The Changing Earth Series (Book 2): Without Land

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “Yes sir,” she replied, sitting back in her chair to think.

  Vince had been listening and saw his son doing the same. Dexter rolled his eyes and flopped back in his chair angrily after hearing his mom’s reply. Vince would have to get to the bottom of that, but right now he just wanted to sit next to his wife and enjoy the quiet ride home.

  CHAPTER 37

  VINCE AWOKE TO Erika’s gentle prodding. “We’re home,” she whispered softly in his ear.

  Erika gazed out the window. The city looked even more depressing after seeing the green mountainside and spending at least one peaceful day in nature before the fighting had begun. Sand blew over the remnants of the huge buildings that had dominated the landscape before. Roofs of old cars that had been looted for their valuables long ago peeked out of mini-sand dunes. The gate clanked as the armed guards ushered them in toward the warehouse where their adventure had begun.

  The bus thundered in and she saw Mathew with Daniel, Carmen and Crystal, waiting for their arrival. Erika’s heart raced at the sight of Daniel. She suddenly realized how much she had missed his calmness and innocent demeanor.

  Everyone exited the bus in a hurry to jump into the loving arms of the children or grandchildren they had left behind.

  Daniel ran to Erika and Vince, his hair bouncing joyously. They hugged him tight. Star and Dexter had to get in on the action and everyone joined in a big family hug.

  “Mom, it was so awesome. We got to go in a real swimming pool,” Daniel exclaimed, his body shuddering with excitement.

  “Really?” Erika appreciated the boy’s candor. She glanced at Mathew, who was watching them. His chubby cheeks rounded into a little smirk. “That sounds like fun.”

  “It was so cool, Mom,” Daniel exclaimed again.

  Before too long, Commander Burns came over to address them. He had arrived days ago with the refugees that they had brought in from the Colorado Village. “Very good job, Recruits. Good to see you made it home. All in all, it was a successful mission.”

  Erika had to wonder how successful it really was when all those people had died in Colorado, they lost Team A, and those marauders had been executed because of them.

  “I would like to welcome you all officially. If you are so inclined, you are all invited to continue on as the new rescue Team A. You will continue to participate in the daily training events and be assigned specific tasks to attend to when you are not out on mission. Plus, I believe Mathew has new quarters for you all,” he said, looking to Mathew.

  “That’s correct, Commander,” Mathew replied.

  “That’s it, then. You are all dismissed and Mathew will take you to your new quarters.” Commander Burns was finished and left them to their speculating. “Oh yeah, Recruit Erika Moore,” he had turned back toward the group. “We’ll be in touch,” he added, then turned and walked away.

  The group was abuzz with chatter as they turned to hear what Mathew had to say.

  “What was that about?” Vince whispered to Erika while Mathew was talking to the group.

  “Probably that guy I killed back in Colorado. Commander Burns said I wasn’t ‘authorized to discharge a firearm,’” Erika replied, making quote marks in the air with her fingers and rolling her eyes.

  “Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous,” Vince agreed.

  Mathew was already leading the group off. Erika and Vince jogged to catch up and then fell in line with Daniel. Erika had to wonder how the group would feel about doing this permanently, but she figured there was no harm in checking out the new digs.

  They walked into an area of the city she had never been to before. It was on the government’s side. Erika was surprised: new quarters outside of the refugee area? she wondered. There were little cafés and shops dotting the street and at the end was a rather large hotel that had, for the most part, survived the quake. Any areas of the city that had only received a small amount of damage had been repaired for soldiers and government employees to live in.

  They entered the brightly lit building. It was like stepping back in time. A time before all this misery. Although the gambling machines and tables had been removed a long time ago, the floors were still coated with the casino carpet. The smell of food wafted through the air. Restaurants of various ethnic varieties still dominated the main floor. Erika was awestruck.

  “Isn’t this cool, Mom?” Daniel had obviously stayed here while they were gone.

  She wondered what his face had looked like when he first saw this place. Daniel had lived all his life in the refugee camp and didn’t know anything else. He had no idea what Americans had taken for granted not so many years ago.

  “It sure is, sweetheart,” Erika replied to her young son. She was in awe herself. It had been so long since she had been anywhere like this.

  Mathew led them up six flights of stairs to the third floor. He explained that the elevators no longer worked, but nobody thought they were essential anyway so they were never repaired. They opened the heavy stairway door into a brightly lit hallway. Mathew pointed out their rooms. Vince and Erika entered a room that snapped Erika into a time she had known before. She looked over the shiny surface of a kitchenette with a fridge! The TV had been removed long ago, but there were cushy couches and a bed that looked so fluffy and inviting, Erika wanted to run and jump up and down on it. She noticed that their room had a door to another room and when she opened it, she saw Star, Dexter and Daniel standing in wonder at their big room with three beds. Their faces shone like the sun, beaming with joy over these new accommodations.

  “Look, Mom!” Daniel yelled. He opened another door that connected their room to Nancy’s. “Grandma is right there.”

  “Awesome, Daniel,” Erika replied, amazed that a world like this still existed.

  Penni ran into their room. Erika had not seen so much joy in her face since Carmen had been born.

  “A shower, Erika…A real shower! I can shower everyday again! Thank you so much for getting this opportunity for us. We really owe you one,” Penni explained, wrapping Erika up in a big hug.

  Erika passed their shower on the way out and went across the hall to confirm with Penni that there really was a shower over there too. Greg and Penni’s room was just like Vince and Erika’s, with a kitchenette and connecting doors to the kids’ rooms, and Mitchell and Jen’s room was beyond that.

  “This is great Erika, way to go,” Greg announced, giving her a big bear hug when they came into the room.

  Harold and Betsy’s rooms adjoined with Rob and Kim’s, and they were in the hallway chattering with everyone else about how incredible it was. It was like being in a dream of the past where the family would excitedly explore the hotel they were vacationing at. They were going to live here, though. Everyone was praising Erika for having talked them into participating in the mission. Erika was just as excited, but she couldn’t get all those people who died or the fates of the ones who had survived off her mind. In the end everyone decided to stay and continue working for the government. This was the opportunity they had waited for. A chance to make a better future on their own without having to be adopted by some landlord.

  CHAPTER 38

  MATHEW TOLD THEM there was a truck that would come to their current home in the refugee camp to collect their belongings in the morning. It was a restless night for Erika, in an unfamiliar place that reminded her so much of the past. A life she had lived almost a decade ago felt like it was a lifetime ago now. For years she had slept on little more than padding on the floor. It had become so normal that now, lying here in this bed from a world she had known so well, was like a dream.

  That night images of the past visited her. One moment she would be in a deluxe resort in Lake Tahoe. Her father, mother, brother and Vince were gathered at the table enjoying cocktails and playing cards. The next minute she was in the pool of the Holiday Inn with the water from the waterfall spilling down her face as she soaked in the refreshing feeling. When she was young, her mother would whisk the family off to t
he upscale hotel for some relief from the imposing harshness of the long winters in Michigan. Then she would snap awake with her head still floating on the fluffiness of a pillow and think she was still dreaming.

  She rolled over and gazed at Vince. He was sleeping peacefully. She was almost jealous. He could always sleep so soundly.

  Unconsciously, Vince felt her gaze upon him and opened his eyes. “What’s wrong, baby? Is it morning?” he questioned sleepily.

  “The sun’s just coming up. You can still sleep some more,” she reassured him and rubbed her hands through his soft curly hair.

  “Maybe…I’m not tired anymore,” Vince replied coyly with a sly look. He snuggled closer to her.

  Erika could feel he was erect as his body slid gently up against hers.

  “You think just because we’re in some big fancy bed, you’re gonna get some?” she questioned him with a loving look in her eyes.

  “Maybe,” he replied, as he gently slid his hand down the edge of her body. He felt the ripples of the scarring she still bore from the Great Quake. They were normal to him now. Part of the great beauty of his wonderful woman. God chose to keep them together, and Vince thanked the great Lord above every day for his protection and guidance.

  Erika’s body began to tingle from Vince’s sensual touch. The energy from their love grew thick in the air as they kissed and gently fondled one another. Vince took her body and wrapped her up in a beautiful moment of blissful embrace. They clung to one another, frozen as a wave of ecstasy washed over them and climaxed in a glorious release. Tears began to stream down Erika’s face, and then Vince blew air down her neck as his whole body relaxed. It quickly sent Erika into a flurry of giggles from her heightened sensitivity. Vince began to laugh because of Erika, and they both lay back on their pillows and drank in the moment.

  Life was a constant whirlwind of ups and downs but here lay two lovesick individuals who had shouldered the brunt of the bad together and lived to tell about it. They’d not only survived; they grew stronger through each adversity. They laughed lightheartedly and basked in the glory of one another.

  The first breakfast at their new home was delightful. The families met together in the hallway and went down to the main floor to choose a restaurant to eat at. They had been eating slop cooked up for refugees for so long they had almost forgotten what a fried egg looked like. The children, who had never seen such a thing, delighted in dunking their strips of toast into the yellow runny center. Through talking with the waitress, Erika found out that the landowners had a rather large egg production facility located in warehouses. Why hadn’t the refugees been given access to this protein supply instead of beans? Erika wondered. As angry as it made Erika, she couldn’t help but be happy. She was mesmerized by Daniel’s curiosity about everything. He was taking it all in and reveling in learning about all the things his captive life had denied him.

  After breakfast they took a bus back into the refugee camp to gather up their possessions. Everyone talked of the squalor here in the camp. They talked about how eager they were to be rid of it. Each family was deposited at their residences with a supply of boxes and a promise to one another that they would meet up later for dinner.

  Erika and her family were dropped off at their lean-to shack and spent the day packing what little they had. When they were done and the truck was loaded, the kids were eager to go find their friends and Vince was off to go check in on the gardens. Erika remained at their home and lingered. It was true that the memories here had been difficult, but she couldn’t help feeling nostalgic. This is where she had raised Daniel. He had been a baby at her breast in the little chair by the table. He had learned to walk across the small floor. She chuckled at the memory of Star and Dexter coaxing him back and forth for hours.

  As she turned to leave, she nearly jumped three feet in the air, surprised by the man in the doorway.

  “You snuck up on me,” she said in shock.

  “Not an easy thing to do,” replied Pastor Byron.

  “How long have you been there?” she questioned.

  “Long enough,” he said quietly. “So it’s official? You took the post? Rescue Recruit, right?”

  Erika was sure he already knew the answer but she played along anyway. “Yup. Moving back to civilization.” She tried to appear convinced about the moral correctness of her decision.

  “You know, Erika.” He paused for a moment trying to find the right words, but he couldn’t. All he could say was, “you know.”

  “I know, Pastor.” She looked down at the floor. “Daniel, he deserves a chance.”

  “A chance at what? That life? You are still a captive. A number in their ranks,” he replied sternly.

  “I know, okay? I know…but Daniel…and everyone. They were so…so...” Erika knew he was disappointed. She had spent nine years resisting this new system, but what had it gotten them? Nothing. “And I’m done here,” she said finitely.

  “The Lord does work in mysterious ways.” Pastor Byron knew her decision was made. “Let’s pray together.” He took her hands in his. “Glorious God above, watch over this woman and her family. Only you know the path that is right for her, and only you can point her in the right direction. Lord, protect her from the misdirection of those that would choose to harm her or her family for the sake of their own selfish needs, amen.”

  “Amen,” Erika replied, feeling self-conscious. She had made the choice and now she must trust that the Lord would watch over her. “Well, I gotta go before the pm lockdown. Thanks, Pastor Byron. Have a good night.” She tried to sound normal, like her head wasn’t spinning with moral indecision.

  “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” He turned and walked away.

  Erika watched him go. She stood dazed by the encounter and was filled with even more guilt as she watched him wipe a tear from his eye.

  CHAPTER 39

  ERIKA GAZED OUT the window from her room. The sun shone brightly and reflected off the metal that had been used on the Luxor to replace some broken windows. She was thinking about how fast the last few months had flown by. The steady stream of refugees, displaced by the Ogallala catastrophe, entering the Las Vegas camp never seemed to end. They were brought in by the busloads and many even walked in of their own free will. Erika wanted to stand at the gates and yell for them to turn around, run for their freedom, save their children and their children’s children, but she couldn’t. She was bound by obligation to her new position and was often part of the team bringing in these new refugees. The outside world was a swirl of chaos again.

  At least her family and friends seemed to be settling in well. The younger children always seemed to be cheerful now. They attended school and spent the afternoons swimming or playing sports. Nancy was now working for the government’s textile industry, and her vast knowledge was moving her up the ranks quickly. She was no longer going on the rescue operations, but she did spend a fair amount of time training certain recruits on what type of materials were the most valuable and how to spot them quickly in the field.

  Harold’s career was also boosted by joining the rescue team. He knew the mechanics of communications hardware, both old and new. His group was very successful at harvesting it in the field. His wife Betsy was really enjoying working as a nurse and helping in the hospitals, whether in the military camp or out in the field. Harold was especially happy because she was with him but out of the fray if fighting broke out. Their son Rob was working closely with Vince in the gardens, and Vince raved about his work ethic. Their daughters, Jen and Kim, both got jobs at the military stable. They had always loved horses, and the government knew the usefulness of patrolling the old streets of Las Vegas with the animals. Hay was shipped in from God knew where to feed them. Shipping the feed in was still more efficient than expending fuel on the patrol operations. Erika quickly learned that even for the government fuel was a problem.

  Penni had not found as much joy as Betsy in the nursing field and took a position in the military daycare f
acility. She was still thrilled with her new living accommodations. She reveled in the fact that she could once again shower daily. She would often comment how she had no idea how she had survived living in “that place,” as she now referred to the refugee camp. Greg agreed with her. He was now wearing a number of hats around the base. He trained for rescue missions, helped with construction projects and assisted Vince at the gardens often. He was loving life and could often be found with the kids at the pool. He was teaching them all how to dive. Greg had been a spectacular diver back in the day, and he was an even better instructor. Erika thought back to the sunny day that she and Greg had spent with their friends. They were all hanging out at Greg’s dad’s pool. Erika had trusted him so completely she did a flip for the first time into the pool. She never had the guts to do it again.

  Mitchell, Penni’s son, loved being a father. His experience with his own father had never been that great, so he performed his role brilliantly. He was thinking about joining the official military force rather than just the rescue team but still hadn’t finalized the decision. Penni’s daughter, Roxy, was quite another issue. She had a wild side and would often visit the clubs they had for the soldiers. She worked during the day at the sewing factory and Nancy mentored her closely. Nancy had taken her under her wing. She understood and listened to Roxy’s rambling. Plus, Nancy would let her be silly and didn’t expect her to be so serious all the time.

  Erika ran her finger through the dust on the window sill as her mind lingered in thought. She smiled as she thought about Star, her own personal rescue recruit. Star had grown so tall and beautiful. Her hair had retained its golden color and gentle wave. That girl loved to cook and she was becoming quite the chef. She was highly sought after as a field cook and often prepared meals for the Commander himself. She was still dating the quiet boy that Erika had seen a few times. Erika had finally insisted that Star inform her as to how serious the relationship was and Star spilled the beans. His name was Ron McCreary and, although he had an Irish name, he had jet-black hair. He had grown up as an orphan at the refugee camp. Somehow he had never got picked by the adopters, but he never let it bother him. He worked hard and studied how to fight. His dedication earned him a spot in the military and a fighting spot in the ring.