“Am I interrupting something ladies?” Mark laughed as he walked up on them.
“Actually you are,” Benjamin replied.
“Guess that’s kind of in my nature. You know, a fly on the wall.”
“I see. Well, it’s in my nature to squash bugs,” Benjamin scowled.
“That’s funny. Just so we’re clear. Me and your brother might have been friends. That doesn’t win you any favor with me. Watch your ass new guy,” Mark huffed then stormed passed him, slinging his shoulder into his chest.
“I would tell you he takes some getting used to, but it’s a daily struggle for me not to put a bullet in him,” Lenny smiled.
“There’s always one. Anyway, just think about what I said,” Benjamin nodded and then walked off.
Lenny headed back to the spot he’d left Javier. When he got there Gloria was sitting with Robert watching Javier attempt to scrub the metal off of the pin.
“I think you got everything,” Lenny laughed.
Robert looked up as he entered and tipped his head. Lenny smiled back and then took the pin from Javier and started to piece the gun back together.
“So tomorrow morning we head out huh?” Robert asked.
“Looks that way. Hopefully a day from then we’re sleeping in the White House,” Lenny smiled.
“One can dream.”
“Lenny, do you think you can teach me to shoot?” Javier asked in excitement.
Lenny looked at Gloria and raised his eyebrows.
“Ah hell,” she laughed. “Go ahead. Besides me and Robert have some um things we need to go over,” she chuckled and rubbed her hand across his knee.
“Okay looks like it’s me and you little guy. Robert, don’t do anything I wouldn’t. You’re gonna need your strength for tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 13
BACK ROADS
The tires sounded like a washing machine as the heavy truck rolled down the uneven, dirt road. Mark grinned from the driver’s seat, enjoying the familiar hum of the M35 engine. It’d been years since he had the chance to ride in one and it brought back memories of his days as a grunt.
The truck was loud and heavy and it rattled when it moved. It puffed dark, gray smoke into the air burning a gallon of fuel every eight miles. But the group couldn’t deny how great it felt to be inside of a truck instead of walking.
The cargo area was long and covered with a beige tarp that rolled closed in the back. It could’ve easily sat twenty soldiers so their ragtag group had more than enough space.
“You know we need more gas right?” Maddox said as he looked over to Lenny. “I took as much as I could find from the storage, but we’re not gonna make it to D.C. with what we have.”
“We’ll have to figure it out when we have to figure it out,” Lenny said dismissively
It was noon and the sun was high overhead. They were now rumbling through the North Carolina backwoods on a trail originally designed for small Jeeps. The massive, military truck struggled to stay on the narrow path, but it was the best way to go undetected. On one side of the road was the vine covered walls of the Appalachian Mountains, on the other side a steep drop to a rocky death more than thirty feet below.
Mark and Benjamin sat in the cabin of the truck avoiding conversation as much as possible. Although they disliked each other, navigating the trail was a two man task. Mark drove and Benjamin did his best to help him avoid any unseen obstacles and keep the two and a half ton truck right side up and planted on terra firma.
Inside of the cargo bed Lenny and Rebecca sat arm in arm. Across from them Maddox and Robert watched as Gloria read a book to Javier and Drew. The boys were resilient; in light of everything they’d been through they seemed almost normal. It was almost like Drew was the brother that Javier had lost and Javier was the brother Drew never had.
Crimley sat at the far end of the truck. He was intently studying a map and didn’t seem to have time for anyone else. Lenny thought he was taking his self-assigned role as navigator a bit too seriously. He’d been pouring over maps the last few days and highlighting paths that were largely ignored by the group.
“I wanna go on an adventure like Tom did,” Drew said as Gloria closed the book and placed it back into her satchel.
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, had been one of two books Gloria managed to save as they rushed out of the civic center. The other book, Where the Wild Things Are, was Nikko’s favorite and she hadn’t touched it since she lost him.
“You are on an adventure silly,” Gloria smiled.
“I don’t like this adventure very much though. My mom couldn’t come.”
“Why not?” Gloria asked innocently.
“She had to go with the angels, but my dad says we’ll get to see her real soon. Then maybe we all can go on an adventure.”
“That’s enough Drew,” Robert said. “Come sit over here and lay down. You should probably take a nap.”
Frowning, Drew took a seat next to his father and laid his head onto his lap. Robert patted him on the head and stroked his hair. Drew yawned then stretched his legs out across the bench. He tried to go to sleep, but the bumpy roads made that nearly impossible. Instead he resorted to staring at the tarp covering and trying to time each bump.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get there?” Rebecca whispered to Lenny.
“Depends. We’re gonna need fuel soon and if we end up on foot again it’ll take weeks.”
“So Rebecca,” Robert interrupted. “Where are you from?”
“Why do you care?” Rebecca shot back angrily.
“Just making conversation.”
Rebecca glared at him and bit her bottom lip. Lenny nudged her with his elbow and she fumed.
“I’m from Kentucky.”
“Oh my, you don’t say. So am I. Where about? I grew up in Lexington.”
“I lived in Independence for a few years before I moved.”
“So how did you meet Lenny? You two seem pretty close.”
“What’s with the interrogation? I’m not looking for any new friends Robert.”
“Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to pry.”
Rebecca sighed and rolled her eyes. Suddenly the truck started to slow down rapidly and they slid forward across the metal seats.
“Fuck!” Lenny grumbled as his head banged into the wall that divided the cabin from the cargo bed.
The diesel engine hummed and grunted as the hulking vehicle downshifted. Lenny and the others looked at one another in confusion as the truck came to a stop. There were two loud thumps from the cabin and then Mark’s voice blared out.
“Trouble up ahead. Stay quiet.”
Lenny immediately reached for his rifle and moved towards the back of the cargo bed. Rebecca grabbed her gun and followed. There was a rope that held the beige canvas up allowing light in from the back. Lenny pulled it and the tarp rolled to the floor, enclosing the back.
Crimley looked up anxiously then decided that his time was better served plotting an escape route. Edging away from the back, he moved closer to Robert and shot him a hesitant grin.
“Sit with me,” Gloria said reaching for Javier.
She grabbed him and pulled him onto the bench. Hugging him closely she whispered in his ear telling him to stay quiet. Robert reached across and grabbed her hand and smiled.
“We’ll be okay,” he whispered.
Maddox grinned at them and then dropped onto the floor and pulled a pistol out of a green rucksack. “I’m sure he’s right,” he said and patted Javier on the head.
Lenny was leaning against the bench at the rear of the truck. He held his rifle tightly against his chest, the muzzle pointed towards the exit.
“What do you think it is?” Rebecca whispered.
“People,” Lenny answered. “It’s always people.”
Rebecca frowned and pulled the charging handle back on her AR. She took a deep breath and knelt against the bench opposite to Lenny. He winked at her and loaded his gun.
“Fuck you!” M
ark’s grizzly voice boomed loudly.
Robert jumped nervously and Drew sat up. Gloria squeezed Javier tighter, covering his ears with her hands. A fearful tension hung in the air, an almost palpable sense of desperation.
Maddox moved to the back and squatted behind Rebecca. He mumbled a prayer under his breath and clenched his weapon tightly. All three of them were waiting nervously expecting someone to barge through the tarp at any moment.
“Calm down. We all just need to calm down,” Benjamin said loudly.
The sound of at least a dozen other voices seeped into the cargo section. They sounded angry and were arguing with one another.
“This our road,” one of them yelled.
“We take what we want,” another hooted.
Lenny slid closer to the canvas and looked through a crack in the side. He pulled it towards his face and peeked out.
They were in a wooded area with large oak trees lining the road. Red and gold leaves clung feebly to the branches, some falling to the ground like snowflakes.
There was no one behind the truck, but he could hear them clearly. These small bands of marauders weren’t uncommon. Lenny had run into his fair share and they were best avoided or dealt with by gunfire.
“We’re headed north. I just told you that,” Mark said in a tone of absolute annoyance.
“And I told ya’ this rebel country now. You gon pay the toll or y’all gon to turn this bus round,” a gray-bearded man shot back.
He had a bald head and red, sunburnt skin. He wore denim jeans, a plaid shirt and a sleeveless jean vest. A few of his friends called him Lucky, but his grungy appearance and missing pinky finger suggested otherwise.
Mark looked at him in disgust. He wanted to punch a hole in his face but they were severely outnumbered, encircled by thirteen gunmen all dressed like they’d just left the set of a cheap biker movie.
Three pickup trucks were parked in front of them cutting off the road. They came out of nowhere flagging down Mark and demanding payment for passage. With over a dozen guns pointed at them, Mark and Benjamin were left with little choice but to try and negotiate.
“We don’t have any damn women or liquor. There has to be something else you’re willing to trade,” Benjamin barked.
Lucky looked at him and then spit tobacco onto the ground. He contorted his face then turned to Mark.
“You better keep that monkey of yours in check. That feller’s a long way from home,” Lucky sneered.
A few of the other men chuckled, some mumbling sentiments that echoed Lucky’s. Benjamin stepped forward and Mark placed his hand onto his shoulder, holding him back. Benjamin glared at him and shrugged his hand off.
“Just let it go,” Mark mumbled.
Benjamin furrowed his brow and scowled at the backwoods gang. He knew he was outnumbered and outgunned, but he didn’t care. He slid his hand near his holster, slowly inching closer to his pistol.
“Look around boy,” Lucky shouted, sensing Benjamin’s anger. “You better just listen to your friend there. Gary, Ned, check the back of their truck. Let’s see what they’re hiding.”
“Hey!” Mark’s voice rose. “We’re not hiding anything. Stay away from there!” Mark shouted and started towards the rear.
Lenny could hear the elevated voices and the rustling of people headed his way. He quickly slid away and let the beige tarp fall back into place.
“Get ready!” Lenny said as he turned to Maddox and Rebecca. “They’re coming.”
Mark cut the men off on their way to the cargo bed. He held his hands out and stood in between them and the truck.
“Hey, hey. We’ll just go. We’ll get in our truck and turn around.”
“Bullshit!” Lucky spat. “You’re definitely hiding something. I wanna see what’s in the back of that truck.”
One of the other men turned towards Mark and drew a silver revolver from his waistband. With his thumb he pulled the hammer back and pointed the gun at Mark’s head.
“Not another step,” the man growled.
“That’s right Ned, you keep that on him. If that fucker moves blow his damn head off,” Lucky ordered and spit more tobacco onto the ground. “Gary, gon head and open that thing up. Must be something in there mighty precious this fella’s willing to get shot over it.”
Benjamin stood near the passenger door with the rest of the gunmen. He watched skeptically as Gary slid around and started to pull at the tarp. With a gun in one hand he used his free hand to grab the canvas and slid it to the side.
Like thunder a gunshot rumbled into the air and Gary fell back, blood pulsing from a hole in his head. Lenny stared out from the cargo bed with a stone face, his finger still hovering over the trigger, a tiny cloud of smoke swirling from his rifle.
The other men rushed to the back at the sound of the gun shot and Benjamin seized the opportunity. He dove inside of the cabin and slid to the driver’s seat. He turned the key and the truck popped and fizzled then growled loudly.
Ned’s eyes shifted to his fallen friend and Mark jumped into action. He grabbed at the revolver and swung his heavy fist into Ned’s face, breaking his nose and sending him reeling backwards.
Lucky screamed and swung his gun towards Mark. He let off a shot, but Mark spun around the truck and jumped into the passenger side. Benjamin rammed the shifter into gear and floored the gas pedal.
The M35 jerked forward and smashed into the pickup trucks. They bounced to the side like pinballs as the diesel engine roared with life.
Maddox was slung forward by the sudden movement and almost fell out of the truck. Lenny grabbed his hand just as he tumbled over the tail gate. His legs kicked wildly, struggling to find a foothold. Grunting, Lenny pulled him inside as his pistol fell and clattered into the dirt.
Yells and screams were followed by a volley of gunfire. Slugs ripped into the side of the truck as it rolled away. The sharp shrill of the bullets searing through metal echoed into the mountains.
“Damn it!” Benjamin screamed. “Do something, shoot back!” he yelled to Mark.
Mark grabbed a pistol off of the seat and somehow managed to cram his enormous torso through the window. He looked back and squeezed the trigger several times, aiming at the crowd of toothless gunmen. His efforts were rewarded with a hail of bullets that exploded into the metal just over his head.
“Fuck that!” Mark grunted as he ducked back into the cabin.
Benjamin gave him a pathetic look then turned back to the road. Smoke began to spill from the radiator, but the truck kept rolling. The thick, white cloud plumed into the air like a sign of surrender.
Benjamin mashed the throttle harder and the M35 quivered. With a clunk and an ominous vibration, the engine died. The truck continued to drift a bit longer and rolled into a cluster of bushes. It finally came to a stop a few hundred yards away from the crazed band of marauders.
Mark and Benjamin quickly scrambled and leapt out of the cabin. They grabbed their weapons and bags and ran around to the back.
Snatching the tarp open Mark looked inside and yelled. “We gotta go, truck’s busted and they’ll be here any minute.”
Lenny glanced back at him with a grim look in his face. Blood was all over his hands and a body was lying at his feet.
“Crimley’s dead.”
CHAPTER 14
FOREST FIRE
“I need you guys to be calm, but move fast. Stay between us and don’t look back,” Lenny said then stared to Robert and Gloria. “Keep the kids close and their heads down.”
Robert nodded and pulled a bag over his shoulders. They’d all grabbed as many supplies as they could reasonably carry and left all the non-essentials. At this point everyone was holding a gun and carrying a stuffed rucksack.
A green jacket had been thrown over Crimley’s body, but the scene was still disturbing. Lenny tried to block the view as the kids passed him and stepped off of the truck. He deserved better, Lenny thought.
Gloria stopped and looked down at Crimley. She sw
allowed back a sniffle and wiped tears away from her face. Then without a word she joined the others outside.
Lenny wasn’t happy about leaving Crimley’s body, but he had little choice. This was the way of the world now. People died and you didn’t even have time to mourn them, you sucked it up and kept going, thanking God that it wasn’t you.
Together, the group disappeared into the brush at a careful pace. The ridge on the far side of the road had changed from a staggering cliff to a gentle slope that was only slightly uncomfortable to navigate down.
At the bottom it leveled out into a thick forest covered with pine and spruce trees. Stepping deliberately, they slowly made their way down the ridge and into the tree line.
One by one they entered the forest and stopped to catch their breath. Lenny kept a lookout up the ridge as Mark and Benjamin moved deeper into the forest to get a lay of the land.
“What’s the plan?” Maddox asked, gasping for air.
Lenny shook his head and continued to stare up to the road. Above them the large military truck was still smoking and in no time had caught fire.
“You think they followed us?” Mark whispered as he made his way back towards the front.
His question was answered with the rumbling of trucks and men shouting. Right on cue Lucky and his band of misfits pulled up to their abandoned vehicle and began to scour the area. It wasn’t shocking that they were skilled trackers and within seconds were scrambling down the ridge towards Lenny and company.
“Time to go,” Mark groaned, exhaustion drenching his every word.
He stood and started to walk off, but Benjamin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“Wait,” Benjamin said.
“We don’t have time for this. They’ll be here any minute,” Mark replied and shrugged him away.
“That’s just it. They’ll be here and then what? We can’t outrun these guys and they’ll track us all the way to D.C. We’ve got one chance and that’s to fight.”
Escape: The Wasteland Chronicles Book Two Page 12
