reopen. No more gas! Then I saw Tom and Louise pulled over across the street from the last one, all loaded up and leaving. Tom was shaking his head while filling his tank from a gas can. A bunch of people were eyeballing him like vultures. I stopped and begged a small pour from him, being as I was on fumes. You know what? He wasn’t going to give me any! Until Louise made him. But we have no gas now! Oh honey, what are we going to do?”
“My car’s filled,” Harold said. “Plenty enough for us to make it, assuming the roads stay open. But I have 4-wheel drive, too, so we can go off-road in places if we need to.”
Jenny reacted with a confused look and glanced back and forth between them several times.
“What have you guys been talking about? Go where?”
Clint said “Jakes” at the same time Harold said, “Your cabin.” That made Clint chuckle. He hoped it would calm Jenny down some.
It didn’t. “You really think we should escape the city?” she said. “Has it come to that?”
“Maybe. What’s left here, honey? Closed businesses, no more gas, and now the government bread lines are even failing. You know we can survive at Jakes, or even at our cabin. Lots of good hunting in that area, plus the food Jake and I already have growing. We can wait this out down there and come back when things return to normal.”
Jenny didn’t take a whole lot more convincing. Three hours later they had Harold’s 1995 Subaru wagon fully loaded, including three mountain bikes latched onto the rear rack. Jenny went back to the house to lock up while Harold checked one of his guns.
“Did you catch any of the news while you were packing?” Harold asked.
“No, too busy. Hey, that’s a shotgun. You said small arms only, plus one good rifle.”
“This might be useful.” Harold closed the gun case and stowed it away, along with a tackle-box size case of shells.
“Maybe you’re right. Lots of quail in the Springfield area. Good thinking bringing all that birdshot.”
“Half of those are slugs.” He closed the rear hatch.
“Oh. Bear protection, huh? Well, there’s big bucks and even an occasional elk down there, too.”
Harold raised one eyebrow and gave Clint a look that made him feel stupid for some reason.
“Right,” Harold said. “Are we ready?”
Clint turned around. Jenny was now in the street jingling her set of house keys. She kept stopping and looking back. Finally she came over and unceremoniously climbed in the Subaru, into the only rear seat still available. Clint took the front passenger seat.
Harold drove them out of the townhome complex towards the nearest I-25 onramp. Harold was right—the streets of Denver were fast becoming something right out of an apocalyptic movie. Clint regretted letting Jenny go out alone earlier, and was suddenly glad to be leaving. The more he saw, the gladder he became.
“According to the news, there still hasn’t been any outbreak in any of the Great Plains states,” Jenny said from the back seat. “But Chicago is getting bad. They’re relatively close to us, and they just passed ten thousand deaths. They’re worried they’ll be like the big cities on the east and west coasts in a matter of days.”
“All the plains states are quarantined,” Harold said as he maneuvered around two abandoned cars on the highway onramp. “It’s hard to cross state lines now, and extremely difficult to get into the Great Plains. Not impossible, but difficult. Thank God we don’t have to. Reminds me of the plague in the middle ages.”
Clint reached back and grabbed ahold of Jenny’s hand. “You know what the worst part about all this is?” he said.
“Not knowing if our house will be safe?”
“No. Having to admit to Jake he was right.”
Chapter Six
Congressman Wade Bennett held the .22 rifle to his shoulder and took careful aim. It wasn’t much of a gun to protect your house from robbers with, but Wade was a good shot. He took his
“My car’s filled,” Harold said. “Plenty enough for us to make it, assuming the roads stay open. But I have 4-wheel drive, too, so we can go off-road in places if we need to.”
Jenny reacted with a confused look and glanced back and forth between them several times.
“What have you guys been talking about? Go where?”
Clint said “Jakes” at the same time Harold said, “Your cabin.” That made Clint chuckle. He hoped it would calm Jenny down some.
It didn’t. “You really think we should escape the city?” she said. “Has it come to that?”
“Maybe. What’s left here, honey? Closed businesses, no more gas, and now the government bread lines are even failing. You know we can survive at Jakes, or even at our cabin. Lots of good hunting in that area, plus the food Jake and I already have growing. We can wait this out down there and come back when things return to normal.”
Jenny didn’t take a whole lot more convincing. Three hours later they had Harold’s 1995 Subaru wagon fully loaded, including three mountain bikes latched onto the rear rack. Jenny went back to the house to lock up while Harold checked one of his guns.
“Did you catch any of the news while you were packing?” Harold asked.
“No, too busy. Hey, that’s a shotgun. You said small arms only, plus one good rifle.”
“This might be useful.” Harold closed the gun case and stowed it away, along with a tackle-box size case of shells.
“Maybe you’re right. Lots of quail in the Springfield area. Good thinking bringing all that birdshot.”
“Half of those are slugs.” He closed the rear hatch.
“Oh. Bear protection, huh? Well, there’s big bucks and even an occasional elk down there, too.”
Harold raised one eyebrow and gave Clint a look that made him feel stupid for some reason.
“Right,” Harold said. “Are we ready?”
Clint turned around. Jenny was now in the street jingling her set of house keys. She kept stopping and looking back. Finally she came over and unceremoniously climbed in the Subaru, into the only rear seat still available. Clint took the front passenger seat.
Harold drove them out of the townhome complex towards the nearest I-25 onramp. Harold was right—the streets of Denver were fast becoming something right out of an apocalyptic movie. Clint regretted letting Jenny go out alone earlier, and was suddenly glad to be leaving. The more he saw, the gladder he became.
“According to the news, there still hasn’t been any outbreak in any of the Great Plains states,” Jenny said from the back seat. “But Chicago is getting bad. They’re relatively close to us, and they just passed ten thousand deaths. They’re worried they’ll be like the big cities on the east and west coasts in a matter of days.”
“All the plains states are quarantined,” Harold said as he maneuvered around two abandoned cars on the highway onramp. “It’s hard to cross state lines now, and extremely difficult to get into the Great Plains. Not impossible, but difficult. Thank God we don’t have to. Reminds me of the plague in the middle ages.”
Clint reached back and grabbed ahold of Jenny’s hand. “You know what the worst part about all this is?” he said.
“Not knowing if our house will be safe?”
“No. Having to admit to Jake he was right.”
Chapter Six
Congressman Wade Bennett held the .22 rifle to his shoulder and took careful aim. It wasn’t much of a gun to protect your house from robbers with, but Wade was a good shot. He took his
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