Sunrise: Wrath & Righteousness: Episode Ten Read Free

parking ramp. The major in the passenger’s seat turned and spoke over his shoulder. “Just about there, Mrs. Brighton.”
    She nodded but didn’t answer.
    “Have you got everything?” he asked her for the second time.
    She nodded again.
    Ammon shifted in the seat and looked ahead. “The aircraft is waiting for you.”
    Sara followed his eyes. The military jet was blue, white and had no markings other than a small USAF emblem and U.S. flag on the tail. Her personal ride to Raven Rock. A fresh surge of adrenaline rushed through her and she took a deep breath to keep her heart from racing.
    She turned to her sons and whispered so the men in the front seat couldn’t hear. “I had a dream,” she told them.
    They looked at her. Something in her voice told them it was important, and they waited for her to go on.
    “A young man came to me. He was bright and beautiful.”
    Ammon cocked his head, his eyes solemn, his face expectant. “Who was it, Mom?”
    She looked away and thought for a moment before she turned back. Her two sons waited. A reverent feeling filled the car.
    “I don’t know, I don’t remember. It’s right there, so close, sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t quite remember. If I just had time to think about it . . . .”
    The major turned around again. “This is it,” he announced. The van was slowing down. “They radioed ahead and the flight crew is waiting for you.”
    The vehicle came to a stop and a waiting guard slid the side door open. “Mrs. Brighton,” he said as he extended a hand to help her out.
    She glanced anxiously toward her sons. The door at the rear of the van was opening as well, and another guard was standing there.
    There wasn’t time to think about the dream now. It would have to wait.
    She shrugged, and stepped out of the van and into the light of the bright sun reflecting off of twenty acres of white cement.
    Her sons came around the van to talk to her. There were a lot of men around so Ammon pulled them all aside.
    “You don’t have to do this, Mom,” he said again.
    She patted his arm reassuringly. “I know that, son.”
    “You could come back to the hangar.”
    She cut him off. “I know about my options.” Stepping toward her sons, she pulled them close. “It’s going to be OK,” she said.
    Ammon’s face was hard. He wasn’t certain. Luke’s cheeks were wet with tears. He bent down and held on to his mother—he was six inches taller than she was now—and kept his face buried in her shoulder. Ammon watched his brother’s forehead turning red.
    They held each other until Luke pulled away. A cold wind blew across the empty tarmac and a spatter of dry leaves danced around their feet. Ammon started to say something, hesitated, then glanced at Luke. Luke acknowledged his darting eyes and nodded back. Ammon took a breath as if steeling himself, looked up and down the runway, then turned back to his mother. “Mom, Luke and I’ve been talking.”
    Sara cocked her head. The introduction was familiar. It was common for them to stand together when they had some news to bear.
    Ammon glanced again at Luke. “You’re going, Mom. Sam’s already gone. We feel useless here. Useless and alone. There’s nothing for us here. Fact is, we’ve been pretty much useless since this whole thing started. We’ve been baggage, someone you had to worry about, that’s about all.”
    “No, Ammon, that’s not true.” She shot a terrified look at Luke then turned back to Ammon. “Don’t think that. It’s not true. Think of all the good you’ve done.”
    “We could argue it, Mom, but we don’t have time and we don’t want to anyway. But what I said is true. We haven’t contributed anything; we’re just a couple of young guys who’ve been along for the ride. We feel compelled to do something useful now.”
    “What, what are you saying?”
    The two young men didn’t dare look at her until Luke finally shrugged his shoulders. “Mom, we just want to