by Bruno Miller
Gunner followed, calmer now that he had gotten the initial burst of energy out of his system. He was more than happy to bring up the rear and explore the crevices between the larger boulders with his nose. Within a minute, both Joel and the dog were out of sight.
Ben started with Joel’s tent first while Allie helped her mom get set up.
“Fire or stove tonight?” Allie asked.
Ben thought for a minute. The area looked pretty isolated from people and it would be nice to save the gas.
“I’ll build a small fire. I think we’ll be all right here,” he announced. It would keep any four-legged intruders away as well, although he didn’t want to mention that part to the girls at the moment.
Anything he could do to help ensure an uneventful night seemed like a good idea right now.
As soon as he finished setting up his tent and squaring away his gear, he started digging the two small holes for the fire. It probably wasn’t the fire Allie was hoping for, but it was a compromise he could feel good about. He wanted to eliminate as much smoke as possible and reduce the visibility of the fire.
While he worked on the fire, Allie showed her mother the pots and pans and went over how they typically prepared their meals.
Without skipping a beat, she gathered the water filter and empty Nalgene bottles from the truck and took her mom down to the water and demonstrated how the filtration system worked. When they came back from the stream, they had all the bottles filled with fresh cold water. Allie handed him one of the still-dripping bottles as they walked by him on the way back to the truck.
Ben could hear Allie explaining the Dakota two-hole method he was using to make their fire for the night. Ben smiled. He was proud of Allie and recognized the change in her since reuniting with her mother at the camp.
Finding her mom was extremely lucky, and he was thankful for it. It meant another mouth to feed, but that was a small price to pay to see Allie return to her old self. He had to admit it was nice to have another adult around, too.
He had been worried about Allie and the news of Pittsburgh looming over her like a dark cloud. It was the boost she needed, and he wasn’t sure if she would have made it otherwise. But now, he saw new life in her eyes. The sad blank stare had been replaced with hope.
He still wasn’t looking forward to passing through the section of I-70 that would take them by Pittsburgh. It was less than 30 miles from the city at the closest point, and if the place had been hit as bad as what they’d heard, it wouldn’t be pretty. It would be confirmation that her dad hadn’t made it.
Having her mother by her side would help soften the blow—at least that was what he hoped.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
They were losing the last light of the day as Gunner tore into camp and headed straight for Allie. Ben was relieved to see that Joel wasn’t far behind and had three decent-sized trout strung through their gills on a small branch.
“All cleaned and ready to go,” he announced proudly.
Sandy smiled. “Wow, you guys really have your act together.”
“Joel could pull a fish out of a mud puddle,” Ben joked. “He’s always been lucky that way. Even as a little kid, he always managed to find fish. It never ceased to amaze me.”
Joel shook his head, clearly embarrassed by what his dad had said. He handed the fish off to Allie before stowing away his rod and bag.
She wrapped the trout in foil and laid them over the fire on the grate next to the pot of water.
Joel came back from the truck with a bowl of dog food and set it down nearby.
Gunner shot up from where he was lying, immediately abandoning the stick he had been chewing on. He trotted over and made quick work of the bowl of food. Looking back at Joel as he chewed the last mouthful, he realized that was all he was getting for now. He found a spot by the fire and made a few circles before finally settling down on the ground with a grunt.
“Maybe there’ll be some leftovers, boy.” Joel shrugged as he joined the rest of them around the fire. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, watching the flames dance up through the metal cooking grate while they waited for the water to boil and the fish to cook. Ben could feel the fire lulling him into a trance as the day began to catch up to him. He’d have no trouble sleeping tonight.
Sandy broke the silence. “This is really nice compared to the way I’ve been living lately.”
“It doesn’t always go this smooth,” Joel quipped.
“Yeah, I heard. Allie filled me in on your adventures so far. It’s hard to believe that people have resorted to doing the things they’re doing. I never would have thought that society and basic human decency would deteriorate so quickly.”
“Adventures is a much nicer word than I would use.” Ben sighed. “We’ve had our share of close calls, but I’ll say this: without these two, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I couldn’t have asked for two better partners,” he bragged.
Allie smiled as she got up and added two packets of dehydrated food to the pot of boiling water, along with some seasoning and fresh vegetables. “I think that has more to do with you than us.” She looked at Ben as she continued to stir the pot.
“Don’t be so quick to sell yourself short,” Ben objected. “You guys have been a big help to me.”
“Don’t forget Gunner!” Allie smiled.
At the sound of his name, Gunner lifted his head from where he lay next to the fire and looked in her direction. He stared at her sleepily for a moment and wagged his tail a few times before putting his head back down.
Joel checked on the fish and saw that it was ready. He slowly and carefully removed the bones and flaked the meat off into the pot, mixing it in with the beans and rice.
“I hope that was okay. I mean, do you like trout?” Joel raised an eyebrow at Sandy.
“Oh, it’s fine. It smells great. You’ll get no complaints from me after what I’ve been eating,” Sandy answered.
She shook her head as she continued. “I really can’t thank you enough, Ben. Or you, Joel. You’ve done so much for me and my daughter. Whatever I can do to help you get to your kids in Maryland, just let me know.” She leaned over, put her arm around Allie, and pulled her close. “You’ve given me a reason to live again,” she finished with a tearful eye.
Ben and Joel both smiled back at her and nodded. It made Ben feel good to see Allie and her mom together. It gave him hope that anything was possible. Reuniting with Bradley and Emma seemed somehow closer to becoming a reality and more achievable now than ever.
If they could maintain this pace and manage to avoid any more trouble, they could get really close tomorrow. He kept running over the map in his mind as Joel and Allie divided up the food onto plates and handed it out.
He still hadn’t decided on a route to the eastern shore of Maryland. The more direct and dangerous way could potentially get them there as soon as tomorrow night with a little luck. They would have to drive later than they usually did, but it was doable.
But that meant crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
“Oh my gosh! This is really good. I mean, it’s so much better than I expected. Wait, that sounded bad.” Sandy smiled. “It’s just that this is the first real food I’ve had in a while.”
They all laughed a little, and for the first time in a while, things didn’t seem so bad. The feeling was short-lived, though, and Ben found himself engrossed in thoughts of tomorrow yet again.
He remembered the Chesapeake Bay Bridge being two separate bridges, actually: three lanes west and two lanes east. It was also a very long and very tall bridge. And he couldn’t help but wonder about the structural integrity of it.
If D.C. had been hit hard, would the shockwaves damage the bridge? It was less than 50 miles from D.C., as the crow flew. And damage wasn’t the least of his concerns.
There was a good chance that it was blocked as well. They might not even be able to get across. It was the only way over the Chesapeake Bay without going north or south a g
ood distance, so it was a busy bridge that saw heavy truck traffic from the surrounding cities.
The alternative was to go north and make their way around the bay, bringing them down through Delaware. That route had the benefit of avoiding Baltimore and D.C. altogether rather than running directly between the two.
But it would add time—time Ben was reluctant to give up. In his gut, he knew going around was the way to go. The bridge was too risky, and if they couldn’t cross it, they’d have to drive around to the north anyway.
“That sure hit the spot,” Joel exclaimed as he got up with his empty plate.
They had all finished their meals entirely, except for Allie, who had a couple spoonfuls left. She scrapped it off her plate and into Gunner’s bowl, where he was already waiting anxiously in anticipation of the leftovers.
“There you go, boy.” Allie rubbed his head as she got up, leaving him to enjoy his treat.
“I’ll do the dishes. I wanted to clean up a little anyway,” Sandy offered.
“I’ll help you. I want to wash up, too.” Allie gathered the utensils and plates while Sandy grabbed the pot and Gunner’s already-empty bowl. The two headed off to the stream, Gunner close behind.
“I’ll grab some more wood for the fire if we’re going to keep it going,” Joel offered.
Ben nodded. “Yeah, I’ll give you a hand. I’d like to let it burn for as long as we can. No need to stay up to keep it going or anything like that. Just enough to keep the critters away for a while.” He was too tired to think about it anymore tonight. Joel could drive first thing tomorrow and he could spend some time looking over the map.
He and Joel found a few nice pieces of wood that he thought could be stuffed into the fire pit but were big enough to last a few hours. Ben went about setting up the fire for a long slow burn while Joel dug a hole and buried their trash from dinner.
“Joel, you want to drive for a while tomorrow? It’ll give me a chance to look at the map a little more. I think we need to find an alternative to going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.”
“Sure, no problem,” Joel answered as Allie and her mom returned from the stream.
Sandy yawned. “Oh, I feel much better now. All I need is some sleep and I might start to feel human again.”
“I was going to try to reorganize the truck tonight, but I think it’ll have to wait until morning. I just don’t have it in me. Let’s stow everything and lock up for the night.” Ben stifled a yawn of his own. “Besides, we’ve got a big day ahead tomorrow and I want to get started early.”
“Getting some rest sounds like a good idea,” Sandy agreed as she and Allie loaded what they had into the back of the Blazer.
Ben closed the tailgate behind them and locked the doors before heading for his tent. He checked the fire one more time while he brushed his teeth. Satisfied with how it was burning, he finished up and rinsed his mouth out with fresh cold stream water before he climbed halfway into his tent and took his boots off.
Gunner had already decided who he was sleeping with and was sitting outside Allie’s tent, waiting patiently for an opportunity to get inside. As soon as she unzipped the flap, he disappeared inside for the evening. They all said good night to one another and retreated to their tents.
Ben laid back and tried to quiet his mind over the concerns of tomorrow. They still had a distance to go yet, but they were close now, and that gave him some satisfaction. It wasn’t long before the gurgling stream and chirping frogs lured him into a deep sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Allie awoke to the sound of gear being moved around in the truck. Gunner was already up and whining faintly as he looked at her to let him out of the tent. She unzipped the flap and he squeezed out through the narrow opening as soon as it was big enough to get his head through.
As she opened it the rest of the way, she saw Ben had the back of the Blazer open and was sorting through gear. There were a few piles on the ground and the rooftop cargo box was open as well.
The pleasant aroma of fresh-brewed coffee was a welcome smell and made the prospect of getting up and out of the tent a little less painful. She lingered for a minute longer at the door of her tent, stretching and taking in the morning, not quite ready to get her shoes on and admit to herself that it was time to get moving.
The sun was barely up and the woods were just starting to come alive with the sound of birds singing in the distance.
Gunner came back around from wherever he had run off to and shoved a cold nose at her face. He leaned into her, half-wet from his morning foray through the tall dew-covered grass.
“Oh, Gunner! Good morning to you, too,” Allie complained with a smile.
She reluctantly pulled her shoes on and got to her feet. Ben’s tent was already packed up and she noticed the flap on Joel’s tent was pulled back. It was empty and had a rolled-up sleeping bag sitting inside. Her mom’s tent was the only one still zipped up, and Allie assumed she was still sleeping.
Allie headed over to the Blazer, where she could see the back half of Ben sticking out of the truck while he rearranged the gear. “Good morning.”
“Morning. How’d you sleep?” he asked.
“I must have slept pretty well. I don’t remember a thing.” She smiled.
“Me too. Joel’s down by the water, getting cleaned up. Your mom is still sleeping, but I think we should let her go for a while. She’s had a rough couple of days.” Ben handed a mug to Allie from the back of the truck.
“Okay. Oh, thanks. I could use some coffee.” Allie took the cup and headed over to the fire.
“There should be enough left. I’ve had a few cups already this morning.” Ben grinned.
“No problem. I’ll make more and get started on breakfast while I’m at it.”
Allie fought the urge to wake her mother up. It wasn’t that she didn’t want her to sleep, but she wanted to make sure she hadn’t dreamt yesterday. She still couldn’t believe that she had her mother back. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Of course, she knew she was never alone with Joel and Ben, but this was different. This was family. Ever since she found out about Pittsburgh, her emotions had been on a roller-coaster.
And she would be kidding herself if she didn’t admit that there was a point where she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it. She hadn’t felt sure if any of them were going to make it. But now there was reason to have hope for the future.
Maybe everything was going to work out. Maybe they would find Joel’s brother and sister and all get back to Colorado. As she drank her coffee, the warmth seemed to spill over into her mood. She felt like anything was possible today.
“Good morning!” Joel chirped.
“Oh, good morning!” She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed him approaching.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine. I’m not really awake yet.” She gave him a sleepy wink.
“I’ll give you a hand with breakfast.”
“Thanks. I was just getting ready to make some more coffee. I know my mom will want some,” she replied.
Gunner ran over to greet Joel and give him a good sniffing over.
“No swimming for you this morning! Nobody wants to smell wet dog all day in the truck.” Joel looked at Gunner as he rubbed his head.
“Yeah, especially now that things are a little tight in there,” Allie added.
“Hopefully my dad can move things around and make some room.” Joel walked over to the truck and inspected his dad’s work.
Allie joined him and started gathering what they would need for breakfast.
Ben had gotten nearly everything tucked into the rear of the truck. There was still a large duffel bag sitting on the ground filled with MREs and dehydrated food pouches.
“Where’s that going?” Joel asked.
“On the roof. It’s all sealed in plastic bags anyway.” He shrugged. “It opened up a lot of space and makes things easier to get to.”
/> Allie pulled out two large pouches marked as brown sugar and maple oatmeal from the duffel bag and threw them into the pot she was already holding.
“Wow, that does make a big difference!” She looked inside the truck.
“I’m trying to make a spot for Gunner in the back on the gear. That way you and your mom can have the back seat to yourselves.”
“Thanks. That’s great! Although I don’t think Gunner’s going to be too happy about that!” She raised an eyebrow.
Gunner heard his name and instantly appeared at the back of the truck, watching Ben. He let out a sharp bark, followed by a whine.
“Looks like somebody else is ready for breakfast, too!” Joel grabbed Gunner’s bowl from a nearby bush, where it hung from last night’s cleaning. He scooped a couple handfuls of dry food into it and put it on the ground.
Gunner gave it a few sniffs and dug in.
Allie heard a zipper, followed by her mother’s voice.
“Morning!” Sandy rubbed her eyes as she emerged from the tent. Gunner stopped eating and trotted over to Sandy, wagging his tail. He greeted her briefly with a couple soft growls and then quickly headed back to his bowl to finish eating.
“Is that coffee I smell?” she asked.
“Yes, it is. I’m getting ready to make more now, along with breakfast.” Allie handed her mother the still-steaming, half-full mug she was drinking. “Here. You can have this.”
“Thanks. You should have gotten me up sooner. I want to help out.” Sandy frowned.
“You can help Allie with breakfast if you want. I’ll go fill the waters while you guys do that,” Joel offered.
“Okay, great.” Sandy smiled and joined Allie by the fire.
Gunner finished eating and followed Joel down to the water. Allie and her mom got breakfast started while Ben put the finishing touches on the truck and secured the duffel bag to the rack.
Allie should have been content. It was a good morning—at least as good as they got these days. But something was bothering her. She was dreading the fact that they were going to pass by Pittsburgh today. The news they had heard about Pittsburgh was true; she could feel it in her gut. It had to be. They’d heard it from too many different sources.
