“What are we going to do about gas?” Sandy eyed the fuel gauge.

  “We’re going to have to stop. Maybe they’ll pass us by,” Ben answered. But he didn’t think the car would pass them, and at this point, he was sure they were being followed. Was it a scout car for the Patriot Hooligans, biding its time and keeping tabs on them until reinforcements arrived? That was his biggest fear, although he kept that to himself for now. He was sure the others had their own ideas about what the strange car was up to.

  Joel continued checking in, requesting updates every ten minutes or so. Ben normally wouldn’t have wanted him using the radio that much, but considering the current situation, he thought it was actually a good thing. If nothing else, Joel’s frequent check-ins ensured the radios were still within range. The range on the small two-ways should have been several miles, but ever since the EMPs, the distance over which they could communicate had been substantially reduced, along with Ben’s confidence in the equipment.

  Finally, the call came in, and Joel announced they were approaching a gas station. Ben gave him the go-ahead to pull in and check the place out. Unfortunately, everything they needed to fuel up the vehicles was with them in the Blazer. A small detail he’d forgotten about until now. He picked up speed and began to close the distance he’d purposely put between them and the others. The mystery vehicle did the same, at least from what he could tell.

  They were going to stop for gas; they had no choice in the matter. And to some extent, Ben was relieved and thought that doing so would force the hand of their pursuers. Would they pass by or would they pull into the gas station and confront him and the others? They would find out soon enough.

  As Ben entered the deceleration lane and let the Blazer coast into the pilot station, he kept one eye on the rearview mirror. The Jeep was already parked at the far corner of the lot, with the Toyota and Scout close by. Joel and Allie were out of their vehicles, and as Ben pulled in, Joel flagged him over to where they were parked.

  This pilot station was in worse shape than some of the others they had stopped at. Not only had it been destroyed by fire, but the skeleton of an eighteen-wheeler sat where the convenience store once existed. The truck must have been pulling into the diesel pumps when the EMPs hit, causing the driver to lose control and plow through the side of the building.

  “You have all the stuff.” Joel shrugged as Ben put the Blazer in park.

  “I know, I know.” Ben left the truck running and jumped out, not bothering to close the driver’s side door. “Help me get the gear unloaded so I can pull back out front and keep an eye on this guy.”

  Allie glanced at the road. “Who do you think it is? Do you think it’s the same people from before? The Mustang?”

  “I don’t know, but whoever it is, they’re keeping their distance so far.” Ben undid the straps on the jerry cans and yanked them off the back of the truck as Martin joined them and helped Joel unpack the hose and hand pump. Sam and Bajer both whined from inside the Blazer, begging with their eyes as best as they could to be released from the truck. They needed to go to the bathroom, and as much as Ben didn’t want this turning into a major production, he knew it was a better option than having to stop again somewhere else down the road.

  “Brad, do you think you can handle the dogs?”

  Brad nodded.

  “Let them do their thing and then get them loaded back up right away,” Ben added.

  “Yeah, I can do that.” Brad slid over the side of the Jeep, using the back tire to lower himself to the ground. Gunner was quick to join him and used far less caution, launching himself out of the back. The other dogs, not wanting to be left out, gave in to their enthusiasm and leaped from the Blazer without waiting for permission.

  Brad got on the tips of his toes and reached back into the Jeep to grab his shotgun before running after the pack of dogs. Ben watched as his youngest chased after the dogs, who ran toward the rear of the property, where the brown, dry woods extended right up to the blacktop. With the trees missing most of their canopy, there wasn’t much shade here, and Ben felt the heat rising through his boots the moment he set foot outside the truck.

  “Don’t let them go too far. We aren’t staying here long,” Ben shouted. He was worried about Brad being out of sight and off on his own but happy to see that he had remembered to take his weapon. If only Martin were that astute, although Ben couldn’t really complain about the guy right now. He’d jumped right in and helped Joel and Allie with the fueling without being prompted.

  Ben reached into the Blazer to retrieve his M24. “Hang in there, Em. We’ll be back on the road in no time.”

  “I’m fine,” Emma mumbled. The sleeping bag lay on the floor of the truck now as she fanned herself with a sketch pad. Sitting still like this in the direct sun made the inside of the truck feel like an oven. He would have suggested she get out and stretch her legs if he thought she was up for it. He didn’t, though; he could tell by the look on her face. He’d leave the truck here and walk up to the entrance. There was even less shade up there, and Emma was already soaked with sweat.

  “Make sure you drink plenty of water,” he reminded her as he turned the truck off and closed the door. There was nothing else he could do for her, other than double-time it to a position where he could see the approaching vehicle. They had to be close now, but he had no way of knowing from here. His view of the highway was obscured by a row of abandoned trucks parked at the far corner of the lot.

  Sandy approached, AR-15 slung over her shoulder. “What can I do?”

  “Help them and be ready to move the Blazer into place when it’s our turn to fuel up. I need to get somewhere I can keep an eye on that car.” Ben didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he turned and started for the road. It had already taken him longer than he planned to check in on the mystery vehicle. He half expected to see the car closing in on them as he found a small sliver of shade behind an advertisement for ice-cold slushies.

  Getting behind the rifle and into position, he didn’t waste any time scanning the highway until he found the car. It was no closer than it had ever been. In fact, it looked like it wasn’t moving at all now. He still couldn’t tell what or who was following them; the heat distorted the image in his scope, making it impossible to discern any details, although his guess was a late-model car. Ben couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He was sure the stress it was causing him far outweighed the danger of dealing with whoever was following them.

  A trickle of sweat ran down his face and he reached for the rag in his back pocket but froze. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized the sound of a revolver’s hammer being drawn back and clicked into place.

  “Don’t move, or you’re a dead man.”

  Chapter Seven

  “I mean it. I’ll shoot you,” a weak but believable voice assured him. Ben pushed his arms out and away from his rifle, placing his hands palm-down on the ground. He didn’t want to give this guy any reason to shoot. Footsteps in the dry grass materialized into a pair of well-worn work boots only a few feet from his face, where they stopped in a cloud of dust.

  “Now get up, real slow,” the voice instructed.

  Ben pushed himself up and brought his legs under him before daring to look at his captor. His eyes traveled over the dirty and torn jeans to an equally ragged T-shirt until he locked eyes with a man who couldn’t have been more than thirty years old. His crooked and stained ball cap matched the uneven, yellow teeth protruding from his mouth. Ben glanced at the gun and checked if the open-chambered revolver was actually loaded. It was.

  “Take it easy there, friend.” Ben held his hands out but not up. He still had his 9mm concealed in the small of his back. Surprisingly, the man hadn’t noticed, even though he must have had a good view of the gun while approaching from behind.

  “I ain’t your friend.” The gun shook as the man spoke, and it took both of his hands to hold the large-caliber pistol steady. Ben took a few steps back in an effort to defuse the situation, but it only made things worse.

  “Stop moving.” The man pushed the gun toward Ben as he spoke. He seemed undecided as to what he should do next. The guy obviously hadn’t given this any thought beyond pointing the gun at Ben and apprehending him. Ben glanced over his shoulder to see if he was visible to the others, but he wasn’t. Moving out past the row of parked trucks so he could see down the road probably hadn’t been the best idea.

  “Turn around and start walking to your friends. Try anything and I’ll blow a hole in your back.” The guy lacked confidence, and Ben figured he was doing his best to sound tough, but that was no reason to doubt he would pull the trigger. With the way he was shaking, Ben was worried he might fire the gun by accident. The car following them suddenly seemed like an insignificant problem.

  Slowly moving one foot in front of the other, Ben began to shuffle toward the others.

  “Keep your hands up and don’t try nothin’. I mean it.”

  Ben was disappointed in himself for getting into this situation. How did this guy sneak up on him? He was so focused on the mystery vehicle he’d neglected to cover the basics and make sure the area was clear. Joel and the others circled the place and gave it their blessing, but this guy must have been hiding somewhere close by. Maybe he lived around here somewhere. Ben eyed the row of semis. The bright red Kenworth closest to him had a large sleeper cab, as did most of the others. Maybe this guy was living here. By the looks of him, Ben figured he wasn’t doing that well, but he was healthier than a lot of the other people he’d seen. And all that really mattered right now was that he was strong enough to pull the trigger.

  Ben’s mind raced, a whirlwind of thoughts ranging from how to deal with his current situation to his kids having to forge on to Colorado without him. He did his best to remain calm but felt waves of anger welling up in his chest. The man’s threats weren’t just a danger to Ben but to his kids as well. And even though he was the one with a gun at his back, he was more concerned about his children’s safety and how they would survive without him.

  He was careful to keep his hands out at his sides but not up in the air. He pictured himself going for the 9mm, but it was a death sentence as long as the gun was trained on him at this range; it was a small miracle the guy hadn’t spotted the concealed Glock already. Ben did his best to walk in a way that would let his T-shirt hang loosely over the small of his back.

  He needed a distraction, and he needed one fast. They would be at the other vehicles soon. He could see Joel cranking away at the pump handle while Martin carried one of the jerry cans to the back of the Blazer. Allie was busy keeping the end of the hose steady in the Toyota’s tank while her mother helped Rita and Carlos adjust the tarp in the back of the pickup. They were all oblivious to what was headed their way. Ben had made it perfectly clear he didn’t want to be here long.

  He also couldn’t blame them because he was supposed to be out front, keeping an eye on things so they didn’t have to. They were all just doing what had to be done, like he had asked. The only one missing was Brad. He’d be returning with the dogs any second now. Ben wasn’t sure how that would play out, but it might be the distraction he needed to make his move. Or it might escalate the situation and cause the man with the gun to panic. Two eighty-plus-pound dogs and a pit bull charging at the man wouldn’t do anything to calm anyone’s nerves.

  Less than twenty yards out, Ben began to wonder if he shouldn’t have tried something sooner. But the guy was too far back for Ben to spin around and make a grab for the gun. At least he thought so, based on the sound of the guy’s footsteps; it was hard to tell how close he was following.

  Martin was the first one to notice their approach as he stopped to wipe the sweat from his face and looked in Ben’s direction. The look on his face was one of confusion at first, until he realized what was happening.

  “Guys… guys!” Martin took a few steps back toward the Scout. Ben no longer heard the guy behind him and slowly turned his head, then the rest of his body.

  “Don’t try anything, any of you.” The gunman stopped a few yards past the parked Blazer and waved his pistol back and forth, focusing on each of them for a second or two. Ben noticed Sandy’s AR-15 leaning against the Blazer. No one else had their weapon on them, as far as he could tell.

  “Everybody, move out where I can see you better. You behind the truck, out here.” The man pointed at Sandy with the pistol and motioned for her to come around from the other side of the Toyota. Sandy obeyed the order and slowly joined the others. Ben could tell the guy was in over his head and hadn’t thought this through. His eyes darted from one vehicle to the next between nervous glances at his new hostages.

  He backpedaled to the Blazer and peeked in through the back window. Ben held his breath. The guy only looked briefly and thankfully hadn’t seen Emma. Taking a few steps forward, he aimed the gun at Ben’s head.

  “Which one of these has a full tank?”

  Nobody said a thing at first.

  “The Toyota is almost full,” Allie offered.

  “Where are the keys? Give ’em to me now!” He moved the muzzle in Allie’s direction. Just then, Bajer ran out of the woods, followed by Brad and Sam a few seconds later. Brad froze in his tracks as soon as he saw what was going on. Sam’s hackles went up and she let out a few low growls but stayed by Brad’s side.

  “Drop the gun, kid.” The man swung his pistol in Brad’s direction while keeping one eye on the others. “And keep those dogs under control unless you want ’em dead.”

  Brad lowered the shotgun to the ground by its sling and took hold of Sam’s collar while Bajer ran and hid behind Ben and the others, who were now standing in a small group near the Scout. Where was Gunner? Ben scanned the wood line along the parking lot, trying to catch a glimpse of brown fur. In the process, he locked eyes with Brad for a second and saw the fear on his son’s face.

  “Keys, now!” the man yelled as he brandished the revolver in Allie’s direction. She began to reach for her pocket when Ben heard the crunch of dry leaves. Gunner burst out of the woods from behind a half-dead thicket of brush and sprinted toward the man. This wasn’t going to end well. There was too much ground to cover. Gunner wasn’t going to make it in time.

  “Hey!” the man shouted as he turned toward the explosion of dry underbrush.

  Boom!

  The large revolver jumped in his hand as he struggled to control it. Due to his unsteady aim or the fact that he’d panicked and squeezed the trigger prematurely, the bullet landed several feet in front of Gunner and ricocheted off the pavement with a zing. A small crater erupted from the blacktop, showering Gunner with pieces of the asphalt. Gunner had narrowly avoided being struck, but it was enough to convince him to change course, and he disappeared into the woods once more.

  It was now or never. The guy was visibly shaken by the charge, and Ben reached for his Glock.

  Boom!

  A second shot echoed through the near-leafless forest, but it wasn’t Ben. The man stood motionless for a few seconds. He was still holding the gun, but it was pointed at the ground. Ben checked on Brad first, then looked the rest of the group over, afraid the guy had somehow managed to shoot again, but everyone was fine. He turned his attention back to the gunman and watched a large crimson stain rapidly expanding out from the middle of his dirty gray T-shirt. Wide-eyed, he looked down at his wound before dropping the revolver to the ground. He soon followed, collapsing on the pavement beside it.

  Behind the body, leaning against the Blazer for support, was Emma. She held Joel’s 20-gauge Weatherby loosely in her hands, smoke still rolling out from the end of the barrel. Ben couldn’t believe what he was seeing. She looked like a ghost standing there, pale and fragile. Ben ran to her, kicking the gunman’s revolver away from the body. He took the shotgun as she fell into him, sobbing. He pulled his daughter in and held her close. She was burning up with a fever, and it felt like she could burst into flames right there in his arms.

  Suddenly, they were surrounded by the others.

  “You saved us, Em.” Joel was the first to encourage his sister. Ben picked her up and handed the shotgun to the closest person. He carried her over to the passenger’s seat and set her down.

  “Are you okay?” He parted her hair so he could get a good look at her face. She didn’t answer but nodded slowly.

  “It’s okay. Breathe.” Ben could see that she wasn’t all right. “I’m so proud of you, honey. You saved our lives.”

  Emma began to take big, choppy breaths as she gathered herself. Ben glanced back to ask Joel about the fuel situation and find out how soon they could get out of here, but he was gone. Martin would do.

  “Martin, what do we have left to fuel?”

  “Just the Scout and the Blazer, I think.”

  “Yeah, just those two,” Allie confirmed, but her attention was on something else. Ben glanced over his shoulder and saw Joel dragging the body into the woods. Sandy dug through the first aid kit and produced a couple pills for Emma to take.

  “She’s due anyway. It will help with the fever.” Sandy held out her hand. Emma took the medicine and washed it down with as much water as Ben could talk her into drinking before he helped her into the back of the Blazer.

  “We’ll be on our way in a few minutes. We’re gonna get you help soon, I promise.” Ben backed his way out of the Blazer.

  “Will you—”

  Sandy didn’t let him finish. “I’ll stay with her.” She had a wet towel, ready to apply it to Emma’s forehead as she slipped into the passenger’s seat, facing backward.