Day 38
They drove toward trouble about midday, a barricade of abandoned cars on Route 80 up ahead. The two lead trucks, F250s with a couple of guys sitting in the back with quite a few weapons, stopped. Everyone dropped back behind them as they’d planned when they’d started, and several cars peeled off to the other four sides.
John knew they were circling the wagons. He’d been asked to be one of the rear guards, making sure no one snuck up on them from behind on the highway or from the woods on either side. With so many vehicles and so many weapons, they had a good chance of repelling any attack.
But not all, John thought. If he saw it was overwhelming odds he’d take off and pray he could escape. It was the unspoken rule he’d heard last night when he’d met everyone: if the shit hit the fan it was every man for himself.
They had no destination in mind other than following 80 as far north and east as they could. The hope was to pick up stragglers along the way and swell their ranks so no one would mess with such a large group.
John wasn’t sure how many they currently had because once he’d officially joined their caravan, a few cars had driven off to keep watch.
The line of cars on the highway was no random occurrence. Someone or several someones had moved the cars in the way so no one could pass. Likely a group trying to rob anyone coming up the road.
He thought they were too far from the Sawyer group, but they might be spread out across California and beyond. It only took an attack on American soil for the nutjobs to have their excuse to rape and pillage. He pictured militias, excited and sweaty, reaching for their camo gear and guns, ready to terrorize the minorities and those who didn’t believe what they believed into submission. Violence was the order of the day.
John glanced over at Jessie, who was standing outside her pickup truck fifty feet away from him, the driver’s door open and two more rifles besides the one in her hand ready.
He gave her a quick nod and stepped out, miming her position.
It was hot and the sun was overhead. The only sounds were the running engines and the occasional bird.
Nothing but trees to either side. The perfect place for an ambush. You could hide fifty people just inside the tree line and as long as they kept still, no one would know.
John kept scanning the trees and the road behind. Still nothing.
He could hear the men upfront working to move the abandoned cars out of the way.
Jessie was scanning the woods with her scope.
I’m ready to lay down some fire if need be, John thought, but knew if someone was stupid enough to attack such a large group it meant they had an even larger one.
One quick tap of a horn from the front meant the road was clear and they could move again.
John waited until Jessie was satisfied they weren’t about to be attacked. He counted to ten after she got in her pickup truck before getting in his and following.
He was tense, his fingers hurting as they gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Right now would be the perfect time to open fire, John thought. While we have our backs to them.
John got to the break in the road where they’d pushed three cars out of the way, one of the last to cross through. One of the men put up a hand for John to stop.
He couldn’t remember the guy’s name but he’d seen him in camp last night.
“Can you do us a favor and ride slowly? Jessie is gonna do the same thing.” The man was looking past John, back the way they’d come. “We saw movement in the woods to the left. Not sure how many.”
“I’m going to guess not enough to want to tangle with us.”
The man nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. Once you get around the next bend, wait a minute and then creep back. See if they come out.”
“And if they do?” John asked.
The man shrugged. “Make sure they don’t follow us.”
“What if they’re friendly and are starving?”
The man seemed to think about it for a minute. “Then they wouldn’t be trying to trap us on the highway, box us in, and leave us vulnerable. They ain’t friendly.”
John had to agree. The man got back in his vehicle and took off.
Up ahead, around the turn, Jessie was parked.
“I guess we’ll wait a minute,” Jessie said.
Three more pickups had slowed down ahead and were also waiting. In case there was trouble.
Jessie was staring at John and it was making him uncomfortable.
“So, John…you got a girlfriend?”
“It’s…complicated.”
Jessie laughed. “Isn’t it always? We all have someone, somewhere else, we’re trying to get back to. No?”
John shrugged. He didn’t want to get into his personal life. Especially with a woman he’d just met, even if she was really pretty.
“Time to see what’s what,” Jessie said. She started jogging around the bend and John followed, trying not to stare at her ass as she ran but failing.
As soon as they got to the curve they both stopped.
“I thought so,” John said.
He could see half a dozen men with weapons piling out of a mini-van. They began moving the cars back into place. They’d obviously been watching the road from a nearby hiding spot but when the group was too big for them, they’d wisely let them pass.
“We should kill all of them,” Jessie said, raising her rifle.
“We should leave and give thanks they didn’t try anything stupid and get one or more of us killed.” John put his hand on the barrel of the rifle.
Jessie shrugged and lowered her weapon. “I guess we caught a lucky break. We need to get back and catch up.”
John took a last look at the group and started back to his pickup.
“How long do you think we can…”
John’s words were interrupted by two gunshots.
He turned to see Jessie hadn’t followed. She’d fired twice and was running back with a smile.
“What did you do?” John asked.
“Let them know they messed with the wrong people. Now they’ll be two less and it will be harder to ambush someone.” Jessie ran past John.
He thought she was skipping, she was so happy with what she’d done.