by Bruno Miller
Together, they lifted the truck using both jacks until the wheel was off the ground.
Ben tested the stability of the jacked-up truck by pushing against it with the weight of his body. The truck didn’t budge with the two opposing jacks holding strong on either side of the wheel well. Satisfied that the truck was stable, he stepped back and let Jon get to work on the tire. “How did you hear about all this?”
“Our neighbor, good old Mr. Thompson. Really nice guy.” Jon looked at his wife and smiled. “He’s one of those ham radio guys and a bit a pepper, I guess you call it. God bless him, though. I’ll tell you, if it wasn’t for him, we’d be in a lot worse shape than we are now.”
“There are still some good people out there.”
“Thankfully.” Jon gave Ben a knowing look before continuing. “Thompson gave us most of his MREs, about six dozen of them, along with a few other supplies for the trip and told us he’d do his best to watch over the house while we were gone. We tried to talk him into coming with us but he wouldn’t have it any other way, even after the collecting started.” Jon finished up with the tire and yanked it off, letting it roll a couple feet to where it tipped over and came to rest.
“Collecting?” Ben got down on the ground with the socket set and got to work.
Jon was quick to join him under the truck and watched him loosen the nuts at each end of the tie rod. “A group got together and went door to door through the neighborhoods, demanding people give all they had to be divided up among everyone. For the greater good they claimed, but we left before they got around to our part of the neighborhood.”
Ben snorted in disgust. “I don’t blame you.” Jon shook his head. “I never would have thought people would turn against each other so fast.”
“This neighbor of yours, did he hear how all this started?” Ben asked. “We were in the woods on a camping trip when it happened.”
Jon lowered his voice as he looked at Ben in the dim light under the truck. “Well, I can tell you what I know, but it’s not much, and it’s definitely not good.”
Chapter Three
Jon cleared his throat softly. “Keep in mind, everything I’m about to tell you has been passed around by a few old-time ham radio guys, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of any of it. There was nothing on the news and no emergency broadcasts prior to the bombs, so nothing official has been said and information has been scarce on the details.”
Ben nodded. “Understood.”
“From what Mr. Thompson told me, North Korea used nuclear subs positioned off both coasts to launch the ICBMs, enabling them to reach the interior of the country and key cities along the East Coast. They also launched rockets from their bases in North Korea that were able to reach the West Coast.”
“Do they know if they were all high-altitude detonations? EMPs? Were there any ground-level detonations?” Ben paused for a second and then got back to using the small pry bar to wedge between the tie rod end and the steering knuckle and hammered it apart before moving on to the inner tie rod end.
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that not all the rockets were successful. Some were taken out by our missile defense systems before they reached their targets. But National Missile Defense was down for most of the attack. The North Koreans had help from the Syrians, who set up terrorist cells in the United States and hacked into the NMD.”
Ben couldn’t think of anything to say and instead focused on getting the tie rod off while he processed all this new information.
Everything Jon said made sense, though, as Ben strung the pieces together in his mind. He’d suspected it was North Korea all along and now remembered reading something a few months ago about the UN accusing the North Koreans of selling supplies to Syria that could be used to manufacture chemical weapons.
They claimed to have evidence and even photographs of known North Korean missile technicians working at Syrian chemical weapon and missile facilities over the last couple years. But like everything else he read or heard about that seemed like important information, there seemed to be no follow-up or consequences by the UN or anyone else. There were trade sanctions, of course, but for a country with a dictator that didn’t care about the people, they were useless.
The important issues seemed to get lost, swallowed up or overshadowed by the superficial drivel that passed for news these days. If only the political parties would put as much energy into solving the big issues as they did into digging up dirt on each other and fighting. The only thing any of them seemed interested in doing was creating job security for themselves and maintaining their positions of power. In Ben’s opinion, politics had devolved into the equivalent of two kids arguing on the playground. Neither one would listen, and it was all about who could shout the loudest.
Sure, there were a few good politicians, maybe even a handful that hadn’t sold out yet, but they weren’t the ones getting the headlines and shaping policy. These days, it seemed, that decision was left up to the media and news outlets, which was a whole other issue altogether. They all backed candidates and were partisan without apology at this point.
Ben thought it would be a good idea if politicians had to include a list of campaign donors in their ads. That way you could see what corporations or media outlets were holding the strings. Why did the media seem so hell-bent on pushing society over the edge of decency?
Joel stuck his head under the wheel well. “How’s it going, Dad? Need anything?”
“I just about got it.” Ben struck the blunt end of the pry bar with the hammer once more, and the tie rod popped off its joint. “There it goes.”
He handed the pry bar and hammer up to Joel before he rolled out from under the Suburban. He held the damaged part out in front of him, showing Jon as he joined him from under the truck.
“And that right there is your problem.” Ben pointed. “We just need to straighten that out the best we can and then put this back on. Joel, will you get me the ax?”
Laying the tie rod on the pavement, Ben positioned the bent end upward.
“Jon, would you hold that end in place with your foot?”
“Sure.”
“I got this end.” Joel stepped on the other end of the tie rod.
When they had it secured in place, Ben gave it a few well-placed blows with the flat end of the ax head before picking it up off the ground and inspecting it for straightness.
“I think that’s it. Don’t want to overdo it and make it any weaker than it already is. Let’s get this back on and see how it does.”
Ben and Jon crawled back under the truck and went to work reinstalling the tie rod. It went on a lot quicker than it came off.
Jon seemed impressed. “I can’t believe how simple that was, or maybe you just made it look easy. I can’t thank you guys enough for stopping and giving us a hand.” Jon beamed.
Once they had it finished and got the tire remounted, Ben had Jon back the big green Suburban up a good ways and then drive past a few yards so he could watch the tire perform. Jon was already giving Ben a thumbs-up out the window as he rolled by. He quickly brought the Suburban to a stop and parked it.
Christine clapped from the side of the road, where she had been watching Jessie and Allie throw a stick for Gunner. “Yay!”
“That’s great! One hundred percent better. You are a life-saver, my friend,” Jon exclaimed as he got out of the truck and walked over to Ben. Jon shook his hand excitedly.
Ben accepted the praise without argument. “I still wouldn’t go over 40 or 50 miles per hour on that if you can help it. But at least it won’t shake you to death. You really should replace it when you can, though. It will give you problems down the road at some point, now that it’s been bent.”
“We will. I promise.” Jon went to stand by his wife.
“Thank you so much!” Christine smiled at Joel and then at Ben. “We can’t thank you enough!”
“I wish there was some way we could repay you. Do you want a few MREs?” Jon offered.
“Yes, we are. We shouldn’t be on this road much longer,” Jon replied.
“Well, let’s just say that’s a good thing then and leave it at that. We ran into a lot of trouble in the towns along 160 between here and Durango.” Ben glanced at Allie and Jessie, who were sitting in the grass on the side of the road. The girls were busy giving Gunner all of their attention as he hammed it up for them and went through his routine of tricks in exchange for scratches and belly rubs.
“Come on, Jessie,” Christine called. “Jessie, come on, sweetie.”
“Coming.” Jessie reluctantly stood up and made her way over to the truck, but not before giving Gunner a big hug and a kiss on the nose. He reciprocated with a big wet lick on her cheek. She laughed and giggled in the way little girls did, making Ben think of his own little girl for a moment. Then Jessie gave Allie a quick hug before and running back to her mother. She climbed into the back seat of the Suburban and disappeared.
“You guys take care now, and be careful.” Ben nodded his goodbye.
Jon and Christine both made their way around to give everyone a handshake and a thank-you before they loaded up in the Suburban. They all waved, even Jessie, who popped back up through the window as they pulled away and headed out.
Chapter Four
“They were nice.” Allie was the first to break the silence as they all stood and watched the Suburban disappear down the road.
“Yes, they were. I’m glad we could help them out.” Ben walked over to the Blazer and opened the door, letting Gunner hop in first. He glanced at Joel. “You still up for driving? I want to look at the map some more, now that we know a little bit about the roads ahead.”
“Sure, no problem,” Joel answered.
Ben really was glad that the tie rod repair had gone so well. He felt bad for the Wilsons, especially little Jessie, who reminded him of Emma at that age. Jon seemed nice enough but wasn’t really the self-sufficient type. Ben wondered how long he could keep them all safe. Hopefully, they could reunite with their son in Arizona and would be better equipped to deal with things.
Ben was saddened to hear the true state of things, but he was also somewhat relieved to know what they were up against and somewhat encouraged that the military was at least attempting to maintain law and order. If the Guard were in Kansas City, they would be in other places as well and in larger numbers. Maybe by the time Ben and his crew got to Pittsburgh, things would be under control or at least stable enough for them to get in and get out.
He climbed into the Blazer and joined Gunner on the bench seat in the back. “I think the Wilsons might be on to something by going around the towns, even the small ones. We should do the same where we can.”
Joel got back behind the wheel and buckled up. “Won’t that add a lot of time to the trip, though?”
“It will, but we also need to get there in one piece,” Ben stated.
Allie got situated in the passenger seat as Joel started the engine and put the truck in gear. “Sounds good to me, if it means avoiding places that are anything like what we’ve seen already.”
“We’ll have to work together. Someone will have to navigate full-time for whoever is driving,” Ben said as he looked at the map. He knew picking their way through the back roads using an outdated map would be challenging, to say the least. But based on their recent experiences, it was the option with the least amount of risk involved.
Before long, the rhythmic hum of the engine had replaced the conversation, and even Gunner had fallen asleep with his head on Ben’s knee. The dog was half covered under the open map. Sleep tugged at Ben, too, but he rubbed his eyes and struggled to focus on the smaller roads around the upcoming towns.
They were going to have to wing it around some of these places, based on the detail the map provided. Thankfully, the lifted Blazer, with its oversized aggressive tires and four-wheel drive, would allow them to make their own roads where necessary.
Ben also wondered if they should consider changing the hours they were on the road. If they started early, say around four or five in the morning, and stopped by four or five that afternoon, they could use the remaining daylight to secure their campsite and camouflage the truck. Doing that would become more and more important as they made their way east and the population density increased. He was sure the farther they went, the more people they were likely run into.
“What do you think?” Joel asked.
Ben looked up and saw Joel pointing at a gas station coming up on the right.
“We’re just about at a quarter tank,” Joel added.
“Okay, looks pretty dead around here. Let’s do it, but circle around the place once, okay?” Ben looked around and could see at least a couple miles in every direction.
They were well out of the foothills now, and the landscape was changing quickly. Nothing but dry scrub brush and mostly level ground except for the occasional washed-out arroyo or ravine. There was nobody around they could see, and no other buildings, for at least a mile. One small outbuilding sat on the back side of the property, but it looked abandoned.
Joel slowed down and pulled into the gas station. He drove through the parking lot until he completed a loop around the little convenient store. He looked around some more over the top of the steering wheel.
He pointed. “Over there.”
He pulled the Blazer over to the tank accesses lids that stuck out partially from the pavement in the corner of the lot. Gunner got up in his seat and began to wag his tail, shifting restlessly and whining a little.
“I think somebody needs to do something,” Ben commented.
Joel shut the truck down, and they all got out and stretched their legs for a minute. Now that he was out of the truck and could get a better feel for the place, Ben took a good look around.
The little store here had fared much better than other places they had seen. Some of the windows were cracked, but they were all still intact in their frames. The store itself appeared empty like the others, though, and had obviously been cleaned out by looters. But for the most part, it seemed like a safe place to get fuel and maybe grab something to eat out of the back of the truck while they were stopped.
Gunner quickly found a telephone pole at the corner of the parking lot and relieved himself before he came bounding back to the truck to rejoin the group.
“I wish it was that easy,” Allie joked. “Uh, do you think I could use the bathroom here?”
“Joel, how about you unpack the hose and pump and get things ready out here? I’ll walk her in and check the place out. When I get back, I can show you how to do it.” Ben pulled the tank access key from his pocket and tossed it to Joel. “See if you can figure it out by the time I get back.”
Chapter Five
Joel rolled his eyes as he caught the key, then started to unpack the hose. Ben and Allie headed for the store some 20 yards away on the other side of the paved lot.
Ben stopped all of sudden and snapped his fingers, pointing back at the truck. “We’re not going to make that mistake again.” He jogged over to the driver’s side door that was still open and fished around in the center console. A couple seconds later he reappeared with the handheld radios. Turning them both on, he placed one on the rear bumper, then caught back up to Allie.
“Let me know if you see anything.” He spoke into the radio and looked back at Joel, who gave him the thumbs-up. Ben clipped the radio to his belt, and they continued on. He wasn’t going to get caught off guard again.
It was a little place with only fou
r pump stations out front. “Daisy’s Pit Stop” was written in bright yellow letters on the sign over the door. Big round bulbs around the outer edge had once illuminated the sign, but most had been smashed, leaving only the remains sticking out of each socket.
Ben and Allie made their way past the empty shelves and found the bathroom in the back. Ben kept his hand on his gun but left it in the holster as he opened the bathroom door and peeked inside.
He quickly pulled his head out and looked at Allie. “All clear, but I’m afraid it’s not much better than the last one.”
“I figured.” She sighed and pulled her shirt up over her nose.
“I’m going to take a quick look around and then head back out to help Joel. Will you be okay in here alone?”
Allie nodded. “It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“Here, you keep this then.” Ben unclipped the radio from his belt and gave it to her.
“Thanks.” Allie headed into the bathroom, still pinching her fingers over her nose through the shirt.
It didn’t take long for Ben to look around. The whole store was only about 1,000 square feet with a small storage area in the back—all of which was picked clean, making it easy for him to confirm there was no one else there. Satisfied that he could leave Allie alone in the store, he went out to help Joel.
On his way out, he noticed an overturned shelf with something red sticking out underneath. Pulling at what seemed to be a bag of something, he lifted the shelf a little with his other hand and slid the heavy sack out from under the display. A big bag of dog food.
“Outstanding!” He hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and headed out of the store without giving it another thought.
He was happy with the find. This meant they didn’t have to supplement Gunner’s meals with their food to make up for the small amount of dog food they had brought with them. He hadn’t been able to get to the store before the fishing trip with Joel. He’d been so busy at work he’d figured he would go grocery shopping when they got back. Dog food had been on his list of things they’d needed.