by Dirk Patton
“You’re about three miles from a road block,” he finally said.
“Road block? Who’s blocking the road?”
“I’m zooming. Hold on.” She heard some clicks and more mumbling. “There’s a big dump truck pulled across the road and at least thirty armed men. They’re pulling people out of vehicles and taking supplies.”
“Shit. Is anyone fighting back?” Katie asked.
“Doesn’t look like it. They’re all in some kind of uniform, but I can’t tell what it is. Hang on, let me look at the vehicles they have parked behind the dump truck.”
Katie wanted to scream. She’d seen this behavior in war torn countries the world over, but had never thought she’d experience it here at home.
“OK, there are Tribal Police vehicles parked behind the truck, but if these guys are real Indians I’ll eat my hat. Probably stolen from an equipment yard, and they’re using the uniforms to bluff people.” Steve finally said.
“Great. More assholes. All right, what about behind me. Is it clear for ten miles?” Katie had another option in mind.
“Hold on,” Steve said, the sound of a keyboard clacking coming clearly over the sat phone.
“You’re good,” he eventually answered. “There’s more traffic coming up behind you heading north, but it’s mostly single vehicles. Nothing that would obviously be a problem. What are you thinking?”
“There’s a Forest Service fire road that cuts through some rugged terrain, but goes all the way to Payson. I’ve been on it before. I know this truck can make it, it’s just going to be a long, rough drive.” Katie answered, checking her mirrors.
Cranking the wheel all the way to the left, Katie pulled across the southbound lane, driving off the pavement on the far side of the road to complete her U-turn and head back towards town. The people that were stuck in line behind her stared, wondering what she was doing. She thought about warning them of what was waiting ahead, but was afraid to approach any of the vehicles.
About twenty vehicles had stacked up behind her and she quickly passed them as she accelerated south. As she drove she met half a dozen heavily loaded vehicles heading north, but kept her eyes focused on the road ahead after checking to make sure none of them turned around to follow her. Just over eight miles later she found what she was looking for.
A small, dirt pullout on the left side of the road with a heavy steel gate guarding access to a trail leading up into the mountains. A large combination padlock secured the gate, the whole arrangement solidly set into concrete footings. Pulling to a stop with the front bumper close to the gate, Katie leaned across the cab and dug through the glove compartment.
The Forest Service allowed people to use the fire roads to get into backcountry that wasn’t accessible by any other method. All you had to do was fill out a form and they’d issue a free permit that was good for six months and also had a list of date ranges and gate codes printed on it. The lock’s combo was changed monthly and Katie hoped John had a recent permit.
Finding the right piece of paper, she scanned the dates, happily finding the current range. Reciting the combo to herself, she checked the area around the truck and seeing all was clear hopped out and ran to the lock. The number wheels were stiff from exposure to the weather, but once she got the right combo dialed in the lock popped open. It took her less than a minute to swing the gate open, drive through, hop back out, close and re-lock it.
8
The fire road was rough. Calling it a road was being generous. It was actually nothing more than a path across the desert leading up the edge of the Mogollon Rim to mountain country. The vegetation had been scraped away and just the largest of rocks removed. It was only navigable with a stout four-wheel drive vehicle with high ground clearance.
John had built up his truck for just this kind of terrain, installing tall off-road tires, specialty suspension components and replacing Ford’s factory skid plates with heavy, iron plates to protect the underside of the vehicle. Regardless, Katie knew from experience that if she went too fast or didn’t control the truck properly that she could damage it. Not that being stranded out here wasn’t looking to be preferable to being stranded in town, but she didn’t want to wind up on foot.
Speed wasn’t her friend on the trail. Her foot spent more time on the brake, controlling descents into dry washes than it did on the gas. She drove for an hour before coming to a stop at the bottom of the first of many steep climbs as the road pushed deeper into the wilderness. Leaving the engine idling, she was paranoid about turning it off and it failing to start when she was ready to go, she stepped out to find a place to relieve herself.
Needs taken care of she, she drank some water while surveying the area. While she was stopped she decided to check in with Steve. Pulling out the phone she dialed his number, waiting impatiently for him to answer.
“I’m watching you in real time,” he said when he picked up.
“Great. Ever think I might want some privacy to use the bathroom?” Katie asked, shading her eyes as she looked to the north and the steep climb in front of her.
“Relax, I couldn’t see anything.” He chuckled. “You’ve only covered a little over five miles, if you weren’t aware.”
Katie was surprised. She hadn’t thought to check the odometer when she drove through the gate, and hadn’t realized just how slow she was moving. She’d probably be making better time on horseback, she mused.
“Then there should be about 65 miles to go. Right?” She asked.
“68. I’ve got it mapped out on the computer. Looks like you’ve got some pretty serious climbs ahead, as well as a couple of canyons to get through. The good news is the road looks open all the way to Payson.”
“That sounds like there’s some bad news.” Katie said, turning to check the road behind her, looking for dust trails that would indicate someone was following. She was pleased to see nothing moving other than birds flitting from bush to bush.
“There is. Payson is overrun with refugees. People in tents, RVs, campers; some just sleeping on the ground. Hard to tell from satellite, but it looks like the wild west. I’m seeing groups of armed men circulating through the camps. It looks like they’re taking supplies from people. In the time I’ve been watching I’ve seen at least a half a dozen shootings and more fights. Don’t see any cops but there’s a few guys on horseback trying to maintain order.” Katie stood quietly, thinking about what he’d just said.
“How much gas do you have?” Steve asked after she didn’t say anything for nearly a minute.
“Just over half a tank,” Katie answered after leaning into the cab and checking the gauge. “That’ll get me to Payson, but not much farther. This thing uses a lot of fuel in four wheel drive.”
“OK, you’d better get moving. You’ve got less than two hours of daylight left and you probably shouldn’t try to move at night. You’ll have to use your lights and that will make you stand out like a beacon.”
“Good advice,” Katie said, realizing she hadn’t even thought about what she would do when it got dark. “OK, I’m going to get moving. I’ll call you when I stop for the night. Can you look and see if there’s anywhere you think I can get gas when I make it to Payson?”
“I’ll see what I can find. Be careful. I’ll talk to you soon.” There was click and he was gone. At least he hadn’t told her he loved her again.
With a grim expression, Katie climbed back into the cab, locking the doors before starting forward. The road in front of her ran level for a hundred yards then made a sharp right as it started climbing up the side of a tall hill. It was narrow, the driver’s side of the big truck right against a vertical wall of dirt and rock, the passenger side tires no more than a foot from a drop that progressively got worse the higher she climbed.
Keeping her speed low, Katie gripped the wheel with sweaty palms as she steered as far away from the edge as possible. A couple of times the large exterior mirror right outside her window scraped on rocks protruding from the wall, but s
he didn’t care. She wasn’t going to drive one inch closer to what had grown to a several hundred foot drop straight down.
Finally she topped out, the road going back to the left as it crested. Stopping, she looked ahead at a series of progressively taller mountains marching away into the distance. Turning to look over her shoulder she was dismayed to see nothing but a thick layer of smoke blanketing the valley where Phoenix was located.
The sun was low in the western sky, the smoke in the air producing a breathtaking sunset, but she had no appreciation for it. Turning her back on the city she drove forward carefully, bouncing over large stones embedded in the road and steering around a couple of tree stumps that had been left behind when the trail was cleared. Reaching the far edge of the crest she stopped when the road disappeared over the edge, descending into a shallow canyon.
Leaving the truck running, Katie stepped out and walked to the edge. The road wound its way down a couple of hundred feet, switching back on itself several times before bottoming out and climbing the next mountain. The surrounding mountains shaded the canyon ahead of her and it was already dusk at the bottom. She didn’t think she could make it to the bottom before she lost the sun and had to turn on her headlights.
Thinking about it, Katie decided to spend the night on the high ground. She looked around for a place to park the truck that would be hidden from the trail in case anyone came by during the night. It took a few minutes, but she felt lucky when she found a spot halfway back to the other edge of the crest. Behind the wheel again she backed up slowly until she reached a relatively flat spot in the terrain that led away from the road. Driving a hundred yards she made a sharp left and came to a stop behind a thick stand of stunted pine trees.
Saying a prayer, she shut the engine off and walked back to the road. Turning, she tried to spot the truck but it was well concealed. She was halfway back to it when she looked down at where she was walking and saw the very visible tracks left by the aggressive treads of the off-road tires. She was losing light in a hurry and cast around until she found a fallen tree branch still heavy with pine needles. Working quickly she erased the tracks into the trees as best she could, but there was nothing she could do about the tracks climbing the hill, crossing the crest and ending at the drop into the next canyon.
Anyone following her trail would notice that she hadn’t continued on. She racked her brain, but couldn’t come up with a solution to that problem. Not pleased with the situation, but realizing there was nothing else she could do, Katie dialed Steve again as the sun dipped below the horizon.
“I’m stopped,” she said when he answered.
“I’m still watching. That was smart wiping out your tracks.” He sounded proud of her.
“Hopefully it wasn’t necessary,” she said. “Any movement on the road?”
“Nothing so far, and it’s good you got on it. A truck tried to run the roadblock you were stuck behind and the fake cops started shooting. Lots of bodies and they’ve had reinforcements show up.”
Katie took a deep breath; glad she’d known of another way into the mountains. She was just starting to say something to Steve when a screech owl cut lose from the top of a tree not far from where she was standing. The birds make a horrible sound that if you don’t know what it is will scare the crap out of you. Even knowing what they sounded like, Katie let out an involuntary scream of her own, the owl answering her a few moments later.
Steve went into a panic, shouting into the phone. When she was able to speak again Katie told him what had happened and got a little irritated when he started laughing.
“Yeah, let’s see how well you do out in the middle of nowhere.” She said petulantly. “I was a field officer, but the field wasn’t the woods. Now, if you’re through making fun of me did you find any place I can get gas when I get to Payson?”
“Maybe. The power is still on and there are a couple of gas stations that are open. It looks like the owners are taking barter only. I guess money isn’t worth much any more. And at the edge of the largest camp there’s a tanker truck that’s been pulled in. It’s the largest gang that has it and they’re trading gas for supplies. You’re either going to have to trade something, or find a vehicle you can siphon gas out of.” He said.
They talked for a few more minutes then ended the call with a promise from Steve that he’d watch over her on satellite while she slept. If he saw any vehicles or people approaching her position he’d alert her with a call to her sat phone. Plugging the handset into a car charger, Katie dug out a can of soup, ate it cold, then crawled into the back seat of the truck. Locking the doors she made sure her phone’s ringer was turned on in case Steve called, then lay down on the floor of the truck, shotgun cradled in front of her in case she needed it.
9
The night passed without incident. Katie surprised herself that she was able to sleep despite being half frightened out of her mind. She woke with a start when the satellite phone rang, grabbing it and stabbing the green button to accept the call. It was Steve, not with a warning of approaching danger, but a wake up call.
The sun was just clearing the mountains to the east and Katie grumbled at him and talked for a couple of minutes even though she wasn’t in the mood. Ending the call she sat up and looked around, then climbed out of the truck and walked into the thick cover of the stand of trees so she could use the bathroom without Steve watching.
A quick breakfast of canned peaches and a bottle of water and she was ready to go. The truck started easily, despite her fears that when she turned the key nothing would happen. She started down into the canyon, riding the brakes as she bounced down the side of the mountain. At the bottom, the road had been partially washed out by a rainstorm, a deep ditch carved out of the hard earth.
Controlling the truck’s speed, Katie let the front tires drop gently into the ditch then had to give it a little gas to keep rolling forward. Quickly braking, she slowed the momentum as the rear tires reached the edge of the drop. Slowly she inched forward, the rear tires rolling over the edge and the back of the truck dropping.
The drop was arrested with a hard impact, the truck coming to a sudden stop. She sat for a moment, but when everything seemed OK she pressed on the accelerator. The engine picked up, but the truck didn’t move. Pressing harder on the gas, Katie cursed when the front tires began spinning, throwing up a cloud of dirt and small rocks. She lifted her foot, the tires immediately stopping their spin.
Popping the door open she stepped out and looked at the back. The rear tires were barely touching the ground and had dug out two shallow furrows when she’d tried to accelerate. The ditch was deeper than the clearance from the rear bumper to the ground. She was hung up, the truck resting on the back bumper, the rear tires held hanging down and unable to gain traction. It wasn’t going anywhere.
Katie suppressed a scream of frustration, but lashed out with her steel-toed boot and kicked a sizable dent into the truck’s sheet metal. She stopped and stared at the dent, beginning to giggle when she thought about how mad John would be if he were there to see what she’d done. Looking at how the truck was stuck she recognized her mistake. She should have steered the Ford at an angle across the depression. She still might have bottomed the bumper out, but it would have only been one corner and she would have been able to pull free. She wasn’t surprised when the phone rang.
“What’s wrong?” Steve asked.
“The bumper’s hung up,” she said, moderating her tone. It wasn’t his fault and she still worried he was going to turn petulant and stop helping her.
“Do you have a jack? Lift it up enough to drive forward so it clears whatever it’s hung on.” Katie was surprised at the helpful suggestion. She’d never thought of Steve as someone who could solve problems like this. He used to be great at puzzles and seeing patterns and trends. That had made him very good at his job, but she hadn’t expected him to be of any use other than as her eye in the sky.
Dropping the phone on the driver’s seat without
breaking the connection Katie ran to the back of the truck, rolled open the bed cover and lowered the tailgate. She started moving bags of canned food and her other supplies, finally spotting the hi-lift jack John kept in the bed. Pulling it towards the back, she had to reposition it so she could lift it. The jack was over fifty pounds and four feet tall, reminding her of a bigger version of the old style jacks that used to come in large, American built cars.
With the jack out she looked it over and saw how it was meant to attach to the truck. Unfortunately, it was designed to hook onto the back of the bumper and the bumper was firmly stuck on the top edge of the wash. She pushed it away in frustration, letting it fall to the dirt, but thought better of her action and muscled it back into the truck.
The tool back in place, she spotted a small folding shovel clipped to the inside wall of the truck’s bed. Grabbing it, she extended the spade and started attacking the ground around and under the rear bumper. Ten minutes later she had hardly made any progress. The soil was almost as hard as the large rocks that were firmly lodged in it. The shovel was just too small and light for the task.
Flinging it into the back of the truck, Katie wiped sweat off her face and walked to the cab to pick up the phone.
“Why won’t the jack work?” Steve asked as soon as she spoke. Katie explained the problem to him.
“Try the other jack,” he said.
“What other jack?”
“There should be a smaller, scissor style jack that came with the truck from the manufacturer. You should be able to get it underneath and lift at the axel.” He said patiently.
Katie stood staring at the truck. “Where would it be? I’ve never seen one.”
“Look behind the back seat. If not there, try under the back seat. There has to be one unless John took it out, but there’s no reason he would have done that.” Steve said.