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

by Bruno Miller

  Still a little groggy from his nap, he rubbed his eyes and checked his watch. “That should be doable now that we’re back on the interstate. You good to keep going?”

  “Yep.”

  “All right.” After few more minutes, Ben was fully awake, and although his neck was a little sore from sleeping against the doorframe, he felt rested.

  He briefly considered the possibility of switching out with Joel after they got gas and then driving past their usual stopping time. But the more he thought it over, the less it seemed like a good idea.

  It just wasn’t wise to push it, especially in the dark. It would only take one mistake and a split-second of bad decision-making to end the whole trip.

  No, they would fill up the tanks and stop at the Kaskaskia River for the night. The two-hour nap had given him a boost of energy, but it wouldn’t last and they all needed a solid night’s sleep. They could get a proper start to the day tomorrow and, with any luck, end up just outside Pittsburgh by the end of the day if it went well.

  Ben was eager to reach his kids, but he had promised Allie to get her to her dad, so he tried to remain focused on that as the main goal for now. If they we fortunate enough to find her father, Ben imagined she would want to stay with him.

  It would be hard on Joel, but they had to press on to Maryland if they ever wanted to see Bradley and Emma again, not to mention Joel’s mom and grandfather.

  Even though Joel’s relationship with his mom had been strained lately, Ben was sure they would both be happy to see each other. It would be all right with Ben, on the other hand, if he never saw her again.

  But he tried to remind himself that, regardless of what he thought about Casey and her choices, she was still the children’s mother. There would be plenty of time to worry about that later, though. They were just about at the halfway point of their journey, and if the second half was anything like the first, they would have their work cut out for them.

  Pittsburgh alone would present enough of a challenge. Ben had already decided they would leave the Blazer outside the city and hike in.

  The vehicle would attract too much attention, and they wouldn’t have to risk damaging the truck in what he expected would resemble a war zone. The trek would take longer on foot, but he was convinced it was the way to go.

  If Pittsburgh was like most of the places they’d been through, they would have to make their way into the city building by building until they got to her dad’s. At this point, he was leaning toward a nighttime insertion.

  Although at night the city would be just as dangerous, if not more so, they stood a better chance at getting in and out unnoticed. Cover was important, because they all had to go. He needed Allie to direct him to her dad’s, and he was going to need Joel and Gunner to watch his back.

  He didn’t like the thought of leaving the Blazer alone, but they’d cover it up with the netting and some brush like before, and it should be fine. The well-being of the Blazer would be the least of his concerns once they were in the city.

  Then Ben had a troubling thought. What if they did find Allie’s dad and he was in bad shape? If he was as inept and helpless as Allie claimed, Ben couldn’t very well leave her or her dad there and have a clear conscience about it.

  Ben had grown fond of Allie and he could tell Joel was falling head over heels for her, to say the least. What kind of father would he be if he left her behind with grim prospects for survival? At this point, he might need Allie to stay with them for Joel’s sake, if not for all the other reasons why it was the right thing to do.

  He needed Joel as healthy and mentally fit as possible, and Ben was certain that having Allie along with them was a key part of his son’s well-being. They were good for each other, for that matter.

  Ben even had a hard time imagining the truck without her in it. He felt like they had bonded, and the more he got to know her, the more he saw in her that he liked.

  Like the way she’d interacted with the Jon’s little girl, Jessie, back in Kansas. Allie had just been kidnapped at gunpoint hours earlier, and there she was, selflessly trying to comfort a little girl she had just met.

  If Allie had decided to sit sullen in the back seat and not say a word the whole trip, he couldn’t have faulted her for what she’d been through so far. But she hadn’t and she wasn’t. She remained positive in spite of all the good reasons not to.

  Allie might also be a good persuader to get Emma to come back to Colorado with them if it came to that. He could imagine the two girls getting along really well. Allie could be a good role model and friend for Emma in a world that didn’t afford those luxuries anymore.

  Ben couldn’t imagine being in any of the kids’ shoes right now—having their whole lives in front of them, all their hopes and dreams for the future snuffed out by something beyond their control. Devastating.

  And Allie losing her mom at the start of it all and having to go through the first couple days completely alone? The girl had character in spades—that was for sure.

  Ben suddenly felt ashamed of himself for even considering parting ways with her in Pittsburgh. His mind was made up. Allie and her dad were coming with them.

  Five people and a dog would be tight in the Blazer. They would have to move some things around, but they could make it work.

  When they got to Maryland, they would have to figure out something else. They would need a bigger truck or maybe a small tow-behind camper. Pulling extra weight would be slow going, but the Blazer could tow a small camper with no trouble.

  Ben would have to think it through a while, but they’d come up with something by then. After all, there was strength in numbers, and even if Allie’s dad was clueless about survival, he sounded like a smart guy otherwise. They could teach him a few things as they went. And having an extra set of hands around couldn’t hurt.

  Of course, that also meant another mouth to feed. That was one part of this equation he couldn’t ignore. He and Joel were going to have to step up the hunting and fishing in order to sustain them. They were doing well so far with the supplies they’d brought, but he’d never expected them to last forever.

  The bag of dog food he’d found was a godsend and would keep Gunner fed for a couple weeks, at least.

  Joel tapped the dash. “I hope we find a place soon. We’re getting low.”

  Ben leaned over and looked at the gas gauge. “We’ll be all right. There’s gotta be a place soon.”

  Unfortunately, they couldn’t be picky about where they stopped this time. The spare cans were empty, and they would have to settle for the next gas station they came to, regardless of what it looked like.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ben felt guilty for sleeping now and realized they probably would have stopped before they got this low on gas if he had been awake. It wasn’t Joel’s fault; he most likely hadn’t wanted to wake Ben and was only trying to be considerate by letting him rest. But now they were in a bad position—one Ben had avoided until now.

  Allie rubbed Gunner’s side as he lay stretched out across the rear bench seat with his head in her lap. “Are we going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be fine. We can squeeze in another 30 miles with what we have left in the tank.” Ben tried to sound confident, but in truth he was a little concerned. He wasn’t so much worried about being able to find a place to gas-up; he was sure they’d see a gas station soon. His real concern was where they stopped.

  They drove on in silence for a few minutes as everyone seemed to focus on the search for a place to fuel up. Even Gunner seemed to join in as he sat upright next to Allie.

  “There!” Joel pointed to a road with a gas station symbol on it. “Two and a half miles to gas, next exit.”

  “Good. See, we’re fine.” Ben looked at Gunner, who had transformed from passed out and snoring on Allie’s lap to sitting upright and panting loudly. “That dog always knows when something’s going on, I swear.” Ben shook his head and turned around.

  Allie nodded in agreement. �
�He does seem to have a sixth sense, doesn’t he?”

  Joel snorted. “He’s too smart for his own good.”

  The mood seemed lighter in the truck as they drove. Maybe it was the fact they had found a place to fill up, or maybe it was the promise of a chance to stretch their legs.

  Either way, the lightness was a welcome change from the dreary funk that seemed to follow them from Missouri.

  Joel took the next exit and steered around a burned-out bread truck blocking the exit lane. They had to go off the shoulder and around through the grass. Joel made the maneuver a little too fast and Gunner slid across the seat, pinning Allie to the side of the truck.

  “Slow it down there, Speed Racer.” She laughed.

  “Sorry. I didn’t think the shoulder went down that far.” Joel shrugged apologetically and wrangled the truck back onto the asphalt.

  Ben shook his head and gave Joel a look.

  “What? I’m sorry.” Joel smiled.

  They regained their composure and got off the exit as the road opened up into a small retail area with several gas stations and chain restaurants lining both sides of the road.

  “Well, it looks like we have lots of choices,” Joel said.

  “Let’s go to the one farthest down on the left.” Ben pointed at a small convenience store at the far end of the developed area.

  It was a good quarter mile off the interstate and looked like the best choice. They could keep an eye on most of the other buildings at the exit as well as on the interstate. Ben normally would have insisted in pushing on to a less developed area to get gas, but they didn’t have that option right now.

  They all stared as Joel drove them past the burned-out shells of buildings and trashed stores. The signs out front were the only indications of what the stores once sold.

  It was an odd sight to see the well-manicured landscaping around the entrances that led to large piles of charred rubble.

  The remaining buildings showed the usual scars left by looters and thieves. Bits of trash and rubble were randomly scattered around the empty parking lots. Some lighter pieces of trash fluttered across the street in front of them on a warm gust of wind.

  The place looked like it belonged in a late-night horror flick.

  Joel pulled into the last gas station at the end of the street and did the required loop around the building. Without too much trouble, they found the underground tank access lids near the front of the lot and quickly got set up to pump fuel.

  Allie insisted on doing her part and taking a turn at the pump. Joel helped her get the hose and pump set up, and they started filling the truck first.

  Meanwhile, Gunner made his usual investigation of the surrounding area, marking a few spots as he went.

  The kids had things under control, so Ben headed around to the front of the truck. He laid the AR across the hood and leaned against the bumper. As he drank from his water bottle, he sized up an old motel across the street.

  He wondered about the possibilities of spending the night in a motel at some point. There wouldn’t be any supplies left in a place like that now and no reason for people to hang around. If they found the right place, maybe, but not this one. They needed someplace more remote. If they could park the truck out back or under some type of cover, it might work. It sure would be nice to sleep in a bed again.

  He wasn’t the young man he once was, and the sleeping bag and bedroll combo wasn’t as comfortable as he remembered, at least not this many nights in a row. Sleeping on the ground every night and driving all day was beginning to take its toll on his back.

  He never seemed to get enough rest, and no matter how tired he felt, he couldn’t seem to sleep through the night. He wondered how the kids were doing but figured they probably wouldn’t mind a real bed for a change, either.

  Originally, Ben was going to let Joel finish the day out driving, but after that last little stunt he pulled back at the exit, Ben was having second thoughts. He was sure Joel hadn’t done it on purpose, and that’s what scared Ben the most.

  They couldn’t afford to get sidetracked with an accident out here in the middle of nowhere. They might not recover from a mistake like that. Then again, he couldn’t be too hard on the boy. It had been a long day for all of them.

  Ben reconsidered and decided to let Joel finish the driving for the day. He didn’t want to risk embarrassing him in front of Allie by taking that responsibility away. And if he knew his son, Joel would be mindful of his driving from here forward out of the sheer desire to prove himself.

  Ben could hear the kids talking as they switched from filling the truck’s gas tank to filling the spare fuel cans. He walked around to the side of the Blazer where he could see them. Joel muscled the full jerry cans up onto the rear cargo rack and strapped them down. Meanwhile, Allie continued to turn the pump handle.

  “Are you up to driving the rest of the way tonight?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah, sure. What is it? Like another half an hour or so?” Joel rejoined Allie to help finish filling the truck.

  “Probably not even that long. We’re really close. I could use the time to study the map for tomorrow,” Ben added.

  “You both know I can drive, right?” Allie joked.

  Ben looked at her and started nodding his head. “All right then. Maybe tomorrow. Let’s see how the day goes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Once the truck was filled with fuel, Joel and Allie stowed the hose and pump and they all loaded up in the Blazer.

  Ben stowed the AR in what had become its normal spot, between the passenger seat and the center console. The soft case that held the AR-15 remained in place and was loose enough to allow the short black rifle to easily slide in and out, more like a sheath or a holster. It was actually working out pretty well in that spot and made the gun available in a hurry, if need be.

  Everything was starting to find a home in the truck through trial and error. They had been on the road for eight days now and it was beginning to feel like home.

  Ben had always been a stickler for organization, and the four of them living out of the Blazer was no excuse to deviate from that practice.

  He was particularly impressed that Allie had organized a small area in the back. She had brought a book to read and what looked like a small, well-used leather-bound journal.

  She’d wedged them, along with her box of ammo and a few other personal items, between the seat and part of the wheel well. She had also constructed a spot for the sawed-off shotgun out of a rolled-up towel. The barrel pointed down and the pistol grip stuck up for easy retrieval from her side of the seat behind Joel.

  The floor in front of Gunner was piled up level with the top of the rear bench seat on his side. It was mostly dehydrated food they hadn’t even touched yet. Gunner had settled into his new seating assignment and had given up his attempts to occupy the front passenger seat.

  Ben thought that had more to do with getting to sit with Allie than Gunner’s good behavior. With the amount of attention Allie gave that dog, it was no wonder. Ben didn’t mind, though. As far as he was concerned, Gunner could do anything he wanted. After all, he had most likely saved the kids’ lives back in Kansas. And Ben had no doubt that Gunner would fight to his dying breath for that girl at this point.

  They would definitely have to move some things around if they added another person. Of course, that was going to be the case sooner or later, regardless of Allie’s dad joining them. They’d have to put some stuff on the roof. At least they had the other side of the roof rack open.

  Ben now wished he hadn’t talked Joel out of getting an old Suburban when he first started looking at trucks. That was originally what Joel had his heart set on, but Ben had convinced him otherwise.

  He’d told Joel he thought it would be too big and long on the four-wheel-drive trails around Durango and that a shorter wheelbase Blazer was the way to go. Also, more importantly, he would need a second job to keep gas in a suburban.

  That was one big advantage of t
he Blazer. Compared to a larger truck, the Blazer got decent mileage out of a tank, better than what Ben’s conservative estimate had been. The whole routine of pumping fuel had become familiar at this point, and they had it down to a fairly efficient process.

  The interstate remained littered with the occasional accident or abandoned vehicle to avoid, but they made good time and soon saw a sign for Vandalia, Illinois. According to the map, the Kaskaskia River was just beyond the town. The sign also listed Effingham, Terra Haute, and Indianapolis. Indianapolis was the farthest distance at 173 miles.

  “If we get a good start tomorrow, we should be in Ohio by lunchtime or sooner,” Ben said.

  Of course, that depended on how long it took them to get around Indianapolis. Ben planned on giving the city a wide berth tomorrow. As tempting as it was to remain on the interstate, he knew better. They would stay on I-70 until just before Indianapolis, where they would head north, eventually picking up Route 30.

  If they followed 30, it would more or less take them straight into Pittsburgh and allow them to miss a couple big cities in the process. Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, were the two big ones he wanted to steer clear of. After what they’d seen and heard, there was no second-guessing the decision to go around those areas. They had to make their way north eventually to get to Pittsburgh, so they might as well make it work to their advantage.

  No point in bouncing back and forth between roads. They could get back on the interstate after Pittsburgh.

  Ben knew if things went well they could get to the kids in Maryland within two or three days’ time if they pushed it. For the first time since they started, he truly felt like they were making progress, and he was encouraged for a change.

  “Here we are.” Joel leaned forward in his seat and looked over the steering wheel at the empty shops that lined the streets. He slowed down a little as they passed through what was left of the town.