“Next feeding, Ryan needs to eat some baby food,” Wendy said, glancing back and saw Noah was caressing Ryan’s head as he drank.
“I put that rice stuff in his bottle like you do,” Jo Ann told her.
“Oh, you won’t feed him that nasty green bean snot when you sit back there,” Sally popped off as she fed in the new batteries.
“All right,” Jo Ann moaned. “I’ll feed him next time he’s hungry.”
Turning around and looking back at Jo Ann, “I’m feeding him the one that says chicken,” Sally informed Jo Ann.
“I’ll feed him the green snot!” Jo Ann shouted, making Ryan jerk and open his eyes but he never stopped drinking.
“Girls,” Wendy called out and both just turned to her smiling.
With new batteries in, Sally turned the thermal back on and looked ahead. “I like having these,” Sally said. “How long are we riding tonight?”
“If one of you girls can manage to stay awake and make sure I’m driving good, I don’t want to stop until we get home,” Wendy told them.
Putting the thermal down, Sally opened the center console and pulled out the energy drinks. “Jo Ann, when Ryan’s finished eating, get that other pack of these from the back,” Sally instructed, taking the top off and draining one down.
“You could wait till you’re sleepy,” Wendy laughed.
Holding her hands up as she shrugged, “But I’m already tired then,” Sally whined.
Sally saw the smile drop off Wendy’s face and jerked her head forward to see a large road that crossed over the road they were on. Grabbing the thermal, Sally lifted it up as she stood up on her knees in the seat. “I see cars on that bridge, but they aren’t moving,” Sally described. “Wait,” she cried out, pointing to the right. “I just saw one drive past heading that way.”
“What about under the interstate, can we drive through?” Wendy asked.
Staring ahead, slowly Sally nodded. “The road we are on we can, but that road beside us looks like it’s blocked by a big truck.”
Dropping her right hand down, Wendy picked up the Glock from the console. “Sally, I need you to sit down in the seat,” Wendy told her.
Swiveling the thermal as she sat down, Sally pointed at a house off to the left. “People under the carport,” Sally said and then turned away, scanning around.
Glancing over, Wendy saw two tall figures and several smaller ones standing around a truck pulled into the carport. “Another car just drove across the bridge, but it was going the other way,” Sally reported.
Nearing the overpass, Wendy could see cars parked under the bridge in the opposite lanes. Turning right and left while looking down the interstate, Wendy saw a truck heading east and nothing moving on the other side heading west. Only a few abandoned cars dotted the interstate and then she lost sight as she drove under the overpass.
Coming out from under the overpass, Wendy glanced at the GPS and saw the small town ahead was Rayville. “That’s a lot of big trucks,” Sally mumbled and Wendy turned to her left where Sally was looking.
“Shit,” Wendy gasped, seeing a truck stop but it and the field beside it were packed with parked trucks. There was a large business behind the truck stop and its parking lot was packed with semis.
“Did they have a sale and everyone got Rudolph there?” Sally asked as they passed the truck stop.
“No, baby. The government stopped all travel and truckers had to pull in. Most I think, would try for a truck stop that they knew,” Wendy explained.
“Oh shit,” Sally moaned and Wendy jerked her head over, looking at Sally. “There’s a naked man walking near the road where it splits apart.”
Turning away, Wendy saw the man just walking across the road, then he jerked his head around. Keeping her foot hovered over the pedal, Wendy watched the man but he just watched them pass by. Seeing the wild glaring eyes, Wendy gave a shiver.
Looking ahead, Wendy saw several dogs in a parking lot eating. Getting closer, Wendy saw it was a human body that had been dead for some time. Still on cruise control, Wendy just held her foot over the pedals.
The road led them into houses and Sally reported seeing several people and Wendy saw a truck cross over the street they were driving. When she reached the road that the truck had been on, Wendy turned and saw the truck driving away.
Ahead, Wendy saw railroad tracks and tapped the brake, knowing there would be a bump involved. In a business area, Wendy slowed to twenty to cross the tracks and was glad she did after feeling the Tahoe lurch about.
“Push the gas, push the gas,” Sally cried out and Wendy stomped the gas and the Tahoe took off. “Push it harder!”
“What is it?” Wendy yelled out, afraid to look back. She didn’t have a long line of sight on the road and was afraid she would hit something as the Tahoe picked up speed quickly.
“Bad guys being mean to some people, but one pointed at us!” Sally cried out, looking behind them.
“Sally, look in front of us for threats,” Wendy said, glancing down and seeing the needle pass seventy. She held it there, letting the Glock lay in her lap as she held the steering wheel tight. “I’ll watch behind us but as fast as I’m going, I need eyes to the front.”
“I’m looking straight, go faster!” Sally cried out, looking ahead and Wendy heard tears in Sally’s voice.
Stomping her foot down, Wendy felt the big engine lurch forward as it let out a roar. Reaching the edge of town, the Tahoe was in triple digits as
