Chapter 56: Nimo’s arrival.
Engines rumbled like distant thunder, armored personnel carriers lined with patchwork steel carrying one thousand soldiers and three hundred civilians traveled up the lonely small path, heading to what was promised to be safety.
Lieutenant Nimo rode at the front; boots planted beside her canine partner Dash. Her fingers were dancing in the rain, which was bouncing inside, annoying Dash that was trying to get some rest after a six-hour drive.
"Less than five minutes out." a comms officer that was controlling the drone that was flying above the convoy reported.
Nimo replied, "Keep going, no deviation. Keep the civilians calm because this is not a government sanctioned base. If anyone tries something stupid, they will be left behind and they can seek help elsewhere."
Her words traveled through walkies-talkies and into the ears of the civilians. Their nervousness increased. Mothers and fathers hugged their children tighter. Elders kept their eyes on the supplies they had managed to bring along, whatever had not been looted or stolen when they were making their way to join the others at the meeting point before the journey begun.
The convoy moved in deliberate cadence: troop carriers up front, supply vehicles in the center, civilian trucks followed, and more troop carriers cocooned in the rear.
Such a sight of mass migrations was no longer new in many parts of the country and the world.
Inside Hauler 12, Staff sergeant, Erica Warrow sat among her squad, eyes fixed on the rear monitor that showed families following them. They were squeezed into trucks like refugees being transported to a camp after losing their homes. Children were covered in blankets; some were clutching their dolls and others were crying or sleeping.
Erica wondered how many times she had seen such scenes in war torn countries. She never though that someday, in her homeland, she would have to pack up her children in such a manner, leaving behind nearly everything they owned.