“Come on now. Let em go. If we detain them and the captain finds out you were sleeping on watch we’re both gonna get a less favorable nightshift job. I’m sure they’ll put us on body bag duty. This wasn’t the first time for you and I don’t want to be dragged into your mess,” Mitchell shouted.
Tammy was scared for a minute when she gunned it to climb the hill and he ran after them, trying to catch up to the Suburban. He stopped when Mitchell stood in his path. Then he didn’t seem bothered at all as Tammy kept going.
Soon they were heading up into the hills all alone. The road was paved for quite a few miles, a lot longer than she anticipated. There were a few abandoned cars still on the road. Tammy was able to get around them easily. Most of the people that had traveled on that road probably lived in the few small subdivisions and houses tucked in the hills north of town.
Amanda was helping her navigate, taking note of every road they passed. “Mom, we have to watch for the next right.”
Fortunately, that was where Dale and Brian were waiting for them. She pulled over and let out a huge sigh of relief.
Dale was at her door, pulling it open before she had a chance to turn the Suburban off. She got out to stretch for a minute and didn’t expect him to embrace her so readily.
“See, that wasn’t so bad.” He hugged her tight.
She was shocked at first and then she welcomed the comfort. She had to rub her face before she pulled away. She had been rattled by what played out at the roadblock far more than she thought.
“We were scared that soldier was going to shoot Mom.” Holly climbed out of the backseat. Zoe was right behind her with Buddy. Mae attached herself to Tammy’s waist the second she was out of the Suburban.
Dale squeezed Tammy’s shoulders as he looked her over in disbelief.
“She’s not exaggerating. We pulled up to the two jeeps. I didn’t see anyone. That’s because they were sleeping on the job. When we woke them, they were both pointing guns at our heads.” She had to swallow hard to suppress her emotions.
“She talked her way out of it, protecting Amanda at the same time. Don’t let them fool you.” Charlie stuffed her hands in her pockets and seemed wary around the two men.
“I surprised myself.” Tammy inhaled deeply. “The info about who to talk to from the patrol got us through so I think we were fortunate to have that run-in before we got to that roadblock.”
“I’m sure that is going to be the worst part of your journey. As long as you stick to the map, the rest of the trip shouldn’t be that bad. There’s hardly anyone out here.” Brian was still on his motorcycle. He pointed at the horizon. “I want to get back home before I have to talk my way out of getting shot.”
After Tammy and the girls thanked him, he waved as he rode off.
Dale ran a hand through his hair. “There’s not enough daylight yet for us to work on shooting skills before you go.”
“Don’t you need to head back too?” Charlie asked, rather abruptly.
“I will need to go soon but I still have plenty of time. The sun will be up soon. I’d rather ride back home by daylight instead of using this pathetic excuse for a headlight. That was a wild ride through the sagebrush. I want to see where I’m going when I’m heading downhill on my way back.”
He leaned against the back of the trailer. “We might as well take a breather and watch the sunrise.”
There was no argument from Tammy. She leaned against the trailer next to Dale and the girls tossed a blanket on the ground and settled in.
“What was that hug about? Did it take me a long time to get here?” She kept her eyes on the horizon. The gentle hills in front of them blocked any view of town. The ridge was starting to brighten the night sky to a lighter shade of blue
“I was concerned. It seems every time I’ve left you and thought things would be fine, they weren’t.”
“True and back there was no exception. But truth is, we are fine. Rattled but fine.” She hid her hands behind her back and pressed her body weight against them. They hadn’t stopped shaking.
“I know you’re still hating on me for pushing you over the edge, but I’ve been torn about staying behind while you go out on your own. I am heading back, though. So don’t worry, I’m not inviting myself. Things are just too dangerous for my family. At least you’re finally leaving the worst of it behind.”
“I hope so.” Tammy didn’t let on that she had a running list of what could still go wrong racing through her head and was struggling to put her mind at ease.
As the sky brightened and turned multiple shades of blue, yellow and orange, she was able to draw in slow deep breaths. There were no houses, no civilization in view and there were hardly any trees. Once it was light enough, she would be able to see where she was headed and it was more of the same. Gentle rolling hills that were possibly home to deer and little rodents and not much else she needed to worry about in the unfamiliar part of her journey. At least for a little while. Once they reached the familiar paved roads that would take her to the cabin, the rest of the journey shouldn’t take long.
She tried to ignore that Dale kept looking at her when he wasn’t watching the horizon or stifling a laugh when the girls made a game of insulting each other.
“How old are your kids?” Tammy kicked at a weed.
“My boys Jackson and James are six and four. Old enough to know things are scary. Also old enough to know that their mom, Mercedes, doesn’t like it when I’m around. She has changed her tune since the power went out, though. Now she’s all needy and wants me there. Of course, that’s because it conveniences her.” He shook his head in frustration. “About a year ago I’d have been happy to do her bidding. Anything to save our marriage and so I could be with the boys. Needless to say, this past year has been hell. If I’m painfully honest, it’s not all her fault. We are just in a bad place. What’s worse is this turn of events is bringing out the worst in us both and yet we are needing each other more than ever. If there was anything amiss in your marriage, count your blessings because this nightmare would magnify the issues times ten. Or maybe for us, times a hundred.” He shook his head again. “Honestly, helping you has been refreshing. At least I feel like I’ve done something good for someone that appreciates it.”
“I do. I can’t believe I’m allowing this to happen.” She closed her eyes so she could stop hearing Ben chastising her. “but you will have access to our house now that we’re gone so I hope that will help you find some peace, quiet, and safety when you need it. As long as you lock it up when you leave the house.” She tried to make light of her family’s shortcomings and raised the corner of her mouth at an attempt at a smile. “Will you continue to keep an eye on our house even if you don’t stay there? So if Ben does make it back, he has a place to come home to?”
“I’ll do what I can for as long as I can. I have this feeling that it’s going to get far worse before it gets better. That’s my thoughts about the neighborhood mostly. My relationship drama is probably more of the same. It’s already at its worst. Thanks for allowing me to stay there if I need to in the meantime.”
He was quiet for a long time. Perhaps it was because she successfully diverted the conversation back to his family and her husband and that helped subdue whatever was going on with him.
The girls were restless once the sun tried to blind them after it had completely risen above the hillside.
“Find me something that would be good for target practice.” He was off looking for a good place for them to shoot.
Tammy found some empty water bottles under the seats and tossed them at Dale. He filled them with sand, pebbles, and dirt before setting them up on a pile of rocks he had made.
Once he had supervised each of the girls to see how well they knew how to actually shoot–even Mae with one of the smaller shotguns–he spent some extra time with Tammy. She suppressed her nerves and proved she could shoot with an air of confidence she didn’t quite own but it served its purpose. She wasn’t hitting
the targets but she wasn’t freezing up either. She worked on her consistency of firing off shots one after another. She wasn’t trying to impress Dale. She was actually gaining confidence as she put the mess in her mind to rest proving she could be the person her daughters needed her to be. And with her last shot that blew the last intact water bottle to pieces, Dale rested his hand on her shoulder.
“You know what? You got this and you don’t need me anymore. I’ve been here far longer than I intended to be.” He looked down the road where he needed to go. “Are you going to practice a little longer or are you heading out?”
She checked the ammo she had left in her gun. “I think I need a little more practice without someone hovering over my shoulder. I won’t stay long. I want to get to the cabin with plenty of time to empty out this trailer and get things settled before night falls.” She finally felt like she could do whatever it took to make sure they survived whatever came their way.
He hesitated and looked down the road where she was headed. “I don’t want to say goodbye. It feels more like ‘see you later.’” He squinted in the sunlight and sighed. “You got this. Right?” He finally looked at her as he waited for her answer.
“I do.” She smiled at him to let him know she meant it.
He nodded as he looked at the ground and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I know you do. Hopefully, I will see you again.” He was about to embrace her when she held out her hand for him to shake it. He did and smiled. “I’ll stop procrastinating.” He waved as he walked off to retrieve his motorcycle.
The girls shouted their goodbyes as he went.
It was harder than Tammy thought it would be watching him leave. She didn’t move until the dust cloud he left behind was gone.
9
Tammy
Tammy spent a few minutes practicing shooting without Dale there to tell her what she was doing wrong. And just like that, her confidence slipped away. It must have followed Dale. It was getting in her head that she was suddenly incapable. She closed her eyes so she could hear him tell her what to do. Slightly bend her knees, straighten her back but lean forward some, arms extended but not locked at the elbows. Two hands gripping the gun, bring the shoulders down, relax. She finally worked past it and was firing without flinching so much. She knew that was part of the reason why he had stayed so long. Tammy held the gun with one hand and shot a few times to see how it felt. Dale’s words haunted her. She might not have time for the perfect stance. She missed badly but after she fired off a few rounds, she hit one of the remnants of the water bottles.
“Mom, I hear something. I think maybe Dale is coming back.” Amanda ran over to her from the other side of the Suburban.
“Umm, it sounds like more than one motorcycle and they are coming from the wrong direction.” She gasped and felt her chest tighten. “It’s not Dale. Everyone, hurry! Load up.” Tammy picked up everything on the ground around her and tossed it in Old Betsy.
The girls didn’t waste any time. They were all in and Tammy had the Suburban running before they could see what was coming. She pulled out onto the road and headed north.
The men on motorcycles cut across the dirt and through the sagebrush to get to them. She sped up. Their road was paved for only a mile and then they were on gravel. She didn’t have the same control she had back on the paved road. The trailer had a mind of its own when she took a corner.
“Not good.” Tammy had no idea what to do. The motorcycles were gaining fast.
“What if they were just coming to see what we were shooting at? Maybe they’re just curious,” Holly said.
The motorcycle men answered back with gunshots.
“Why didn’t the EMP take out those motorcycles too?” Tammy had to concentrate on the road. At least they weren’t having to navigate through a forest. However, there would be no losing the guys on their tail. “Girls, get down below the seats, like where your feet go. Zoe, you get Buddy down as low as you can.”
“How many are there?” Charlie asked.
“Don’t you dare look. Get Mae down.” Tammy was already trying to figure out how many there were. “Three, maybe four. There’s one weaving back and forth so I can’t tell.” When that motorcycle weaved over to the driver’s side, he fired. She wanted to duck each time but she had to drive and she weaved as well. “Amanda, grab my gun and see if it’s loaded and ready.”
Amanda sprawled out on the bench seat to pull the gun from Tammy’s holster and checked it. “You’re good. Are you going to shoot at them? You’re driving.”
Tammy held her hand out for her gun and was surprisingly unafraid. One of the motorcycles was gaining on them, almost to her door. She locked it even though her window was still rolled down. Amanda did the same with her door and the one behind her.
“Charlie, stay low and lock your door.”
The guy on the motorcycle motioned for her to pull over.
“Amanda, get down.” Tammy acted like she didn’t see him.
“There’s one catching up over here too.” Amanda slumped down even more.
Tammy swallowed hard as she gripped the steering wheel with her left hand and positioned her arm to hide what she was doing with her right hand until she knew she was ready. She pointed the gun at his bike. The angle was wonky for someone who had just fired a gun for the first time in years. He was gaining and getting closer to her door when she had to veer to the left to follow the road. She didn’t have a choice and only glanced at him for a moment when she shot. He lost control of his bike and he was down.
“Mom!” Amanda’s jaw dropped.
“You have to do the same. Hurry.” Tammy didn’t know how she managed to hang onto her gun after that. She holstered her gun so she could grip the steering wheel with both hands. She was shaking so bad that holding it tight was the only thing that kept her from freaking out.
Amanda fumbled getting out her gun. She rolled her window down the rest of the way and barely peered over the door to see where the motorcycle was. There were several gunshots and one shattered the far back side window. At least it didn’t cave in. The girls in the back screamed.
“Come on. Now. Before one of us is shot.” Tammy prompted her. “I did it and I am a total freak about guns. If you fire, they might just back off.”
Amanda fired and then fired again. “I missed.”
“One more.” She nodded encouraging her daughter to do it again.
She did and the bike went down.
“Oh! I don’t know if I hit him or the bike.” She started to sit up to look out the window before she hunched back down in the seat.
“It doesn’t matter. They fired first. Do we have another one back there, Charlie?” Tammy weaved the Suburban so she could get a look.
“I don’t see anyone else. I think if there was, they stopped to help the ones who fell.”
“I hope so.” She kept watching the mirrors on both sides of the truck. The stupid trailer was in the way. Old Betsy was kicking up a lot of dust so they could have been lurking in the dust cloud but not likely. It probably wasn’t easy for them to breathe either.
It appeared they were in the clear as she slowed down. They passed a big house with a lot of outbuildings and then the road seemed far less traveled on after they passed their driveway.
As they continued on, the road continued to narrow more and more until it was only a skinny unkempt dirt road with only two tire tracks for them to follow. They were climbing the rolling hills. They had gained some altitude as the road started to wind back and forth with tight corners. She struggled with managing the trailer. It still felt like it had a mind of its own and it was wanting to take the Suburban for a ride instead. Also with the old worn-out shocks, it was a rough and bouncy ride. She tried to slow down and that made it more miserable.
“I didn’t think this was going to turn into a path that only off-road vehicles could drive on.” Tammy slowed down some more as she took a tight corner.
Amanda did her best to tell Tammy where they were
going.
“There are no other roads for quite some time. I wish we had the satellite view on this map.” Amanda was studying the oversized piece of paper and held it closer to her face as if that would help.
Tammy had to slow down even more to work her way out of some ruts and avoid some sharp rocks embedded in the road. “This is not good. I don’t even know if this is actually a road at this point. Maybe we missed something? No vehicle as big as ours has been on it for a long time. How does this thing even show up on the map as a road?” She had to stop when there was a boulder in the way. “That will probably catch on one of the axles on the trailer. Come help me move it.”
Tammy got out of the Suburban and her bruised muscles protested worse than they had the night before. “I must have been sitting for too long. Girls, come help.”
“What if those guys catch up?” Holly was trying her best to see if there was anything coming.
“I don’t think they will. I’m sure they regret chasing us now. I’m hoping we hit the bikes, if that’s the case, we killed two of their best modes of transportation.” She closed her eyes for a moment when she felt dizzy. Lack of sleep was catching up to her at the worst possible time.
Amanda had been very quiet the whole way, only giving her directions when she needed them. “What if we did hit them instead of the bikes?”
“We will never know, now will we? I’m assuming that you hit the bike. There’s no use feeling guilty when you don’t know. We needed to get out of there without them hurting us. They were out to hurt us. You saved all six of us. You saved Buddy and the chickens and all our food. That’s what you need to remember. Now help me move this rock. I can’t do it. My body hurts too much.” Tammy waved all the girls over to help her out. It took a lot of teamwork. Charlie turned it into a competition until they finally moved it out of the way
They took the opportunity to stretch and Zoe walked the dog for a few minutes. The temperature was comfortable, the sky was clear but Tammy could tell it was going to be abnormally hot for a fall day. Hoping to clear her head of how tired and anxious she was, Tammy walked up the road that seemed to be more of a trail than what it seemed to be on the map and shook her head. When she walked back to check the shattered window that actually resembled decorative crackleglass with only a couple of holes, she noticed there were bullet holes in the side of the trailer too.
Endure Series (Book 2): Enduring The Journey: Page 7
