by Payne, T. L.
“I’m going,” Anthony called as he closed the door.
Maria handed Jack to Beth and went to a small closet in the back part of the travel trailer.
“Are you going to retrieve the bodies of your teammates tonight?” Beth asked as she placed Jack back in his carrier.
“No, I think we should leave when they do, though. The cartel will be occupied watching them, which might allow us the distraction we need to get away from the compound unnoticed.”
“You’re okay with letting your team go without you?” Beth asked, a hint of judgment in her tone.
“My team all agreed that I should help you get to your kids. While they retrieve our teammates, they are going to set charges that will serve as diversions, giving us time to get far enough north to be out of their surveillance area.”
“I don’t know what to say, Maria. I so appreciate everyone’s help.”
“Greg would have done it for any one of us,” Maria said, pulling clothing from the closet and shoving it into a large rucksack.
Beth made the rounds thanking everyone for their kindness to her in the last few days. Rebecca surprised her by reaching out and hugging Beth.
“Do not feel guilty about leaving to go find your kids. Everyone here understands. I’m sure Roger will too.”
“Thanks, Rebecca. This group is blessed to have you. You are a talented surgeon.”
“Thanks, Beth. You be careful out there. There will likely be plenty of people in need, but none more than your kids. So stay safe.”
“I will. And thanks for everything.”
“Will you tell Angel and Kate that I wanted to say goodbye in person, but I couldn’t wait?”
“I’ll do that. Things are a little crazy around here at the moment. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Two hours after the sun went down, Maria ran her arms through her rucksack, grabbed her rifle, and headed to the door.
“We’ll stop by the single female quarters and pick up your pack then head over to the motor pool to get Roger’s truck.”
Beth placed the strap to Jack’s carrier over her head and fell in behind Maria. It was so dark that Beth had to stay close behind Maria to not get lost in the maze of trailers and buildings.
At the female quarters, Maria quietly slipped in, grabbed her belongings, and hurried back out. Beth carried the heavy rucksack close to her chest with her arms through the straps. She was surprised that it was a little easier to carry that way and didn’t dig into her shoulders. Carrying it that way wouldn’t work for the road, but she hoped they would not be on foot to find out.
Maria shined her flashlight around the dark interior of the motor pool. The garage contained several surplus military vehicles and various other equipment.
“There,” Beth said, pointing to Roger’s truck.
Beth and Maria each threw their packs in the bed of the truck. Maria lifted one of the fuel cans.
“They are still full.”
“Good. At least we will have enough to make it away from the cartel, right?” Beth asked.
“You have the keys?” Maria asked, heading around to the driver’s side.
Beth fished around in her pack and came out with a key. A man had returned the key to her with a white tag on it like you get from the auto dealer the day they arrived. Beth held the key by the tag and handed it to Maria.
“I think you should drive. I just want to check the gas gauge and see if we should fill up now.”
Maria put the key in the ignition, turned it and, after seeing that the tank was full, turned the key back, and exited the vehicle.
“I’m riding shotgun. I have to navigate since you don’t know the area. Also, I’m probably a better shot on the move.”
Beth had confided in her that she felt responsible for Roger getting shot because she missed her first shot and the man was able to get a round off before she took him out.
“As long as you don’t want me to drive with the headlights out,” Beth chuckled.
“We have blackout lights on military vehicles, but they only allow you to see the vehicle in front of you. I cannot imagine how frightening that ride would’ve been. That’s Roger for you. It was probably a good idea at the time. I just wouldn’t want to try it,” Maria said, shutting the passenger side door.
Beth slid Jack’s carrier to the middle of the seat and climbed in. She adjusted the mirrors and started the engine. When Beth put her foot on the break, she realized that the seat was back too far. She looked over to Maria and down at Jack then adjusted herself in the seat. She could reach the peddles, it just wasn’t very comfortable. At the moment, she didn’t care about comfort. Beth wanted to get down the road toward her kids. Putting the truck into gear, she backed out of the garage.
“Let’s wait here until we hear the first explosion—that’s our queue to go.”
“Roger that,” Beth said.
A moment later, the sky lit up briefly. A few seconds later, the sound of the explosion reached them.
Maria smiled and pointed out the windshield.
“Let’s hit it,” she said.
“Roger that,” Beth said.
Roger. God, let him make it back okay.
From the compound, Beth drove north to a town called Peach Springs, Arizona, and then back south to Interstate 40, west of Seligman. As they approached I-40, Beth could see that the on-ramp was blocked.
“There to your left. Drive around that white Dodge truck there and then over to your right on the shoulder,” Maria said, pointing to the big diesel pickup blocking the entrance to the on-ramp.
Beth drove around abandoned cars and pulled onto the interstate. It was slow going once they were on the Interstate as Beth weaved around stalled vehicles. After two hours, they finally reached US Highway 180 and drove north. Beth was surprised that they hadn’t run into any roadblocks or people of any kind on the road. She saw no lights in the windows of the homes they passed. It was close to three o’clock in the morning as they skirted the city of Tusayan. They were within ten miles of the Grand Canyon. Beth wondered how many tourists had been stranded on the day of the EMP strike. She doubted that anyone would be taking a vacation again for a very long time.
Leaving Tusayan, Beth drove northeast on Highway 64. At a town called Tuba City, they made their first stop for gas.
“We should find somewhere to refill the cans after we empty them,” Maria said.
Beth looked around as she drove past the town. She saw very few buildings in the small Navajo Nation Reservation town.
“There, pull over there. We’ll see if that car has fuel,” Maria said, motioning to a silver Ford sedan blocking the turn onto Hopi Drive.
Beth turned off the lights and pulled up next to the vehicle. Maria jumped out and disappeared into the blackness. Beth grabbed her rifle and went around to the passenger side. She scanned right and left, looking for any sign of human activity. Maria reappeared with two fuel cans, a hose, and an oil pan with a spout.
“Here, use mine. I have a night vision scope,” Maria said, handing Beth her rifle.
Beth slung her AR-15 over her back and pulled Maria’s M4 to her shoulder. As Beth peered through the scope, the eerie green image was amazingly crisp.
“What is that?” Beth asked, pointing the black container with a red screw-on cap.
“A lidded oil pan to collect the fuel. No spilling.” Maria said as she slid her head under the car.
Beth walked to the front of the car to get a better view of the highway. When she turned around, a teenage boy was standing by the passenger door of the truck.
“What the fuck? Where did you come from?” Beth blurted.
Maria spun around from the rear of the car behind the boy.
“Don’t move kid. I don’t want to have to shoot you,” Maria said, unholstering her pistol.
“I don’t want no trouble. I just came out to see what you was doing,” the boy replied. “Ain’t no gas left in there. They took that the first day.”
“Shit!” Maria said.
“You got any food to spare lady? My grandma is diabetic, and she ain’t had no food in two days. She’s really sick.”
Beth’s heart sank. She knew they would run into people struggling to survive, but the reality of the situation was harsher than she imagined. The nurse in her wanted to go and help the woman. But the mother in her said mind your own business and keep going. There wasn’t much she could do for his grandmother. Without insulin and a balanced diet, the woman wouldn’t survive much longer, anyway. At least that is what she told herself as she reached into her pack and pulled out a bag of butterscotch candies and four protein bars and handed them to the kid.
Within minutes they were fueled up and back on the road headed toward Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. They kept an eye out for other abandoned vehicles that might have gas still to fill the two now emptied fuel cans. Beth didn’t expect this part of the state to be as sparsely populated as it appeared to be. On one hand that was a blessing, and they sure needed to avoid places like Flagstaff and Albuquerque, but on the other, fewer people meant fewer cars and fuel.
They arrived in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, a little before dawn. Having learned her lesson from the truck stop incident where Roger was shot, Beth punched the gas and sped past the parking lot of the Arizona Department of Transportation.
In the distance, a light shined through the window of the Teec Nos Pos Trading Post. Beth imagined that the owner was staying there guarding the place. Not that there would be huge groups of marauders passing through. The four corner region of Arizona was part of the Najavo Nation and sparsely populated. More than likely, the store would have to contend with hungry and desperate locals.
Beth remembered visiting the store as a child. She’d been fascinated by all the dreamcatchers, turquoise rings, and colorful rugs. Her father had bought them all mutton sandwiches for lunch, and they ate them in the car on their way to visit relatives in Durango, Colorado. The mutton tasted too gamey for her liking, and she had fed her sandwich to the family dog. She hadn’t liked mutton until she ate it at the Moonlight Bar-B-Que Inn in Owensboro, Kentucky, once while visiting Greg’s sister. That was the best barbeque she’d ever tasted.
Just past the transportation building, Beth made a left turn onto US 160 East toward Cortez, Colorado. As she watched the trading post disappear in the rearview mirror, she wondered if she would ever see Greg’s family in Kentucky again.
Five miles down the road was the four corner’s monument. Beth recalled the framed photo taken there of her with her mother and father that sat on the mantel in her mother’s house. She wished she’d have brought it with her. Beth regretted not taken any mementos from her childhood to remember her parents. She’d taken nothing except one-eyed Jack. Beth looked down at the carrier on the seat between her and Maria. Jack was curled up, sound asleep. She knew her mother would be happy she’d taken him with her.
“We should be cautious this close to the monument. The stranded tourists have likely all since wandered off in search of food and water by now, but you can’t be too cautious,” Maria said.
“There might be fuel left in the cars, though. You think we should try one and see?”
Maria looked around, then nodded. Beth pulled up to a Jeep Grand Cherokee with out-of-state plates. Beth stood guard again as Maria punctured the tank. Beth made a 360-degree turn to make sure no more children snuck up on her. The sound of gasoline filling the pan made Beth smile.
“Hand me the other oil pan,” Maria said, her hand sticking out beside the tire.
Beth pushed the pan over to her with her foot, not taking her eyes off the scope. Maria placed both containers in the truck next to the others and they pulled back onto the roadway.
Just south of the monument, they entered into New Mexico briefly before crossing over the San Juan River into Colorado. In the distance were the La Plata and San Juan Mountain Ranges where the Pueblo built whole civilizations in the cliffs of the Mesa Verde.
“You’re going to make a right up here onto Harrington Road before we enter Cortez. We should avoid populated cities if at all possible,” Maria said, pointing to the road on their right.
Beth took the turn and they wound their way through the agricultural land south of the city, eventually returning to Highway 160 going east.
It took them the rest of the night to cross the state and reach Trinidad, Colorado. They weaved back-and-forth dodging towns as best they could and reached Trinidad running on fumes and with empty gas cans. They had tried to stop twice to look for fuel, but there were just too many people in the area. Now, they were forced to take the risk and stop about ten miles south of the city on Interstate 25.
“There,” Maria pointed. “That truck there. Pull in between it and that red SUV. We will be somewhat concealed.”
As the sun was coming up, Beth pulled in and stopped. She left the truck running for a quick getaway if they spot people in the area. Beth grabbed her rifle, slung it around to her back and went around to the side of the truck as Maria scooted the pan under the vehicle and slid in after it. Beth heard a pop and then the sound of the gasoline pouring into the pan.
Beth grabbed two of the empty fuel cans and set them by the tire.
When the first can was full, Beth slid the second oil can under to Maria. Beth quickly emptied Maria’s first can it into the gas can and slid that one under as well.
They poured the fifteen gallons of gas from the truck into their vehicle and went to work draining the gas from the SUV. They filled two of the fuel cans and was just about to get back in and pull away when Beth caught movement out of the corner of her eye.
A man, woman, and small child slowly emerged from the tree line about one hundred yards away. Beth pulled her rifle to her shoulder and put her sights on the man. He slowly raised his hands as the woman shoved the little boy behind her.
“Jump in, Beth, I’ll cover you,” Maria called from behind Beth.
Beth backed around the truck and slid into the driver’s seat. Maria opened the passenger door with one hand, never taking her attention off the couple. As Beth pulled away, the couple just stood there staring at them with their hands in the air.
This is what the world has come to now.
Chapter 10
Langston Cabin
Evening Shade, Missouri
Event + 14 days
When Maddie walked into the kitchen a little after daybreak, Ron was seated at the long oak farm table with his fingers laced around a coffee mug.
Ryan’s coffee mug.
Her mouth fell open, and her hand flew up to cover it.
“What?” Ron asked wide-eyed.
“That there is Ryan’s mug.”
Ron turned the cup around and stared at the Marine Corps logo.
“And?”
Maddie looked over her shoulder before answering him.
“Well, he is just a little um—picky about his favorite mug,” she whispered.
“Oh, I see,” Ron whispered back.
“Let me get you another,” Maddie said.
“It was just sitting there on the towel in the windowsill,” Ron said as Maddie handed him a plain brown coffee mug.
Maddie rinsed the cup and returned it to its position on the windowsill before pouring herself a mug and joining Ron at the table.
“What brings you over so early, Ron? Do not tell me it was the peach cobbler.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I kept seeing the Henson girl. That whole situation disturbs me.”
Ron shook his head as Maddie spooned four scoops of sugar into her coffee from the rooster-shaped sugar bowl on the table.
“It was very disturbing. She was so young and to go like that at the hand of so-called friends,” Ron said.
Maddie shuddered.
“That is the most disturbing part. She likely never saw it coming. She didn’t stand a chance. The brutality of those girls. How the hell does someone get that sick?”
Ron took a sip of coffee and stared up at
the ceiling.
Maddie caught herself looking up as if it held some answer to her question.
“What exactly was it that told you and Lugnut she knew her killers?” Maddie asked.
“She was fully clothed, but her shoes were on the wrong feet.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense. What do you think the sheriff will do when he finds the girls that did it?”
“I guess he will lock them up and there will be a trial. Though, I don’t know how they prove anything if Derek doesn’t make it,” Ron said.
“Let’s pray he makes it,” Maddie said. “Do you believe him that he wasn’t involved?”
“Yeah, I think he is telling the truth. Either that or he was remorseful afterwards. Her body was placed by the creek with care and not just dumped there.”
“I hate just sitting around thinking those crazy people are out there. I hope the sheriff comes by and lets us know when they catch them.”
“I know. It is better to know if we need to be on guard for teenage psycho killers or not. I was going to see if Lugnut would be willing to ride over to the sheriff’s office with me. I know that you probably need him here since you are down two men…”
“One man. I’m fit for duty. Doc said so yesterday, remember?” Rank said, entering the kitchen, and he pulled a mug from the shelf above the cook stove.
The kitchen, having functioned as a hunting cabin most of its existence, did not have cabinets. Maddie’s mother had asked her dad to install some, but he had never got around to it.
“I recall him saying you should wait another week,” Ron said.
“Rank has never followed orders very well,” Lugnut said from the doorway to the kitchen.
“That’s not true,” Rank said, grabbing Ryan’s mug from the windowsill.
“Put that back,” Ryan barked as he hobbled up behind him.
“Damn, you scared me. I was going to bring you a cup of coffee, but since you are being a dick, you can get it yourself.”
“I guess I will since I’m standing right by it.”