“I love you,” she said, kissing him.
“I love you too, but what’s up?” he prodded.
“I’m an honorary Staff Sergeant under MGySgt Nickleton’s command. LtGen Merkley asked me to officially join and I did. Bennet’s in a cell, and LtCol Virgis is back in town,” Erika explained.
Vince sighed heavily.
“I thought after Vegas we were done?” Vince said.
“You said you were done. You know I’ll never get away now,” Erika told him.
“What am I going to tell my dad?” he wondered.
“I don’t know, Vince, but they need me here,” Erika explained. “Merkley needs me. He’s not going to let me go. If the feds find me and kill me, it would hurt the cause too much.”
“Merkley got to you? You let him get to you? Why, because of Bennet? You agree, and Bennet gets off easier?” Vince speculated.
“No, Vince. He got to me because he’s right. Bennet will face the consequences of his actions. These people are going to need help, and hope, and I can provide both. We have a place here. We can make a difference,” Erika tried to convince him.
“Well, I didn’t have any immediate plans, anyway, but my dad’s gonna be pissed,” Vince said.
“I know,” Erika agreed, pulling the blanket up and rolling over.
Chapter 4
Erika awoke to a dark gray world. The sky was clouded over, and no early morning rays were greeting anyone today. She cursed the early morning wakeup as she rolled over and pulled the covers back up, just for a second. Then she reminded herself that Nickleton would be expecting her, so she rose from the cot. Her brown hair was in a frenzy from a restful night.
“Good morning, Danny. Where is everyone?” Erika wondered, while she was quickly throwing on her uniform.
“Dad went to talk with Grandpa before he left for the medical facility. They tried to talk quietly but I heard them arguing. Grandpa left to the med center and Dad said he needed to take a walk to think. Grandma is over in her tent still getting ready to go over to the school. Star went to the kitchen to help with breakfast. Dexter and Johnny have guard duty in the tower. Megan left to go help with checking in new refugees. I’m just waiting on you,” Daniel explained. “Today I’m starting training with a group of boys at the camp. It was either that or school, and I’d rather learn to fight better.”
Nancy looked at Erika with accusing eyes. In her opinion Daniel should have chosen school over fighting, but Nancy also understood why so she didn’t say anything. “I’m going to stay here and take care of the laundry.”
“Sounds good. I love you, Mom,” Erika told her.
Erika walked quietly with Daniel to the base. Bennet was waiting for them at the gate when they approached.
“Morning, cupcake,” he greeted her.
“Good morning, 1st Sgt,” Erika returned the gesture. “You look chipper for a man who spent the night in a cell.”
“It’s Sgt Bennet again,” he commented, pointing at his stripes. “It’s okay though, I get to do what I love, train. You’re with me, Daniel,” he told the boy.
Erika smiled deeply.
“What?” Bennet wondered.
“LtGen Merkley made me an official Staff Sergeant. That means you have to follow my orders,” Erika announced, beaming with pride.
Bennet smiled wryly at her.
“Great, just great,” he commented. “In that case, with your permission, I’ll take cadet Kase with me, ma’am,” he requested.
“That’s fine, you two are dismissed,” she said officially with a big smile. “Meet you at the weight room later?”
“You got it, ma’am,” Bennet replied, taking Daniel with him.
Erika met up with Nickleton and started morning calisthenics with a new crew. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she recognized one of her fellow team members. When she got her first break, Erika approached the woman. She was standing by herself, looking out at the horizon.
“Victoria?” Erika asked. “Victoria Gleeson?”
The woman looked at her curiously. She read Erika’s name tag without recognition, but then something in her mind sparked.
“Erika?” she wondered.
“Shhhh, yes, but here I’m SSgt Karen Kase. I knew it was you!” Erika commented. “Did you continue training after you were adopted?”
“I did . . . in secret. I never should have left,” she said blankly.
Erika sensed her life had not been an easy one since she left the Las Vegas refugee camp.
“You were one of my very first students,” Erika commented, trying to focus on positive memories.
“What you taught me is all that kept me alive,” Victoria admitted. “As soon as I got the chance to join the mercs, I didn’t hesitate. We’re going to take those federal bastards out,” she hissed spitefully. “What are you doing here?”
“They flew me here after we liberated the Las Vegas Camp,” Erika explained.
“You were there?” Victoria wondered.
“Yup, we got Greg’s family out too,” Erika informed her.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Still in Nevada. The trucks are going to get them,” Erika explained.
Nickleton called them back and their exercises began again. After they were done, Erika went to check on Daniel, but the boys had been let out much earlier. She decided to go see if Vince and her mom had eaten lunch yet. She found the tents void of everyone, except Vince.
“Your mom went to the laundry facility. She said she’d grab lunch over there and bring some back,” Vince explained.
“You want to come with me?” Erika asked. “Dexter and Johnny will eat up the extra food later.”
“Sure, I’d love to get out of here,” Vince admitted.
They walked quietly to the bridge that crossed the small river.
“What’s up, Erika? Did you have a good morning?” he wondered at her silence.
“Oh yeah, it was fine. Do you remember Victoria Gleeson?” she asked.
He looked at her blankly.
“She was one of my first students in Vegas and used to organize all those community events. Remember, she was adopted out in the first wave,” Erika explained.
“Oh yeah!” Vince acknowledged, remembering the woman.
“She’s in my unit,” Erika told him.
“Wow. How is she?” he asked.
“Different,” Erika declared solemnly.
“Erika, we’re all healing. Give it time,” Vince told her, seeing that something was driving her down. “Hey,” he said sharply, breaking her gaze. “You’ve got to buck up. We’re doing the best we can. Life is too short to live it depressed. Why hide that beautiful smile from me?” he asked, grinning widely at her.
She smiled back at him and blushed. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, you may have told me a time or two before,” Vince admitted coyly.
She kissed him and fell into his embrace. They held each other for a moment before parting to enter the mess hall. Victoria was waiting for them inside.
“SSgt Gleeson, good to see you again. You remember Eddy, right?” Erika asked.
“Yes, Mr. Kase, how have you been?” she asked.
“I’ve been better,” he said sarcastically.
“Looks like it,” she bantered.
“You just finishing up?” Erika asked.
“No, I’ve been waiting for you. MGySgt Nickleton asked for volunteers for your guard duty and I took the position.” She smiled slyly at her.
“Excellent,” Erika agreed. “Let’s go eat some lunch.”
“What’s this now?” Vince wondered.
“LtGen Merkley said he was assigning me a guard. It’s Victoria,” Erika smirked.
“Does he know your history?” Vince asked.
“Obviously not,” Erika replied. Virgis and Bennet wouldn’t even know about that.” She grabbed a plate from the stack and went to stand in line.
Erika scanned the kitchen in
the back, looking for Star. She was at the cutting board; Erika watched her knife working like a well-oiled machine.
Victoria stepped into line behind them and followed Erika’s line of sight. “Is that your daughter? What was her name again?” Victoria asked, unsure of the name her daughter was using.
“Yup, that’s Jen, she’s all grown up,” Vince commented.
“I should say so,” Victoria agreed. “How old is she now?”
“She just turned twenty the beginning of this month, if you can believe that.”
“Man, it seems like just yesterday she was an eight-year-old girl with all that golden wavy hair. She just turned twenty?” Victoria challenged.
“Time flies, doesn’t it?” Erika asked.
“Ladies, the line is moving,” Vince informed them, encouraging them to walk forward.
Stepping up to the line, Erika was delighted to see salad greens and fresh tomatoes along with rabbit parts to choose from. As she progressed along there was some kind of protein cake. It looked like a mix of dried meat, fruit, acorn flour, and honey.
“What are you going to do when you get all healed up, Eddy?” Victoria asked him.
“Hands are needed out in the fields,” Vince replied simply. He still wasn’t completely sure about that question himself.
“And soldiers are needed in the merc army,” Victoria told him.
“I know. I train, and I’ll be in the battle, but I would rather work out in the gardens than fight all day long every day.
“Keeps you prepared,” Victoria countered.
“I’ll be prepared, when the time comes,” Vince assured her.
They finished lunch and walked Vince back to the tent. Erika spent the rest of the afternoon with him, playing a card game and trying to forget about life.
Chapter 5
Dexter headed toward the gate with Trucker. He and Johnny were assigned to guard duty. Given their sniping expertise, they were put in an overwatch position where they would observe the new arrivals entering the gate.
They waded through the throng of people. The refugees were directed to a tent where they could rest and eat. They would continue their journey north in the morning. There were too many people on the move to allow them to linger.
Reaching the gate, Dexter saw Megan there checking in refugees. She’s so easy to talk to, he mused, watching her.
“I’d much rather be spending the day with her than you two,” Dexter told Trucker and Johnny.
Trucker looked at him sideways and whined.
“With Megan?” Johnny asked curiously, following his gaze.
“Yeah, we had such a good time in the city last night. I think I’m beginning to love that girl,” Dexter admitted as they turned towards the tall tower.
“She’s like your sister, right?” Johnny asked. “Or your aunt, because your grandparents adopted her?”
“Exactly, adopted! We’re not blood, and I think she’s hot,” Dexter defended, climbing the stairs to the box that sat above the crowd.
The two young men took their position in the small sitting area. They took turns alternating between the spotting scope and the rifle for the shooter. Scanning the people below, Dexter examined their faces, everyone displaced, just trying to survive. He pondered their stories and struggles as he watched them. He saw Megan talking with a woman clutching tightly to two children.
“You think he’s still alive?” Johnny asked out of the blue.
“Your dad?” Dexter asked for clarification.
“Yes, my dad,” Johnny replied, irritated.
“No news may be good news,” Dexter replied. “LtCol Virgis didn’t say anything.”
“All we gotta do is cross the Ogallala Lake and we’re in Kansas,” Johnny told him.
“I’ve heard the feds are building a floating city out there, Johnny,” Dexter countered.
“The longer we wait, the less chance we’ll have,” Johnny urged him.
“I don’t know, Johnny. We need more intelligence before we can go,” Dexter declared. “We’ll wait to find out what Cassidy’s scouting party has to say when they get back.”
“They’re not going to be back for two weeks,” Johnny protested, thinking over the decision. “But you’re probably right, we need the info.”
The morning continued in much the same fashion. Wait fifteen minutes and then switch position. The guys grabbed lunch and returned to their post to continue the same pattern into the afternoon.
“My brother must be done with morning training. He’s down there with his drawings,” Dexter commented.
“He’s been quiet lately,” Johnny noted. “Hey, Dex, check out the dude at two o’clock.”
“All of Daniel’s friends got left behind again,” Dexter explained, changing his line of sight. “You mean the guy in the trench coat in the middle of the day?”
“Gate, this is overwatch,” Johnny said into his radio.
“Go ahead, overwatch,” the voice on the radio answered.
“We have a potential hostile, your twelve o’clock. Caucasian man in a black trench,” Johnny told the radio.
Dexter continued watching the man as the soldiers closed around him. The men talked for a while and Dexter watched as the man presented his weapon to the soldiers. He knew the soldier would give the gun back once he was on the other side, but Dexter was relieved that the situation went well. He wanted a break from fighting, some kind of distraction. His mind wandered back to his night with Megan. They’d talked about everything.
Surveying the crowd again, he watched Daniel pausing people and producing a caricature of the individual. They would pose with one another and smile, while Daniel rapidly worked his charcoal stick across the paper. When he was done, the refugees delighted in his work, laughing at the cartoon images.
Dexter was soaking in the moment, watching his brother smiling widely. An older man approached Daniel, and Dexter saw Daniel showing his drawings to the man. The old man was studying each one carefully.
“Dexter, it’s my turn to use the scope,” Johnny told him. “What have you been looking at anyway?”
Johnny took the spotting scope as Dexter seated himself comfortably with the rifle.
“Still looking at your bro?” Johnny asked.
“It’s nice to see him smile,” Dexter commented.
“You’re such a hopeless romantic,” Johnny teased him. “Who’s that guy with him?”
“I don’t know, dude, but Daniel could probably take that guy, no problem,” Dexter boasted proudly as he scanned the horizon. “Man, those homes look nice and cozy. Imagine settling down there with a little family”
“Dex, we aren’t supposed to be watching the homesteads,” Johnny told him.
“Johnny, look out over there!” Dexter directed urgently.
“Where?” Johnny wondered, curiously scanning the homesteads with the spotting scope.
“The edge of the tree line, out at the horizon. Is that a coyote?” Dexter wondered.
“It wouldn’t be out in the middle of the day,” Johnny commented, rapidly scanning the edge of the forest.
“It is, dude,” Dexter said, looking through the scope.
“It is,” Johnny agreed. “What’s it looking at?” he wondered, looking through the scope and following the animal’s gaze. “It’s watching those kids in the sandbox. Where’s their mom?” he wondered, assessing the scene through the scope. “She’s over there, hanging clothes on the line.”
“It’s moving . . .” Dexter started to say, but no sooner had he said it when the animal suddenly bolted from its hiding spot at the edge of the woods. Dexter fired a shot at the animal, drawing the attention of the people below him. The coyote was committed and didn’t flinch at the far-off sound. It grabbed the small boy by the leg and was pulling him back towards the woods as the child frantically struggled.
“It’s a long shot,” Dexter commented, waiting for Johnny to give him directions.
“Eight hundred and sixty-two yards, shoot!
” Johnny urged him, watching the animal pull backwards with the child.
Dexter fired, barely missing the animal.
“Five meters left,” Johnny directed as Dexter loaded another round and fired immediately.
The coyote fell dead as the boy’s mother ran forward to retrieve him. She looked in the direction of the tower before turning and running toward her home, cradling her child.
“Dude! That was an awesome shot!” Johnny praised him.
“Yeah, but we weren’t supposed to look over there, let alone shoot over there,” Dexter worried.
“You saved that kid, Dex,” Johnny said.
“Things don’t always work out like you think they should, Johnny,” Dex said.
“Or you’re just being a worrywart,” Johnny told him, continuing his surveillance of the crowd.
“Status report, Cpl Johnson,” the radio sounded.
Dexter looked up from the rifle.
“Shots were fired at a coyote attacking a child on the adjoining homesteader property,” Johnny replied.
“Has the animal been dispatched?” the voice on the radio questioned.
“Yes, sir,” Johnny replied.
“Hold your position and continue surveillance, Corporal,” the voice directed.
“See, bro, nothing to worry about,” Johnny said.
The two young men finished their shift in a couple of hours and headed back towards the gate to be relieved for the night.
“Corporal! How the heck have you been?” a staff sergeant Dexter didn’t know greeted Johnny warmly, but he was looking tentatively at Trucker.
“Sir, I’ve been better,” Johnny acknowledged, saluting the man. “How has life been treating you, SSgt Merkley?”
“Busy!” he commented. “I understand we had a shooting incident today. Shots fired into a homestead?”
“Yes, sir, Private (Pvt) Kase took the shot to eliminate a hostile animal on the property, sir,” Johnny replied.
“LtCol Jackson would like to see the two of you in his office immediately,” SSgt Merkley directed.
“Yes, sir,” they replied.
As they turned away, Dexter rolled his eyes. “Here we go.”
The Changing Earth Series (Book 5): Dark Days in Denver Page 4