"Children, I never thought about having children. I guess I was always so focused on helping the family that it was the last thing on my mind." Abby took a deep sigh, looking forward past the man who was guiding the horse towards the southern gate where a mass of people was gathered.
The man pulled up to the gate, stopping next to 12 other carriages.
Abby jumped out as she heard Monica's voice in the distance. Running up with Luna, they gave her a firm salute.
"Join us," Monica shouted, lifting her hand. "Now that everybody is here, this is our mission. The southern garrison is in swift decline, as indicated by a recent scout who conveyed a message to Lieutenant Colonel Rayfield. We will be using guerrilla tactics to pick off the opposition throughout the southern part of the country. This mission is going to be extremely dangerous and will require us to constantly be on guard. Many other carriages will be used as decoys as we travel upon the grasslands. This will be the liberation of Flora as we know it. If all goes well, we're supposed to rendezvous with the middle garrison from the town of St. Lina to push back the opposing forces from the South."
"Monica!" Abby spoke up, looking sincerely at her squad leader. "Are we the last squad to leave?"
Monica put her hands together. "We are not the last ones to leave, but the rest of the squads are having trouble finding extra ammunition so they're going to be delayed a bit. Everyone, I have great news as well. I was able to get some of the magi crystal ammunition. It is only to be used in life-or-death situations."
"How many rounds do we have?" Marcus inquired taking one of the tooth picks out of his pocket and putting it towards the edge of his mouth.
Monica looks towards Rosemary, giving her a cheerful smile.
"So Cody and I have been put on inventory duty." Rosemary pulled out a piece of paper on a clipboard. "Each individual will have 20 rounds of magic crystal bullets. My recommendation is that you put one magi crystal bullet in every one of your clips. In doing so, you will be prepared for any sort of engagement."
"We have no idea what we're going to see," Cody added. "Honestly, I need a beer right now. My nerves are all over the place. If you need the extra ammunition just let us know and we'll make sure we're squared away. Please don't go grab ammunition on your own without letting us know, it'll mess up our count especially with how bad a supply lines are right now."
Rebecca piped up. "If anyone is needing spiritual healing and guidance throughout our journey, feel free just to pull me aside. I'm more than willing to pray with you all doing our journey. Also, I'm here to kill with you too because my homeland is being invaded. Please know everyone, that I'm true to Flora and our country. Let it be known as we go to war."
Monica nodded, glancing around at her squad. "Let's go take back our homeland!" Monica jumped up on a horse, giving them a stern look. "Let's go everyone!"
The Tuesday morning grasslands lay tranquil and subdued beneath the bronze-hued sky. The resounding echoes of carriages thundered through the stillness, filling the landscape with a rhythmic resonance.
Abby put up her horse beside Luna who was leaning forward, her glasses slightly foggy. "You doing okay over there?" she bellowed.
"You think they would have us ride in the carriages. What do I know, I'm not in charge of operations." Luna put one hand holding the rope to the horse's mane as she wiped her glasses with her shirt. "I hope that we're not too late to have any effectiveness at all."
"Monica seemed sure of herself and our ability to get there in time to make a difference. Plus, we're bringing up the rear garrison for the southern sector." Abby sat up straight as the horse drifted into a light trot to the rear of the caravan.
"It's very quiet back here," Luna squeaked as her eyes shifted to gander around the tall, brown grass shifting about like wheat.
"I agree with you," Marcus says as he lifted up his eyes to meet the two women behind him.
"What are you doing back there, Marcus? And why don't you want to ride a horse?" Abby's eyes widened as she let go of a smirk, trying to ascertain Marcus's wit.
"Monica never said you had to ride a horse," the dark-skinned man responded. "I'm all about working smarter, not harder. We're going to fight a war and I want to have all the energy possible to blow every single one of those fuckers to the great beyond." Marcus's hand in the air made a swishing sound as he clocked it hard on the wooden carriage. "I'm going to make the sky rain blood," he says as he shook his face vigorously, laughing loudly at the two women.
"You should only kill to protect," Abby states. She put up her index finger, waving it back and forth. "With a mindset like that you're going to be the next one killed. Don't get overzealous."
"Don't you worry about me, comrade. I'm not looking at getting the valor and honor, but I do want to at least take out as many of those fools was possible because my cousins live nearby, by the train station down there. I'm worried about them." Marcus shifted his feet to the bottom of the carriages. He leaned forward. "If any harm comes to them I'm going to do way worse than anyone can imagine."
Abby nodded, giving up the notion of swinging Marcus away from his blood-soaked opinions. Family often skews choices and perception of reality.
Luna gripped both handles on the horse's rope. She looks up at Marcus, her eyes glistening. "I think you should follow your heart. If something makes you feel a certain way, you should act on it no matter what. I lived in fear my whole life and I'm now just starting to realize what it means to be free and have a mind of my own."
Marcus leaned forward, pulling out another toothpick and spitting out the other behind the carriage moving steadily across the dirt road. "Probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me in my life." He ran his hand through his Afro, took out his finger, and blew a kiss to Luna. Marcus turned around and laid in the back of the sandbag-littered carriage, putting his feet slightly over the end of it.
"What a flirt," Luna says quietly. Blushing, she put her hand on her cheek. "I've never had a guy do that to me."
"Marcus is a womanizer, just like Cody. Who knows. Maybe underneath all of that rough exterior is a gentleman with class. I guess time will tell," Abby says, winking at Luna who was still blushing, cheeks a scarlet red.
Boom!