The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  “We’ll have it pieced together and ready to move things in by Thursday. I should have the plumbing and power hooked up by then too, Friday at the latest.” Danny noticed the happiness Dean showed. “You really want this for Ellen, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do.” Dean nodded. “I know, it’s so trivial, but we never had a chance in the old world. If we did, I would have given her anything. Here, I can’t do that. I can’t give her special things.”

  “You can now. A big house, well, big by Beginnings standards. It’s kinda of more long than anything.”

  “Yeah, but it’s something no one else can give her here. So did you figure out what you want?”

  “Um, no, not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  “Just let me know.”

  “Oh I will.” Danny grinned and stepped back. “Take it easy, Dean.”

  “Thanks.” Dean moved across his lab to his work. He felt better since a part of him told him Ellen was returning soon and being able to show her the new house made him anxious. The only problem Dean had was the fact that Danny wanted something in return, and what that was frightened Dean a bit. But he was sure it couldn’t be too drastic. After all it was Danny. He probably just wanted Dean to invent a new hair spray.

  ^^^^

  Anderson Farm

  Some distance from the farm house, in the midst of the high grass, Frank and Ellen sat on a white sheet. It was their signal to Robbie or Beginnings should they fly over.

  Frank chuckled as he lifted the edge of the white, summer time, thin dress Ellen wore. “This is not you.”

  “It’s so old fashion, huh?”

  “And feminine.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen fiddled with the dress. “I found it in the house. Do you think they would mind that I borrowed it?”

  “El, they’re dead.”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head with a smile. “Not the Anderson’s. The Cavalry.”

  “Who? Oh them. Ellen, I think they’re a pretty whacked bunch. Look at how they dress.”

  “It’s nice.”

  “It’s fuckin goofy,” Frank said, his voice still raspy. “They could have gotten uniforms but they dress like civil war soldiers?”

  “The one told me it was their leader’s idea.”

  “Bet me their leader thinks he’s General fuckin Custard. But . . . they do their jobs.”

  “Yeah, they do.” Ellen became peaceful. “You’re looking better today.”

  “I feel better today.” Frank looked up to the sky. “I think Robbie will spot us. If not, we can move ahead tomorrow.”

  “It’s a clear day.” Ellen took in the bright blue sky.

  “I wanted to get you alone. I’m sorry it turned out like it did.”

  “Hey, it’s been an adventure.” Ellen leaned to Frank and kissed him. “You don’t feel as warm. How’s your chest.”

  “Massive.”

  Ellen laughed and saw Frank starting to get up. “Where are you going?”

  “To get something to drink?”

  “I’ll get it for you.” Ellen grabbed his hand.

  “Nah. I want to walk.” Frank kissed her. “I love you.”

  “I know. I . . . I love you too.”

  Frank winked at her and pulled his hand from hers. Slowly he rose to his feet. No sooner was he standing, a shot rang out. It hit into Frank with a deadening ‘thump’ searing into the side of his gut and spraying a rain of blood outward. Ellen shrieked and another shot was fired. Frank reached down to lower her when he was hit in the left shoulder. The force of the shot caused him to spring up. Then another came . . . into his leg, then into his arm, his right shoulder, and then Frank, amidst Ellen’s screams, teetered. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the sheet below him.

  It all happened so quickly. Within seconds Frank was shot and had fallen. The gun fire ceased and Ellen screamed. She couldn’t stop screaming, emotional, deep and panicked. She reached to turn him over and watched the white sheet become absorbed with Frank’s blood, saturating slowly as it flowed from him. “Oh my God,. Frank.” She grunted and rolled him partially to his back. His eyes were closed. She shook his face. “Frank. Frank.” No response. Ellen’s chest felt heavy and she couldn’t breathe. It hurt her. She began to cry as she lowered herself to him, holding on to Frank, feeling the dampness of his warm blood seep into her clothing.. “Frank.”

  Then she heard it, the ruffling of the high grass. In her hover over Frank, she lifted her head and saw the Society soldiers moving in. Trembling, not only her hands but her body as well, Ellen grabbed Frank’s revolver, fumbling it and finally holding it out in an aim. They drew in closer and she fired. She hit one and he fell, but the others kept on coming. Ellen kept on firing, hitting some but not as many as she would like.

  “El.” Frank called out weakly, his eyes opening a little. “Run.”

  “I can’t leave you.” Her hands gripped his face

  “Run.” His voice barely spoke. “Run.” His eyes closed again.

  Ellen hesitated, her breaths choppy and short. Holding tightly to the gun, she kissed him quickly, raised her head to look, stood quickly, and raced into the field opposite of the soldiers. She didn’t make it far. Three shots rang out, one hitting just below her shoulder blade, one in her arm, and the other grazing against her knee causing her legs to buckle then Ellen to fell to the high grass.

  She cringed in pain, lifted herself up some, clenched to the gun and to the grass and brought herself to her knees. The footsteps grew louder and faster. Just as she began to stand, her hair was grabbed. She was yanked backwards and dragged across the field.

  She felt the hard ground as it scraped against her hips while she struggled. Her legs kicked as she fought against the pull. One hard tug and Ellen was tossed roughly to the ground. She rolled into a stop on her back. Frightened, yet trying to get her wits about her, Ellen lifted her head only to feel the tip of a boot careen into her face, sending her back down and her arms out. The gun flew from her hand and she quickly rolled over onto her stomach to grab it. As her fingers griped it, a boot slammed down on her hand. She brought her other hand up, giving it all she had, and dug her fingernails against the pant leg and into his shin. The Society soldier’s leg released some, enough for Ellen to pull her hand up. Just as she secured the revolver, her body was violently flung over. She felt the hands on her exposed legs, grabbing them. When Ellen saw the soldier near her, she lifted the gun and fired straight at him, erasing any face he could have had..

  Scurrying herself up, the gun was taken from Ellen, tossed aside, and she was punched once hard in the face. As she started to fall she was stopped, her hair grabbed again. In caveman style, the soldier began to drag her again. Only this time Ellen was weak, couldn’t fight as hard, and the screams that came from her were barely audible.

  REALMS OF SORROW AND LOSS . . .

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Bowman, North Dakota

  Hal squinted in near blindness when he emerged from the police station. He had been monitoring the Beginnings transmissions since dawn and he hadn’t realized it was getting that late in the day.

  “It lives,” The young voice spoke, a voice that sounded younger than his age.

  Hal gave a raised eyebrow look down to the Craig, a short man about thirty. He was one of ten men in Bowman who never sported a uniform. There were four things that inhibited a man in Bowman from fighting, age, health, essential skills, or an unbreakable attitude that wouldn’t fit with infantry and was more suited for menial jobs, such as the case with Craig.

  “Craig, what did I tell you about being sarcastic with me?”

  “Not to do it.”

  “So why did you make that comment?”

  “I don’t know. It just was funny when you walked out of there.” Craig laughed a high pitched, inhaling type. “You made this face.” Craig pointed. “Like a . . .”

  “Craig!” Hal blasted his name. “Bye.” Hal shook his head and started walking.

  “Oh
hey, Captain.”

  Afraid to respond, Hal turned around, annoyed. “What is it?”

  “The doc wants to see you at the hospital. He says it’s important.”

  “Is it a problem with one of my men?”

  “Nope, I think it’s one of our hidden.”

  Hal nodded. “Thank you.” Hal started walking. Again, he stopped and looked back to Craig. “You aren’t lying to me again are you? I’m not going to go to the hospital to find out I’m not needed, am I? I’ll kick your ass so tell me now.”

  Craig raised his hand. “Telling the truth.”

  Hal moved on, telling himself that if Craig sent him on another goose chase, Craig was going to be used for maneuvers practice.

  The medical building sat further from town, just past a huge white house where UWA soldiers stood out front as guards. Hal was saluted by them as he passed and made his way to the small facility. He spotted the only medical person in Bowman. He was a stocky older man, nearly as tall as Hal with wisdom in his eyes. He never was a doctor. A corpsman in the Navy was the most medical training he had until he had happened upon a group of people and after one of them got sick, this fifty-five year old man began to learn all that he could from books.

  “Blue.” Hal called him by his nickname as he entered the facility, a nickname given to the man who had gone so prematurely grey his hair held a bluish tint to it. It was a nick name Hal gave him nine months earlier, and it was one that fit. “Tell me you called for me.”

  “Yep, I did.” Blue sported a long white lab coat. “Sorry it was Craig who was the messenger.”

  “I’ll recover from that,” Hal huffed. “What’s wrong?”

  “The woman with child is having difficulty. She told me that the last child she had carried died because it was born prematurely.”

  “Is she giving birth now?”

  “No.” Blue shook his head. “I’m giving her alcohol at four hour intervals. The labor has stopped. As long as she rests, we can probably inhibit labor from happening any further. However, she is upset and I wanted to see if you could reassure her somehow.”

  “What would happen if she gives birth now?”

  “She’s only six months along. The child will die,” Blue stated with certainty. “Bed rest is what she needs, but with her history, chances are she’ll deliver early.”

  “How early was her last child?” Hal asked.

  “Eight weeks. However, she wasn’t given anything to slow it. We haven’t the medication, but grain alcohol holds the same effect so in essence we’re one step further than she was the last pregnancy. But it’s still not comforting enough to her. I think you know what I need you to tell her.”

  “I do,” Hal said, “and I’ll do that for you. Which room?”

  “Seven.”

  “Thank you.” Hal gave a squeeze to Blue’s arm and walked to the hall where the patient rooms were. He didn’t need to see a room number. The UWA soldier posted at the door was enough to tell him that was the room he needed to go to. Hal knocked once.

  “Yes?” The woman’s voice called from the other side.

  “Captain Slagel, Ma’am. Permission to enter the room?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Hal opened the door and stepped inside. He closed it and stayed near the room’s door. “How are you today, Monica?”

  “Better now.” Auburn haired Monica lay in bed. She had arrived in Bowman already pregnant, her partner killed in a Society attack.

  “Blue tells me you’re upset.”

  “I don’t want to lose this child, Captain. I fear if it’s born too soon, I will.”

  “As you know, there is nothing we can do if nature decides to take control.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded once.

  “If I assured you that we would seek the best care for the child, would that make you feel better?”

  “If you tell me that my child will be brought to the doctors in Beginnings, yes.”

  “Then considered it done, if that happens to be the case.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I needed to hear that.”

  Hal moved back to the door.

  “Captain?”

  Hal stopped. “Yes.”

  “I would like my companion with me while I am confined to this bed. Could you make that possible?”

  “I will do that.”

  “Will our privacy insured? We will not be bothered or disturbed?”

  “No.” Hal gave a half smile.

  “I feel open and vulnerable being in such a public place. In my condition, you understand, I should not have these fears.”

  “Understandable. I’ll place a second guard on the door.”

  Monica gave a snobbish smile, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes.

  Seeing how Monica’s sudden resting was his clue to leave, Hal stepped from the room and pulled the door closed. He paused in the hall before going any further, rolled his eyes some in annoyance, and clenched his jaws. After shuddering the irritation he kept hidden inside, he moved down the hall.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  With a clipboard in his hands and his headset microphone on, Robbie switched his conversation between his guard and Joe who walked along side of him to the hanger.

  “Perimeter nine,” Joe stated. “Did mechanics get there at all yet?”

  “They were there when I left.” Robbie moved quickly. “Pretty much everything is done for the afternoon. I’ll go back through it after I get back.”

  “Where you headed? Further south?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah, I can’t see how that would be though, but we’ve gone over the direct route here too much. They aren’t there.”

  “No obvious structures they’re hanging out in?”

  Robbie shook his head and handed Joe the clipboard. “We also got to remember. Frank is not going to take the obvious route. Somehow that thought got lost in the . . . hold on Dad.” Robbie held up his hand and adjusted the headset. “Yeah Tower?”

  “This is Steve. We might have a problem at the front gate.”

  “The front gate?” Robbie questioned and noticed the look on Joe’s face. “Survivor?”

  “Nope. It was.”

  “Was?”

  “Yeah, some little guy came from the woods. He was dragging what looked like a white sack then he went back into the woods without it. By the time I got my binoculars, I couldn’t see him and I can’t see what he left.”

  Robbie saw the question on Joe’s face. He covered the microphone. “Tower spotted someone dropping something off at the gate. I’m gonna take a look before I fly out.”

  “Want me to?” Joe asked.

  “No, I’d rather handle it. We don’t know what it is.”

  “Funny, tracking didn’t tell us they picked it up.” Joe said.

  “Not for a single signal. I’ll handle it.” Robbie returned to talking to Steve. “I’m gonna check it out. Did you see where the man went?”

  “Like I said into the woods. It was too thick.”

  “O.K., I’m checking it out.” Robbie ended his call and walked over to the Jeep. “I’ll be back, Dad.”

  “Be careful.”

  Robbie nodded in acknowledgment and hopped in the Jeep. He drove it with a look of aggravation on his face, taking the winding road to the front tunnel entrance. So as not to alert anyone who could be standing at the gate, Robbie left the Jeep in the entrance of the tunnel and began to walk.

  He could see the whiteness of the object as he walked. His pace was steady as he moved. The closer he drew, he could see something else mixed with the whiteness. He blinked several times, trying to focus at the object that was still a distance from him on the ground outside the gate. Then Robbie stopped walking. “Oh God.” His heart pounded in his chest. “Oh God.” He began to run, calling out as he did. “Down the front gate! Down the front gate now!” Robbie cried out in his race, his legs moving as fast as they could. He exhaled emotional exasperation with every step he took. He
heard the buzz of the downing perimeter as he neared even closer to the front gate. Then without stopping, he charged for the fence, flung it open and barreled out. He dropped to his knees. “No.” His hands hesitated before touching down and seeing what he knew it was. The dark blonde hair peeking out of the tightly wrapped sheet was what gave it away to Robbie. He pulled the sheet some and saw the wide open blue eyes.

  Ellen.

  She was curled up in a fetal position, her hands clenched in a fist, close to her mouth. Robbie touched her neck, feeling around. He closed his eyes when he felt a pulse, a weak one. “Clinic, clinic, come in.” Robbie called as he picked Ellen up. “I have an emergency.” He couldn’t speak as he struggled with his emotions. “Just . . . just be ready. Dad, meet me at the clinic.” Robbie moved quickly through the front gate. “Front gate up! I’m going off air.”

  Robbie looked down at Ellen in his arms. He tightly closed his eyes, adjusted her better, and ran as fast as he could, carrying her all the way toward the end of the long tunnel.

  ^^^^

  Dean grinned as he stood by where his new home would be. Two pieces of the modular home were there waiting to be moved and placed together.

  “Like it?” Danny asked. “You now have the open view.”

  “It reminds me of a Barbie house,” Dean laughed.

  “Yeah, you kind of open it up and get the entire feel of it. Want me to leave it like that?”

  Dean started laughing. He took a breath and held up his hand to Danny when his phone rang. Unhooking it from his belt, Dean answered. “Hello?” Any and all expression dropped from his face at the same time the phone dropped from his hand.

  “Dean?”

  Dean didn’t even hesitate to pick up the phone. He merely spun around and raced at top speed through town to the clinic.

  Her body didn’t move, except for slight twitching. She was still curled in a ball, only this time on Robbie’s lap as he drove the Jeep. One hand secured her head to his chest, the other the steering wheel, occasionally having to maneuver the wheel with his leg to switch gears. But never once did his hand move from Ellen. “Dad, did you get a hold of Dean.”