Joel Adrian - A Shattered Future

The vehicle was a large, black SUV with tinted windows. Emersyn climbed into the backseat, and Bravon took the one directly in front of her. The driver was an aging man in his 50’s wearing a suit and a pair of large black sunglasses.

“All set?” the driver asked.

“Yes,” Bravon replied, pulling his door shut. “Let’s get to Fort Ashen.”

Fort Ashen? She didn’t know much about the army, but Fort Ashen was in Georgia. So not only was she going out of town, she was crossing state lines and heading south. She’d never even left the state of Ohio before.

Emersyn tried to quell her straining breaths. Her entire world had been flipped upside down, her mind was working overtime trying to process what had happened so far, and what was still to come.

She saw Bravon eye her in the mirror. “Ms. Berg, you don’t look so great.” He reached into the glove box and pulled a small bottle out. Turning to her, he offered a pill he’d produced.

She grabbed it, and he also offered a bottle of water, which she gladly took as well. “W-whats—”

“It’s not going to hurt you,” he interrupted. “It’s a relaxation pill. Put you to sleep for the drive. Relieve some of that tension.”

Her anxiety was pounding knots into her stomach, and she decided to take Bravon at his word. She shoved the small, white pill into her mouth and downed a gulp of water. She screwed the cap back on and let the bottle slide onto the seat next to her, turning and looking out the window.

Dusk had fully set in as they departed Blackwood Ave. Only the orange-yellow light tugging at the edges of the horizon bled through the cracks in the buildings. Bravon and the driver were silent as they transitioned from street to street, eventually merging onto the highway.

She could feel the pill hit her quickly. Her eyelids struggled to stay open. The will to ask Bravon the questions forming in her cloudy mind drained itself. She leaned her head against the window and watched. Her world dissolved, and seconds later she was out.

Waking up was difficult. She groaned and leaned back, her eyes struggling to open and take in the light. The smell of bacon and eggs filled her nostrils and helped nudge her awake. Her stomach roared, she hadn’t eaten since last night.

Emersyn groggily glanced around. She was still in the SUV, Bravon was there, the driver was there, and she was being transported to a military base. Damn , she thought. Her fear and anxiety wasted no time, churning butterflies in her stomach.

Bravon turned around and held up a crinkled white bag. “You slept all night. We stopped for breakfast, got you a sandwich.”

She snatched the bag, glancing out the window. They were on a long stretch of highway, no twists or turns in sight. The sun was peeking over the horizon, giving dawn to a new day.

Her hand fished the sandwich out of the bag and freed it from the wrapper. She took two large bites, eager to devour her breakfast.

“Easy there,” Bravon said, something resembling a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. “No rush.”

She finished her sandwich, staring at the cars they passed. She still wasn’t sure what they wanted with her. She was a good citizen, worked, never broke the law or hurt anyone. The way Bravon spoke made her feel like she was a most-wanted suspect or a terrorist. Emersyn searched the depths of her mind, going all the way back to her childhood, trying to recall any reason the government or army would want anything to do with her. Nothing came to her.

Emersyn realized she didn’t know much about her father’s life. He’d left her and her mother when she was 5, and only called occasionally. The two talked once or twice a year now, but even then it felt forced. Maybe he was wrapped up in something that caused this.

She crinkled the wrapper of the sandwich back up in her hands and tossed it into the bag. “So, when do I get to know… anything?”

“Soon. But you’re going to have to sign a whole bunch of forms, make sure you realize how serious this is.” Bravon picked up his cell phone and touched one of the icons on the screen.

Emersyn felt her heart drop. Were they going to lock her away in some camp or prison? He’d said serious, that had to indicate she’d done something wrong, didn’t it? “Can you at least tell me… am I in trouble? Did I break a law?”

Bravon eyed her in the mirror, exhaling. “I can’t tell you anything. Just be patient.”

She leaned back, defeated. That was the furthest she’d pressed anyone in a long time, and it took being forced from her home and put into a car with a Sergeant to do it. She might have laughed at herself if she didn’t feel so afraid.

Her cell phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket and opened the notification panel. It read: “1 New Text From: Ollie.”

Swiping the notification, she opened the text and read it over. It said: “Why the hell did u leave? What are u talking about? Plz call me.”

Emersyn bit her lip. She couldn’t place a call, not now. But she also knew she’d likely be less permitted to call from Fort Ashen. She’d be surprised if they didn’t confiscate her phone. Bravon probably didn’t realize she still had it.

She texted Ollie a quick message telling him she’d contact him as soon as possible but it was a matter of security and tucked her phone back into her pocket.

The trip was wearing long on her. She was anxious, restless, and needed to get some air. Her leg was pumping a thousand miles an hour. She ran a hand through her hair. Never took that bath , she remembered.

Tell me we’ll be there soon .

The rest of the car ride was quiet and long. She’d resorted to draining the rest of her cell phone battery playing a muted game, and when it was near-dead she turned it off to preserve 10% in case she needed to contact someone.

After a few more hours, they finally came upon the base. A sign out front welcomed them to Fort Ashen. Inside, there was a massive sprawl of military buildings, and in the distance, she heard guns being fired. Soldiers followed their drill instructor in a jog next to the side of the road. Others were in a spot doing push-ups, and another group was running through a large, expansive obstacle course.

This is the real deal , she thought.

Emersyn didn’t know much about the military or have much interest in it, but she recalled Ricky Garfield from High School had enlisted and often posted on social media about the army. That had been 10 years ago, but she saw his personality change, even in his online persona. He lost his immature sense of humor and became a much more serious, focused person. He’d served 8 years, then transitioned to a recruiter role.

She glanced around at all the young recruits, their hair cut short and their faces trying to hide the intimidation. She knew she would never survive inside a world like this: being broken down by a drill instructor, shouted at, insulted. She’d end up going mad.

The SUV pulled up to a small office and stopped. Outside, two soldiers were talking. The door to the office opened and a portly older man with gray hair stepped out. He was dressed in a suit one size too small and carried a briefcase in his hand. He stepped down the two steps on the deck and seemed to be out of breath.

“Wait here,” Bravon said as he stepped out of the SUV, closing the door behind him.

Emersyn watched with full attention. The Sergeant walked over to the man in the suit, and the two talked back and forth for a moment. Bravon turned and walked back to the SUV.

Her heart rate tripled as he opened her door. He motioned for her to step out.

She turned and grabbed her bag with a shaking hand, trying to ground herself and suppress her anxiety.