, we aren’t going to make it very far,” Vince consoled her.
“I know, I just hate that this had to happen on our account,” Erika admitted.
“Think of it this way. If Brad was right, these people are going to die anyway,” Vince said sarcastically.
“That does not make me feel any better,” Erika scolded him. “Oh my God, Vince! Should we have told Jessica?”
“As soon as we know who oversees this Militia that Star hooked us up with, we’ll tell them, and they’ll spread the word to their network,” Vince assured her.
Their attention was turned away to Melvin rounding the corner and returning down the alley.
“What’s it look like?” Vince wondered.
“Change of plans. The city is locked down tight. You’re going out with the bodies,” Melvin insisted.
“What? Oh man, come on!” Erika knew the options were slim, but this was crazy.
“I’m sorry. It’s the only way to get past the dogs,” Melvin explained.
“This is nuts, Erika,” Vince agreed.
An old truck with a wooden slat bed on it squealed to a halt at the end of the alley. Vince and Erika could see at least five dead bodies already piled in it. Melvin talked to the driver and shook his hand, exchanging pleasantries as the driver gave directions to his helper and a space was made for Vince and Erika.
“Maybe we should put on the cloaks,” Erika suggested.
“Good idea, baby. Safe from the dogs and thermal detection,” Vince agreed, digging in his backpack. Erika did the same and they put on camouflage cloaks that had microsensors and heat adjusters sewed into tiny squares all through the material.
“Slick,” Melvin commented, noticing the cloaks.
“They’ll hide us from thermal sensors,” Erika clarified.
“Very slick,” Melvin remarked, immediately understanding the cloak’s usefulness.
Vince and Erika lay down with their gear over their heads. The weight on top of them increased while the men piled the dead bodies, including that of the woman and her child, on top of them. The truck started and rumbled forward, continuing its route.
The pressure from the bodies continually increased as more stops were made, and more bodies were added to the stack. Finally, the truck rolled up to the southern border of the port town where it was searched and cleared. Erika tried desperately to put her mind somewhere else, but the stink of death was suffocating her. The truck lurched forward through the gate and down the road. Twenty minutes seemed like an eternity as they waited to clear the town’s line of sight, but finally, the truck came to a halt and the men uncovered them.
“We made it!” Melvin cheered.
“That was disgusting!” Erika yelled, ripping her hood back and gasping for fresh air.
Vince lunged off the back of the truck and bent over, puking in the dirt. Tasting her own vomit in the back of her mouth, it took all of Erika’s willpower to hold it together.
“Oh my God! It’s you! You’re Erika Moore and that must be your husband, Vince. Why didn’t you tell me I was carrying, Erika Moore, Melvin?” the driver of the truck said, elated.
“Because, Horace, no one can ever know. Everyone thinks they’re still in the Northern Region, so this has to be our secret, okay?” Melvin asked calmly, standing over the top of the man.
“Yeah, yeah, Melvin. I won’t tell anyone,” Horace agreed, backing nervously away from Melvin.
“That’s good, Horace, because if you tell just one person, I’m going to come back here and rip of each one of your toenails off one by one, okay?” Melvin had a sadistic look to him that Erika had not seen before.
“Yes, sir, Melvin. You know I won’t,” Horace assured him, gulping.
Erika felt contaminated from her ride. All she wanted was another shower, but it had to wait. They got into the back end of a pickup truck that was covered with a camper shell. The carpeting was soft to the touch and rather nice to rest on while they journeyed to wherever Melvin had planned. It wasn’t like Erika to sleep at a time when, so much was on the line: life, death, trust, and treachery. But she did anyway. Her children were safe and off on missions of their own, and her man rested next to her.
Chapter 6
The master sergeant paced furiously behind a desk in a small office. He was tired of waiting for answers.
“Nothing yet?” he snapped at Corporal Smith.
“No, sir. None of the units turned up anything,” the corporal answered.
“Corporal, they had to have landed on this coastline. What did our ship report?” Bennet pried.
“They had two shipping container ships come through, one personal yacht, and a small fishing boat,” Smith answered.
“The fishing boat, how many people were on it?” Bennet wondered.
“Just one, sir. They had a boarding team clear the ship, sir,” Smith replied.
“It had to be that boat,” the master sergeant pondered, rubbing his chin. “Where did it make landfall, Corporal?”
Corporal Smith flipped through a logbook. “Looks like Lufkin Port, Texas, sir.”
“It’s been too long now. They must have made it through the town somehow,” Bennet pondered. Damn it, Erika, what are you doing, he worried to himself. He knew if the Federal Forces found her and her husband, there would be nothing he or anyone could do to save them. “We need to keep this real quiet, Corporal. We’ll make believe like the sweep turned up our couple, so the coastline relaxes the alert. Sergeant Jensen will go toward Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and intercept Sean and Star. Make sure he stays out of sight. Have him follow her just in case Vince and Erika attempt to contact her again. We’ll be departing at 08:00. Tell Corporal Shaver.”
“Yes, sir,” Smith answered, leaving Bennet alone in the room.
He picked up the phone on the desk and told the operator to put him through to Major Virgis at the Mille Lacks Base.
“Do you want me to come down there, Master Sergeant?” Major Virgis questioned.
Major Cole Virgis had pursued Erika and her family in the past and knew what a challenge it could be.
“No sir, I don’t want anyone to be suspicious. I’m still hoping to bring them home without incident,” Bennet explained.
“MSgt Bennet, I know as much as you how essential Erika is, but we still have rules to follow. They are under a direct violation right now. Get them home!” the major puffed, reminding Bennet of his responsibilities.
“Yes, sir…” Bennet hesitated. “Sir?”
“Yes?” the major wondered.
“Can you send me a trustworthy K-9 unit and Corporal McClintock?” Bennet requested.
“I’ll send them your way. Where are you headed next?” Virgis queried.
“I’m headed to Old Austin, send them there,” Bennet replied.
“Will do, and Patrick?” Major Virgis said affectionately. He hardly ever used his friend’s first name and Bennet picked up on it immediately.
“What’s that, Cole?” MSgt Bennet replied in the same manner.
“Take care, buddy, Old Austin can be a very dicey place for mercs,” Cole warned.
“I know they are headed to the free zone…I’ll cover my six,” Bennet responded.
They finished the conversation and Bennet slowly placed the phone back on the receiver. He stared at it for a moment, reflecting on his friend’s words. On a mission, he charged out the door to meet with Corporal Smith and Corporal Shaver.
It was a short walk through the base to the garage. Bennet signed for a jeep and loaded it with extra fuel. His mind was laser focused. He needed to find Erika and Vince and get back to the Northern Region. Major Virgis must have already talked with General M
cClintock to be securing resources as quickly as he was, Bennet pondered.
Old Austin was on the edge of country that had retained the law of the former United States of America with a Texas twist. The right to do so was paid for constantly with oil and chemicals pumped out of plants that had been saved from destruction. Bennet would have to make sure his team was ready for it.
“Corporal Shaver, go acquisition two weeks’ worth of supplies,” Bennet barked, lost in thought. “Corporal Smith, weapons detail. Make sure we are locked and loaded.”
“Yes, sir,” the men replied, heading off to accomplish their tasks.
She may be riding with the resistance, but she’s after her mother, Bennet thought. He headed back to the office and dialed the operator.
“Connect me to the head of the Dallas Textile operations,” he commanded, waiting for the call to be connected.
In a matter of moments there was a man’s voice on the other end.
“You have a woman working in one of your factories, Nancy Fisher. Where is she working and residing?” Bennet questioned.
“We had a woman named Nancy Fisher working for us, sir. One of my best managers too,” the man replied.
“What do you mean, had? What happened to her?” he questioned, panicking a little. There’s no way they got to her already, he worried.
“Mathew Tweed came and took her himself. He said the Federal Governing Board had ordered her return to the Las Vegas Refugee Camp. I didn’t argue because he was in a horrible mood after what happened,” the man clarified.
Bennet sighed with relief and asked, “What happened?”
“You haven’t heard, sir? Mathew Tweed was demoted by the Federal Governing Board a month ago. They blamed the disorderly conduct that followed the Moore Trial on him,” the man informed him.
“Thanks for your help,” Bennet responded.
Erika is going to be pissed when she finds this out, he thought, chuckling to himself. The door creaked open and Corporal Smith entered.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 4): Battle for the South Page 3