by Bruno Miller
Joel turned back to face Ben, then looked at Allie. “What about Pittsburgh? Do you really think it’s that bad?” he whispered.
Ben looked at Joel briefly. “Yeah, I do. I mean look at the places we’ve been through. There’s nothing left of most of them, and if Pittsburgh did take a direct hit, there won’t be anything left of it, either.”
Ben checked on Allie to make sure she was still sleeping. “We’ll see for ourselves soon. The interstate will take us close enough to know if they were hit or not.”
“Look!” Joel pointed to what remained of the Indianapolis International Airport on their left.
Ben inspected the once-busy airport, reduced now to a graveyard of dead aircraft and burnt rubble. Some of the planes still sat at their gates, waiting for passengers that would never come. Luggage was scattered all over the ground, around some of the service vehicles, and underneath the intact planes.
Most of the suitcases and bags were open, their contents strewn all over the ground. Ben wondered if that was the result of looters or an accident.
There were very few intact planes, and most had been reduced to wreckage on the runway. A few planes that Ben assumed were in the process of landing or taking off had fallen from the sky and landed on the main terminal. Several tail sections stuck out of the terminal roof as if they had been stuck there like darts into a dartboard.
The building still smoked in certain areas, even after more than a week since the attacks, no doubt from the jet fuel. Some parts of the building had resisted the flames but had melted instead. It was hard to take in the amount of destruction that had happened here, and the whole thing looked surreal and fake. But it wasn’t. It was very real, and the burning odor that stung at his nose and throat was proof.
“Oh man, that stinks.” Joel made a face and covered his nose.
A smell that reminded Ben of burnt rubber permeated the air. He was happy to see the exit for the 465 expressway around the city on his right. He eagerly steered the Blazer onto the exit ramp and away from the interstate and the devastated airport.
He was glad Allie was asleep and had missed that. There was a good chance her mother had been involved in a scene like that. Whatever airport her mother had been unlucky enough to be at when the bombs had gone off probably looked similar.
They all probably did. With dozens of outgoing and incoming flights suddenly left dead stick, the result could be nothing less than catastrophic. Ben thought for a moment about what must have been a staggering number of lives lost at the nation’s airports alone—not to mention the thousands of other planes that had gone down mid-route like the one he and Joel had witnessed in the mountains.
“Keep a lookout for a good place to get gas, although I wouldn’t mind getting away from this smell and smoke first.” Ben was anxious to turn his thoughts away from what they had just seen.
“I’m looking.” Joel’s voice was muffled through his T-shirt, which he had pulled over his mouth and nose.
Gunner popped up in the rearview mirror as he sat up from his sprawled-out position across the rear bench seat and Allie’s lap. He stuck his head toward Ben’s open window, between the seat and the truck, and sniffed the air. Letting out a big yawn, Gunner finished with a whimper and shuffled impatiently on and off his bad leg.
“We better stop sooner rather than later. I think Gunner needs to go.” Joel looked back at the dog, who was now leaning heavily on Allie.
Ben watched in the mirror as Allie slowly came to and rubbed her face. He was hoping the short nap would boost her spirits a little, although he didn’t expect her to have moved on from the bad news by any stretch yet. He was disappointed to see that she still had that same blank look on her face as she stared out the window. She was pale and looked how he imagined she probably felt.
“We’re stopping soon. We can get out and stretch our legs for a bit.” Joel glanced at her.
She just nodded.
“We’re making pretty good time. Maybe we can take a break and fix something to eat if we can find a good spot to stop. A few more miles and we can get off the expressway and back onto the interstate,” Ben said.
She shrugged. “I’m not really that hungry.”
“You need to eat. You have to keep your strength up, and it will help you feel better,” Ben said.
“I know,” she admitted. “I just don’t really have an appetite.”
“I’m sure you don’t, but we need you, Allie. We need you here with us,” Ben said.
They drove on in silence for several more miles until they picked up I-70 once more on the other side of Indianapolis. As the remains of the city shrunk in the rearview mirror, the landscape quickly returned to a more rural setting.
Ben spotted a tall yellow and red Pilot Flying J travel center sign a mile or so up ahead. The gas station sat off the interstate a few hundred yards on a secondary road. A few other buildings were visible farther down. Across the street from the service station was an old white church building with a post office next door.
The area looked innocent enough, and Ben was satisfied that it was a suitable spot to take a break and get some fuel. After doing the customary lap around the place, it checked out okay and they parked by the fuel tanks.
Gunner was anxious to get out and nearly climbed over Joel getting out of the truck.
“Easy, boy. Hang on a second!” Joel hopped out of the way as the dog bounded by him, not seeming to be bothered by his injury at the moment.
Gunner raced over to an old trash can and relieved himself right away.
Allie made her way out of the truck slowly and began to gather the things they would need to make lunch.
Ben got out of the truck and brought the AR with him. He laid it across the hood and stretched his back. He then rolled his neck from side to side, making a loud cracking sound.
Allie stopped rummaging in the back of the Blazer and looked at him. “You okay to drive? That didn’t sound too good.”
“Oh, those are normal sounds after 40. It actually felt pretty good,” Ben joked as he joined Joel in getting the fuel pump and hose set up.
Allie shook her head and cracked a small smile before she let her hair fall over her face and resumed gathering lunch supplies.
Ben was glad to see a little bit of life in the girl. “How about we use some of the fresh produce?”
“Okay,” she said without looking up.
He was worried about her and for good reason. He had seen many people lose the will to fight in the face of adversity and tragedy. It was a slippery slope and a hard one to come back from once the feeling of defeat or hopelessness took hold.
As a unit, they couldn’t afford that now, though. They couldn’t let her slip into that mindset.
There was a fine line between giving her space to grieve and making sure she knew they were there for her, and Ben was doing his best not to cross it.
Chapter Sixteen
Ben and Joel made quick work of the fueling and Ben kept an eye out for trouble during most of the process while Joel ran the pump.
Allie joined Gunner near a large oak tree a safe distance from the refueling and was working on lunch over the stove. Gunner found a stick to chew on and was content to lay in the shade with it near Allie. Joel pulled the truck under the tree and into the shade once the pump and hose were put away. Ben took the AR and walked over to where Allie was preparing lunch for them.
“That looks good,” Ben said.
“Just rice, carrots, and onions with a little salt and pepper, but at least it’s something different.” Allie sighed.
“Well, it smells good and I’m hungry,” Joel chimed in as he opened one of the cans of dog food for Gunner and shook the contents into a bowl with a plop.
The sound was enough to lure Gunner away from Allie. He got up and made his way over to the collapsible orange bowl and devoured the food within minutes.
They sat around under the shade of the tree and ate their lunch. Not much was said as they ate. The sha
de provided some relief from the midday heat, but Ben was anxious to get back on the road. With any luck, they could make the Pennsylvania border before they stopped for the night.
Ben also knew there was a chance that they’d be close enough to Pittsburgh tonight to see the damage firsthand. Or at least they would start to see signs if it was in fact ground zero. Another couple hours and he imagined the landscape would begin to show the effects of a nuclear explosion. It would be tough for Allie, but she would have to deal with it, regardless of what they found.
As they cleaned up from lunch and stowed things back in the Blazer, Gunner picked up the trail of something interesting and slowly followed it toward a dumpster in the corner of the service station lot.
“Joel, how about driving for a while?” Ben asked.
“Okay, no problem.” Joel made his way around the front of the truck and noticed Gunner now sniffing around the old rusty dumpster.
“Come on, boy. Let’s go.”
Gunner ignored Joel and continued his search.
“Gunner, let’s go!” Joel raised his voice.
Ben and Allie had stopped now and were waiting with the passenger door open for Gunner to come back and load up in the truck.
Just then they heard a noise from inside the dumpster. A few seconds later, a startled raccoon popped its head out of a hole in the bottom corner of the dumpster where the metal had rusted through.
Ben knew what was going to happen next, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Gunner! No,” Ben yelled.
But it was too late. The two animals had seen each other and the game was on. The raccoon swiftly pulled the rest of itself out of the hole in the dumpster and took off running. Gunner hesitated briefly but gave in to his instincts and darted after the scared animal. The raccoon headed for the church across the street.
“Get the truck and meet me over there.” Ben ran after Gunner, leaving Joel and Allie at the truck.
They quickly loaded up, and Ben heard the Blazer start up as he chased after the dog. Gunner’s leg was either feeling fine or he was so worked up at the sight of the critter that he had forgotten about it. Ben was unable to catch them, and the raccoon ran up the steps to the church and went inside through the partially open front door.
Gunner paused on the front stoop of the old building and sniffed around for a second.
“Gunner!” Ben shouted again, but it was in vain. Gunner looked back at Ben as he approached and Ben realized that he intended to end his little game of tag.
The dog forced his way between the double doors and disappeared into the building.
“No!” Ben sighed. The Blazer slid to a stop behind him in the gravel parking lot of the church. He turned around as Allie and Joel jumped out of the truck.
“Gunner went in,” Ben huffed as he tried to catch his breath.
“I know. We saw him go in,” Joel said as he and Allie started up the church steps.
Ben was about to tell them to wait when they heard a scream come from inside the building, followed by a few barks and growls from Gunner.
“Wait! You can’t just go in there.” Ben pulled out his pistol and stepped in front of the kids when he caught up to them on the stoop.
“Nice and easy,” Ben said.
Joel and Allie followed his lead and got their pistols out as well.
Ben looked through the partially opened door, but it was too dark to see anything. The thick stained-glass windows had somehow survived the shockwave and were filtering out what little sunlight penetrated the interior of the church.
The light there was came through in the colors of the glass and served only to highlight the dust particles floating in the air. He squinted as he tried to see inside and look past the colored light. Leading the way with his pistol at the ready, he opened the door slowly and made his way in.
Joel and Allie were right behind him.
The church was small and only had a couple dozen wooden pews. A red-carpeted aisle ran down the center of the sanctuary and led to a small pulpit on an elevated stage.
Once they were inside, Ben’s eyes began to adjust and he could see Gunner in a defensive stance at the front of the church, growling.
He had a young couple with a small child backed into a corner. The man was holding a chair up, the legs pointing out in an effort to keep the dog at bay. The woman was hunched behind him with a young boy in her arms.
From what Ben could tell, they looked unarmed, other than the chair. He figured if they had any other weapons, they would have used them by now.
As he got closer, he could see more of what was going on and realized they posed no threat to him and the kids. The man was struggling to hold the chair up as it was.
Their faces were thin and pale, and the desperation in their eyes was painfully obvious. His concerns quickly faded when he realized the severity of their condition. These people weren’t dangerous. They were dying.
Chapter Seventeen
“Gunner, heel up,” Ben commanded sternly.
Gunner relaxed his stance and backed up a few steps before sitting down. Ben took a couple steps forward to meet the dog while he tucked his pistol away and grabbed Gunner’s collar. He felt bad about Gunner cornering them and wanted to assure them that the dog was no longer a threat.
The man let the chair fall to the carpeted floor with a thud.
“Sorry about that,” Joel apologized. Holstering his gun, he kneeled next to Gunner and held his collar, taking over for his dad. “He got a little wound up chasing that raccoon.”
Allie followed suit and put her gun away as well. “Are you okay?”
The man nodded “We… We were just getting water,” he mumbled weakly. Leaning on the chair, he pointed to the baptismal tank at the rear of the stage area behind the pulpit.
The little boy, who couldn’t have been more than five or six, turned his head to look at them, mostly focusing on Gunner, before burying his face back in the woman’s neck.
“Where are you from?” Ben asked.
The man mustered a little more energy for his response this time, but his voice was still weak. “We live down the road. We just come here for water.”
Ben stepped up onto the stage and walked over to the baptismal tank to inspect it. The water had a greenish tint and there was a heavy film of dust lying on the still surface.
“I hope you’re boiling this before you use it for anything,” Ben warned.
By the looks of the ragtag couple and child, he guessed they weren’t. The man shrugged but didn’t say anything.
He looked like he was having a hard time staying upright as he continued to use the chair to prop himself up. The woman leaned against the wall and finally set the boy down. Barely able to stand, she found the closest pew and sat down with a sigh. The boy followed her over and sat beside her, immediately tucking himself behind her arm as best as he could.
“He’s friendly once he gets to know you,” Joel said. Gunner had settled down now and was more interested in finding the raccoon than interacting with the strangers. Joel released his grip on Gunner’s collar and let him loose to explore.
The boy pulled closer to his mother when Gunner came their way but relaxed a little when the dog continued past them with nothing more than a look in their direction. Gunner had picked up a scent trail and was focused on resuming his pursuit of the raccoon.
“Hi, I’m Allie. What’s your name?” Allie kneeled down to the boy’s level, but he shied away and pulled in tighter to his mother again and tried to hide his face.
The mother spoke for him. “His name is Danny.”
“Hi, Danny. I’m Allie. Nice to meet you.” Allie tilted her head and leaned in to look at something Danny had pinned to his shirt. The boy peeked out from behind his mother’s arm as Allie inched closer.
“That’s really cool! Where did you get that?” Allie reached out and touched the shiny gold-colored wings pinned to the boy’s shirt.
Again, he remained silent
, forcing the mother to speak for him. “A few days ago, I think. I’ve lost track now. Some people came through and stopped here overnight. One of the women in the group gave him the wings.”
Allie turned to look at Joel, then Ben. Her eyes were red and watery, but she also had a look on her face that Ben hadn’t seen in a while.
“What is it?” Joel asked. Ben came down off the stage toward the kids and stood next to Allie.
“That’s the airline my mom works for!” Allie turned back toward the mother. “Did you get the woman’s name by any chance?”
“No, but there were five of them. They spent the night here before heading out on foot. One of the men with them said they were headed east.” She struggled to hold the boy, who had climbed into her lap while trying to keep an eye on Gunner in the back of the church.
“What did she look like?” Allie pressed her for more information.
“About your height and blonde,” the woman replied.
Just then, it dawned on Ben that the Blazer was open and exposed out in the parking lot.
“Joel, is the truck open?” Ben glanced at Joel, who immediately knew what he was getting at.
“I’ll check on it,” Joel answered. But before he left, Ben grabbed his shoulder and leaned in close. “Grab a couple MREs, will you?” he whispered.
Joel nodded and headed toward the door.
“Did they say where they were going, other than east?” Allie asked the woman and then glanced at the man, desperate for information.
“No. We were coming to get water and met them as they were leaving. They said they had come from Indianapolis, where they were forced to crash-land their plane. One of the men with them was hurt from the crash and his shirt was covered in dried blood. I think they were all part of the crew,” the man said while breathing heavily. He made his way around to the front of the chair he was using as a shield and sat down with a groan.