Waiting in the soft glow from the stick in her hand, Erika took the time to catch up with her mom. Nancy had enjoyed the position in Dallas, but without her grandsons around life just wasn’t the same. Brett’s daughter was wonderfully welcoming, and she and her husband had two children. Nancy helped to look after them, but it only made the pain of missing her family worse. She was hopeful for a reunion after Erika had contacted her from Minnesota, but she knew after the results of the Regional Meeting that would no longer be possible. Then one-day Mathew Tweed had shown up. Apparently, her occupational refugee pass had been denied.
“We took a train back to Vegas, but I knew something was wrong. None of it felt right. We had all seen Mathew’s desire to discredit you and when it all blew up in his face, he was livid. I knew he wanted revenge, but he housed me well and often spent evenings talking about what happened to him after the Great Quake,” Nancy explained.
“The governing board made him the scapegoat, Mom,” Erika told her. “I had a run-in with Mrs. Corinne Tillman, leader of the Western FEMA Region, in Colorado. She told me that they didn’t want to make a martyr of me and that’s why they let us go. She didn’t seem to have a problem with it anymore, though, and was going to ship us back to the capital to be tried and executed. Mathew was just a pawn.”
Erika, Star, and Dexter told Nancy all about their adventures across the country as they took turns with Bennet banging. Every hour they hoped the door would open but it didn’t. They ate thawing vegetables and stood in a couple inches of blood and slime as they pounded. Bennet said that night had fallen again as 21:00 clicked over on his watch. All night long they pounded, hoping someone would hear them.
Erika was dreading the heat of another day as 10:00 came and it was her turn to start battering the door. The noise of the endless hammering left her exhausted from a sleepless night. The circumstances and the endless, bang, bang, bang, began to eat into every fiber of her body. The fury inside of her was getting harder and harder to control. The nightmare of being trapped in the bomb shelter after the Great Quake haunted her every thought.
“No, no, no…!” Erika screamed. “You have got to be kidding me. Someone, help!”
She furiously slammed on the door until the shelf broke to pieces in her hands. The door, dented from hours of endless thwacking, stood unmoving in her path.
“Erika,” Bennet said softly, taking the shelf part from her hand. “It’s okay, we’re all together. We’re alive. They’ll find us.”
“Bennet’s right, baby,” Vince agreed from his groggy state.
Erika stood quietly panting in the pool of blood. Suddenly her eyes opened wide.
“I think I heard something,” Erika told them, snatching the piece of shelving back from Bennet.
She thumped the wall: wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap.
“Thump…thump,” came the reply.
“They’re out there!” Erika elated.
Dexter and Star jumped around in a circle while the blood sludge splashed on their boots. There was a lot of rubbing noises and thumps on the door but finally it cracked open a little and a dog nose appeared.
“Trucker!” Dexter yelled. “It’s okay, buddy, we’re here.”
The dog whined, scratched, and barked at the door.
“Is that you, Dex?” Greg asked.
“Yeah!” Dex replied.
“And us,” the rest of them yelled.
“Daniel, call Trucker back,” Greg told him.
There was noise of a vehicle and people grunting as the debris was cleared. After another hour Greg got the door open enough for them to climb through one at a time.
Erika emerged, helping Vince out the door.
“Medic!” Greg yelled, watching Erika strain under his weight. He ran over and took Vince onto his shoulder.
Erika straightened out and blinked in the bright desert sun. The whole city had been destroyed. Massive craters from the relentless bombing made the ground look like Swiss cheese and building debris lay everywhere.
Bennet had helped Jensen out of the freezer and watched him and Vince get led away by the medics. Earl and Kay hugged Erika and their grandchildren tightly, then went to follow Vince.
“I never thought I’d see the day our own weapons of mass destruction would be turned against the citizens of this country,” Bennet declared, staring out at the devastation.
The stink of the bodies starting to decay was so thick they could taste it in their mouths. Greg handed them masks. The protective layer would prevent them from breathing the dust, but it didn’t stop the horrific smell.
Erika went to Dexter and Star, who were hugging Daniel. Her mom stood by closely just watching and smiling. Erika hugged Nancy tightly and Daniel ran to her as well. It was hard to believe that amidst all this chaos and destruction they could smile, but they did.
Chapter 39
Erika stood outside the medical bus surrounded by her loved ones. She wouldn’t stray far. The group may have to move at any time and Vince was still in there rehabilitating. As long as gas supplies continued to flow from their allies in the South, the moving city could roll on.
Penny was standing next to her, explaining how they survived the bombing. As soon as they realized SSgt White was a Fed, Sgt Walker altered the plans and started moving everyone into the abandoned city beyond the train. Greg abandoned the gardens and helped to lead all the people they could into safety. Erika was saddened to hear her say that Alex had gone back for another group when the bombing started. He never made it back. Corporal Smith had never been found either. As Penny described the tale and said a prayer for all the brave people who died that day, Erika gazed out at her loved ones.
They were finally back together. Greg and Earl were talking with Bennet, Walker, and Pontever about where their next trip would take them. Nancy was laughing with Star, Jen, and Kay as Roxy delighted in the joke she was telling. Mitchell sat with Dexter and Johnny exchanging war stories and telling lies about past loves. Carmen, Crystal, and Daniel ran back and forth playing tag.
Life was definitely different from the dreams Erika had as a child, but the future was never certain. Each day was a blessing and one that Erika had no intention of wasting. The evening sun cast brilliant colors of reds, pinks, and yellows across the sky. It seemed to send a hush over the whole camp.
Then they felt it. The feeling that haunted anyone who survived the Great Quake. The sensation they never wanted to feel again. The sound came like a great train rumbling in the distance. Then the ground began shaking.
The End
The Changing Earth Series (Book 4): Battle for the South Page 20
