by Mark Goodwin
Courtney pointed to the remaining AT-4 in the bed of the truck. “What about this? Think we could use it to eliminate that electrical substation by the pump house? It’ll take them that much longer to get Dragon back online if they have to bring in a load of transformers in addition to a new pump facility.”
“Let’s do it for Kevin.” Sarah dried her eyes and smiled.
“For Kevin.” Everett nodded and closed the tailgate.
They all loaded into the truck and drove up to the substation. Once there, they exited the vehicle. Everett took the AT-4 out of the bed and offered it to Sarah. “Would you like to do the honors?”
She gave a slight smile and took the tube. She aimed it at the center of the substation and launched the missile.
BOOM! Transformers exploded into a shower of sparks and dazzling blue flames.
Sarah tossed the spent tube to the ground. “We better get out of here.”
Everett made his way back to the driver’s seat. “Yeah, I’d say we’ve officially worn out our welcome.”
Everett started the engine and began to drive away.
“Wait!” Courtney exclaimed from the passenger’s seat.
Everett took his foot off the accelerator. “What is it?”
“Those two cars in the lot. I bet they’re the engineers’ cars.”
Everett looked over to see a Volvo wagon and a Subaru Outback. “Let me guess. You want to get their gas.”
“Every gallon we get is about 20 miles we don’t have to bike in the middle of winter.” Courtney released her seat belt.
Everett tightened his jaw. “I’m worried that a security force is going to show up any minute.”
“Ten gallons of gas could shave four days off our trip home.” Courtney’s hand was already on the door handle.
Everett drove up to the side of the two vehicles and put the truck in park. “We’ve got to move fast.”
All three of them exited the vehicle.
“We need containers. I’ll check inside.” Sarah started toward the building.
“I’ll go with you.” Courtney jogged behind her.
“I’ll stand guard. Hurry!” Everett kept watch and removed the gas cap of the truck while he waited for the girls to return.
Less than a minute later, the two girls returned with a collection of receptacles ranging from coffee cups to small plastic organizer totes.
Everett lay on the ground and slid beneath the Volvo. “Hand me a container.”
Courtney passed him a water pitcher. “We found this in the fridge.”
Everett took the pitcher and positioned it near the low point of the gas tank. He drew his pocket knife and slammed it into the tank. A slight trickle of gas began to leak out. Everett wedged the blade deeper into the tank and pried the hole to make it larger. Soon, a steady stream of gas poured from the tank. “Quick, give me another container!”
Courtney slid a large Tupperware bowl to Everett.
He quickly switched the bowl for the pitcher and passed it to Courtney. “Have Sarah pour this into the truck and bring it back.”
Everett was unsure how much fuel they’d obtained when the tank finally ran dry. He quickly slid beneath the Subaru and repeated the process.
Ten minutes into the second tank, Sarah called out, “The truck is full.”
“Just keep giving me containers. We’ll figure out what to do with it once the tank is tapped.” Everett continued to pass the full containers to Courtney.
Everett was down to the office coffee pot when the tank gave its last drop. He squirmed back out from under the Subaru and sat up. “How much do we have left over?”
Courtney looked at the various containers lying about. “It looks like about four gallons.”
Sarah turned back toward the building. “The water cooler! The bottle on it was five gallons.”
Everett quickly retrieved his medical kit from his assault pack and dug out the duct tape. When Sarah returned with the giant water bottle from the office cooler, she dumped out the water. Then, the three of them poured the remaining gas inside it. Everett made a make-shift cap from the duct tape, placed the bottle in the truck, and hurried back to the driver’s seat.
“I hear vehicles!” Courtney shouted as she slammed her door. “They’re coming from the north. We’ll have to go the other way.”
Everett sped out of the lot, turning toward the inlet park and away from the direction they needed to go. Everett pointed to the passenger’s side visor. “The map is right there.”
The sun was coming up, so they were quickly losing the cover of darkness. Courtney opened the map and studied it for a moment. “Hang a right here and a left on 68!”
Everett made the maneuver at the highest possible speed. “Sarah, hang on to that bottle with the gas. Don’t let it tip over.”
“I’ve got the gas. Just worry about getting us out of here,” she replied.
Everett took the next left turn and stomped the gas pedal. “How far out of the way is it going to take us to get around the lake?”
Courtney inspected the map a little longer and looked up. “I’d guess about fifty miles, but at least we have plenty of gas.”
Everett looked in the rearview to see if they were being pursued. “We don’t really have plenty of gas, but if we get out of here without being caught, it’ll be a net gain on the fuel situation.”
He kept the speedometer near 120 down the long straight stretch of road. The truck could have gone faster, but at any second, he could happen on a pothole left by Wormwood’s debris field or a fissure created by one of the many quakes. Seventy miles per hour was no longer considered a safe speed, so 120 was pure madness. Nevertheless, Everett chose to take his chances with the dilapidated roads rather than a squad of GR peacekeepers.
He continued to look in the side view mirror. Not seeing anything, he slowed to a hundred miles per hour to give himself more time to brake if he were to happen upon a seriously damaged section of road.
Sarah leaned forward. “We’re going to have to bury Kevin when we get back to Bear River.”
Everett nodded.
Her voice was sad. “If you feel like it’s safe, like we’re not being followed, I’d appreciate it if we could stop so I could ride in the bed of the truck. I’m not going to get much of a chance to say goodbye.”
Everett’s heart broke for her. “Okay, once we get to the south side of the lake, I’ll look for a place to pull over.”
“Thank you, Everett.”
Fifteen minutes later, Courtney pointed ahead. “This should be US-6. Take a left there. It might be a good place to pull over.”
Everett took the turn, then pulled off to the side of the road. Sarah quickly got out and went back to the bed of the truck to spend a few precious moments with Kevin before they committed his body to the earth.
CHAPTER 6
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:11-12
Absolute exhaustion hit Everett as he tossed the last shovel of dirt out of the hole, which would be Kevin’s grave. He’d volunteered to do the digging, so Courtney could help Sarah with getting Kevin cleaned up.
Sarah selected the peaceful resting place near the Bear River, just a few hundred yards from the staging area where they were to meet Tommy and the rest of his crew.
Everett looked toward the park entrance as he climbed out of the hole. No one from Tommy’s team was back yet. “They should have been back hours ago.” Everett walked over to the edge of the river and rinsed his face and hands, being careful not to get any of the water in his eyes or mouth. Arsenic levels out west were nowhere near as high as they were back home, but he still wanted to limit his exposure.
Everett carried his shovel back to the truck, where Sarah sat with Kevin’s head resting in her lap. “Are you ready?”
“No.” Sarah stared at Kevin’s face. “But I probably neve
r will be, so we can go ahead. Besides, the more I look at him like this, the harder it will be to remember him as he was.”
“Okay.” Everett’s voice was solemn. “I’ll drive the truck over to the grave site. You and Courtney can stay in the back with Kevin.”
Sarah nodded as she stroked Kevin’s hair.
Everett drove the truck to the pit in the earth, then he walked to the rear of the vehicle and opened the small Bible he carried. He read the 23rd Psalm, then prayed for God to comfort Sarah.
Next, he, Courtney, and Sarah used several strands of paracord to lower Kevin’s body down into the hole. Sarah stared blankly at the grave, then began to weep bitterly as Everett started to fill it back up with the dirt he’d excavated just a short while earlier.
Once the grave was covered, Sarah asked, “Do you two mind if I stay here alone until Tommy and the others return?”
“Not at all. We’ll be over by the pavilion if you need us.” Courtney gave her a hug, then got into the truck with Everett.
Once back to the staging area, Everett and Courtney ate two MREs. “You look tired,” Courtney said as she ate.
“It’s been a long day.”
“We won,” she said. “We accomplished what we came here to do.”
“This victory doesn’t seem very sweet.” Everett continued eating because he had to, not because he wanted to.
“Even if he knew it would be the last thing he ever did, Kevin would do it all over again. He’d see it as a win. I think we owe it to him to acknowledge the success. We owe it to Kevin to keep on living our lives.” She took his hand. “And we owe it to each other.”
Everett turned to her and smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.” He set the rest of his meal on the tailgate and hugged her. “I’m so glad I’ve still got you.”
That evening, the sun set behind the mountains to the west, and Tommy’s team still didn’t return. Everett finished securing the fuel tank trailer to the back of the water tank trailer, which was hitched to the Dodge crew cab. He looked up to see Courtney returning from the grave site alone. “Is she alright?”
“She’s fine, but she wants to sleep there tonight. She’ll never get a chance to visit his grave again.”
“I can understand that.” Everett knew they’d all be reunited in less than four years, but that fact wouldn’t have eased his sorrow if it had been Courtney who died, so he wouldn’t act as if it should for Sarah.
“How long will we wait for Tommy tomorrow?”
“The agreement was twenty-four hours. So just after sunrise.” Everett hurried to get the gas drained from the truck they’d taken on the raid. He wanted to finish before dark. “They must have gotten in some real trouble. They had a shorter drive than we did.”
Courtney helped him by pouring the gasoline into the fuel trailer and returning the receptacles to Everett. “Tommy would give us a little more time if we weren’t back by dawn.”
“We can wait until noon, but if they’re not back by then, it’s likely that none of them survived.”
The next morning at sunrise, Everett read his Bible, then prayed that God would bring Tommy and the others back safely. Courtney took an MRE to Sarah down by the river, then returned. The morning hours inched by as Everett kept watch for Tommy.
“It’s noon, I guess we should get going, huh?” Courtney asked.
Everett nodded in disappointment.
“I’ll go tell Sarah it’s time to go.” Courtney headed toward the river one last time.
Everett evaluated the items they were taking with them and the ones they were leaving behind. He wanted to be sure they had everything that might be of value in case they got the opportunity to trade for gas. But at the same time, he didn’t want to carry extra weight that would cause them to expend additional fuel.
Everett heard a faint clip-clop in the distance. It took a moment for the subtle sound to register in his mind. “Horses.” Everett drew his rifle and looked to see who was coming. He saw two riders near the park entrance. One was large in stature. He lifted his rifle to look through the scope. “Tommy!”
Everett lowered the weapon and sprinted toward his buddy. He soon recognized Preacher as being the other rider.
“Thanks for waiting,” Tommy yelled as they drew closer.
“Where’s everybody else?”
“Dead.” Preacher slung his leg over the saddle and stepped down. “All of them, Devin, Jeb, Michael, everybody.”
Tommy’s horse looked like it was ready to drop. Tommy looked worse. “Are either of you injured?” Everett looked them over for apparent wounds.
“No.” Tommy slowly got down from the horse. “But I could do with some water.”
“Of course. You’re probably hungry also.” Everett led the two men back toward the vehicles.
“Did you shut it down?” Tommy asked.
“We cut the water pumps. I’ve scrolled through the radio stations a few times, but I can’t pick anything up, so I don’t have any way of confirming that Dragon is down.” Everett offered filled canteens to Tommy and Preacher.
“How’s your team?” Tommy took a long drink.
“Kevin was killed. The rest of us made it out.”
Courtney and Sarah arrived back at the truck.
“Is everyone else coming?” Courtney asked.
Preacher finished his canteen and gave it to Everett to refill. “We hit the base hard and took off. We made it back into the mountains and thought we were home free, but then four Humvees caught us. They shot out our tires, so we had to stick Tommy’s truck in the ditch and take off into the mountains. Everyone else was gunned down. The peacekeepers finally gave up on us, I guess.”
Tommy tore into an MRE. “If we took down Dragon, they’ll resume the search today. They’ll widen the perimeter, too. We best be getting on our way.”
Everett nodded. “Okay, let me rig up two more bikes to the cargo rack on the Dodge. Otherwise, we’re ready to roll out.”
Ten minutes later, the team was on the road. Everett drove, and Courtney rode shotgun, with Sarah in the back seat. Preacher and Tommy slept in the bed of the truck as they’d been traveling all night long. Everett kept the speed at 55, both to watch for potholes, and to maximize fuel efficiency. Because of the slower speed, they didn’t reach Cheyenne until after dark. They used flashlights to fill the gas tank.
Tommy and Preacher drove for the next leg of the journey while Everett, Courtney, and Sarah slept in the back of the Dodge.
Everett woke up after a long ride. The sun was up and the vehicle wasn’t moving. He heard voices talking outside. Everett’s heart raced, and he reached for his gun. He peeked out the side window of the topper to see Tommy and Preacher speaking to five well-armed men, all wearing overalls. Everett couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the interaction didn’t appear to be hostile.
He nudged Courtney and Sarah. He whispered, “Girls, something is going on outside. I don’t think it’s trouble, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Get your guns.”
Courtney and Sarah each grabbed their weapons. “What’s happening?” Sarah asked.
Everett described the scene out the window. “Tommy and Preacher don’t have their weapons drawn, neither do the other guys. Tommy’s turning his back on them and walking this way.”
Tommy opened the back window of the topper. “Good mornin’.”
“Everything okay out there?” Everett asked cautiously.
“Better than okay.” Tommy smiled. “I’m swapping our excess food, ammo, and weapons for ethanol; enough to get us home. These fellas started converting their surplus corn into fuel after the initial false flag attacks on the oil refineries way back when.
“Can you slide all the boxes of MREs except one to me? And I need Courtney’s rifle. Everett and Sarah, I need your side arms. Magazines too, please.”
“Nope. You said extra. That rifle and these two pistols are not extra,” Sarah protested.
Tommy’s reply was patient but direct. “They’r
e extra because we’ll be home tomorrow instead of next month.”
Sarah looked at Everett. “You’ve got to tell him, we need our weapons to get back safely.”
Everett looked at Tommy. “What weapons are you guys keeping?”
“I’ll hang onto my rifle and Preacher will have his pistol. Everyone will still have a firearm for the trip home. But I had to do some heavy negotiating to get the price down to what we have. They wanted all the rifles.”
Sarah scowled. “What about supply and demand? They don’t have many customers to sell to. Why can’t you ask them to just take the food and extra ammo for trade?”
Tommy chuckled. “The way they understand supply and demand is that ain’t no more corn gonna grow in arsenic ridden soil. On top of that, they see a truck with empty gas tank more than a thousand miles from home. We don’t exactly have the strongest hand at the table.”
Tommy looked at Everett and winked. “On top of all of it, it seems the Mark payment systems are experiencing some technical difficulties, and these folks think that might mean more demand for their fine product.”
Courtney put her arms around Everett’s neck and kissed him on the cheek. “We did it! We took down Dragon!”
Everett took a moment to drink in the elation of success. He then looked at Sarah. “I have to agree with Tommy on this one. I’d rather take our chances with a limited amount of firepower. We’ll be totally exposed the whole trip home if we have to travel a thousand miles by bike. Not to mention, we’ll have to choose between carrying food or weapons anyway. And once we get home, we’ve got an entire cave full of weapons and ammo.”
Sarah continued to pick the plan apart. “This engine won’t run on pure ethanol, especially in the winter.”
“Winter ain’t gonna matter,” Tommy said. “We ain’t gonna turn the motor off long enough for it to get cold. And I’m not worried about long term damage. I’m more concerned with gettin’ home than the resale value.”
“Fine.” Sarah drew her pistol and passed it to Tommy.