A Second Chance

An Understanding

Gabriel was thankful they had finally arrived at their destination. He was getting real tired of the lousy men he was hauling. He grumbled under his breath as he heard one of the cadets give yet another lame joke.

The young confident voice started off again, quieting the chuckling of the others, "Alright fellas here's another one, so one bright and early morning a Sergeant stood before a squad of twenty and said, 'I have a nice and easy job for the laziest man here. Put up your hand if you are in fact the laziest!'" he spoke officially. "Nine-teen men raised their hands, the Sergeant then addressed the other soldier, 'Why didn't you raise your hand, cadet?' He replied, 'Too much trouble raising the hand, Sarge!'"

The rest of the crew chuckled, one of them hollering out, "Sounds like Reggie!"

"Shut your mouth, Will!"

Grumbling in irritation, Gabriel noticed the line of army trucks ahead of him begin to slow to a stop. Smiling inwardly to himself, he purposefully slammed on the brakes causing the large vehicle to lurch forward, which no doubt jarred the guys as he could hear their angry cursing in the back. Grinning like the cheshire cat, Gabriel sat smugly in his seat, happy to have a bit of fun with the boys before things got serious.

Just then he watched the Staff Sergeant walk in the middle of the road, stopping at each transport, no doubt passing orders, before patting the side of the truck, giving the driver the signal to move along. When he finally reached his vehicle, Gabriel turned the truck off and leaned his head out the window.

"Brown?" the man asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"Yes, sir," he replied, with all seriousness.

"I want you to take this troop up towards the resort and barricade the road with your vehicle," his arms motioned exaggeratedly, as if he was guiding an airplane for takeoff. "Question whoever leaves," he continued, "if this wasn't a natural disaster, then this was staged. The more we know the better prepared we'll be. Understand, soldier?!" The well-built Staff Sergeant exuberated respect which only fortified his command.

"Yes, Staff Sergeant," Gabriel answered firmly.

"Good," lifting his taut arm, he passed him some papers, "you'll need these then."

Gabriel looked it over and nodded, placing them on a clipboard in the adjacent seat next to him.

"I've assigned these troops to help assist you if you receive any... resistance. That will be all," the Staff Sergeant then patted the side of the truck with his hand before moving on.

Starting the truck up, Gabriel sighed deeply in frustration. He didn't understand how this couldn't be an earthquake, but the last thing he was going to do was question their Colonel's authority. They would just have to wait and see.

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Shivering, Rae found herself bounding up the steps to the back door, hasty to get inside the warm, toasty house. She cupped her hands to her mouth, blowing hot air to warm her frozen, pink fingertips. It had taken her far too long to get back here, and she blamed it on the lowering temperatures. Had her muscles not been so stiff from the cold, she would have not lost so much time.

Quickly making her way towards her room, Rae decided that packing her bags before disturbing the big guy, was the best scenario. She would like to make a speedy exit in case the lizard crab man decided to act out. "Not that he can get very far," she muttered.

Dropping her backpack beside the bed, Rae ran to the pristine wardrobe. After opening up its many drawers, she successfully stuffed all of her multicolored clothing into a single duffel bag. She then ran to the bathroom to obtain her toothbrush and toiletries. Over a period of time, Rae had come to learn that packing light was better than going overboard. She had less to carry, less to worry about, and less time needed to put everything together. Every time she did leave home, she always made sure to include non-perishable rations and enough water to last her a few days. All in all, it gave her a bit of an advantage in case she had to leave early due to unexpected events.