by Cal, Sarah
“Merry, look for signs for nearby places and pick one to investigate,” she told her sister. “We can’t keep driving around, we need to find some place we can stay down, even just for a while.”
“Got it,” was Merry’s reply.
They drove for maybe a couple hours before Merry chose a town, and Emma veered left half a mile away to head for it. It was risky, and she hadn’t talked to anyone of her plans. But she knew they were all tired, and looking for someone to be the leader of their little ragtag group so they at least had a stop to make. Emma didn’t want to be it, but she was growing tired of waiting for someone else to take the responsibility. The other cars followed her lead without a honk of protest.
They drove through the town, but found that half of it had gone up in flames. Emma wasn’t even sure whether to be surprised or not, though she was mostly horrified at the state the town was in.
Emma looked at the world around her and thought of the news stories she used to see of wartime. She wasn’t sure if there was a war, so much as plenty of internal fighting for resources, but what she saw was so similar. If this town was in this state, just what would they meet the further they moved, because Emma was starting to lose hope for the future, not that she hadn’t lost plenty of it already.
She resigned to the idea of ever finding a new home and carried on driving halfheartedly.
Chapter Three:
A bump in the road had Emma jumping awake.
She looked around wildly for a moment, wondering what was going on, and it took her a moment to make the leap. She sighed as she leaned back in her seat, hand pressed against her heart, beating it to beat slower.
They were still in a car, driving to who knew where, and she wasn’t entirely sure how long they had been on the road now. They had run away from their problems already, but they’d dragged themselves into something new.
What the hell were they supposed to do if they were stuck driving all over the place? How did they even begin to look for a place to settle down?
Frankly, Emma was willing to settle for the group ending up with an area completely covered by trees where they wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone and they stayed there. If it kept them safe from other people, and no dangerous, wild animals were involved—and if they were lucky to have something edible and drinkable water nearby, then all the better.
But Emma doubted that was something in anyone else’s minds. It was a pipe dream, either way, not something she thought could actually happen. They just couldn’t be that lucky.
But that still leaves where we’re heading to.
She didn’t think anyone else had an idea. They’d stopped to sleep, even got to eat together twice, before they went to sleep and when they woke up, yet all people did was make groups and stick to them. She’d forgotten all about talking to everybody, even though she was also holding back from trying to act like she was the leader of their little ragtag group. She wasn’t interested, and having people’s lives in her hands had almost gone so wrong too recently. She was in no hurry to start playing group leader again.
How long had it been since they woke up and left their camp, anyway? She was surprised to find it was still fairly light outside. She probably hadn't been asleep for long, though the ay her body felt, she could stand to sleep a little more.
Only, she couldn’t. They had to share responsibilities. She stretched out the kinks in her back, even though it didn’t entirely help, and slapped her cheeks lightly to get her mind to wake up.
She remembered they had switched seats in the middle so Emma could sleep. She glanced to the side and saw Barbara in the driver’s seat. She was just settling back into her seat, when a curse came from Barbara, alerting her.
“What’s wrong?”
She waited, breath held and her heart beating faster with renewed anxiety. Barbara sent her a grim look.
“We’ve got a flat tire.”
Dammit.
Of all the things that could have happened, Emma hadn’t even thought about that. Their biggest worry was fuel, but she was pretty sure they didn’t have any spare tires. If they’d even thought to bring any, there wouldn’t have been enough space with all the people and the food they were already carrying.
Where the hell were they, even? She didn’t want to get stranded out here.
“We can't keep driving for long,” Barbara continued. “We’re going to have to make a stop somewhere. Hopefully there’s a town nearby.”
“It’s that bad,” Emma said quietly.”
“Yeah.” Then she cursed again, her voice coming out in a quiet hiss that Emma didn’t even hear the words, but she did read the tone. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying enough attention to the road, I didn’t even see the hole before I drove right over it.”
Emma sighed. “It’s fine,” she reassured the other woman. “It could have been anyone else in your place, and the same thing might have happened. Don’t feel so bad about it.”
She was probably zoned out while on the road. It didn’t exactly take a lot of attention to drive when there weren’t other cars around besides theirs to focus on, and currency, all the other cars were behind them since she’d taken the lead earlier. Emma had insisted on sticking to the front while Merry moved back so she could get another turn at the wheel.
But it was a serious stroke of bad luck when things had been going so well before. Where could they possibly get a spare tire out in the middle of nowhere? Did they even have the tools, or someone in their group skilled enough to do the job?
Emma groaned quietly and slumped low in her seat. Of all things to happen, this was among the worst. It basically ruined the flow of the whole team, and Emma knew the rest weren’t going to be happy when they heard it.
“How bad is it?”
Barbara shrugged. “Bad, I guess. Can't you feel it? The car isn’t moving right.”
Emma frowned and tried to pay attention. She got what Barbara meant almost immediately. Her hands were steady on the car, and the road was straight, but Emma could feel the car wasn’t moving as smoothly as before. It wobbled a little, and while it wasn’t all that bad, yet...
“It would be bad if we keep driving on a flat. I could lose control of the wheel and we’d end up crashing, worst case scenario, it would be on one of the other cars.”
“Yeah,” Emma muttered.
That would be even worse. They didn’t need the other cars in even worse condition. She leaned around her seat and tried to look over at the other cars and gauge whether or not they had received damage. They were following close, so it was possible they’d missed the hole as well. But it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong. As far as she could tell, their cars didn’t move like they had a flat tire.
“We can't stop out in the middle of nowhere,” Emma decided. “How far do you think you can push the car? We need to at least find a town to stop at. Maybe we might even get some help there.”
Barbara shot her a look. “I didn’t know about receiving help, but that’s probably the best idea for us right now. It’ll only be for some minutes, though.”
She sighed, and Emma could see she was worrying and trying to hide it.
Understandable. She was probably still berating herself. Emma could have told her not to waste the energy, but she probably needed to so she can get over it. They had bigger things to focus on.
Her own mind was wracking with thoughts and decisions, wondering what she could do. Because she could just imagine the fight that might break out once news got out. There was no way to avoid that, but they needed to have this taken care of quickly and get back on the road.
If we even can, she thought grimly to herself.
Barbara alerted the others to the new problem by honking the horn three times, waiting for a few seconds, and repeating. When an answering honk came from behind them, she waved her hand outside the window.
But they couldn’t just pull up on the side of the road for something like this. Emma would have preferred they got further, but
there wasn’t really much choice. There was only so far they could get with a flat tire, and if they didn’t find a town to stop at soon, they might have to squeeze in the other vehicles. The only problem was that, she didn’t think there was even room. All the cars were at least as squeezed as theirs, and they’d have to let go of needed supplies to squeeze into the other cars.
Luckily for them, a sign came up ahead, and maybe twenty minutes later. Emma could hear the sigh of relief that came from Barbara, who was probably having a hard time keeping the car steady now, with her hands tensed around the wheel. Deviated from the main road to head towards the town, the other cars following behind them.
The whole group was forced to pull up outside a town estate to try and figure out what to do.
“What’s going on?” one of the guys from the other cars asked as they all gathered on the road. “Why did we stop here? It’s not dark yet.”
He was from the last car, so he probably hadn't noticed the problem their car suddenly had. Emma exchanged a look with Barbara as the rest of their party came out of their car. Merry came to stand by Emma, Chase not far off behind, and Carol moved close to her sister.
It was like they could tell something was wrong, even though the guys in the back had someone how
“Our car got a flat tire,” Barbara said bluntly.
Emma winced, but really, there was no way to say tactfully that they’d royally screwed up, after all. Barbara just stated the fact, but Emma wished she could have put it a little more gently.
“A flat?” Carol said, frowning and turning to the car. She went around until she stopped at the wheel with the problem, her face grim. She sighed and returned to her sister’s side without a word, and Emma knew it was bad.
She could see the dissatisfaction spread out in the members of their group, like she had expected.
“What do you mean a flat!” someone shouted from behind the group of people. “Don’t you people see where you’re driving?”
“Yeah!” Another added. “Pay attention to the road when you drive.”
More murmurs spread I the group, and Emma narrowed her eyes, trying to see the ones that started the whole thing. But since pretty much the whole crowd was following them, it wasn’t really possible.
“Bastards,” she muttered, clenching her fists at her sides. “They weren’t even there, how dare they talk smack.”
But Emma couldn’t speak loud enough for them to hear her, because she did understand their anger. If she had been in another car, or one of the other cars got a flat, she wouldn’t have reacted well. But these people were all but ready to lynch Barbara, and Emma wouldn’t stand for that.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Merry asked from her spot beside Emma, the question most of them had on her minds.
Emma could only sigh. She didn’t think they could squeeze in the other vehicles, people and supplies and all. They’d have to sacrifice something, but she doubted anyone in their group would be up for leaving food just because they couldn’t fit it all, especially considering just how much food they’d have to displace.
“I don’t know, honestly,” Emma admitted. “It’s not exactly an easy situation. There are a lot of people in our car, and some supplies. Even if we just move people and food around to the other vehicles, they’d have to lose some stuff, and I don’t just mean the supplies. Even if everyone was somehow okay with sleeping on the ground, there is still the one issue; food. No one would be willing to give up any of it.”
Merry looked at her in disbelief. “So we’re stuck here?”
“Not necessarily,” Emma said slowly. “There are plenty of things we can do.”
But she tightened her lips, knowing most of them were still not all that great. Most of them, the rest of the group wouldn’t even agree to, and since they were trying to get along with each other for all their sakes, they had to pick something that wouldn’t have the others ready to revolt.
She glanced around the group and winced, thinking it would be impossible. Everyone that had been in her car was acting defensive, arms folded over chests, hard looks aimed at the protesting crowd. Carol stood between her sister and the crowd. The rest of the group kept sending glares and scowls their way, as if it was their fault somehow there had been a hole in the middle of the road.
“It was the driver’s fault wasn’t it?” someone spoke up. “The rest of us can just go without them. We’re squeezed enough as it is, if it’s just one less person it should be fine, right?”
Emma narrowed her eyes on the woman that spoke up, Barbara and Carol at her side both sending glares the woman’s way. It was so easy to assign blame, Emma wondered how she would react if they all decided she should be the one left behind for the careless comment.
“No one should get left behind,” she argued, stepping in front of Barbara, because that was the last straw. We are not doing that.”
Emma hated making commands, like just because she did them they had to be followed. She knew that wasn’t the case, but there was no way she could let something like this slide. They were seriously talking about leaving someone alone who knew where, and with what kind of people.
It was inhumane, and that anyone with them would even suggest it had her seeing red.
“But then whose fault is it then, huh?” someone else shouted.
Then the woman joined in again. “Yeah! Who was driving when you got the flat? They need to pay for being careless somehow! There are a lot of us here, after all.”
“I realize that,” Emma said between gritted teeth, before making her voice louder. “But it doesn’t matter who was driving when it happened. The fact is, that we have a flat tire and we can't keep moving on immediately. It makes me as uneasy as the rest of you, but this is not the answer.”
The murmurs of dissent didn’t die, but then Emma wasn’t expecting it would be that easy. She wasn’t backing down, though. She was in debt to the both of Barbara and Carol, like hell she would let them get left behind over a mistake, because Emma knew Carol would chose to stay with her younger sister.
“We’ve gotten this far already. Losing the tire was an accident, no one could have predicted it would happen. We can’t blame anyone for this.”
She didn’t mention that it could have happened to any car that had taken the lead instead of theirs, they were all probably thinking the same thing and being grateful they weren’t the ones with the problem. But she could also tell the others were considering leaving someone behind, and it made her a little mad. She could feel Chase come up behind her, probably sensing her mood, but she was glad he didn’t try and pull her back.
“Look, there’s no way we can leave someone behind over something this stupid, and if we squeeze in the other cars, we’ll have to let go of some food. So why doesn’t everyone split up and go into the nearby houses to see if anyone can spare a new tire? Chances are they won’t need them if they have one around, anyway, so it should be fine, right?”
No one said something immediately, and she intensified her glare on the people that looked the most hesitant. She thought she would have to say more to get them to agree when they reluctantly agreed, with several people, including Merry, left to guard the cars.
Merry caught her arm before she could walk off, and she paused, curios what her sister wanted with her. Merry looked worried, and like she was trying not to let it show.
“Be careful, all right?”
Emma nodded, letting go of her annoyance long enough to give Merry a reassuring smile and a pat on the arm. She went with Chase and they knocked at houses, without much luck for the first few tries.
She saw a house with a flower bed and was drawn to it, reminded of Janice and her love of gardening. Thinking of her grandmother brought tears to her eyes. She’d mourned, but it was hardly enough for her, since she hadn’t gotten her revenge on the people behind the attack that killed her grandmother. And now, she never would.
After a short moment to collect herself, Emma knocked. Someone answere
d the door not long after, holding a knife. She was surprised at first, taken aback at the reception, but then, it was expected. The world was dangerous now.
“Look, I’m not here to harm you,” she said, quickly establishing that she’s not a threat, holding her hands up and palms out. “I just need some help and I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
The person at the door still looked suspicious, but at least Emma didn’t think they would stab her without reason. She held still and didn’t shift her gaze, waiting for the other to speak.
“I don’t want to help strangers,” was the first thing they said, and it diminished her hopes. “They can help themselves. Now please go away.”
But Emma couldn’t leave just like that. The answer was to be expected, too, but they needed the tire, and these people probably wouldn’t. If they came across a car around here, chances were pretty high it wasn’t one that could work, unless they just hadn’t realized that there were cars that could still be used.
She stopped them from closing the door, pushing back with a hand, still holding the other one up when they were suddenly on guard again.
“Look,” she quickly explained, “my friends and I are going through the area and one of our cars got a flat tire, we bumped into something on the road. We just need a spare wheel and we’ll be gone.”
She waited anxiously, noting the slight interest in those eyes, before they darkened.
“What can you give in return?”
Emma opened her mouth, but it was more to curse than give any actual answer, but she held herself back last moment. Not that she thought they would be getting any help now. They couldn’t give up any of their supplies, and she could imagine, from their position, that a lot would be asked of them for the sake of a spare wheel, supplies they couldn’t afford to lose. Neither could she just agree without speaking to the others, and mentioning just how much they had with them was probably just asking to be attacked anyway.
When she couldn’t answer, they closed the door in her face.
