Endure Series (Book 2): Enduring The Journey:

by Kinney, K. D.

  Tammy glanced back in the Suburban. Everyone was settled in their spot. “Umm, where are you going to sit?”

  “I’m going to stand on your fancy step here by your driver’s side door. I’ll hold your flashlight. That oldest girl of yours, Amy?”

  “Amanda,” she corrected him. “My name’s Amanda for the fourth time.”

  “Amanda has the other flashlight.” Dale was too distracted to apologize.

  Tammy nodded. “I need to lock up the house.” She darted back inside looking for things she might have forgotten and she suppressed the sadness over not knowing if she’d ever return. The place probably wouldn’t look the same if she ever got to come back. At least the safe room was secured. Not even Dale would know how to get in and there were plenty of things waiting for Ben if he did make it back.

  Tammy didn’t pause to say goodbye to all the memories. But she did grab a blanket she had forgotten and a couple of bottles of pain reliever she had left in the kitchen. She only hesitated for a moment at the door to the garage to take one last glance before she closed it. The ruined wood floor covered in red paint was all she needed to see to remind her that it was past time to go.

  “Come on, Tammy.” Dale practically escorted her to the Suburban.

  She closed her eyes tight when the engine started hoping no one was going to wake up and run outside to see what was going on or ask her where she was going. She pulled out of the driveway and waited for Dale to close the garage. Soon he was hanging onto her door shining a flashlight on the street as they navigated in the dark to retrieve the motorcycles.

  “I can’t believe how dark it is.” Tammy had a hard time seeing anything outside of where the light was shining. She had never been much of a morning person so the dense humidity in the air and the earthy smell of morning was not welcoming. Or maybe it was just the sleep deprivation that was putting her in a mood. She was not in the best frame of mind, that was for sure.

  “One good thing about waiting this long is that the military has cleared paths on most of the roads so their vehicles can get around. All the disabled cars are shoved to the side so as long as you stay in the center, you should have a clear path.” Dale shined the light on each side of the road to prove his point.

  “Are we going to see any patrols?” Tammy gripped the steering wheel.

  “Maybe. Brian is going to ride ahead and lead the way. If he’s not able to warn us in time, we just keep going like we are one of them. You should see some of the pieces of junk they are using for patrol. They aren’t all military issue and some are in really rough shape. The younger girls need to duck down in the back if we see any, though. Turn left here.”

  Tammy turned and forgot that she had to turn wider when the trailer went over the curb. “Oh, crap.”

  “Watch it. You don’t want to take out a tire.”

  “I know. I forgot how I need to drive when the trailer is hooked up. I can’t actually see it in the mirror with the tail lights snuffed out.”

  “That’s true. Sorry about that. We are almost there.”

  Tammy was leaning close to the steering wheel while they made their way to his friend’s house.

  “Good, Brian is ready.” Dale motioned the light where he wanted her to go.

  A man waved at them on the sidewalk when the light shined in his face. Dale handed Tammy her flashlight as he jumped off the sideboard. The two walked away and disappeared into the dark between the two houses. She heard the motorcycles rev up and one took off from the driveway and was already down the road before she could start Old Betsy.

  When Dale rolled his out, he motioned for her to follow Brian and so she did. Not all the roads were clear. When they made it to the main road, they had to shine flashlights all around the intersection before Tammy could figure where to maneuver her extra big and long vehicle out onto the road. Dale and Brian had to get off their motorcycles to push a pickup out of the way. Soon they were off again.

  The girls were quiet and only whispered to each other if they did talk. Amanda did her best to shine the light where Tammy needed it. Tammy was struggling with holding her flashlight as she drove. Sometimes she wanted two hands on the steering wheel as she tried not to clip any vehicles that she thought were in her way.

  “How long do we have to use these?” Amanda asked.

  “He didn’t say.” Her arm was tired already so it probably would have been nice to know.

  The journey through town was slow. Brian stayed in the lead. Tammy was happy to follow without having to worry about where she was headed. Dale kept to the left. Sometimes he would fall behind motioning for her to go ahead. They were not technically that far from where they needed to go to journey up into the mountains. On a normal day with heavy traffic and stoplights, it would have taken about fifteen or twenty minutes. But with how dark it was and navigating past all the abandoned cars, it slowed them down a lot.

  Dale’s friend had been scouting out the road ahead when he came back and waved at Tammy to stop and park.

  “Kill the engine and the lights,” Dale said as he came up to Amanda’s window riding his motorcycle on the sidewalk.

  Once she did, he motioned for all of them to duck down.

  “Mom, Buddy won’t get down,” Zoe said from the third-row backseat.

  “Give him a treat or some food. I don’t really care what you give him, just get him down so he can’t see out the window and bark.” She realized she should have rolled up the windows when it was too late. A pickup truck came around the corner. There was a flashlight beam shining on the cars and the houses. The Suburban shook a little when they all flattened out their bodies even more on the seats. Tammy could hear the dog in the back licking something while Zoe kept whispering to him. Zoe was far enough in the back that no one would be able to hear her but the people in the truck would probably see the rocking.

  The inside of the cab illuminated from the patrol’s flashlight as the truck slowly drove by. She couldn’t even hear her children breathe. She wondered if her back was flattened down enough when the light shined in the windows longer than she thought it should. She slowly stretched her body out and touched Amanda’s back lightly so her daughter would move a little to make more room for her.

  Amanda moved slightly and suddenly reached to grab something.

  “Don’t move,” Tammy muttered.

  “The flashlight fell, I caught it before it hit the ground.”

  “You shook the car. The flashlight wouldn’t have done that or made a sound when it hit the rug.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amanda whispered.

  She held her breath until the light was done panning the length of the Suburban.

  “You remember seeing this here earlier, Brent?” The truck was right beside them.

  Tammy bit her lip.

  “They moved everything out of the way. There’s no telling if they had to move stuff up the road because it was less crowded here. Let’s go. It’s been a real quiet night since they took care of all those stranded people in the parking lots.”

  “But this thing is parked normal with the trailer and everything. Haven’t most vehicles like this one been vandalized and looted already?”

  “Maybe it belongs to the people that live here. Or no one cares over here. Come on, our shift is over in a couple of hours. I’m more concerned about prowlers than vehicles that aren’t going anywhere. They said the worst activity is a couple of blocks south in that park and we haven’t patrolled there at all tonight.”

  The truck revved up as it shifted gears before it headed down the street.

  There was a tap on the side of the Suburban and they all jumped. Fortunately, Mae and Holly stifled their screams in their pillows.

  “Sorry. I was trying to let you know I was here.” Dale peered inside the window. “They had me worried for a minute there. I was prepared to take off on my motorcycle to distract them.”

  “I’m sure happy they decided to move along.” Tammy sat up and looked in her side mirror trying
to spot their taillights. They were moving along fast enough that she would be back on the road in no time.

  Dale pushed his motorcycle to the middle of the street. It was several minutes before he started it up and motioned for her to do the same. They were back on the road.

  Unfortunately, they had no warning when another vehicle came out from a side street. Brian was up ahead and Dale braked hard before disappearing between some cars.

  “Girls, duck.” Tammy debated on what they should do as she steered the Suburban slowly to the side until they were out of the way and stopped. The flashlights were conspicuous. Amanda turned hers off the moment she had seen their headlights. Tammy wasn’t as lucky, she had too many things to do at once. She pointed the light at the ground before she managed to turn hers off.

  She didn’t have time to duck down. A flashlight shined right in her face. “Cover-up back there,” Tammy whispered through clenched teeth and froze in her seat as the vehicle approached. She gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter. “Make sure all the weapons are out of sight.”

  “Hey, are you okay? You living in your car still?” a woman wearing standard military garb asked.

  “I’m fine, actually.” Her heart was not only pounding in her chest but also in her ears. Amanda was sitting stiff in her seat and she clutched the flashlight tight with both hands.

  “How old is your vehicle? Is it still running?”

  Tammy didn’t know how to answer. Blood rushed to her ears. She bit her lip and then the dog barked.

  “You got a pup back there? Hey, no worries. I don’t have a problem if there is and you’re trying to get to safety. I’m after looters and anyone who is breaking the law, if you have the means to get out of here, you go ahead. If you’re heading to the hills, though, you need to be careful.”

  Tammy drew in a deep breath. “We are trying to get to our home in the hills.” She didn’t want to say mountains in case that fact might change the woman’s tune.

  “Ah, well, I’m sure you’re going to have to pass through one of the roadblocks. They say they don’t want anyone leaving town because of the potential of the refugees getting themselves in a worse predicament out in the mountains. You break down outside of town, what you got with you is all there is.”

  “I figured as much.” Her hands were sweating on the steering wheel.

  “You look more prepared in this setup than most people in the city have been. I don’t blame you for leaving. The only roadblock I can help you get through is the one that’s a few miles up the road, right on the hill. I know one of the soldiers that’s on shift right now if that’s where you’re headed. You look for a woman with Mitchell on her shirt. Only tell her that McCabe said to let you pass. No one else. Just her. She owes me and she will let it happen. That is if you’re sure you’re prepared to deal with whatever you find out there. I’ll be honest with you, it can’t be any worse than what’s been going on around here.”

  “Yes, you speak the truth. I’ve been through a lot already.” Tammy nodded as she blinked back tears.

  “Yeah, I see the bruises. If I hadn’t seen that, I’d probably tell ya to turn around and go home. You go right on ahead. Safe travels.” Her radio started to blast static before a man started talking. She drove off.

  Tammy started the Suburban and worked on calming her nerves and her trembling hands.

  “She let us go.” Amanda started to laugh.

  “Don’t get so sure of yourself. We aren’t to the roadblock yet and it sounds like that Mitchell girl won’t be the only person there.” Tammy squinted trying to see if she could spot Dale. She heard his motorcycle start before she saw him. He pulled up beside her window.

  “I had a bit of a fall over there. It looks like it was probably a good thing. They spoke to you and let you go?” He brushed off his shoulder. “That will hurt me later I’m sure.”

  “Yes. She’s after looters. She also told us who to talk to at the roadblock so we can pass with no problem. But there’s only one person she wants us to talk to. That actually makes me nervous.”

  “She gave you a contact?” He smiled. “That’s good news. I’m sure that’s not going to apply to us on the motorcycles. Hmm, I think Brian and I should drive down the road a ways before heading off-road up into the hills and that way you can get past the roadblock on your own with the tip she gave you.” He nodded as he watched the road for a minute. There was nothing to see in the dark. “Get that thing started. We will be parting ways here soon. You’re almost on your way.” He held up his hand until she gave him a high five.

  She gave him one but she wasn’t feeling it.

  8

  Tammy

  Tammy’s nerves were on high alert after Dale and Brian headed off and left her a mile away from her next obstacle. The roadblock. After that, there would be no more city and no more help once Dale was done escorting them. Far too soon they would be fending for themselves in the mountains. Usually, that wasn’t a big deal. However, the unfamiliar tiny roads she was about to navigate where she’d never been before fueled the anxiety. She hoped they wouldn’t get hopelessly lost. She did have a good map and she hardcore studied the tiny windy roads so they should be fine. Losing GPS as a backup was probably the source of her fear. She had enough fuel in the gas cans that were strapped to the back of the Suburban. But the trip shouldn’t take that long. Running out of gas didn’t worry her. A hundred other things did.

  They came up on the roadblock which was basically two ancient matte brown jeeps parked on each side of the road. She had turned on her headlights right after Dale and Brian left so she could see things clearly and not surprise the guards as she drove up to the vehicles slowly. One jeep faced her. The other was turned as if it was ready to head up into the hills if necessary.

  When she pulled up between them, she didn’t see anyone. Not until she was right beside both drivers’ side doors. A man sat up, looking a little disoriented when he pointed a gun right at Amanda and Tammy’s heads.

  The girls screamed and the dog started barking. Tammy grabbed Amanda by the arm to pull her down to the seat right when a person popped up in the other jeep. There were two guns pointed at her.

  Tammy thought for sure she was going to have a heart attack with how badly her chest tightened from the scare. She let go of her daughter and held up her hands. “I’m a civilian with my five daughters in the car with me. Please, I beg you. Don’t shoot. I didn’t know anyone was in the jeeps. I was looking all over for someone to talk to.” She was talking so fast and she was afraid to move, fearful that they might still shoot her.

  Amanda raised her hands up in the air while staying low, keeping her head against the seat.

  “Girls, be quiet.” Tammy wanted to glance back at her daughters but didn’t want to alarm the armed serviceman.

  They stopped screaming and were all crying instead. Amanda was silent but was obviously scared to death.

  The one closest to Tammy lowered her gun. “What are you doing out here?” the woman demanded.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing out here?” The man was still pointing his gun at Tammy.

  She turned her head slowly to look at the woman trying not to lose it. She would keep it together. “Mitchell? Are you Mitchell?” She whispered and the woman shined a light in Tammy’s face.

  “Dude, can’t you tell it’s a mother with her daughters.” The woman looked past Tammy and shined her flashlight at the girls before shining it in her companion’s face. “You think you’re gonna be some kind of hero taking her out? What are you going to do with the girls then? You know the situation at the camps. Put your gun away.”

  Tammy was scared to death they were going to search her or the Suburban. She had to talk fast. “McCabe told me to talk to Mitchell. I need to talk to Mitchell.” She kept her voice low and knew she sounded desperate as she continued to hold her hands up.

  “I’m Mitchell.” She gave Tammy a look wanting her to wait before she spoke again. “Hey, Lew
is. Go see if anyone followed them up here.” He lowered his gun but looked as if he was going to give her grief. “Go take a walk behind this woman’s trailer and make sure there isn’t anyone else. There have been some persistent looters in the neighborhood down the hill. If they saw her, they could be heading this way.”

  He reluctantly got out of his jeep and did what he was told.

  “McCabe said…”

  “Shh, I know, I owe her. She hasn’t let me forget. At least you appear to be a worthy cause. Where are you headed?”

  “We are heading to our cabin. I have a map with our route clearly marked with me right here.” She patted the folded-up paper on her seat.

  “You know, once you pass through here, you’re on your own. No one is going to come looking for you if you breakdown or get lost. You’ll be stranded.”

  “I know. It’s not all that far. I’m prepared even if the worst happens.”

  “Yeah? All right. I’ve heard some horror stories so you’re lucky you have the means to get out. Good thing you woke him up. He was the one that was supposed to be on watch. I can hold that over his head to keep him quiet. He won’t say a word.” She motioned for Tammy to get ready to go as she climbed out of her jeep. Mitchell turned abruptly and came back. “Do you have any way to defend yourself?”

  Tammy hesitated until she realized Mitchell wasn’t going to take her guns. She moved the shoulder of her cardigan to show the strap of her holster.

  “Good. I’m assuming when you say you’re prepared that means you have plenty of provisions in that trailer as well? Water and food?” After Tammy nodded, Mitchell motioned for her to hurry up and get moving.

  Lewis yelled for her to stop.