Ben encouraged the others not to carry too much at once, especially the kids and Rita. The poor woman looked like she was on the verge of passing out, but she refused to sit idly and watch while they worked, despite pleading from Ben and Sandy to do just that. The last thing he wanted was for someone to turn an ankle or take a fall. A broken bone or other serious injury would be a game-changer. Of course, that was always the case, ever since the first EMP hit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ben was tired. They all were. Both physically and mentally drained. The only motivator was self-preservation, and it was a good one. Just the thought of being locked up in that cage they’d spent most of the night in was enough to keep him on his feet. But he was worried about the others, and even though they were a long way from leaving this place, he was already thinking about the logistics of a multi-vehicle road trip.
Who would drive, and how long could they drive? Having intentions to drive all day was easy from where he stood now. But he knew well and good that a few hours behind the wheel in this heat could easily melt those ambitions, like everything else that touched the sun-scorched asphalt.
But it wasn’t just a concern over how long they could last before needing to rest. It was the increased potential for mistakes that concerned him the most. If they were going to team up and travel together for the time being, that meant more moving parts to a system that he and Joel had worked out pretty well. Up until all this, at least.
The experience they’d gained in their travels allowed them to fine-tune how they operated on a daily basis. And while they had things far from wired, Ben was content with how they were making their way and with their ability to deal with challenges. Adding more people and more vehicles would complicate things, hopefully not to the point of detriment or regret on his part.
Ben was conflicted about his responsibility to their new friends. Sandy and the kids were his main priority, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their safety or their chances of making it home. But from what Ben could tell, their new friends all seemed like decent people whose luck had run out. They were someone’s family, too, and he knew too much about them now to do anything other than help them out.
He also thought it was an important lesson for his kids to witness. Along with strength, resilience, and plenty of survival skills, if humanity was to make a comeback from this mess, it would take compassion between fellow survivors. This was an opportunity to show his kids just how that looked in practice. If good people didn’t help each other out, who else would?
Joel and Allie riding on top of the mine cart was a sight for sore eyes, although Ben would have preferred that they walked up alongside the rolling deathtrap. They hopped off before the cart stopped, and Joel helped his dad set the brake and chock the wheel. Ben felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest now that Joel and Allie were topside again.
Allie tightened up her ponytail. “I forgot how hot it is up here.”
“I’ll take over being down in that hole.” Joel started to gather items to carry outside.
“So that’s everything?” Ben asked.
“Yep, unless you want a box of dynamite,” Joel added.
“There’s a box of dynamite down there?” Ben stopped what he was doing and looked at Joel.
“Yeah, I tried to get you on the radio, but you didn’t answer. Plus, you weren’t really crazy about me taking it with us last time.”
“How much was there?” Ben didn’t like the idea of messing around with the dynamite, especially if it was old and unstable, but in this situation, they needed to consider all of their options.
Joel shrugged. “It was about half a box. It looked just like the other stuff we found. I would have brought it up, but I didn’t think you’d want me to fool with it.”
“No, that’s good. You made the right call,” Ben said with a nod. Meanwhile, all he could think about was the amount of firepower half a box of dynamite could provide if their backs were up against a wall. He shook his head and gathered an armful of gear. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Now that all the gear was piled around the vehicles, Rita finally agreed to sit down and found herself a spot on top of a stack of ammunition crates. Ben was thankful that he’d made them take their time and place everything in piles according to what it was. All the camping gear was in one spot, food in another, weapons and ammunition in another.
“Wow, that’s a lot of stuff.” Sandy stepped back and surveyed the haul.
“It’s more than twice what we came here with,” Joel added.
“Rita, I assume you and your husband have a vehicle here,” Ben asked.
She laughed sarcastically. “We did. I hate to think of what they did to our poor Cadillac, pulling it up the side of the mountain like that. It wasn’t meant for those kinds of roads. It probably isn’t worth much now.” She exhaled loudly.
“Well, there are plenty of vehicles out back. We’ll get you guys set up in something and help you get outfitted for the trip to your daughter’s.”
“You don’t—”
“Eh.” Ben held up his finger and stopped Rita from speaking. “There’s no debating it. Martin, too. There’s more here than we can carry, and I’m not leaving it behind for the other moonshiners.”
“Thank you.” Rita looked around at Sandy and the kids. “You all are welcome to join us at my daughter’s if you need a place to stop for a night or two.
