by Dave Bowman
Trina joined her momentarily, and the two of them pushed the heavy truck along the dusty road as the sun dipped lower in the sky.
They maneuvered it to a stop among a stand of pine trees, where it was out of sight from the main highway. Trina bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
“I thought you were a fitness fanatic,” Jessa said.
Trina stuck out her tongue, and Jessa smiled. They looked around at the empty landscape – no buildings, cars, or signs of humans as far as the eye could see. A vulture circled overhead.
Trina watched the bird. “It’s almost like that buzzard is waiting for us to die.” She shivered.
Jessa looked away, rifling through the truck to keep herself busy. She cursed herself for not bringing any camping gear. She hadn’t expected to find herself in this situation, though. She had expected to make it to Chris’s cabin in only one day. Still though, she should have known to be prepared for the unexpected.
She supposed it didn’t matter all that much anyway. It was better to sleep in the truck rather than be caught off-guard in a tent. This way, they could leave in a hurry if they needed to.
The road had thrown some unforeseen challenges her way. Nick had warned her that the journey could be dangerous. But so far, she had done a pretty good job of taking care of herself and even Trina as well, despite the setback they were currently facing. She just had to stay alert and be ready for anything. They were near their destination, but now they had to look for gas. What would have been a simple task just two weeks ago had become a dangerous mission.
Jessa studied the rough map Chris had given her as they ate the food she had taken from the truck stop. Meanwhile, Trina lamented having to leave behind all her belongings, knowing she’d never be able to return to her home with the gangs patrolling the area.
“My kids’ art projects, their little birthday cards they made for me, our wedding pictures – oh, all the pictures! Just gone!”
Jessa nodded sympathetically. She had at least been able to take a few possessions from her own home with her – a few sentimental items – that waited her return back in New Mexico.
“And these are all the clothes I have. Just some torn up leggings and a shirt.”
“We’ll get you some new clothes,” Jessa said. “And you can borrow my jacket for tonight.”
“Thanks,” Trina said, stealing a glance at the beat-up canvas jacket Jessa had thrown over the side wall of the truck bed. It was a far cry from Trina’s comfy fleece jackets or cotton sweaters at home, but she didn’t say anything.
“We’ll have to walk along the highway tomorrow,” Jessa said between bites of canned fish, changing the subject.
“Are you crazy?” Trina said. “Not with those murderers roaming around.”
“We need to find gas, Trina. I don’t think we’re going to find any down this gravel road. We have enough food for a day or two, and our water is running out.”
Jessa looked nervously at the dwindling water supply. She hadn’t counted on another person to eat and drink on this journey. And in the truck stop, she hadn’t had the time to load up on supplies like she had wanted. All she had was what fit into her small backpack.
Trina looked at the two water bottles, her eyebrows knitting together. “We can drink the juice from this can of peaches tonight. I won’t have any more water until tomorrow.”
Jessa forced a small smile. She was so thirsty, she had to restrain herself from guzzling one of the bottles right then. “Thanks, but we need to find some water and gas soon. Or that vulture and his friends are going to have a feast.”
“So, we’ll leave at daybreak tomorrow?”
“Yep. Chris’s cabin is a few miles south of Idaho Springs. I figure we’re about thirty-five miles from it. We’ll set out walking in that direction, and hopefully we’ll come across something.”
“So if worse comes to worst, we can just walk to Chris’s cabin, right?” Trina asked hopefully. “He’ll have water and food and a vehicle, right?”
Jessa took a small sip of the light syrup the peaches were packed in, careful not to spill any of the precious liquid. “Yes, but that’s a long way to walk. We really need at least a gallon of water each to do that in this dry heat.”
Trina leaned back against the truck. “As long as those damned gang members don’t get us, we’ll be fine.”
Jessa raised her eyebrows. “You’re optimistic.”
Trina smiled. “Those guys had me captive, and I escaped. I think I can survive almost anything now.” Her features were barely visible in the low light of dusk, but Jessa could see her eyes crinkle. “Don’t worry, we’ll find something.”
19
Matt was relieved when Bethany said she wanted to drive.
“No offense, but your driving could use some work. All the stopping and starting isn’t good for my nausea,” she complained.
Matt surrendered the truck keys without issue. He made a note to study the way Bethany drove. He needed to learn some better driving techniques.
They set out much later than he wanted. Matt had woken up shortly after dawn and packed up his things. He kept expecting Bethany to wake up, but she slept well into the morning. Then, they ate a leisurely breakfast.
Now they were setting out on the road while the sun was high overhead. It was still another 550 miles to their destination, and he worried they wouldn’t make it in one day.
“What if we don’t make it to the lodge today?” Matt asked nervously as Bethany maneuvered the truck onto the highway. There were abandoned cars all along the road through this stretch of highway.
“We’ll just keep driving tomorrow then, silly,” Bethany said, smiling.
“But I mean, what will we do tonight? Where will we sleep?”
“Oh, we’ll just look for some house to stay in. Everywhere you look there are empty houses. That part’s easy,” Bethany said with a wave of her hand.
“I don’t know,” Matt said uneasily. “What if we run into some bad guys?”
“We’ll be careful. Don’t worry. Let’s just hope for the best, and if the worst happens – do you know how to shoot the shotgun?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Matt said. “I mean, I’m not the best aim, I guess.”
Bethany bit her lip. “Everything will be okay.”
The miles flew by with Bethany driving. She went much faster than Matt’s pace the days before. In a couple of hours, they were in Lubbock, where they stopped for gas. The first home they looked in was well-stocked with food, and they enjoyed a hearty lunch before continuing west.
Soon they were crossing into the desert landscape of eastern New Mexico. Bethany grew tired, and Matt took over the driving. She gave him some pointers, and he started to feel a little more comfortable driving at higher speeds.
The miles passed by one after the other, with little change in the land around them. Everything was dry and brown, a dramatic difference from the Piney Woods where Matt grew up. Out here the population had always been scarce, and it was easy to forget the virus had killed off 96 percent of the world. In this bleak country, it almost looked like man had never set foot here. Matt looked forward to arriving in the mountains and the greener, forested areas found at higher altitudes.
By dusk, they had climbed into the mountains. At this elevation, everything looked different. Bethany had dozed off, and Matt gently shook her shoulder to wake her.
“Are we there yet?” Bethany asked groggily.
“No, but we’re getting close. It’s about another hour or two, I think,” Matt said uncertainly.
“It’s pretty out here,” Bethany said, looking at the scenery.
“Hey, would you mind driving? It’s different driving up and down these hills,” Matt said.
“Why don’t we stop for the night?” Bethany suggested. “Look, that sign says we’re just a few miles away from Juniper Pass. Let’s look for some house to sleep in. I don’t like driving on these winding roads either, especially not at night
.”
Matt didn’t especially like the idea of staying the night when they were so close to the lodge, but he was anxious driving up and down the mountain roads. When they pulled into the resort town, it was dark. As much as he wanted to arrive at the lodge quickly, he figured it would be best to play it safe and stop for the night.
They drove through the town and settled on a sprawling brick home without cars parked in front.
It did not look lived in and appeared to be a vacation home. Bethany waddled inside, and Matt followed.
They swept their flashlights across the empty great room of the house. After checking all the rooms, they verified the house was empty. No dead bodies to contend with – the owners must have died in their house in the city.
Bethany found some candles in a drawer, and the flickering light made the place seem a little cozier.
“I need to lie down for a bit,” she said, stretching out on the giant sofa.
“No problem,” Matt said. “I’ll see what food there is to eat.”
The pantry was not well-stocked. There wasn’t much more than some bags of rice and dry beans. Matt felt ravenous now, so he didn’t want to wait to cook something time intensive.
“There’s not much to eat in here. I’ll go out to the truck and get some things,” he said.
With his shotgun slung over his shoulder, he walked back to the truck and began to dig through the boxes he had packed. A box of macaroni and cheese along with some dehydrated milk, and some trail mix to eat while the macaroni cooked – perfect.
Just as he was fishing the packages out of the boxes, a car pulled up out of nowhere. Somehow he had missed the sound of the engine, and now it was too late to hide. They had already seen him.
He slung his shotgun around, grasping it in his hands. As the car pulled up to the curb and parked, he began to shake from fear. Who were they? And why are they stopping?
Two men opened their car doors and stepped out. The driver bellowed out in his deep voice, “Good evening! Welcome to our fine community.”
“I – I don’t want any trouble,” Matt stuttered.
“Oh, we don’t either,” the man said. He studied Matt and looked in the house behind him. “Are you all alone?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Well, I don’t see anyone else inside that house,” the man said. He took a few steps closer. “If there was anybody with you, wouldn’t they be coming out right now to see who just drove up?”
Matt swallowed. He prayed Bethany stayed inside where they couldn’t see her. He didn’t want these men to hurt her. He raised the gun and pressed the butt firmly against his shoulder. “What do you want?”
The man whistled. “No need to get uppity. Ain’t that right, Smith?” He asked, turning back to look at his partner, who had walked around to the front of the car and was leaning against it.
“No need at all,” he said, fixing Matt with an icy stare.
The driver smiled at Matt. “You see, this is our town. You might say we’re the owners of the place. We keep things organized here, and we like to keep track of who comes and goes.”
“You can’t own this whole town,” Matt said.
“We beg to differ,” the deep voice said. “This is our home, see. This whole town. And it’s fine if you want to stay the night. Sleep, eat, enjoy the comforts of a fine home. The best Juniper Pass has to offer. And then, in the morning, you can be on your merry way.”
The skinny guy spit on the ground. “Kind of like a hotel.”
“Yeah, that’s right, kind of like a hotel. And just like a hotel room, you have to pay to stay here.” The man grinned and took a few steps closer.
Matt was trembling, but he didn’t want them to see that. “Stay right there!” he yelled.
The man threw his hands up, still smiling. "If you want to stay the night, the price isn't too bad. It's just that little shotgun there."
Matt squinted. "You're not getting my gun. We’ll leave. We'll go somewhere else. But you're not getting my shotgun."
"Did I say it's the price for spending the night?" The man threw his head back and laughed. "Silly me! It's the price for passing through. If you want to leave here alive, you'll have to hand that over."
The man began to step closer and closer. Matt switched the safety off. "I'm warning you," he said.
But his voice was weak. He didn't want to shoot the man. Please, please, just stay back, he thought.
The sound of the front door being thrown open behind Matt made the driver look up. Matt saw fear flash in his dark eyes.
"Get the hell away from him!" Bethany yelled.
The driver showed his hands again and backed away.
"Sorry ma'am," he said good-naturedly. "I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to have a good look-see at this nice shotgun here."
Bethany walked up to stand beside Matt. Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw that Bethany was holding an AR-15 rifle.
“Back up!” she ordered.
The man obediently backed away a few steps. "I was just telling your, uh, friend here that we’re the welcoming committee of Juniper Pass. It's a fine community, and you're welcome to stay the night and enjoy everything this town has to offer. Since you two are both equipped with a firearm, I thought you might be interested in a friendly trade."
"He tried to take my gun away from me," Matt muttered under his breath to Bethany. “He didn’t try to trade with me.”
The driver didn't hear that comment, and he continued babbling on. "I see your condition, ma'am, and I thought you might be interested in some pharmaceuticals. You know, just some things to help with nausea. And some painkillers for when the blessed event comes."
"I don't want any of your drugs. Now get out of here!" She motioned for them to leave with her head.
"What about you, son? I've got a little something that will help you grow big and tall."
Bethany's eyes became fiery. "You're not getting our guns!" she roared.
Matt cringed. He didn’t know she could yell like that.
"Okay, okay," the man said as he returned to his car. "But if you change your minds, we’ll be around."
The driver got back in his seat. The steely-eyed man stared at them a moment more, then winked before getting in on the passenger side.
The driver started the car, slowly pulled away, and drove off into the night.
Matt closed his eyes, catching his breath.
He lowered his gun, then turned to stare at Bethany in disbelief. "Where did you get that?"
"It was hidden under the couch, if you can believe it," Bethany said, lowering it carefully. "I nearly tripped on it when I stood up to come out here and see what was happening. When I heard that car drive up, I panicked."
"You did really well," Matt said. “Do you know how to shoot that?"
Bethany shook her head. "No, but I guess I did a pretty good job pretending I know, right?" She beamed proudly. "I watch a lot of gangster movies."
"Maybe tomorrow you can practice shooting at the lodge," Matt said.
Bethany nodded, holding the gun carefully in her hands and looking at it.
"I won't be able to sleep a wink with those two guys prowling around," she said.
"Me neither," Matt agreed. "Should we take our chances with the mountain roads?"
"I'd say so. But first, I want to search that house for some warm clothes. It's chilly up here."
Matt stayed to keep watch with his shotgun on the front porch while Bethany looked around inside the home. Ten minutes later, she walked out with an armload of winter coats.
"I've got a bunch more things piled up by the door there," she said, "if you'll help me load them up. I'm going to go pack up the rice and beans from the pantry, too."
Matt took the things to the truck, which was already packed nearly full. He stacked the new items up in the back seat.
They quickly returned to the truck, Bethany behind the wheel. Matt nervously looked around as they drove through the small town. They
didn’t see the sedan, and they felt relieved to be leaving Juniper Pass.
20
Jessa had been gone for too long.
Nick, Charlie, Liz, and Mia sat around the kitchen table. They had just finished a lunch featuring the fresh food given to Nick by the families at Los Gatos. The fresh vegetables and oven bread had transported them all to a time not that long ago when they ate fresh food all the time.
They were lost in nostalgia for a few moments, then one by one their gazes fell upon the empty barstool where Jessa had usually sat.
“It’s so quiet in here without Jessa,” Mia said, breaking the silence.
“It’s too bad she missed all this great food,” Liz said.
Charlie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she would’ve loved it.”
“She said she’d be gone for only two days,” Mia said. “Shouldn’t she be back by now?”
Silence hung in the air. Mia had finally spoken what was on all their minds.
“What if something happened to her? Maybe she got lost,” Mia said warily.
“Jessa worked in the wilderness for a living,” Nick said, leaning on his elbows with his hands clasped. “If she ever got lost, I doubt she’d stay that way for long.”
“But maybe she’s hurt. Or what if she ran into some bad people out there?” Mia said, her lips trembling. “Like those three guys who tried to come in here.”
“If anyone is stupid enough to try to mess with Jessa, they’ll figure out their mistake fast enough,” Charlie said with a half smile.
Nick didn’t respond. He knew Jessa was strong and capable, but she could only do so much. There were so many things that could go wrong – she could be outnumbered, taken by surprise – he had to stop his mind from wandering to all the dark possibilities.
“I’m worried about her too,” Liz said, straining to move her injured leg as she shifted in her seat. “She said she would be back by now.”