“Hello, cupcake,” he said, stepping out from the bushes.
She jumped in the air when she heard his voice and unconsciously took up a defensive stance.
“Holy shit, Bennet! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?” she hissed at him.
“Where’s your guard, Erika?” he asked condescendingly.
“She’s back at the field,” Erika admitted, knowing she and Victoria were in it deep now.
“What were you doing?” he asked.
“You followed me,” she countered, upset that she got caught. “You can see the lake from the fence. You know exactly what I was doing.”
“I do and I’m not happy, but I am trying to understand,” Bennet told her.
Erika was stunned by his reaction. Stuck in a state of disbelief, she still expected an impending thrashing.
“I would have liked to see some self-discipline and focus on training, but overkill can be a bad thing too. Sometimes the soul needs time to heal. I’m also not thrilled with your choice of friends,” he explained.
Erika couldn’t believe these words that were coming so calmly out of his mouth.
“I like them,” she defended.
“You’re free to choose your own friends,” he told her. “I just want you to know my opinion.”
“Are you just messing with me, Bennet?” Erika wondered. “Are you some alien imposter? What happened to the real Bennet?”
He laughed at her joke. “I understand how hard it is to be hidden here. The major problem I’m having with your route is the lack of a guard. You know how impossible one on three could be.”
She thought back to when she was jumped in the library by three guys and she was alone. She might not have made it through that experience if her father-in-law hadn’t stepped in to help. Out here she was isolated, and no one would come to her aid.
“SSgt Gleeson knows you are leaving, right?” Bennet asked.
Erika didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t want to get her friend into trouble, but Bennet’s understanding demeanor took her off guard.
“You can tell me. She won’t receive a formal reprimand,” Bennet replied, seeing Erika’s hesitation.
“Yeah, she knows,” Erika told him honestly.
“I want her to go with you. She can wait hidden near the hole in the homesteaders’ fence,” Bennet commanded.
Erika was dumbfounded by this encounter. “Thanks, Bennet. I really wasn’t expecting that,” Erika told him.
“I’m not letting you off the hook completely. I want you training at least every other day in the afternoon and since you aren’t putting in as much time in the afternoon, we’ll just have to step up the morning sessions,” he informed her with a gleam in his eye. “Come on, hopscotch,” he said, escorting her back to the rear gate.
The color drained from Victoria’s face as she watched Bennet and Erika approach together. She was expecting a demotion and a formal reprimand.
“SSgt Gleeson, are you missing something?” Bennet boomed as they approached.
“Sir, yes sir,” Victoria answered, scared to say anything else.
“Staff sergeant, I‘m obviously not happy with this situation. Erika and I have discussed it and you are to follow her,” Bennet said, winking at her.
Taken aback, Victoria replied, “Yes, sir.”
“This lack of attention to detail will cause you some extra work in morning PT sessions. I expect to see you in the ring with me tomorrow and we’ll start specializing your training,” Bennet explained.
Victoria’s eyes widened. Erika could barely survive in that ring, but she wasn’t getting a formal reprimand, so all she could say was, “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 17
The day finally arrived when Cassidy returned with her team. It was late in the afternoon. Erika was in Geir’s shop helping him grind new blades he was making to arm the refugees. The door to the shop flew open and Cassidy entered with Phillip and Eli. They looked dirty from days on the road and Cassidy’s brown hair was ratty.
“Hey there, little sis!” Geir bellowed as she entered. He dropped his tools and went to embrace her.
A moment of sickening realization hit Erika. Sis? Did he say sis? she wondered. That means the man I killed and the father he talks about are the same man! Erika’s mind spun. As she connected the dots, she looked for an escape route but there was none. They were standing in front of the door.
“Hi, Geir, how the hell are you?” Cassidy inquired, returning the greeting and hugging him tightly.
“Can’t complain,” Geir replied. “Well, I could, but it wouldn’t make a difference anyhow.”
Cassidy laughed at his joke. “Bennet told me Erika was here with you. I gotta say I’m surprised. You took that well.”
Geir was confused. “Erika?” he wondered, shaking his head. “This is Karen. What did I take well?”
Erika knew there was no maintaining the ruse with him now. She stepped forward to clear the air.
“Geir, my name is really Erika Moore. I’m the Lone Survivor of Sacramento,” she admitted, honestly.
He looked at her with disbelief and then his face distorted into a look of anger. He spun on his heels and whipped the metal for the knife he was working on at the wall. Cassidy realized that her brother had no idea who Erika was. She braced for the impact this knowledge was about to have on him.
Thinking fast, Erika tried to find something to say that would make it better. “I’m sorry, Geir. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. If the feds knew I was here, it would put everyone in danger.”
“You bitch! You killed my father!” he raged. He turned and flew across the shop. In an instant he was holding Erika to the wall by her neck. “I could break you like a twig,” he barked at her.
Eli and Phillip went to restrain the man, but Cassidy held them back, waiting to see how this would play out. Erika did not fight back. He was her friend and she felt he was right to be angry with her. She’d deceived him and unknowingly lied to his face.
“Geir, don’t!” Cassidy urged her brother finally. She was watching Erika’s face turn blue. “I challenged her! I hated her! We fought with knives to the death and she’s a skilled warrior. I have the scars to prove it, but she’s also a skilled leader. Think about what you are doing. The resistance needs her alive.”
“I don’t give a crap about the resistance. My father was a misdirected coward, but he died by this woman’s hands,” he seethed, tightening his grip. Erika was beginning to lose feeling in her body and was turning limp.
“Geir! Stop!” Cassidy demanded. “She’s my friend and a respected fighter. I will never forgive you if you do this.”
Eli spoke up, unable to watch Erika’s life drain from her body. “Geir, Cassidy is telling the truth. You need to let it go.”
Hearing the words of the man who helped to train him and looking into his sister’s eyes, Geir’s vision became clearer. Cassidy had always been tenacious, and he respected her for that. He looked at Erika struggling to breathe and released her. She fell to the ground, gasping for air.
“I have more reason to respect her than I do my own father,” he told Cassidy.
“You know I loved Dad but what’s done is done. She did what she did to save the soldier she was with. Her warrior spirit dominated the day. It wasn’t easy for me to come to terms with either, but I have. This is life now,” Cassidy explained, helping Erika to her feet. “You okay?”
“Oh yeah . . .” Erika gasped. “It’s nice to see you, Cassidy. I didn’t realize this was the brother you warned me about.”
“Geir took his Nordic name after Dad formed the western resistance,” Cassidy explained, eyeballing her brother. She obviously wasn’t too happy with his decision.
“It’s a name I could respect,” he defended. “The Nordic gods smiled upon me the day I made it official.”
“Erika, can you come with me? We need to talk,” Cassidy requested. She’d heard about Geir’s gods often enough to know it wasn�
�t something she wanted to listen to again.
“Sure,” Erika replied.
“You guys can talk here,” Geir suggested, suddenly feeling left out of the loop.
“You don’t want to hear about this, it’s just resistance talk,” Cassidy told him.
“Maybe I do,” he countered.
“Okay then, Phillip, will you check the perimeter?” Cassidy wondered.
Phillip was Cassidy’s personal guard. His hair, mustache, and trim beard were jet black. He’d worked in security since before the great quake and he moved with purpose. He went out the door and returned a few minutes later with a thumbs-up. Taking a post at the door, he vigilantly watched for anyone coming their way.
“Eli, do you want to lay it out?” Cassidy requested, sitting down to a glass of water that Geir was pouring her.
“The time to move on Denver is fast approaching. The last quake took a big toll on the central zone. They lost a nuclear power plant on the Illinois coastline. The fallout is affecting the Application Zone as well. We’re having a hard time getting people out because the ships can’t move through the radiation. While the feds deal with that, we need to be taking the western region. It’s time to step out of the shadows, Erika, and start rallying the troops,” Eli explained.
“It’s about time,” Erika replied.
Geir stood there, soaking in all they said. Cassidy watched him curiously.
“Are you going to fight with us, brother?” she asked.
“I need to discuss it with my family and the fighters. That battle may be too close for comfort. What if they come for the homesteads while your forces are in Denver?” he worried.
“You can make your own decision, just like you always have. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to head out,” Cassidy told him. “Come on, I need to go speak with LtGen Merkley,” Cassidy told Erika.
“I can’t walk out the gate, Cassidy,” Erika told her.
“Then how the heck do you get home?” she wondered.
“I know of a hole in the fence that I use,” Erika explained. “I’m not authorized to be here. I’ll just sneak out, get my guard, and meet you at the base.”
“Phillip, go and get her guard over here. We’re walking out the gate. Erika Moore will not sneak around in my home,” Cassidy announced sternly.
Phillip went and retrieved Victoria. Her eyes were wild with indecision, but they all walked together towards the main gate.
Larse Creed, the older man who owned the homesteaders’ land, received word of Cassidy’s return and met them at the gate.
“Hello, young lady, it’s great to have you back,” Larse declared cheerfully, but his grin turned to a scowl when he saw Erika. “Why is she here?” he asked, pointing at her.
“She’s my guest,” Cassidy replied.
“Do you know what this woman did?” Larse accused. “She caused the mayor’s wife to lose an eye and she broke three of her ribs.”
Geir and Cassidy chuckled.
“She probably had it coming,” Cassidy said, remembering the foul-tempered woman he was referring to. “Do you know who this is, Larse?”
Larse knew by her demeanor there was something he was missing. “I guess not,” he replied.
“This is Erika Moore, the Lone Survivor of Sacramento and the savior of the refugees,” Cassidy told him.
“And my son saved your grandson, just so you know,” Erika added.
Larse was taken aback. “I expected you to be bigger,” he jested. “You’re just a little thing . . .mean . . .but little.”
“I thought the same thing, Larse,” Eli interjected. “But damn if this girl can’t fight like a wolverine.”
“I get that a lot,” Erika added to their banter.
Erika heard a crowd gathering at the gate and whispering to one another. Word of Erika’s presence was spreading like a wildfire now. Hopefully Bennet and Merkley would be okay with that because Cassidy was obviously not asking for permission. She was a part of the civilian militia and did not answer to the Mercenary leaders.
Eli and Geir hung behind to discuss the state of affairs with Larse as Erika exited the gate with Cassidy, Phillip, and Victoria. They closed in tight around Erika as the crowd started pushing in closer and closer to get a better look at the Lone Survivor. They cheered for Erika and chanted for freedom as she navigated the throng of people. Erika raised her fist into the air and the crowd erupted into cheering.
Making their way towards the military compound, a shot rang out in the crowd. The mercenary forces flooded through the crowd looking for the shooter. One of the individuals who’d got in close to Erika so he could touch her gasped for air through a newly formed hole in his chest. The blood splattered onto Erika as he fell at her feet.
“Come on, Erika, we have to get you out of here,” Victoria insisted, standing closely by her and carving a path through the people.
Erika watched the man fall as the crowd closed in around them. As she turned her head back she watched MGySgt Nickleton and 1st Sgt Bennet’s bodies emerge through the mass.
“Erika, here now!” Bennet commanded as they approached.
Erika complied all too readily as another shot rang out. A soldier that moved in front of her was shot in the arm.
“Fall back to the compound,” Nickleton commanded as another shot sounded.
Erika moved within the circle of soldiers back to the gate. She was escorted inside with Cassidy.
“Whew! That was fun!” Cassidy declared jovially.
Phillip and Bennet gave her a scornful look that had no effect on her.
“There goes our cover,” Bennet mumbled.
“It doesn’t matter anyway, Bennet,” Cassidy told him. “Where’s LtGen Merkley?” she huffed, walking down the hall with Phillip in tow.
Erika stood for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Bennet talked with Nickleton as the guard at the compound was tightened. Bennet finally came over to talk with Erika.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Erika told him as he approached.
“You knew what would happen,” he commented.
“Seriously, 1st Sgt, I was going to sneak back out, but Cassidy insisted we use the gate,” Erika defended.
“Are you under her orders?” he wondered.
“No, but . . .” Erika went to counter.
“Whose orders are you to follow?” Bennet asked.
“Yours, sir, but she said there was no way Erika Moore was sneaking around her home,” Erika defended.
“The great Erika Moore,” he grumbled. “Don’t let it go to your head, cupcake,” he insisted, flicking her on the forehead.
They were interrupted by a commotion at the gate as LtCol Virgis came down the hall.
“You’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest now, Erika,” Virgis said, looking out the door.
“Nickleton, go check it out,” Virgis commanded.
“Yes, sir,” he replied, heading out the door.
Virgis turned to look at Erika and Bennet.
“Two dead and one injured just from a stroll across the camp,” he said.
Erika put her head down, feeling ashamed. Nickleton burst back through the door.
“Riots?” Virgis asked.
“No, sir,” Nickleton replied. “New recruits! They want to help. They heard Erika is here and they want to fight with her!”
“We’ll need all the help we can get to take Denver,” Virgis remarked.
SSgt Merkley left his father’s office and joined the group in the lobby.
“The lieutenant-general sent me to start getting the new recruits signed up,” he explained.
He took a group of men out the door. As he left down the walkway, Vince approached with Star.
“Is Erika okay?” Vince asked Nickleton as he entered.
“One hundred percent intact,” Nickleton replied, opening the door further so he could see his wife.
Relief swept over Vince as his eyes locked with Erika’s.
“I guess the jig is up,”
he said as he crossed the lobby floor and clung tightly to her.
“Cassidy made one hell of a grand appearance,” Erika noted, hugging Vince tightly.
“She’s here? Where is she?” he wondered, looking around.
“Talking with LtGen Merkley,” Erika explained.
“Are the kids okay?” Erika wondered.
“Dexter’s out at the homesteads with Johnny, but I thought Daniel was still here. He hasn’t been home all day,” Vince noted.
“Star . . .” Erika began.
“Nope,” Bennet interrupted, overhearing the conversation. “I’ll take care of this.”
He left out the door before Erika could object.
Chapter 18
Bennet navigated through the crowded streets in search of Daniel. He was honored to have had the chance to watch the child grow into a young man over the years and worried for him like his own son. Walking down the row of tents towards the ones that Erika’s family occupied, he could hear a heated argument going on.
“You told me you wanted to stop the fighting,” a man insisted.
“I do,” the woman responded.
“How can you say that?” the man hissed back.
“Because it ruined my daughter’s life. I never know if today will be the day she won’t be the survivor,” the woman argued. Bennet knew the voice.
“But your daughter is the Lone Survivor! She’s Erika Moore, for God’s sake,” the man yelled.
“Yes, she is. She didn’t ask to be any part of this, but she’s faced every challenge and fought for what she believes in,” Nancy insisted.
“Fought and killed! She’s a killer, Nancy! How is that good for our country?’ he prodded her.
“She did what she had to. If you possessed half as much guts as that girl . . .” she replied but was cut short.
“I’d what? I’d turn to violence?” Walter yelled.
Bennet turned the corner and saw Nancy folded over from a punch to the stomach. Walter was winding up to hit her again. Bennet sprang forward and smashed his elbow across Walter’s nose.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 5): Dark Days in Denver Page 12