Through the Storm(56)
No! Neal continued to smile. “Sure, we’ll reach it tomorrow sometime.”
“You know, the constant smile on your face is a little creepy.”
“Oh, sorry.” The grin faded as Neal felt his face flush and turned away.
“Am I slowing you down?”
Neal sighed and looked back at Claire. “I don’t know but not that much. It’s really about me.” He explained both his guilt at leaving for the conference and his wish now to return home to his sons.
“I’ll pray for all of you.” She stepped forward. “Come on, Ginger, let’s lead the way.”
They continued north along the freeway. Claire led for a mile, then Neal overtook her, but he slowed down and walked beside her for the rest of the day.
Hours later, when they reached Longview, sunlight cast long shadows over an otherwise dark town.
“Do you want to camp for the night?” Claire asked.
Neal didn’t want to stop, but he perched on the freeway’s center divider. “Sure, let’s find a place to camp.”
Claire pointed to a small park beside the freeway where clusters of tents stood and several campfires glowed.
“I haven’t had the best of luck with other people.” He looked for another option. “I prefer to be alone.”
“Being alone isn’t an option anymore.” Claire trudged toward the off ramp. “You’ve got me with you now and I can’t walk much farther.”
“Females,” Neal muttered and stared at Ginger. He recalled how the dog had insisted on coming with him. “Claire’s made up her mind so we better get moving.”
Neal and Ginger followed her into the camp.
Several dozen tents and campfires marked the site that spread along the east bank of the Cowlitz River. No one seemed to pay much attention to Neal, Claire, or Ginger as they strolled along, looking for a place to sleep.
“There.” Neal pointed to a large evergreen tree with two waist-high boulders to one side. “It’ll give us some protection if it rains and the nearby rocks will provide cover in case of gunfire.”
Claire stared at him for a moment. “Has anyone ever called you paranoid?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, just checking. Let’s sleep there.” Claire helped him spread the tarps and sleeping bags on the ground between the rocks and trees.
Neal fed Ginger the last of the dog food while Claire ate soup from home. Together they shared an MRE.
“That’s the last of the food.” Neal handed Claire a packet of crackers.
“We’ll reach your farm sometime tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.” Neal licked his fingers. “I’d guess in the late afternoon if all goes well.”
As darkness filled the air, Neal lay on the ground, trying to sleep. Ginger slept nearby, exhaling dog breath across his face. Thoughts of home mixed with food. He tossed and turned on his side.
A few feet away, Claire shifted and started snoring.
He sat up, wishing he had a good book or newspaper to read. Nearby, five men gathered around a fire pit. They seemed like average guys. Two were overweight. All were a bit flabby. None appeared to be armed. Neal walked over and joined them.
A man in his thirties nodded as he approached. “As I was saying, I was in Salem when the sun storm happened.” He shook his head. “I almost got killed going through Portland. People are desperate for food.” He knelt and held his hands close to the fire.
Neal squatted and warmed his hands.
“I’m trying to reach my family in Seattle,” the man continued. “But the way is blocked.”
Neal looked to the man. “Blocked? What do you mean?”
“You haven’t heard?” He shook his head. “Bandits are killing and looting between here and Riverbank.”
*
Olympia, Washington, Monday, September 12th
Conner plopped a cardboard box into the trailer behind Arnold’s bike. “Any more stuff?” he called to Madison.
“Just this suitcase.” Madison stepped from the front door and stared at the house. “How did you get Arnold to give you the bike and trailer?” She set the case in the trailer.
Fearing that she might not appreciate what he had done, Conner hesitated to explain. “Well … you said you were taking everything you wanted, right?”
She nodded.
“First, I offered him my bike for his, but that wasn’t enough to convince him, so I said he could have any pieces of furniture in the house that he wanted.”
“We’re leaving. In a few minutes, he could take anything he wants.”
“Yeah, but he won’t know that we’ve left until he gets dressed and walks over here.”
With sad eyes, she stared at the house for several moments, and then she turned to Conner. “We’d better go.”
Conner imagined the feelings that must be stabbing her heart. Both parents were dead and this would never be her home again. In one week, the foundations of her world had crumbled.
He thought of his father and brother. He hoped that any change in his future wouldn’t be as drastic or sudden as the trauma she had suffered.
As the sun rose, warming the day, they biked south along the freeway. All the vehicles had been pushed to the side of the highway, clearing the center for easy travel.