Trent Reedy - Divided We Fall

I stood up without thinking and hit my head on the low ceiling in our bunker. “No, Mom. Listen to me. I’ve been on border duty for a long time now. If the Fed doesn’t have a camp somewhere, they are running patrols or scouting the border with drones. They would find you.”

“But—”

“It’s too dangerous for now, Mom. But these talks between the governor and the president seem like they’re going well. I’m sure you’ll be able to come home soon.”

“Oh, I hope you’re right, Danny.” She did not sound convinced.

Each time we talked, it seemed like it took longer to get her to calm down and stay where she was. As I sat up nights looking out into the darkness on the Washington border, I worried about Mom a lot.

One Thursday night, Sergeant Kemp was conducting our nightly nineteen hundred hours shift change team meeting. “Good news and bad news,” he said. “The good news is we’re going to get some leave time tomorrow. The bad news is it’s going to be really short. So they’re going to let each one of us go home for half of our shift. That’s six hours off, and that includes travel time. Do not be late getting back because you’ll be screwing over the next guy. You have one major order while you’re at home: Gather all your civilian cold-weather gear. Hats, gloves, snowmobile suits, long underwear, whatever you got. It seems the Idaho Central Issuing Facility doesn’t have close to enough gear for everyone. They have to outfit us and the ICC.”

“What? The civilians?” Luchen said.

“Get used to it,” said Specialist Sparrow. “I hear they’re thinking about arming the ICC and putting them through some training.”

“That’s bullshit!” Luchen shouted.

“Maybe,” Kemp said, “but that’s the way it goes. Wright, tomorrow you can go home starting at nineteen hundred. Be back shortly before zero one. I’ll take the worst shift off.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, like I wanted him to take the best leave time. Like it was no big deal.

Kemp laughed. “You’re a bad actor, Wright. Just shut up and take your shift before I change my mind.”

The next day when my time came, I drove back to town, telling Hank to call JoBell over and over. Every time the call went straight to voice mail. Where the hell was she? My plan had been to call her same as I had every few days, acting like I only wanted to talk, but this time I’d be calling to figure out where she was. Then I’d show up there and surprise her. So far my plan was falling apart.

“Hank, call Becca, and don’t ask me if I want to listen to any damned songs.”

“You got it, partner.”

“Danny?” Becca said. “Oh my gosh, how are you?” There was a lot of loud talking and laughter in the background. Was that music playing?

“Hey, Becca. What’s up? You at the game?”

“All the games have been canceled due to gas rationing. Danny, hang on, I can hardly hear you. Let me step outside.” A moment later the background noise died down. “We’re all at Cal’s. His dad has been making trucking runs for the ICC, picking up supplies from somewhere. He brought back, like, a pallet of beer for himself, and we didn’t think he’d miss a few cases. I wish you were here. I miss you. I mean, you know, we all miss you.”

“JoBell there and everything?”

“Um… Yeah.” There was sort of a long pause. “Should I put her on?”

“No, no.” Bingo. Found her. “I’ll call back later. My sergeant is yelling at me to go do something. I have to go.”

We said our goodbyes and tapped out. I cranked up the radio, switched off my mufflers so the Beast would be loud as hell, and drove on toward Cal’s. Although it was against uniform regulations, I even put on my cowboy hat. It was my night off and they had a party going and everything. The night was starting to look a lot better.

A short time later, I’d parked the Beast, sprinted across the gravel lot by Cal’s trailer home, and jumped up the wooden steps to his door. I could already hear the music thumping inside. Forget knocking. Nobody was going to hear it anyway. I rushed inside, threw the door closed behind me, and stopped when I saw JoBell.

She and TJ were sitting on the stairs that led up to the kitchen. TJ was leaning toward her, saying something real quiet-like so nobody else could hear. JoBell threw her head back laughing and playfully elbowed him.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me,” I said.

JoBell saw me and stood, her eyes wide in shock.

“Danny!” Becca jumped up from the faded plaid couch where she sat between Cal and Sweeney. Brad Robinson waved to me from the cracked vinyl recliner in the corner. Becca ran up and hugged me. I squeezed her once, but then gently pushed her away.

JoBell was right behind her. She kissed me quickly and then hugged me. “Danny, what are you doing here?”

“Yeah? Surprised? Didn’t expect to see me?”

Her smile faded. “Of course I didn’t expect you. I thought you were on duty.”

“Why is your comm shut off?”

“We made her keep it off so she wouldn’t be checking the news all night,” Sweeney said.

JoBell frowned. “Are you okay?”

I’d waited, like, a month to see my girlfriend again, and when I finally had a chance for a couple hours with her, I walk in to catch her with that jackwad TJ. “Why don’t you ask him?” I asked.

JoBell saw who I’d nodded at. “You mean…” She folded her arms. “Oh, come on. We were just talking.”

“Keeping your comm off so I can’t call you—”

She put her fists down by her sides. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was on twenty-four-hour standby in case the Guard happens to allow you a few minutes to use your comm!”

TJ stood up. “Hey, Wright. Seriously, it’s no big deal.”

“You can shut the hell up or I will beat your ass, TJ.” I took a step toward him. Even though we were still a good six feet apart, Brad and Cal were instantly on their feet between us.

JoBell stepped up and shoved both of the guys out of the way. “I think that uniform and all that macho weapons bullshit have gone to your head. Why don’t you calm down so you don’t ruin everybody’s good time? Have a beer.”

“I can’t drink. I’m only on a pass. I have to go back on duty.”

She threw her hands up and let them drop to slap on her thighs. “It’s always something. I told you not to enlist in the first place, to get out when the governor—”

“You know…” This was one of those times when I knew JoBell was half drunk and probably didn’t mean what she was saying, when I knew in my head I should just be quiet, but in my heart I was really pissed and I couldn’t stop my mouth. “You know,” I said, “I’m getting sick of you bashing on my service. I swore an oath, okay?”

“Words, Danny! Just words!”

“Come on, you two,” Sweeney said.

“Damn it, it’s more than words! I promised God I would do my duty.”

“So did the killers at Boise!” JoBell shouted.

“Whoa,” Brad said. Becca tried to take JoBell by the arm, but JoBell shook her off.

“That’s what it really comes down to, isn’t it?” I said. “You’ve acted all fine, but you still blame me for that! I told you—”

“No! I was talking about other soldiers at Boise, Danny! We’ve been over this! I’m not blaming—”

“— I fired by accident! One shot.”

“— you for any of this!”

Cal stepped up to me. I brought my fists up, ready to fight. He held his hands up, open palmed. “Come on, Danny. Calm down.”

“You know what?” I shouted. “Forget this. I don’t need this shit tonight. See you around!”

Throwing open the door, I took the steps two at a time and hurried across the lot toward the Beast.