The Changing Earth Series (Book 2): Without Land

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  Many of the former landowners in Las Vegas were particularly happy about this. Their land had been rebuilt off the government payroll. Now they were well fed and supplied due to the heavy traffic of landowners that frequented this place on their way to adopt refugee labor for their farms.

  “Wow, look at those houses,” Daniel boomed in appreciation every time they had to make this trip. He was always impressed by the beauty of the architecture that had been accepted as normal in the past.

  “It all used to be like that, Daniel,” Dexter chimed in. “As far as you could see, big-old house on top of big-old house. You could go to a store and pick any paint color you wanted it to be.”

  “Really?” the boy beamed with wonder, unable to imagine this fabled world his brother spoke of.

  “Dex, knock it off. You’ll only fill his mind up with dreams.” Star tried to keep Daniel’s enthusiasm in check.

  “Well it’s true, Star. You know it. It wasn’t a dream. It was real,” Dexter said defiantly.

  “It seems like it was just a dream now though, doesn’t it?” Star said with a faraway look in her eyes as she stared out the window.

  “Come on, guys, let the boy dream.” Vince said. “It’s a good day to dream. I have a positive feeling about this.”

  Soon they were on the Strip. People in clean, fine clothes mingled about. A new city had grown from the ashes of the old. Thanks to the strength of the Hoover Dam, there was still power here, and few restrictions were placed on how the landowners used it. One building that had withstood the quake fairly well was the Luxor Hotel. It was shaped like a pyramid and the structure had held, despite some broken glass that had to be patched with sheets of wood or metal. It now stood like a gem in the rubble, and this was where they were headed.

  The family exited the bus as it squealed its way to a stop in front of the building. The inhabitants of the street waved their hands in the air in front of their faces as the dust and the emissions from the bus puffed up in a cloud around them. They glared at the dirty refugees exiting the bus and whispered to one another, occasionally giggling a little. Erika proudly held her head high, trying not to let their negative thoughts interfere with her inner being.

  CHAPTER 3

  ONCE INSIDE THE former Casino, they were met with the glory of a life long forgotten by most of the refugees. The tile gleamed brilliantly in the sun and the faces of Egyptian statues watched them approach. Some of the Egyptian façade that had themed the hotel in the past had been destroyed, but it only added to the authenticity of the place. Erika thought that the Egypt they had seen on a television in the past had appeared to look pretty beat-up as well.

  “This place gets more and more incredible every time we’re here!” Daniel marveled at its wonders. He had never seen a television filled with the sites of Egypt, but he had read books about it after Erika had explained what the statues here represented in man’s history. He was always awestruck in this place, though, and he had good reason to be. It was like day and night compared to their life in the camp. “Do you think we will get thrown out again?” he questioned innocently.

  “No, not this time,” Vince answered with a charming look at Erika.

  The light shined brightly through the huge glass windows and sparkled down on them as they walked to the designated area. Erica took note that everything was so clean and she smelled the bleach that had been recently used thick in the air. They were always dirty now and their house was always filled with dust; she wished she was in her tiny little home of the past. She had cursed cleaning back then, but now she longed to live in such sanitary conditions.

  The family entered a familiar waiting room on the right side of the entryway. Here they waited in line with the other refugees. One by one, people left through a door on the far wall. Once inside they would strip off their clothes and put them in a chute and walk through another door to a shower room. There they found sweet-smelling soaps, shampoo and conditioner. Erika lingered in the hot water of the shower. She had always loved hot showers, and it was one of the main reasons she had agreed to come to these meetings at all anymore.

  Once through the shower room, they entered another area where they could fix their hair and men would shave their faces. There was no makeup for women, and many of the conversations of the refugee women revolved around that very topic. Erica thought it silly. She never really wore it before, anyway. She had to admit, though, as she aged she began to want some of those pretty things she used to dread wearing in her younger years. Their clothes would be in there as well. They magically appeared in a metal box on the wall that reminded Erika of the boxes they had at the doctor’s office for your urine sample. The clothes would be clean and fresh and Erika had to wonder what type of washing machines they had that could do the job so quickly. Once they had re-dressed, they would enter into another waiting room to wait for their case handler.

  Erika and Vince had had a much more extended residence at this place than most. They had not been the most cooperative detainees, and were often overlooked in favor of more obedient families. This had kept them living here and earned them the privilege of having a nasty little guy named Mathew Tweed as their personal caseworker. He was the man in charge of the whole process here in Las Vegas. He oversaw the “adopting out” of refugees to the homes of landowners. To aid his reputation among the landowners as the “premier” place to get refugees from, he ensured that “his” refugees were docile and clean. They were just perfect to live under the rule of the landowner and not raise a fuss.

  The other refugee families in the waiting room were all called out one by one until Erika’s family was the last one occupying the room.

  “You know he does this on purpose, Mom,” Dexter said in a voice thick with attitude.

  “Don’t start, Dex, and please don’t get her all fired up,” Vince said sternly, indicating Erika with his eyes.

  “Who does what on purpose, Dad?” Daniel asked, his naiveté getting in the way of his comprehension.

  “Dad, I just don’t get why we have to do this again,” Star chimed in.

  Star had been really quiet all day, and Erika had wondered what had been going on inside that head of hers.

  “Because, Star, we have to get out of here, and I don’t see any other way to do that, do you?” Vince snapped at her.

  Star leaned down in between her parents’ ears. “We can always fight,” she whispered.

  “Not now, Star,” Erika said under her breath.

  Erika knew there were cameras everywhere and any mention of rebellion did not earn you good things. Erika had first-hand knowledge of this. She had learned a long time ago how to operate below the radar.

  Vince rolled his eyes. His children were full of their mother’s spirit and he felt the whole day unraveling. Suddenly the doorknob turned and the door opened. Alex Bingham walked through. Erika was still stunned by how much he looked like his brother, Andrew. Andrew Bingham had been the leader of a camp in Lotus, California, before California had become an ocean.

  When Erika and Vince had made the decision to leave California, Andrew had thought long and hard about leaving as well. In the end, he decided to stay. The people of that camp had looked to him for direction, and his great sense of duty had kept him there. He died along with all the rest of the souls that were lost when California was flooded that day.

  “Hi, Alex!” Erika was excited that he was here.

  “Oh, hey guys!” he exclaimed. He wasn’t surprised that this was the “difficult family” that he had been sent to retrieve.

  “They sent you down for us?” Vince asked sarcastically. Usually some office employee–type person greeted you, not a soldier.

  “Yup, I even brought my gun.” Alex jested back, patting his side arm that sat holstered at his hip.

  “Oh, little Mathew is scared,” Erika teased in a baby voice. Alex’s appearance on the scene had lifted her mood.

  Vince glared at Erika and she closed her mouth. Alex gave her a laughing lo
ok.

  “Come on, guys.” Alex turned and they walked down a sterile hallway to a wooden door. “He’s in here. Just the adults are supposed to go in first.”

  Alex opened the door to a well-lit room with a long conference table in the middle. Mathew sat on one side with a man, and there were five chairs on the other side.

  “Please sit down,” Mathew said politely, gesturing toward the chairs. His skull shined in the light through his thin brown hair. His beady eyes peered through his glasses straight at Erika.

  “This is Terry Lawrence,” Mathew continued as Vince and Erika sat down in their chairs. “He is the owner of twenty thousand acres of land by Minot in North Dakota. I thought of you specifically, Vince, when I got his request for a family.” Mathew’s gaze had shifted from Erika over to Vince. “He is in need of a man to work on the management team and oversee the vegetable gardens. Now, I know the work you are doing here is with aquaponics but I thought you would be a good match and that you would appreciate the opportunity.”

  “Well, that sounds interesting. I used to have family in Minnesota right on the North Dakota border,” Vince responded positively.

  Terry spoke up. His heavyset jowls flapped. Erika’s skin crawled as he spoke. His creepy vibe floated through the air, but Erika just sat there feeling out the situation. She had promised Vince she would play nice and he was her most beloved thing in the world. They were soul mates, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him, no matter how much she hated it.

  Vince and Terry discussed the land and farming details as Erika patiently sat there. Mathew had reaffixed his eyes on her while the two men talked. He watched her expression sour as she listened to their conversation. He was just waiting for her smart mouth to open and begin blabbing some freedom jargon. He was almost disappointed when she just sat there quietly with her hands folded so tight, her fingers began to turn white.

  “You two have boys as well, correct? I need a crew, not just a man,” Terry asked Vince pointedly.

  His direct commenting on the boys and “just one man” rubbed Erika all wrong. She was no weakling. Aren’t I part of the “crew”? she thought. Am I not sitting right here? She knew she could do more heavy lifting than either of those boys outside.

  “Yes, we have two boys and a girl. Plus, my wife’s mother,” Vince replied, trying to test Terry’s limits. He was not exactly getting the best vibe from this man either. He could feel Erika’s energy swirling around next to him and knew she was probably biting her tongue off at this point.

  “Well, let me see the kids.” Terry was irritated at the introduction of “the mother-in-law.”

  Mathew signaled to Alex and he brought the kids in. Dex and Daniel came in first, but when Star entered the room Terry’s eyes practically ate her alive. His droopy jowls opened wide, and Erika thought that Mathew was going to have to scoop the man’s jaw off the floor.

  “The girl has been fixed, right?” Terry asked immediately while his chubby hands rubbed together on the table.

  “Of course,” Mathew answered with pride. Almost insulted by the question, he said, “All the refugees over the age of thirteen are incapable of having children.”

  “Perfect,” Terry replied, with his dark eyes still fixed on Star and his fat fingers still mashing together on the table. “What about this mother-in-law? It’s bad enough I have to take your wife, but an old hag as well? I don’t think so,” Terry said abruptly, looking at Vince.

  Erika was so infuriated she could hardly contain herself. She gripped the arms of the chair until she thought they would snap right off. Her teeth ground together in her mouth, and she stared at Mathew in complete outrage. Her promise to Vince was the only thing keeping her rage contained. Mathew stared back at her, almost taunting her to make a move. He could see her frustration ready to burst.

  “Mathew, I can’t believe you would waste my time with this jack-off!” Vince said, horrified. He glared at Terry across the table. “Nobody insults my wife or her mother and nobody…” he paused to draw the moment out, “I mean, nobody, looks at my daughter like that!”

  “Your time? Waste your time?” Terry lashed out in hatred. “You’re just a refugee. What say do you have about your family? You refugees make me sick, sitting here eating the food I grow.” Terry was now standing as well. His heavyset body shook with fury and his jowls flapped vigorously as he spat the words at Vince.

  Erika saw Alex’s hand move to his pistol. She reached over and squeezed Vince’s leg. Knowing the landowner would not receive the business end of that gun, she had to calm her husband down.

  “Okay, okay.” Mathew was standing now as well. His expensive suit shimmered in the sunlight. “Vince, Erika, out!” he commanded.

  Erika and Vince were all too happy to comply, and their kids were already out the door. They knew this drill all too well. Vince hugged his family close when they entered the waiting room that was on the way toward the refugee exit.

  CHAPTER 4

  “I AM SO sorry, you guys,” Vince said as he backed away from them.

  “Don’t worry, baby. We were all hoping for the best,” Erika replied reassuringly.

  She was followed by an “it’s okay, Dad” from the kids.

  They sat down close to one another. After the stressful meeting they needed the family comfort. They waited for the results of their actions. There had been similar meetings when Vince and Erika had first arrived with their family, and any outbursts had not been met with warm feelings from their previous handlers. Now, since their participation in the rebellion, they had to face Mathew himself.

  “Erika,” Mathew said as he opened the waiting room door. “Come with me. Alex, make sure the children get home,” he ordered as Erika got up. “Erika and Vince will be here a while.”

  Erika hugged her family. She rolled her eyes at Alex as she passed him. They went through another door into a brightly lit hallway with pictures on the walls and carpet on the floors. It definitely was not the sterile environment that a refugee was used to. Mathew was mumbling to himself as he opened one of the many wooden doors. Erika followed him through.

  “Doing all right for yourself, I see,” Erika snapped out sarcastically when she noticed the cherry wood desk and beautifully decorated office.

  “Sit!” Mathew scolded.

  “Fine, but I didn’t…” Erika was cut short.

  “I know, and I am curious why?” Mathew replied honestly.

  “I promised Vince,” she said frankly.

  “Ahh…” he paused for a minute. “You guys have been here for what, seven years now?”

  “Nine,” Erika replied quietly.

  “Nine years now.” He paused again, looking out the angled window over the small city to the rows and rows of refugee shanties. “You look good,” he said whimsically.

  “I guess so.” His tactics confused Erika.

  “No really, you look well fed and so muscular.” He was getting at something.

  “Well, if you would quit sending me down to the water line every time I walk down the street the wrong way, I might just get fat and happy,” Erika was trying to be sarcastic again, in a futile attempt to disrupt his strategy.

  “No, it’s not that. You’ve been training again, haven’t you?” Mathew finally got to the point. His beady eyes fixed on her.

  “So what if I have?” Erika was perturbed. She felt she had to stay mentally and physically ready for anything. It wasn’t exactly a secure world anymore. The earth had never completely settled after the Great Quake. The shaking was less intense and less frequent, but it haunted all of Earth’s inhabitants. It was clear to anyone who had any kind of relationship with nature that change was happening.

  “Because, after the incident you helped to create, you were told not to. We told you we will provide everything for you. You just have to fulfill your role in the camp and keep your mouth shut. You are safe here.” Mathew stated.

  “We provide a whole lot for ourselves and you, you know,” Erika seet
hed. She had spent too many endless hours toiling in kitchens and slopping bucket after bucket of water on the water line to sit here and listen to him tell her how he provided her with all she needed. “You say we’re so safe? Safe in your prison? I don’t think so,” Erika snapped back.

  “Erika, it is not a prison. It is a refugee safe zone,” Mathew defended. He was proud of the job he was doing here. He believed he was saving people from the pain of a life out there without land to call their own. Plus, his reputation for being the most successful supplier of refugees was giving him prestige among his peers in the Capitol. He thought leading this crud hole of a camp might be his ticket to real power.

  “Really, then, why can’t we leave?” Erika was pushing his buttons now.

  “You know the answer. I ensured you knew the answer while you were sweating in that box, remember?” Mathew chuckled at her while he slid his glasses back up his nose.

  Just the mention of that box made Erika even more furious. She already had enough memories she wanted to wipe out without Mathew’s help creating more.

  “We have to have some kind of order if we are going to survive as a country,” he continued. “If we let everyone who was displaced run amuck it would be chaos. You’d have landowners defending their land and no place for all those displaced people to go. This system is working, Erika.” Mathew was finished ranting.

  “Oh really. Slavery? Slavery is working just great. Just like it worked so well for our country before?” Erika was in her element now. They had tried to melt her spirit away but Erika was strong. She knew what was going on here, in this camp, was wrong. No matter how anyone tried to justify it. Mathew was now on the defense because he knew just as well as she did that there was no morally correct way to accept this new system without at least a few reservations.

  “It is not slavery! Jesus, Erika!” Mathew was furious at her rebuttal.