“It’s all a matter of perspective, Erika. God provides, God creates and God destroys. Everything happens on his time schedule, not ours. Our job is to live and if you’re not living, you’re dying. The question is, what are you living for? I have found my mission; what is yours?” He gazed at her like she was supposed to have an immediate answer.
She tried her best to reply. “After the quake, I knew my mission was survival and to protect my family. Before the riot, my mission was escape and maintaining our personal liberties, but we know how that went. Now that life seems to have stabilized for the most part, I don’t know what my future goals are. I never would have imagined I could have dreamed about a future until now. All I imagined was life in this hole. “
“A wise man once told me a person who lives in the past lives with depression, and a person who lives in the future lives with anxiety. The key to a peaceful existence is to live in the now.” As he finished his statement he put his hands in his pocket to shake off a chill.
“Didn’t a Buddhist say that? I thought you were a Christian?” Erika teased with the minister to break the flow of the conversation. She needed time to dwell on his advice. He was like talking to the riddler sometimes, and she was in no mood to decipher the meanings. She stood up and declared, “On that note, I think I’ll head for bed where I can sleep peacefully until morning.”
The pastor chuckled at her application of his previous explanation.
“It was great to have talked tonight, though, Pastor Byron. I’m glad you decided to take this path home,” Erika noted seriously.
“Me too. God had us right where he wanted us to be…your husband taught me that one. You two be careful and take care of that family of yours.” He said a quick prayer for her while he touched her head and announced, “God go with you.”
“And also with you,” she replied, almost out of sheer habit of doing so. She had been raised as a Catholic and had spent many a Sunday in a church pew.
Erika went inside and washed her hands and face. She slowly undressed and Vince rolled over sleepily in bed. She was stepping into her pajamas and he whistled at her softly.
“Oh stop it,” Erika teased quietly.
“Who was that you were talking to?” he questioned. He had heard their hushed voices through the thin walls.
“Pastor Byron was headed home,” she answered.
“Good talk?” Vince wondered.
“I think so,” Erika answered, still dwelling on the advice he had given her.
“Good, now get in here,” he teased.
She climbed into bed with him and they held one another tightly. Knowing it was going to be an early morning, they slipped quickly into the land of dreams.
Erika dreamed she was walking through a deep green forest. Leaves fell softly from the trees and silhouetted in the warm sunlight. The breeze blew softly. She saw a man in the distance and he was struggling. Trying to get a clearer look, she saw it was Vince, desperately clawing at his wrists and pulling back against the chains that attached him to a tree. Erika began to run through the trees to reach him. She felt an impending doom looming over her and knew she had to get to him fast. She was running as hard as she could when suddenly the ground opened up underneath her and she fell like a stone. Thud! She hit the ground.
The world had gone black but she could hear Vince calling to her, “Baby, baby…it’s time to get up, baby.”
Erika’s eyes flew open and she bolted to an upright position in bed.
“Whoa there, tiger,” Vince said, startled by her sudden response. “We gotta go, baby.”
“What, oh right,” Erika mumbled sleepily. She shook the dream from her head and stepped into her new uniform.
CHAPTER 20
SERGEANT BENNETT WAS waiting for them when they swung open the huge metal door to Warehouse D.
"You are all late!" The sergeant spat his words at them. "Do you all think this is a game? If this was an operation, it’s over!”
Erika had been last through the door and was still smiling at how cute Daniel was when he was saying goodbye to her. Her cheerful attitude was quickly squashed. Sergeant Bennett pounced on her like a caged lion.
"Recruit Moore, what explanation do you have for your team's tardiness?” He leaned over her. She felt like a spot on the floor.
"They are not my team; they are your team, sir, and we are late because we had to say goodbye to the children, sir." She was really not in the mood to start out the morning this way.
He caught the jab at him in her response and she saw the sides of his mouth turn up in a small smile. "Well, well, I guess someone is paying attention, but if you need extra time with your children you need to arrive earlier!"
"Yes sir, we just thought..."
Sergeant Bennett cut her off again, happily regaining the upper hand in the conversation. "There you go, thinking again. There is nothing to think about besides making sure you are following orders. Any of your personal obligations must be taken care of outside of those parameters. Are we clear?”
"Yes, sir." She didn't elaborate again. She wasn’t going to taint the small victory she had won.
"Good...see, it's that easy." He spun away from her to address the group.
Erika rolled her eyes and glared viciously at his back. Penni caught her look and chuckled softly. Her green eyes sparkled and her soft curls bounced under her hat. She was glad Erika was there to take the heat.
"So...before you all arrived late, I was going to have a nice easy morning so you would not be so sore tomorrow, but now...I've changed my mind," Sergeant Bennett declared with an evil smirk on his face. "We are headed out to the training field. It's about a two-mile run, so get stretched out while I grab the go-cart." He swiftly turned and walked away.
"Thanks for your support, guys," Erika said to her friends.
They smiled at her, "I'm not getting on his bad side; you’re on your own," Penni responded jovially, giving her a hug. She still smelled good despite the grimy conditions they now lived in.
"Thanks a lot." Erika's sarcasm was evident.
Sergeant Bennett was back in a flash. He pulled up in a camo-colored electric go-cart. "We ready?"
"Yes, sir," they responded.
"Recruit Fisher," Sergeant Bennett addressed Nancy.
"Yes...sir," she replied. Erika had to wonder if she had ever used the word sir before, as awkwardly as it flowed off her tongue.
"You can ride with me." He softly patted the seat next to his.
Nancy was not about to argue. "Yes, sir," she replied, shooting Erika a look to rub in her privilege.
They ran through the morning sun to the training field. The dust from the cart was thick behind it, and the group could taste the sand in their mouths as they choked for fresh air. When they got there it was a morning filled with calisthenics and listening to Sergeant Bennett snapping orders all day. Erika pushed every fiber in her body to exceed beyond the expectations she assumed he had for her. Whenever she finished early or achieved to a point beyond his goal, he always had something extra for her to do or another weight to add to the exercise. She was starting to feel like she would never impress this man.
Then it was time for lunch. They ran all the way to the same refugee building that the garden and interior workers ate at. Erika had hoped there would be better food for them, but it was the same slop they had to gag down every day. Nancy got a ride over there from Sergeant Bennett as well.
"Geez, Mom, sucking up a little, aren't we?" Erika teased her.
"What? I'm not going to say no, and I would probably fall over dead from all that damn exercise anyway."
Erika and Penni laughed at her. Nancy had never been into fitness like Erika and Penny had been in the past, and she had not frequented the water line like they had recently.
"Well, on a good note, we are all going to be ripped after this," Penni said cheerfully. She always tried to put things in a positive light, and her good nature was contagious. "Plus, did you see those guys workin
g out on the field next to us...hot."
"Really?" Greg said. It was like his internal jealously radar instantly popped up. He reached over and hugged her tightly from behind.
"Not as hot as you, though," she replied, trying to comfort his jealousy.
"No, they were freaking hot!" Erika chimed in. She wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to give Greg a good ribbing.
After lunch the team was headed off to their individual training sessions, and Erika had to return, all by herself, to face Sergeant Bennett's wrath. She dragged her feet all the way to the door, wishing lunch could last just a little longer.
"Hi, cupcake," Sergeant Bennett beamed with evil joy as she walked through the warehouse door.
"Hello, sir," Erika replied. There he goes with those freaking pet names, she fumed. She wasn’t going to put up with this, especially from this egotistical man.
"I was actually impressed by you this morning, but now we are going to see what you can really do."
He still had a little food stuck in his walrus mustache, and although she was amused by the particle she was intimidated by his words. She wondered what would happen next.
"Come on, jump in." He was giddy with a sinister plot.
Erika noticed his muscular arms grasping the steering wheel tightly, and she marveled at his definition. She knew there was no way she could ever stand up to this man’s strength. She was worried but got into the go-cart with him. They headed off to another warehouse. When they entered, Erika's nose was assaulted with the smell of sweat thick in the air. Inside there was a ring for fighting, lots of punching bags hanging from the air, and pads for training martial arts spread throughout the gym. Off to one side there was a door with a lot of loud banging happening on the other side. Erika assumed there must be an indoor shooting range back there.
"First, let's see how you do in the ring,"
"But sir, I..." Erika didn't see anyone her size around, and there was no way she was getting in there with him. She did see a couple of very angry-looking soldiers standing off to one side of the ring in full pads.
Sergeant Bennett cut off her protest. "Recruit Moore, are you thinking again?"
Erika didn't care anymore; she was going to voice her opinion. The morning fog had worn off and she was feeling her fire. "Sir, I am going to get creamed if I step in that ring with either of those men. It's not thinking; it's self-preservation."
Sergeant Bennet took a deep breath. This girl was nothing but piss and vinegar. He thought he was getting through, but he had gotten nowhere. She had just appeased him earlier because she was tired and then performed so well because her team was there and she wouldn't be bested in front of them.
"You know what, Recruit Moore, I am done giving you orders if you are not going to follow them anyway."
Erika thought for a moment she had won. He had given up. She almost felt satisfied until he yelled to the two men standing by the ring.
"Privates, will you please escort this recruit to the ring so we can see how far her mouth will get her in there."
"Yes, sir," they replied. They quickly came over and with one man on each side of her they took her to the ring and threw her over the ropes. She landed with a thud on the stinky mat.
Erika was quickly on her feet though as she watched the two men climb through the ropes. She backed up until she hit the ropes behind her. One guy came in from the left and she stopped his approach with a well-aimed front kick to his solo flex. He lost his air as her foot landed deep in between his ribs. As she turned to see how far the other man had advanced, she was met with a padded fist in the side of her head. She turned quickly, going with the flow of the hit. The man on the left was back and not underestimating her anymore. He landed a blow to the other side of her head that sent her spinning off back toward the man on her right. In a daze she saw the man on the right swinging for her head again. She ducked it and landed a solid elbow strike to his abdomen, causing him to lose his air and buckle over much like the other man had done. This time, though, she quickly swung her leg straight up in the air and landed an ax kick directly to the back of the man's neck, causing him to fall flat on his face on the mat. The guy on the left landed a kick to Erika's ribs as her leg came back down and she heard one crack.
That didn't stop her, though; she turned on the man and acted like she was going to advance. She carefully watched his reaction as she pulled the kick back. He was right handed and he was waiting to land a full swing punch on her face that would knock her out cold. On the next advance she waited for the soldier to throw the haymaker punch; she blocked it with one hand and then pinned his arm to his chest with the other. Then she gathered up all the strength she had in her small body and flew over his arms to land her own powerful right punch directly to his chin. He dropped and was out like a light. The other man that had gone down from the ax kick was back up, though, and not looking very happy, and much to her dismay Sergeant Bennett had sent in two more soldiers. It was now three on one, and every counter attack and attack took more and more strength for Erika to produce. Before long she was out of energy, and the blows struck harder and harder as the will to fight anymore left her completely.
"That's enough, boys," she thought she heard Sergeant Bennett say. Her head was full of fuzz and one of her eyes was swelling shut.
The men left the ring, leaving her there bleeding on the mat. She felt the ring bounce a little as someone else entered it.
"Recruit Moore, orders are to be followed. We must work together as a team to win, and you must be ready to lead that team and keep them alive. Now, stand up."
"Yes, sir," Erika mumbled through a fat lip.
"The shit out there is real, sweetheart. You need to be one hundred percent on task or your family will die." He knew her family was her passion and used it to his advantage.
Erika had a hard time processing his words but she thought of Vince. His beautiful eyes and her children’s smiles danced through her mind. She found strength there. She had bested the odds for them before, and she would do it again over and over as long as she could keep them safe.
"Yes, sir!" she yelled at him.
"Better...much better," he mumbled as he walked away. He was done with her for today and would let her dwell on that.
CHAPTER 21
ERIKA STOOD THERE dumbfounded. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. This guy was nuts, and she still couldn't understand why his voice sounded so darn familiar.
"Recruit Moore?" a soft-voiced man questioned from behind her.
Erika spun around, "Yes, sir."
"I'm Nurse Jessop. Come on down, we'll put some ice on that face of yours,"
"Yes, sir," Erika replied. She didn't really know what had happened or what to say, so she just kept saying yes, sir.
He led her into another side room where he gave her a big ice pack for her face. Then he softly examined the rest of her body to make sure nothing was too badly damaged.
"Looks like you may have a broken rib." His blond hair had fallen in front of his face as he looked at a clipboard in his hands. It reminded her of her eldest son; his hair was always in the way.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Erika replied.
"Well, you should probably take some time off,"
"Time off? This was day one. I still have a long way to go."
"Day one? What is Bennett trying to do, kill you?"
"I don't know but I can't stop now. This is my ticket..." she was going to say out of here but quickly remembered where she was. "To a better future for my family," she added.
"Of course I can't stop you, but I would highly recommend..."
It was her turn to cut someone off. "Thanks, doc, but I really have to go now." She stiffly got up and put the ice pack on the table, turning to leave.
"Keep it, you're going to need it," Nurse Jessop replied, handing the cooling ice pack to her. "I'll see you later."
Erika figured he was probably right about that. Her eyes burned with tears as she entered the
gym. The men she had fought were still out there. She could tell a couple of them were nursing their own wounds, but they quickly straightened when they saw her emerge and arrogantly waved at her as she left.
Erika found her way to the main strip of Vegas and stumbled past the Luxor with the eyes of the landowners eating into her. She knew she was not a picture of beauty at this point, but the constant glaring infuriated her. Sergeant Walker waved at her as she passed the gate. Luckily Sergeant Foster was not on duty with him. She couldn't stand to see the smirk on his face, taking pleasure in her current condition.
“Jesus, girl, you okay?” Sergeant Walker questioned when he saw her, nursing her wounds.
“Yes, sir, I’m fine,” Erika answered incoherently. She stumbled by, focused on getting home.
She didn't even bother going to the eating house. She was too exhausted and too humiliated to face her family and friends right now. The house was quiet when she pushed the door open. She took a long drink of water from the pitcher in the eating area and ate some of the sprouts before she stumbled through her bedroom door and collapsed on the bed.
"There you are." Vince's voice woke her from an exhaustion-induced slumber. "Where have you been; I was worried sick?" He came over and sat on the bed next to her, gently rubbing her back.
She rolled over to look at him.
"Oh my God! What the fuck happened to you?"
"Sergeant Bennett didn't like my answer."
"He did this to you? I am going to kill that bastard. This is it, Erika, we are done!"
"Vince, just calm down. He didn't do this; some of the soldiers I was in the ring with did. He was just trying to get me to follow orders without questioning. It's my fault. We can't quit now." Erika would have said anything to get him to change his mind. They were going to go through with this if it killed her.
"No, baby. This is just too much. I'm not letting some asshole beat my wife to a pulp. I'm going to go over there and..."
"No, Vince, you can't. Please don't, really it was my fault. I knew I shouldn't but I did anyway."
The Changing Earth Series (Book 2): Without Land Page 10