by Bruno Miller
He smiled back, hoping to reassure her, and turned to face the road again. He didn’t blame her for having doubts and knew she had to process this in her own way. So would Joel, for that matter. Ben knew he couldn’t hide all the bodies.
The loader was parked sideways across the bridge with its massive front bucket resting on top of the concrete lane divider. The old faded yellow four-wheel drive model had long ago lost its emblems. The paint was peeling off in several areas, revealing a rust-pitted finish underneath.
It was the worst-looking piece of equipment Ben had ever seen.
He grabbed the radio and started to get out of the truck before Joel had a chance to come to a complete stop. “Wait until I get it started before you take off.”
“I thought you wanted us to follow you?” Joel asked.
“No, that’s fine.” Ben hopped out of the truck. “I’m thinking you and Allie can go on up ahead and maybe make us some lunch, if you don’t mind. It’s going to take me a while to get there in that thing. And it’ll probably take at least half an hour to clear the roadblock. If we eat now, maybe we can push on a little longer this evening. Just keep your radio on.”
“Will do.”
Ben closed the truck door as Allie was climbing into the passenger’s seat. He walked toward the loader. The front bucket was equipped with larger-than-standard metal forks. They had welded additional metal to the fork ends to make each one about three feet longer than the original length. He figured they must have done this to make moving the cars around easier.
Ben climbed up the rusty, bent metal treads to the cab and opened the door. He was relieved to see the keys hanging in the ignition.
If the driver had kept the keys on him, they might have never found them after the blast. With the way this thing was parked, they would have been trapped all over again without a way to move it.
He sat down in the torn, duct-taped seat and felt it sink down on its struts as he turned the key to the halfway position. As soon as the glow plug indicator lit up, he turned the key the rest of the way. The big diesel engine roared to life and spewed a big puff of black smoke from the stack.
Ben looked at the Blazer and gave Joel a thumbs-up before he pulled the cab door shut. Joel finished the U-turn he’d started making when they first got there and headed toward the second bridge.
Ben cut the wheel hard to the left and put the loader in reverse. The front bucket scraped along the top of the concrete divider before he had a chance to lift it with the joystick.
“Oops,” he muttered. While he was lifting the bucket out of the way, the loader came to an abrupt stop as one of the rear tires made contact with a minivan that had been part of the roadblock. Ben grimaced and shook his head. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
He was rushing and he needed to slow down before he went any further. The weariness of the day was setting in.
Nice and easy, he thought. Bucket up, wheel turned.
The loader crept forward slowly as he feathered the gas pedal. The articulated steering was something he needed to get used to, but the controls were similar to the loader he had driven in the army, and before long, he had it straightened out and was heading down the road.
He pushed the gear selection lever by the steering column into the highway position and felt the lurch of the transmission as it shifted into a higher gear set.
No surprise that only a few of the gauges worked in the old loader, so Ben had no idea how fast he was going, but it felt painfully slow. He mashed the pedal down as far as it would go, trying to coax as much speed out of the old equipment as possible.
As the engine raced, he looked back and saw thick black smoke pouring out of the exhaust stack. He quickly backed off on the throttle, not wanting to push too hard.
Better to get there slow than not at all. The last thing he wanted to do was go to the quarry and get another loader. That might not even be an option, though. This was most likely the only working piece of heavy equipment they had. He’d seen newer equipment in the yard, but it was probably non-operable due to the EMP, just like most everything else.
The only working gauge seemed to be the temperature indicator, which was steadily rising. Ben backed off a little more on the gas pedal and anxiously glanced between the gauge and the road for a few minutes.
Eventually the little needle dropped out of the red zone on the gauge and stabilized at an acceptable engine temperature. Ben breathed a tepid sigh of relief.
He just needed this old rust bucket to hold together a little while longer.
Chapter Fourteen
By the time Ben reached the second bridge, Joel and Allie had the stove out and were boiling water. Joel had the Blazer parked off the road in the shade of some trees at the wood line.
Ben was glad to see they were on the opposite side of the road from where he’d hid the first body. Then he wondered if that was why they were parked on that side.
Joel had the AR set up on the hood of the truck and was throwing a stick for Gunner while Allie watched. They all paused and looked as Ben came around the bend in the loader. It had taken him more than 15 minutes to get there and he didn’t want to waste any more time. He headed right to the massive pile of cars and got to work.
He started at the top of the pile and worked his way down, only moving the cars far enough to make a narrow path the loader could fit through. The extended forks made it easy to get under the cars and move them around, and the process was taking less time than he thought. In spite of his concerns, the loader seemed to be holding up okay. He began to think he would drive it across the bridge ahead of the kids, just in case they encountered any more blockages.
“Hey, Dad. Lunch is ready. Over.”
Ben barely heard the radio over the growl of the engine as he revved it up, trying to maximize the RPMs and provide ample power to the hydraulics that worked the front bucket. The loader didn’t have the power to lift more than one car at a time, which made clearing the roadblock a tedious job. There were only a few cars left, though, and he wanted to finish before he dared shut the loader down.
“Go ahead and eat. I want to finish up here. Hey, listen, when you’re done, eating will you empty the spare fuel tanks into the truck? Over.”
“Okay, no problem. Over.”
That should buy them another hour of drive time in case they couldn’t find a suitable place to fill up right away.
Ben put the radio down and got back to work. He was hungry, but the last few cars on the bottom of the pile were crushed badly. It was taking all of his concentration to get the cars untangled from one another and move them from the road.
He finally got the last crumpled car balanced in the forks, and he drove through to the other side of the roadblock for the first time. Depositing the car to the side, he made a tight U-turn and drove back through the narrow clearing.
If the loader could get through, they should have no problem in the Blazer.
While he’d been moving the last few cars, he’d noticed the bridge was clear all the way to the other side. They wouldn’t need the loader after all, which was good news. He pulled off the road and onto the grass near the Blazer before he shut the loader down. Almost as an afterthought, he decided to take the keys to the loader with him.
You never know, he thought as he plucked them out of the ignition.
If there were any more quarry people left, he didn’t want to leave them with the ability to set this trap up again. And then there was the very real possibility they’d be coming back this way and it might come in handy.
He couldn’t see them staying in Maryland. Regardless of how much his ex fought him on it, he was going to insist they return to Colorado. He knew how to live off the land there, and he had a good setup at the house.
But no point in worrying about that yet. He’d have to cross that bridge when he got there, and for right now, he just wanted to get across this one.
He climbed down the steps from the cab and then jumped the last c
ouple feet to the ground, causing his whole body to ache and making him realize how sore he was.
Gunner trotted over and met him on his way to the Blazer. He gave the dog a pat on the head. Allie had a warm pouch of food and a fresh water bottle waiting for him on the tailgate of the truck.
“We refilled some of the bottles from the river,” she said.
“Good idea and thank you.” Ben sat down on the tailgate and took a moment before he started to eat.
“No problem. Just trying to save us some time.” Allie shrugged as she headed back to the front of the truck, where Joel was.
Ben took a breath. It felt good to sit still for a change. The shock absorbers under the loader seat were worn out, much like the loader itself. He’d felt every bump and jolt while he was moving the cars and he was glad to be finished. The vibrations from the diesel engine still lingered like a fading itch as he ate.
Ben quickly finished the rehydrated macaroni and cheese and cleaned up using some of the filtered water. He hadn’t realized how filthy he was until he used a little soap to wash his hands and face. It would be nice if they could stay somewhere near a fairly clean water source tonight. After the day he had, he’d like to clean himself up the rest of the way.
But water or no water, one thing was certain: wherever they stayed, they had to keep it simple and low key. He wasn’t taking any chances tonight, and the only thing he planned on doing, other than getting washed up a little more, was setting up his tent. He’d leave dinner up to the kids, if they made anything at all.
But to set up camp anywhere else, they had to get some driving time in first, and getting away from here was something he was very keen to do.
“Well, you guys ready?” Ben asked.
“Yep,” Allie chirped.
“Way ahead of you.” Joel was already packing up the AR. Allie and Gunner loaded into the truck while Joel stashed the gun in the back.
“How about you drive for a while?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, sure, no problem. We almost have a full tank since I added the fuel from the cans,” Joel answered.
“Excellent! We can get a few solid hours of driving in before we have to stop, then,” Ben said.
“Sounds good to me.” Allie nodded. “Let’s get out of here!”
Chapter Fifteen
Ben settled into his seat as Joel pulled out of their shady parking spot and onto the road. The pile of cars seemed so much taller now that he wasn’t sitting up high in the loader.
The cars he hadn’t moved were still stacked three high on both sides of the narrow passage and blocked out the sun as they passed by. Puddles of fluids lay everywhere on the ground, and they looked like a mixture of gas, antifreeze, and motor oil.
His doing, he knew. In his haste, he’d missed his aim with the long sharp forks on the loader and skewered more than a few of the cars as he moved them.
“Slow down a little. I don’t want this stuff splashing all over the truck,” Ben said.
“What is it?” Joel asked.
“Mostly fuel. A lot of the cars were leaking.” Ben watched as they passed the last of the roadblock.
Once out on the open bridge, Joel picked up speed and headed over the Mississippi River. The churning brown water moved swiftly below them. Ben watched the currents of the river as they swirled into miniature whirlpools and then faded away. He felt like he was in a trance and had to force himself to look up at the road.
They had to stay alert through here. The bridge ended in what looked like a pretty congested area on the map. They would have to go through a section of the downtown area before they could pick up a route south and get back to I-70. This was exactly the kind of place they were trying to avoid.
“When you get to the end of the bridge, take the first right onto 143. That follows the river south where it runs into 3. We want to take that back to I-70. It looks like the best way back to the interstate.”
“No problem. I can handle it, if you want to sleep or rest in the back,” Joel offered.
“I’m fine. I think we should still stop at the usual time today, even though we got a late start. There’s no reason to wear ourselves out and end up making a mistake.” Ben glanced out the window and enjoyed the breeze as it cooled him down.
At the end of the bridge, there was a small marina and a few industrial buildings. All seemed calm and there was nobody in sight.
A few minutes later, Joel made the right onto Route 143 and headed south along the river.
At this point, burned-down buildings and houses were a common sight. The vandalized and busted-up storefronts all began to seem like a normal part of the landscape. And this town was no different from anything else they’d seen so far.
Still, though, Ben was hoping that, closer to the middle of the country, they would find a few areas that hadn’t suffered the same fate as these other places—maybe a few small pockets of semi-normal society.
So far, there was no evidence that anything close to normal remained. Everything they had seen had all been about the same. Of course, areas of little or no population looked okay at first glance, but the houses were dark and the streets all had that ghost-town feel to them. You knew there were people watching, but nobody showed themselves. The occasional curtain would move or door crack open to watch them pass.
But for the most part, people seemed to be keeping to themselves. Based on their experience so far on this trip, that was probably for the best.
Eight days had passed since the EMPs detonated, and without supplies, people everywhere would really start to suffer.
The human body could go weeks without food if necessary, but water was another story. Within three to four days, the effects of dehydration would begin to set in. Not many people could last over a week without clean, drinkable water.
And the majority of the population—like Allie’s dad—lived in urban areas, where they needed electricity to access water. Ben tried to push that thought from his mind.
There had been no warning before the attacks, so there had been no time for anyone to stock up or prepare in any way. People would be left with what food and water they had on hand, and for the average household, it wouldn’t be enough to last very long. Ultimately, people would become desperate and attempt to drink water from any source they could find.
That would only compound their dilemma in the long run. They might be okay for a day or two at the most, but eventually, gastrointestinal illness of some sort would set in. Their bodies would be depleted of even more fluids, leaving them in worse shape than before they’d drunk the tainted water.
A myriad of diseases could be introduced to the human body through water-borne bacteria, and without medical care, they would be fatal.
Ben couldn’t help but wonder if that would be the largest killer in all this. How many people were weak and helpless already? How many lives would E. coli or some other bacterial illness claim? Those quiet, dark houses they passed quite possibly held people with failing organs and dehydrated bodies hanging on by a thread.
He could imagine them waiting for the mercy of death as the only means of release from their torment. There was no one coming to save them.
What a wretched world they lived in now, where survival was a daily challenge.
Joel steered the Blazer onto Route 3 and continued following the river south toward the interstate. The road hugged the contours of the winding river more closely now, and Ben soon found himself staring out the window as he caught glimpses of the muddy water through the trees.
Once again, the churning water lulled him into a trance, and his thoughts drifted to Emma and Bradley. His lids felt heavy as he wondered how they were making out and how his ex was taking care of them. He hoped they were at their grandfather’s and safe from the horrors of all this.
He tried to hang onto that thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Joel was glad to see his dad asleep. It had been a big day and he had gotten them out of yet anot
her jam. Joel knew it had taken its toll on him, and he’d noticed the look of exhaustion on his father’s face back at the bridge.
As usual, Joel wished he could have helped more, but at least he was able to drive, allowing his dad time to rest.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into any trouble and could get back onto the interstate soon. The road they were on was in decent shape, but lots of turns and blind corners made it tricky. Not knowing what was up ahead forced him to drive at a slower speed than what he wanted to.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, wishing Allie was up front with him, but he wasn’t about to wake his dad up so they could switch places. With any luck, his dad would sleep until they had to stop for gas.
Joel couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about pushing to go duck hunting last night. He wasn’t convinced it had caused their situation this morning, but he wasn’t sure it hadn’t, either.
His dad said he thought they’d closed the bridge off behind them as soon as they’d crossed over it yesterday, so Joel wasn’t sure why he felt somewhat responsible, but he did.
They were lucky they hadn’t been found last night while they were sleeping. Joel didn’t want to think about what those guys would have done to them.
A road sign up ahead listed a few destinations and their distances in mileage. Ten more miles to go until they reached the interstate.
Joel checked on Allie in the rearview mirror again. She was still quietly looking out the window. Occasionally she would divert her attention away from the passing landscape just long enough to appease Gunner with a few seconds of attention. She was clearly in deep thought, and Joel wasn’t sure if he should say anything or not.
After a few more minutes, his desire to talk to her won out and he couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Are you okay?”
A few seconds passed before Allie answered. “Yeah, I’m…um… I just can’t really believe this is all real sometimes. I mean, I know it’s real, but I guess I just don’t want to accept it. Do you know what I mean?” Allie brushed her hair out of her face as she looked up at the rearview mirror.