Trekking Home

by Jeffrey Miller

  “No, just a friend, it’s not like a girlfriend thing,” Nate replied.

  “How can you say you have a friend and she is a girl, but not a girlfriend?” Ben seemed genuinely confused. Nate had to be careful he didn’t want to confuse him more.

  “She is someone I met briefly, but I haven’t dated her, so she isn’t a friend like that,” He said trying to keep things simple. Nate could see himself dating her if things changed or he got back to her, but for now that was just a thought in the back of his mind.

  “I think I get it” Ben replied slowly.

  “Well its ok Ben, it’s not important right now. Today we have to get moving and get south as far as we can. We may be on the four wheelers all day, so are you ready to pack things up” Nate asked trying to change the subject. Nate wasn’t sure how else to explain things to Ben. He wasn’t even sure if Ben knew much about relationships and the birds and the bees, let alone dating.

  Nate and Ben both started to pack up the tent and supplies. The day was just starting and the time for talks would have to come later. The weather looked clear in all directions, and there wasn’t much in the ways of a breeze. Nate was getting excited about getting closer each day to Texas. He was still around 450 miles from home he estimated.

  Nate secured the back of the Ranger tying down the loads. Then he emptied another fuel can into the tank. Two cans remained.

  Nate was careful to make sure the fire was totally out before they pulled off. He covered the logs with dirt and extra coffee water. Soon he would need to stop and filter some drinking water for their jugs. He knew he would have plenty of clear streams to gather water. They reached the bottom of the hill they were camped on and saw no one on the road. It was just after 7 in the morning, and he hoped the drive would be free from issues. Since he left Montana, he had met many gracious people and some pretty bad ones. Now he had a kid with him, who needed him to get home more than ever.

  As Nate drove, he looked over at Ben who was enjoying the scenery of the Rocky Mountains off to the west. Many were snow-capped and majestic. Nate still had not gotten used to not seeing any airplanes, minus the occasional Air Force jets flying high above. The skies being void of the trails left from commercial airliners just made the view even more stunning.

  It wasn’t too long before they reached their first small town, the town of Nederland. The roads were curvy they entire way in the small but quiet little town. A big green sign read Nederland 3, Boulder 20. Nate was finally getting near Boulder because it was just miles from Denver and Nate knew he was almost half way through the state. The speed limit said 45, but they were never in danger of going over 40 mph. The Ranger was speeding downhill now right into town. Nate thought the town was beautiful with a large lake nearby that was part of the Barker Reservoir. The town seemed very rustic but appealing in many ways. He drove through town slowly; not many people were out. It was still early. One sheriff’s car was parked outside the cabin looking Town Hall building. The deputy waved as they drove past. He returned to what he was doing in the car. It didn’t take long to get through the beautiful town. That was the first time Nate didn’t need to stop for any reason. All the gas stations were closed. Nate figured most of the people that lived in the mountain areas were likely well stocked up. How long this would last would determine everyone’s survival. Nate gave the ATV more gas as they left Nederland behind.

  After they had been about 10 minutes down the road, Nate looked over at Ben, who was watching Nate’s feet and how he was driving the Ranger. Nate hadn’t seen anyone for some time on the road and figured he would give Ben a quick lesson in how to operate the small utility vehicle.

  “Ben, would you like to drive?” Nate asked. Ben smiled from ear to ear.

  “You would teach me now?” Ben asked slapping his open hand to one leg.

  “Yes, it’s easy, but I want you to learn so if I ever need you to take over. You are old enough” Nate said. He then pulled over to the side of the road. Nate got off, and Ben walked around to get in and grasped the stirring wheel. Before Nate could give him any instructions, he took off.

  “Wow, slow down some Ben, how did you already know how to drive this?” Nate asked holding onto the grab handle on the dash.

  “I watched you, and I have played many Playstation games,” Ben replied. Nate laughed out loud. Ben was doing well, and it was nice to relax a bit. Nate took in the scenery now and still kept one eye on the road. As they drove along, Nate had noticed many signs for casinos ahead in a small town called Black Hawk. They would need to get through that area as fast as possible. Any place that had to gamble may have desperate tourist. He was sure the facilities would be closed like everywhere else, and the monies were worthless, but the tourist stuck in the town would be eager to leave any way they could. Nate would need to think of something fast.

  “Ben I’m going to let you drive through the next town, I will guard against anyone who tries to approach us. It could be a bad area, but maybe not, it's still early.” Nate stated.

  “Ok, I can drive” Ben just smiled, not realizing the possible dangers ahead. Nate reached back and opened his pack that was against the seat. He slid out the AR-15 and assembled it quickly. Then he placed the scope on and pointed it forward making some adjustments. Nate lowered the short barreled rifle pointing down and between his legs towards the floor. It was nearly 10 AM, and he just hoped everyone was still in their homes or elsewhere than the main drag of town.

  Coming into Black Hawk, the first thing Nate saw with been driving was a small fire station. They seemed to be open, and he did see some firefighters sitting inside the garage in folding chairs. They all gave a friendly smile and went back to their discussions. Nate was surprised to see them but figured maybe they were also on station to protect their much-needed equipment. They likely lived close. Ben was doing a great job staying between the lines. He was moving a good pace, and so far Nate hadn’t spotted any trouble. This was the case for about another half miles until he noticed several cars near the main entry point. The cars appeared moved behind a wooden fence and off the main roads. Nate could see about five men all gathered near the road. They would soon hear the Ranger if they hadn’t already. One by one, they slowly turned to see them coming. Two of them stepped out into the road as to try to stop them from going any further. Nate kept the rifle out of sight and opened his jacket some so they would be able to see his badge. It shined in the late morning sun. He had been slowly stopping at about 50 yards from the men.

  “Ben, if I saw floor it I want you to get this moving as fast as it will go and don’t bother looking back just eyes forward and keep clear of any cars ahead or people. Is that understood?” Nate asked after explaining the plans.

  “Yep” was all Ben said. Nate hoped he understood. But Nate had to be the one in the passenger seat; he was the protector.

  “How about you two just pull over here so we can talk a bit?” One man asked, slowly moving forward. The other man had a hand behind his back. Nate was certain he had a small sawed off shotgun. Its range would be limited even if he had a slug. The other men stayed on the side of the road with one of them trying to flank them.

  “You on the side road, stop right there. Don’t come any closer; you only get one warning. As for you, move out of the road, we only want to go through town, that’s all.” Nate explained.

  Nate saw the built of the man, and he was tall. He seemed to be an Indian. His hair was jet black and in one long ponytail. The man holding the shotgun also looked like a Native American but was short and very dumpy. Nate looked past them and saw a sign for an Indian Casino.

  “You can pass, we just want to talk and need some of your fuel. You will give us the fuel, and you can go” he said pointing over to the man, who raised up the small shotgun.

  “Trust me, bird shot does hurt so you can just leave us your fuel and get going,” The tall Indian said again. Nate studied each man he could see. No one else seemed to have any weapons, and if they did, he was sure they wou
ld have removed them when a dumpy little man showed his cards. Time to raise the pot some, Nate thought.

  “I see, well let’s play my game. That shotgun is nice, but I think my AR trumps that card and trust ME I won’t miss, and my bullet will kill.” He said rising his gun to reveal the full effect. He put the leader square in his sights and spoke.

  “Hey, that’s a nice neck tattoo. It even has something that will work as a target for me.” Nate said. In an instant, through the scope, he swore he could see the man’s complexion turn from a dark red to a ghostly white. He took a step back.

  “Yep that that does make an excellent target, I think you need to tell Dumpy to place the shotgun over in the middle of the road now,” Nate commanded. The tall Indian looked over to his friends and spoke quickly to him. The dumpy man lowered the gun and had his hands up with the weapon. He walked it to the center line in the road and walked back to the curb. The tall Indian seemed afraid to move.

  “Ok, now, move your ass far away from the road, Now!” Nate yelled. As he did each man took shelter behind some of the parked cars off the road.

  “Ben, drive up to that gun. Don’t stop, just put me beside it.” Ben did as told. Nate grabbed the shotgun up. It was a very nice Browning Superposed gold inlaid double barrel. The gun was very expensive. The dumpy man looked sick as Nate retrieved it. Nate knew the gun likely was part of someone else’s collection. The fact remained that the man was willing to do others harm and would do it again if he had the chance. As a deputy, Nate felt compelled to keep it away from them.

  “Take off Ben, keep driving till I say stop” Ben floored the Ranger sending Nate back in his seat again. Ben was a great driver and seemed so focused on what he was doing. Nate felt like Ben liked it because it made him feel important, and he was.

  The town was now far behind them. Nate was glad he never had to fire his weapon. In many ways, that entire scenario could have gone sideways quickly. However, it didn’t, and they had not spent much time in Black Hawk. Nate allowed Ben to drive for a bit longer before taking over after a quick bathroom break. The next town they would go through was nearly 40 miles away. It would easily take an hour or more not counting for a stop to have a snack and to stretch the legs.

  The trip to the next little town was going well. The afternoon sun was warm but not unbearable. It was nearing the end of June; Nate knew but didn’t know which date anymore. His watch was simple and only provided the time. His cell phone which had the calendar on it long since died. Nate had a small folding solar panel that could charge the cell phones and other electronic devices, but he had not taken the time to complete that task. At camp, he would set it up and find a way to secure it to the top of the Polaris to be ready to charge his cell phone. He didn’t think it would ever help, but by an off chance some service is restored, even temporarily, he didn’t want to miss an opportunity to call his folks again.

  Nate could tell though that even in Colorado, summer was upon them. The sun, of course, was setting later in the day. It was nearly noon, and Ben had mentioned becoming hungry. The next town was about ten miles away, and Nate could use a little snack also. He found a nice place to pull over under an enormous lodge pole pine tree. Nate drove off the road to get nearer the tree. The shade was nice, and it was overlooking an expansive valley headed off in their direction of travel. Nate set up his small camp stove and began giving instructions to Ben on how it all worked. Ben seemed to focus on details very well. Their lunch would be a small shared mountain house dehydrated dinner of beef and noodles. The water would need to be replenished soon. Perhaps at the next stream, Nate would take the time required to filter them some water. For the time being, they would take a break and eat, get some rest, then head out for the next leg of their journey.

  Chapter 17

  The Town Not On the Map

  The tyrants of the world were never in short supply. It did not matter when in present time or throughout history, the seeds always seemed to germinate upon society’s most trying times. Nate knew in his mind that this time would likely bring forth such people. In panic and chaos, many would relinquish much for stability and comfort. In general, people had become lazy and helpless. Many of the skills our fathers, mothers, and grandparents had were lost concepts to the newest generations. As Nate drove through small town after the small town, he didn’t see too many people. The few he did see were on foot, mostly younger adults begging others for handouts. Nate couldn’t stop; he had to keep going. He had rationed out their food into meals for certain times a day. Originally, Nate had plenty for himself. He always carried what his friends said were extreme precaution amounts of dehydrated meals. However, Nate had Ben now, another mouth to feed, who seemed to love the meals especially making them.

  Nate counted his blessings and prayed for the people who gave him so much so that he could make this trip home. He would have been on foot no matter what, or the time it took, but this method was far better. If on foot, Ben would not survive. Nate glanced over at Ben, who was looking through some magazine he had brought along. Slowly he flipped the pages trying to keep it below the dash from the wind that whipped inside the small cab of the Ranger. The windshield helped, but since there were no doors to speak of, things could get a little breezy at times. Many hours had passed now placing him much further south than he imagined they would get but Nate pressed on. He wasn’t sure, but the map indicated the next town was an old gold mining town that still did open mining called Cripple Creek. He would head southeast from there avoiding Colorado Springs. He was certain any of the big cities by now would not be advisable or even survivable.

  Based on their current speed nearly 40 mph and the amount of time on the road Nate knew they had traveled roughly 200 miles today. This was the furthest he had done in one day since leaving his truck back in Wyoming. The terrain was visibly changing the further southeast he went from the Rockies. The drive to his current point was spectacular.

  He was surprised to make it through the town of Cripple Creek so quickly. It was a beautiful old town. People seemed unbothered by the events of the world, and a few stores appeared to be open. The stores were clothing stores and one was a hardware type old general store. He was now moving pretty well on a dirt county road toward the town of Penrose, Colorado. The road was through a canyon. Everything was going well for the first 30 minutes. It was around that time that Nate could hear the faint sounds of loud music. The canyon road was dark in places with the sun’s rays not reaching into its depths at sundown. He came to a slow stop with the engine now turned off to listen to the racket ahead. The smell of fire ahead indicated a huge fire burning. This was not, however, a wildfire but someone had built an enormous bonfire. As the sun went down further in the dimly lit canyon, the flames would be more visible.

  “What’s that noise,” Ben asked whispering as if he was nervous. Ben had been a great travel buddy. He didn’t complain at all, he kept himself busy and could also drive.

  “Ben, I’m not sure, but I would say we have company ahead. I don’t think they hear us over the music though” Nate replied because he was starting to get that feeling again just a little in his gut. Nate looked around to see if there was anywhere else they could turn around to go around but Nate knew they only had two options. He could not just drive in, as he was sure he would be stopped. He needed to see what was going on but didn’t want to take Ben into another situation.

  “I’m going to find a place to park us and get you set up out of sight. I need to do some climbing and short hike to see what’s ahead.” Ben looked at Nate with a concerned flash in his eyes.

  “You are leaving me?” Ben asked looking away then back at Nate. Nate could feel his concern for Ben growing day by day.

  “Yes, only long enough to see who that is playing the loud music then I will be right back, but it may take some time. I will give you a rifle to use, so no one will hurt you.” Nate said. Ben didn’t say anything.

  Nate drove the Ranger slowly down into the gully and around
the side of the foothill of the nearest mountain. The tree line was thick, and that was good. The path Nate took was very rough even for the Ranger. It was still daylight but only for about four more hours. Nate quickly found a small clearing in the woods on a slope then turned off the engine. Ben was still silent.

  Nate noticed this silence but knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter. Ben could not keep up with Nate even if Nate wanted to take him. Nate had to jog the short distance through the Canyon roads and do so silently. He was going to infiltrate whatever was going on to ascertain the conditions ahead. He didn’t like leaving Ben here alone, but it was the safest thing he could do.

  Nate took out his camo tarp and set it all up around the Ranger making it nearly invisible from anyone in the woods. Ben sat and watched as Nate set up a small camp for him. Nate did not make a fire because he planned to be back before the need for one. Camp becomes the Ranger. The tarp covered the Ranger in a way to use it as the primary shelter with Ben playing inside on the seat.

  “Ben, I know you don’t like this, and honestly I don’t either, but it is our only choice. If we just rode up to the people playing music, they could be like the people in the town we took the shotgun from”. Nate loaded up his AR-15 and took extra mags for it and his Glock. Nate went over what he would do to announce himself when he came back.

  “One more thing, there are bears around here, so I will let you hold onto this can of bear spray.” If you hear one or see one use it but don’t empty the whole can just a few shots from it will make even big bears flee.”

  Ben laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Nate asked.

  “Hope I don’t spray you when you get back,” Ben said, looking slowly up to meet Nate’s stare.

  “Well, it's better than being shot by a gun, besides that just remember what I said I would do to let you know it’s me,” Nate said back to him smiling.