The Changing Earth Series (Book 3): The Walls of Freedom

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “Why would you give up your career to fight for your beliefs?” Erika wondered.

  “Who said I gave up my career? I said I gave up my cushy post at the refugee camp. I’ve been deployed here as your bodyguard. I even got my promotion to Master Sergeant and a pay raise,” he replied, laughing. “Not that I wouldn’t risk my career, but since I am ordered to be here I can get a lot more supplies and we can live a lot safer doing it legally. I told you, Erika, the resistance is much deeper than you think. My Commanding Officer authorized my transfer to the Mercenary Forces for your safety.”

  Bennet hooked up a drag sled to the animal as he explained the circumstances and his position to her.

  “You know what?” he asked curiously.

  “What?” she wondered, thinking about his explanation.

  “I liked it much better when you had to just listen to my orders and I didn’t have to explain everything to you,” he admitted.

  “I bet you did,” she laughed at him.

  “Okay, cupcake, it’s all ready for you,” he said, indicating the sled.

  “Seriously? I have to pull that all the way back?” She stared at him.

  “It’s a training day, after all. You didn’t think it was going to be all sunshine and roses, did you? I gutted it for you.” He wasn’t budging.

  Erika already knew the pain her legs were going to feel and, as if on cue, the clouds rolled back in and the snow started to fall.

  “Yeah, but I shot it.” She was grasping for straws now.

  “And you want to show off that beautiful elk to everyone, don’t you? Come on, hopscotch,” he concluded as he started walking back towards camp.

  Erika grabbed the sled handles and hurried after him. The weight of the animal was intense and her snowshoes sunk deep into the snow as they gripped for more traction. Sweat began to drip from her brow, and Bennet slowed his stride slightly.

  Chapter 26

  As they walked Master Sergeant Bennet began to explain the current state of the government. There was no longer a presidential figure because so many appointed had died along the way. They finally settled into regulatory groups that could replace members and still continue on smoothly. Although now that the country had stabilized for the most part, he felt that these commissions had held power too long.

  He explained that the current political group with the majority of seats was called the Social Safety Party. He rattled off the leaders’ names and explained that their goal was to maintain the United States as a fully socialized nation. The resources were allotted and collected via FEMA regional districts. The refugees were divided into regional FEMA sectors per percentage of resources collected there. They were in the Western region currently, which included Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Half of Arizona, half of Utah and all of Nevada were considered uninhabitable “badlands.” The Native Americans in the West had rallied against the new system and claimed Oregon, Washington and a section of Idaho and Montana. This was the area Erika had been through with River Walker.

  The government regulatory board controlled all of the previously privately owned industries, even though now that things were improving and more production was coming back on line, managing this was getting more and more challenging.

  “What about the other states like Minnesota and Texas? What regions are they in?” Erika questioned, huffing and puffing while sweat beaded down her forehead.

  “You better start taking off some of those clothes, cupcake. You don’t want to work up a sweat in this cold,” the Master Sergeant commented, scooping up a handful of snow.

  “Or you could help me,” Erika suggested, removing her jacket and hat.

  “Yeah, I could,” the Master Sergeant commented as he kept walking and talking. “North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota make up the Northern Region. Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas make up the illustrious Central Region. Nebraska was pretty much gone, as it was swallowed by the Ogallala Lake, adding thousands more to the FEMA camps. You should see the Las Vegas camp, Erika.” He turned to look at her. “Two families to every refugee home right now. Can you imagine?”

  “Really? That sucks. What about the disease threat with so many people?” Erika wondered how a pandemic could be stopped with so many people packed so tightly together.

  “Everyone gets their shots,” he replied sarcastically while he squeezed the snowball tightly. “Anyway, Oklahoma, Arizona and Texas make up the Southern Region. What was left of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and South Carolina make up the Appalachian Region that was an island beyond the expanded Mississippi River. Now called the Mississippi Sea because it flooded with salt water.”

  “What about the states you didn’t mention, like Maine?” Erika queried, trying to catch her breath.

  “They’re gone, taken by the ocean,” he said bluntly, throwing the snowball at a tree.

  It exploded into a white puff, rocking the tree. Snow cascaded off its branches in a sparkly display.

  “Now that society is getting a firm grip on the recovery process and the economy is recovering, the process of managing all the production in the New United States is getting harder to control. The Congressional Party is starting to challenge the majority control of the Social Safety Party,” Bennet said thoughtfully.

  He quickly rattled off the leaders pushing for this party. Erika was always horrible with names and could barely remember them after he said them. This party was fighting to get industries back into the hands of the private owners. The regulatory board of landowners and FEMA would still manage essential social programs. They argue that getting the companies out of the hands of government officials would allow for competition and a speedier regrowth.

  The Social Safety Party was guarding the pharmaceutical companies closely because they needed them to keep the population healthy and they were hesitant to start allowing them to charge for products again. The monetary system took a hard hit and was just starting to replace bartering again. Plus, the country had to return to the gold standard after the desperation caused the dollar to become as worthless as the paper it was printed on.

  Erika wondered who Master Sergeant Bennet had sided with. Neither of these options solved the FEMA problem.

  “The people are as tired of these appointed regulatory boards as you are of dragging that massive bull home.” He paused to have a drink of water.

  Erika took the cue and slugged down a gulp from her canteen as well. As she caught her breath, he continued on with the history lesson.

  “The people have put together the Constitutionalist Party. Voting this party into power would return rights to the states. It would once again make the Constitution the rule of law, which would make every FEMA camp illegal. We understand that the transition will be a delicate process, but there’s no reason we can’t use the camps as open temporary housing facilities that would help the refugees get back on their feet. There would be no more mandatory population control. It could heal our country,” he declared passionately.

  “So, why haven’t the people voted for it?” Erika wondered.

  “You see, after the Constitution was turned into a floor rug the new government decided that the regulatory board would consist of an elected representative from each region and the largest contributing landowner from each region. This group would co-regulate in conjunction with the appointed FEMA board representative from each section. The landowners appoint the FEMA board and nominate their largest contributor. The landowners also vote with the refugees housed outside the camps for the representative for their area. The large landowners essentially hold all the cards, so why would they want to give that up?” He looked at her like she had an answer.

  “They wouldn’t,” Erika huffed, overwhelmed with the load she was carrying and the amount of information he was expecting her to instantly understand.

  “Exactly! They wouldn’t, but they don’t
see what’s happening out here. They haven’t watched thousands of people lose their homes to become slaves of the new system. They haven’t patrolled the badlands and performed ‘rescue missions’ where rescuing supplies took priority over lives,” he ranted.

  “Oh, you noticed that too?” Erika chuckled at the irony.

  “You’re damn right I did and I’m not the only one,” he exclaimed. “And the majority of landowners don’t like the new system. They feel just as trapped as the refugees, struggling to make product quotas while the Central Region lavishes in a life of exceptionalism. These landowners are just as scared to challenge the system because of all the chaos after the Great Quake.”

  “I can’t say that I blame them,” Erika mused.

  Master Sergeant Bennet stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her. “Really? After all you have been through? You’re the last person I thought I’d hear that from,” he stammered.

  “I’m not stupid, Sergeant,” she defended. “I was just one woman with a tiny view of what was happening in the world. I saw what the grief did to people. I watched people grasp for power, and I know personally what the Quake caused people to have to do to stay alive. I can’t imagine all the death that happened because of the chaos, disease and disaster that swept over our great nation. Now that things are back in some kind of a working order, I don’t blame people for not wanting to return to a system of values and trust in your fellow citizens.”

  “And that’s why we need you, Erika,” the Master Sergeant concluded.

  “Why?” She didn’t understand.

  “Because your fire holds true to your values. You have been on the edge of existence since the Great Quake ten years ago, but you still hold true to the principles that all of us Oath Takers swore to,” he told her.

  “You don’t need me. I don’t know about political stuff, or any of that junk. Honestly, I never paid attention before the Quake and I certainly haven’t been able to since. I’m just me,” she contended.

  “Exactly, come on. We’re almost there,” he concluded, walking the rest of the way in silence.

  *****

  No part of the elk that Erika had shot that day went to waste. The crew worked diligently, storing the meat in the deep snow so it could be used throughout the icy winter. They used the tendons as cordage and practiced making needles from bones to pass the time.

  The hide was given special care. Erika had tanned hides in the past, but this was the first time she had brain-tanned or done a hide this big. Johnny was actually the one with the most knowledge about buckskin tanning, explaining that his father had taught him. His arm was still healing from the gunshot so he employed Erika, Star and Dexter as his hands. He explained that each animal had the perfect amount of brains in its head to tan its hide. Bennet sat on the sidelines, sharpening a bone knife he had made and laughing at the three of them gagging over the nasty brain mixture they had to treat the hide with. After they worked for days softening it on a large stretching rack, they smoked it over a fire to add the final curing. Erika loved the finished product and carefully cut and sewed it into a long jacket with a hood.

  Vince was rapidly regaining his strength. He was now up and about, helping out in the cabin. The cabin had become a snug winter camp. The days fell into one another and with the solders no longer a threat, they had time to relax and enjoy their time there.

  Erika reveled in the peaceful days. She and Dexter spent hours talking about plans for the future while hunting small game. The boy still looked forward to the day he would marry. Despite his shortcomings, he wanted to adopt children and make his own family. He loved Star like a sister and didn’t see why he couldn’t do the same with his children. Plus, he said, there were so many children in this world that needed a good home and family.

  Star and Erika passed hours together doing laundry and preparing meals. Star was infatuated with Sean. He liked to sing rock and roll and dreamed of being in a band some day. Erika did have to admit that he had a really good voice and loved it when he would sing a classic rock-and-roll song for them. Star told Erika all about how great it was to meet a man that was genuinely interested in her for her, not for her body, and not as a trophy for his friends as Ron had sometimes boasted.

  Daniel was growing fast and took a big interest in the opportunity to train with Master Sergeant Bennet like his mom had done. The boy was quick and sharp. He could move and shoot with ease, his young mind rapidly calculating the proper adjustment for his next shot as he moved. Even though he was loving the time to learn to shoot, stalk and hunt, he always returned home to his drawing and the limited number of books they had brought with them. He told Erika that he would never again be called a stupid refugee.

  While tanning, Erika had gotten to know another side of Johnny McClintock than the drunken lackey she had met in Reno. His father was the General of the Mercenary Forces and although he loved his father deeply, his father’s position had kept him stifled in his youth. Sure, they had taken the time to go hunting and learn outdoor skills, but many more hours had been spent waiting for him outside boardrooms. Johnny’s mother had died in the chaos after the Great Quake, while his father was away. After that, his father had always kept him close by, so as soon as he was able, he joined the mercs himself to get out and live his own life. His father had allowed it, under Cole’s watchful eye.

  Chapter 27

  The winter weather raged on, cold and frosty. Erika could count the days without snow on her hand. She was just beginning to think it would never end, when finally the weather broke. The sun started to shine more and more intensely, beating back the white shroud that had gripped the forest. The trees dripped and Erika saw a robin land outside the window.

  Hands gripped her shoulders. She recognized their touch immediately and melted into them.

  “Hey, you,” she declared to Vince.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he replied. “Look, a robin.” He pointed out the window. “That means spring is almost here.”

  She turned to look at him. His curly hair had gotten long and the yellow stars that surrounded his pupils in his hazel eyes seemed to sparkle.

  “Yup,” she replied cheerfully, giving him a kiss on his scruffy face. “Where are you off to?”

  “Some morning PT with Master Sergeant Bennet,” he chimed.

  “Sounds fun,” she teased.

  “Actually, it’s been great! He knows all kinds of exercises to get my arm working again and it’s really coming along. Look,” he said, showing off his muscles that were taking shape along his arm again.

  “Sexy...sexy!” Erika encouraged him.

  He blushed at her and continued to show off.

  “Mmmmmm...I could eat you up,” Erika said, grabbing him up in a big hug.

  Vince hugged her deeply, feeling his manly need for his woman start to rise. They kissed passionately, gripping onto each other tightly.

  “Hey, you two, get a room,” Master Sergeant Bennet declared as he walked through the door. “You coming, Vince? Or do you want me to come back in a few minutes,” he teased.

  “Shut up!” Erika joked, throwing a towel at Bennet.

  “I’m just saying if the man needs a few minutes to finish things up here with his honey dew, I can come back later.” Bennet laughed.

  “Honey dew? No, we’re all done, captain cantaloupe,” she teased back, saluting him.

  “I’m coming,” Vince said, laughing at their banter.

  The two left but were back within the hour with Major Cole Virgis in tow. The weather clearing had given him the chance to get a vehicle back into their area, and he was taking Johnny back to his father today. He explained that he would be back within the week to get them and arrange transport to Minnesota, where Vince’s parents had already been informed of their situation and expected time of arrival.

  The next few days were filled with excitement and speculation around the cabin. They packed up their things so they would be ready to go at a moment’s notice. The biggest pr
oblem was what to do with Sean. He had left the security of his community to be with them, to be with Star. Now they couldn’t turn their back on him. The problem was he was not a landowner and he was not an assigned refugee. He was a free man. His parents had died in a car accident before the Great Quake, but the aunt who had raised him made sure to get him to a free town before she died of tuberculosis. The new society would not accept him as such and returning to the freedom of the town was no longer an option.

  “Marry the girl,” Master Sergeant Bennet said as they all sat around the fire discussing options.

  “Excuse me?” Star replied, not sure she was ready for marriage yet.

  “You don’t want the boy to go into the refugee system, you don’t want him to face justice at the free town for what he did for you, so why don’t you marry him?” the Master Sergeant defended his stance. He had seen them together and they were forming a very strong bond.