They’d been on the road for hours when they crossed the Columbia River from Pasco to Kennewick, while Clarisse’s stomach clenched at the thought of what Bang might be going through at that very moment. All the while Corey regaled them with his story, as strangers often do, but Clarisse thought the story was all the same as the others now. They ran together and no longer mattered like they once did. Especially annoying was the funky stench in the truck cab, as she was stuck between two hairy men who no longer showered on a regular basis.
Corey nudged her. “He’ll be fine, Mama. Don’t worry about the boy. He seems like a strong lad. We’re almost there. We’ll stay the night and get your supplies tomorrow and hopefully head back mid-day.”
An important thought crossed her mind. It was a question she just thought to ask Rick but forgot it just as quickly because the radio buzzed.
When it buzzed again, Clarisse said, “Are you going to answer that?”
Rick’s eyes stared straight ahead at the road as they were crossing the winding Columbia River again, this time from Plymouth to Umatilla and Power City.
“You’re going to have to tell him at some point.”
“I was hoping we could tell him on our way back…you know, like guess what happened but look, Bang’s fine.”
“Answer the call,” Clarisse said when the handset buzzed a third time.
“This is Rick,” he said, holding the unit with one hand and steering with the other. “Yeah?” Rick said.
Clarisse heard Dalton’s voice but could barely tell what he was saying.
“That’s not good. Yeah. Make sure to take the backup batteries. Yeah. Let me know. Roger. Out.”
He was silent but held the radio to his chest.
“You didn’t tell him.”
“Nope,” he said without taking his eyes off the road.
“You’re going to have to tell him, Rick.”
“I can’t. They have enough to worry about right now. They’re evacuating.”
“What? Why?” Clarisse said, her heart racing.
Rick looked around to Corey and then back at Clarisse. She got the feeling he wasn’t sure Corey could be trusted. “Our friends from the west are closer than we thought. We need to hurry up. We’ve got to make this quick.”
While her thoughts immediately went to Dalton and her babies she heard, not in the friendly tone Rick had used before with their guest, “Corey…I thought there would be a gate or something.” He brought the truck to a stop, turned off the engine and put it in park. “You said this place was under the tribe’s protection. We waltzed right in here…mate.”
Corey leaned back and smiled. “There’s a gate, you just don’t see it, mate.”
Putting her worry aside, Clarisse looked out the windshield. She’d seen this place from pictures and as they’d approached, she noticed the mounded structures from afar along the highway for miles. There were so many of them. “You do know which ones contain the equipment I need, right, Rick?”