Forced Exodus (Pandemic Book Two)

by Christine Kersey

  Jessica sighed.

  “Besides,” Kayla added, “she’ll be fine. Right, Dad?”

  Matt had no idea. If she was really alone, who knew? Still, no reason to make his wife feel guilty for something she’d had to do. “Yeah.”

  “See, Mom?”

  “Now Mom’s the badass,” Dylan said with respect.

  Matt reached over and squeezed Jessica’s hand. “That’s right.”

  She smiled at him. “Thanks.”

  The walkie squawked from the dashboard. Derrick said, “Nevada border five miles ahead. No idea what we might run into so be on alert. Over.”

  Chapter 11

  Derrick

  Derrick set the walkie on the seat beside him. He was still angry with himself for stopping at that rest area, a location with so many potential hiding places. It had been an idiotic decision. One that had gotten Jeff shot. Yes, he should recover, but what if he’d been killed? Or what if someone else in their group had been killed or seriously injured? It could have been catastrophic.

  He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  No, you’ll make all new ones.

  Shaking his head in irritation, he turned his focus to the road ahead. They were rapidly approaching Wendover, the small town that straddled the Utah and Nevada border. They passed the Bonneville Speedway. Only a few more miles. Not that it mattered much. They still had hundreds of miles to go before they reached the farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

  Derrick squinted at the road ahead, then he snatched the walkie and pressed Talk while sliding his foot to the brake pedal and applying gentle pressure. “Roadblock ahead. Hang back while I approach.”

  “Copy.”

  Glancing in his rearview mirror to verify that the rest of the group was stopping, he slowly crept forward. His gaze went to the overpass a quarter of a mile ahead. He wasn’t certain, but he thought he’d seen the glint of the sun on metal. The roadblock was on their side of the overpass. Most likely there were also men on the overpass assigned to overwatch. Only the westbound lanes–the way they were traveling—were blocked. Evidently these people didn’t want anyone to enter their town, but they were fine with people leaving.

  As he got closer to the roadblock—two garbage trucks nose to nose—he saw movement near the rear of one of the trucks. He and his group had to get past this roadblock. They were committed to taking I-80. If they couldn’t get through, their only alternative was to take Highway 50, and to access that, they’d have to backtrack all the way to Salt Lake City. That was not an option.

  How many men were guarding this roadblock? More than the one man he’d seen, he was certain of that. That, plus the men on the overpass, meant he had no choice but to reason with whomever was in charge.

  He pulled to a stop a hundred yards from the roadblock and threw his truck in Park. He took his Glock and holster out of the waistband of his jeans and dropped them to the floor, pushing them under his seat with his foot, then put on his face mask. Next, he rolled his window down and stuck both hands out his window to show he wasn’t a threat. He expected that someone—probably several people—had eyes on him at that very moment. Eyes that included at least one pair of binoculars. They would know he was alone.

  “Step out of your vehicle,” a male voice said over a megaphone. “Keep your hands visible.”

  Derrick couldn’t see where the voice had come from. Using his right hand, he reached through his open window for the outside handle of his door and lifted. The door opened. Using his foot, he pushed the door open farther and swung his feet to the asphalt. With his hands in the air, he stepped out. He loathed the way he was fully exposed. Especially when he had no idea of the intent of these men.

  “Step away from the truck,” the voice said.

  He did so.

  “Lift your shirt and turn in a slow circle.”

  Glad he’d removed his gun—he didn’t want to give them a reason to distrust him and he didn’t want them to take his weapon—he lifted his shirt and spun in a slow circle.

  “Approach slowly.”

  Derrick let his shirt fall into place, then cautiously walked toward the roadblock. No one was visible. They were smart not to expose themselves.

  Was it possible that the man behind the megaphone was all alone? Was this all for show?

  When Derrick was ten feet from the roadblock, a nearby voice said, “Stop there.”

  Holding his hands straight out to his sides, Derrick stopped.

  A man in full tactical gear trotted up to him and patted him down, then, while keeping his eyes on Derrick, called out, “He’s clean.”

  A voice answered, “Bring him back.”

  Okay. So, he wasn’t alone. Too bad. That would have made this a lot easier.

  The man who’d searched him rested his right hand on the butt of the gun at his hip. He gestured with his head toward the garbage truck. “This way.”

  Derrick nodded once, then strode past the man. He was curious now to meet the man in charge. The fact that they hadn’t shot him led him to believe that they weren’t hostile. If not, what was their story?

  He walked around the back of the garbage truck, the faint stench of rotten garbage wafting into his nostrils. Rounding the truck, he came face to face with a man who looked to be in his forties, average height, but fit. Behind him stood four other men. All were armed. With a quick glance at the overpass above them, he saw one rifle pointing at him and one pointing toward the westbound lanes where the rest of his group had stopped. A total of eight men. Two in a superior position and the rest well protected behind the garbage trucks.

  Great.

  “What’s your name?” the man in charge asked.

  Derrick shifted his gaze to the man. “Derrick. Yours?”

  The man pursed his lips like he was deciding if Derrick was worth answering. “Tyson.”

  Not wanting to give anything away, Derrick stayed silent, staring at the man.

  Tyson blinked. “Where are you headed?”

  “Just passing through.”

  Tyson narrowed his eyes. “How many in your group?”

  No way was Derrick going to reveal that information. “Are you gonna let us through or what?”

  Scowling, Tyson looked at a man to his right. That man gave a slight nod.

  Was he the actual person in charge?

  Shifting his gaze back to Derrick, Tyson said, “Come back in an hour and we’ll talk.”

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Derrick withheld a sigh. “What’s the problem, Tyson?”

  A smile bloomed on Tyson’s lips. “No problem. Just need to discuss some things.”

  Obviously, these people wanted to prove they were in control. Truth was, they were. Reminding himself to relax his jaw, Derrick said, “One hour.” Then he turned to walk away.

  “Hey,” Tyson said from behind him.

  Derrick turned to him with a frown.

  “You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

  Derrick couldn’t help himself. Grinning, he said, “Never know.” He strode away, acutely aware of the guns pointed at his back.

  Chapter 12

  Chris

  The more problems they ran in to, the more Chris questioned his decision to come on this journey, although he silently acknowledged that if he and his family had stayed they wouldn’t necessarily be any better off. Not after he’d turned on the men of the neighborhood co-op. Men who’d gone way over the line, setting fire to Matt’s, Derrick’s, and Jeff’s houses all because they’d refused to go along with their strong-arm tactics to take over the neighborhood. Yeah, he really hadn’t had any choice. Coming with this group had been the only play he could make to keep his family safe. And his family was his top priority.

  He looked at Amy, who was trying to comfort Aaron, their nearly two-year-old son. Aaron was fussy and unhappy, wanting to get out of his car seat. Both Aaron and six-year-old Jacob were having a rough time. Under the best of circumstances they didn’t like being
stuck in their car seats for more than a couple of hours. On top of that, he was sure they could feel the tension all around them.

  Amy wasn’t faring much better. She turned to him with a look of despair. “The boys need a break.” She frowned. “So do I.” Leaning toward him, she murmured, “One without bullets flying.”

  Grimacing, he nodded. “I know.”

  They were waiting for Derrick to negotiate a way through the roadblock, but he’d gone behind the garbage trucks and was no longer visible, which made Chris extremely nervous. For all he knew, Derrick was dead and the rest of them would be next. “Let me see what’s going on.”

  Amy nodded, then gently touched his arm. “Be careful.”

  He kissed her. “I will.” He got out and cautiously looked around. His car was behind Jeff and Emily’s, which was behind Matt and Jessica’s.

  Easing forward, Chris made his way to Jeff and Emily’s truck. Emily was behind the wheel and Jeff was stretched out on the backseat, asleep.

  “Hey,” Chris said to Emily through her open window. “How’s Jeff doing?”

  She glanced toward the back seat where Jeff was gently snoring. “It’s hard to say. He never complains, but the fact that he’s asleep says a lot.” She smiled at Chris. “He’s tough so I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Her expression sobered. “He has to be.”

  Chris nodded in agreement. They needed Jeff.

  Emily’s eyebrows puckered as she turned her eyes toward the front of their caravan. “What’s going on up there?”

  “Don’t know.” Chris glanced toward Matt’s truck. “Matt probably has a better vantage point.”

  Emily opened her door and stepped out. “I’ll come with you.”

  The two of them walked toward the driver’s side of Matt’s truck, keeping close to his RV to keep out of range of anyone pointing a gun their way. Matt must have seen them coming, because he got out and walked in their direction.

  “Let’s talk over here,” Chris said, gesturing to the area behind Matt’s RV. It would give them cover while they spoke.

  The three of them huddled behind the RV.

  “How long’s this going to take?” Matt asked.

  Chris had no idea, but he didn’t like waiting any more than Matt did. “No clue, but I don’t like that we can’t see what’s happening.” He didn’t want to share his fears with them. No reason to incite panic.

  Moments later Jessica came around the side of the RV, her expression hopeful. “Derrick’s coming.”

  That got Chris’s attention. “Is he alone?”

  “Yes.”

  Without waiting for any other information, Chris hustled to the front of the truck on the driver’s side. Sure enough, there was Derrick, striding toward them with pinched lips and tense shoulders.

  Chris waited where he was with Matt, Jessica, and Emily joining him. Derrick looked their way and shifted direction slightly to meet them by the truck.

  “What happened?” Matt asked as soon as Derrick was close enough to hear him.

  Derrick shook his head, his expression broadcasting annoyance. “Not much.”

  What did that mean?

  Derrick glanced behind them, toward the roadblock, then faced their group. “They have eight men that I saw, two on overwatch.”

  “Are they going to let us through?” Emily asked.

  Huffing a laugh, Derrick shook his head. “The guy in charge—Tyson—said to come back in an hour and he’d let me know.”

  Emily pinched the skin at her throat. “What?”

  Scowling, Derrick said, “Yeah. Evidently they have to discuss it.”

  Running her hands through her long hair, Emily sighed. “Why can’t they just let us through? Jeff needs proper medical care. We don’t have time to sit here while these people have a tea party.”

  Derrick chuckled and Chris smiled. He wished Jeff was whole and healthy. They could use him about now.

  “How’s he doing?” Jessica asked, her eyebrows tugging together.

  Emily glanced at Chris, then shifted her eyes to Jessica. “He’s sleeping right now so it’s hard to say.”

  “Does he have a fever?” Jessica asked.

  “Not so far.”

  Jessica smiled. “That’s good.”

  Derrick looked at them. “We ought to take advantage of the break, but we need to keep watch too.”

  Amy would be thrilled for the break, especially for the chance to get the kids out of the car for a while. Although he doubted her idea of a break was letting the kids play on the Interstate.

  “Let me check on Amy and the kids,” Chris said, “and then I’ll take watch.”

  Derrick shook his head. “No. You have a family to care for. I’ll take watch.”

  “I can help,” Matt said.

  Derrick smiled at him. “Sounds good.”

  They split up, Chris going to tell Amy the good news.

  Chapter 13

  Jessica

  Glad for the break despite being stopped in the middle of I-80 and having at least eight armed men watching them from afar, Jessica tried to pretend they were on their way to go camping, pulled onto the side of the road to get a snack out of the RV, something they’d done many times before. Of course they’d never stopped right in the middle of the highway.

  “Who’s hungry?” she asked the kids after opening the rear passenger door of the truck.

  They looked at her like she was certifiable, so she explained the situation. Dylan practically leapt from the truck. “I’m going to help Dad keep watch.”

  She frowned as he raced past her, but she didn’t stop him.

  “I’m hungry,” Kayla said, which reminded Jessica that rather than eating her meager breakfast that morning, Kayla had saved it to give to someone in need. Someone who had ended up shooting at them.

  Brooke got out with Cleo and Kayla followed.

  “I’ll fix something to eat in the RV,” Jessica said. She walked back toward the RV, then saw Amy and her two small children getting out of their SUV. She unlocked the door to the RV and pulled down the steps, then headed toward Amy and her family. The younger boy was crying, but the older boy was focused on collecting rocks from the asphalt.

  “Hi there,” Jessica said to Amy. “You’re welcome to join me in the RV if you’d like.”

  Amy smiled as she touched Jessica’s forearm. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.” Amy turned to her older boy. “Jake, do you want to see inside that RV?”

  Jake stood with two rocks in his hand, an enthusiastic smile spreading across his lips. “Okay.”

  Glad she could brighten someone’s day, even if it was by doing something so small, Jessica led the way to the RV. She climbed in first and pressed the buttons to push out the slide-outs, doubling the interior space of the RV. “Come on in,” she called to Amy and her boys.

  “Whoa!” Jake said as he climbed inside. “This is so cool!”

  Amy followed, setting Aaron on the floor. He immediately toddled away as be began exploring the space.

  “Thank you again,” Amy said. “I’d much rather they play in here than on the road.”

  Warmth filled Jessica’s chest. “You’re welcome.” She swept her hand toward the couch. “Make yourself at home.” Glancing toward the bathroom, she smiled. “There’s a bathroom in there if you need it.” Jessica pulled two water bottles out of the pantry, handing one to Amy.

  “Thank you.” Tears filled Amy’s eyes. “I have to admit, this makes me miss the comforts of home.”

  Before Jessica had a chance to answer, Cleo came bounding inside with Brooke and Kayla right behind her.

  Cleo went right to Jake, who giggled as Cleo tried to lick him.

  “Come on, girl,” Brooke said, snapping her fingers. Cleo came to Brooke’s side and sat down, her tail wagging.

  Jessica took out three bottles of water and held them out to Kayla. “Take these to Dad, Dylan, and Derrick, would you?”

  “Sure, Mom,” Kayla said with a happy smile.

&
nbsp; Jessica watched her go, worried that she was suppressing her emotions after the terrible events at the rest stop. She’d tried talking to her as they’d driven after leaving the rest stop, but Kayla had insisted she was fine.

  Turning her attention to Amy’s older son, Jessica asked, “Would you like something to eat, Jake?”

  He nodded as he slid onto one of the four chairs surrounding the table. Wishing she had more variety to offer, Jessica asked him if he’d like peanut butter on crackers. He nodded with enthusiasm. She fixed his food, filling a plastic cup with water from a water bottle and setting it in front of him. By then Kayla had returned.

  “Everything okay out there?” Jessica asked.

  Kayla nodded. “Yeah.” She turned to Amy. “Your husband said he was going to stay outside and help keep watch.”

  Amy softly chuckled. “Figures. Chris can’t help himself. He has to be involved.”

  Jessica thought about Chris coming into their home as part of the neighborhood cooperative, there to forcibly collect food because Dr. Larsen had stitched up Kayla’s cut finger. He’d clearly been reluctant to take their food, even making a point of saying he wasn’t going to ask if they had food in other places besides the pantry and basement—which they had. She was glad he and his family were on this trek with them. And she was glad she was able to give Amy and her children some relief.

  “What can I get you?” she asked Amy, then she listed off the options—crackers, peanut butter, a little bit of cheddar cheese. They also had their freeze-dried pouches, but those were reserved for breakfast and dinner.

  “Whatever you have is fine,” Amy said.

  Jessica fixed a small meal of crackers and cheese as well as more crackers with peanut butter, and they all ate.

  Once they’d cleaned up, Kayla and Brooke took Cleo outside, leaving Jessica and Amy alone in the RV with Jake and Aaron. Jessica found paper and crayons for the boys to color with while Jessica sat on a recliner and Amy sat on the couch.