by Bruno Miller
“Nice.” Joel nodded and looked back at his dad. “When are you going to do that?”
“Tomorrow morning after we break camp. I figured we would get her familiar with your Weatherby and that little .38 from the store. They’re both good guns for her to start with, and she needs to know how to protect herself, should the need arise.”
“It was my idea,” Allie said, putting her shoulders back.
That made Joel grin.
“Okay, who wants a little exercise?” Ben stepped back from the hand pump as he finished getting it all set up.
“I’ll do it.” Joel pushed off the truck fender where he was leaning, walked over to his dad, and handed him the AR.
“Thanks.” Ben patted him on the shoulder and walked to the front of the truck, where Allie was watching Gunner.
“I wish I had his energy.” Ben shook his head as Gunner checked every nook and cranny in the small parking lot with his nose.
“He really saved our butts back there.” Allie looked off into the distance.
Ben could tell she was trying to maintain her composure. She hadn’t offered any details about how they’d captured her or how it had gone down, and Ben didn’t want to pry. If she wanted to talk about it, she could when she was ready. It didn’t matter anyway. It was over and she was safe.
“I’m sorry Joel had to do that because of me. I feel like it’s my fault,” Allie blurted out, checking in Joel’s direction as she lowered her voice. “I feel so bad that I caused all that trouble.”
“Don’t ever feel that way, not for one second. Nothing that happened back there is anyone’s fault except the three people that caused it.” Ben looked at Allie. “We’re all in this together, and we’ll take care of each other.”
She nodded, the serious tone in her voice extending to the look in her eyes. “That’s why I want to learn how to use a gun.”
Chapter Thirteen
Joel finished the fueling process and cleaned up while Ben and Allie talked and kept watch at the front of the truck.
“Just about finished,” Joel called out.
“Good,” Ben answered.
“Here, Gunner, get some water.” Allie poured the rest of her water bottle into Gunner’s collapsible orange dog bowl. He eagerly lapped up the water, taking a break to breathe only once before the bowl was empty. Then he stood over the empty bowl and panted as he looked up at Allie.
“He certainly has taken to you.” Ben smiled as he headed back around to the driver’s side door.
“He’s my buddy, aren’t you, boy?” Allie said in a silly voice and gave Gunner a hug before she coaxed him up into the truck.
Ben hesitated for a moment before he got in. He called back to Joel. “You got it?”
“Yep!” Joel finished up and stuffed the gloves under a bungee strap, then turned to look at his dad. “Did you bring my shotgun?”
“Yeah, it’s in the truck,” Ben answered, remembering he hadn’t told Joel about the modifications he had made to the gun.
“Huh. I didn’t see it when we were loading. Are you sure?” Joel asked.
“Oh yeah, it’s in there. I, uh, well, I made a few small modifications to it so you probably didn’t notice it.” Ben got in the truck and pulled the door shut.
“Modifications? Would you like to explain what that means?” Joel hopped up into the passenger seat.
“I just made it a little more compact.” Ben shrugged, purposefully teasing Joel with his vagueness.
“Where is it?” Joel asked.
“Allie, under your seat you’ll find something wrapped in an old gray towel. Would you hand that to Joel, please?” Ben asked as he started the truck and put it in gear.
Allie reached under the seat and felt around for a few seconds, then maneuvered the towel out from under the seat. Gunner’s curious nose gave the bundle a good sniff as Allie passed it up to Joel.
“This is my shotgun?” Joel laid it on his lap and unrolled the towel, revealing his 20-gauge Weatherby. “Or at least what was left of it.” Joel sat in silence for a minute as he examined the weapon.
Ben noticed Joel’s attempt to hide the grin forming on his face.
“That’s pretty cool actually,” Joel remarked.
“Is that the gun I’m going to learn how to shoot?” Allie asked.
Ben nodded. “That’s one of them.”
“I like the camo color. It’s pretty,” Allie joked.
“You did not just call my gun ‘pretty.’” Joel shook his head and began to go over the mechanics of the shotgun with Allie.
Ben was glad to see the kids joking around again and making small talk. This was the first time both of them seemed to totally forget what they had just been through. At least Ben hoped they could forget about it for a little while. They were doing remarkably well for two teenagers who just had their lives turned upside down.
He had noticed a lot of distant stares from them, like they were deep in thought, but he was sure they could say the same about him. So much change in just a week’s time and so much to come to terms with.
“How about taking a look at the map and finding us a spot to call home tonight?” Ben hated to interrupt their conversation, but he had just seen the sign for Oakley, Kansas.
The landscape around them was changing quickly and he knew that meant they were getting close to I-70. From what he remembered of that area, after Oakley, there wasn’t really anything to speak of for hundreds of miles—nothing but agricultural land as far as the eye could see.
The vast open spaces and fields of windswept grain weren’t bad scenery, but at this point in June, most of the wheat would have probably been harvested, leaving only barren dry fields and wheat stubble with little cover or resources to be had. They would stick out like a sore thumb among the landscape.
He was hoping the isolation and lower population of this area would also mean more open sections of road and fewer wrecks. They needed to find a place to stop before they got on I-70. Then they could get an early start again tomorrow and hopefully make it to Missouri by day’s end.
But that all depended how long it took to get around Topeka and Kansas City, two places Ben planned on giving a wide berth. After the information Jon had given him, he had decided to avoid those places, but what they had recently been through had solidified that decision even more. He resisted at first, thinking that it would add too much time, but now he realized if they didn’t, they most likely wouldn’t make it at all.
If they maintained this rate of travel, he figured they could be there in about a week’s time, but he hated to speculate that far ahead without knowing what challenges still lay ahead.
Besides, they had to get into Pittsburgh still, and that alone could take time. He had been giving that some thought and was leaning toward leaving the truck outside the city and hiking in. Going on foot would add a lot of time, but Pittsburgh was a big city. The situation there could be the same as what Jon described in Kansas City.
At least by the time they got close to Pittsburgh they would be into the Appalachian Mountains. Late June in the Appalachians would be a resource-rich environment. The weather for camping should be pleasant with plenty of cover to keep them out of sight. He was sure they could find somewhere around Pittsburgh to hide the truck.
When he’d packed the final few things in the Blazer, he’d thrown in an old piece of camouflage netting that he and Joel had used for making hunting blinds. He wasn’t sure what they would do with it until now. The netting was easily large enough to cover the truck.
Pittsburgh was probably at least a couple days away, but Ben knew it was never too early to start planning, especially when the stakes were this high.
Chapter Fourteen
“Based on that sign back there, we should see water of some kind in the next few miles. Look for a bridge.” Joel pitched forward in his seat, scanning the road ahead.
“It’s hard to tell.” Allie leaned over his shoulder and looked at the map.
“Yeah,
it doesn’t really show much on here but a thin blue line.” Joel pointed.
“There’s something coming up.” Ben sat up in his seat a little higher. He saw a small bridge over two large culvert pipes. The closer they got, the more the waterway looked like an irrigation canal.
Ben spotted a dirt road off to the right and decided to take it. An irrigation ditch would have to do tonight. There would be no fresh-caught trout for dinner, but at least they would have a water source.
They stayed on the dirt road that followed the ditch for a couple miles before it turned off toward the east. There was a large pump house there for the irrigation system, and Ben pulled the truck in behind it as best he could. They were far enough off the main road that he doubted anyone could see them, but just the same, he didn’t want the silhouette of the Blazer visible.
Ben got out of the truck and felt the short dry wheat stubble crush under his feet. Of course, Gunner was out next and didn’t let the fact that Ben wasn’t completely out of the way stop him from squeezing by. He didn’t waste any time and got right to exploring their new campsite.
“It’s so empty out here.” Joel looked around as he held the door open for Allie until she was out of the truck.
“It is,” Ben answered.
Other than the distant irrigation systems that sprung up every so often on the horizon, there was nothing else around for as far as they could see. The water flowed in the ditch at a pretty good rate and seemed clean. It would be easy work for the filters, and they could clean up their dirty things and take plenty of fresh water with them in the morning.
It was a little earlier in the evening than when they had stopped last night, so there was plenty of light left to get things done.
“I’ll wash the clothes for us,” Allie offered.
“I’ll give you a hand,” Joel added.
After they had all cleaned up and changed, the kids sat by the side of the ditch and worked on the clothing with a bar of soap while Gunner watched and chased a few soap bubbles down current.
Ben wished there were more resources here. There wasn’t enough material around to start a fire, let alone keep one going long enough to cook dinner. Thankful to have the gas stoves and fuel, he began to sort through the dehydrated food pouches.
“What’s for dinner?” Joel called out.
“Southwest beans and rice.” Ben held up three pouches from the back of the truck.
“Well, I’m glad Gunner is sleeping with you tonight!” Joel looked at Allie and snickered.
“Oh, thanks.” She smiled.
“Fortunately for all of us, I found a bag of dog food a few stops back, so Gunner can get back on a semi-normal diet. And we can all breathe a little easier,” Ben added.
“Awe, poor Gunner. We still love you, stinky boy.” Allie patted Gunner on the head with a wet soapy hand as he licked at her fingers.
Ben set up one of the stoves and got a pot of water going. While he waited, he strung a section of cordage from the pump house to one of the load bars on the roof rack, making a place for Joel and Allie to hang the wet clothes.
He looked up at the sky. The light was noticeably fading, and he thought for the first time in a while the sky looked close to normal. No haze, no plumes of smoke. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was because of their location.
If North Korea had launched attacks from both coasts, maybe the middle of the country was out of reach and isolated enough to be spared the full impact from the EMPs. Still, though, he hadn’t had any luck picking up a signal with the radio today and was beginning to think he never would.
But he would try again tomorrow, and he would continue to try until he got a signal. If Jon’s neighbor in Topeka could communicate with his ham radio, then people were still broadcasting. They just weren’t close enough to pick up the signal with their weaker handheld units.
The water began to boil. Ben turned the stove off.
“Dinner in about 15 minutes.” He called over to Joel and Allie, who were starting to hang some of the clothing up to dry. A coyote howled off in the distance, and he was reminded about the run-in he and Gunner had the other night.
He grabbed the small folding shovel off the rack and locked the blade in place before he stuck it into the dirt near the stove. “We better clean up pretty good tonight after dinner. We don’t want any guests in camp tonight. We’ll bury the trash before we go to bed.”
Allie chewed her bottom lip. “Will they bother us?”
“No, they shouldn’t. We won’t give them a reason to stop here. We just need to put everything away that might interest them.”
“Okay.” She swallowed.
Joel put his hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be all right. You’ll have Gunner with you anyway.”
“Come and get it.” Ben called them over to eat and handed them each a pouch of food with the top still folded down to keep the heat in.
“Thanks,” Allie said.
Joel followed her over. “Yeah, thanks, Dad.”
“Yep, enjoy.” Ben walked to the truck and took a seat on the open tailgate, where he had the map laid out. He unfolded his meal pouch and set it down, letting it cool for a minute before he attempted to eat the steaming hot contents.
Gunner followed the kids to the edge of the irrigation ditch, where they took a seat in the grass. He found a spot between them and lay down, knowing it was too soon to beg for leftovers yet.
Ben watched them for a moment and thought about how he had wasted time stressing over bringing Allie with them in the beginning. He couldn’t imagine it any other way now and could see what a huge morale booster it was for Joel to have her along. He certainly had seen a change in Joel, for the better, over the course of the last week. It was hard to believe he was the same kid who had to be reminded to take the trash out.
A person could take a tragedy like this in one of two ways. They could either adapt and survive or let this new world beat them down. And it appeared that both Joel and Allie were adapting well. He was glad they had risen to the challenges that had been thrown at them. Otherwise, this would have been a much different trip.
Pride in his son overwhelmed him right now. He could see that all the things he had tried to teach Joel over the years hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. Ben was thankful to be blessed with such a remarkable son.
Allie seemed like a special girl as well. She was clearly a fighter and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. He could see why his son was attracted to her. She had been through a lot these past few days, and today was no exception. Yet here she was, several hours later, laughing with Joel as they ate their dinner. Even Gunner had accepted her immediately, and that was something he didn’t do with too many people.
If they managed to find her dad in Pittsburgh, it would be tough to leave her there with him. Ben also worried about Joel and how he would take it. It would be hard on him to lose Allie. The bond developing between them was easy to see. Ben would have to be blind not to notice the way they looked at each other. It was only natural and probably a good thing, considering the current state. At least they had that one positive distraction from the horrors they had to endure.
He would definitely have to teach Allie how to use the shotgun and the .38 pistol. If they were going to leave her in Pittsburgh, they could at least give her a fighting chance to take care of herself and her dad.
Chapter Fifteen
After dinner everybody squeezed out the remains of their pouches on top of the dog food in Gunner’s bowl. Gunner hurried over to see what he had scored. He looked back at them when he saw the measly leavings in his bowl.
“That’s it, boy! We were all hungry tonight. You have plenty of dog food in there.” Joel shrugged and headed to the truck to grab the gear. As Gunner ate, they cleaned up from dinner and set the tents up. Joel dug a hole for the empty food bags, then buried them about a foot underground in the hard, dry dirt.
“That ought to do it.” Joel smiled at Allie.
They hadn’t heard the
coyotes in a while, and Joel decided not to say anything more about it. He didn’t want Allie to worry unnecessarily. Joel and his dad had camped around coyotes plenty of times and never had any trouble. In fact, it was pretty common to hear them call back and forth to each other as the sun went down. But that must have been a fluke the other night at their house. He’d never heard about them being aggressive like that before.
A part of him wondered if the EMPs had changed some electromagnetic fields or in some way had an effect on the animals. He’d heard about animals having a sixth sense about things like that. Joel remembered his teacher in science class talking about how scientists had found that animals and insects were able to sense electromagnetic energy and electromagnetic fields.
They’d read in their textbooks that birds used the Earth’s electromagnetic field to follow migration routes, how bears timed their hibernation by it, foxes used it to hunt, and so on. If animals used electromagnetic fields, maybe a disturbance would throw them off or make them more unpredictable at the very least.
How could explosions of the size they’d seen not have an impact? If he thought about it long enough, Joel could still feel the impact of the detonations that fateful morning. He would never forget how small he felt standing in the woods in the middle of nowhere as the shockwave rolled over them.
Joel thought back to the overturned truck earlier in the day and remembered how aggressive the vultures had seemed. Was that normal? He had no idea. What did he know about vultures? Nothing, that’s what. Then he remembered the half-eaten remains of the truck driver hanging out of the smashed front window and forced himself to think of something else. Anything else. He was getting carried away with his ridiculous theory about crazy animals.
Joel threw his sleeping bag into his tent and headed over to the irrigation ditch with the water pump and empty bottles.
“Need some help?” Allie asked as she finished unrolling her sleeping bag and zipping her tent flap closed.
