Escaping Home

by Jeffrey Miller

  “Ok, now we head north, dad,” Nate said into the CB.

  His dad continued to follow up the long narrow road. On either side of the two-lane road were just vast fields of Texas prairie grass. The sky was like a blue topaz with high drifting clouds.

  After some time of good travel on the smaller county roads, Nate decided to try their luck on the state highways. After avoiding the small town of Stratford, Nate led them north on Highway 287. The road had several cars mostly, with a few big rigs off the side of the road. They saw a few people riding motorbikes, and they waved enthusiastically. Nate was encouraged by this good sign of happiness. Perhaps they were happy to see someone moving again or just seeing someone at all. Their next town was Kerrick, Texas, right on the border of Texas and Oklahoma.

  Nate was feeling encouraged with the lack of anyone on the road. Yet, why would there be anyone out. The more Nate thought about the idea, he realized so many people had passed away. There may never again in his lifetime be normal traffic with the daily grind of people traveling. The only reason why thousands, maybe millions, headed west now was due to fear, and rightly they made that decision. Nate was thankful, but sad at the same time. He really didn’t wish to leave the home he knew. With his parents safely behind him, Nate now thought about his siblings. Henry said he might be able to reach that area with the Ham base station when they got settled. It was something that was always at the back of his mind. They would have to choose whether to make their way back home, but Nate hope he could talk with them before they chanced that trip.

  Up ahead, Nate spotted several abandoned cars nearly blocking the road. He didn’t see anyone. The cars were weathered badly with the windshields partially gone. He advised his father to take the shoulder as he drove by seeing that there was no threat. Driving by, Nate noticed a few baby dolls inside one of the cars, along with a car seat for a small child. It was a stark reminder to the realities of what was occurring across the nation.

  The next small town was Boise City, Oklahoma. To say Nate was pleased with their progress would be an understatement. He was actually shocked at the lack of people anywhere. Perhaps the reports of millions having already died were true. It was the ones that were still holding on who did not prepare, as many had, over the years. These individuals would be the threats that humanity would have to deal with.

  Nate reached for his Rand McNally map and glanced at the highlighted marks. Just like when he was on his way home, he would now avoid driving through the densest areas at all cost. People usually preferred to stay in these areas because it provided a sense of comfort. It didn’t matter if their resources had gone, or if gangs ruled the masses. If they didn’t have the ability to leave or the skills, they would stay. It would take disastrous events to uproot them like in the areas of Texas.

  Nate could see for miles with the wide-open plains of Oklahoma. It wasn’t any different in this area than in northern Texas. Over the next hill, off in the distance, he could see what appeared to be massive amounts of smoke. He was a good judge of distance, and placed it at the same distance as the town of Boise City. This smoke was billowing high up into the atmosphere. It ranged from black to brown. The width of the smoke stretched very wide. It was low to the ground. Reaching the top of the hill, Nate could now see into the valley that this fire was engulfing much, if not the entire, town. It also had spread to become a wildfire.

  “Hey dad, we have major problems up ahead.”

  Nate radioed back to his father who would be seeing the smoke now. Henry picked up the microphone and stared off into the distance. Betty and Ben had already fallen to sleep. Samson was between the two captain’s chairs, sitting up, sniffing at the air. Henry had his window cracked so the dog was already alerted.

  “Nate, that’s a big fire; we better find a way around that. Hopefully, that’s not across our path,” Henry said.

  Nate was already looking at the map trying to keep his eyes open for any abandoned cars in his way. He could just pull over, but he didn’t think he had time with the fire and the winds that seemed to come out of nowhere. The smoke covered any visual sight of the small town ahead. It reminded him of how a F5 tornado looks – low to the ground with the dark mass of swirling topsoil – except in this case, it was smoke. Nate had not seen anything like this before.

  “Dad, let’s take the next exit and go west on the county road; it will take us south, away from Boise City. Once we get to the next main highway, we can head north again. That wind is blowing hard to the east, so we should be ok,” Nate explained.

  Henry agreed.

  Betty was awake now and saying a prayer to herself for the people of Boise. No one knew what caused such a large fire in town or the surrounding areas, but from the looks of it, the area was destroyed.

  Nate led the way again with exiting as he said and slowly heading west. He checked the review mirror and could see his father right behind him. Nate wondered how long the fuel would last in the semi. He had a vague idea, but so many factors would affect the usage. He just hopped that they could at least make it a good ways into Colorado. However, the closer they traveled to the dense populations, the more of a target they would become. He knew many of those areas and cities already experienced bad crime.

  He wished they could have taken the same route back as he took home, only because he knew what to expect, and the mountains afforded them some isolation. Being out here on the open plains, he felt exposed. Yes, he could see for some distance, but the resources were limited compared to the mountains. Trekking from the point he left his Dodge Ram on foot until he made friends and found new transportation was definitely an experience he would not forget. He learned a lot about himself during that time. He acted with an ability he thought he would only ever need in a time of war. Yet, war was around him now. He was in a war to survive. The normal rules and morals of society were gone. That didn’t mean he had to become the lawless, but he did have to adjust and remain firm in his convictions about justice and judgment. There are far more good people in the world, even during times like these, but often the evilness will rule.

  The smoke was fading behind them as they drove west. It felt like they were making good time as they turned on another county road and headed north once again. It wasn’t even noon and they were near Colorado.

  *****

  The roadblock wasn’t very well thought out. For starters, it wasn’t even truly blocked. Two men sat at the road with rifles and a construction type stop sign in hand. Off the shoulder of the road were two motorcycles. One of the men was too big for the lawn type chair he sat in holding the rifle across the legs. The other man was tall and skinny. His beard was in his lap, with the old looking rifle. Near them were several abandoned vehicles and a few dead bodies. The corpses looked like they had been down for over a month. The hot south Eastern Colorado temperatures and predators had pretty well clean off much of the bodies.

  “Johnny, you hear that?” the bearded man asked. The large man stood, lifting the chair with him. Johnny busted out laughing which lead to a severe coughing that only a drink of something that resembled whisky stopped.

  “Damn it Billy, this wouldn’t happen if you just gave me that chair! Yes, I hear it, kind of sounds like a big truck,” Johnny replied, peeling the smaller aluminum chair off his rear.

  “I told you they said this road gets more traffic than the others. You go get behind that car, I will hold the sign up this time,” Johnny said.

  Billy didn’t argue and made his way behind the rear end of a newer looking Chevy Impala. The car was covered in dirt and had been put through some bad weather. Johnny could hear the sound grow, but then he heard the sound of something else.

  “Hey, we got a smaller one out front, better aim for that one first, it might slow the other one down,” Johnny said.

  Billy was already trying to get a bead on the smaller truck, but the scope was so dirty it was hard to see through. He would just need to make a good guess.

  Nate could see the stop si
gn and someone holding it down the road. He held the sign oddly with one hand, waving it back and forth. Nate grabbed the CB mic.

  “Hey, we have a problem. You see it?” Nate asked.

  Henry was looking down the road as Ben was awake now and using Henry’s high power binoculars.

  “Grandpa, that man has a rifle, and someone is across the road, I saw him peek up to look,” Ben added.

  Henry relayed the information to Nate. Ben was making a great spotter.

  “Let’s just stop. I will take a look also,” Nate replied, pulling up his own binoculars.

  The semi stopped far behind Nate. The smaller Nissan truck came to a slow stop off the shoulder at an angle to use the truck as cover. Nate reached for his rifle right as the first shot slammed into his windshield. The glass erupted inside the cabin of the truck. Henry could hear the sound of gunfire. He figured he was well out of range, but wasn’t sure.

  “Nate, are you taking fire?” Henry yelled into the mic.

  “Yes, I guess they didn’t want us to stop back here. I’m going to try to get out and behind the truck,” Nate said. He wasn’t in a good position; whatever they were using for a rifle was high powered enough to kill him if he wasn’t careful.

  Henry could see shots landing about fifty yards ahead of him, hitting the soil, and making puffs of dirt fly up.

  “Ok, time to back up before he figures out how to aim that gun,” Henry said as he put the truck in reverse. He felt bad for doing it, but he knew Nate was in his realm.

  “I hear more shots, but I think they are at you, dad,” Nate advised.

  “That they are. We are backing up, Nate,” Henry replied.

  “Ok. Good,” Nate replied as he quickly slid out the driver’s side door and ran to the rear of the small truck. He could still hear bullets flying above him, headed for his family. Nate pulled up his rifle – the AR-15 – and used the bed rail to steady his aim. He could see the man that was holding the stop sign now holding what appeared to be an AR also. He quickly studied the sight picture, and with one shot, he dropped the man at just over two hundred yards. Through the scope, Nate could see the penetration through the man’s chest. The man looked shocked as he grabbed his chest and fell backwards, fighting to keep his balance. In seconds, he fell to the ground, not moving.

  Henry was watching his son through the binoculars. He saw what transpired and knew Nate didn’t have a choice. Nate studied the area where the man lay, and saw the other man. He was looking at his partner and suddenly turned and ran for the motorcycle. He jumped on it, and within seconds, he was gone down a road that went in another direction. Nate was surprised at how fast the big man was. He could have easily shot and killed the man, but decided not to shot someone fleeing. When Nate was certain the scene was clear of danger, he radioed to his dad to pull up.

  Henry started forward, and in a few seconds he was pulling up behind Nate who was looking in the opposite direction, keeping an eye out for anyone else.

  “Nate, are you ok?” Betty asked as she started climbing down from the cabin door along with Henry and Ben from the side. Nate wished they hadn’t gotten out of the truck because he wasn’t sure it was safe. He was certain the man he shot was dead. It was the fact that the other man fled to somewhere likely close. This seemed an odd spot to set up a roadblock.

  “I’m fine; fortunately, he wasn’t a good shot. The other man hopped a motorbike and took off over that hill. I think we need to get moving, and do so a little faster in case he returns with reinforcements,” Nate replied.

  Ben was at his side hugging his father.

  “I’m ok, Ben. I’m ok,” Nate said, trying to reassure him.

  “Nate, we will let you go up and clear the scene before we pull forward,” Henry said. That was meant to say make sure that shooter was dead without Betty and Ben seeing the mess.

  “Yep, give me a few minutes. I will radio you when you can start moving,” Nate replied. Everyone hugged each other and then Nate got in his truck to drive. The truck wouldn’t start.

  The shooter had managed to place several rounds into the engine block. Nate didn’t think it was on purpose, but just the result of his aim. Fluid from the radiator and even engine oil were leaking onto the shoulder of the road. One bullet even managed to take out several electrical components, including the ECU. The truck was dead. Henry didn’t seem too upset about the truck. He was just happier than anything, that Nate was unharmed.

  “Well, I guess we better unload this thing and get your Tundra down,” Henry said.

  Nate agreed, but he needed to run up the road to check the scene. Henry started the unpacking of his older truck as Nate grabbed his rifle and jogged up the road. Ben and Betty helped as Henry carried some items to the back of the semi. Henry unlocked the doors and opened them wide. He then pulled out the long homemade ramps and positioned them on the edge of the truck bed. He walked up the ramps into the back of the truck. The first thing he had to do was remove the small smelly chicken coop. He unlatched it from its mechanism, and lifted the cage down the ramps. Now he could back the Tundra out.

  Henry had not been in the Tundra. He climbed into the large 4x4 and turned the key. The sound echoed inside the semi-trailer. Henry was surprised at the amount of power the truck exhibited. The backup camera came on when he put it in reverse. The ramps were extra wide on purpose. The tires on the truck were large and needed the extra width to back the truck off slowly. This didn’t stop Henry from getting out and double checking his progress. He had trouble trusting his judgment with the backup camera. He was close to the edge now, then saw that Nate was back. He was glad.

  Nate guided his dad easily down the ramps.

  “The guy is dead. I grabbed up his rifle and a small box of ammo. The scene ahead is pretty gruesome. These guys have been doing this for a while; there are bodies up there off the side of the road. There is so much trash and other items scattered out for some distance. I would say they had no resistance before today.”

  “What about the shooter? I mean was he old or what?” Henry asked.

  “He was older than me, he didn’t have any ID. I pulled him off the side of the road and placed him in a ditch. We don’t have time for a proper burial. My gut is telling me to get out of here,” Nate replied.

  Henry knew about Nate’s gut feelings very well. Henry had similar instincts. He always encouraged Nate to trust the feelings, and if his gut was alarming him to something, then they needed to get moving. They both loaded the semi up quickly with the items from the Nissan. Henry was busy siphoning the fuel out of the truck and into a few cans. They couldn’t leave that behind. Henry removed the CB radio and plugged it into the Tundra. It was one of the older portable types. He removed the antenna and slapped it on the roof of the truck.

  Nate was studying the map now trying to figure out an alternative route. There was one, but they would need to turn around and go back about a mile, then take another road off to the west. Nate sensed great danger ahead, and didn’t wish to find what was waiting.

  “If we turn around and go back down the road there is another way around this area. I think it would be prudent in light of what just occurred,” Nate explained.

  Henry nodded in agreement. Nate removed some loose items from the back of the Tundra and helped his dad load the semi. Betty was busy tending to the chickens and showing Ben how to care for them. Henry loaded the ramp back into the semi and secured everything around the Ranger UTV that was forward in the trailer.

  Nate lifted the small chicken coop and placed it on the edge of the trailer for his father to tie down. Ben walked up with a few smaller boxes and handed them up to his grandfather moments later. With everything loaded and unloaded they were all ready to get back on the road.

  Chapter 10

  Setting a New Course

  The Tundra felt like a tank compared to the smaller Nissan. Nate had not driven the truck since returning home. He knew he was lucky for having it, but hated how that happened. He wasn’t left wi
th a choice in the matter. He also knew he was lucky to be alive after that incident. The time for reflections would come later. It was more important to focus on the road ahead. He did feel more confident in the higher elevated truck, but maybe that was because it fit his build better than the Nissan. He kept in mind that this was not an armored vehicle. It was built with thin skin and not protective glass. Nevertheless, it was far better than walking or riding the Ranger for hundreds of miles without any protection from inclement weather.

  They were now moving a little faster since the ambush, and had crossed over into Colorado from Oklahoma. They were approaching a small town named Campo, Colorado. Nate didn’t wish to drive through the town, but there was so much open grass lands with no other way around until he was north of Campo.

  “Dad, we are going to have to go through the town ahead. It’s small, but there could be an issue. I won’t know till we get closer. I will go ahead as planned. You hang back till I tell you to come,” Nate said.

  The town was coming into view as his father replied.

  “Oh Nate, I see the town. I will slow up,” Henry replied.

  The skies were starting to get cloudy as the day wore on. Nate looked at the semi as it slowly became a small object in the rearview mirror as his father slowed way down.

  Nate drove closer to the town up U.S.-385 not seeing anything ahead. Now as he closed in on the town, he could see cars and trucks, but no people. He slowed some, looking around, but still not a soul in sight. He looked down the streets as far as he could see, without spotting any movement. He continued north nearly out of town with no evidence of anyone around. This was the first time he encountered such an event. Where had the town gone? He saw the town sign earlier saying they had a population of 109. Since the collapse, was it possible that everyone fled or died? Nate considered this and realized that it was very possible. There may still be a few still alive in their homes, waiting for help, or living off food storages. They wouldn’t ever know. It was too risky to investigate.