by Eric Vall
Eric Vall
Chapter 1
Rain began to splatter the windshield as I raced the military truck down the mountain. It was just a sprinkle at first, but within seconds it turned into a downpour that coated my windshield and obscured my vision, even with the wipers on.
“This rain came out of nowhere,” Paige, the beautiful brunette in the passenger's seat said.
“Do you think it will hurt the solar panels?” Bailey, the small blonde that sat between us, asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said with a shake of my head. “They should be well protected in the back of the truck.”
“Do you think the farmers saw the smoke?” Bailey asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said, and my eyebrows pinched together as I focused on the road. “But I hope so.”
“There’s a lot of water on the road already,” Paige pointed out with a frown.
“There is,” I agreed. “But we should be able to make it home, no problem.”
I turned onto the torn up gravel road we had come up and headed back toward campus. We were still high on the mountain, but the road was so terrible I had to slow down and try to avoid the potholes.
The rain picked up even harder, and I squinted at the road ahead of me, the wipers on the truck could barely keep up, but I was able to make out enough to stay on the road.
We had gotten maybe halfway down the mountain when I saw a huge puddle of water on the road ahead of us.
“That doesn’t look good,” Bailey said seriously.
“We’ll be okay,” I said to reassure her. “It’s not as deep as it seems.”
“Tav!” Paige exclaimed, and she pointed to the side of the road ahead.
Just then water rushed over the roadway and began to rise.
“It’s a flash flood,” the brunette gasped, and her eyes were wide open when I looked at her.
“Hold on,” I said, and I threw the truck into reverse, made a quick K turn, and then went back the way we had just come.
“Can we get home this way?” Bailey asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But we can’t go through that flood, the water is far too high.”
“Let me look at the map,” Paige said, and she pulled a map out of her backpack.
“I’m really worried about the others,” Bailey said with a frown. “We can’t be sure that they saw the smoke.”
“I’m sure they saw it,” I said. “I trust our team.”
“What about the farmers?” Paige asked, but she didn’t take her eyes off the map.
“I can’t be sure,” I said with a shake of the head. “But they’re proving themselves more and more so I wouldn’t be surprised if they saw it.”
“Yeah, but they’re lower down on the mountain,” Bailey said, and she bit her lip.
“Anna will go get them,” I told her. “We have to remain calm.”
“You’re right,” the blonde said with a nod. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried.”
“We all are,” I said with a soft smile. “But we’ll be back at the campus soon.”
“It looks like you can go up and around,” Paige said with a frown. “But it will be a longer drive.”
“Will we be higher up?” I asked.
“Yeah,” the brunette said with a nod. “We shouldn’t have to worry about flooding with this route.”
“Let me know where to turn,” I said.
“Okay,” Paige agreed. “Keep going up this road for a while.”
I drove on as the rain continued to pour down, and we passed the road that led to the ski lodge we had left just half an hour before.
“Do you think there are other houses up here?” Bailey asked curiously.
“I’m not sure,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “But we’ll worry about that another day, for now we just need to get home.”
“Right,” the blonde said with a nod.
I thought about the people waiting for us back at home. I had left Anna, the gorgeous redhead and my right-hand woman, in charge. I had faith in her to take care of the others and get everything going in my absence. We all knew the Guard would be retreating from the Canadian border sooner rather than later, and while this had come at a bad time, we had no way of knowing it ahead of time, and we needed those solar panels for winter.
With the Guard fleeing came a whole other can of worms: the Canadians. The Guard had been the only thing holding back the thousands of starving Canadians that were trying to cross the border, and now with nothing to keep them in the north, they would be heading south toward us.
Just then I saw an old blue Chevy truck farther up the road.
“Is that a truck?” Paige asked, and she leaned forward to look out the windshield.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod, and I stopped our vehicle.
“Do you see anybody?” Bailey asked.
Just then I saw two women stand up from the opposite side of the truck, and a third followed.
“There’s three women,” I said.
“Yeah, I see them now,” Bailey said with a nod.
“I think they have a busted tire,” Paige said as we stared at the women ahead of us.
“I think you’re right,” I said. “One of them keeps bending down by the tire.”
“They’re armed,” Bailey said, and I saw it too. The women held pistols at arm’s length and pointed them in no particular direction.
“It doesn’t look like they really know how to use those,” Paige said, and she pursed her lips.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “And that makes them all the more dangerous.”
“They could get jumpy,” Bailey agreed. “Or shoot on accident.”
We all stared at the women for a moment more before Paige spoke.
“We should help them,” the brunette said.
“No way,” Bailey protested with a shake of her head. “The last time we stopped for a group of women, they beat the hell out of Briar.”
“They did that before we talked to them,” Paige pointed out.
“Still, I’m kind of done helping people just because they’re women,” Bailey sighed.
“Yeah but we can’t assume that everyone is like those bitches,” Paige said with a frown.
“I think we have to,” Bailey scoffed. “I’m sick of being the nice guy and only getting screwed over.”
“You’ve been the nice guy and been rewarded,” I said with a soft smile. “Each situation is different.”
“So you think we should help them?” Bailey asked me.
“I didn’t say that,” I said. “But I think we should at least consider it.”
“There isn’t another way by,” Paige said. “If we drive by they could shoot us.”
“That’s a good point.” I nodded.
“We could shoot them if they tried to shoot us,” Bailey said with a shrug.
“That’s a good point too,” I chuckled. “But I’d prefer to not have to do that.”
“We don’t know that they’re bad people,” Paige said. “They don’t have anything in the back of their truck so I doubt they’ve stolen from anybody.”
“That’s true,” I said, and I examined the women once more. “They look fairly thin as well.”
“That’s probably why they can’t change the tire,” Paige said. “Maybe they’re too weak.”
“Those old tires can be a real bitch,” I agreed. “Especially if it’s been a while since those bolts were undone.”
“We shouldn’t risk it,” Bailey said, and she crossed her arms. “We have to get back to our family.”
“You’re right,” Paige said softly, and she looked at the blonde. “We do have to get home, but we don’t have another way around. Honestly, I’m surprised at you Bailey, you always see the good in people.”
“Yeah, I know.” Bailey sighed. “I… I… just really feel bad about wanting to help those women, and they were the ones who hurt Briar.”
“That’s not your fault,” Paige pointed out. “And these women could actually use our help. Also, we can’t get around them unless they let us, so we should try to start off by being nice.”
“Paige is right,” I said, “we don’t have another way around.”
“Alright,” Bailey sighed.
“Let’s go,” Paige said, and she reached for the door handle.
“Not yet,” I said with a shake of my head. “I want you and Bailey to go into the woods and get eyes on the women. I’ll approach them alone.”
“Are you sure?” Paige asked, and her eyebrows pulled together.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It’s safer that way, and we all need to put our vests on.”
“Okay,” Bailey said with a small smile. “I feel better since I’ll have my rifle on them.”
“What’s our signal to shoot?” Paige asked.
“I’ll raise one finger in the air,” I said.
“Got it,” the brunette said with a smile.
We each put our vests on and grabbed our weapons. Bailey grabbed her M14 and Paige took her shotgun, but I left my rifle and only took my side arm and knife instead.
I hopped out of the car into the rain and was soaked by the freezing rain almost instantly, the girls came around to my side of the truck, and they were already wet as well.
“Get into the woods,” I said. “And wait for my signal.”
“Be careful,” Bailey said, and she looked at me through squinted eyes as she tried to keep the rain out of them.
“I will,” I said, and I waited for the girls to get into the tree line, then I headed toward the truck.
Chapter 2
“Hey,” I called out to the women when I got close, and they fumbled and turned their pistols on me.
“W-who are you?” one of the women asked, obviously scared. All the women had a dark complexion, but this one had short, tightly curled hair.
“I’m here to help,” I said, and I put my hands up to show them I wasn’t going to attack them.
“We don’t need any help,” another one snapped, and she had a blue bandana around her forehead.
“It looks like you do,” I said calmly. “I’m not here to hurt you, I was just passing by and I saw you.”
“What are you doing out here alone?” the first woman asked, and she side eyed me over her pistol.
“I’m not alone,” I said. “I have two women with me.”
“Where are they, then?” blue bandana asked, and it was obvious she thought I was lying.
“They’re in the woods,” I said.
“You’re a liar,” the first woman growled.
“Alright,” I sighed, then I raised my voice louder. “Bailey, Paige, would you let our new friends here know that you exist, please?”
“Hi, I’m Paige!” she yelled from the woods.
“I’m Bailey!” the blonde hollered.
“Do you believe me now?” I asked dryly. The rain was pouring, and I was already soaked to the bone, and standing around chatting was only making me cold.
I watched as the women looked quickly back and forth to each other, their fingers were on the triggers of their pistols and I was growing concerned they were going to do something incredibly stupid. I felt my heart rate spike as I readied myself to duck and tackle if it came down to it. These women obviously weren’t well versed in using their weapons, and there was a large possibility that they would shoot me on accident since their fingers seemed particularly twitchy.
“I guess so,” blue bandana said, more calm than before. “You really want to help us?”
“I really do,” I said with a nod, and I let out the breath I had been holding. “The bolts on these old trucks can be really difficult.”
“Okay,” the first woman with the curls said. “But we’re not lowering our guns.”
“I understand,” I said. “My girls have eyes on you, though. I do want to help you, but I can’t risk you shooting me either. I have people who count on me.”
“Well, alright then,” blue bandana said, and she lowered her gun a bit.
“Good,” I said, and I walked toward the other woman who held the four square tire iron. “Can I see that?”
“Uh, here,” she said, and she handed it to me.
“Thanks,” I said, and I bent down to check out the situation.
The freezing rain was coming down in my eyes, but I raised my hand up to get a better view. It was just as I had assumed, their jack was sinking into the mud. This would be dangerous, and I would have to do it quickly in order to make it work.
“The jack is sinking,” the third girl said, and she knelt down beside me.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “You don’t have anything to put under it?”
“No,” she said, and she shook her head.
“Okay,” I said. “Did you loosen the bolts before you jacked it up?”
“As much as I could,” the girl said, but she bit her lip.
“You did well,” I told her with a smile, and she smiled back at me slightly. “We need to lower it back down so I can break the bolts.”
“Alright,” the girl said, and she lowered the jack for me.
I started to break the bolts, but the rain was causing my hands to slip, and it took longer than I would have liked. I broke the first four, but the last one was being stubborn, so I got the four square on it, then I stood up. The women eyed me warily, so I raised my hands once more.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I just have to break this last bolt.”
“Alright,” blue bandana said with a nod, and I noticed her weapon was lowered by her hip.
I lifted my leg and kicked the four square downward. The first kick didn’t do it, so I amped up and kicked it harder. The second time it broke with a large cracking sound.
“Did you get it?” the third girl asked.
“Yeah,” I said with a grin, and I bent down to get the jack situated.
The rain had caused puddles all over the road, and they were only growing. I really needed something to set the jack on, it was a small old school jack and I was concerned that it would just sink right in, but without a solid piece of wood I didn’t want to risk putting something under it that would roll right out, so I had to just try to do it as quickly as possible.
I set the jack in place, then I called the third woman back over to me.
“What do you need?” she asked as she crouched next to me.
“I need you to raise the jack up,” I said. “We need to do this quick. Where’s the other tire?”
“Here,” blue bandana said, and she wheeled over a large donut.
“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Be ready to hand that to me.”
“Got it,” she said.
“Bring her up,” I told the third woman, and she started to rotate the handle to bring the jack up.
I got the four square ready and pulled off the bolts quickly, then I grabbed the tire, moved it out of the way, grabbed the donut, and put it in place.
Whew.
I started to put the bolts back on, but just then the jack began to sink.
“Oh shit,” the third girl said, and she tried to raise the jack up farther.
“We got this,” I said and put the last bolt in place. “Okay, let her down!”
“Going down!” the third girl said, and she spun the handle the other way.
“Good job,” I said, and I gave her a grin.
I tightened the bolts once more, then took a step back to admire our work.
“I thought we were fucked there for a second,” blue bandana chuckled.
“You all did good,” I said, and I wiped the rain from my face, only for it to be replaced with more downpour.
“Trinity, I think you can put your gun down now,” the third girl said to the one with the tight curls. “He’s obviously h
ere to help us.”
“You’re right,” Trinity sighed, and she put the gun in the back of her pants. “I’m sorry, I just gotta look out for my girls, ya know.”
“I understand perfectly,” I said with a smile. “Since that gun is down now, do you mind if I call my girls out?”
“Please,” blue bandana said.
“Paige, Bailey!” I hollered. “Can you come down here please?”
“Are you sure?” Bailey yelled back.
“I’m sure,” I called.
“Thank you for the help,” the third girl said with a smile. “I’m Daisy.”
“I’m Tav,” I said, and I reached out to shake her hand.
“I’m Silvie,” blue bandana said.
“Hi, Silvie,” I said with a smile.
Just then I saw Paige and Bailey on the road heading toward us.
“Everything okay?” Paige asked.
“It’s fine,” I said with a smile.
“Hi, I’m Paige,” the brunette introduced herself to the group.
“I’m Bailey,” the blonde said softly, and it was barely audible above the rain.
“This is Daisy, Silvie, and Trinity,” I said, and I gestured to the women.
“Good to meet you,” Paige said with a smile.
“You too,” Silvie said, and she smiled at the girls.
“We’re heading to Massachusetts,” Daisy said. “My uncle has a farm down there.”
“I wish you luck on your way,” I said. “You’ll need to get a new tire as soon as you can, though.”
“Yeah,” Paige said with a nod. “Donuts don’t tend to last long.”
“We will,” Trinity said with a nod.
“And don’t head down that way,” Paige said, and she gestured down the road where the flood had been.
“We ran into a flash flood earlier,” Bailey explained.
“Where are you headed?” Silvie asked.
“We’re not really headed anywhere,” I said. “We’re going to stay here.”
“Do you have a place?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Where is it?” Daisy asked. “And do you have enough supplies for the winter?”
I looked to my girls and frowned slightly. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable sharing that information,” I said calmly, but firmly.
“I understand,” Daisy said, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”