by Bruno Miller
“Yeah, I’m sure they have. Probably a good idea,” Vince agreed.
Once they were back out on the road, Vince picked up speed, and before long, they were near where they had hidden the Blazer in the woods.
Ben pointed. “Right up there.”
Vince slowed down and pulled across the dry, grassy median. He turned the wagon around to face the other direction before parking on the shoulder. They both got out, and while Ben gathered his bag and rifle, Vince pulled a small metal toolbox out of the back.
“I should have everything we need in here. This won’t take too long. You’ll be back on the road in no time and back for breakfast.”
“Sounds good to me. I hope it’s just the fuel pump,” Ben said.
“If not, we can always tow it back to the shop and work on it there. There isn’t anything that can’t be fixed.” Vince closed the tailgate on the wagon and put the window up. After the wagon was locked up, Ben led the way into the woods and back to the truck.
“Boy, you guys really did a good job of hiding the truck. I never would have known this was back here.” Vince cleared a branch out of his way.
Ben smiled. “That was the idea.”
“Your kids are lucky to have you, you know that?”
“That’s funny, because I think I’m lucky to have them. Without them, there’d be no point to all this, would there?”
“No, I suppose not. Oh, the things we do for our kids!”
Ben was relieved to see the truck. The Blazer was just the way they had left it, and Ben could tell right away that nobody had messed with anything, let alone found it. He didn’t waste any time pulling off the camouflage netting and exposing the vehicle.
“That’s a nice-looking Blazer!” Vince admired the truck as he walked around to the front and set his toolbox down in the leaves.
Ben quickly unlocked everything and pulled the hood release. “Thanks. We had the engine rebuilt professionally, but Joel and I did most of the other stuff ourselves. She was a little rough when we got her.”
“I’ve always liked these old Chevys.” Vince lifted the hood and propped it open. He got right into the repair and had the old fuel pump off and set it on the bumper quickly. Then he turned to getting the new one installed. Vince did the work while Ben handed him what he needed. With Vince’s expertise, the job was done in less than 45 minutes, and they were ready to fire up the engine and test the replacement pump.
Ben closed his eyes as he put the key in the ignition and cranked it. He didn’t open them again until he heard the engine roar to life. The sound of the motor running smoothly brought a smile to his face. He revved it a few times and was glad to hear the consistent exhaust tone and lack of hesitation from the truck as he feathered the gas pedal.
Vince slammed the hood shut, and then he gave Ben a thumbs-up through the windshield.
While Vince cleaned up his tools, Ben hastily folded up the camouflage netting and stuffed it in the back of the truck.
“Hop in! I’ll give you a ride back out to your car.”
Vince put his toolbox on the passenger’s side floor and climbed into the seat. Ben backed the Blazer all the way out of the woods, not bothering to turn around. He swung the wheel hard to the right, turned the truck onto the road, and stopped alongside Vince’s wagon.
“I’ll follow you back just in case you have any trouble.” Vince opened his door and grabbed his toolbox.
“Thanks.” Ben nodded. He waited for Vince to get loaded up and get his car started before he pulled out and headed for Cloverdale once more. He pushed the truck hard on the way back to town, thinking that if there were any other issues, now was the time to find them.
But the Blazer ran well, and before long, Vince was following him onto the exit and down the road. Ben looked for the dump truck but it was no longer parked in the tall grass where it had come to a rest last night.
As he approached the gate, the man who had been there earlier to let them out had been relieved, and there was a new face Ben didn’t recognize. He waved as the man moved the Suburban to let him and Vince pass.
Once inside, he saw the dump truck parked off to the side. The body was gone now and the windshield had been removed.
He pulled into the motel parking lot and steered the Blazer into a spot right outside of their room. Vince pulled in and parked near the office, where he had dropped them off last night.
Ben left his bag and rifle in the truck and locked it before he knocked on the motel door. He heard Gunner bark from inside, and a few seconds later, Joel opened the door. His hair was wet and Ben could smell the fresh scent of soap.
“Everything is on again,” he said. “Allie is in the shower now. We figured we might as well take advantage. Who knows when we’ll get the chance again.” Joel shrugged.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Ben agreed.
Joel looked out the door as Ben entered the room and saw the Blazer parked outside.
“Yes! You got it fixed.” Joel smiled.
“Vince did. I pretty much just watched. But it’s running great now.”
Just as Ben was getting ready to sit down on the edge of the bed, a knock came from the still-open door. He turned to see Mary from last night standing in the threshold.
Gunner let out a few grumbles and then started to wag his tail, not bothering to get up from the bed.
“Morning,” Ben said.
“Morning,” she answered. “Breakfast will be ready in about half an hour. But take your time. We’re down in the motel conference room when you’re ready. Bring the dog if he can behave himself.” She smiled as she backed out of the doorway and was gone before he or Joel could respond.
Joel stuck his head outside and called out after her, “Thanks! We’ll be there!”
Then he went to the bed, where Gunner was lying, and sat. Gunner rolled over just enough to expose his belly to Joel and shot him a pathetic look. Joel took the hint and gave him a few rubs.
“Listen, I’m sorry about last night,” Ben started.
“No, it’s my fault. I should have listened. I just wanted to help out. I feel so helpless sometimes.” Joel shrugged.
“It’s okay. We just need to be unified in our approach to any problems we encounter. And counting on each other to stick to the plan is important,” Ben added.
“I know. I’m sorry,” Joel said.
Ben smiled at Joel and was relieved to clear the air. He already felt guilty enough about the news he had to give Allie.
Chapter Eleven
Ben took a quick shower after Allie was done in the bathroom, and the kids packed their things in the Blazer while they waited for him.
Once they had cleared their things out of the room, they all made their way down the covered walkway, past the other rooms to the motel office. As soon as they entered, they were greeted with the smell of food. Through a set of double doors, they heard voices coming from down the hall. There were about a dozen people sitting around a rectangular table in the middle of the room, most of whom Ben had met briefly last night during the attack.
He was surprised to see the extent of the spread the townspeople had put on and he wondered if it was all on their account or if this was normal. He doubted that and thought it was probably an attempt to get them to extend their stay.
The kids were as wide-eyed as he was at the food that was laid out on a long table against the wall. There were eggs, bacon, orange juice, pancakes, toast with butter and jelly, and what looked like fresh-baked muffins. Just about everything Ben expected to see at a typical breakfast buffet under normal circumstances.
Gunner was all nose as he wandered into the room and started to drool at the smells that filled the air. Ben could hear the dog inhaling deeply as he held his head up high and walked toward the table of food oblivious to his wounded leg.
“Wow!” Joel said.
Vince smiled from his seat at the head of the table, his plate already full with an assortment of food. “Help yourselves!”<
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“Thank you,” Allie said as she took a plate from the end of the table.
Ben looked over the table of food as he got in line behind Joel. “This is quite the spread, Vince!”
“This is one of the perks of taking your turn standing watch at the wall, although I have to admit that this is a little more than we normally put out. Some of us here were hoping to entice you guys into extending your stay. No pressure, though. I told them all you’re headed to Maryland.” Vince glanced around the table at a few of the people.
“What? We could use the help.” Reese, the almost veterinarian, shrugged.
“You know those lunatics will be back,” another man added.
“All right. Let’s let our guests eat in peace,” Vince chimed in.
Ben was thankful for the silence and gladly took the opportunity to shove some much-needed food into his watering mouth. The group ate quietly for the next several minutes, except for the occasional small talk and the sound of silverware scraping plates.
Gunner was doing his best to control himself as he sat between Joel and Allie, licking his chops loudly.
“You can give the dog a little something if you want, hon.” Mary nudged Allie’s arm.
“Are you sure?” Allie asked.
“Yeah, go ahead. He looks pitiful and I’m sure he could use it. The poor thing! How did that happen?” She was looking at Gunner’s leg.
“He put himself between me and a wolf the other day. Thanks to Gunner, I’m here to talk about it!” Allie put some bacon fat and eggs on a small paper plate before she put it on the floor in front of Gunner. He eagerly inhaled the food in a few seconds, after which he seemed to settle down and lay his head on the carpeted floor.
“He seems to be doing pretty good this morning,” Reese said.
“Yes! Thank you for looking him over last night.” Joel nodded.
“No problem. Glad to help.” Reese smiled.
The major cleared his throat and pushed away from the table as he sat back with his coffee. “After breakfast, why don’t you follow me over to the shop? We’ll get your tank topped off with gas. Plus, you guys can have a look around and see if there is anything you need. You said you might have some things to barter with?”
Ben nodded and swallowed his mouthful of food. “Definitely!”
They finished eating and helped clean up the room before everyone slowly trickled outside to the parking lot. Cy had a couple plates filled with food stacked on top of each other in his arms.
“I’ll run this out to the guys on watch,” he said. “Nice to meet you guys, if I don’t get a chance to see you before you take off.”
They all said goodbye to Cy and then headed over to where the Blazer was parked.
The rest of the people dispersed one by one back down the street in different directions. Some returned to the motel where they were staying. Ben guessed those were the unlucky few who had lost their homes, or maybe their houses were outside the security of the wall.
Everyone was plenty friendly, but he could tell the late-night raids were taking their toll. They all had the look of someone who had been up too long and had been stressed out, although they hid it well. The bloodshot eyes and worried faces gave away the fact that they were running over capacity.
He felt a little guilty about the breakfast they had put out for them, sure now that it had been intended to lure them into staying here and helping out. He wished there was something more they could do to repay them for their kindness and generosity, but they had their own problems to deal with.
Joel lifted Gunner into the truck and Allie helped get him situated in the back seat before they all got in and drove across the street to the major’s place.
As Ben pulled into the service station, Vince was waiting out front and directing him to pull in under the covered gas pumps.
“Any pump. They all work,” Vince said.
Ben parked by the first one and turned the truck off. He and the kids got out, but Allie stopped Gunner from following them. “Sorry, boy, but you need to stay off that leg.”
“Yeah, and you’re too heavy to lift back into the truck anyway,” Joel added, shaking his head.
Allie threw a few handfuls of dry dog food into a bowl and filled another with water. She put them both on the center console for him.
“Here you go, boy. We’ll be right back.” Allie rolled the window down and closed the door.
Vince already had the pump out of its cradle and was putting the nozzle into the truck.
“Well, this is a luxury,” Ben said. “Fueling up is usually a little more involved.”
“We’re a full-service establishment!” Vince joked. “You kids feel free to have a look around inside.”
Joel and Allie headed inside the small store that Ben had gotten a glimpse of last night. From the truck, Ben watched through the large plate-glass windows in the front of the store. One of the windows had a large crack running from one corner to the other, but it remained in place somehow.
Vince must have noticed him looking at the window. “Yeah, the shockwave broke a lot of windows. I have a few out back that I had to board up completely. I figure they must have hit Indianapolis by the direction of the flash. The shockwave hit us within a couple minutes of the blast.”
“Joel and I were in the mountains at about 12,000 feet. It was quite the show from where we were. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life, and I hope I never do again.” Ben sighed.
“I can imagine.” Vince raised an eyebrow.
“I know. It’s something we’ll never forget,” Ben added.
With Vince refusing to let Ben pump his own gas, he was free to open up the back of the truck and look around for some of the things he thought Vince would be interested in. He pulled out the .243 rifle he’d taken from the guy in the Bronco and the box of ammo he’d found for it. As he drew the long, polished wood and steel rifle from its case, he saw Vince’s eyes light up.
“A .243 short mag and a box of ammo,” Ben stated.
Vince grinned. “Now you’re talking my language! What were you interested in trading for?”
“For starters, I was looking at that sack of rice and the dog food, and I wanted to take another look around in the daylight to see what else you had that we might be able to use. But the rifle is for all your hospitality and fixing the truck. It’s the only way I can come close to repaying you for everything you’ve done for us.”
“You don’t owe me anything for that. But I can’t say we couldn’t use another accurate rifle. We’re a little light on those.”
Ben had seen some of the weapons the people on the wall were carrying last night. Most of them were toting shotguns or handguns. He only saw a couple rifles in the group. They needed a nice scoped rifle more than he and the kids did. They had more than enough weapons and ammo for the three of them. Besides, he felt guilty about not being able to help them out more and this was the next best way to clear his conscience about it.
Ben set the box of bullets on the tailgate and slid the rifle back into its case. He leaned the gun on the rear tire near Vince. “Take it. It’s yours. I’ve got a few other things to trade for the food and fuel,” Ben said.
Vince finished pumping gas, but before he put the pump back in its cradle, he paused. “How ’bout your spare tanks?”
“Thanks, but they’re full,” Ben replied as he continued to dig around in the back of the truck.
Vince hung up the pump and picked up the rifle and the box of ammo on the tailgate.
“I’ll see you inside.” Vince headed off toward the store.
“I’m right behind you,” Ben said.
Gunner strained his neck, looking over the back seat as he watched Ben dig through their gear and gather items. He placed them in the center of a towel, then grabbed the corners and made a makeshift bag out of it to carry everything.
Before he closed the truck up, he thought for a second and reached under the back seat. He pulled out the small cra
te with the coins in it and counted out 16 of the one-ounce silver pieces. He filled his front pockets with the coins and stuffed the crate back under the seat. He wasn’t sure if he would need them all, but he was feeling generous for all the kindness that had been shown to them.
“Good boy! We’ll be right back,” Ben reassured Gunner as he slung the makeshift bag over his shoulder and closed the back of the truck. He wasn’t sure what Joel and Allie would want from Vince’s store, but he wanted to make sure he had plenty to offer in exchange for the things they wanted.
This might be the last chance they had to resupply before they got to Maryland.
Chapter Twelve
When Ben got inside the store, Vince was standing behind the counter and had the .243 out of its case again and was looking it over. Joel and Allie were wandering around among the shelves, and Allie was balancing a sizable pile of apples, potatoes, carrots, and onions in her arms. Joel had picked up the large sack of rice and was carrying it with him as they browsed.
Ben headed straight to the counter, where Vince was admiring his new gun and laid the towel down. As he peeled back the corners of the old towel, the major looked away from the rifle to see what he had. Ben organized the two small fuel-burning camp stoves and three of the Spyderco knives that he and Joel had salvaged from his store in Durango.
“Won’t you guys need those?” Vince asked as he leaned the rifle against the back of the counter.
“No. These are extra. But we’re going to need more of those fuel cylinders you’ve got up there.” Ben pointed to the shelves on the wall behind the counter. There sat a row of four small fuel canisters that would work with their camp stove.
“So you want to give me a couple stoves and take all my fuel, huh?” Vince chuckled.
Just then, Joel and Allie approached the counter and unloaded the contents of their arms.
“This will last us a long time,” Allie said as she tried to contain the produce as it rolled around on the counter next to the large bag of rice.