“All jokes aside,” said Sonny. “You both did really well back there. You two make a good team.”
After a few more miles, the two sides of the freeway merged together and, with no median between them, became more like a four lane highway. Soon we saw roads and even driveways coming directly off of it. We continued travelling north at a speed of about 30 miles per hour. It was all the speed Sonny dared, given the swirling snow and limited visibility.
It took us nearly half an hour to get to the town of Hillsboro, New Hampshire. Here, the highway we were following merged with another and turned east toward Concord. We were mostly quiet during that leg of the trip. Sonny was concentrating on the road ahead and Indigo snuggled against me with her eyes closed. At one point, she began to snore, surprisingly loud for such a sweet girl, so I nudged her a little bit and she squirmed around and continued sleeping, but at least the snoring stopped.
“About five or seven miles further up the road we are going to be coming to another freeway. Do you think we should stay on the highway or take the freeway in and through Concord?” Sonny asked, as we were leaving Hillsboro behind.
“I think there is good and bad about taking the freeway,” I replied. “The fact that they have limited access means we have fewer directions danger can approach from.”
“True enough.”
“But, on the other hand, that advantage can turn into a disadvantage because, if we do meet trouble on the freeway, there are fewer opportunities for escape.”
“Also true.”
“We are taking a freeway out of Concord, no matter what road we take in, aren’t we?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then maybe it would be easier to get on here, assuming this freeway connects to one leading north. That way, we won’t have to hunt for freeway entrances while we’re navigating through the city, we just skirt around it.”
“Sounds like a decent plan, but what if the Chinese have occupied Concord? It seems likely to me that they’d be watching the freeways more closely than the side roads,” Sonny said.
“Risk verses reward, I guess. Every decision we make has to take those aspects into account. By not taking the freeway, we risk running right into a Chinese patrol on one of the streets of the city with nowhere to run. We’ll take the freeway.”
“You’re really starting to sound like one sometimes,” he replied, glancing at me with a small smile.
“Starting to sound like what?”
“A leader.”
Less than 10 minutes later, we were approaching the onramp to the freeway and Sonny pulled the truck to a stop. At first, I didn't realize why, but looking at him I saw him staring at the freeway with an incredulous look on his face. Following his gaze, I suddenly understood. The row of streetlights running along it were blazing, the light amplified by the snow, so the freeway glowed like it was the middle of the day. On this section of road at least, the Chinese had turned the power back on.
“Maybe sticking to the side highways and going through the city would be for the best after all,” I said after a moment.
23
We continued on highway 202. It followed the freeway close enough we could see its lights blazing though the trees. This went on for maybe four miles before the freeway veered off to the south east and we continued on toward the heart of Concord.
Reaching the outskirts of the city, we saw the freeway was not the only place where streetlights were working, although none of the houses or buildings we passed seemed to have any lights on. The snow was still falling, even thicker now, with the large flakes clumping together in the air. Concord was eerie, the streetlights illuminating what now seemed to be a ghost town.
“If the electricity is on, I'd bet a hundred dollars that the Chinese have troops here,” Indigo said.
She woke up when we first started passing streetlights and had been as enthralled by them as us, looking at each one as it passed by as if it were something magical.
“I’d say so, too, but there’s not much we can do about it, if we want to get to Drake Mountain.” Sonny said.
“Maybe you should turn the headlights off,” I said. “The snow is reflecting enough light from the streetlights that we don’t really need it.”
“Okay,” Sonny reached forward and switched them off. The road was plenty visible and we would now be less noticeable.
“Should we stop and ask the others their opinions about this new development or do we just keep pushing on?”
“I think push on,” said Indigo, with a frown creasing her face. “Like Sonny said, there isn’t much we can do about it, short of scrapping the trip altogether, and do we really have anywhere else we can go?”
“Can we turn back and loop around, avoiding this city?” I asked Sonny.
“Possibly,” he said. “But I doubt if we have enough gas to do that. The roundabout way is long, all the way through Vermont and back.”
I looked at the gas gauge on the dashboard. It now read a little under half a tank. “Darn it, this thing gets horrible mileage.”
“What do you expect? It’s a rental truck.” Sonny said lightly.
“Maybe we could get some gas,” Indigo said. “If the lights are working, the pumps might be, too. We just need to find a gas station.”
“There is also the fact we don’t know if any other way we go is actually going to be safer than this way or not,” Sonny said, pausing at a traffic light which was blinking red.
“That’s why we push on,” I said, shaking my head. “We made a plan and now we need to stick to it, unless we see a real and credible threat. At least we have a plan and know what we need to do, as opposed to just winging it and making up some new plan as we go along.”
“Okay. We push ahead,” Sonny agreed, pulling through the intersection and continuing his drive deeper into the city.
Street signs indicated if we continued down the highway, we'd eventually reach Interstate 93, the freeway which would take us north to Lincoln, and that’s where we would join the road leading to Drake Mountain Resort.
According to Indigo, who was examining the atlas, it was about 30 miles or more to Campton, where we planned to ditch the truck, and another five from there to Lincoln. Sonny said from Lincoln to the ski lodge, where we assumed the safe haven was, was another couple of miles. So it looked like we’d be walking at least seven miles in the snow. I desperately hoped it would stop snowing by then.
The drive through Concord was eerie, the emptiness highlighted by the illuminated streetlights. I couldn’t help looking at the rows of darkened houses, wondering how many dead Americans were entombed in the snow-topped buildings. I shuddered.
Indigo saw it first.
“There’s a building with lights on up there,” she said, pointing though the windshield. “We might want to take a side street and go around.”
Following her finger, I saw what looked to be a squat building about two blocks up on the right. There was a neon Budweiser sign lighting up the street in front of it. Sonny slowed the speed of the truck and we inched closer.
I could see there were four Humvees parked in the small lot. Clearly, the soldiers were inside the bar, probably enjoying some leisure time. Something about Chinese troops sitting around drinking in an American bar, while its former owners rotted in their homes all around them, stung me badly.
“Take the next left,” I said to Sonny. “Then a right, and pull over.”
“Why are we going to stop?” he asked.
“I want to take a closer look. Maybe we can learn something.”
“Is that a smart thing to do? We could get caught.”
“Well, if nothing else, we might be able to find a way to disable their hummers,” I said. “That could prevent at least this group from chasing us if we’re spotted.” He regarded me for a moment, perhaps taking in my determination.
“Alright, I guess I buy that,” he said.
He took the next left and then turned right immediately, pulling up in a da
rk alley which ran parallel to the main road. “Who are you taking with you?”
“Luke,” I said, without even thinking. “I’d take you, but we can’t both go, we’re the only drivers. Plus, you’re wounded.”
“I’m going, too,” Indigo said. “I can’t just let you and Luke have all the fun all the time.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her. “It could be dangerous.”
“No kidding,” she said, flipping her head. “Don’t worry about me, I can pull my weight.”
“I’m not worried about you being incapable,” I said. “It’s just that I like you, a lot actually, and I’d hate to see you get hurt ...”
My sentence was cut off by her lips closing over mine. Excitement shot through me like a bolt of electricity.
“I like you, too, Isaac,” she said, pulling away. “And I don’t want you to get hurt, but that’s not going to stop you from going, is it?”
“I guess not,” I said, looking at her in a new light.
I am ashamed to admit deep down I felt a small amount of satisfaction remembering how Luke and I had both been trying to impress her. Well, I got the first kiss, Luke. What do you think of that?
“Alright, just be careful and I’ll try to do the same.”
“Deal, now let’s go get Luke and get started.”
We said our goodbyes to Sonny, who told us he would keep the truck running, but he was getting out to stretch after the long drive. We also agreed that if we weren’t back in half an hour, he would assume the worst and leave without us.
Indigo and I climbed out of the truck and went around to the back; Luke was already crouching by the door holding his crossbow as I opened it.
“What’s up?” he asked, then I saw his eyes widen as he saw the streetlights. “The power is on? I take it this isn’t just another piss stop then?” He jumped down. The others looked on with interest.
“We’re in Concord,” I said. “The Chinese seemed to have occupied it but we didn’t have a choice about going around. Anyway, there's a bunch of Humvees at a bar around the corner.
“It seems some of the troops are letting their hair down, so we’re going to go on foot and check it out. We’ll see if we can scavenge anything they might have out there and maybe learn something about their number and positioning in the city. But our main goal is going to be to disable the Hummers so they can’t chase after us when we leave town.”
“Alright, who's going?”
“Me, you, and Indigo.”
“Indigo? Don’t you think ...?”
“Yes, Indigo.” I interrupted to forestall any argument and then immediately turned to Ben, “I need you to stay here and guard the truck. If we’re not back in 30 minutes, you’re to continue without us.”
Luke didn’t push the point about Indigo; he must have sensed I wasn’t going to change my mind. We said our goodbyes and were turning to go, when Brooke surprised me by calling out for us to wait. She jumped down and hugged each of us in turn. Luke was last and his hug seemed to linger. He avoided eye contact with me as we walked to the corner, but his red face said it all. It looked like I didn’t have to worry about him liking Indigo after all.
As we made our way around the block, staying in the shadows as much as possible, I gave Luke a whispered account of our trip from the perspective of the cab. Of course, I left out the part where Indigo had kissed me.
The fresh snow was already nearly four inches deep here, and it was resting on a half-inch of frozen, crusty snow beneath it. Our boots made squelching noises as we walked. Reaching the corner of the highway we had been following, I could see we were now a block away from the bar. We could hear music and laughter from the bar, but there didn’t appear to be anyone guarding the vehicles in the parking lot. After all, what did they have to guard against? Hopefully, we could take advantage of their complacency.
“We should cross the street and sneak up along the front of those buildings,” Luke said. “We don’t want to be exposed in the street when we are close to that place.”
“Good idea.”
I looked both ways before I ushered them across the street.
“There might be streetlights, but I doubt there’s going to be much in the way of traffic,” Indigo said, a cheeky smile on her face as we ducked under the awning of a drugstore.
“Force of habit,” I said, distractedly.
The store window was intact and I could see the shelves were still fairly well-stocked. If we’d had more time, I probably would have raided it for supplies.
We crept slowly as we got closer to the bar, trying to prevent our boots from making too much noise. The snow was still falling just as hard as before, but now a cold wind had begun to pick up, blowing straight down Main Street. We were close enough to make out the music now. It was country-western.
Luke raised a hand bringing us to a stop. “Are they really listening to country music? Are we sure that these are Chinese soldiers?”
“Who else would they be?” I asked.
As silly as it was, even that one little question planted a seed of hope in my mind. Could it be Americans who had switched the power on? Had the Flu been stopped before it took everyone in authority?
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Indigo said. “Let’s get closer; we’re still a block away.”
Luke started forward again and we followed single file, our backs against the front of the buildings that lined this side of the street.
We stopped on the corner opposite the bar and watched it from the shadows. The Grand Slam Bar and Grill looked as lively as it had probably been before the Flu. Now that we were closer, we could see there were two more Humvees parked back where we couldn’t see them from further down the highway. Humvees which clearly displayed the Chinese flag.
I swallowed my disappointment, even though deep down I had known it had to be the case. Six Humvees. If they were manned like the one at the gas station, we were looking at upwards of 36 soldiers in the bar.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Luke said quietly. He had obviously crunched the numbers, too.
“They’re all inside, and the windows of the bar are frosted and painted with baseball logos,” I replied, knowing we would never get as good a chance again to do some damage to the Chinese.
“We should be okay as long as one of them doesn’t come outside for some reason. We have to at least cripple the Humvees. Look, they have machine guns in the ring mounts just like the one from the gas station, and those things would tear the back of our truck to shreds if they came up behind us on the freeway.”
Indigo and Luke both nodded but, from the looks on their faces, they weren’t keen on the idea. The moment was lightened when some atrociously off-key singing began. Karaoke? Chinese singing karaoke? What a cliché. Whoever was singing was doing so in English, but it was obviously not their first language.
“It sounds like their karaoke is keeping them entertained for the moment. Come on,” I said and started across the street in an awkward, stooped jog, moving as fast as I dared in the snow. Indigo and Luke followed closely behind.
We crouched down by the front fender of the nearest Hummer. Indigo kept watch on the bar door while I scanned the streets and Luke reached up to try the driver’s side door. It wasn’t locked. He opened it slowly and looked around inside.
“We could hop in and just drive it away,” he whispered. “It doesn’t even need keys. It has a push button ignition.”
“Is there anything we can use in there?” I asked.
“Not really. It looks like there’s an extra box of ammo for the machine gun in the back seat. I suppose we could climb in and hose down the other Humvees with the machine gun. That would cripple them for sure.”
“That would make a racket that even drunk, singing soldiers couldn’t ignore ...” Indigo said. “Get down!”
At her warning, we crouched lower and Luke silently closed the Hummer’s door as a Chinese soldier came stumbling through the front door of the bar. M
y heart beat a staccato rhythm in my chest. The soldier was very obviously drunk. He wore the trench coat which marked him as a conscript and didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything except trying to get his pants unbuttoned.
He didn’t even glance our way as he leaned against the wall next to the door and pissed in the snow. After what seemed like the world’s longest whiz, he wobbled as he re-zipped his pants, and then turned to stumble back to the bar. It was then that Indigo dropped the revolver with a muffled clatter.
The soldier stopped and turned our way. We all ducked and I winced at the pain in my bruised ribs as I flattened to the snow-covered bitumen. I watched his booted feet from that vantage.
For the longest time, he stood in one spot as I silently encouraged him to go back into the bar. Of course, he didn’t. The boots turned our way and began a stumbling walk toward the front of the vehicle we were hiding behind. I got to my knees and frantically waved the others to move to the rear of the Humvee.
We scrambled around to the rear and Luke raised his crossbow to me with a question in his eyes. I shook my head; we couldn’t risk the soldier screaming if Luke’s shot didn’t kill him outright. It was then I realized that our footsteps and scuffs from hiding in the snow would be plainly visible when the soldier rounded the front of the truck.
I made an instant decision and looked around frantically. A rock garden a few feet away bordered our side of the parking lot and I ran for it, hastily picking up a smooth, fist-sized rock. I wished I’d had time to remove my gloves, and prayed my grip wouldn’t slip. I ran around the truck.
The soldier stood swaying and looking at the messed snow and scuffing where we had ducked to the ground. His gaze followed our footprints to the rear of the truck and suddenly he didn’t seem quite so drunk. He reached for his sidearm and began to creep in that direction. To be honest, I am probably lucky he was drunk. He didn’t even twitch as I brought the rock down hard on the back of his neck. Just fell, as though boneless, to the snow crusted road. I stood over him, my chest heaving, but he didn’t move.
“Come help me,” I whispered.
The After Days Trilogy Page 24