“Vince … I … ” Greg started to say.
“Greg, I get it. I understand your decision, but I don’t have time to worry about that now. Maybe it’s best if you just go,” Vince told him.
“Take care of yourself,” Greg said, giving him a hug and walking slowly away.
When he was out of earshot, Vince started cursing in anger. He yelled at his pack for not fitting in the truck correctly and threw things to the ground. Nancy saw him from the shop and dared not approach. Bennet was helping Geir with supplies and noticed Nancy looking with concern out the door.
“Everything okay, Nancy?” he asked.
“Vince is losing it,” she told him.
Bennet put down the MREs he was packing and came to look. Vince had stomped his way to the edge of the wood line and was now striking and kicking at a tree. Bennet went out to stop him.
“You feel better?” he asked Vince as he approached.
“He wouldn’t come! I love that man like a brother! I need him now more than ever!” Vince shouted, punching the tree.
“Vince, you have friends and they’re with you,” Bennet assured him.
“No, Bennet, Erika has friends and they’re with her. That man there is my best friend. I love him like a brother, but he still wouldn’t come,” Vince moaned.
“Would you have left your family to go chasing off after another man’s wife?” Bennet asked him honestly.
“For his wife? Yes,” Vince said without hesitation.
“Vince, we’re going to get her back,” Bennet told him.
“I just miss her so much,” Vince admitted, starting to cry. “I can’t believe I let them take her.”
Vince slumped down on the ground, crying into his legs.
“I’m going over the same guilt trip in my head. If I would have just gone with you guys, then maybe…” Bennet started speculating.
“Then maybe you would be dead too,” Vince said, sniffing up his runny nose.
“Maybe,” Bennet agreed, “but I wouldn’t be here kicking myself for letting them take her.”
Vince chuckled a little at him.
“Stay strong, Vince. Do you know what Erika went through when she hauled you across Montana on your deathbed? She had to stay strong for you and now you have to stay strong for her. And just so you know, I am your friend,” Bennet told him seriously.
“I know, Bennet. I didn’t mean it like that,” Vince replied.
“I know you didn’t, I just wanted you to be sure. I guess you’re stuck with me,” Bennet jested.
“We’re ready to roll, guys,” Geir announced.
They had fitted the truck with a camper shell and additional air filters to try to keep them clean for as long as possible. Food, water, and weapons were loaded and ready to go. It would be a packed truck to Denver. Geir, Graham, and their friend Mell were all catching a ride. Plus, Victoria had decided to join the effort and take her family to Denver as well. Sgts Walker and Pontever were headed north with Greg to bring supplies to the people suffering up there.
Bennet sat shotgun as Geir drove the truck out of the homesteads. The vehicle moved slowly through the camp headed for the exterior gate. LtGen Merkley was standing outside of his tent as they crept by.
He waved for them to stop.
“I didn’t know we had a vehicle running,” Merkley commented.
“We don’t,” Geir said, “I do.”
“Bennet what are you doing with him?” Merkley wondered. “I gave you orders to report to LtCol Jackson. Is that SSgt Gleeson back there? I want you people out of that vehicle right now!”
“Respectfully, sir, I can’t follow that order. We’re headed to Denver and then we are going to find Erika,” Bennet stated.
“That was not the order I gave you, soldier! If you drive out of this town in that truck, I don’t want to see either of you again. You’re done fighting for the mercenary army,” Merkley said angrily.
“Here you go, sir.” Bennet handed him his stripes.
LtCol Merkley stood there dumbfounded as the truck left him in a cloud of volcanic ash.
Chapter 34
Erika sat in her usual position while the men were taking a break. Her hands were zip-tied behind her back; her feet were tied together. The chain that used to be around her waist was now permanently kept clasped around her neck. Pulling on it, the men would laugh at her and bark at her like she was their pet dog.
Sitting there waiting, she tore off another strip of clothing from the back of her shirt. She dug her finger through the blood on her back and painted her initials on it. She found a small branch and tied the piece of material to it.
“Come on, we’re going again,” Merkley told her.
Erika noticed he wasn’t looking very well. He was growing weak from the excursion. She almost liked traveling again, if it weren’t for the company she was with. Her body felt strong and the scraps nourished it just enough. Merkley was making mistakes in his exhaustion and forgot Swenson’s warning. Anticipating his approach, Erika knew she could take him. She just needed to wait until he unhooked the chain from the tree.
He bent down to unlock it. Erika’s body shuddered with anticipation.
“What are you doing, Merkley?” Swenson asked, appearing out of nowhere.
“Do you see the T on her back? This girlie is mine. I don’t want you anywhere near her. Do you understand?” he spat at Merkley as he barked out the words.
“CDR Grey couldn’t find you. It’s time to go,” Merkley said, shuffling away weakly.
“Sorry to rain on your parade,” Swenson commented, unhooking her.
She sighed heavily, knowing the opportunity was gone. Swenson snapped his head back at her, hearing the emotion in her breath.
“I told you never to run from me again, right?” he yelled at her.
She didn’t say anything. The glare she reserved just for him returned. She envisioned herself slicing through his neck.
“Right?” he asked again, his hand reaching for his whip.
“Yes,” Erika mumbled.
“What? I couldn’t quite hear that,” Swenson chided her.
“Yes, you piece of crap! Yes! You told me not to run from you!” Erika yelled back at him.
He looked at her curiously. She hadn’t lashed out verbally since he killed her husband.
“But you still haven’t promised me that you won’t,” Swenson demanded.
“Piss off,” Erika told him.
“Don’t get lippy with me, girlie. Sheila can take care of that real fast too,” he added, reaching down again.
Erika turned her back to him to get into the normal walking position. Pulling on the chain on her neck, Swenson noticed that her shirt looked more torn in the back than it was before. Erika fell back to the ground as the chain ripped at her throat. Falling hard on her back, she got up quickly and stood defiantly in front of him with her back to him.
“That’s right. Hold still now,” he teased, cracking his whip in the air behind her.
Erika braced for the strike, but she was not going to turn around.
“Swenson, quit playing with the dog,” the commander commented, laughing.
He was a cold-hearted man and Erika was really beginning to despise him as well.
CDR Grey’s radio crackled with a voice from the other side. “Yes sir, yes sir, good to know. Yes sir, I’ll let her know. Thank you, sir,” he concluded, putting the radio down.
“Put her on her knees, Swenson,” the commander directed.
Swenson’s hand went to his whip. Erika immediately kneeled. CDR Grey gave the order, not Swenson. She knew if she didn’t obey, the whip would follow, and she wasn’t taking another lick from that thing for no reason.
“That was the Supreme General. He wanted me to let you know that your son, Dexter, is now in federal custody,” CDR Grey began.
Hearing the words, Erika’s heart sank in dismay. It couldn’t be true. Dexter was too slick to be captured. What were they doing anyway? she wonder
ed.
“Today we’re going into Amarillo to arrange a ferry ride across the Ogallala Lake. If you even breathe wrong while we are in that city, your son will die,” CDR Grey told her.
“My son is going to die anyway,” Erika hissed back.
Swenson yanked on the chain, so her head tilted back. He punched her across the face.
“Don’t!” Swenson directed.
“”He’s right, Erika! I’m the only one saving you from all the horrible things that man has running around in his mind. If you screw this up, try to run, do anything other than what you are told to do, your son will die, and you will wish you were dead. Do you hear me?” the commander snapped. He was usually so calm and collected that it surprised Erika.
“Yes,” she grumbled quietly.
Swenson went to pull on the chain again, but Erika felt it coming.
“Yes, yes, I hear you,” she said loud and clear.
“I’ll have this bitch trained in no time,” Swenson commented to CDR Grey.
It made Erika’s skin crawl to hear him talk like that. Time would tell. She could follow directions and patiently wait for her moment, but eventually the moment would come. I will kill him, she told herself.
As they neared the town, Swenson put the burlap sack back over her head. The air was cold in the dim sun and the plants looked sad from the lack of it. Erika understood their feelings. Since the sun became shrouded, her world had become a nightmare. She almost blamed the sun for it. If it would just shine again, maybe it would make everything better, she dreamed.
She walked directly in front of Swenson. He held the chain around her neck in the small of her back, ready for anything she might attempt to draw attention. If the people knew they were walking Erika Moore through town, there would be hell to pay for sure. Erika tried to mentally reach out to the people on the streets, passing by her. They all looked at her like she was garbage. An owned individual being traded to the next owner. If only they knew, she mused.
They went to the boat dock to catch the ferry.
Waiting with the men for Merkley to return, Swenson whispered in her ear, “One day you’ll be mine. The Supreme General will tire of you and throw you to the dogs. I’ve been thinking of what I’d do with a fiery little spirit like yourself. Sheila and I would delight in making you scream,” he went on and on.
Serge laughed at his friend’s antics, but Bishop seemed annoyed by it.
“Can’t you just leave her alone for a while,” Bishop told him.
“Why, Bishop? You like her?” Swenson asked.
“No, you’re just a dick, TJ,” Bishop contended.
“Good, because as soon as the Supreme General is done with her, she’s mine. I already marked her,” he boasted.
“Yeah, I remember,” Bishop agreed as Merkley returned from the ticket counter.
He spoke softly to CDR Gray. Erika tried to listen in.
“Two days? What do you mean two days?” CDR Grey snapped at him. “Aren’t you the son of the acting leader of the mercs?”
“I am but this area is all militia run. The forged letter from my father is the only thing that got us a ride that fast. They’ve been moving people nonstop,” Merkley explained.
“Great! Just great! You guys want to camp outside of town or get a room somewhere?” CDR Grey asked.
“Let’s get a room. Maybe we could get some action,” Serge suggested, grabbing himself. “This bounty hasn’t been any fun at all.”
Bishop smiled at him in agreement but didn’t say anything. The men huddled up to talk and Erika was standing behind Swenson. He would pull on her neck every few seconds to make sure she was there. Erika was ripping another piece of cloth off her shirt and trying to get the blood to paint her initials on it. There was a good pole right next to her if she could get it done in time and connected there. Frantically, she tore at the scabs, drawing blood and writing the letters. She inched her way toward the pole and tied it around a screw, just as TJ looked up from the conversation.
“Get over here,” he said, ripping her down onto her hands and knees.
He was sure more of her shirt was gone but didn’t have an explanation for its disappearance.
“Okay, TJ, you win. We’ll camp outside of town so there’s less chance of Erika being spotted,” CDR Grey acquiesced.
“She’s keeping that hood on the whole time we’re here. My point is, there’s less ways for her to figure out an escape route. Let’s just stick to the mission and not get distracted,” he replied, tugging on her chain again.
When they reached a campsite that was isolated enough from the public, they set up camp. Getting chained to another tree, Erika went to work on another flag to make for anyone who might be tracking her. Swenson made like he was busy, but he was watching her from the corner of his eye. He saw her tear the piece from her shirt and then cringe in pain as she produced blood from her back. She put the blood on the rag and put it in her waistline to save for later.
Swenson stomped over to her. The other men thought he was just going to toy with her again and barely took notice. Erika however saw the look in his eyes and she started backing up towards the tree to evade his grasp.
“Stop moving,” Swenson commanded.
Erika hit the tree and circled around it.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked her, pulling on her chain. “You don’t run from me, ever!” he insisted. “You may not have said it yet, but you will learn it!”
Erika coughed as he pulled her back around the tree. The chain caught the other chain holding on the burlap sack and sunk hard into her neck.
“Get over here,” he insisted, ignoring her coughing. “Stand up.”
He dug down the back of her pants and found the small strip of cloth she hid there. He held it up, reading the initials EM on it.
“How long we been playing this game?” he asked the commander, showing him the strip of cloth.
CDR Grey looked at it, concerned.
“Don’t worry, boss, it’s a needle in a haystack. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Stay there!” he directed Erika
She stood steadily in front of him. He snatched his whip from its holster and in two cracks her shirt was gone. Standing before him in her bra and pants, he smiled widely.
“She wants to rip her shirt up, no more shirt,” Swenson declared. “Now I can admire my work all the time,” he said proudly.
“Bishop?” CDR Grey asked, curious about the medical implications of Swenson’s actions.
“Just make sure she doesn’t get too cold at night and it won’t kill her. Especially since we haven’t seen the sun in days,” he added.
Erika hated Swenson more and more. It was cold next to the lake, waiting for the ferryboat. She kept hoping that she would see Bennet coming to make some grand rescue, or the mercenary army with tanks headed her way, but there was nothing. All the next day she sat watching the road, shivering in the eerie sunshine.
“No one’s coming,” Swenson told her. “We killed them all.”
“I know,” Erika admitted sadly.
“But you still think there may be some chance that they’re still alive, don’t you?” he asked.
Erika didn’t say anything. She just looked through the hood at the road.
“I put two bullets in the man myself. You saw the bombs we dropped. Star is going to be sold as soon as she’s found, and Dexter is already in federal custody,” Swenson assured her.
Bennet will find me, she thought.
“And then there’s 1st Sgt Bennet, the traitor. If he would have stayed with the Federal Forces, he would still be alive now.”
Erika’s heart skipped a beat and she looked towards him. His sickening breath filled the hood as he spoke.
“That’s right, we made sure he didn’t leave Denver alive,” Swenson assured her.
She tried not to let his chatter bother her, but it ate at every fiber of her being. If they’re all dead, what am I returning to? she wondered.
> Chapter 35
Denver appeared on the horizon a few hours later that day.
“Thank you so much for the truck, Geir,” Vince told him. “That saved us a ton of time.”
“I’m just glad she made it,” he said, patting the dashboard.
“I’ll just be glad to get out of it,” Star said sarcastically. She was squished in between two of Graham’s sons, Eric and Kip. Their heads reached right about to her breast level and they looked up at her with love-struck eyes.
Bennet looked back, chuckling at the scene. There was a time that he would have loved to have been one of those little boys. Star was a beautiful woman, but now his heart ached for Michelle. He said a prayer for her and focused his attention forward. They were approaching the entry gate.
“Hello, gentlemen,” a guard said, stopping them.
“Hello,” they answered.
“Surprised to see a truck up and running,” the soldier commented.
“I kept it out of the storm and fitted it with a bigger air filtering system. We can change the reserve air filter from the cab to keep it running,” Geir told him.
“Nice,” the soldier replied, looking curiously at Bennet. “Aren’t you 1st Sgt Bennet?”
“That’s right,” Bennet responded.
“Where’s your stripes, sir?” the soldier asked Bennet, noticing his shirt.
“The LtGen and I had a difference of opinions,” Bennet responded.
“Well, whatever the problem, you led one hell of a fight down here, sir. What can I help you with?” he wondered.
“We need to speak with MGySgt Nickleton,” Bennet said.
“I think he’s over in the Littleton camp,” the soldier replied.
“Thanks,” Bennet said as they rolled through the gate.
They followed a path cut through the destruction. The people shoveled the ash into piles and were doing their best to remake a community for the survivors. Vince hardly wanted to look out the window. He kept thinking about losing Erika. Picturing her eyes and her smile, his heart ached, and his body hurt.
Rolling to a stop in front of the mercenary encampment, the doors flew open. Everyone was looking for space after the cramped car ride. Nickleton was inside the main tent, directing operations.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 5): Dark Days in Denver Page 22