by Francis Bate
“Hey y’all,” Stan cheered out as he edged through the back door of the house. Chris was with Patricia and Jarvis who greeted back at him in a chorus. “Am I late?”
“Just in time, Stan,” Chris answered, calling out to him so he could expound about their training. “So, it was mentioned last night that you have to undergo vehicle security training and combat first aid training. Today, we’ll tackle the first one first,” he explained, glancing at the three people around him. They were seated on a small, round oak table sipping their own cup of coffee. Stan grabbed a clean mug and poured a brewed coffee to the mug from the kettle.
“Why do we even have to do the training?” Patricia crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on it. She glared at Jarvis when she heard him mumble ‘she’s being an ass again’ to everyone. The three men chuckled at her but Chris cleared his throat to give way for an answer.
“Just like the basic needs, you must also learn how to live when you’re out. Consider yourself an army sent to the battlefield and you aren’t ready. What happens to you? Simple, you die,” Chris reiterated. Stan was nodding as she was listening. “From that picture, you must go trained and well-educated.”
“Patricia, when you go out, you must put in mind that you are under different risks. Death is one, and so is survival,” Stan added. Patricia nodded signaling them that she got the message. “But at the end of the day, no matter how wounded you are, you will take all the chances to apply your training to minimize the risks you have incurred.”
“That’s right!” Chris patted his shoulder and glanced at her side. “Same goes with the combat first aid training.”
“Okay, so what do we have to do?” She snapped and made a tiny sound out of her fingers onto the wooden table.
“First, you have to know how to repair and operate a vehicle. Simply know how to get a car working back. Shield the car parts that are not adhered to a pulse absorption system. You have to remember that vehicles under gasoline engine power may not actually work if it requires electronic power,” Chris lectured, he pointed onto a vehicle behind Jarvis that was fully geared for the occurrence. “Diesel could work, though.”
Chris stood and went to the truck parked parallel to another car. He called out for the three and strode in his direction. Tapping the hood, he continued explaining what they need to learn for their journey.
“Look at this truck, what a beauty, isn’t it?” Gladly, he beamed and allowed them to assess the wheel. “It has a full-size spare on, trunk, trail gear, abundant ground clearance, full-ground tires, and off-road lighting. In case you get stuck somewhere, the truck is well-equipped with a toolbox. As you can see here, the body is a conductive metal.”
The discussion went on and on. They even went on hands-on training. They were taught what to do best off road and whatnots. When they have coped up, Chris decided to let them rest.
In the afternoon, they gathered in the backyard once again to finish the training. It was late evening when they were able to sleep the night away.
“Are you on for the combat first aid training?” Chris asked no one in particular, but he saw them nod at the same time. “Great! So, let’s get this going. I know you’re too eager to go home.”
“You’ve never been wrong on that part, man,” Jarvis seconded the motion.
“Is there any way I could contact my family?” Stan stood from his seat and leaned closer to Chris.
“Yes, but I have to get the device after the training,” he replied. Stan snapped but remained cool. He sat back and glanced at Chris while he started explaining.
“You don’t do first aid in anytime, as it also requires specific and the right time of performance,” Chris laced his fingers on both hands and placed it on the table. “Remember that their life depends on your hands when you apply first aids. But never risk your life if the situation is not at ease. So, it is best to also consider the condition you are in whether you are under fire, field care or evacuation care.”
“What does that mean?” Jarvis raised his question.
Curious, he leaned back to his chair and crossed his arms on his chest. All eyes met his and back to Chris’s.
“Good question. It simply means you have to check if there’s still an open fire and you could hardly reach the wounded. Tactical field care is when you apply first aid free from ambush fire while the evacuation care happens when you are being transported to the nearest health care facility,” Chris responded gaining their attentions back.
He led them to a room where dummies were lying on a table. The room was small carrying two rectangular tables paralleled to each other. There were oxygen tanks lined in a corner and other medical supplies hung on the cream-like wall. Although small, it also occupied a hospital bed. Tall glass cabinets containing fluids, syringes and needs, drips, tubes, and hoses surrounded the area. The white tiles spoke of coldness as it opened a different perception. For most, it is frightening but others find it amusing.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this!” Patricia murmured, scratching her head. “I so hate blood!”
“You will start loving it once you get attached,” Stan said, smirking. “I wonder why you didn’t flip when you saw my blood.”
“I don’t know! I felt sick that time but I think it was my adrenaline that was functioning. I can’t explain,” she replied, edging away from the dummies in front her.
“Maybe, that’ll work again this time,” she heard Jarvis say.
“Or maybe through the succeeding days,” Chris picked the dummies and placed it on the table. He could see that Patricia was trembling in nervousness.
“Remember what I told you before, Patricia. You do everything just so you can survive or save someone from this,” Stan looked down at her and messed her hair. She reacted, tilting her head away from his hand. “Besides, those are dummies with artificial coloring for the blood.”
“I’ll try,” she whispered, her face was distorted.
“Good,” Chris stated, angling closer to the table. “Going back, set your goals to life preservation, further harm prevention, and recovery promotion when performing a first aid. It is important for you to know the acronyms MARCHE, BIFT, and M-PHAT-D. These are the vital protocols needed. For the common term, you can also refer to the mnemonic ABC which simply means Airways, Breathing, and Circulation.”
It was early evening when they finished training. The training enabled Chris to teach how to first aid gunshot wounds, and other situations involving medical care. After dinner, Stan went out to find Chris. Standing at the door frame, he saw him sitting on a bench deep in his thoughts while playing at the can of beer on his hand. Stan joined him and thanked him after grabbing a can of beer he handed over.
“How did you end up with Ezra’s group?” Stan asked after slugging down some beer.
“We both work as an army,” he rested his arm on the bench and filled his mouth with the alcohol. “Not until this happened.”
Stan asked some more questions until it was time to bed. Their conversations swarmed in his mind as he lay down on his bed until it rocked him into slumber.
“Stan, here’s what you were asking for,” Chris handed a small two-way radio that operates under solar power. Stan smiled and mumbled his thanks. “You can try to contact your family.”
Handing another device to Jarvis, Chris explained that they could update him during their journey. Eager, he set the frequency same as to the channel of his friend back home, Scott. Stan pressed the push-to-talk button of the radio. A static sound emanated from it after the beep.
“Scott, come in, over,” he spoke before releasing the button press. The noise has become louder but the frequency seemed unclear.
“Scott, can you hear me?” Stan released the button, hearing hisses every release.
“Scott, come in, over,” he repeated but still there was no answer.
“Scott, this is Stan. Do you read me? Over,” Stan has become desperate; he tried one more time hoping to receive a radio wave from the ot
her line.
One more try. Twice. Thrice. No one knows how many tries. A moment after, he heard an unclear wave from the other line, he pressed transmit call tone signaling him for a talk.
“This is Stan, this is Stan. Do you read me? Over,” he claimed, hearing a sudden escalation of the wave. “Turn your frequency up, I can’t clearly hear you.”
The hissing sound continued. Chris stood beside Stan with his arms crossed while listening to him.
“Scott? Come in, over,” Stan continued sending messages to the same frequency. The sound waves normalized maintaining the noise in the background.
“I think they lost the channel, Stan,” Chris exclaimed, shaking his head.
Stan flopped to the chair and bowed his head onward. Just before Chris sauntered to the door, a high sound came ringing from the radio.
“This is Scott. Come in, over,” Stan and Chris exchanged looks and screeched sharing high fives together.
“Scott, this is Stan. Do you read me? Over,” he stated again. Crossing his fingers, he waited as his friend relayed the message.
“Copy, Stan. Where the hell are you?”
“I’m outside Old Town. How’s everything there?” Worry captured his face but he smiled attempting to cover it on. He glanced at the three other people with him.
“I’m afraid it’s not good, over.”
“Is my family safe, Scott? Can I talk to them?” There was a sudden pause from the other line. The hissing sound became louder as if someone was trying to overlay the frequency of the sound. “Scott! Do you read me, over?”
“Stan! Honey, are you there?” Stan beamed looking at his new-found friends.
Smiling onto them, they tapped his shoulders whispering their excitements. Dabbing his eyes to free from moisture, he breathed in and out heavily.
“Honey, yes I’m here. How are you and the kids?” Stan waited as the noise tuned into her voice. The smile on his face can barely dissolve.
“We’re in good shape, honey. We miss you. Where are you?” Her voice was full of anguish but she managed to seal it with blitheness. He could hear the tiny voices of her daughters in the background. The mixed emotions from their voices told him of their yearning for him.
“I’m outside Old Town. It’s a long story but I’m coming home soon,” he announced in between statics.
“The kids want to talk to you, Stan,” he heard her say, followed by a relay from them. “Daddy!” Stan heard his daughters on the other line.
“My sweets! How are you?” He said, missing their sweet tiny voices.
“Daddy, you said you won’t leave us!” Stan could surely not miss the sadness in their voices. Pain lightly pinched his innards remembering his promises to them.
“I’m sorry sweethearts. I’ll explain it to you sooner,” he responded.
“When are you coming home, daddy?”
“Soon, sweetie. Daddy’s coming home soon,” he exclaimed before he lost track of them.
“They’re safe, Stan. And you bring that device along with you so you can contact me and your family when you head back to the road,” Chris smiled at him. “We will get you back on track today. We already set your things on the truck, all the supplies, and necessities you need for your travel. Anytime from now, you are good to go.”
“Thanks, man. But are we sharing on one car?” Jarvis asked, creasing his brows.
They were interrupted by a sound coming from above. Stirring off their seats, they looked up to see a familiar sound coming from a short distance. After quite a while, a helicopter landed on the field. Three men came out of it before the aircraft went up again. Malcolm, Markel, and Nick ran to their spot and shook the hands of each one of them. Standing from his seat, Chris leaned on to Malcolm angling his head as he whispered something to him. Chris shook his head and dismay painted his face.
“The secretary of DHS is heading the military and defense. They are functioning with force and power all throughout the country,” Malcolm announced in the order of Chris.
“What’s going on? Why is that happening?” Patricia asked with the furrows of a wrinkled face.
“The government is imposing military power over the area to stabilize mutiny. They have ordered mass domination to control the revolt,” Mark responded, staring down at her.
“So, meaning, they are now in control,” Nikko deadpanned. “Expect to see armies roaming along the road or increase mass security. This might make it more difficult but you have to stick to your main purpose why you are doing this in the first place.”
Deciding to travel that day, Chris and the three men helped them prepare for their journey. They loaded drums of fuels on the truck. Stan went back to his room and packed back his bags. He was excited but what he heard from them kept troubling him. With his packs on his back, Stan marched down to the backyard. He placed his bags in the trunk and sat beside the men on the table.
“Why are we having one car for our journey?” Jarvis asked receiving funny stares from the group.
“You will go with Stan and Patricia,” Chris answered chuckling at him. “Because Stan said you will be dropping Patricia home first.”
“You will be heading to the west while I head to the south. You will come with us until we drop her home,” Stan proposed, Jarvis looked at him. “Would that be fair for you?”
Jarvis nodded but he did not speak.
“So, it’s final. Take Patricia home first then you part ways from there,” Chris reiterated.
The plan was for them to better travel at night. It was still a few hours before their travel. So, they went back to their own rooms to take a nap. Stan woke to a firing shot from the range which he assumed was from Chris. After he took a quick shower, he went down to the firing range seeing Chris gripping on a gun targeting a small empty jar balanced over a platform from a specific distance.
“Having training?” Stan asked him, looking at his target. He fired a shot hitting the can as it fell to the ground.
“Nah, just eliminating unwanted aura from my body,” he chuckled, placing the gun on the table. His face turned back to its serious phase. Chris stared at him straight in the eye. “Stan, if in case we declare revolution against the government, I would like you to join. Would that be okay for you?”
Stan was taken aback from what he heard. It was as if his world has stopped revolving for a short time. The brightness of the sun started to dim. The brisk air blew mightily as the fiery rays of the splendor covered the distant horizon. The vibrant trees painted a surreal canvass of perfection. It was beautiful. He looked at him reviewing his features for one last time, he was serious. His question resounded in his head telling him that he was waiting for an answer.
“You just call out for me if you need my help,” Stan answered after contemplating. He saw something glimmer on his face. Patting his back, Chris said his gratitude hearing the same from Stan.
“We’re ready!” Patricia came leaping in every step. Jarvis followed behind her as they moved to where the two men stood.
“Let’s have some dinner before you head your way,” Chris insisted leading them back to the house. They walked to a dark hallway to the dining room that catered them on the first day. The other members of the group were seated on their chair.
“I see you’ll be leaving tonight,” Ezra said, smiling at them. The three of them nodded with enthusiasm. “Be careful out there. The DHS authorized the operation of military force all throughout the country.”
“Yes, thank you for accommodating us,” Stan replied paying the gesture back.
The dinner went well and loud. Everyone had their own stories to tell. Time began to multiply; they went back to the backyard and prepared to set out. It was early evening when they left the house after saying goodbye.
Grandiose, celestial light shone through the night, crispy air waving the end of the day. She stared out the window savoring the beautiful sight. Stan was driving with an unfathomable smile. Alas! He was heading home again, not walking anymore. Througho
ut his journey, he has never decried how majestic the night sky was not until that night in a truck as he mesmerized the picturesque welcoming his sight. Each star sparkled in awe heaping empty spaces above. Memories flew by to him causing his heart skip a beat. He glanced at the passenger’s side; Patricia and Jarvis were peacefully stealing sleep.
“Hey, wake up! We’re in Newberry,” Stan announced, shaking them off from sleep. After a couple of hours or two, he slowed down into the town. Both of them squirmed in their seats, rubbing their sleepy eyes. “Hey, we’re in Newberry!” he repeated.
Jarvis opened his eyes first, baffled. He looked around recognizing the place but he couldn’t.
“Where are we, man?” he asked, glancing at the driver.
“We’re entering Newberry,” he answered not missing a single glance on the road.
From their distance, a jeep and two quads were waiting for a prey. He dimmed the main light but it was too late. The men saw them. The vehicles hustled into their direction and Stan could see a glimpse of the weapon pointed to them. They fired a shot, making Patricia stumble into consciousness. Another missed shot and Stan turned the main light of the truck to its maximum. They heard the loud screeching of the brake on the wheels signaling him to speed off. They have to escape and get to somewhere safer. He danced the wheel and drove the car bustling in another direction. The vehicles they have seen sped up again following them.
Moaning slowly, she touched her face and asked what was going on. They left the main road as fast as they could. Stan drove off the rough and dark roadway in a fleet velocity. From the rear view mirror, he could see the men following them in haste. He shifted his gear and pressed down the gas pedal controlling the steering wheel on hand, leaving the enemy quite behind. The steering wheel seemed lighter than cotton as it immediately followed his trace. His passengers gripped tightly for their life while they were bowing their heads. He turned back to the main road, and the vehicles were distant. Making another turn, he slowed down when a dark open lot came into his view. There were numerous abandoned vehicles. He parked in a far corner of the lot where no one could think it was there. He turned the lights out and switched off the engine. It was smooth and swift.