They walked calmly back to the dealership, and went inside. They both felt safer inside despite the wide glass windows that fronted the road.
A huge four wheel drive Suburban sat on the showroom floor nestled in between other cars and trucks that surrounded it. It was obviously a heavy duty truck. It sat much higher than the pickup had, and the tires were much more aggressive, and the closed in space behind the drivers area would be an asset to them, Joe realized, much better than the open pick-up bed had been with its flimsy vinyl cover. He walked around the truck, noticing that it was also equipped with a winch as the pickup had been, but this one looked to be a lot sturdier to him, strictly heavy duty.
He walked over to a slightly raised area, where a board filled with keys spanned most of the rear wall behind a small, but long counter top. He gave Becky the keys to a convertible that was between them and the doors, and she moved it while Joe jockeyed the truck around until he managed to get it aimed at the wide glass doors set into the side of the building. He drove it outside, checking the gas gauges as he did.
The truck had duel tanks, and both of them were full. Not that they'll last any longer than the pickups single tank, he thought. But he was still glad that they were full. They edged carefully around the still burning Jeep, and made their way slowly out of town and back to the pickup, watching the side roads as they went. They were both spooked.
When they were still more than a hundred yards from the pickup, they could tell that they'd had visitors while they were gone. Joe edged the Suburban up carefully to the truck and they searched the surrounding countryside, but decided whoever had been there was gone.
The truck was demolished. Someone or some-ones had attacked it with a vengeance. All of the windows were smashed, and the black vinyl cover that had spanned the bed of the truck was slashed to ribbons. All the tires had been flattened, and they had dented or punctured nearly everybody panel. The camping gear, along with the rest of the venison, was gone. The map they had been using lay ripped and shredded across the front seat, which had also been slashed.
They only walked around the truck once, but it was enough. They both turned without speaking and walked back to the Suburban.
"Doesn't matter," Joe said once they were safely back inside the Suburban, "we can pick up more gear down the road. I saw a small sporting goods store about a mile back, it had a little shopping center right next to it."
"But why?" Becky asked, "Why?"
"I don't know, Honey," Joe replied, "I'm just thanking God we're still alive." He shook his head slowly as they drove away.
When Joe reached the small sporting goods store he pulled as close to the front doors as he could. The parking lot looked deserted, but the dealership had also looked deserted, and he was taking no chances. They looked the huge lot over for better than ten minutes before they left the truck. He wished they didn't have to stop at all. The sooner they were on the road the better, as far as he was concerned. He supposed it probably wouldn't be any better stopping somewhere else though. They entered the store and took turns watching the lot as they picked up what they needed.
By the time they had re-outfitted themselves it was nearly dark. The setting sun casting the lot in deep shadows, and Joe was glad he had parked the truck close to the doors. They debated staying. They could sleep right inside the small shop Becky argued, but Joe didn't want to, and Becky's argument was halfhearted at best. They both decided they would rather put as many miles as possible between them and the small town. In the end they left despite the descending darkness, and they did not stop that night at all.
Joe drove while Becky slept, and towards daybreak as they were nearing North Platte, he angled the truck down off the pavement and pulled into a quiet state park. He followed the trees back into the camping area, and killed the hot motor.
They quickly set up a small camp in the sparse morning light, and then crawled into the tent. They held each other tightly as they drifted off to sleep.
FIVE
- 1 -
Willie stood nervously in the outer hallway, waiting for Luther to open the door to the small room and let him in. He half hoped he wouldn't. The angry bellowing behind the door scared him and he didn't want to know the reason for it.
Well, it would be pretty damn easy just to leave, wouldn't it? He asked himself... Could he?
No, he decided, he couldn't. When the door opened and Luther allowed him to enter, he would. He wouldn't sneak off down the hallway, or try to hide somewhere in the huge complex like a fuckin' chicken-shit. And even if he did it would do no good. If Luther wanted him, he would find him, and it wouldn't matter where he tried to hide, or how far away he ran. If The Man called, you came, it was that simple.
After all, he himself had taken care of several people who wouldn't give in to what Luther wanted, hadn't he? He had, and he was... Well, he was Luther's right hand
