Desperation

by Bruno Miller

  The storm was a welcome sight for sure. The breeze it was creating, combined with the cloud cover, provided some much-needed relief from the scorching rays of the sun. The others noticed the darkening sky now as well and stopped pumping fuel to watch the storm build.

  Joel looked back toward his dad and Sandy. “You guys see that?” he yelled.

  Ben cupped his hands over his mouth and hollered back, “Yeah, you better wrap it up soon and get the top back on the Jeep.” Joel and Martin went to work topping off the Scout while Allie and Brad started assembling the soft top panels for the Scrambler. Rita drove the Toyota over to the Blazer and pulled under the canopy for shelter.

  Ben could make out flashes of lightning among the charcoal-colored clouds, and there was no doubt the storm was headed right for them. He hobbled over to the Toyota and checked the tarp covering the supplies in the back. Carlos managed to climb out of the truck and tried to help Ben cover the gear.

  “It’s going to be a big one. Should we wait it out here?” Carlos asked.

  Rita stuck her head out the window and looked at Ben. “I’m afraid neither of us are very good at driving in the rain. Or at night, for that matter.”

  Rita’s admission didn’t come as a surprise to Ben, but he was planning on leaving as soon as the Scout was fueled up and the Jeep was covered. He didn’t like the idea of staying here any longer than they had to. The gas station was out in the open, and he felt exposed; they were vulnerable, and the longer they stayed in one place, the greater the odds they would find trouble—or, more likely, trouble would find them.

  But what choice did they have? They were only as strong as their weakest link, and that link right now was Rita and Carlos. Ben had known this would be a factor but somehow imagined making it farther today before having to stop for very long. They still had a few hours of daylight left, and he really didn’t want to spend it hiding from the rain.

  * * *

  Allie worked as fast as she could to get the soft top pieces for the Jeep organized and ready to zip into place, but even with Brad’s help, they didn’t beat the rain. As Joel and Martin finished fueling the Scout and began to put the equipment away, the big drops started to hit. Allie looked skyward for a minute and let the water splash on her face. It felt cool and refreshing. It hadn’t rained in so long. Just the smell reminded her of better times.

  She forced herself back to reality and realized if they didn’t get this top put together fast, the gear was going to get soaked, and as good as the rain felt now, a wet sleeping bag would be no fun tonight. Just then, Emma ran by the Jeep, headed for the others under the shelter of the canopy. All three dogs were right behind her, but they didn’t seem too concerned about getting wet, all except for Bajer, who ran straight to the Blazer. Gunner and Sam dawdled around a rain spout carrying a steady river of brown water out onto the parking lot.

  “Why don’t you join your sister? I’ll pull the Jeep over and we can finish putting the top on out of the rain.” Allie frantically ran around the Jeep and began picking up the soft top panels and throwing them in the back.

  “Okay, but I can help you with this first.” Brad joined her.

  “It’s okay. I got it. You’re gonna get soaked,” she squealed as a bright flash of lightning was followed immediately by the sharp crack of thunder. The rain seemed to intensify along with the lightning and began to fall extremely heavy now.

  “I don’t care.” Brad wasn’t giving in. But she wasn’t concerned about him getting wet; they were all getting wet now. What she was concerned about was the lightning. What had started as subtle flashes of light contained inside the dark gray clouds had morphed very quickly into a full-blown lightning storm, the worst she’d ever seen.

  “Hurry up! We need to get out of here,” Joel shouted over the downpour and pushed Brad toward the shelter of the canopy as he ran around the Jeep to help Allie. They’d finished fueling the Scout, and Martin was already in the process of moving his truck to shelter.

  Crimson bolts of energy licked at the ground in every direction as Joel helped her throw the last piece of the top in the back. Brad had taken his brother’s advice and was long gone.

  “Just leave it,” Joel shouted.

  “No, I can’t. The gear will get ruined.” Allie threw open the driver’s side door and started to get in.

  “Okay, I’ll meet you over there.” Joel took off running for the covered fuel island. Allie jumped behind the wheel, but before she could turn the key, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and a strange metallic taste filled her mouth.

  Crack! For a brief moment, she thought the Jeep had been hit. Then sparks showered down from overhead. A lightning bolt had struck the metal frame of the billboard, causing the lights to energize briefly before popping like glass balloons. The mini explosions ignited the plastic sign material, but the rain was too heavy for the flames to gain a foothold, and the fire was soon extinguished.

  Allie remained frozen in place as she stared up at the smoldering remains of the Starbucks advertisement.

  “Allie, get out of there quick!” Ben’s shouts brought her back to reality, and she started the Jeep.

  “Allie, hurry up!” She could hear her mother’s cries as she put the Scrambler in gear and stomped on the gas. The rear tires spun on the newly drenched asphalt but quickly found traction, launching the Jeep forward. The tires’ grip on the wet surface was temporary, however, and when she cut the wheel too hard, the Scrambler hydroplaned sideways across the pavement a few feet. Settle down. Come on, take it easy.

  Allie tightened her grip on the steering wheel and took her foot off the gas until she regained control of the Jeep. She let the vehicle’s momentum carry her under the canopy and finally joined the others.

  “That was close.” Joel ran to the Jeep before she could get out and stood at the driver’s side window.

  “Too close.” Allie turned off the engine and sat still, trying to catch her breath. She hadn’t done anything that physically demanding but found herself struggling to breathe.

  “You okay?” Joel asked.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Allie panted. Joel stepped back as she opened the door and slid out of the seat, onto the ground. She held both hands out in front of her body and watched them tremble uncontrollably. “Just a little shook up.”

  Sandy blew out her cheeks and exhaled a sigh of relief before running to Allie’s side and wrapping her arms around her daughter.

  “I’m okay, Mom. I’m okay.”

  Chapter Five

  “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.” Martin stood at the edge of a mini waterfall, the result of a failing gutter on the canopy. The cascade of overflowing rain slapped the blacktop loudly, pushing waves of dirty water out across the pavement. Ben watched as a couple weeks’ worth of dust and debris floated past the fuel island on its way out to the storm drain in the street. The drain was already starting to back up, clogging quickly with an assortment of trash caught up in the small river. One by one, the others joined him at the edge between wet and dry and watched what he could only describe as otherworldly.

  Martin had summed it up well. This lightning storm was unlike anything Ben had ever seen, either. The colors of the bolts reminded him of the red found in old neon bar signs. The intensity of some of the strikes was both amazing and frightening at the same time.

  In his day, Ben had witnessed some pretty nasty high-elevation storms while hiking the San Juan Mountains, but all of them put together paled in comparison to this unbelievable display of power. He’d never witnessed lightning scatter and split off into so many fingers as it made its way down to the ground. It was like the air itself was electrically charged, and for every bolt of lightning that flashed, dozens more fractured off.

  Except for the strike that hit the billboard, it seemed as though the worst of the storm was still north of them and looked like it might miss them by a few miles. Ben was thankful for this and wondered how safe they would be under this canopy if
it did come this way.

  Sandy broke the silence as they all looked on in amazement. “It’s a good thing we’re not driving in this.”

  “At least it’s moving fast.” Ben had hoped to be back on the road by now, but he was glad they hadn’t been caught in this. If Rita was nervous about driving in the rain, she never would have made it through this storm. The rain was coming through in waves, and at times, the storm would have been impossible for any of them to navigate through, at least with any efficiency. And with four vehicles in the caravan, the chances of an accident in this slop were even greater.

  Unfortunately, the storm looked to be moving west. Even after it passed, there was a chance they would catch up to it, and at the very least, it was going to soak everything along the route they needed to travel. Ben thought about how this would affect their night. Camping over wet ground was never fun, and packing up wet gear in the morning was even less enjoyable, in his opinion.

  He already had his doubts about Rita and Carlos spending the night in a tent. They could likely do it, but what kind of shape would they be in for the drive the next morning? On this trip, Ben had spent his share of nights with nothing more than a sleeping pad between his sore back and the hard ground. The older couple had a good twenty-plus years on him and Sandy. He could only imagine how hard sleeping on the ground would be on their bodies. Then again, how much worse could it be than sleeping on the metal floor of a shipping container?

  Eventually, the intensity of the lightning began to wane. As did everyone’s interest in the storm. The kids wanted to go out in the rain now that the danger had passed, but Ben didn’t think it was a good idea. With the air quality being what it was, he worried about the rain being toxic. He didn’t want anyone exposing themselves more than necessary, and he certainly didn’t want the dogs drinking it.

  The air was still thick and loaded with God knew what. The pollution was most visible at sunrise and sunset. The smog-like effect that hung low in the sky wasn’t normal and was undeniably one of the lasting effects of the EMPs. Ben couldn’t help but think there had to be a lot of pollution in the rain.

  Sandy agreed with him and thought it best to stay out of the rain as well. With the kids’ plans for an impromptu shower thwarted, they soon lost interest in the storm and congregated around the Blazer’s tailgate. Allie pulled out MREs for everyone and passed them around. It was a good idea to eat while they were stuck here, and maybe by the time they were done, they could move out.

  Ben took the opportunity to study the map a little more. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been looking it over plenty already, but in light of the storm, they might have to reconsider their plans for the evening.

  They were in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, and if his calculations were correct, they would be approaching their nearest point to Pittsburgh in about an hour or so. Hopefully, this time they’d be far enough away not to see any of the effects of the bomb.

  Last time they passed by Pittsburgh on I-70, they were heading eastbound and only about thirty miles away from what Ben figured was ground zero. They would be twice that distance from the city this time, but he was still leery, especially about spending the night in the area. It was one thing to pass through quickly, but to linger somewhere there might be radioactive material from delayed fallout was something they needed to avoid at all costs. That might mean calling it an early day and camping on this side of any potential radiation hot spots. There were no guarantees with that, either, but it seemed to be a safer choice than the risk of sleeping on irradiated soil.

  Finding a place to hold up for the night was beginning to look like something they would be doing sooner rather than later. The storm had let up, but the rain hadn’t. Not yet, anyway. At least the system brought cooler temperatures and much-needed relief from the heat. Maybe they’d done enough for one day and should settle for finding someplace close and dry to sleep.

  “How’s it going?” Martin approached, carrying an MRE, his AR-15 hanging over his shoulder by the sling.

  “It’s going.” Ben looked up from the atlas and surveyed the landscape beyond the gas station.

  “How much farther do you think we’ll travel today?” Martin asked.

  “Honestly, I don’t know that there’s much point in going any farther. I don’t want to spend the night too close to Pittsburgh. This whole area could be radioactive.” Ben drew a circle with his finger on the map. The others had wandered over and were listening to the conversation now.

  Carlos spoke up. “We’re okay with stopping whenever you want.” The comment didn’t surprise Ben one bit, but it didn’t help lessen the disappointment he was feeling about not getting farther away from the mountains. They’d been driving for less than two hours. If there were any moonshiners left and their desire for revenge was strong enough, Ben and the others could still be in danger.

  Between the damage to the camp and the dead bodies they left in their wake, he could easily imagine any remaining moonshiners wanting to avenge their fallen and giving chase. If Ben and his group weren’t going to travel any farther today, they at least needed to stay hidden. And the sooner they found a place to safely spend the night, the better he would feel.

  The moonshiners weren’t friendly the last time they met; he could only imagine how he would be treated if he was captured again. But he refused to think about that. Maybe he was just being paranoid. For all he knew, they had killed the last of the moonshiners with the dynamite. It was anybody’s guess, and they would never know for sure. In his mental and physical state, he didn’t feel like speculating on it anymore. And he certainly didn’t want to worry the others with his thoughts.

  Ben used the gas pump to pull himself to his feet. “Well, let’s find a place to spend the night then. We could all use the rest.”

  “Camp? Around here?” Joel’s forehead creased.

  “Not exactly.” Ben had been eyeballing an old motel a little farther into town. At first, he kept an eye on the place because it was suspect. The building was mostly intact, and he thought it was a likely place for people to take shelter, especially if they’d lost their houses when the EMPs hit. He hadn’t spotted any signs of people living there, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

  However, the thought of sleeping on a mattress tonight was too tempting to ignore. They all needed a good night’s sleep, something he was afraid wouldn’t happen in the woods thanks to the rain. But the biggest reason he wanted to rest for the night was that driving in this weather would be slow going at best if they had to wait for Rita to keep up. This rain wasn’t letting up, and the longer they sat here and waited, the greater the risk that someone would spot them. Trying their luck at the motel might be their best option right now. It wouldn’t hurt to check the place out. At least he hoped not.

  Chapter Six

  The motel was about half a mile down the road toward the center of town. Driving this direction felt wrong; Ben’s gut told him they should have been heading west on the interstate. But they had no choice. He was certain of that now as he watched Rita struggle to navigate the Toyota through the heavy rain. Ben kept an eye on the little pickup in his rearview mirror, making sure not to get too far ahead of the older couple. She never would have made it on the highway.

  This wasn’t the plan, but maybe this was a good thing. A real bed might be worth the trouble. And Ben was fairly confident they were alone. Nothing was guaranteed, though, and he’d given everyone a short speech about keeping weapons handy and staying alert before they pulled out from the gas station. While the others were fueling, he scoped this area out pretty well from the hood of the truck, and now he was glad that he had been so thorough.

  No one said anything as they rolled slowly down the center of the street. Even the dogs were quiet and seemed to be watching for something out the windows. There weren’t many buildings left standing; most of them had burned to the ground and were now little more than piles of rubble. Those remaining were nothing more than empty shells and had only surviv
ed because they were made of brick, stone, or concrete. On the right-hand side, they passed an electric vehicle supercharging station. The charging islands no longer stood upright. Their red and white plastic housings were melted and badly deformed from the EMP-caused power surge that fried them.

  “Do you see those?” Sandy asked.

  “Yeah, this place got hit pretty hard.” Ben turned his attention to the motel; they were almost there. He pumped his brakes, hoping to give Rita plenty of time to react. The rain hadn’t let up at all. In fact, it was coming down harder now than when they’d pulled out from under the canopy. Even with the wipers operating at full speed, he was having trouble seeing the curb cut to pull into the motel. The fact that there was a small flash flood coursing down the street wasn’t making it any easier.

  Ben was okay with the heavy downpour, though. If there was anybody around, it would most likely keep them inside.

  “Sorry,” Ben said, apologizing for the sudden jolt as the back tire caught the curb. He read the sign out loud. “Welcome to the Pinecone Inn.”

  “Gee, I hope they have a vacancy,” Sandy joked half-heartedly.

  “I don’t think they’ll mind if we check ourselves in.” Ben eyed the motel office—or what was left of it. It looked like the place had initially caught on fire but for some reason didn’t continue to burn. They’d have to force the doors open and dig through the remains of the office for room keys. As far as he was concerned, that wasn’t an option in this weather.

  They followed the exterior corridor of dark green doors to the back of the property, where the building made a turn. Ben pulled around to the backside of the motel and the rooms that faced the woods.

  “This looks more promising than I thought.” He turned and smiled at Emma while backing the Blazer into a spot directly outside the second-to-last room in the building. The others followed his lead, and one by one, they backed up to the adjacent rooms.