Read Online Rolling Thunder - 03 by Dirk Patton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dirk Patton
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other, the metal so mangled that it was all but impossible to
tell where one vehicle ended and the other began. Bouncing over the concrete
median I slowly drove around it, moving under the cover of the freeway and out
of the rain. The sudden absence of what had become incessant pounding on the
sheet metal roof was almost a physical relief. The wipers finally caught up
with the rain and quickly started squeaking their way across the glass.
Glancing at the navigation screen I made a left, splashing
through several inches of water that had accumulated on the road. All too
quickly we left the protection of the freeway and the wipers stopped squeaking
as they were once again overwhelmed by the rain. Driving slowly down a wide
road I tried to watch for any threats but it was too dark and visibility was
only a dozen or so yards in the deluge. Driving between rows of gigantic, two
story warehouses we were making good time, but I wasn’t about to push our speed
and get us into trouble.
All of the warehouses had massive parking lots to
accommodate the 18 wheelers that routinely visited them and these lots were
surrounded with tall, sturdy chain link fencing. The truck’s headlights
spilled enough illumination to the side that I was able to see the fencing and
in many of the lots there were infected pressed up against the fence trying to
reach us. Rachel stared at them out of her window as we slowly passed, then
reached for the dash and turned on the heat to drive off a chill. I run hot by
nature and wasn’t chilly, but didn’t protest.
We had covered almost two miles and according to the
navigation system had less than six to go when the road forked at a river. We
needed to take the south fork, but the road had been barricaded with trailers
stacked five high. The barricade ran from the river bank to the brick wall of
a warehouse and it looked like whoever had built it had the time to do it
right.
Stopping the truck with a curse, I turned my attention to
the navigation screen, looking for a side road that might get us around the
barricade. There were plenty of smaller roads we had crossed since leaving the
freeway, but all of them dead ended on the screen. Not particularly good news.
I looked at the screen some more, trying to memorize the layout of streets we
needed to follow to get to the train station.
“We’re on foot from here, aren’t we?” Rachel asked, also
looking at the screen.
“Looks that way,” I answered in a distracted voice.
Breaking my attention from the screen I checked the clock. “We’ve got about
three and a half hours left to cover just under six miles.” I started to
finish that sentence with something upbeat and positive about how easy it was
going to be but bit back the thought for fear of jinxing us.
Gathering up our gear, we stepped out into the rain, both of
us soaked to the skin in moments. Dog stood next to me, looking absolutely
miserable, squinting his eyes against the falling water. After a moment he
shook and if I hadn’t already been drenched he would have corrected that
oversight. Closing the truck up tight I hit the lock button on the key before
pocketing it. I didn’t really expect to ever see it again, but if we couldn’t
make it to the train we would fall back to the truck to head west.
Raising my rifle I looked through the night vision scope and
scanned a 360 degree circle. I didn’t see any immediate threats, but then
night vision doesn’t let you see any further through the rain than normal
vision. Rachel had moved over to stand next to me and Dog, and after I
finished a second scan of the area I led the way towards the river. My hope
was that the barricade didn’t go far into the water and we could wade around
the end of it, or at the worst swim, but as we approached I had to discard that
idea.
From the edge of the pavement to the river was a 40 yard
swath of grass and as soon as I stepped off the pavement my
tell where one vehicle ended and the other began. Bouncing over the concrete
median I slowly drove around it, moving under the cover of the freeway and out
of the rain. The sudden absence of what had become incessant pounding on the
sheet metal roof was almost a physical relief. The wipers finally caught up
with the rain and quickly started squeaking their way across the glass.
Glancing at the navigation screen I made a left, splashing
through several inches of water that had accumulated on the road. All too
quickly we left the protection of the freeway and the wipers stopped squeaking
as they were once again overwhelmed by the rain. Driving slowly down a wide
road I tried to watch for any threats but it was too dark and visibility was
only a dozen or so yards in the deluge. Driving between rows of gigantic, two
story warehouses we were making good time, but I wasn’t about to push our speed
and get us into trouble.
All of the warehouses had massive parking lots to
accommodate the 18 wheelers that routinely visited them and these lots were
surrounded with tall, sturdy chain link fencing. The truck’s headlights
spilled enough illumination to the side that I was able to see the fencing and
in many of the lots there were infected pressed up against the fence trying to
reach us. Rachel stared at them out of her window as we slowly passed, then
reached for the dash and turned on the heat to drive off a chill. I run hot by
nature and wasn’t chilly, but didn’t protest.
We had covered almost two miles and according to the
navigation system had less than six to go when the road forked at a river. We
needed to take the south fork, but the road had been barricaded with trailers
stacked five high. The barricade ran from the river bank to the brick wall of
a warehouse and it looked like whoever had built it had the time to do it
right.
Stopping the truck with a curse, I turned my attention to
the navigation screen, looking for a side road that might get us around the
barricade. There were plenty of smaller roads we had crossed since leaving the
freeway, but all of them dead ended on the screen. Not particularly good news.
I looked at the screen some more, trying to memorize the layout of streets we
needed to follow to get to the train station.
“We’re on foot from here, aren’t we?” Rachel asked, also
looking at the screen.
“Looks that way,” I answered in a distracted voice.
Breaking my attention from the screen I checked the clock. “We’ve got about
three and a half hours left to cover just under six miles.” I started to
finish that sentence with something upbeat and positive about how easy it was
going to be but bit back the thought for fear of jinxing us.
Gathering up our gear, we stepped out into the rain, both of
us soaked to the skin in moments. Dog stood next to me, looking absolutely
miserable, squinting his eyes against the falling water. After a moment he
shook and if I hadn’t already been drenched he would have corrected that
oversight. Closing the truck up tight I hit the lock button on the key before
pocketing it. I didn’t really expect to ever see it again, but if we couldn’t
make it to the train we would fall back to the truck to head west.
Raising my rifle I looked through the night vision scope and
scanned a 360 degree circle. I didn’t see any immediate threats, but then
night vision doesn’t let you see any further through the rain than normal
vision. Rachel had moved over to stand next to me and Dog, and after I
finished a second scan of the area I led the way towards the river. My hope
was that the barricade didn’t go far into the water and we could wade around
the end of it, or at the worst swim, but as we approached I had to discard that
idea.
From the edge of the pavement to the river was a 40 yard
swath of grass and as soon as I stepped off the pavement my
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