by Dave Bowman
Trina looked skeptical. “The gas stations don’t work anymore, you know.”
Jessa chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I’m going to siphon gas out of an abandoned car.”
“Oh. Well, in that case, you can turn down any of these roads. I don’t think any of those guys come out here.”
Jessa nodded and turned right onto the next residential road. The street was full of large suburban houses, many of them with cars parked out in front. Jessa parked near the first SUV she saw, but found the tank to be empty. Trina sat in the truck while Jessa tested two more vehicles. They were all empty.
“Do you think those guys made it out here? Somebody’s drained all the tanks,” Jessa said as she hurried over to a Lexis she hadn’t tried yet.
“I don’t know. If all the tanks are drained, that means they probably did it. And it means they could come back, so hurry!” Trina called.
After trying two more vehicles, Jessa got in the truck and drove a few blocks away. The suburban neighborhood was full of cars, and they were all empty. She tried tank after tank to no avail, walking through the desolate suburban street with her gas gear while Trina nervously watched and listened for any approaching vehicles.
Finally, Jessa spotted a riding lawnmower left abandoned on a half-mown lawn and inserted her tubing system. She forced some air into the side hose. She smiled as the gas spewed out of the main hose into her can. She was able to drain two gallons from the mower, which she added to the truck’s fuel tank.
“It’s not enough, but at least it will get us to where we can find more in a safer area,” Jessa said, getting back in the truck and driving off.
Trina nodded and looked out the window.
“Do you want to come with me?” Jessa asked. “It doesn’t sound like you can really go back to your house now.”
“Sure, anything to get out of here. Where in New Mexico are we going?” Trina asked.
“I’m not going to New Mexico yet. First I’ve got to go to a cabin near Idaho Springs.”
Trina blinked. “Idaho Springs? That’s not in Denver, is it?”
“No, it’s not. It’s about an hour west of Denver on I-70. And actually, I’m going to a remote cabin in the woods south of Idaho Springs.”
“I-70?” Trina asked, frowning. “That’s all gang controlled. You can’t go out there. Let’s just go back to New Mexico right now.”
“I don’t think so,” Jessa said, starting to get a little annoyed. “I’ve been through way too much to turn back now. I’m going to that cabin.”
Trina crossed her arms and pouted. “Why do you want to go out there anyway? What’s so important?”
“I’m going to look for my friend Chris.”
“How do you know he’s still alive?”
Jessa gripped her steering wheel a little more tightly. “I don’t. That’s why I’m going up there to see. He left Santa Fe when the virus was just beginning.”
“Well, if we take the interstate, they’ll either capture us or kill us. Interstates are all gang controlled. Trust me. Those were the first areas they took over.”
Jessa exhaled. “If the interstate is too dangerous, we’ll just have to take the back roads.”
“You got a state map?”
Jessa shook her head. “No, and I don’t want to go into any truck stops looking for one.”
17
Matt drove until the sun started to get low. He worried about being on the road after dark. But the thought of spending the night somewhere was even more terrifying. What if he ran into other survivors who were dangerous like the man who shot at him?
The trip was taking longer than he’d expected. He wasn’t comfortable driving over about forty or fifty miles an hour, so the pace was slower than what he was used to with his family.
Just before Stephenville, on Highway 281, he found an old farmhouse. It looked like no one had lived there in a while, even before the virus. There were no vehicles around, and an old dairy barn in the back was falling down.
He figured it was a good place to spend the night. Less chance of running into more guys like he had seen earlier.
He kicked the door in and looked around inside. Empty. He spent a restless night on the couch, then got on the road again early in the morning.
Matt’s gas tank was nearly empty by the time he reached Abilene. As much as he wanted to stick to the relative safety of the highway, he needed to venture into town in search of fuel.
The small city was just as desolate as all the rest he had seen. He exited the highway and pulled into a gas station. There were several abandoned cars around the station, and he hoped he could siphon gas from one of them.
As he turned into the station parking lot, he was startled to see a person standing there. His hand reflexively reached for his shotgun as he tensed up.
But a second later, he realized that it was a woman. Her belly was round and as huge as a watermelon. He blinked, realizing she was heavily pregnant.
She waved at him and he turned into a parking spot cautiously, killing the engine. She wore loose jeans, flip-flops, and a T-shirt that stretched over her belly. She had a mane of brown curls, which she pushed out of the way behind her shoulders.
He stepped out of the truck and she watched him from her vantage point a few yards away.
“Hello there!” she called. “Am I happy to see you! I could use some help.”
She walked over to Matt’s truck, looking him over. She frowned as she approached him. “Aren’t you a little young to be driving? How old are you?”
“Thirteen,” Matt said sheepishly.
“You don’t even look tall enough to reach the pedals,” she said doubtfully.
“I’m tall enough,” Matt said, a little defensively. “I made it this far. All the way from East Texas.”
The woman raised her eyebrows. “That’s a long drive. What’s your name?”
“Matthew Redmond. Or just plain Matt. What’s yours?”
“Bethany Jones.”
They shook hands, and Bethany leaned against a car parked nearby.
“Are you all alone? No one in your family or friends survived?”
Matt shook his head sadly. “Everyone’s gone. The only thing alive I saw in my town were cockroaches and a mountain lion.”
“Yeah, I’ve been on my own for over a week now. Or is it two weeks? It’s hard to keep track of time,” Bethany said shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“I’ve been in Abilene this whole time. There are some other survivors around here, but mostly I steer clear of them. Lots of sketchy people. That’s why I was happy to see you,” Bethany smiled. “You’ve got a nice face. And you’re so young. Aren’t you scared driving a truck all by yourself?”
“Yeah, a little.” Matt kicked at the dirt and looked away.
“I’ve been hiding out at home most of the time,” Bethany said, twirling a chestnut ringlet around her finger. She spoke quickly, excited to have someone to talk to.
“I hate going out to look for food. You have to break into people’s houses and sneak around in stores. It’s dangerous. And I can’t do it forever. Sooner or later, this place is going to run out of food and water. That’s why you found me here.”
Bethany flicked her hand toward the shabby gas station. “I’m out here looking for a car. I want to get out of this town. I just need to find a car with keys still in it. Problem is, those cars usually have a dead driver still in them.”
Matt blinked as Bethany continued to tell him all about her attempts to find a suitable vehicle and how she didn’t trust her own car to hold up on a long road trip. She also needed a vehicle with a full tank of gas, she explained.
He hadn’t had a conversation with anyone in so long, and Bethany’s fast-paced speech was a jolt to his system. He had to get used to talking to someone all over again.
“Well, where do you want to go?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe down to Erath County? Did all the milk cows die from the Hosta virus?”
Bethany continued before Matt could even think of an answer.
“If the cows are still alive, a person could just about live off the milk. I could learn how to make cheese, too. I don’t know how to slaughter a cow for meat, but how hard can it be? I could learn.”
Matt’s eyes wandered down to her belly.
Bethany laughed, and her hands moved to her protruding abdomen. “After this one comes, of course. Then I can become a cowgirl like the best of them.”
“When, uh, when –”
“When’s the baby coming? One more month, I think. Like I said, I kind of lost track of time. I mean, the due date is October 15, but I’m not sure what day it is today.” She looked down at her belly. “I just know that Nathan died on a Friday. And that was the worst day of my life. He was so happy to be a daddy. We had so many plans...”
Bethany looked away and wiped tears from her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Matt began.
Bethany waved his worry away. “It’s not your fault. It’s just been rough being on my own since my husband died.”
Matt nodded. Though his grief, like Bethany’s, was still raw, he had to admit there was a lot of comfort in talking to somebody else.
Bethany laughed. “This baby was making me cry all the time even before the Hosta virus.”
Map smiled at her, then the corners of his mouth fell as he remembered something. “I drove through Erath County.”
Bethany’s eyes went wide. “Really? Did you see the cows?”
Matt nodded. “Most of them were lying dead in the fields. It was sad to see that.”
Bethany’s face fell. “Oh. Well, so much for that plan. I guess the virus got them, too. But I can grow some veggies at least. Maybe I can find a farm with some canned meats.”
Matt hesitated a moment, then began. “I’m going out to New Mexico. My dad and uncle had a cabin out there. Our families were supposed to meet there in case anything bad happened, like, well, the Hosta virus. And, since no one from my family made it…”
“You’re going out there to see if your uncle made it?” Bethany interjected.
Matt nodded. “My uncle, aunt, or my cousin. I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid, but I hope somebody survived.”
“It’s not stupid! It’s a great idea. You have to at least try to find them. Me, all my family lived in Abilene. I know they’re all gone.”
“Do you, I mean, would you…”
“Do I want to go out to New Mexico with you?” Bethany asked.
Matt nodded.
“Yes!” Bethany exclaimed loudly, making Matt jump. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“I have to warn you, it’s in the mountains and it’s in the middle of nowhere.”
Bethany scoffed. “Now that everyone is dead, everywhere is in the middle of nowhere.”
“Our families had some food stored there, and it’s got well water. And maybe we can have a garden. And hunt.”
“Sounds perfect,” Bethany said. Then her eyes went large again. “It’s not cold there, is it?”
“Yeah, it gets cold there at night. It’s in the mountains. And there’s probably snow in the winter,” Matt said reluctantly.
Bethany paused for a moment, looking absently in the distance.
“It doesn’t matter. I can live with it. I’ll just have to get some warmer clothes from somewhere if I’m going to have to deal with snow. I mean, we get snow around here, but it just melts the next day,” Bethany said in a lowered voice as if confiding to an old friend.
“And there is a wood stove in the house. We can have fires to heat the place,” Matt said.
Suddenly a fear gripped Matt’s stomach as he realized how crazy the plan was. He was still a kid, just barely turned teenager, and he was going to take a heavily pregnant woman into the wilderness? What about when the baby came? He felt horribly unequipped to deal with any of it.
“Are you sure this is okay? Driving out into the mountains with a baby on the way? What about when it’s time for you to have it?” Matt asked doubtfully.
Bethany bit her lip. “To be honest, I’m scared senseless about the whole thing. But I’m on my own here. At least out at your family’s place, there might be other people. Plus, I’ve got a whole suitcase full of medical supplies I found. I broke into a midwife’s clinic and took them, plus a big stack of books I’ve been studying. There’s even one on unassisted childbirth.”
Matt wasn’t sure he understood everything she was saying, but it sounded at least a little hopeful. Bethany pursed her lips and exhaled.
“I think I’m about as prepared as I’ll ever be. I don’t want to have the baby here in Abilene. Sometimes I hear gunshots and it scares me to death.”
Matt agreed that she shouldn’t stay alone in the city. “How about this: we go out to my family’s lodge and check it out. If no one’s there and you want to leave, we can go look for a farm.”
Bethany nodded her head once. “It’s a plan.”
“What did you need help with?” Matt asked, remembering what she had said when she first saw him.
“Oh,” Bethany laughed. “I wanted to ask you to help me drag a dead body out of a car. But that’s not necessary now. I’ll just ride with you, right?”
Matt nodded. “Of course.”
With Matt behind the wheel of the Ford pickup once again, the two of them traveled to Bethany’s place a few blocks away.
It was getting dark, and he helped her light a few candles. They ate a hodgepodge meal of packaged foods, then Matt helped Bethany pack the belongings she wanted to take. She chattered excitedly, and Matt felt his loneliness began to subside. Already, Bethany had started to feel like a big sister to him.
After Bethany said good night and retreated to her bedroom, Matt stretched out in the guest room in the empty house. Tomorrow would be a long day, and he was exhausted. Giving in to the pull of sleep, he drifted off. It was the first time in two weeks he felt hopeful for the future.
18
“We’re not lost!” Trina insisted.
“Then where are we?” Jessa asked in exasperation.
“We’re traveling west on 103,” Trina said in a huff.
Jessa groaned. “Perfect. Now the low fuel light came on again. Just what we need.”
“Well, at least we’re safe out here,” Trina said. “You can just siphon some gas off some abandoned car, right?”
“Yes, but do you see any abandoned cars out here? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“Okay, we might be a little lost,” Trina conceded. “But at least there are no gangs out here. We’ve got a while until we run out of gas. We’ll probably find something soon.”
Jessa fumed silently, annoyed by Trina’s unrealistic optimism. Jessa didn’t know where they were, and she was scared.
But if she were to be honest, she had to admit that Trina had probably saved their lives. From the conversations she overheard in the truck stop, it seemed clear that Denver was controlled by dangerous elements. It appeared that Jessa and Trina had avoided the worst areas, but now they were lost on back roads and running out of fuel.
The water supply wasn’t doing that great either. The day had been hot and dusty, and they hadn’t paced themselves with drinking water. She cursed herself for not looking for more water in the suburbs, but running from gang members had a way of making a person forgetful.
The highway they were on cut through steep hills covered in scrubby trees and brush and followed the winding topography. Jessa slowed as they came to an intersection with a small, unmarked road. She looked down the road in both directions, but saw nothing, and continued forward.
As they passed the intersection, Trina jumped a little, startled, and she turned in her seat to look behind them.
“What?” Jessa asked warily. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Trina said, still peering at the road behind them. “I – I thought I saw something move back there. But I don’t see anything now. It must’ve
been nothing.”
Jessa kept an eye on the rear-view, but she didn’t see anything as they continued on.
They didn’t speak for a few miles of desolate landscape. Finally, Trina broke the silence and leaned over to look at the fuel gauge.
“How are we doing?” she asked.
“A little lower than the last time you asked,” Jessa said. “We’re going to have to find something soon.”
Trina bit her lip and settled back in her seat, looking out the window.
Jessa flashed her eyes up to the rear-view mirror. The dry landscape remained still and unbroken. Clenching the steering wheel with her heart pounding, she pressed on. Each mile seemed interminably long.
“Look!” Trina exclaimed, pointing at the road sign at the intersection they were approaching. “It says, ‘151 North. Idaho Springs – 42 miles.’”
She looked at Jessa triumphantly, and Jessa smiled in spite of herself as she turned onto the small highway.
“It’s great we found the right highway, but we still need gas.”
“Yeah, I know,” Trina muttered.
“And, it looks like this road is climbing into the mountains, which means –“
“I know, I know,” Trina interrupted. “It will burn up our gas faster.” She blew a puff of air upward to remove the hair from her eyes.
They rode in a tense silence for several more miles.
The truck began to choke and sputter as they climbed a steep hill. Jessa sucked in air through her clenched teeth. “Come on, come on,” she whispered, pounding the dashboard and urging the truck to reach the crest of the hill.
It sluggishly climbed to the top of the hill, rolled a few more feet, then died. Jessa groaned.
They both got out of the truck to look around. From the top of the hill, she could see that the road was straight and level for several hundred yards, then followed the hill down and curved sharply to the right. A gravel road intersected with the highway after the curve.
“I think that gravel road is where we’re going to be spending the night tonight,” Jessa said. “One of us will have to push the truck down there, and the other will steer.”