The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Why is that?” Alexandra asked with child curiosity.

  “She makes my neck hurt.”

  Ellen leaned against the head table watching Frank and Alexandra, she had a very small amount of Henry’s wine in the glass she sipped from. Little sips, almost feeling guilty on Frank’s behalf for every sip she took.

  “Hey, Kiddo.” Joe frightened her from her thoughts when he approached her. “Watching them?”

  “Yeah.” Ellen smiled. “For the big tough guy, Frank is so, I don’t know, sappy when it comes to the kids.”

  “He’ll always have a soft spot for his daughter.”

  “I remember being a little girl and dancing with my father like that at my aunt Vivian’s wedding.” Ellen smiled at the memory. “I felt so important. My father wanted to dance with me. And by the look on my daughter’s face. She feels the same way right now that I did.”

  “Well I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a little girl to dance with in my arms. However ...” Joe stepped back and showed Ellen his hand. “I would like to be so fortunate as to have my grown up girl in my arms.”

  “Oh, Joe.” Ellen basked in that, letting Joe cup her hand, press his strong hand to her back, his cheek to her cheek, and having him dance with her in that old fashion way. Leading Ellen in steps she tried to follow in that slow dance. And Ellen giggled, like Alexandra did, in every spin Joe made with her. “Joe?” she whispered to him.

  “Yes?” Joe pulled his head back to look at her.

  “You know how I was saying about how I felt as a little girl, and how Alexandra is probably feeling the same way?”

  “What about it?” Joe asked.

  “I just wanted you to know. That no matter how old you get, having that dance with your father ... it still makes you feel important.”

  Giving Ellen that smile of ‘pride’ that only a father could give, Joe kissed Ellen on the cheek and pulled her back to finish their dance.

  Robbie looked up from his seat at the table in just enough time to see Joe twirl Ellen around, his mind slipped back to a wedding he remembered. Robbie was five years old. Of course Robbie chuckled right there because most of the visuals of that wedding were of people’s legs. But he remembered that wedding, whose it was, Robbie couldn’t recall. But seeing Joe and Ellen dance on that floor made Robbie think of the bride dancing with her father that night. ‘Daddy’s little girl’ played loudly, women had tears in their eyes. The father and the bride both cried. The whole hall stopped for that one dance. And Robbie remembered—though he was only five or six—he remembered making a promise to himself that night. He promised himself that if he ever had a daughter, and she got married, that he would never look so foolish as to cry in front of all his co-workers like that father did that night. And part of Robbie still felt the same way. In his adult mind he justified his thinking. The father going back to work that Monday morning. Having left Friday being the tough boss, he returned Monday being the big baby who cried his heart out all because his daughter was marrying some jerk whom she would leave in a year or so anyhow. Then that father would end up bitching because not only did he have his daughter back at his house but her baby as well, sucking him dry of all his money, sponging off of him all because the guy he cried about his daughter marrying, was refusing to pay his child support. Perhaps those tears shed during that dance weren’t tears of joy, or tears of losing a daughter, but tears of all the problems that the results of a wedding he couldn’t afford in the first place, brought.

  Mid thought, Robbie was certain that somewhere in his deep world of wedding bell blues, his mind has snapped, because suddenly the song started sounding weird to him. The words became muttered, making no sense. The male voice sounded female and this snapped Robbie out of his thought and prompted him to look to his right. Andrea sat next to him humming. “What?” he asked her.

  “I have a favor.”

  “Oh no. What is it?” Robbie asked frightened.

  “Would you be so kind as to dance with an old woman?”

  “Andrea, I really don’t feel like dancing with you right now. Maybe later.”

  Smack! Andrea’s hand hit hard against his.

  “What?” Robbie asked.

  “I’m not speaking of me. I would like you to dance with ...” Andrea twitched her head.

  Leaning forward Robbie saw who she indicated to. Had she not been so little, she wouldn’t have been hidden behind Andrea. “Josephine? No way.”

  “Robert,” Andrea scolded. “Dance with her. I promised her.”

  “Why would you promise her I would dance with her?”

  “Because you’re my son now. Dance with Josephine. No one wants to.”

  “Tell her to dance with Cole, he’s sleeping with her.”

  Andrea gasped. “Robert.” She stood up. “If you don’t dance with Josephine right now, I will tell your father on you. And you won’t be the little happy camper when he takes a firm stand with you tomorrow morning.”

  “Like I care.”

  “Be nice.”

  “I’m a Slagel.”

  “And so am I now.” Andrea’s head bobbed back and forth. “And let me tell you something. You will dance with her right now, mister. If you don’t I will make certain that your pretty little face blesses the monthly ‘Dart the Fart’ board. Get it.”

  “Oh my God. All right.” Robbie stood up whining. “Only because I don’t want to see a sketch of myself with holes all in it. Let me take a drink and I’ll be right there.”

  “I’ll go tell her.”

  “And also tell her not to grab my butt again.” Robbie pointed, cringed at what he agreed to do and downed his entire drink in one gulp.

  <><><><>

  It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable wedding traditions that the women copied. The tossing of the bouquet. Of course there were only two women in all of Beginnings who weren’t married. Josephine and Ellen. And the evening was highlighted when Ellen caught the bouquet and Josephine in her outrage and determination to retrieve it, pummeled sideways into Ellen knocking her on the floor and then lunging at Ellen to engage in a fierce tug of war over the floppy group of flowers. I took two men to pull Josephine from her. But it wasn’t the fight that got Ellen, nor the fact that Josephine, during her pull at the flowers kept calling Ellen a ‘bitch’. It was the fact that Ellen had to go to the ladies room and fix her hair back again.

  Then after Frank placed on the garter, she had to fix her dress.

  Standing and talking to Joe, Frank felt the smack to the back of his head. “Ow.” He turned around Ellen stood there.

  “Thanks a lot, Frank. Talk about embarrassing me.”

  “I didn’t want those guys to see your legs.”

  “So you stick your head between them?”

  Frank laughed. “You love me.” He pulled her into him. “And I would like to dance with you.”

  “I’ve been dancing all night.”

  “But not with me so ... Tough, you’ll dance now.” Frank cupped her hand. “This turned out really nice. You ladies did a great job.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen went silent for a second. “Frank, I have to tell you something.”

  “What’s that.”

  “I feel bad. I ... I had a couple sips of wine.”

  “So.”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “Not ‘so’. I’m supposed to help you. That wasn’t helping you.”

  “El, I don’t expect you to change your lifestyle, just because I changed mine.”

  “No, you shouldn’t.” Ellen moved into him. “But I want to. I have to. Especially if I’m going to be with you.”

  “Are you?” Frank asked very seriously.

  “What did I tell you?”

  “Ellen.” Frank stopped moving in their dance. “What you did for me this past week, I’ll never forget it. Never. I don’t think I’ve ever felt closer to you.”

  “How about now?” Ellen tugged him into her.

  “See, just about now.” Frank lowered his he
ad to her ear. “Just about right now ...” he whispered. “Is about the time I want to sneak you out of here and take you home.”

  “And do what?” Ellen asked, getting lost in his soft voice.

  “Make ... love ...” Frank pressed his lips teasingly to her ear. “To you.”

  Ellen’s eyes rolled back. “Kiss me.”

  Frank slid his lips across her cheek and to her mouth, then stopped.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Frank looked around. They really weren’t noticed. Everyone was doing their own thing. “I know this isn’t about us. But ... I have something to ask you.”

  “What’s that?”

  Frank breathed almost nervously, released her hand and then reached into his pocket. After a moment, eyes connected with Ellen, he rejoined their hands in a dance.

  Ellen stopped when she felt the oddness of it. She pulled her hand from Frank, and brought it up to her view. She looked at her hand, then to Frank. “Frank,” she spoke out of breath, looking again her finger. The finger that moments earlier, was bare now wore the wedding band she had given back to Frank nearly a year before.

  “El.” Frank held her hand. “All those years behind us, all those years, El, they can be nothing compared to the years we could have ahead of us. We’ve messed up. We’ve broke. But no one has ever stood by my side like you. I want you there for the rest of my life. I need you there. And if I’m gonna be holding hands with you at eighty years old, then I want the hand I hold to be my wife’s.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Be my wife again, El. Say you’ll be my wife again. Say we’ve learned from our mistakes.” His hand spread across her. “Say you’ll marry me again.” Frank’s nose brushed against hers, his mouth was open in a hover over hers. “Say yes.”

  Before he kissed her, before Ellen answered, Frank pulled her close again in the dance, as he did, Ellen whispered in his ear, her answer of ‘yes’.

  The wedding was a bright thing that Beginnings needed. It was a sign of a new start, and a new life for so many. Unfortunately, unknown to everyone, the next day would be far from the picture perfect happy world that existed for that moment in the Social Hall.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  AUGUST 16

  Had Frank not been so close he wouldn’t have heard it and felt it so strongly. It screamed out to him and he barreled to the noise, blasting open the door to the Tracking Station. Frank’s eyes widened, the synchronized beeping, the flashing lights from the monitor screens, the panicked look on Mark’s face, it all made his heart pound. “What’s going on?”

  “The system is working, Frank.”

  “They’re coming?” Frank prepared his radio.

  “Moving in steady from the northwest at approximately eight miles per hour.”

  “What’s the distance?”

  Mark looked at the screen his voice shook. “Two point nine miles.”

  “How many?”

  “Frank ...”

  “How many, Mark?” Frank asked stronger.

  “God, Frank ...”

  “Mark! How many!” Frank blasted him.

  “Computer is tallying ... Four hundred and twenty-one.”

  “Fuck!” Frank’s hand slammed down. “Tower this is Frank. I need a three-one signal on the horn, hit it now, this is not a drill. Keep it peered northwest we got em coming in large masses.” Frank switched to the ‘all call’ channel, waited for the horns to start then gave everyone that extra second to switch. “Mark, I need you here. Monitor this for me I’ll check back for distance. Where are we now?”

  “Two point six miles.”

  Frank backed out the station door. And headed toward his jeep by his office, calling out as he ran. “Robbie. I need our birds in the air now. All three get them up fast. Robbie, you have fire, Johnny has gas and John will use Dan as a gunner and lay rapid fire on them. I’ll square away perimeters and town and meet you in the air. Do not hesitate. Do not wait for me. Take them out and take them out hard. Someone give me a copy.” Frank jumped in his jeep.

  “Copy, Frank.” Robbie came back. “My ETA to the hangar is about three minutes.”

  “Make it in two, Robbie.” Frank turned over the jeep and screeched it. “Squads One through Six suit up near the field house hatch, squad leaders get your teams in position, stay low and ready. I’ll send back-up as soon as we clear town. Cole, copy me.”

  “Copy, Frank.”

  “Dad, I need you at Armory. I need every single available male. Everyone whether they are reserve or not. I need them suited up.”

  Joe spoke over the radio. “I’m right at Armory now.”

  “Get the town clear, make them clear the town. Get our tunnel leaders down there with them. Stress to the women that this is not a drill.” Frank turned sharp toward Armory. “Mark, what’s our distance.”

  “Two point two, Frank.”

  “We’re running low on time.” Frank saw Armory before him. The loud horns blasted and Frank looked at his watch counting the seconds until he had his choppers in the air. He screeched the jeep to a sideways stop and jumped from it running into help out Joe.

  <><><><>

  Three long sirens followed by one short one. Ellen and Dean, in the eastern wing of the clinic, the wing never used, worked in a make-shift operating room on the John Doe. Keeping him distant and contained from everyone.

  Ellen raised her head to the sirens. “Dean.”

  Dean’s eyes peered over his face mask as his hands worked in the back of John Doe. “It’s a three-one, Ellen. Get the hell out of here and head to the tunnels. It’s real.”

  “Oh my God.” Ellen breathed heavily.

  “Go.”

  “No.”

  “Ellen. Go,” Dean ordered strongly.

  “I’m not leaving you. We can finish this up faster together than alone. I’m staying.”

  Dean didn’t have time to argue. He tried to block out the horns that blasted at them and he continued to operate. “Just a little bit longer.”

  <><><><>

  It was a like an assembly line, the passing down of weapons and artillery down the line of waiting men ... All the way to the last one, he would take his weapon and hit his post. Frank barked out orders as they moved rapidly. “Squads Seven through Nine, scrap town, hit the front gate. Squads Ten and Eleven you are our center town patrol, the rest of you men, when town is clean, move up the back gate and support the lines.” Frank watched the line of men dwindle. “Dad, I’m headed in to move people.”

  “I’ll finish here, Frank.”

  “Then you head to the tunnels.” Frank pointed. “Don’t waste time!” Frank charged from Armory. “Mark, distance.”

  “One point eight miles.”

  “Robbie, where we at.”

  “Loading up, give us another minute.”

  Frank rounded the bend, he could hear through the loud horns, the confusion on the street. He saw Henry already armed, moving people about. “Henry.”

  “Yeah, Frank?”

  “Get your ass in the tunnel. You’re number one tunnel leader.”

  “Make someone else, Frank. I’m fighting.”

  “No,” Frank said strongly, trying to hurry people along. “I need you there. For the sake of the community and for my family. Do this, Henry. Don’t fight me on this.”

  Henry swayed his head. “All right. But let me help a few more people.”

  “Two minutes,” Frank told him then looked to the clinic and saw the wheeling out of patients. “Cole, how are our front lines?”

  “Secure.”

  “Jeff, front gate lines?”

  “Secure,” Jeff came back.

  “Robbie?”

  “I’m climbing in now.”

  Frank watched the clinic doors close then turned to see the last person go down the tunnel. “Tower.” Frank gave a thumbs-up to Henry as he lowered himself down. “Silence the horn. I wanna hear our birds.” The winding down of the horns brought quiet to the streets. “Gentlemen, all is clear
in town, let’s move it out ... Robbie, I’ll join you shortly.” He listened as he ran back to the jeep. Just as Frank heard the chopper noise he heard something else. Whistles. High pitch, six of them, loud and fast. “We have incoming! Hit the deck!” Frank yelled, listening to them near, waiting for the explosion. And an explosion, never happened.

  With the fading sounds of the helicopter came the frightening sound of something else. It caused his heart to literally stop beating and all movement on that street ceased as everyone looked up.

  Pop ... Pop ... Pop.

  With the slight hissing sounds erupting, so did a thin steam among the town of Beginnings. It hovered over them like a cloud of death. It was.

  “Gas masks!” Frank ordered out and then called on his radio. “Henry, have them put the masks on down there.” Frank threw on his gas mask. “They hit us ...” Frank spoke gut wrenching and with pain. “They hit us with it.” Frank charged for his jeep in anger, his fist clenched in frustration. “No. No. No!” he cried out, then called his men to move out again in case the SUTs stormed the front gate. “Robbie, blast the fuck out of them. Show no mercy. Give them all we got.” Frank flung off his gas mask in his battle adrenaline and marched to his jeep. His mind raced. All of his work, all of his front line of defense preparations went out the window when the fog cloud was dropped on Beginnings. No amount of defense would have stopped the hit. “Henry. Tell me she’s there.”

  “Frank,” Henry called back. “She’s not.”

  “Henry, check again.”

  “Frank, the kids are all here. Ellen is not.”

  Frank closed his eyes, he spun to send someone back to find her and when he did, he heard another incoming whistle. With his heart pounding he realized it couldn’t be more gas they were sending in. It had to be something else. A single mortar. But to take out what? With the revelation of the mortar came the revelation that if they hit them with the virus, what would be one way to secure that Beginnings would not beat it. They could simply do that, by taking out ... the clinic. With a spinning zoom into the clinic, Frank heard the close range of the descending shell and he watched in horror as it landed with a bellowing, ground rumbling explosion and he saw the massive mushroom cloud of fire erupt behind the clinic. “Ellen.” His heart dropped.