“How much longer until we change roads?” Sandy asked.

  “No more than an hour, I hope.” Ben figured a little less, actually. They certainly weren’t stopping for gas anymore, not until they passed Akron and left the interstate. Everyone had enough fuel to make it that far. At least he hoped they did. He hated cutting it this close, but the Scout was still in good shape. He knew so because he’d worked out a system with Martin. When Ben flashed his lights, Martin would hold up a finger for every quarter tank of gas he had left. Last he checked, the report came back with two fingers—half a tank.

  Sandy was restless in her seat, constantly checking behind them. Apparently, “an hour” wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Ben was concerned as well, but he’d resolved himself to the fact that the best they could do was get the drive over with.

  “Dad, so what are we doing? Should I just keep going? Over.”

  Ben had expected a call from Joel, especially after they’d all seen the RV. Not the way he and Sandy had, but that didn’t matter. The graffiti on the side of the Winnebago only highlighted what was front and center in everybody’s mind.

  “Yeah, I say we keep going. The longer we’re on this road, the better our chance of running into these guys. Make for 224 like you mean it. We’ll keep up. Over.” Ben usually wasn’t a fan of pushing the limits on the highway, but this was an exception.

  Chapter Five

  Progress was steady on the interstate, but not fast enough to stifle Ben’s anxiety or calm Sandy’s nerves. It wasn’t that he didn’t have concerns about crossing paths with the Patriot Hooligans, but he had other things on his mind. He’d never been to Akron, Ohio, and wasn’t sure how big of a threat it would present or how close to undesirable areas the interstate would carry them as they passed through.

  Thinking back to what happened in Emlenton was reason enough for his concern. That place was a blip on the map compared to Akron, and they were almost overtaken by a mob there. Granted, that was mostly because of Martin and the confined space of the street. But that didn’t make him feel any better about driving through any urban areas. Unfortunately, there was no time to go around today.

  There could be… No, who was he kidding? There would be more mobs of people looking for food and water. Those who had survived this long had done so because they had figured out how to survive by any means necessary. And those means were evident, based on what they’d seen since leaving Maryland. He always knew societal decay was going to get really bad at some point, and he was afraid that time had come.

  “Come in, Dad. We’ve got people coming up on our right. Small group. Over.”

  “Stay as far away from them as you can and keep moving. Fast but safe. Over.” Ben wasn’t ready for this to start yet, but he didn’t imagine any of them were.

  “You see anything?” Ben asked Sandy.

  “Nothing yet.” She sat up. “No, wait. There they are.”

  Ben strained to see through the Scout but couldn’t make out much. Only once the line of vehicles in front of them began to move left did he catch his first glimpse of the small group along the shoulder. There were seven of them altogether. None were any more distinguishable than the other, outside of being male or female, shorter or taller. Most were holding a piece of clothing over their heads in an effort to hide from the sun. The man at the beginning of the procession stood out from the others. He was using a large piece of cardboard to shade his mostly bald head. Just the sight of the disheveled group made Ben hotter than he already was.

  He wondered if it was a family or a group of strangers whose lives had become entangled due to circumstances beyond their control, much like Ben and his crew. The man with the cardboard could have been the father. His posture suggested he was someone experienced with carrying the burden of responsibility. They seemed harmless enough and physically incapable of causing their passing vehicles any trouble. There was always the chance one of them was carrying a weapon, but it seemed unlikely. Their clothes, battered and dirty, hung loosely off their bodies, and their faces were covered in dust and grime. These people deserved to be pitied, not feared.

  The two-lane highway only allowed enough room for their convoy to pass a single lane away from the walkers. Otherwise, the trucks would have to drive through waist-high grass and who knew what else. At the closest point, the man up front dropped his cardboard and held it like a cue card for them to read.

  OKLAHOMA. The letters had been scratched out roughly with what looked like soot. Ben felt for them, but they couldn’t stop. The man holding the sign had a look on his face that indicated he knew that, too. The group paused on the shoulder of the road, motionless, only their heads turning as they watched Ben and the others pass by.

  Ben looked away quickly. It was easier that way, but not making eye contact with the strangers didn’t improve the way he felt about turning his back on them. Not that they had a choice in the matter. Telling himself it was necessary to survive made it go down a little easier but still left a bad taste in his mouth. They couldn’t help seven people. Not enough to make a difference in their lives for more than a day or so. And even that would have come at a cost he wasn’t willing to pay.

  Ben half expected Joel to ask if they were going to stop or try to help in any way. But he didn’t. Joel was becoming hardened to the cruelties of this world faster than Ben was comfortable with. It was a necessary skill, but that gave him little comfort while he watched his oldest lose the last of his innocence to all this. Then again, that might have happened a while ago.

  As they entered the densest area of Akron, Ben was glad to see that the buffer between the interstate and the clusters of residential communities had expanded. They could still see what was at one time the sprawling suburbs of Akron, but only in glimpses through the half-dead trees and sections of interstate privacy walls.

  Here and there, the occasional person wandered the mostly barren streets, but so far, Ben’s fears had been unwarranted. He still hadn’t changed his mind about stopping for fuel until after Akron. The people they saw didn’t pay them much mind, but he was sure that would all change if they stopped the vehicles.

  Before they knew it, Akron was fading from view. They’d made it through without a hiccup, as hard as that was to believe. The last person they saw was a woman pushing a shopping cart loaded with what looked like trash. She showed about as much interest in them as the first group they encountered. Just an empty stare and a forlorn look. It was obvious that the people here had given up hope.

  Ben was at least encouraged to see that none of the people they’d encountered had any blisters or missing hair like in the last couple of places they’d been. Hopefully, that was an indication they were finally far enough outside the radioactive fallout from the Pittsburgh detonation. He wondered how many other places along their route now mostly comprised the sick and dying.

  On the way east, it had been too early to see the effects of radiation poisoning. That wouldn’t be the case heading back, as they’d already witnessed. Indianapolis came to mind; after talking with Vince and his son Cy, Ben knew it had been hit hard. The two of them were lucky to have escaped the city alive on the morning of the EMPs. The total devastation and destruction they reported seeing was enough to convince Ben to pass well outside the city limits, but the fallout was something he hadn’t considered at the time.

  His growing concern with how much radiation they had been exposed to already was hard to ignore. He really hadn’t given it much thought until they ventured too close to Pittsburgh on their way to Maryland. Ever since then, staying clear of any potential hot zones had been a priority, although that had proven to be equally as dangerous. Taking the long way around Pittsburgh had nearly gotten them all killed on more than one occasion.

  He was also starting to wonder if Emma’s condition was due to a weakened immune system caused by radiation exposure. That was one of the side effects of overexposure, as he recalled. She was also the smallest of the group, and it would make sense for her to show symptoms first. The cut on her foot had only sped up the process. He couldn’t help but wonder who would start to feel bad next. For all they knew, they could have been camping on poisoned ground any one of the many nights they slept outside.

  But their exposure to radiation was just one of the many things they had no control over, and they had no way of knowing for sure whether any of the actions they took were helping. Maybe it was best that they were going to Rita’s daughter’s place. If they were preppers, there was a good chance they would have iodine pills on hand. It had also been over two weeks since the EMPs hit, and as with most other things, there were no guarantees when it came to supplies. As much as Ben wanted to have faith in Rita’s plan, he was having a hard time believing that her daughter would still have anything left.

  “Come in. The exit for 224 is coming up in a couple miles. Over,” Joel reported over the radio. The sound of his voice brought Ben back to the present. Between the heat and the hum of the tires, it was easy to get lost in thought. But he welcomed the interruption this time. He could use a little good news, and although the new road might be slower, he was optimistic it would be safer.

  “Finally.” Sandy forced a smile.

  Ben nodded in agreement before picking up the radio.

  “Roger that. We’ll start looking for a place to get gas after we exit the interstate. Over.” Ben was anxious. As far as he was concerned, the exit couldn’t come fast enough. That didn’t mean he would stop checking the rearview mirror more than he needed to, only that he had more confidence he wouldn’t find the Patriot Hooligans bearing down on them from out of nowhere.

  As the Scout slowed and moved into the far-right lane, Ben strained to get a glimpse of the new road. To his disappointment, 224 looked no different than the interstate they were leaving. The four-lane highway was also split down the middle by a brown, overgrown, grass-covered median.

  “So much for back roads.” Sandy looked disappointed. He was, too, but in his opinion, swapping one major roadway for another was bittersweet. The risk of running into the Patriot Hooligans or someone else remained, but at least they could continue making good time to Fort Wayne.

  “I guess the road atlas is a little dated.” Ben eyed the new road from the higher elevation of the on-ramp and followed the convoy of vehicles around the tight circle. After only a few minutes of driving, he came to the realization they wouldn’t be coming across any smaller mom-and-pop type of gas station on this road, either. They might as well stop at the next decent-looking place that allowed an open view of the road.

  Ben checked back on Emma; she was moving around for the first time in a while. Bajer took the opportunity to find a new spot on the seat, closer to Sandy, an obvious attempt to solicit a few head rubs. Sandy looked more than happy to take the bait.

  “Hey there. Yes, you’re a good girl, aren’t you?” The attention Bajer was getting caused Sam to take interest, and the opening on the bench seat was too much to resist. Sam got up from her nest among the gear and slid over the back of the rear seat, trying to get in on the scratches.

  “Come on, Sam.” Ben tried to convince the dog to make her way all the way onto the seat. Her current position made it nearly impossible to see behind them, and it looked like she was settling into the awkward spot.

  “Come on, girl.” Sandy tried to coax her the rest of the way, and after a while, she succeeded. Ben glanced behind them and felt his blood run cold. Sandy looked at him and stopped smiling at the dogs.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Ben didn’t answer right away, though. He thought the heat radiating off the blacktop was playing tricks on his eyes for a moment, but it wasn’t. There really was another car on the road behind them.

  Chapter Six

  Ben was reluctant to say it out loud because then it would be real, but it made no difference, and he knew it.

  “There’s a car behind us.” Ben kept one eye on the Scout and the other on the car in the mirror. It was a long way back, but if they could see the car, then it could see them. His first thought was of the armored Mustang that had given them trouble yesterday. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? There was no way those looters had tracked them this far, at least not without help.

  “What do we do now?” Sandy stared behind them.

  “I need to let Joel know what’s going on. Then we’re gonna drop back a bit from the others and feel them out.” Ben hesitated to contact Joel for the time being. He was trying to determine if the other vehicle was gaining on them or not before he jumped to any conclusions. At this distance, it was hard to tell what the pursuers’ intentions were, let alone who it was. The heat radiating off the surface of the asphalt obscured the vehicle beyond recognition. He’d been certain it was a car of some sort, but now it looked more like a truck. The longer he stared, the more it morphed into whatever his imagination could come up with. Worst-case scenario, it was one of the Patriot Hooligan gang. If they had a way of communicating with the other gang members, Ben and the others could be in real trouble.

  Ben maintained a constant speed in an effort to gauge the mystery vehicle’s advance. Sandy shifted restlessly in her seat, her attention oscillating between them and the others in the pursuing vehicle. They rode like this for more than a few miles in total silence, Ben constantly glancing back in the mirror. He still couldn’t determine whether they were being followed or chased. The vehicle looked to be approximately the same distance from them as when he first saw it. Every time the elevation changed, he lost sight of the vehicle for a few moments as it disappeared into the shimmering mirages obscuring the road behind them. Each time that happened, he expected it to reappear closer than before. But it didn’t.

  His gut told him they were being followed, and his intuition about these types of things was seldom wrong. There was a chance it was just a random coincidence and nothing more than another car traveling in the same direction. Either way, the situation was unnerving. Whatever the unknown pursuers’ intentions, he almost wished they would get on with it and make their move. It was time to let Joel know what was going on, as much as he could, anyway. They needed fuel, car or no car.

  “Come in, Joel. I’ve got somebody a couple miles back or so. They aren’t gaining on us for now, but I’m going to drop back and keep an eye on them. It might not be anything to worry about. Keep looking for a fuel stop. We’re gonna need to do that real soon, regardless. Over.”

  “Do you need us to help out? Over.”

  “Negative. Just get word to Allie and let her know the situation. I’ll take care of Martin. Over.” Ben sped up without waiting for Joel’s response and pulled to the left of the Scout. When they were close enough, Sandy yelled over to Martin, telling him to go on ahead and they would catch up. Martin looked confused but didn’t ask any questions. Ben didn’t really give him a chance before dropping back into place behind the Scout. He and Sandy watched as the convoy pulled away at a much steadier pace than before. It was a strange sight, one that made Ben uneasy. Nevertheless, he continued letting the Blazer coast for a while until the speedometer hovered just above thirty miles per hour. They’d find out real fast what the deal was with the unknown vehicle, and whether they were being followed or chased would become obvious soon enough.

  Emma was sitting partway up in the seat now and looking out the back. “Who is it?”

  “It could be some other people traveling, like us,” Sandy reasoned. The fact that she was gathering magazines for the AR indicated she believed otherwise.

  “Nothing to worry about yet, but if they start getting closer, I’m going to need you to stay down again, okay?” Ben felt like a broken record, warning his daughter that she might need to take cover again. He was encouraged, though, when he saw Sandy taking proactive measures on her own. Not because he wanted another confrontation by any means but because she was starting to think in terms of self-preservation without being prompted. The woman who not long ago was reluctant to fire a weapon was now comfortable organizing magazines and preparing for a possible firefight. And as she’d proven before, she was willing to do whatever was necessary, including kill.

  Sandy looked up from the pile of magazines in her lap. “Any change?”

  “Not that I can see.” Ben reduced the Blazer’s speed to a frustratingly slow twenty miles per hour. Fortunately, the highway was wide open here. There wasn’t a wreck in sight, and that allowed the others to get ahead of the Blazer by a significant amount in no time at all. It was unsettling to watch the others pull away, but this was the best way to test their possible pursuer without putting the others at risk. So far, there was no discernible change in distance between them and the mystery car. It was still just a wavy image that looked more like a mirage than a real vehicle.

  This went on for almost another fifteen minutes without any change. The Scout was a distant blur now, about as visible as the vehicle behind them. Ben increased their speed slightly, not wanting to risk slipping out of radio range. It felt strange to be alone on the road for a change. Although they weren’t really alone, at this distance from the others, it sure seemed like it. He didn’t like it one bit, but it was necessary if they were going to play interference again. Ben’s only regret was not having Emma ride in one of the other vehicles.

  The Toyota was too small to hold anyone else but Allie and Rita. The Jeep was packed full of gear and people as well, not to mention Gunner. Besides, there wasn’t even a real back seat in the old Scrambler, and Ben had already added enough gray hairs to his growing collection by worrying about Bradley riding back there. As far as the Scout was concerned, well, that was out of the question. He trusted Martin as much as he could trust someone he’d only known for a couple of days, but not enough to let his daughter ride with him. Especially not after today’s display of incompetence behind the wheel, followed by his mini breakdown. Ben had no idea how mentally stable the guy was. He was beginning to think that Martin wasn’t handling the stresses of his new life as well as he originally thought. Hopefully, that wouldn’t turn into a bigger problem for all of them.