by Bruno Miller
Several of the other rooms had lights on when he’d left, and he wondered how many people were staying there. These people were lucky not to be out in the wasteland. This town was fortunate to have a guy like Vince, and Ben was sure that without him, this place would look like all the rest they’d been through.
How lucky had they been to cross paths with him? Ben couldn’t help but wonder if it was good karma for cleaning up a few messes on their way here, if there was such a thing.
He was definitely going to mark this place down on his map. This would be a great spot to stop on their way back across the country. Plus, he liked the place. The people they’d met were friendly and, most importantly, civil.
This place restored his faith in humanity a little. There were good pockets of people out there that would come together and survive—thrive even. Life would always be a struggle; that was clear. He doubted he would ever see anything again that resembled a normal society in his lifetime.
But there was hope for Joel and Allie and Bradley and Emma. There was reason to believe they would all have some of their old lives back someday.
By the time Ben got to the room, he was in a pretty good mood. Maybe it was the whiskey. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. But he decided to wait and talk to the kids tomorrow about what he had learned. At least they would get a good night’s sleep, and Allie would have a better time coping with the news if she was well rested and fresh tomorrow.
Not that any amount of rest could prepare her for what he had to tell her.
Chapter Eight
Joel sat up in bed with a start.
He wasn’t sure if it was a dream or if he had heard an air horn go off in the distance. The next short blast confirmed that it was real, and it also woke his dad up, who was lying next to him on the bed.
He looked at Allie, who was still asleep on the other bed. Gunner was curled up next to her but was now also sitting up and listening to the commotion outside. He heard a door slam a few rooms down, followed by the sound of muffled voices.
Ben scrubbed a hand over his face. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up,” Joel answered. They both looked over as Allie began to stir now.
“What is it?” She wiped at her eyes.
“Something’s happening outside.” Ben was already up and putting his shoes on.
“Where are you going?” Joel asked, still half asleep.
“To find out what’s going on. You guys stay here but be ready in case we need to move.” Ben grabbed his M24 and slung it over his shoulder as he slipped out the door.
The door slammed with a thud, and the room was suddenly quiet again as Joel and Allie sat there and came to terms with their rude awakening.
She sighed. “So much for getting a good night’s sleep. What time is it anyway?”
“I don’t even know.” Joel rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. The moon was close to where it had been when he was last awake. He and Allie had fallen asleep last night before his dad got back. He didn’t remember much after noticing Allie had dozed off and remembered staring up at the moon from his bed before he fell asleep.
“I don’t think we’ve been asleep for very long,” he said.
Just then, he heard footsteps coming down the row of room doors. It sounded like people running. The footsteps turned into shadows outside the window, and two figures passed the room quickly. The sound of running and frantic voices faded quickly into the night.
“We better get our stuff together. Something big is going on.”
Joel and Allie began to put everything away that they had gotten out the night before. He was hoping to have a more leisurely exit and grew more concerned as he hastily stuffed his bag.
It didn’t take long to get packed up, and now there was nothing to do but sit and wait. For the first time since he’d met Allie, he couldn’t think of anything to say. He got off the bed and paced the room, checking out the window with each pass. He couldn’t see anything from the angle of the room to the street, which only made it worse. He wanted desperately to know what was going on, and he was worried about his dad.
“I wish he’d taken the radio so he could let us know what’s happening,” Joel said.
“Well, he was in a hurry. I’m sure he’s fine,” Allie responded.
Just then, the distant crack of a rifle broke the silence, startling them. Then again a few seconds later, only this time louder and much closer to the motel.
“That’s it! I can’t take it! I’m going out to see what’s going on. He might need my help!” Joel grabbed the AR15 and started out the door.
“Joel, wait!”
But it was too late. Joel had made up his mind that he wasn’t going to sit this one out. He paused to answer her. “Keep it locked and don’t let anybody in here. I’ll come back as soon as I know something.”
Then he closed the door behind him, leaving Allie and Gunner in the room.
The street was dark and it was hard to make out what was going on, but Joel could see a few people running on the road and sidewalk. They were all headed in the same direction: past the motel and toward the gate where they had first entered through the wall of cars. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness, letting him see that everyone running past was carrying a gun.
He jogged to the sidewalk in front of the motel and looked down the street. Light gleamed at the end of the road. There were two spotlights on utility poles, one on each side of the street. They were positioned at the edge of the wall around the town and focused out on the road leading into town. He hadn’t noticed them yesterday when Vince had brought them here.
Engines revved in the distance now, followed by a few more gunshots.
He ducked down briefly, not sure what to do when he heard someone come up behind him. Before he could turn around, he heard a man’s voice.
“Hey, new guy, come with me! They’re trying to get in again.” The man barely slowed his pace as he passed by Joel. “Come on!”
The guy was younger than Joel expected when he caught a glimpse of his face on the way by. Joel snapped out of it and bolted after him. “What’s going on?” he called out.
“Same thing that happens just about every night. They try to get in and we try to keep ’em out.”
“Who are they?” Joel huffed as he tried to keep up.
“They’re a gang that runs the highway around here. They’re the reason for the wall and why nobody goes outside it at night.” The man slowed a little, and Joel caught up and jogged alongside him.
“Name’s Cyrus, but most just call me Cy. I heard there were some new people in town that the major brought back with him yesterday.”
“Yeah, my truck broke down a few miles from here and he gave us a ride yesterday. We’re staying at the motel back there. I’m Joel, by the way.”
“Well, welcome to Cloverdale, Joel, and keep your head down.”
They finally reached their destination and crouched down behind the wall of cars. Joel noticed that every so often along the wall there was an area where sandbags were stuffed under the vehicles. The sandbags were stacked up to the quarter panels of the cars and trucks, blocking off the opening underneath the vehicles and the road.
It was at these spots that the people he had seen run past the hotel were gathered in small groups of two or three.
“Every night the same thing. That’s why everybody goes to bed so early around here. You can count on getting up between 12:00 and 2:00 every morning and manning your post if you’re an able-bodied person,” Cy explained as he crouched behind the Suburban they were hiding behind and peered over the front fender.
Joel looked up and down the wall as it curved inward around the town. He studied the shadowy figures as they crouched at their post every 100 yards or so along the wall. He still hadn’t seen his dad yet.
“Here they come again. Get down!” Cy sunk even farther below the hood of the large SUV.
Joel did the same, and just his eyes were above the h
ood now as he watched the road beyond the gate. He heard the truck coming long before he could make out what it was. It sounded like a big truck, as he could clearly hear the whine of the engine shifting gears.
Suddenly, two headlights cut through the darkness and a row of orange lights came on over top of them.
It was an old red dump truck, and it was barreling toward the gate.
Chapter Nine
The truck was a few hundred yards away from making impact when a single shot rang out from somewhere down along the wall.
Joel saw the bullet punch through the truck windshield in front of the driver. A spider web of cracks radiated out from the impact, quickly blocking out Joel’s view of the driver. But Joel didn’t need to see more to know that the bullet had found its mark.
The big truck immediately began to drift off the road and slow down as it rolled off the shoulder and into an open field. It finally stopped moving as it surrendered to the waist-high grass and weeds, its headlights still shining across the overgrown field.
“Yes!” Cy shouted. He was joined by a few whoops and hollers from farther down the wall.
“Finally, somebody got one of them. Look! They’re scared now.” He pointed to a distant group of headlights sitting back close to where the truck had come from.
Joel couldn’t make out what kind of cars they were, but the count of headlights told him there were at least three other vehicles that had been with the dump truck. They stayed at a distance and were probably trying to figure out what to do now that their plan to ram their way into the gate had failed.
Another shot rang out from down the wall, and almost instantly, one of the six headlights exploded in a spray of glass. Within a few seconds, the cars were driving around in an unorganized fashion and seemed to be going in circles for a minute. They kicked up plumes of dust and gravel as the last car spun around and headed after the other two.
As soon as the last taillights disappeared into the darkness, three short blasts on the air horn sounded, startling Joel. “What was that for?”
“It just means that it’s over,” Cy replied.
A group of people now wielding flashlights and lanterns began gathering together in one central spot, back away from their posts along the wall. The small crowd formed into a circle, and Joel could hear some of them talking excitedly.
He followed Cy, and they made their way over to the group. When Joel got close, he saw his dad standing in the middle and fending off a barrage of back-patting and handshakes.
“Did you see that? What a shot,” one older gentleman said as he shook Ben’s hand.
“I bet they won’t come back here for a while,” a woman from the back of the crowd yelled.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. They’ll want revenge now,” another man complained.
Vince spoke up as he slapped his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Well, we can’t just let them walk in here and take what they want. What are we supposed to do, Bob? Fighting back is the only way we’re going to survive, and now they know we mean business. Thanks to this man right here.”
A young man not much older than Joel pushed his way through to the front of the group. “What type of gun is that, mister?”
“It’s a .338 Lapua with a few small modifications,” Ben answered.
The kid was about to say something else when Vince interrupted. “There will be plenty of time to talk tomorrow. Let’s let these folks get some rest. Ben and I have some business to take care of early in the morning, but we’ll be back for breakfast at the motel.” He turned to face Ben. “You guys will stay and join us for breakfast, won’t you? After all, you earned it tonight, my friend.”
“You guys have done enough for us already. But it would be nice to have something other than oatmeal for a change,” Ben admitted.
“We won’t keep you long. It’ll give you a chance to get squared away before you head out. A good meal and a tank of gas. You can’t pass that up,” Vince added.
“No, I guess we can’t,” Ben said.
Vince looked at a middle-aged woman in the crowd. “It’s settled then. Mary, figure on three more tomorrow for breakfast.”
“No problem, Major. Glad to have them.” She put her hand on Ben’s shoulder before beginning the walk back toward town.
The small crowd started to disperse, and Ben finally noticed Joel in the crowd. He shook his head. “I thought you were keeping an eye on things back at the room.”
“I was, but I heard gunshots and got worried.”
“So you left Allie?”
Joel shrugged. “I was worried about you. I wanted to help out.”
He was tired of feeling helpless and wanted to get more involved in things. He wanted his dad to trust him enough to let him help. He wasn’t a kid anymore, and he was tired of being treated like one. Sooner or later, his dad was going to have to accept that and give him more responsibility.
Cy, still next to Joel, stuck his hand out. “Hi, I’m Cy.”
Ben smiled and shook Cy’s hand before quickly looking back at Joel. All signs of the brief grin were gone and had been replaced with a scowl. “We’ll discuss this later. I’m too tired to get into it now.”
Joel was about to fire back, but Vince injected himself into the conversation. “I’ll pick you up in the morning. First light, I’ll have tools and coffee.”
“Sounds good.” Ben headed back to the room without saying a word to Joel.
Cy patted Joel on the back. “Let him get some rest. He’ll forget all about it by morning. I’m sure you’re all just tired, is all.”
“You don’t know my dad.” Joel sighed.
Vince joined Joel and Cy on the walk back. “Your dad’s in a tough position, Joel. He knows you’re growing up fast. He just doesn’t know how to let go yet. Then throw all this craziness into the mix. It’s hard. Take it from someone who knows firsthand.” And with that, Vince threw a playful punch into Cy’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you, Dad.” Cy smirked.
As they walked, the three made small talk until Vince broke away and headed to the garage. “Got to shut the power down for the spotlights. Tell your dad thanks for his help tonight and thank you for coming out, too. He’s lucky to have you. See you in the a.m.”
“Will do,” Joel said.
He and Cy continued on a little farther until they were standing on the street in front of the motel.
“Well, this is me. Thanks for not leaving me running around on the street like an idiot earlier.” Joel laughed.
“Yeah, no problem. Hey, I should thank you for coming out to help. You could have stayed hidden in your room and nobody would have blamed you. We could use a few more guys like you and your dad around here.”
“Maybe after we get my brother and sister in Maryland we’ll swing back through here. You never know.”
“Maybe. Well, good night. See you at breakfast.” Cy waved and strode off down the street.
“Yep, good night.” Joel walked across the parking lot to the motel building.
At least Cy and the major appreciated his help tonight. He wished his dad would see it that way. With any luck, his dad would be asleep and they could avoid hashing it out in front of Allie.
Joel didn’t want to add embarrassment to his list of sins tonight.
Chapter Ten
Ben was already awake when he heard the old station wagon pull up outside the motel room. He could have easily stayed in bed for much longer, but the fact that the Blazer was sitting out in the woods and needed repairs was more than enough motivation to get him moving.
He gathered his things from around the room quietly and tried not to wake the kids. Allie and Gunner were intertwined in a pile of blankets and sheets.
Without the use of the room HVAC unit, the room had grown hot and stale. The open window provided little in the way of ventilation, and the stillness of the morning air hung heavy in the room.
Ben placed his hand on Joel’s shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. �
�I’m heading out. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he whispered.
“Okay,” Joel mumbled. He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow.
Ben grabbed his rifle and backpack from where he had left them by the door and slipped out. He pulled the door closed behind him and jiggled the handle to make sure it was locked.
Vince smiled at him through the windshield. True to his word, he had a hot cup of coffee waiting for Ben when he got in the car.
“Hope you had a good night’s sleep. Well, at least after the craziness died down. That was some good shooting last night, I’ll tell you.” Vince backed the car out of the lot and headed for the gate.
“Well, I’ve had lots of practice lately,” Ben said.
Vince waved at a man Ben recognized as one of the crew that had manned the wall last night. He moved the Suburban out of the way for them and made an opening in the wall of cars.
“Maybe those guys will give us a break for a while now. It’d be nice to sleep all the way through the night for a change. I guess they think they’ll wear us down eventually.” Vince’s expression matched the exasperated tone of his voice. “I’m not sure how much longer we can hold out.”
Ben couldn’t think of anything to say. As he sat and drank his coffee, all he could focus on was getting the truck fixed and getting back on the road—that and the fact he was going to have to talk with Allie about Pittsburgh.
They passed the old dump truck that had attempted to ram its way through the wall last night and Ben could see the driver’s lifeless body still hunched over the wheel. His hands still gripped the wheel as if he would sit up at any moment and drive away. Ben forced himself to look away and tried to think about something else.
“Did you get a chance to talk with the kids about Pittsburgh last night?” It was like Vince had read his mind.
“No. I want to wait until we get on the road. I didn’t want to ruin her night. They’ve both been through a lot.”