by Annie Berdel
Ben quickly got up from the chair he was sitting in. His face flushed with anger. He felt a taunting in his groin reminding him of the humiliation he had endured starting with Emma. She would pay, if it was the last thing he would do.
40
Three hundred miles away, Senator Varga was frantically pacing the floor of her apartment. “Damn it. Why can’t anyone reach Elsie?” She yelled at the man sitting in front of her as she combed her fingers through her hair.
“Ma’am, I’m sure it’s just the area of the country they are in There’s not much cell service in that vicinity”
“You promised me nothing like this would happen. I should have known better. How the hell am I going to explain this to my mom? Those children were to be protected at all times and now this bullshit?” Senator Varga was now bent over her desk staring blankly out the window behind it. “I want to know what happened and I want to know where the hell my children are right now!” She exclaimed as her fist hit the top of the desk.
Two weeks prior, Senator Varga had received a phone call that had sent chills down her spine. The voice on the other end, obviously scrambled to avoid detection, was curt and to the point. “Stop pushing for impeachment of the president or your children will die.”
The government, our government, was a shambles. Most folks were living paycheck to paycheck or less. The economy was predicted to fall within months but the president of the United States was too busy taking vacations or throwing fancy parties to notice. Any time he felt he was being pushed into a direction he didn’t care for, he signed an Executive Order into action trying to scare the general public. Fortunately for him, most of that general public did not realize the orders he was passing could not be enforced. It was purely a scare tactic to get the sheeple under control. Scare them to the point of forcible ownership. He was in essence, creating slaves.
But Senator Varga and others were tired of the games. President Walker was in his second term and it was rumored that he was not afraid to utilize martial law in order to retain the presidency. He had already tested out the populace’s reaction by declaring a “Shelter in Place” order on several major US cities during several attempts at terrorist attacks. The citizens obliged and went so far as allowing the militarily armed police to remove them and then trash their homes during a highly questionable house-to-house search for the suspects. Create chaos by using faked terror attacks on your own people to retain control and continuing to bleed the country dry to the point of everyone begging to become a part of a larger world order? Sounds a bit insane, but to those who were witnessing it first hand, you can be assured it was quite real. Senator Varga was one of those with her eyes wide open.
It was after the phone call that Varga understood she had hit a nerve. The nerve ran so deep and was so painful that people would kill her children or anyone else who got in the way, to prove their point and retain control of the greatest nation in the world.
Senator Varga knew what she had to do and phoned an old friend she had served in the military with, someone she knew she could trust.
“Elsie, this is Nina. How’s the elderberry bushes I sent you doing?”
Picking up on the code within the opening remark right away, Elsie knew something was wrong. While most people in Washington knew Senator Varga as an avid gardener, the term elderberry was an alert status that Nina had created for a code red situation.
“Ah, not so well Senator Varga. I may need to get some additional plants soon.”
“How about Sunday? I will be home all day, stop by anytime and pick them up.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will see you then,” Elsie concluded and hung up the phone.
41
Elsie arrived at Senator Vargas’ home promptly at 2 p.m. on Sunday and was escorted out to the vegetable garden. Keeping an apartment in the city and a residential home just outside the city limits allowed the senator to always have her family close by. Freshly divorced while in office, Nina moved her widowed mother into the country house to help with raising her two children, which was their primary residence. Family was important to Nina and the kids loved having their grandmother around. Spending so much time with her, their primary language was Spanish as that was the only language the old woman spoke. It also allowed Nina the luxury of having a garden, something she was quite fond of. The garden had a dual purpose as it served as an excellent meeting place you see, as Nina was also an apiarist, and who in their right mind would dare plant a listening device in a bee hive?
Walking up to meet Elsie, Nina steered her closer to the colony that was swiftly exiting and entering the white box. She began teaching Elsie about the different medicinal plants that she was cultivating. Handing Elsie a basket, she began to make cuttings of the various plants she was interested in and placed them in the basket as they meandered along.
“Elsie, I need you to protect my children for a couple months. I need you to get them out of here and hide them as I am afraid things are getting very dicey with the situation we are in.”
“How are you going to explain your children just disappearing for a while? You know people are going to ask questions.”
“Yes, they will be off visiting their relatives before school starts in the fall. Hopefully by the time they realize it’s been a little longer than expected, they will be well hidden and safe.”
“These relatives, where do they live?”
“I have family in Florida. You need to fly them into Miami and make your appearances. From there I will have a car ready for you to drive them to a friend who lives on a compound outside of Pittsburgh. You will be safe there and among people I trust. You will find all the information you need in the bottom of this basket. Take it home with you.” Taking her by the elbow, Senator Varga walked Elsie to her car and placed the basket of plantings in her trunk.
“Thanks for all the advice, I am sure I will be calling for more directions,” Elsie said as she turned towards Nina
“I am at your disposal Elsie, as always,” replied the senator
The senator waved as Elsie left her drive and turned to go into her house. Taking a deep breath, she regretted what lay ahead but knew it needed to happen to save the country she loved. But for now, she had to explain all of this to her mother.
42
The kids seemed to be adjusting well, especially after Emma had her grandchildren visit. It was also a great opportunity to put some foreign language into their homeschooling endeavors and seemed to be learned a lot easier trying to communicate with their guests than from learning it out of a textbook. Jessica agreed to take the kids for a day so Emma could run into town and see if there was any news on who they were or how they got to her cabin.
This whole scenario was perplexing to Emma. After all, these children just lost their mother and yet showed not much in terms of grieving. There was no identification anywhere on any of them. The kids were well mannered, had rather expensive clothing on including some pretty expensive jewelry. When Emma was helping little Alicia get a bath, she noticed she had a locket around her neck. Opening the locket, a man and woman’s pictures were inside. Was this what the woman in the cabin looked like before she died?
Matheo, the little boy, was very polite and looked after his little sister like a doting parent. He didn’t say much. The trauma that they just went through might have something to do with that, Emma thought. He needs some time. “More time,” Emma breathed out. “Everyone needs more time”
She pulled into the parking lot of the sheriff’s station as Sheriff Olan was leaving. “Well this should save me some time” Emma thought
“Sheriff!” Emma called out
“Emma”
“Any news on the woman from my cabin?”
“Nothing yet but really wasn’t expecting anything. Illegals don’t talk, you know that. Waste of my time and your valuable taxpayer’s money”
Emma let it go, so much to come back with after that little quip, but it would do her no good.
“Alrighty, ju
st thought I would check. I’ll check in with CPS while I am in town and maybe check in with you at the end of the week.”
“That’s fine but I wouldn’t expect much news” he said as he turned to get in his car. Quickly turning back around, he raised his finger in the air “Oh, hey, there is one thing. That woman in the cabin. Turns out the coroner said she had a gunshot wound in her stomach area. Maybe she got into it with her illegal baby daddy or something. Don’t know but maybe you can use the info.”
“Well aren’t you all heart sheriff” Emma replied as she walked away
Sheriff Olan watched her stroll off towards her car. “One day, bitch. You’ll beg.” He muttered under his breath.
43
“Where the hell could she be?” Nina thought as he paced back and forth. So far everything had gone as planned. Elsie flew with the kids into Miami and met up with Nina’s Aunt Maria. From the reports in the paper, they were having a grand time reunited with their little cousins.
Elsie had picked up the rental car along with supplies for the trip north. She made sure the kids had good sturdy travel clothes and plenty of things to keep them occupied. They left the following night after everyone had retired for the evening. The only person who knew of their departure was Maria.
“Oh, my sweet bebe’s” she moaned as she covered their tiny faces with kisses. “May Saint Christopher watch over you both. Elsie, please, protect these children with your life!”
“Yes ma’am,” Elsie replied and buckled both kids into their seats.
Driving from Miami to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with two small children was a little out of the norm for what Elsie was trained to do. Serving under the command of Lieutenant Nina Varga, Elsie had trained in the United States Army and spent a few years stationed in Israel training with the IDF. She took an early retirement to become one of the first female private contractors in Saudi Arabia for one of the royal families. She had always protected the wives of the men she worked for, not their children. She was a perfect fit as her Latino features could easily be mistaken for Middle Eastern.
Driving straight through would take her 19 hours minimum. That didn’t include potty breaks and food. If she were alone, completely logical. With two toddlers, impossible came to mind. She would need to make at least one overnight stop and even she didn’t know where that would be until she got there.
Heading north, she made good time with the night traffic. Stopping twice for gas, she was able to make it into Columbia, South Carolina, before the kids woke. A quick breakfast and potty break along with toys and movies ready to go, they headed out. Elsie wanted to make it to Charleston, West Virginia, before nightfall.
Eight hours later, which included six bathroom stops and two stops to see the mountain views, they rolled into Charleston. Elsie found a cheap, clean motel and packed everyone into the room. Checking all vantage points, she ordered dinner from a local pizzeria and by 9 p.m. they were already tucked into bed and saying their nightly prayers.
Elsie had grown quite fond of these children on their trip. They had chatted endlessly about princesses and warriors, favorite cookies and swimming in the ocean at Aunt Maria’s house. The next morning as they were getting ready to leave, little Alicia walked into the bathroom while Elsie was brushing her long dark hair. “Here El Le,” Alicia said in Spanish. She couldn’t quite wrap her little tongue around pronouncing Elsie and it kept coming out as El Le. Elsie looked down and in Alicia’s little chubby hand was a golden hair comb. “Oh Alicia, it’s beautiful!” Elsie exclaimed to the 3 year old. “Hair” Alicia said and climbed up on top of the toilet. Elsie bent over so Alicia could put the small golden comb in her hair. Both girls were exclaiming with Ohs and Aahs in the mirror and both agreed, it was hermosa!
44
The compound that Elsie needed to get the kids to was located someone between the northeast side of Pittsburgh and East Liverpool, Ohio. Going straight in wasn’t an option as by now, Elsie was sure that someone had figured out the kids were not in Miami anymore. Checking the maps the night before, Elsie wanted to stay out of Pittsburgh altogether if she could. Maybe a six-hour drive from where she was, she wanted to throw anyone off her trail who might be behind here. She would take SR79 north to Morgantown, West Virginia, and then take the scenic route into Wheeling. From there, it would be all back roads and small towns until she arrived at the compound.
Elsie glanced in her rear-view mirror. The kids were dozing in and out watching a movie on the DVD player. Her heart ached for them, for not having a normal life. A child having to go into hiding because of evil people in the world. She understood Senator Varga’s vision and her commitment to it. Something in this country had to change and fast. Would these children become the spoils of a war they were too young to even understand?
Elsie began to relax being off the main highway and started to enjoy the scenery. By now they were deep into southeast Ohio and making their way north east. Catching her eye, the gas light blinked on and she cursed under her breath that she hadn’t fueled up earlier. Hitting the “find gas” button on the GPS, she was a far cry from the nearest fuel station. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that some of these small- town service stations weren’t registering on the GPS. Ya, she said to herself, keep telling yourself that. Glancing at the map, she wasn’t far from a little town. “Let’s just hope they have a gas pump,” she said out loud.
Small town it was with barely any homes, but a small convenience store and two gas pumps was all she needed. Elsie let out a sigh of relief as she pulled the car up in line with the pump. Getting out, she surveyed the scene and began the process of fueling the car. Once done, she unloaded the kids to go inside and pay and hopefully find a working bathroom and some hot coffee.
Elsie felt the glares as soon as she hit the front door. They burned beneath her skin, something she hadn’t felt in quite a while. Looking around, she was not in a good place and needed to leave as quickly as she came. Quickly spotting the sign for the bathroom, she took both kids inside with her and locked the door. Taking a deep breath, she checked her pistols, both the one on her hip and the one under her arm attached to her bra. Kneeling down, she told the kids to hold hands and that they needed to leave quickly as they were late to where they were going. “No snacks, we can get them the next time we stop. Right now, let’s quickly get in the car and get to where we need to go, OK?” she asked the kids as she shook her head up and down. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and peered out.
It was eerily quiet. She grabbed the little girl’s hand as she pulled them quickly down the hallway into the main section of the store. The men were still there. She counted them. Two were missing. Maybe they left, she thought. Taking a deep breath she quickly walked to the door as the eyes drilled deeper under her skin. They exited the store as Elsie quickly picked up Alicia and, grabbing Matheo by the hand, she bolted for the car. Hitting the unlock button on the key ring she threw the kids in the back seat without regards for their safety seats. She heard the door to the store slam behind her.
“Hey spic, you gonna pay for that gas or just steal it. Cuz if you decide to steal it, I might have to just hunt you down and make you pay,” she heard from behind her.
She quickly turned around. Three of them were now outside the building, spread apart and staring at her. “I’m so sorry” she stammered. “I forgot. Here, here’s the money” she said as she laid the bills on top of the trash receptacle that was between them.
Picking up the money, the man looked at it like it might be counterfeit. “Your pretty little spic ass must be pretty good if you have two bastard kids. Might want to stick around for a while,” the man grinned at her showing off his mouth full of half-rotten teeth with a one silver cap.
“Oh, ya ya. Get us some la-tee-no pussy. Maybe the sheriff would like some of this, wouldn’t be the first spic bitch he had,” the other man said with a deliberate pronunciation of each syllable. All three men were now laughing, talking about calling the local law to
come and have some fun too. Seem to be a regular past time for them. Elsie saw her opportunity to leave as they reminisced about the last encounter they all shared after they tied her down.