The Burning Wheel. 3

I watched her leave every morning from my fire escape. I get up earlier than everyone just to watch the night melt into the day. I loved to see that first glare of light on the sea. I loved to just sit and listen to nothing. Sometimes on certain days in certain moments, I think that I hear people screaming…far off in the distance. It woke me one night….only it was not really night as the sun was breaking over the clouds. It was at this time; 4:59 that I noticed her leave. And by her I mean Carmen.

Never mind the screams I think I hear. Never mind the wonderful feel of those first rays of light. Never mind the water or the fact that the inhibiters all around the complex or compound, never mind that they keep whatever breeze I think I might feel-never mind that I don’t feel or smell anything. What I should note, what I should mind is how every morning at 4:59 am PST Carmen was up dressed impeccably in her uniform. All black, flak jacket, red glasses (for the solar flares?) extra clips of ammo in her belt, knife strapped to her boots, 9mm handguns on her hips, and an unknown assault rifle slung over her shoulder.

 Every morning like clock work. Try as much as I did I could never catch her walking her dog. I tried but I slept thru the alarm each time. It was something about the dying twilight that I was always up and ready for. At any rate, every morning I caught that glimpse of her. The patrol always on time. Never even a millisecond late. That angry brute Tasha always in the drivers’ seat and the two other rotating blank faced men always in the back.  

Three weeks of this.

 I ran into her sometimes on her patrols of the city. I had taken to wandering around getting to know everyone. I don’t know why I did that other than maybe I was lonely and bored and I didn’t want to admit it. Either way without really realizing I was doing it….I was following her patrol. First it was the Water Treatment Plant, then on to the Farmer’s Market, to the Exchange, to Bette Porter’s house. I never went into most of these places as they where off limits but I knew she was there. It was not a big place New San Diego. After a while everyone was everywhere they were supposed to be.