Season Two: Episode Eight (Death March)
Riding on the med-bus was quiet, except for the slight jostling. Everyone was anxious to get to Charleston, growing tired and impatient. There were rumors that the 2nd Mass wasn't going to make it there. She chose to ignore the rumors. Ericka sat in the back, trying to sleep. It was really late and the sky was black, no moon or stars out to light their way to Charleston. The only light came from inside the bus or headlights from another car or truck. There was a long way to go before they got there. Matt walked to the back of the bus, sitting down on the other side of the cushioned bench beside Ericka. Her feet were curled up behind her so she wasn't taking up the entire seat. She sighed, offering a sleepy grin. "Hey Mattie…" she trailed off.
"Do you miss him?" questioned Matt. Ericka was fully awake now. He suddenly looked so small and innocent. She knew that he felt alone since Ben left. There weren't many kids in the 2nd Mass, let alone kids Matt's age. Ben always hung out with him whenever he had they chance and Matt was going to miss that. The bus pulled to a slow stop just as she was going to respond. Ericka sat up and went to see why they were stopping. Minutes later, Tector ran up carrying a harnessed girl. The harness was gray and didn't have the same kind of glow like the others. Anne checked over her, trying to see what was wrong. When they decided to keep the girl with them on the bus, she asked to ride with Captain Weaver and Tector. They hesitated at first, but agreed. She left all of her stuff on the bus, except for her jacket. She didn't feel like being around the girl. Maybe it was the fact that she still missed Ben and seeing her harnessed just reminded her of him.
…
She sat in the middle of Captain Weaver and Tector. Dan was questioning him on his military background. Tector hadn't seemed like a soldier to her, but then again she didn't really know him. Ericka decided to keep her mouth shut and let them talk; this conversation wasn't one she wanted to get into. It wasn't any of her business. When they finished, she spoke up. "My dad was in the army. I didn't know what he was, but he was gone a lot and he seemed so important to everyone."
Both of them casually glanced at her. There was a distant look in her eyes as she watched the road ahead. She was trying to remember details about her dad. How he walked so precise or how he talked so formal. Ericka pulled the sleeves further down on her jacket. "He was constantly stationed in Iraq. Whenever he did come home, he never talked about what happened over there. My brothers, mom, and I knew it was…bad, but we never asked. One time, I got curious. I asked him why he was in the military. He said, 'because I'm good at what I do.'" she finished. All they heard was the humming of the engine and the wind whipping at the vehicle. She didn't know why she told either of them that. Something urged her to divulge another part of her past to someone else. Ericka didn't know Tector all-too-well, but he seemed like a nice guy. "How'd he die?" Tector asked, keeping his eyes trained on the road. He figured that something must have happened over seas to her dad, but he was wrong. Even Captain Weaver was curious. He didn't know her father was in the military. Had he died in battle?
"A Skitter attacked the house, killed my two brothers, my mom, and severely injured my dad. He killed the thing, but when I got there I watched him die." she answered. That day, her stubbornness and anger saved her life. If she had been at the house, she might not be here today. She should've been emotionally scarred after witnessing what she had, but she wasn't. Seeing her family dead only made her stronger, it gave her something else to fight for besides a future. Ericka found herself wondering about his family. Did he have some tragic backstory like most of the people there? Truth be told, her dad was her inspiration to become a soldier for the 2nd Mass. She often told him (when he was still alive) that he was her hero. Her dad was brave to fight for his country, to leave his family for a bigger cause. In a way, that's what Ben did. He left his entire life with the 2nd Mass behind to help with the Skitter Rebellion. The rest of the ride remained quiet. Neither Tector, nor Captain Weaver knew what to say to her. Somewhere along the way, she had fallen asleep.
…
Ericka decided to ride in the med-bus with Tom and Matt. After she found out what happened with the girl, she figured that he could use someone to talk to. They played tic-tac-toe for a while, then talked about what they would find in Charleston. Soon, he began to grow tired. Matt lay down to rest his eyes and eventually drifted off. A smirk played on her face. He looked happy asleep, peaceful. He was smiling (despite everything that had recently happened), snuggled up on the seat. Placing a spare blanket over him when he shivered, Ericka sat back and watched him sleep. She thought about Ben, wondering where he was or if he was ok. Would she ever see him again? He promised her that they would, but it didn't seem possible. She just had to trust him to keep his promise to her. Ben said he loved her, if that was true, he would be back.
…
Ericka, along with many others, almost cried when they reached Charleston. All their hopes and dreams had been shattered seeing the destroyed city. What was next for them? Where would they go? In the past weeks, Charleston had been a dream that everyone was desperately striving to reach. Now that dream was out of their reach and crushed. Were they fools to believe in the fantasy?
Just after Captain Weaver's speech, Colonel Porter emerged from the woods. He explained that nothing was as it appeared to be, that the city was real. It was real, she thought, smiling happily. After everything they went through to get here, they finally made it. It almost didn't seem possible as Hal pulled them into a group hug, but it was. They got back in their vehicles and made their way to Charleston. On the med-bus, she sat beside Tom.
"I want to thank you. You didn't have to do what you've done for me." Ericka said to him. He gave her a grin. "When are you going to stop saying thank you?" he questioned with a light-hearted laugh. She chuckled and shook her head. "Never." she replied. Though he promised her dad, Tom didn't have to look after her. He and Rebecca didn't have to treat her like a part of their family, but they did. She would always be grateful for that.
They talked about her relationship with Ben, then his relationship with Anne. Neither of them told the other everything, but it felt nice just to talk with each other. It was different to talk about something other than Skitters or anything to do with the aliens. So many things had changed since the day that turned everyone's world upside down. Ericka sometimes felt that she should be thanking the aliens. If they hadn't flipped their universe, she might have not met some of the people she knew today. Or even not have the same type of relationship with the people she already knew; like Ben. They were friends before, but it wasn't until after the invasion that she realized how much she really liked him. Though if it was fate for her to fall in love with Ben, then it would've happened with or without an alien war. Before the past events, she always thought of the Masons as family. They even spent holidays together occasionally. Almost every Christmas Eve either the Prestons would go over to the Masons or vice versa. It was a tradition that started a long time ago, before her youngest brother was even born. Though the friendship started with Rebecca and Evelyn (Ericka's mom). The two women became fast friends practically from the moment they met, which was when the Preston's moved in. Ericka was two at the time and Chris was six. Eventually, they two women started inviting the other family over for dinner or a movie or some kind of get-together. Tom and Mark (Ericka's dad) weren't best friends like their wives, but they admired and respected one another. Then there were the kids; there wasn't that big of an age gap between their children either. Chris was only a year older than Hal, Ericka and Ben were the same age, and Aaron was two years older than Matt. Maybe that was why they always got along with the Masons. Or maybe it was because both families weren't that different.