The Changing Earth Series (Book 5): Dark Days in Denver

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “I know it’s been hard, Erika. You have been called upon to fill roles bigger than your little shoes could ever fill. You put everything at risk, time and time again, for a thankless job of trying to restore freedom. Freedom for a people that are full of opinions but it’s worth fighting for. It’s what made this country great. A place where all people are equal. I know I’m a hardass. I told you a long time ago that I was going to push you until you broke, but I would never give up on you and I still won’t. If you give up, what will the people do?” Bennet told her.

  “I don’t know, Bennet. I don’t even like people that much,” she explained.

  He chuckled. “They’ll give up too. You got this, fireball.”

  “You sure?” Erika asked.

  “I believe in you,” he said, hugging her again. “Now, enough blubbering. Do you think you can suck it up and get a workout in?”

  “Yes sir,” she replied, with a small smile and her crappy salute. She wiped the tears from her eyes and went to wrap her wrists.

  Chapter 12

  Even after sleeping half the day and all through the night, Erika awoke late. Victoria came to find Erika and Hensley after they didn’t arrive to the gate as scheduled.

  “Why didn’t you wake her up?” she asked Hensley.

  “My job is to guard her, not to make sure she wakes up at the right time of day,” Hensley countered. He was still upset about Erika giving him the slip.

  “Pvt Kase, wake up!” Victoria insisted, putting her head inside the tent.

  Erika bolted out of bed. “What time is it?” she wondered.

  “It’s o’ late thirty!” Victoria confirmed.

  Erika threw her uniform on and they ran to the training grounds.

  “You two are late!” 1st Sgt Bennet snapped as they arrived.

  “What are you doing here, sir?” Erika wondered, noticing Nickleton’ s absence.

  “I have replaced MGySgt Nickleton as commander of this squad,” Bennet informed her. “Are you feeling better this morning, cupcake?” 1st Sgt Bennet asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Erika replied.

  “Good, then the two of you can get your scrawny butts in line,” Bennet snapped.

  “Yes, sir,” they replied as they hustled to the group.

  Bennet was in rare form. Erika noticed a strange bounce in his step. She was curious what he was so pumped up about, but she didn’t have time to be concerned about it as she sweated through his exercises.

  After the morning was done, they headed for lunch at the mess. Erika checked the kitchen, trying to find Star. She wasn’t around. Perplexed, Erika flagged down Dixie.

  “Howdy, Mrs. Kase, how we doing today?” she asked.

  “All right, have you seen Jenny around?” Erika wondered.

  “Miss Jenny was asked to cook over at the lieutenant-general’s mess by Merkley himself,” she replied in a Southern accent.

  “Thanks,” Erika told her, starting down the line of food.

  “No problem, Mrs. Kase,” Dixie replied, returning to the kitchen.

  Completing her trip through the line, she saw Kay at a table with Daniel and headed their way. She introduced Victoria to Kay and sat down to share their company.

  “How’s it going over at the school,” Erika inquired.

  “Really good. Some parents have been trying to maintain their children’s education, but others have completely let it go,” Kay explained.

  “And how’s Earl?” Erika asked, realizing he hadn’t been around much.

  “He’s busy. There are so many people that need help. Yesterday he met another doctor named Stan that asked if he had heard anything about Erika Moore’s whereabouts,” Kay informed her.

  Erika smiled deeply, thinking about her friend. She first met Stan at the town Erika raided to save Harold’s family after the Great Quake. When they left California, he came with them, but the government directed him to another camp. She saw him again in Albuquerque and wondered if he’d survived the attack.

  “What are you doing this afternoon?” Erika asked Daniel, unsure what she was going to do herself.

  “I’m going to the entrance to draw,” Daniel told her.

  “Sounds fun,” Erika commented, not sure she was interested in going with him.

  They all parted ways after lunch. Erika headed back to the base. She went to find Bennet, but he left with Michelle for the afternoon. Erika meandered over to the weight room with no specific goal in mind.

  “Are you going to stay here for a while?” Victoria asked at the door.

  “Yeah, I’ll let you know when I head back to the tent,” Erika responded.

  She went in the room and noticed the men she saw in here last time she trained with Bennet. A man with short brown hair and a headband stood by the entrance to the cage. His beard and mustache matched the cut of his hair.

  Two men with the longer hair and beards faced off in the ring. They were ripped, and Erika was curious to see these titans clash.

  “Hello,” the man at the gate greeted her as she approached.

  “Hi,” she responded.

  “I saw you benching with the 1st Sgt yesterday. What were you pushing, 155?” he wondered.

  “165,” Erika replied.

  “Damn, not bad for a little woman like yourself,” he told her. “Name’s Graham Delisle,” he continued, extending his hand.

  “Karen Kase,” Erika replied.

  The two men in the ring were locked in a grappling hold as they spun around one another, looking for an opening. One threw the other down on the mat, but he immediately circled and took his attacker down as well. They wrestled back and forth for a while before they tired and decided to break.

  “What do we got here, Graham?” the blonder of the two men asked.

  “This here is Karen Kase. She’s the one we saw benching with the 1st Sgt yesterday,” he replied.

  “Ned Bedford and this here is Geir Tyrson,” he introduced himself and his friend. “Where you from, Karen Kase?”

  “I’m originally from Michigan but I lived in California when the Great Quake happened,” she replied.

  “Oh, she’s a Cali girl, boys,” Geir attested.

  “That’s right,” Erika confirmed.

  “Yeah, but are you a Cali girl?” Geir asked, putting his fingers up to his lips like he was smoking something.

  “Sure,” Erika agreed, remembering Bennet’s scowl. Oh well, he’s not around now, Erika thought.

  “Let us get cleaned up,” Geir told her.

  Erika waited as the men exited the arena and put t-shirts and hats back on. They headed out to a corner of the base and lit a joint. As they partook, Geir showed off all the latest knives he had produced. There was one that Erika took a liking to that he wore concealed in the small of his back, and a particularly beautiful Roman short sword that he loved.

  “We’ll have to go over to my shop one day,” he told her.

  Graham talked about his wife and three boys. The oldest, Bennie, was Dexter’s age and the youngest, Kip, was Daniel’s age. Ned didn’t have a wife. He had gotten a divorce a while back and both his children died from pneumonia after the quake. Geir’s wife’s name was Elizabeth. They had two children—a son, Wren, and a daughter named Lisa.

  “I believe in the Norse gods,” Geir declared. “When Wren turns eight, I’ll start teaching him Glima, the Nordic fighting style.”

  “Sounds interesting, I’d love to learn some,” Erika added.

  They reentered the building and ducked into the weight room unnoticed. Erika’ head was feeling light and she smiled widely.

  “We’re back off to work. Take care, Cali girl,” Geir told Erika.

  “It was nice to meet you guys,” Erika concurred.

  Graham and Ned said goodbye and Erika was left alone in the quiet of the weight room. She didn’t really feel like working out anymore and went exploring the building to find Victoria. There were more hallways than she thought and she found herself in a hallway with a door. T
he sign read: Restricted Access.

  Curious about what was back there, she turned around and went back to the weight room. Bennet was there talking to Victoria. Erika’s heart pounded. He’d know they were breaking the rules.

  “You must have been dropping some bomb in the bathroom,” Victoria blurted out as Erika approached.

  “Yeah, must have been that rabbit stew,” Erika said, smiling widely at Bennet.

  “What are you so giddy about, Miss Smiles?” Bennet asked, sensing something was amiss.

  “How’s Miss Long Legs?” Erika wondered, changing the subject quickly.

  Bennet blushed a little. “Michelle is fine.”

  “I see,” Erika said, making him feel awkward to cover her own tracks.

  “You just finishing up?” he wondered, noticing her lack of perspiration.

  “Actually, I haven’t really been feeling it today. I’ve just been hanging out,” Erika told him.

  He looked at her curiously.

  “With who?” he wondered.

  “My friend SSgt Gleeson here,” she told him. “Anyway, I’m headed home to sharpen my knives.”

  “Okay, get some rest. You look tired,” he told her.

  “I will,” she replied.

  Erika headed out the door with SSgt Gleeson.

  “Thanks for the cover, Victoria,” Erika said.

  “Just like old times, right?” Victoria laughed.

  “Yeah, except Bennet’s cool. He’d be pissed I wasn’t doing what was expected of me, but he’d get over it. He’s always been there when I needed him and saved my ass too many times to count. I respect him. That’s why I listen to him. All he’s ever tried to do is make me a better version of myself.

  “I get it,” Victoria answered. “That’s the same reason I follow Merkley. He helped me get away from that psycho landowner that took me in. If I fight, I’m safe. If the feds win, I’m screwed. I killed that asshole. I’ll be going to the prison camp.”

  “How would the feds know?” Erika wondered.

  “Merkley got me out of a holding cell after the invasion,” Victoria answered. “I was already headed there.”

  “Good for you,” Erika told her.

  “Enough was enough, we trained to fight, and I was done cowering,” Victoria said as they approached the tent.

  Erika was proud she’d given the woman the tools she needed to defend herself so long ago.

  Chapter 13

  Daniel tore across the camp as soon as he left the mess. He stopped by the tent to grab his notebook, but didn’t have any intention of using it. He went to the homesteaders’ gate and was allowed through after providing his name. He wondered how Mr. Rowan knew he would be coming, but he didn’t really care. Daniel just wanted back into that beautiful studio.

  He ran up the steps and composed himself for a moment before knocking softly at the door. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he knocked again. The door swung open while Daniel’s arm was still in the air.

  “Mr. Rowan, sir. I hope you don’t mind me coming back by,” Daniel said clumsily.

  “Not at all, I’ve been expecting you,” he said. “Come in.”

  Daniel entered the room. His painting was amongst the others on the wall.

  “I have another canvas for you,” Mr. Rowan told him.

  “Oh no, sir. I couldn’t,” Daniel protested, knowing how hard they were to come by.

  “Why don’t you let me decide that, boy,” the old man insisted. “Today I want you to paint whatever you’d like. Anything at all,” Mr. Rowan instructed, pulling out a chair in front of an easel. There was another one across the room.

  Daniel sat down, deep in thought over what he would create. Mr. Rowan sat down at the alternate easel to work while Daniel did. The artists painted diligently throughout the afternoon, but this time Daniel did not lose track of time. The noise of the clock ticking echoed in his head as his brush flew across the canvas. He focused on completing the project before he would be expected for dinner.

  When Daniel was finished, Mr. Rowan came to inspect his work. It was a colorful piece with a rainbow spiraling around the globe.

  “It’s beautiful, but. . .” Mr. Rowan said, pausing.

  No one ever said anything about Daniel’s work besides how good it was. Daniel’s curiosity over this man’s opinion was intensifying.

  “But what, sir?” Daniel finally asked.

  “But you always work in happy places. When you draw your people, you turn them into lively cartoons with smiles and goofy faces. When you draw landscapes, you intensify the colors. Your artwork is always bright. Your work should be a reflection of yourself. Eventually, you will have to face the other side,” Mr. Rowan explained.

  “Life needs color, sir. If I have them. I’m gonna use them. Colors are meant to be enjoyed while you can ‘cause soon they’ll be gone,” Daniel expounded on his choices.

  Mr. Rowan was perplexed. This young artist was definitely worth figuring out.

  “I’m sorry to cut my visit short again, sir, but my grandparents will be expecting me,” Daniel admitted, gathering his things.

  “I understand. I’ll be expecting you tomorrow,” Mr. Rowan directed.

  “I’ll be here,” Daniel said cheerfully, exiting the building.

  He wasn’t late tonight.

  

  The days waiting for Greg and Penni’s arrival passed in much the same fashion. Dexter was now working up at the homesteaders’ housing area and soaked in all he could learn about how they survived. The homesteaders made their own soaps and butter. The gardens were vast and fed many. Their livestock thrived and although their life was a challenge, it seemed simple enough.

  Vince would train with Erika in the morning and then head out to help with the efforts. The refugees poured in the gates day after day on their way north. Erika marveled at the endless flow and knew the same procession was taking place to the south as well. Star loved her new position and delighted in learning new recipes for foods she had never seen before.

  Erika and Victoria worked out a plan to cover for Erika’s whereabouts. There was a training field way out in the back of the compound. Erika frequently spent time out there alone, practicing martial arts forms. Victoria would stand diligently at the entrance to the field, but there was hole in the back of the fencing that no one knew about. The blackberries grew thick and obscured its location. Erika used it to sneak out of the base. Geir directed her to a back way into the compound so she could avoid the homesteaders’ gate, and she spent most of her free time out with the Colorado Boys, as they were known locally.

  They went fishing and stalked the woodlands out behind the homesteads. Geir talked endlessly about his Nordic beliefs, but Erika was fascinated. She honored the same virtues of courage, truth, honor, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, self-reliance, industriousness, and perseverance that they did.

  Erika loved the days sitting peacefully on the edge of the pond, but the best days for fishing were when the clouds hung low and the cool, misty rain speckled the air. On one of these days, Erika stared out at the water, waiting for the bobber to move. The leaves spoke softly to the wind, shaking the water from its tips. The delicate song of the birds floated by as they frolicked in the summer coolness.

  “I know that look,” Geir commented, as another gray cloud moved slowly across the sky, obscuring the sun.

  Erika looked at him curiously.

  “It’s the stare of a warrior that has seen too much blood spilt on a battlefield,” Geir suggested.

  “It’s the truth,” Erika admitted, shaking the rain that was accumulating on her hat off.

  “One day I will have to die victoriously in battle to reach Valhalla,” Geir informed her.

  “I wish I could just stay here forever,” Erika told him, watching Graham reel a fish in on the opposite shore. “It’s safe and the road has been long.”

  “It’s good to be in harmony with nature, but freedom is worth fighting for. I respect your
spirit, Karen,” he declared firmly. “In death is honor. A Nord shows respect but kneels to no one.”

  “The fight is clear. It’s the process that gets me. Sometimes I think one force is just the same as the other,” she declared.

  “That’s why we never got involved in that mess,” Geir explained. “I’ll fight for my home and my neighbors. I’ll fight for my country, but the force in power is not the creation of our forefathers. They don’t stand for freedom at all. The mercs worked hand in hand with those bastards for a decade before they were forced to fight.”

  “Why didn’t you join the Militia?” Erika wondered.

  “The timing hasn’t been right. My dad was all wrapped up in it and it got him killed. He didn’t die fighting. He died hiding in a hole like a coward. When I go, it will be on a battlefield defending my family’s honor,” he declared, drinking from a bottle of moonshine.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Erika told him, regarding his father.

  Her rod suddenly bent towards the water and she wrestled with an eight-pound fish. Adding it to the pile on the dock, she checked the sun’s position.

  “Geir, I gotta get back,” Erika told him. She handed him the rod.

  “What’s your hurry, Karen?” Geir asked. “The way you describe your husband, he seems like a cool guy.”

  “Oh, he is. I just gotta get back to meet my kids for dinner,” she lied.

  “That’s not for a couple of hours,” Geir commented.

  Erika could see Ned and Graham through the mist, circling around the lake to come back.

  “Look, Geir, I just gotta go, okay?” she told him, walking away. “See you guys later,” she yelled to Ned and Graham as she left.

  Erika knew she was late, so she ran as fast as she could. Her boots sloshed on the wet ground as the off spray flew through the air. She skirted the outside of the camp to avoid the mass of people and used the small hole in the back fencing. She was drenched and muddy by the time she reached the field. She started running drills around the cones she had set out on the grass. Not two seconds later her efforts were rewarded when Bennet appeared with LtGen Merkley.