“She can live with me and I’ll watch out for her.” Brett stepped in to try and further convince Nancy by making this comment to Erika.
“I know you will, Brett, you always have in the past.” Erika supported his claim. “Can you give us a minute, Brett?” Erika needed to speak privately with her mother to inform her of their plans. She did not doubt Brett’s feelings for her mother, but she did not know how loyal he was to this oppressive government they all bowed to now.
“Sure,” he said with a wink. “I want to catch up with the boys anyhow.” He had always cared for Dexter just like he was his own grandson, and he had never met Daniel before. He was eager to form a relationship with the boy. He had even brought him a set of brand-new paints, brushes and blank paper, after Nancy had informed him of Daniel’s passion.
Erika and Nancy slipped off to a quiet corner and Erika told her everything. Nancy pushed a lot of the children’s problems off as an age issue or a relocation problem, but in the end she understood why Erika was making the decision to leave. Nancy was deeply concerned for their safety and warned her repeatedly about the consequences of their actions, but she knew Erika too well. Once her mind was made up, that was it. Nancy got it, though. She had lived in that hole right beside them. She knew the plight of the people there. People who had committed no crime but were punished because their land had been swallowed by the earth or the ocean. It was sickening.
They finished their conversation and returned to the party like everything was normal. Mathew questioned Erika as to where she had been but understood when she replied that she had been talking with her mom. He had already talked with Brett earlier and had spent his afternoon in his stuffy office filing the appropriate paperwork for Nancy’s transfer to Texas.
For the rest of the party, Erika spent every moment at Daniel’s side. She made sure he enjoyed himself and with her around nobody treated him disrespectfully. He delighted in the paints that Brett had brought him, and Erika carefully hid them away when he expressed concern that they would be confiscated. He played with Carmen and Crystal. Greg showed them extra-special attention, much to the dismay of the other landowner children present.
Alex was one of the first soldiers to arrive; he came in with Sergeant Bennett who was scowling at the idea of attending a child’s birthday party. Julie arrived with Terrance not long after them. Terrance had made a good recovery and only lost one leg below the knee. He had been fitted with a running prosthetic and was moving quite well these days. He had even been put back on active service as a gate guard. They all carried boxes wrapped in shiny birthday paper. Daniel smiled at the bright boxes but knew they had to eat and have cake before he could tear into them.
Mathew stood by quietly, chatting with Commander Burns, and the older children silently peeled off to their own events as the night progressed. They knew they would hear all the details from Daniel later and they had their own affairs to attend to if they were leaving soon.
Erika was preoccupied with how they would get Daniel out of there without incident when they did leave, but she played along with the social nuances of the party and tried not to let on that she was really somewhere else, planning and scheming.
Finally, it was time for presents, and much to Erika’s delight the boxes were filled with new boots, a uniform, a knife and everything he would be issued to start training for missions. Mathew had heard of the boy’s inability to fit in at school and figured that he was old enough to fit into the military life. They had orphans younger than him already in the field. They were perfect for finding foxholes and hidden supplies.
So, the problem had solved itself. Erika always believed that God had them right where he wanted them to be and now, he had given them the tools to move on. Erika put on a façade like she was really worried about Daniel coming out into the field so Mathew wouldn’t be suspicious. Mathew firmly told Erika that she herself had requested it at the beginning and his decision was final. Erika humbly accepted his explanation while she was secretly leaping for joy inside.
They returned to their rooms after the party and Daniel painted long into the night. The next morning Erika and the family met Nancy and Brett for breakfast. They laughed at old stories as they ate and cried huge tears as they hugged goodbye. They had no idea when the next time they would see one another was, or if they ever would again. Erika did not want to let her go as they reveled in a long embrace for one last time. Nancy told her it would be okay but neither one of them knew if that was true. Dexter sobbed as Nancy took turns seeing to each one of the family members. Erika felt like throwing up as the pain of watching her mother go hit her stomach like a bomb. Brett said his goodbyes to each of the family members and then told Nancy it was time to go.
Erika was completely miserable for the next few weeks. Erika had always been best friends with her mother and found comfort with her whenever she needed support. Now she was gone. The world was dimmer in her eyes. If she was higher ranked, she would have had daily access to a phone but she wasn’t, and it made her hate her situation all the more.
Mathew never suspected a thing, even as Erika’s mood changed. Erika had always worn her emotions on her sleeve and no earthquake would ever change that. Her mind was set on leaving and she was pissed off. She was mad she had been put in this situation to begin with. She was mad her mom had left, even though she knew it was for the best. She was a little jealous. It had been so easy for her to get out, and Erika missed her mom something fierce.
Most of all, Erika was angry at her friends that had become so close they were now family. They wouldn’t agree to come with them. Vince had talked with the guys. They had contemplated their escape many times in the past, so Vince had not questioned their frame of mind about this. He had mentioned it the first time at the birthday party and when they replied they would have to think about it, Vince was bewildered. Then, when they had thought it over for a week and discussed it with their families, they told Vince there were staying. Vince couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He could kind of understand Harold’s reluctance. He was in a cushy position within the government. Greg, on the other hand, was a complete conundrum. He was just a grunt that would always be pretty much in the same position. Vince and Greg had known each other so long they were practically brothers. Greg was always happy now, though. He had his family and a few of the luxuries they all took for granted at one point.
When Vince told Erika what the boys had said, Erika had gone straight to the women to discuss the issue. They didn’t want to go back to surviving out in the wild. They said they had been there and done that. They were okay with how life was progressing and didn’t understand why Erika was so shifty. They told her to relax and go take and hour at the spa to chill out.
Erika was furious, especially with the men. They had been so high and morally mighty when Erika had first told them about the rescue team. They had defended the refugees and attacked the atrocities of living at the camp. How quickly the tables had turned now that they weren’t affected by it daily. They still commented about the poor people that were rounded up on the missions, but they were no longer willing to give up their material worlds for the freedom of all.
Erika lovingly cursed them all. She had no idea how quickly they could forget about the fact that their children had all been surgically altered so they could no longer have children of their own. They said their hopes were in the young ones that had not been altered yet. Now that they no longer lived in the camp, they all assumed that this would never happen to the babies. Erika was not so sure.
The disagreement with her group haunted Erika’s thoughts. She was a very loyal person. This attribute had hurt her many times in the past and left her uncertain of many people. Once someone had earned her dedication, though, Erika was completely committed to that relationship and would never do that person harm if she could avoid it.
CHAPTER 42
ERIKA RECEIVED A padded punch across the face and fell to the training mat.
“Helloooo
oo…Anyone home? Where is your head today, cupcake?” Sergeant Bennett yelled in her ear.
They had scheduled a training session today because the sergeant wanted to show her some new techniques and test her old ones. Sergeant Bennett, for all his strict talk and manly posturing, had developed quite a soft spot in his heart for this little trainee.
“I just don’t know, Sergeant,” Erika admitted as she sat up.
“Seems like you’re chasing a hundred different demons around in there. Focus, woman!” He swung for her head again, and this time she blocked the attack and spun his hand around fast enough for him to flip through the air and end up on the mat.
“There’s my girl.” He delighted in her counterattack as he jumped to his feet. “But you should have finished it off…” He leapt across the mat and quickly swept one of her legs out.
Erika fell to the mat with a thud and just lay there.
“Having your mommy leave couldn’t have messed with your head that bad…come on,” the sergeant urged her on.
Erika jumped back onto her feet and assumed her fighting position. Sergeant Bennett feinted like he was going to punch again with the right arm, and as Erika went to block it he grabbed her arm with his left and ripped her to the ground. He followed it up with a swift kick to Erika’s side. Erika huffed as the air in her lungs was expelled.
He stood over the top of her. “See, you got to finish it.”
“Yes, sir,” Erika moaned. “It’s not because my mom’s gone…Well it is, but…”
“I knew it! But what?” the sergeant wondered. He stared at her, perplexed by this sudden change of attitude. “Come with me, we’re not going to get anything done here today anyway.”
Erika scraped her sore body off the mat. She knew he was right; her heart wasn’t in it today. They left the gym and hopped in the sergeants little electric go-cart. They were headed across town toward the garden and the refugee eating area. Erika thought maybe he was taking her to Vince to hash things out, but they passed it. Erika’s brow ferruled in confusion as Sergeant Bennett drove around the back of the metal building where the difficult refugees were screaming inside. The building of her nightmares. He pulled the cart to a halt in front of the door and got out.
“Come on.” Sergeant Bennett motioned for her to get out of the cart.
“What are we doing here? I don’t want to…”
“Get out of the vehicle now, Recruit!” He still did not tolerate any unwanted questions to his motives.
Erika slowly stepped off the rickety golf cart. Her feet hit the dirt in a cloud of dust. She stared at the cold, hard exterior of the metal building.
“Walk,” Sergeant Bennett commanded as he nudged her forward with his hand.
Her feet dragged in the powdery ground as they moved toward the door. It creaked open and revealed a very dark world inside.
“Go,” he ordered.
She entered the dark space and smelt the sickening smell of sweat, puke and human feces as her eyes rapidly tried to adjust to the limited light. It was hot and beads of sweat immediately began to form. The screams of people echoed off the walls intensifying the sickening feeling she was suddenly experiencing. The sounds and smells triggered memories of this place. Memories of being locked inside the box with a hood stifling the life out of her body. The memory of the voice of the man now leading her back into this prison.
“Come here,” the sergeant ordered, watching her react to the horrors of this place.
He led her down the hall of metal cells that burned red hot in the Las Vegas sun. He finally stopped in front of a cell and slid the little metal door open to reveal the person inside. Erika had to stand on her tippy toes to get a peek, and her hands burned as she touched the door to see who it was. She recognized the girl immediately. It was the same woman that Erika had seen with her father’s brains splattered on her face after Erika had shot him.
“Why is she here?” Erika asked.
“I’m gonna kill that bitch…you can’t stop me… I’ll find her and I’ll kill her!” the woman screamed after hearing Erika’s question.
“Oh,” Erika mumbled, looking down.
Sergeant Bennett slid the door shut and took Erika to a corner where there were some guards sitting in chairs.
“I got this for a while, guys.”
“Yes, sir,” the two privates replied, happy to have a break from the heat.
“Be back in 30, okay,” the sergeant ordered.
“Yes, sir,” they answered as they left down the hall.
When the men had gone, Erika asked, “Why did you bring me here? So I could feel bad about what I had to do?”
“Absolutely not!” the sergeant answered, amused by her assumption. “You know how I feel, if they are in our way they have to go. I would have done the same in your position and probably taken a few more with him.”
“Then why?”
“Because Erika, this is where it started…this is where I found a woman so full of fire that I thought we would never be able to control it, but then you calmed. Years later, when I had the opportunity to train you, I thought it would never work. You are stubborn and strong and opinionated. I thought you were a waste of my time but damn if you didn’t perform better than I expected, and somewhere along the way I came to respect and love you.”
“What?” Erika was a little weirded out, listening to him talk this way.
“Just shut up, okay! I don’t mean like that; I mean like a little sister or a friend, something I haven’t had for a long time. When I first met you, you had more fire than that woman in there who hates your guts. I thought we had to extinguish that flame, but now I am not so sure that was the best idea.” Sergeant Bennett was rambling.
Erika’s face bunched as the curiosity mounted in her mind. “What are you trying to say, sergeant?”
“I’m trying to say, I looked at your file with Mathew the other day. You are still slotted as a refugee. Your boy is still scheduled for the infertility procedure. I had to bring you here because there are no cameras here. They don’t want the outside world to know what goes on here, but I do and you do.”
“Are you serious? They are still going to fuck with Daniel after all I’ve done?” Erika was horrified but deep down she had assumed this all along.
“That’s why I had to tell you. I don’t know why, but I did, and I have something else to tell you.”
“What?”
“You have to get out of here. You have to take your family and run as far and fast as you can. You won’t be able to trust anyone out there, but you have to try anyway. You and your family are strong enough to make it. You will die if you stay here, and it will be a slow miserable process.” Sergeant Bennett laid it out flatly for her.
“As soon as I get the chance, we are anyway. We had already decided but now I know for sure,” Erika admitted to her mentor.
“Good.”
“Come with us Sergeant,” Erika pleaded.
“You know I can’t. I have my place here. I like it here and I don’t have a family to be concerned with anymore but you…you get out and set your family free.” The sergeant leaned over and gave her a big hug. It was something that he had never done before and, although strange, Erika was grateful that he had. She had grown to appreciate this man and all his hard edges more than he could ever know. He had pushed her to develop into a confident leader that could handle situations calmly and use the skills she had developed fearlessly.
“Thank you, sir,” were the only words she could muster.
When the privates returned, they left the building and were assaulted by the sunshine. It felt like a new dawn to Erika. She had left the world of darkness behind for the light, and soon she would do the same with her freedom.
CHAPTER 43
THE FAMILY CONTINUED with their business like everything was fine. One afternoon, Erika was home with Daniel. She was lost in thought as she stared across the table at him. He was deeply enthralled in his latest painting. His brush working lik
e a madman’s. His blond hair almost swiped at the paints as he leaned over his project on the table. He was painting the world with people of all colors and races holding hands around it. It reminded Erika of an Earth Day poster that would have been hung so proudly at any Earth Day celebration in any number of countries, back when there was an Earth Day.
She thought about her friends and the new extended family they had formed. She would have to leave it all behind. They still wouldn’t budge on their decisions, even when she told them she had confirmed that the children were still slotted for infertilization. They were sure they could get the decision altered before that day came. The disagreement constantly ate at Erika’s heart.
The door suddenly swung open and Vince strolled across the threshold. He was smiling from ear to ear.
“Dad!” Daniel shouted. The water from his glass cup splashed on the table as his brush was flung into it and his chair crashed on the floor as he tossed it out of the way.
“Hi, buddy!” Vince replied, as he swung the boy up into the air and hugged him firmly.
“Hey, baby,” Erika said curiously, wondering what this mood was all about.
“Hello,” he chirped out in a song as he leaned over with Daniel still in his arms and laid a big kiss on her lips.
“What’s up?” Erika questioned.
“What ya painting here, buddy?” Vince asked Daniel, avoiding Erika’s probing question.
“The world,” Daniel replied lightheartedly, “just as it should be.” There was a faraway look in his eyes.
“Right on, buddy,” Vince continued. He hadn’t really wanted to know. He just wanted to redirect Daniel’s attention away from himself. “Why don’t you sit back down here and finish it, while I talk to Momma,” he said, placing the small boy back in the readjusted chair.
“Sounds good to me. I’m just about done, anyhow,” Daniel agreed easily.
Erika took Vince’s hand that he offered her and they went over by the window where they could talk in lowered voices and Daniel could not hear them.
The Changing Earth Series (Book 2): Without Land Page 21
