It was a big improvement over yesterday, and Ben quietly sighed in relief. He was concerned last night and couldn’t shake the notion that the old dog might not be joining them this morning. So much so that he’d mentally prepared himself for the worst, which meant digging a Sam-sized hole in the marsh and dealing with the emotional fallout that would surely follow.

  The kids weren’t the only ones who would have been sad, though. In some way, Ben felt responsible for the dog. For Jack’s sake, he needed to get Sam safely to Colorado, where she could live out her remaining days in relative peace, something he regretted not being able to do for the kids’ grandfather.

  Ben didn’t have to say a word to get the kids moving this morning, and in a matter of fifteen minutes or less, camp was broken down and packed away in the trucks, all except what they needed to filter water and make breakfast. Joel and Allie assumed cooking responsibilities and made enough oatmeal with bits of dehydrated fruit mixed in for everyone.

  Emma and Sandy cleaned Sam’s leg and dressed the wound with fresh bandages while Brad stood by and handed Sandy the supplies she needed. Ben proudly watched as the others went about the morning’s duties like it was any other day. This was their lives now, for better or worse. And in this moment, with a hot cup of coffee in his hand, things didn’t seem so bad. But that was probably because he knew what the alternative looked like.

  As the kids ate their breakfast, Ben and Sandy listened to their small talk and speculation about the odd-looking sky. The yellow had faded with the rising sun, but the gray left behind looked unnatural. The conversation eventually turned to rain and yesterday’s impressive lightning show. It was nice to have a break from the heat, but Ben hoped they didn’t see a repeat of yesterday’s performance by Mother Nature. With the way the sky was looking, however, that seemed like a real possibility, and they needed to plan for it.

  Brad mentioned getting wet in the back of the Jeep, and Allie suggested they give the heat-reflective paint and roof-sealer a try. Ben was anxious to get on the road, but Allie made a good point. Both vehicles were currently dry, and they should probably take advantage of that. If the Scrambler’s canvas top got wet again, they’d have to wait and apply the heat shield once it dried.

  And if that wasn’t a good enough reason, there was the fact the kids seemed interested in providing the labor. That willingness might not last forever.

  Aside from all that, if the rain held off, Ben was pretty sure the heat wouldn’t. It was only late June, and there was no reason to believe it would get any cooler in the foreseeable future. And they still had to cross through Kansas. In the big, flat state, there weren’t many options to find shade or replenish their water supplies. There wouldn’t be in the first hundred or so miles of Colorado, for that matter.

  Ben and Sandy watched as the kids took on the project of painting the hoods and roofs of the trucks with the gelatinous white thermal barrier. Ben had only grabbed one brush and one roller from the hardware store, so there wasn’t much for Brad or Emma to do but watch. Joel poured the thick white goop out of the can and straight onto the vehicles while Allie spread it out with the roller. Brad was assigned the task of smoothing out any runs with the brush.

  At this hour of the morning, the real heat of the day was hours away, but it was already hot enough to dry the paint within minutes. The Jeep’s canvas top required the most effort to coat. Allie spent extra time making sure the spots where water leaked through onto Brad yesterday were thoroughly saturated with the viscous liquid, while Joel backed the damaged areas with duct tape from the inside.

  The entire process took less time than Ben had anticipated, thanks to the sealant’s quick drying properties, and in no time, they were all standing around and admiring the new paint job.

  “Well, that sure is ugly. Let’s hope it was worth it.” Joel peeled a bit of dry sealant off his hand as he eyed his Blazer.

  Allie shrugged. “It’s not that bad.”

  “Good job, guys.” Ben walked around the truck, rubbing his hand over the painted surfaces. The thermal barrier felt like a thick rubber coating, and he was fairly confident the leaky Jeep top had been remedied. But he was most interested in seeing if the heat-reflective paint lived up to its claims and actually made the vehicles any cooler.

  The kids cleaned up while Ben and Sandy worked the water filter, topping off any of the Nalgenes that needed it. Ben could hear Gunner whining from the campsite. They’d already loaded the dogs into the vehicles so Gunner or the other two wouldn’t be tempted to go for a swim. It was Brad’s suggestion; he was the one riding in the back of the Jeep with Gunner, after all. And it made sense, seeing as how Sam couldn’t afford to ruin her new bandages.

  Ben placed the last of the freshly filled Nalgenes into the bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. “I’ll drive. That way, you can help Emma with Sam if you need to.”

  “Okay, as long as you feel up to it.” Sandy wrapped up the water pump and followed Ben back to the Blazer.

  “We should try to get on the road soon, guys,” Ben called back to the kids. He was answered with a chorus of okays. He was determined to make up for yesterday’s delays, and so were the kids; neither Brad nor Joel had asked to go fishing here. The fast-moving chocolate-milk-colored water was less than ideal for fly-fishing, but Ben suspected the real reason they hadn’t asked to fish or hunt was that they were as anxious to get home as he was.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The trail out proved to be just as slippery and muddy as it had been last night, maybe even worse. Ben wasn’t sure, but to him, it looked like the water had risen a little more. Someplace upriver was getting a lot of rain. But that was why he wanted to be the one behind the wheel this morning.

  On their way in last night, they had a couple of close calls with the deep mud. The last thing he wanted to do was start the day by digging either one of the vehicles out of the muck and mire. It would be a long, miserable drive to Kansas if they were covered in mud.

  The last time any of them had taken half a second to clean up was back at the hardware store. But it was a quick and superficial rinse in the mop sink because they were in a hurry to leave. And bathing here had been out of the question; the silt-heavy water was more likely to add to their current hygiene deficit. Ben was hoping to do something about that tonight by finding a place with clean, calm water.

  Their egress from the campsite was slow-going, but not just because of the poor trail conditions. Emma was sure to remind Ben about Sam’s condition every time the truck dipped or rolled violently. There wasn’t a whole lot he could do about the jarring movements; they were required to navigate the half-submerged trail. But he tried his best to make the drive out as comfortable as possible for the wounded dog.

  Eventually, after what felt like a never-ending slog through the wet, sludge-covered obstacle course, they emerged onto the blacktop. Ben pulled next to the Scrambler on the shoulder and got out to unlock the Blazer’s hubs. Joel and Allie already had theirs free and were climbing back into the Jeep.

  “Are we taking this all the way back to the 70?” Joel closed his door and hung an arm out the window.

  Ben paused for a second and thought. “Yeah, stay on this road all the way until I-70. It isn’t much farther.”

  Ben had originally considered taking a different road that would dump them out on the interstate farther away from St. Louis. But the alternate route would initially take them away from the interstate and add another forty or fifty miles to their trip, plus who knew how much time. Today was all about distance.

  In Ben’s mind, getting back to the interstate was paramount. That was the only way to make any real progress west. The big road wasn’t without danger, but as they’d learned repeatedly, the back roads weren’t necessarily any safer. He’d had a good night’s sleep, and his mind was clear. Speed was their friend.

  It was better to move fast and make time. Ben wasn’t sure if he felt that way because they were so close to home or because he was tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils, which never seemed to work out anyway. Regardless of how, where, or when they decided to travel, trouble seemed to always find them, regardless of how much planning they did.

  Ben remembered when he used to hope they’d get lucky and have a good day of travel. He no longer clung to that pipe dream. He no longer allowed himself the luxury of hoping they could get from one campsite to the next without encountering some bad people and some bad places. It was easier that way, and he found some small comfort in the honesty of admitting that was just how things were.

  Joel stuck his arm out the window, indicating that he’d spotted the interstate exit ahead somewhere. They’d agreed to continue using the radios, but it was sometimes easier to point, especially when there was nothing else to say. Brad looked back at the Blazer before making himself a more comfortable spot against a pile of tents and sleeping bags. Ben lifted a couple of fingers off the wheel and smiled at his son. Brad pushed his wind-tossed hair out of his eyes and waved back.

  The back of the Scrambler wasn’t meant to be a permanent seating assignment for the kid, but he seemed happy with Gunner, Joel, and Allie. He certainly didn’t have much room back there with Gunner and the extra gear. But he was making the best of it. Ben might even dare to guess he was enjoying it on some level. All the kids were. Post-EMP life was a hard life, but the bonds formed in adversity were always the strongest. None of them had asked for this, but they were making the best of it.

  That being said, it still bothered Ben that the kids were being force-fed a life of struggle and hardship. Their circumstances were beyond Ben’s control, but that didn’t diminish the sense of loss he felt for them. This was summertime, and they were kids. They should have been hiking or fishing and hanging out with their friends.

  Instead, they were being subjected to a sampling of the desperate fools and nefarious thieves the world had to offer. The kids’ lives would never be the same, not after some of the things they’d been forced to do, but that was true for all of them.

  Ben followed Joel through the gradual arc of the exit ramp at a cautious pace but faster than usual. A recent fire had burned through the grassy areas surrounding the exit, and they could see the entirety of the cloverleaf-style transition to I-70.

  “It’s going to be another hot one today, isn’t it?” Sandy leaned forward and looked up toward the sky.

  “Yeah, I have to admit, I was hoping to see some rain.” Ben glanced out his window as they passed a minivan that had nearly been halved by a collision with a light pole. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before, except that the remains of the driver were partly visible and jutting out through a hole in the windshield.

  Ben glanced back at Emma, who had her nose buried in a book. Sandy looked like she wanted to say something about the horrendous scene, but she held her tongue. Ben shot her a tight-lipped smile and gave the Blazer a little more gas before Emma noticed the accident. She could handle it, but why should she have to see another ugly reminder of what their lives had become if he could prevent it?

  With the outskirts of St. Louis in the rearview mirror and a good chunk of I-70 under their belt, it was time to think about stopping for fuel. The Scrambler was down to a little over a quarter tank, and the Blazer was about the same. They did have the one five-gallon jerry can to fall back on, but they’d put off the stop long enough.

  Ben regretted not topping off the tanks before making camp last night. It was his own rule that they’d broken, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. But now that they were on the open road and finally making real progress, it felt like a shame to stop so soon.

  His reluctance to stop had nothing to do with the arduous task of fueling the trucks under the searing sun but with the vulnerability that came with it. If they wanted to get home, there was no choice in the matter, but that didn’t make Ben any less apprehensive about the process.

  “Come in,” Joel announced. “I see a truck stop coming up on the right. Over.”

  “Make the call. We’ll follow. Over.” Ben was leaving it up to his son. If it wasn’t this gas station, it would be another one just like it. And although they were in an area that wasn’t as sparsely populated as Ben would have liked, it wouldn’t be the worst place they’d stopped. Joel knew what to look for, and Ben trusted his judgment.

  The Jeep slowed and followed the long deceleration lane that led onto a service road and eventually into the Mr. Fuel Travel Center parking lot. The place had seen better days, but that was what Ben expected at these routine pit stops. Joel circled the charred remains of the convenience store and found the underground fuel tank fill caps without much searching.

  There wasn’t a lot in the immediate vicinity of the gas station, with the travel center and attached diner reduced to rubble and the remainder of the property backing up to a stand of woods. It was a better spot than Ben had thought it would be. Across the street, a few places were intact. The broken windows and open doors didn’t necessarily mean the buildings were empty, but they were far enough away that they didn’t worry him too much.

  “You guys go ahead and take care of the Jeep.” Ben pulled past the Scrambler and drove to the island of inoperable pumps, parking in the shade of the canopy. According to his watch, it was nearing eleven, and the day was shaping up to be another scorcher. Ben slid out of the Blazer, taking his M24 with him to the hood of the truck.

  Gingerly, he touched the sheet metal, expecting to get burned, but he was pleasantly surprised. The rubbery white coating of the heat shield was working. He placed both hands on the hood and looked at Sandy through the windshield with a smile.

  “It’s working. I wouldn’t have been able to do this yesterday.” Ben recognized that it wasn’t as hot yet as it was yesterday, but he could tell the thermal barrier was going to make a difference.

  Sandy felt the ceiling of the truck over the passenger seat and nodded. “It really does help.”

  Emma copied Sandy and felt the ceiling over the back seat, but she didn’t look quite as impressed as him or Sandy and went back to reading. Ben got behind the rifle and took advantage of the now-tolerable flat surface. They really should let the dogs out while they were stopped, but he wanted to make sure they were alone first.

  Ben scoped the highway behind them. Making sure they weren’t being followed would always be his biggest concern. There was nothing out there but the dead cars they’d passed over the last couple of miles. He spun around and focused his attention west. Nothing.

  “Emma, do you feel like letting the dogs out while we fuel? Maybe Brad or Joel can help you with Sam.”

  “Okay.” Emma blew out her answer with an uninterested sigh and didn’t bother looking away from her book. He sympathized with her lack of enthusiasm. It was going to be another sweltering day of driving without much to look forward to. The only reward for their effort would be crossing a couple hundred miles off the map, if they were lucky. If they weren’t lucky, well… Ben preferred not to think about that.

  If all went according to plan, today would be different than any other so far. Today, they should cross over the state line into Kansas, and that felt like a big deal to Ben. He couldn’t help himself anymore. His mind was constantly trying to work out how many miles they had left and how far they should be able to get before dark.

  Of course, he’d been doing that since the start of their journey, but the numbers were getting smaller and more encouraging with each passing day. For the first time since the start of this crazy road trip, they could count the remaining miles in hundreds instead of thousands. Granted, they still had just under a thousand miles to go, but their goal felt more attainable now than ever.

  There was no special formula for success on the road; they just needed to keep moving. Even on the bad days, they managed to make progress. Yesterday was one of the many examples of that. The important thing was consistency. That was what ate away at the miles separating them from their home.

  Kansas would be no walk in the park. At over four hundred miles wide, the great prairie state might prove to be the biggest challenge yet. Ben stared off at the heat-distorted horizon to their west and couldn’t help but wonder what challenges Kansas would throw at them. They were up for it, weren’t they?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  As soon as Joel was done filling up, he had Allie drive the Jeep over to the shade of the fuel island canopy and waved his dad over. He planned on helping his dad gas up the Blazer while Allie and Brad let Gunner out on the cooler blacktop.

  At least the paint was working. The three of them had been checking the canvas soft top all morning as the temperatures rose, and they were impressed with how much of a difference the white rubber-like coating had made. Both the Jeep and the Blazer were pretty ugly now. It hurt to plaster his Blazer with the white goop, but Joel decided it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as long as it helped them reach home.

  “Home” was a word that stopped meaning anything to Joel a couple of weeks ago. If anything, home was a place he was pretty sure they’d never see again. But here they were. At the end of the day, they’d be in Kansas, maybe? He’d heard his dad make generous predictions about their progress before. Joel didn’t blame him. After all, his dad was just trying to keep up everyone’s morale.

  Joel didn’t wait for his dad to get out of the truck before flipping open the gas cap on the Blazer and getting to work. His dad left Sandy, Emma, and the other two dogs back in the shaded area as well.

  “It’s okay. I’ll help him.” Joel stopped Sandy from advancing toward them any farther.

  “You sure?” Sandy stopped and held her hand up to block the sun.

  Joel smiled and waved her off. “Positive.”