The Changing Earth Series
Dark Days in Denver
Sara F. Hathaway
Copyright 2018 Sara F. Hathaway
eBook Edition
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Chapter 1
“Brace yourselves!” Erika warned her friends, as thunder began to roll in the distance.
Penni looked up. Her green eyes filled with worry. She knew the sound too. Suddenly, the ground began to ripple, and Penni’s blond curly hair bounced in the shaking.
“The busses!” Penni exclaimed, watching the heavy metal vehicles sway on the shifting ground.
“Hold tight,” First Sergeant (1st Sgt) Bennet directed. His beard had grown long from days on the road, and his usually bare scalp showed a ring of tiny hairs in the back.
Erika’s heart pounded frantically in her chest as the ground quaked furiously. It seemed like an eternity until, finally, the shaking stopped. Staring out at the desert landscape of Nevada, she wondered when the next one would hit.
“It’s over,” Nancy declared, breathlessly clinging to her daughter.
“The quakes are starting again, Mom!” Erika worried, holding the smaller woman tightly. “It’s too soon. We still have too far to go.”
“It’ll be okay, Erika. Go check on, Vince,” Bennet commanded, trying to shift her focus.
“I’ll go check on the kids,” Nancy replied, running off in the other direction.
“I’ll go with you,” Penni informed Nancy, following her down a row of armored busses and trucks, all headed east.
“We’ve got to get out the rods,” Bennet told Sergeants (Sgts) Walker and Pontever.
Sgt Walker was a black man with a stern look. His head was normally bald as well, but showed a thin covering of hair currently. A reliable friend to Erika, Sgt Walker had known her since their days in the Las Vegas refugee camp. He lost a leg there, during a mission they went out on together. Sgt Walker always had a thing for Sgt Julie Pontever. Even though they weren’t married, they were always together. She was a fierce young lady who was raised in the army life since she was born.
Erika watched the three soldiers head off to formulate a game plan with the commanders while she left towards the medical busses. The dust blew through the air and the July sun beat down intensely. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she slowed her gait. Earl, her father-in-law, was coming out of the doorway. His tall frame dominated the entrance, and she noticed that his white curly hair and beard were getting long.
“Oh, Erika, there you are,” Earl exclaimed.
“Everything okay?” she asked. “Is Vince all right?”
“Everything is fine, but I have ten more busses to get to. Can you watch over this one for a while?’ he asked, taking off a pair of gloves.
“You got it, Doc,” Erika replied, opening the door. They often called him Doc affectionately. Before the quake he was a veterinarian, but now a doctor was a doctor and his services were highly valued.
Erika stepped onto the bus. Walking past the medical supply cabinets, she pulled back a curtain to the patient bunks. There were two sets on both sides and they were all full.
“Is everyone all right?” a man asked as she passed by.
Erika looked into his dark eyes. His arm was lost in the battle. “I’m sure there’s been a few casualties,” Erika replied honestly, “but, at least we aren’t around any buildings,” she chuckled.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Vince commented, watching her approach.
Erika loved his hazel eyes and curly hair. As she got closer, she could see the yellow stars that outlined his pupils.
“How are you feeling, mister?” Erika asked him, sitting down on the edge of his bunk.
“Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” he replied groggily, smiling at her.
“You look like you’ve been hit by a truck,” Erika admitted, staring at his bruised face and missing tooth.
“Oh yeah,” Vince replied, reaching up to touch the space where his tooth had been. “That stupid piece of garbage,” Vince mumbled, commenting on the captain that removed it.
“When did the captain manage that one?” Erika asked. Their unit had just completed liberating the Las Vegas refugee camp. During the battle Vince went to the leader of the FEMA camp to settle a long-standing grudge. The leader, Mathew, sent his captain to work on Vince’s face. Erika didn’t see the duel. She was only witness to the aftermath.
“Right at the start. He even pointed to his tooth afterwards,” Vince laughed a little.
Erika shared his chuckle, remembering the day Vince knocked out the captain’s tooth in that very same refugee camp in Las Vegas.
“Don’t worry too much about it,” Erika reassured him. “It’s kind of cute.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Vince laughed.
They looked sharply at one another as they heard the thunder rolling and then the ground started to shake again. Much to Erika’s surprise, the supplies on the bus moved very little, even with the tilting back and forth that was happening. Running to the front of the bus, Erika opened the door. Dexter was outside holding tight to the rods that extended out vertically from the bus.
“Nice!” Erika exclaimed.
“I got you, Mom,” Dexter told her. Trucker, his faithful Rottweiler companion, bounced around at his heels.
“Did Grandma get Daniel?” Erika asked.
“Yeah, Star’s with them now,” the young man replied, flipping his brown hair out of his face.
Earl reappeared suddenly from around the edge of the bus. He quickly approached.
“You’re back quick,” Erika acknowledged him.
“They moved doctors over from another caravan. Get Vince ready to move!” he insisted.
Erika looked at him, perplexed. “What? Why?” Erika replied slowly.
“Bennet has a helicopter ready for us,” Earl informed her.
“What about the kids and my mom,” Erika asked.
“They’re coming with us,” Earl replied.
“What about Greg and Penni?” Erika wondered. She’d worked too hard to reunite with her lifetime friends to leave them again now.
“There’s only room for us. Bennet wants you out of here,” Earl insisted. “We can send the chopper back for them. I’m going in to check on Vince. Get the kids and your mom rounded up and meet me inside,” Earl commanded, leaving her standing there, staring at Dexter’s gray eyes.
“Are we going to leave, Mom?” he wondered.
“Go get Star and Daniel,” Erika told him, turning to go.
He started to walk off with a confused look, when he turned back around. “What am I supposed to tell Greg and Penni?”
Erika stared at him, unsure how she should reply. The movement of the earth forced her decision, as it began to shake again. “Tell them the truth. The chopper is coming back for them,” she yelled above the thunder. She reentered the bus and hurried to help Earl get Vince dressed.
Dexter and Trucker took off into the caravan of vehicles. Dex found Greg with the Fox family. Beau Fox was born in Australia and had moved to Arizona. He was brought to the camp with his family after their home was lost to a gigantic sinkhole. Greg and Beau had formed quite a bond while Vince and Erika were away. Dext
er approached them as they worked to steady two buses that were missing poles.
“Dexter! Give us a hand,” Greg urged, trying to guide a long metal pole into a sheath that ran under the bus. Sweat dripped through his brown hair and clung to his small bit of facial hair.
Dexter slung his rifle, instructed Trucker to stay put, and helped the pole slide along its path.
“Thanks, Dex,” Greg told him. He was huffing and puffing, catching his breath.
“Is Daniel over here?” Dex asked, looking around.
“He’s over with Carmen. One of the busses tipped and they needed help transferring supplies,” Greg explained.
“Where?” Dex wondered.
“Over three lines from here,” Greg answered quickly. “Dex,” he said, pausing to wait for the boy’s eyes to come back and meet his. “What’s going on?”
“Bennet’s got orders to fly us out of here,” Dexter replied.
“All of us?”
“The chopper is coming back for you guys,” Dexter answered.
Greg looked at him. He wanted to believe what Dexter was telling him as much as the boy obviously did.
“Well, you better go find Daniel, then,” Greg replied, turning to grab another metal pole.
“Hey, Greg,” Dexter stated to regain his attention. “I love you. We’ll meet again.”
“I love you too, kid. Guess I’m just sick of saying good-bye,” Greg admitted.
“It’s coming back,” Dex proclaimed with conviction.
The aftershocks rumbled as Dexter and Trucker reached the bus where his younger brother was moving back and forth, his arms loaded with supplies.
“Daniel,” Dexter yelled, as Trucker ran up to the boy.
The eleven-year-old boy pushed the dog away and delivered the pile in his arms before trotting over to talk to Dexter. He flipped his sandy blond hair out of his face.
“What’s up, Dex?” he wondered.
“We gotta go, Daniel. Bennet is flying us out of here,” Dex explained.
“What about Carmen?” Daniel wondered, watching his friend.
“The chopper is coming back for him, Danny,” Dex told him.
“We just got back together,” Daniel exclaimed, unsure of the situation. His brown eyes slowly filled with tears.
“And we’ll see each other again soon,” Dexter urged him.
“I guess so,” Daniel agreed. He trotted away to talk with Carmen before rejoining his brother.
The boys ran with Trucker, hustling over to an area where a couple of helicopters were assembled.
“There you are!” Erika exclaimed as the boys joined them.
“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?” Dex yelled to her over the noise of the helicopter.
“No, but I don’t see that we have much option, right now, Dex,” Erika answered him, consumed with her own doubts.
They boarded the helicopter as another quake started. Lifting off the ground, Erika watched the chaos unfold. People scrambled in between the busses, as the mass of humanity pushed east. They thundered above it, flying across land that Erika had traveled as a Rescue Recruit on her first mission. She knew eventually they would pass by the town called New Dove. She remembered it well. A bright, shiny beacon of hope on the edge of the forest.
Her eyes scanned ahead, anticipating the city, but she noticed a crack in the Earth instead. She pointed it out to Vince. Their eyes following it, the rift looked massive and deep. As it continued along, Erika was horrified to see people fleeing the city. Half of the beautiful city was buried in the crack, strewn out into the deep expanse.
It wasn’t the only rift that the stress of the earthquakes formed along the journey. Erika looked towards 1st Sgt Bennet, riding in the passenger seat. His brown eyes met hers and he gave her a thumbs-up, but Erika wasn’t so sure they should have left at all.
Erika watched as the helicopter crossed a vast expanse of woodlands. It opened into a massive meadow filled with tents. Farmlands surrounded it and a small town could be seen in the distance.
The endless rumble of the helicopter was becoming annoying, and Erika couldn’t wait to be back on the ground. The helicopter touched down by the two others in what looked to be a mercenary training base. Erika’s heart began to pound. She looked to 1st Sgt Bennet for direction. He signaled with his hands that it was okay.
She squeezed Vince’s hand tightly and put her faith in 1st Sgt Bennet as she had done so many times before. As soon as the helicopter hit the ground, Erika watched him bounce up and jump off, directing them to stand over by a small building in the distance. Helping Vince over to the indicated location, she heard the helicopter blades begin to slow.
“I thought they were going back for Greg and Penni?” Erika asked Vince.
“Maybe they have to refuel,” Vince suggested. A new lisp from the newly knocked-out tooth was audible, but Erika figured he would get used to it, just like she would. There’s not much hope of getting him a dental implant anytime soon, she chuckled to herself. Gotta love this life.
Chapter 2
“Here, put these on,” Bennet commanded, handing them mercenary army uniforms.
She held out the uniform like a dirty dish rag. “Why?” Erika challenged his advice.
“This is the scoop, Erika. You are part of the merc forces. You’re going undercover. The homesteaders that live here have been on their own since the quake. They support the mercenary and militia efforts and cover up the base. They didn’t want government assistance and never received it. The homesteaders like having the protection of the merc forces, but don’t want to draw attention. You’ll need to play the role if you want to mingle here,” Bennet explained.
“I have to pretend to be someone else?” Erika asked for clarification, watching Dex and Star roll their eyes.
“The feds are hunting you, short stack. How long do you want to live?” he asked, towering above her.
“Really? You’re all giddy about this. A new nickname, even. Whose command are we under?” she inquired, already knowing the answer.
“Mine, of course,” Bennet beamed with pride.
“Where’s Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Virgis?” Erika wondered, looking around.
“He’s helping get refugees out of the west,” Bennet replied.
“Speaking of,” Erika commented, putting on the new fatigues. “What about Greg and Penni?
“I’m taking care of that when we’re done here. Your name, Mrs. Erika Moore, is Karen Kase here,” he told her sternly, so she would remember.
“Karen Kase? That’s the best you could come up with?” Erika teased.
“Don’t forget! Your name is known, but if you keep your hat on and your head down, hopefully your face won’t be. It’s still a risk, so don’t do anything stupid,” he warned.
“Who, me? Do something stupid?” she teased. “Come on, First Sergeant, you know me better than that.”
He eyeballed her carefully, obviously not amused.
“What about us?” Dexter wondered.
“You better not do anything stupid either,” Bennet warned, chuckling at his joke.
“No, sir,” Dexter corrected, laughing. “What are our names?”
“You’re Justin, Vince is Eddy, Star is Jenny, and Daniel is Danny,” Bennet replied.
“How come I don’t get a fake name?” Daniel protested.
“Because that will be easier to remember,” Bennet told him.
“Justin Kase?” Dexter asked. “Real cute, sir.”
“What? I used to have a friend with that name,” Bennet replied, clasping the young man on the shoulder.
“Now, Johnny, you know the down-low rules. Go with Johnathon or Corporal (Cpl) Johnson,” Bennet directed the young man.
“Yes sir,” Johnny replied. He still was not quite himself. He couldn’t get the picture of his father, General McClintock, rotting away in a federal prison out of his head.
“Kay and Earl, you should use the alias last name. Everyone else will be fine. No
w head over to the gate. They have tents ready for your family,” he directed.
“Yes, sir!” Erika replied, giving him a crappy salute. She knew it drove him nuts, and got the scolding look from him that she expected she would.
He turned and left in a puff, leaving them standing in the dirt by the helicopters. They headed off towards the tents dotting the valley. Erika was astounded looking out at the maze of white tents in the sea of green.
“Reminds me of the Vegas camp in the early days. Minus the green, of course,” Nancy commented to Erika.
“On the road again, Grandma,” Dexter said charmingly, coming up to grab her arm.
“At least I’m with my family,” she commented, not looking forward to the accommodations.
Erika looked at her, impressed that her short gray hair still looked perfectly styled despite all they just went through.
“You can say that again,” Kay commented, approaching them. “So many people. Where will they all go?”
“They’re part of the resistance now,” Erika said coolly. She put her arm around her mother-in-law. Her shoulders were slumped a little and the stress of the recent events weighed heavily on her mind. Her face could still produce a beautiful smile, but rarely did it happen anymore.
“If they want to be,” Earl replied, holding Kay’s hand. He was distraught over his son and daughter-in-law’s constant involvement with the resistance fighting.
“Face it, Dad, the feds will have to eliminate them. It’s the only way to maintain order now,” Vince interjected.
“Assumptions can be dangerous, Vince…I mean, Eddy,” Earl corrected himself.
“Do you think they would ever be accepted again?” Vince asked him honestly.
“Can’t we just wait and see what happens,” Star interrupted, stopping the argument. “There’ll be a lot more people in a few days and we need to be ready to help.”
“How did you like the helicopter ride, Megan?” Kay asked, trying to include the young lady in the conversation. Her dirty blond hair needed a wash and her brown eyes showed the deep pain she bore from watching her family gunned down in front of her.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 5): Dark Days in Denver Page 1