Fallout: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival series (Dark Road Book 4)

by Bruno Miller

  Joel had the AR set up on the hood of the truck and was throwing a stick for Gunner while Allie watched. They all paused and looked as Ben came around the bend in the loader. It had taken him more than 15 minutes to get there and he didn’t want to waste any more time. He headed right to the massive pile of cars and got to work.

  He started at the top of the pile and worked his way down, only moving the cars far enough to make a narrow path the loader could fit through. The extended forks made it easy to get under the cars and move them around, and the process was taking less time than he thought. In spite of his concerns, the loader seemed to be holding up okay. He began to think he would drive it across the bridge ahead of the kids, just in case they encountered any more blockages.

  “Hey, Dad. Lunch is ready. Over.”

  Ben barely heard the radio over the growl of the engine as he revved it up, trying to maximize the RPMs and provide ample power to the hydraulics that worked the front bucket. The loader didn’t have the power to lift more than one car at a time, which made clearing the roadblock a tedious job. There were only a few cars left, though, and he wanted to finish before he dared shut the loader down.

  “Go ahead and eat. I want to finish up here. Hey, listen, when you’re done, eating will you empty the spare fuel tanks into the truck? Over.”

  “Okay, no problem. Over.”

  That should buy them another hour of drive time in case they couldn’t find a suitable place to fill up right away.

  Ben put the radio down and got back to work. He was hungry, but the last few cars on the bottom of the pile were crushed badly. It was taking all of his concentration to get the cars untangled from one another and move them from the road.

  He finally got the last crumpled car balanced in the forks, and he drove through to the other side of the roadblock for the first time. Depositing the car to the side, he made a tight U-turn and drove back through the narrow clearing.

  If the loader could get through, they should have no problem in the Blazer.

  While he’d been moving the last few cars, he’d noticed the bridge was clear all the way to the other side. They wouldn’t need the loader after all, which was good news. He pulled off the road and onto the grass near the Blazer before he shut the loader down. Almost as an afterthought, he decided to take keys to the loader with him.

  You never know, he thought as he plucked them out of the ignition.

  If there were any more quarry people left, he didn’t want to leave them with the ability to set this trap up again. And then there was the very real possibility they’d be coming back this way and it might come in handy.

  He couldn’t see them staying in Maryland. Regardless of how much his ex fought him on it, he was going to insist they return to Colorado. He knew how to live off the land there, and he had a good setup at the house.

  But no point in worrying about that yet. He’d have to cross that bridge when he got there, and for right now, he just wanted to get across this one.

  He climbed down the steps from the cab and then jumped the last couple feet to the ground, causing his whole body to ache and making him realize how sore he was.

  Gunner trotted over and met him on his way to the Blazer. He gave the dog a pat on the head. Allie had a warm pouch of food and a fresh water bottle waiting for him on the tailgate of the truck.

  “We refilled some of the bottles from the river,” she said.

  “Good idea and thank you.” Ben sat down on the tailgate and took a moment before he started to eat.

  “No problem. Just trying to save us some time.” Allie shrugged as she headed back to the front of the truck, where Joel was.

  Ben took a breath. It felt good to sit still for a change. The shock absorbers under the loader seat were worn out, much like the loader itself. He’d felt every bump and jolt while he was moving the cars and he was glad to be finished. The vibrations from the diesel engine still lingered like a fading itch as he ate.

  Ben quickly finished the rehydrated macaroni and cheese and cleaned up using some of the filtered water. He hadn’t realized how filthy he was until he used a little soap to wash his hands and face. It would be nice if they could stay somewhere near a fairly clean water source tonight. After the day he had, he’d like to clean himself up the rest of the way.

  But water or no water, one thing was certain: wherever they stayed, they had to keep it simple and low key. He wasn’t taking any chances tonight, and the only thing he planned on doing, other than getting washed up a little more, was setting up his tent. He’d leave dinner up to the kids, if they made anything at all.

  But to set up camp anywhere else, they had to get some driving time in first, and getting away from here was something he was very keen to do.

  “Well, you guys ready?” Ben asked.

  “Yep,” Allie chirped.

  “Way ahead of you.” Joel was already packing up the AR. Allie and Gunner loaded into the truck while Joel stashed the gun in the back.

  “How about you drive for a while?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah, sure, no problem. We almost have a full tank since I added the fuel from the cans,” Joel answered.

  “Excellent! We can get a few solid hours of driving in before we have to stop, then,” Ben said.

  “Sounds good to me.” Allie nodded. “Let’s get out of here!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ben settled into his seat as Joel pulled out of their shady parking spot and onto the road. The pile of cars seemed so much taller now that he wasn’t sitting up high in the loader.

  The cars he hadn’t moved were still stacked three high on both sides of the narrow passage and blocked out the sun as they passed by. Puddles of fluids lay everywhere on the ground, and they looked like a mixture of gas, antifreeze, and motor oil.

  His doing, he knew. In his haste, he’d missed his aim with the long sharp forks on the loader and skewered more than a few of the cars as he moved them.

  “Slow down a little. I don’t want this stuff splashing all over the truck,” Ben said.

  “What is it?” Joel asked.

  “Mostly fuel. A lot of the cars were leaking.” Ben watched as they passed the last of the roadblock.

  Once out on the open bridge, Joel picked up speed and headed over the Mississippi River. The churning brown water moved swiftly below them. Ben watched the currents of the river as they swirled into miniature whirlpools and then faded away. He felt like he was in a trance and had to force himself to look up at the road.

  They had to stay alert through here. The bridge ended in what looked like a pretty congested area on the map. They would have to go through a section of the downtown area before they could pick up a route south and get back to I-70. This was exactly the kind of place they were trying to avoid.

  “When you get to the end of the bridge, take the first right onto 143. That follows the river south where it runs into 3. We want to take that back to I-70. It looks like the best way back to the interstate.”

  “No problem. I can handle it, if you want to sleep or rest in the back,” Joel offered.

  “I’m fine. I think we should still stop at the usual time today, even though we got a late start. There’s no reason to wear ourselves out and end up making a mistake.” Ben glanced out the window and enjoyed the breeze as it cooled him down.

  At the end of the bridge, there was a small marina and a few industrial buildings. All seemed calm and there was nobody in sight.

  A few minutes later, Joel made the right onto Route 143 and headed south along the river.

  At this point, burned-down buildings and houses were a common sight. The vandalized and busted-up storefronts all began to seem like a normal part of the landscape. And this town was no different from anything else they’d seen so far.

  Still, though, Ben was hoping that, closer to the middle of the country, they would find a few areas that hadn’t suffered the same fate as these other places—maybe a few small pockets of semi-normal society.

  S
o far, there was no evidence that anything close to normal remained. Everything they had seen had all been about the same. Of course, areas of little or no population looked okay at first glance, but the houses were dark and the streets all had that ghost-town feel to them. You knew there were people watching, but nobody showed themselves. The occasional curtain would move or door crack open to watch them pass.

  But for the most part, people seemed to be keeping to themselves. Based on their experience so far on this trip, that was probably for the best.

  Eight days had passed since the EMPs detonated, and without supplies, people everywhere would really start to suffer.

  The human body could go weeks without food if necessary, but water was another story. Within three to four days, the effects of dehydration would begin to set in. Not many people could last over a week without clean, drinkable water.

  And the majority of the population—like Allie’s dad—lived in urban areas, where they needed electricity to access water. Ben tried to push that thought from his mind.

  There had been no warning before the attacks, so there had been no time for anyone to stock up or prepare in any way. People would be left with what food and water they had on hand, and for the average household, it wouldn’t be enough to last very long. Ultimately, people would become desperate and attempt to drink water from any source they could find.

  That would only compound their dilemma in the long run. They might be okay for a day or two at the most, but eventually, gastrointestinal illness of some sort would set in. Their bodies would be depleted of even more fluids, leaving them in worse shape than before they’d drunk the tainted water.

  A myriad of diseases could be introduced to the human body through water-borne bacteria, and without medical care, they would be fatal.

  Ben couldn’t help but wonder if that would be the largest killer in all this. How many people were weak and helpless already? How many lives would E. coli or some other bacterial illness claim? Those quiet, dark houses they passed quite possibly held people with failing organs and dehydrated bodies hanging on by a thread.

  He could imagine them waiting for the mercy of death as the only means of release from their torment. There was no one coming to save them.

  What a wretched world they lived in now, where survival was a daily challenge.

  Joel steered the Blazer onto Route 3 and continued following the river south toward the interstate. The road hugged the contours of the winding river more closely now, and Ben soon found himself staring out the window as he caught glimpses of the muddy water through the trees.

  Once again, the churning water lulled him into a trance, and his thoughts drifted to Emma and Bradley. His lids felt heavy as he wondered how they were making out and how his ex was taking care of them. He hoped they were at their grandfather’s and safe from the horrors of all this.

  He tried to hang onto that thought as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Joel was glad to see his dad asleep. It had been a big day and he had gotten them out of yet another jam. Joel knew it had taken its toll on him, and he’d noticed the look of exhaustion on his father’s face back at the bridge.

  As usual, Joel wished he could have helped more, but at least he was able to drive, allowing his dad time to rest.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into any trouble and could get back onto the interstate soon. The road they were on was in decent shape, but lots of turns and blind corners made it tricky. Not knowing what was up ahead forced him to drive at a slower speed than what he wanted to.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror, wishing Allie was up front with him, but he wasn’t about to wake his dad up so they could switch places. With any luck, his dad would sleep until they had to stop for gas.

  Joel couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about pushing to go duck hunting last night. He wasn’t convinced it had caused their situation this morning, but he wasn’t sure it hadn’t, either.

  His dad said he thought they’d closed the bridge off behind them as soon as they’d crossed over it yesterday, so Joel wasn’t sure why he felt somewhat responsible, but he did.

  They were lucky they hadn’t been found last night while they were sleeping. Joel didn’t want to think about what those guys would have done to them.

  A road sign up ahead listed a few destinations and their distances in mileage. Ten more miles to go until they reached the interstate.

  Joel checked on Allie in the rearview mirror again. She was still quietly looking out the window. Occasionally she would divert her attention away from the passing landscape just long enough to appease Gunner with a few seconds of attention. She was clearly in deep thought, and Joel wasn’t sure if he should say anything or not.

  After a few more minutes, his desire to talk to her won out and he couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Are you okay?”

  A few seconds passed before Allie answered. “Yeah, I’m…um… I just can’t really believe this is all real sometimes. I mean, I know it’s real, but I guess I just don’t want to accept it. Do you know what I mean?” Allie brushed her hair out of her face as she looked up at the rearview mirror.

  Joel looked back at her. “I know exactly what you mean. I think I feel the same way.” He quickly turned around to focus on the road, contenting himself with watching her in the mirror.

  She let out a little sigh. “It’s like, just when I start to get to the point where I can accept what’s going on, something else happens. I had no idea there would be so many people out to get us. I mean, just a week ago I was at the movies with my friends, and we walked around downtown afterward and got some coffee at the Steaming Bean. That all seems so far away now, like a whole other lifetime. I’m afraid those are the memories that won’t seem real anymore. I don’t want to replace those times with this.” She looked out the window as they made their way around another multicar pileup on the road.

  It was as if Gunner could sense Allie’s frustration. He sat up in the seat next to her and began to lean in, pressing his head into her chest. She put her arm around him and scratched his head.

  “It’s okay, boy. It’s okay. Sorry about that,” she sighed.

  Joel understood her completely. “It’s okay. I know what you mean. I can’t stop thinking about all the things I’ll probably never get to do. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d give anything to go back to school in a couple months. Do you think we’ll ever go to school or anything like that again, or are we just supposed to be adults now?” He sped up as he came into a straight section of road.

  “I don’t know, but whatever happens, I know it’ll never be the same again,” Allie answered.

  They rode in silence for a few miles until Joel saw the exit sign for the interstate.

  “We made it back to the interstate. Thank God! I’m ready to get off this road.” Joel readjusted himself in his seat, sitting up a little straighter as he steered the Blazer around the long curve of the exit ramp onto I-70 east.

  The smoke cloud from St. Louis still hung heavy in the air. Taking this route back to the interstate was shorter but brought them close to where they had been the other day.

  Joel thought about the first bridge they’d tried to cross and the plane that had taken it out. The pungent burnt odor was just as bad as he remembered it being yesterday. The strong smell and thick air spoiled what little pleasure Joel had squeezed from getting back to the main road.

  At least they were heading away from the smoke this time.

  “We’ll be in Pittsburgh in no time.” Joel glanced back at Allie. He expected a smile, but Allie had a concerned look on her face instead. “Hey, you okay?”

  “Joel, I’m worried. Well, not so much worried, I guess, but scared.”

  “Of what?” he asked.

  “About what we’ll find in Pittsburgh. If we do find my dad, I don’t want to stay there. I want to stay with you guys. My dad can’t take care of us, and I don’t want to risk never seeing you again.”
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  Joel felt flush as the blood rushed to his face. He felt the same way she did but had been afraid to say anything before now. He was worried he would come off as being selfish. After all, she had already lost her mom. Who was he to keep her from being with her dad? But apparently, she felt the same way he did.

  “I don’t want you to stay in Pittsburgh, either,” Joel confessed.

  Allie smiled at him in the rearview mirror. Then the smile vanished and she shook her head. “I don’t want me or my dad to be a burden on you guys. It’s not fair to you or your dad. You need to get to your mom and brother and sister.”

  “We’ll figure something out.” The words came out of Joel’s mouth, but in reality, he had no idea how that was going to work. He repeated it again to convince himself more than anything. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The first thing Ben noticed when he woke up was how fast they were going.

  How long had he been asleep? They must have made it back to the interstate. He rubbed his head where it had been leaning against the metal of the doorframe. It hadn’t made a great pillow, and he thought he probably would have slept a little longer if it wasn’t for the hard steel vibrating against his skull.

  “Hey, you’re up,” Joel said.

  “Yeah. Where are we? How long have I been asleep?” he asked.

  Allie leaned forward. “You were out for a couple hours. We’re right about here.” She handed the map to Ben and showed him where they were.

  “We’re below half a tank also,” Joel added. “We better find a place to stop soon.”

  Ben nodded, still studying the map.

  Joel leaned over and pointed at the map. “Looks like a nice river there. Might be a good place to stop for the night.”

  “Kaskaskia River,” Ben read out loud. “Never heard of it, but it looks like it might have some possibilities. Could be another hour away with a fuel stop thrown in there.” He held his finger on one location of the map and his thumb on the other, trying to scale the distance based on what they had already traveled.