Surviving Rage | Book 1

by Arellano, J. D.

  The three of them replied in the affirmative, each with a seriousness in their voice that indicated they understood the gravity of the situation.

  ‘Good,’ he thought, looking at the road as the hill curved to the right.

  At the top of the hill, he followed the street along until he came to the intersection with the street that led to the grocery store to the south, or to the freeway entrance to the north. There was a three car pileup to their left, where a white Lexus SUV had tried to turn onto the street they were and had been slammed into by a dark blue Honda Minivan. A third vehicle, a big silver Ford truck, had been unable to stop in time and collided with the Minivan, pushing it further into the center of the of the intersection, tipping the SUV on its side. A man and woman were still in the SUV, though they were clearly dead, their eyes open and staring. It seemed a safe assumption that the minivan’s driver was dead as well. The front end of the van had been pushed back so far into the cabin of the car that only arms were visible in the wreckage. There were no other bodies visible in the van, and the truck’s driver was nowhere in sight.

  The Alvarado family was silent as Daniel slowly swung the Jeep wide, curving around the wreck before heading down the hill towards the freeway on-ramp. Looking ahead, they saw a handful of cars on the road ahead, but thankfully each of them had pulled over on the right side. Remaining in the left lane, Daniel accelerated down the hill, slowing only when it was time to make the sharp right turn onto the ramp. He slowed hard, aware of the extra weight on top of the Jeep, and unsure of what would be present on the other side of the blind turn. With fortune on their side, the ramp was empty, and he was able to drive smoothly up the ramp and onto the freeway.

  The 52 East freeway was slightly crowded by the presence of stopped and wrecked vehicles, much like the 5 South was the day prior, but again he was able to make his way through the wreckage, weaving in and out of the damaged and abandoned cars. At one point, the wreckage blocked nearly the entire freeway, but he simply drove the Jeep onto the median, driving over the dirt and dried grass until they were past the obstacle.

  When they got to the 15 North, they found the road much more difficult to traverse. The I-15 freeway was a massive sprawl of concrete, reaching as wide as eleven lanes where it merged with the 163 freeway, but it was typically an extremely fast moving interstate. On many occasions Daniel had been passed on the 15, the other car or truck rocketing by, making Daniel feel like he was driving too slow, only to realize he was driving well over 85 miles per hour.

  Looking at the freeway ahead, it was clear that people had been determined to drive similar speeds, only to end up ramming into other vehicles. The carpool lane looked like a complete parking lot, with cars stopped, bumper to bumper in the isolated traveling lanes.

  Even with the severely congested roads, they were able to make their way north, maneuvering slowly through the mess at 10-15 miles per hour, using either shoulder when necessary. In multiple places, Daniel had to take the Jeep all the way off of the freeway, using the dirt embankment alongside the freeway to get around large wrecks or still smoldering vehicle fires. It was slow going and stressful, but they kept going, making progress, their goal in mind.

  Reaching the outskirts of the city, just north of Escondido, Daniel looked at his watch. It was nearly noon, which meant they’d been on the road for almost five hours. Looking back towards the kids, he saw that they were staring out the windows in awe of the apocalyptic atmosphere. Ursula sat on Paul’s lap, sleeping, while the other two cats were out of sight, likely down on the floorboards, hiding.

  Realizing the family needed a break, he began looking for a spot to pull off the road. “Hey, honey….”

  Serafina looked up from her phone’s map, “Yeah?”

  I’m thinking we need a break, maybe grab a quick bite of something? People probably need to go to the bathroom, too.”

  Serafina nodded. “Great idea. I know I could go.”

  “Do we have food easily accessible?”

  “Definitely. The cooler towards the back has a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that the girls made, plus tea eggs. I boiled the full 18 pack that we had. There’s other stuff, too.”

  “Damn, that’s making me hungry.”

  Serafina laughed softly, looking ahead while he drove, helping him look for a spot to pull over. After a few minutes, she tapped his arm and pointed at a sign. “Look.”

  Turning his head to see what she was pointing at, he saw a green highway sign that read:

  PARK AND RIDE

  Next Exit

  “Perfect. Great job, honey.”

  “Thanks.” She turned towards the back seat. “Girls, Paul, we’re going to pull over up ahead so that we can eat and go to the bathroom.”

  “Okay.” Brenna replied, smiling with a brave face.

  “Sounds good.” Paul said, nodding. “I’m really hungry.”

  Ashley looked skeptical. “Are there bathrooms?”

  “No, probably not, but if you have to go, I’m sure we can find a tree or something to hide behind while you do your business.”

  “Gross.”

  Serafina took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. It was the damn end of the world and this girl was worried about peeing comfortably. “I know, but it’s the best we can do right now.” Turning forward in her seat she looked out of the corner of her eye at Daniel, who kept his focus on the road ahead.

  Pulling off the freeway, they had to use the dirt next to the pavement exclusively to avoid a dormant big rig which had turned over, blocking the road. Dust flew up behind them, worrying Daniel a bit.

  While the Jeep could certainly handle the off-road stuff, he didn’t like making or leaving things that would make it easy for people to find them. Finally, though, they were able to reach the top of the off-ramp and turn towards the Park and Ride.

  The parking lot was surprisingly full, with close to twenty-five cars and trucks in the lot. Finding a spot between two empty vehicles, Daniel slowed, stopped, and backed into the space. With the vehicle parked in such a way, they’d be able to get what they needed from the back while remaining out of sight from the road. He hoped that if anyone passing by looked, they’d simply think theirs was another vehicle that had been parked there in favor of a ride in a vanpool.

  “Alright.” Turning off the engine, he slumped in his seat for a minute. The drive so far had been stressful, and he valued the break.

  “Doing OK?” Serafina asked.

  “Yeah, but let’s try to do this and be back on the road in 30 minutes, okay everyone?

  The family agreed, and they got out of the car. Daniel and Serafina headed to the back of the vehicle to get to the food and water. The teenagers carried the cats, with their leashes reattached to the harnesses, over to a spot under a nearby tree, then put them down.

  Serafina pulled out five sandwiches, five tea eggs, and a box of crackers, while Daniel grabbed five water bottles from the large pack. He hated the space that the 36 pack of bottles took, but the plan was to keep the bottles and refill them when possible.

  Thirty-five minutes after pulling off the freeway, the Jeep re-entered the interstate, once again heading north. As they descended into a valley, Daniel saw smoke billowing up from the large retirement community on the east side of the freeway.

  Lifting a pair of binoculars up to her eyes, Serafina studied the housing area as they drove. “Jesus Christ,” she said, taking the binoculars from her eyes and letting them hang from the lanyard around her neck.

  “What is it?”

  “There are three fire trucks down there. Two are wrecked. The other one is just sitting there. I didn’t see any firemen responding to the fire….” She shook her head, looking at her lap.

  “That’s terrible.” Daniel reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. Serafina held his hand in hers for a minute before letting go, knowing that he needed both hands to maneuver through the wreckage on the road.

  They continued for ano
ther three hours, covering only 40 miles in the process, before they saw any sign of life. As they crested the hill before heading down through Temecula, they saw vehicles with flashing lights about two miles ahead, near the immigration checkpoint. Daniel slowed, then pulled over to the side, parking behind a big rig.

  “What’s up?” Serafina asked, looking at him.

  Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know. It just seems weird. We haven’t seen any law enforcement in the city at all - no police, no sheriff, no CHP. But now there are Customs and Immigration agents up there, plain as day? It just doesn’t feel right.”

  Serafina nodded. “When you put it like that, it does seem weird.” She looked ahead, but the big rig was blocking their view. “So what are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I take the big bino’s and climb up on top of this big rig to take a look ahead. I won’t be able to see the people at the checkpoint clearly, but I’ll make sure it’s clear for me to get closer, and then I’ll be able to.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s go.” She reached to open her door.

  Daniel grabbed her left arm, causing her to pause. “Hold on. Why don’t you stay here? I can handle it.”

  Serafina shook her head. “Nope. Not this time.” She reached up and quickly pulled her hand back, tying it in a bun. “We’re in this together, remember?”

  Daniel chewed his lip, weighing the pros and cons. He would prefer to have someone hand back with the kids, but Serafina had a sharp eye and good instincts. With his gut telling him something wasn’t quite right with the situation, he definitely could use her help. Finally, he nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” He looked towards the backseat, reaching out and handing Ashley the keys to the Jeep. “Stay put. Lock the doors once we’re gone. Watch ahead and watch the mirrors. Be ready to hide if anyone shows up.”

  Ashley leaned forward, concern on her young face. “Are you sure about this, Dad? I can come with you.”

  “I’m sure. I need you here, keeping an eye out for trouble.” He looked at the other two teenagers. “You three are a team. Watch out for trouble. We’ll be back in just a bit.” With that, he opened the door as little as possible and slid out, walking around the back of the vehicle to join Serafina on the shoulder of the road.

  “Alright, let me get up on top of this thing and take a look.”

  “How are you gonna do that?” She asked, looking at the back of the rig skeptically. There were no hand holds or rails to use for climbing.

  Daniel grinned. “Very carefully.”

  “Smart ass.”

  He turned and walked to the back of the rig, where he climbed up onto the bumper. Balancing on the back of the rig, he bent his legs as much as he could without hitting the doors on the truck, which wasn’t much, then jumped straight up, successfully grabbing the top of the vehicle. From there, he did a pull up, bringing his body up vertically until his chest was above the edge. Leaning forward, he laid his torso on top of the truck’s storage container and pulled his legs up. He crawled to the side of the trailer and looked down at Serafina, proud of his work.

  His gaze was met with indifference. “Forget something?” Serafina held up the binoculars.

  “Son of a bitch.” He shook his head, feeling embarrassed. “Okay, here, toss them up to me.”

  “Nah, don’t want to risk breaking them. Hold on.” She went to the back of the Jeep and opened the gate. Reaching inside, she withdrew the spare rope they had brought. It wasn’t much, only about 12 feet, but it was more than enough for their purpose. She tossed the bundled rope up to Daniel, then he held one end and lowered the rest. Serafina tied the rope to the strap for the binoculars, and Daniel pulled it up. He left the rope tied to it so that he could lower them when he was finished, then crawled to the front of the trailer.

  Looking ahead, he saw nothing but empty cars and trucks along the road. Most were pulled to the right or left shoulder, leaving a path down the middle of the freeway, which looked promising.

  Too promising.

  ‘Something’s not right.’ He thought to himself, continuing to look for signs of movement while evaluating the situation. Up ahead, there was an exit from the freeway, about a mile before the checkpoint. The exit was fully blocked by another 18-wheeler. Panning to the left, he saw that the turn around on the center divide, intended for use only by law enforcement, was blocked by a pair of trucks.

  “Son of a bitch.” Daniel muttered. He looked more closely at the freeway itself, and saw what was intended. To the untrained eye, the abandoned vehicles had seemingly been left where they’d stopped, but closer inspection showed that as the path to the checkpoint progressed , the sides subtly closed in, leaving only one way to travel.

  And no way out.

  Daniel pulled the binoculars away from his face and crawled backward, reaching the side of the trailer. He lowered the binoculars down to Serafina, shaking his head as he did so. She looked at him curiously. He moved back to the front of the trailer and descended from the top by using the rig’s air dam and massive chrome exhaust pipe. Hopping down from the big vehicle, he met Serafina and shared what he’d seen.

  “Seriously? Why would anyone do that?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

  Serafina looked to her right, in the direction of the checkpoint, her hands on her hips. “Neither do I.”

  “I mean, in theory, it could be a quarantine checkpoint,” Daniel offered, his fingers rubbing the stubble on his chin.

  “That’s true.” Serafina replied. “But something tells me it isn’t.”

  “Yeah. Me neither.”

  “Go take a closer look?”

  “You read my mind.” The two of them began walking towards the checkpoint, staying close to the cars and trucks on the side of the road, crouching when needed to stay mostly out of sight.

  “Did you see any lookouts?” Serafina asked as they crouched behind a small, silver colored Ford hybrid vehicle.

  “No, and that’s what I looked for first. I think they’re so confident in their plan that they’re not worried about anything.”

  Serafina crawled forward, staying behind the front side of the car. “Probably not too much to worry about, either. We’re just trying to take a look.”

  “Agreed.”

  After about thirty minutes they were within 500 yards of the checkpoint, and standing behind a big dual rear axle Chevy truck, an all-white monstrosity with yellow lights above the cabin, giant exhaust pipes, and molded body stylings around the cabin. It was a struggle to see over the vehicle, but it offered the perfect cover for observation.

  Daniel realized the best view would be from inside the bed of the truck, looking over the roof. Walking towards the back of the vehicle he saw Serafina slip over the tailgate of the truck. Her head popped up a second later. “Keep an eye out. I got this.” With that, her head disappeared and he heard her sliding forward in the bed of the truck. He rushed back to the front of the truck, staying close to its side, finding a spot to hide, remaining out of sight from others while being able to see down the road.

  Looking through the powerful binoculars, Serafina studied the checkpoint. There were two white and green cars with Customs and Immigration markings, pointed inward towards the open car lane, effectively forming a pincer. Panning upward and to the left with the glasses, she saw two men milling about, guns in the holsters on their hips. Both wore tight uniforms, and both appeared unshaven with shoulder length hair. She didn’t know grooming requirements for Immigration officers, but they certainly looked out of place.

  Moving the glasses to the across the road to the right, she saw two more men, both armed, with one holding a shotgun over his shoulder. One of the men had a buzz cut and wore an appropriate sized uniform, but the second one wore a uniform that was at least two sizes too big for him. Seeing the tattoos on the man’s neck, Serafina felt confident that the baggy uniform was the result of a recent diet.

  Further beyond where they stood, under a giant metal shade, six ot
her men stood around in ill-fitting uniforms, all armed, several with shotguns or semi-automatic weapons. There was an older model small minivan nearby with the doors closed. From what she could tell, their were people inside of the vehicle, each with some type of hood over their head.

  Seeing movement in the edge of the binoculars’ field of view, Serafina moved them up in time to see a metallic red Harley Davidson motorcycle come rolling in from the opposite direction, followed by two others. The man on the lead motorcycle was wearing black sunglasses, a black leather vest that left his arms bare, and jeans and had long, greasy black hair. The men behind him were similarly dressed, with black leather vests and jeans, and both had long hair as well. As the man approached, the men in uniform casually walked to the center of the road to meet him. Coming to a stop, the man took off his sunglasses and began talking to the uniforms. One of the men shook his head back and forth, pointing in the general direction of Serafina. The leader of the motorcycle group sat back on his bike, shaking his head, then nodded. He motioned with his hand, a beckoning gesture. The man with the buzz cut turned and walked to the van under the metal shade.

  The man pulled someone from the van roughly, pulling them to their feet. The hood was torn away, revealing a young woman’s face. Serafina guessed she was at most nineteen years old, but that was probably a stretch. As the man dragged her over towards the man on the motorcycle, the woman kicked wildly, trying to fight off the man, but her efforts were no use against the man’s superior strength. She slipped and fell twice before being held upright in front of the man on the Harley. Tears ran down the woman’s face as she struggled against her bonds.