by Bruno Miller
Ben was glad nobody was around. He didn’t have the energy or the patience to deal with any more trouble today.
“No need to slow down,” he reminded Joel, who seemed to be preoccupied with something out the side window. “Let’s get to the river.”
“Oh, sorry.” He accelerated quickly, and they sped through without seeing so much as a single person.
The bridge was only a few miles outside of town and was two lanes wide on each side. The river itself was unremarkable and looked more like a giant ditch. It sat a good 50 feet below the interstate, so the bridge stayed at the same height as the road where it crossed. It was about 100 yards across the greenish-brown water.
Ben watched the slow current carry a stick downstream as they crossed.
“It’s a little cleaner than the Mississippi. Maybe even fishable,” Joel noted.
“It’s worth a try,” Ben agreed.
Once across the small bridge, they entered an area that was divided up with orange construction barrels that reduced the eastbound lanes into one single lane that funneled onto the westbound side of the road. They were in the middle of repairing a section of road, by the looks of it, and there was a break in the guardrail.
“How about down there?” Ben pointed to an opening in the barrels that led off the side of the road and back toward the river.
“Okay.” Joel slowed down and made his way through the maze of construction barrels.
The grassy shoulder dropped off steeply toward the river, and they followed it down alongside the bridge until it reached the water’s edge.
There was a clearing under the bridge in the shade and out of sight from the road above. Ben decided this would be a good spot, as the surrounding forest was too thick to navigate with the Blazer.
From here, they’d have a better chance of hearing someone coming on the bridge overhead, and after their last experience, he wanted to keep an eye on things tonight.
“Here?” Joel asked.
“How about under the bridge, over there?” Ben nodded at a place between two concrete support columns. The truck fit between the bridge supports with room to spare on either side.
Joel moved the Blazer to the spot, put it in park, and shut it down. They all unloaded quickly and gravitated to the water’s edge to stretch their legs. Even though they had just been out of the truck not long ago, it somehow felt better this time.
Maybe it was the fact they all knew the driving was done for the day. Maybe it was the way the sunset was lighting up the evening sky. Whatever the reason, Ben felt the mood mimicked the relaxed rhythm of the lazy current. This would be a better spot than he had hoped to find tonight.
Gunner’s loud lapping of water interrupted the still of the evening. Never one to let an opportunity go to waste, he then waded into the water and swam in a short little circle a few yards off the riverbank before returning to shake off and roll in the grass.
“Look at that. Do you see it?” Joel pointed to a ripple on the surface of the water. “There’s another one.” He pointed farther upstream.
Fish were rising to a fresh hatch of mayflies. Ben hadn’t noticed the insects at first but now he could see them skating across the water by the hundreds in their death throes. Some type of fish was taking the opportunity to gorge itself on the spent mayflies as they gathered in groups on the surface.
Ben grinned at Joel. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Chapter Twenty
Joel ran back to the truck without saying a word and returned a few minutes later with his fly rod and a small box of flies. He carefully selected a fly out of the box and held it up. “What do you think?”
“Looks like a good match.” Ben noticed Joel had selected a dark-colored elk hair caddis. That’s what he would have gone for, too. It was a close match to the mayflies.
Joel stuffed the fly box into his pocket and tied on the caddis fly before he waded out into the water a few feet.
Ben and Allie stood on the bank, watching as Joel began to cast to the rising fish.
“Gunner, stay,” Allie said firmly, trying to keep Gunner from joining Joel.
The dog stood next to her, wagging his tail and whining as Joel waded farther out into the river.
“You’ll scare all the fish.” She held on to Gunner’s collar as he leaned toward the river.
It wasn’t long before Joel had a bite and brought the fish into his hand. He scooped it up by its mouth and unhooked the fly before turning to face Ben and Allie.
“It’s pretty big, but I have no idea what it is.” Joel grinned, holding the fish out for them to see.
“Maybe some type of carp. I really don’t know, either, but it is a nice size,” Ben said.
Allie laughed. “Well, don’t look at me.”
“Oh, wait,” Joel said. “I know what kind it is. The kind that will go nicely with beans and rice.” He laughed as he tucked his fly rod under his arm and pulled out his pocket knife. He quickly dispatched the fish using the knife and then threw it up onto the bank. “I’ll see if I can catch a couple more.”
When Gunner saw the fish land on the muddy bank, Allie could no longer control him and he broke free from her grasp.
“Hey, you!” Allie blurted out, but it was no use. Gunner was determined to investigate the new weird, slimy thing on the bank.
Ben snorted. “I guess that leaves me with fire duty. I’ll get it started.” He turned to walk back toward the truck.
“I’ll help you unpack,” Allie offered.
“Good,” Ben said. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”
“Oh, okay.” She joined him on his way to the truck.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I would like you and your dad to continue on with us to Maryland.”
“Really?” She smiled.
“I mean, you don’t have to, and I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but the city isn’t the place to be right now. I’m sure I can speak for Joel as well on this, and we just wouldn’t feel right leaving you there. We want you to stay with us, Allie.” Ben looked her in the eye.
Allie was all smiles and began to tear up as she ran to Ben and hugged him. “Thank you.”
They stood there for a few seconds before she let go and stepped back. “I don’t want to be a burden on you guys. I’m afraid my dad and I will just slow you down. I mean, my dad… Well, let’s just say he’s not like you and Joel and—”
Ben cut her off. “It’s okay. It’ll be fine. You can’t stay in Pittsburgh if it’s anything like what we’ve been seeing in the more populated areas.” He climbed up to the roof rack on the truck and handed Allie the sleeping bags and tents from the top cargo box.
“Do you think we’ll find my dad?” Allie bit her lip.
Ben handed her the last sleeping bag and closed the lid on the cargo box. He was stalling while he tried to think of something to say that didn’t sound like he was pandering to her, but he also didn’t want to sound too bleak. As he climbed down from the truck, he decided to tell her the truth. “I don’t know, Allie.”
She broke eye contact with him and glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back up and nodding. “I know.”
“I can promise you this. We’ll do our best to find your father. I give you my word on that. Now, let’s get this fire going.” Ben put his hand on Allie’s upper back as he moved past her and grabbed the shovel out of the back of the Blazer.
“I know you will. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Sure I do. I have a daughter, too, you know.” Ben smiled at Allie before he crouched down and started digging.
By the time Ben had the fire pit ready, Joel was walking up to the truck with a makeshift stringer of fish. The four large fish were still dripping wet as they hung from the small branch he had run through their gills.
“Here you go. All cleaned and ready to cook,” he said proudly.
“Great job, buddy. How about putting them on the tailgate for now whil
e I get this fire started?”
“Sure thing.”
“Wow, that was fast. Four fish already?” Allie asked.
“Well, you know, when you’re as good as me…” Joel joked as he sauntered over and began setting up his tent.
“By the way, it looks like you’re stuck with me after all,” Allie teased.
“What do you mean?” Joel asked.
Allie didn’t say anything, smiling as she unrolled her sleeping bag.
Joel turned to his dad. “What’s going on?”
“I asked Allie to join us the rest of the way to Maryland. And her dad, of course,” Ben added.
Joel smiled and looked back at Allie, then quickly put his head down and got busy setting up his tent.
Ben could tell he was trying not to let on how happy he was to hear the news.
When the kids were done getting their tents and gear squared away, Ben sent them to pick up firewood. He got his tent up in a couple of minutes and turned his attention to starting a pot of water on the little gas stove.
The kids returned shortly, each with a good-sized pile of wood in their arms. Gunner was out in front, carrying a stick of his own as they walked back into the campsite.
Ben shook his head. “I see Gunner is helping out tonight.”
“I don’t think he’s going to give that one up,” Joel said.
Joel and Allie unloaded their piles of wood and twigs by the fire pit while Gunner found a spot nearby and lay down. He immediately began to chew the bark off the stick while holding it between his paws.
Ben got a small fire going in no time and spread the fish out on a small round metal grill across the top of the pit. If they were carp or some other type of bony fish. Their best bet would be to pick the meat off after they were cooked and mix it in with the beans and rice.
The fish cooked rapidly over the open flame and were done in no time. The white flakey meat separated from the bone easily and nearly filled the pot of beans and rice the rest of the way to the top. He added in some dry seasoning from the bag of things Allie gathered from his kitchen and stirred it all together. That would help the flavor a bit.
Tired of eating out of the pouches that the dehydrated food came in, he grabbed a few plastic plates from the truck. He’d used these for times when he had all the kids and they went car camping back home. Using the plates now felt like an extravagant luxury and it was a nice change from eating out of a plastic bag.
“Oh, fancy tonight, huh?” Joel said as he and Allie returned from the river, where they were refilling water bottles.
“Yeah, I thought it would be a nice change. We’ll have to wash them, but I couldn’t deal with another dinner out of a bag. Besides, this looks pretty good. It would be shame not to enjoy it.” Ben held up a spoon full of the bean, rice, and fish mixture.
“It smells really good,” Allie said. She unrolled Gunner’s collapsible bowl and scooped a few handfuls of dry food into it. Gunner was already waiting at her feet as she worked.
He had abandoned the stick-chewing as soon as he’d seen the orange canvas bowl come out.
“Let’s eat.” Ben dished out three equal portions and passed out the plates. They dug in with fervor and there was silence around the little fire pit for several minutes.
Gunner finished what was in his bowl and patiently waited for leftovers. He sat near the fire, licking his lips and watching them intently. Ben and Joel finished theirs completely, but Allie had a few spoonfuls left over, which she gave to Gunner.
After dinner, they all chipped in and got things cleaned up down by the water. Ben and Joel headed back to the truck to give Allie some privacy. She wanted to freshen up and change her clothes.
“Come on, Gunner. Allie can’t get washed up with you stirring up the water,” Joel stated.
Gunner reluctantly exited the water, where he had been wading along the bank and stirring up the muddy bottom.
Allie nodded at Joel and mouthed the words “thank you” as he and Ben walked away. Gunner slowly followed a few feet behind them.
“Thanks,” Joel said softly.
“For what?” Ben asked.
“For letting Allie and her dad travel with us. I know it’s a lot to take on.”
“We’ll make it work. It might get a little tight, but we’ll move some things around.”
“What are we going to do when we get to Maryland? There’s going to be too many of us to fit in the Blazer.”
“I know. I thought about that. We’re going to have to figure something out. Maybe we’ll find another vehicle, or I was even thinking a small camper. The Blazer could tow one without too much trouble.”
Joel nodded. “Yeah, that could work. It’s not like we’re going super fast on the roads anyway. That’s a good idea.” He paused for a moment and had a look on his face like he was about to ask something, but he changed his mind.
“What?” Ben asked.
“What’s the plan when we get to Maryland? Do you think Mom will come back to Colorado with us? What if she doesn’t want to leave and won’t let Bradley or Emma come with us?”
“I’m thinking your mom will see things a little differently now, in light of what’s going on in the world.” Ben hoped she would, anyway. “We need to put our differences aside and focus on survival, and I’m hoping she agrees.”
Suddenly, a sharp scream shattered the quiet.
“HELP!”
Allie was in trouble.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Allie, we’re coming,” Joel yelled.
He and Ben took off running toward the river with Gunner way ahead of them. Ben could hear Gunner barking and growling before they got there. Then he heard a snarl he didn’t recognize as he pulled his Glock out and came down the riverbank.
He couldn’t believe what he saw in the light of Allie’s headlamp.
Gunner had his hackles up and locked in a standoff with what looked like a large gray wolf.
The wolf was several feet away and flashing its teeth with an intensity that sent chills up Ben’s spine. Allie was backed up against a large dead tree that stuck out into the water and cut off her escape route. The .38 pistol in her hand shook as she held it out in front of her.
Gunner had put himself directly between her and the wolf.
“It came up behind me!” Her voice trembled. Ben was glad she hadn’t taken a shot with Gunner in the way.
“Everybody stay calm! Gunner, heal up. Gunner, heal up now!” Ben’s commands went without so much as a look from the dog, and if anything, he doubled down on his intensity.
“Is…is that a wolf?” Joel muttered. “It’s way too big to be a coyote.”
“Yes, it is,” Ben answered.
The wolf was taller than Gunner by a few inches but much leaner. Its slender legs, designed for traveling great distances, led down to massive mud-encrusted paws. Ben couldn’t help but appreciate what a magnificent animal it was. The last thing he wanted to do was kill it, but this wouldn’t end well if he didn’t step in soon.
As he raised his pistol, the standoff escalated and the two animals began to circle one another. The distance between Gunner and the wolf quickly shrunk to just a couple feet. Ben didn’t have a clear shot without risking a ricocheted bullet at this range. He didn’t want to risk hitting Gunner or, worse, one of the kids.
Gunner refused to back off in spite of Ben and Joel’s repeated attempts to call him off. The tension continued to build until Gunner finally snapped and tore into the wolf with a fury that Ben had never seen the likes of before now.
“Gunner, no!” Joel yelled.
Allie screamed again as the two canines locked up in a whirlwind of hair and teeth. Ben could hear the snapping jaws as they struggled to latch on to each other. They rolled around, flinging dirt and pebbles in all directions and snarling in between attempted bites.
Ben felt helpless, and for the first time in a while, he wasn’t sure what to do. There was no way he could take a shot while they were going at eac
h other like this.
Then, out of nowhere, Joel came running down the bank with an unwieldy tree branch.
Ben hadn’t even noticed he was gone.
The branch was at least 10 feet long and looked heavy from the way he was running with it. The end of the branch had a few smaller limbs sticking off and some of them dragged on the ground as he ran.
Joel plunged the end of the branch into the mass of fur and chaos. The two beasts separated for the first time since the fight had started. But by the looks of it, they weren’t planning on staying that way.
The wolf backed off several feet and was beginning to circle around Gunner for another go. This gave Ben a small window of opportunity. He thought about firing a shot into the air in an attempt to scare the wolf away, but he felt that it would take more than that now that the wolf had drawn blood. Besides, he didn’t want to have to worry about it coming back later. Ben took the shot. At less than 10 yards away, the 9-mm round to the wolf’s vitals dropped it on the spot with little more than a yelp.
Joel and Allie ran to Gunner, who was still standing—but barely. The poor dog was teetering as he tried to maintain his balance on three legs. He held his right front leg slightly bent, just enough to take the weight off it.
“He’s bleeding,” Allie cried out.
Gunner slid to the ground slowly as Allie dropped down beside him. “Joel, get me that washcloth over there, but get it wet first,” she commanded.
Joel grabbed the washcloth from a rock where Allie had earlier set her things to wash up. He dunked it in the river and wrung it out before handing it to her.
Ben started for the truck. “Don’t let him move. I’ll get the first-aid kit.” He only made it a couple feet before stopping and spinning around to look at Joel. “Stay alert. There could be more.”
Joel nodded and pulled out his gun. “Got it.”
Allie had the washcloth wrapped around Gunner’s leg when Ben returned and was applying pressure to the wound. She had his big brown head in her lap and was rubbing his ear with her free hand. Joel was still standing over them with his gun drawn.