The Saving Grace

Chapter 5

Holly hugged her sister tighter as the soldiers around her were called to board the bus behind them. It was time for her to go. She had taken the leap, and had joined up with the army to become a field medic. The recruiters had thought her a good candidate with her knowledge of anatomy and surgical procedures. I may have also helped in her favor that one of them was at the dance almost a month ago and had witnessed the spectacle that was the mayor thanking her for saving his nephew's life. So now she was on her way to basic training at River-fort. There were many other men, and even a few women boarding the bus to go with her. Holly had to pull away from her older sister before she missed the bus. She turned and pounced on her grandfather, giving him a strong hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was time for her to board the bus. Others shuffled in behind her as she climbed the steps that led inside the metal hull of the vehicle. The ruckus of the other soldiers already on the the contraption echoed throughout.

Holly chose a seat by the window. A bang startled her before she had even settled in. It was her grandfather. She opened the window to see what he had to say. "Take this. Your sister wants you to have it. Good luck." With that, Obadiah stepped back from the bus as the engine roared to life. She looked down to see what the old man had shoved in her hands. It was her sister's old, worn out bible. Between the pages was a photograph of the four of them. It hadn't been long since it was taken, maybe four months at the most, she couldn't remember. On the backside were notes. One for Beyah, and one for Obadiah.

Hold this close to your heart. We will always be with you

- Beyah

Trust your gut, kid. I'm proud of you

- Grandpa

It took a lot of strength from her not to cry. Damn those two, she thought as she tucked the photo back between the pages of the bible. She stuffed the old book into her sack of belongings before getting immersed in a conversation with some of her fellow soldiers.

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The barrack was bustling as Holly made her way up the steps and inside. This was the bunk house she had been assigned to, and she wasn't really sure what to make of everyone on first impression. It seemed that she was the only female in this company. There were men everywhere. Some were huddled around a couple of beds, some had cards in their hands, others had some dirty magazines or were talking to each other. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Well, they weren't at least.

Walking further into the bunkhouse, Holly quickly averted her gaze as she came upon a man, fully naked, doing pull ups on the rafters. She heard him laugh and whistle for her attention as she scurried by. Then there were the two men playing chicken by throwing a knife at their feet. She simply raised a brow at them and continued looking for a bed to toss her bag down on. It didn't go unnoticed that they were watching her as she searched. It made her jittery being the center of their attention.

"Hey sweetheart, looking for an empty bed?" asked a man with olive skin, slicked back black hair, and dark eyes. He was about the same height as her. His skin reminded her of some of the native Nakal she had met growing up. Holly nodded to him. He motioned to the bed beside him. "Here's and empty one. The name's Wallace Patenski." He stretched his hand out for a shake.

Holly took his hand in hers as she tossed he sack down on the bed. "Holly Kershaw. Nice to meet you," she greeted, letting go of his hand. To keep her from looking around, Holly busied herself with unpacking the few things she had brought with her. It wasn't much, just a few personal things, and the bible her sister had given her with the pictures of her, their brother, and their grandfather. Honestly, she was surprised she was allowed to bring things from home. It never struck her that they couldn't.

"Oh, a good read," said another man as he picked up the little, worn book that she had just tossed down on the thin mattress. He held it up and looked at her. "You know who else likes to read? Lucky, over there." Holly looked over to the third man, who was holding a magazine in his hand, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. "What uh... what is that you're reading?"

Lucky held up the magazine. It had a picture of a pinup woman in a provocative position on the front. Holly rolled her eyes and snatched her bible back from the second man. "It's a good read," Lucky said with a shrug of his shoulders. He smiled as he looked back down at his magazine, seemingly happy to have gotten on her nerves already.

"Hey, don't listen to them sweetheart. That's Morgan Hampton, and Richard 'Lucky' Ford. They're idiots." Holly let out a small giggle as she looked up at Wallace. He sure was friendly, and it made her feel better. She had never been good with unfamiliar people. She felt too tense, like she had to make the best impression on them

"Yeah, and he's a bigger one, Princess." Holly looked behind her at the stark naked man still doing pull ups on a rafter beam, trying to ignore his bare lower half as she raised a brow at him and stared him in the eyes. He sent her a wink, trying his best to flirt. She was plain out unimpressed by now.

"Says the man flaunting his birthday suit in mosquito weather," the young woman retorted with a scoff. It was then that she realized most of the guys had been paying attention to the banter she was having. Most laughed or snickered at her sassy comment. One even said that she would "fit along nicely" with the bunch. The naked man dropped to the floor, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

"Clint Redmond. But you can call me Hollywood," he said with another wink as he turned to try and show off his muscles. Holly would admit that he was easy on the eyes, but she would not say that he was attractive to her. Especially that cocky attitude.

"Uh-huh, Holly," she reiterated, wanting to turn her back and continue talking with the first three men she had met. They seemed to be better conversation anyways. They had a type of humor to them, although crude, it still made her want to laugh.

"More like Holy, because baby that body-"

"That's enough Hollywood," another cut in this one had short red hair and bright blue eyes. He was a looker, too. But he was also playing chicken with a knife to the foot. Not sure if he was ballsy or just plain stupid.

"Why? You wanna try to take a shot at her too?" Oh great. This is not what she expected when she joined the military. She did not come to be fought over, but to be fought beside of. She was going to train to be a medic for God's sake.

"That's enough, both of you. This is the military, not a matchmaking service. Don't look at me like I'm a potential lay, but as your damn comrades, balls fer brains," Holly drawled out, glaring at both of them as coldly as she could. Then she turned back to Wallace, Morgan, and Lucky. Most of the barracks were snickering as Hollywood was still checking her out. She honestly did feel flattered though. It wasn't like she got a lot of male attention back home anyways.

"Quick wit, I like it," Wallace said, sending her a wink as he straightened out his bed. It wasn't a flirty wink, but one that just seemed natural for him to do. Finally having been left alone by many of the flirts in the outfit, Holly was finally able to relax. She flopped back on the bed, stretched out and happy. You wouldn't think it, but bus rides are terribly tiring, plus her tailbone hurt from the uncomfortable seats. At least she had a small time to rest.