“Yeah, then all you do is pull that T-thing back and it’s ready to go.” Brad stepped up and showed Carlos the charging handle. “And that’s the safety.”
“Got it?” Ben asked.
“Got it, and thank you, young man.” Carlos smiled at Brad.
Ben dragged a full ammunition can over to the blanket Rita was sitting on and dropped a handful of empty twenty- and thirty-round magazines next to it. “Something to keep you busy while you relax,” he joked before returning to loading the trucks with Brad and Martin. But first, he found the couple something small they could carry as well. He chose a 9mm pistol similar to Joel’s original Smith & Wesson, then grabbed a few boxes of ammunition to go with it.
“You should take this, too. I can go over them with you later, but for right now, just focus on getting those magazines loaded if you can. If you have any questions, Emma knows more about those guns than she lets on.” Ben winked at his daughter. His motives weren’t entirely focused on making sure the couple was armed. The extra magazines would come in handy if the other moonshiners attacked, and if they weren’t needed, Rita and her husband would be all set for their trip. Satisfied that he’d done what he could for now to help the older couple better prepare themselves, Ben rejoined the packing effort.
As it turned out, Martin didn’t have a vehicle here. Ben raised Joel on the radio right away and let him know that he and Allie would need to commandeer one for Martin to use. Joel reported back that they were working on it and would return soon. Ben wished they had another radio. For peace of mind, it would have been nice to check in with Sandy.
As they worked, Martin explained how he and his wife were captured. Their car broke down before they were able to make it to their destination, and they were attempting to walk the rest of the way to Treasure Lake. But they never made it and instead were picked up by a group of moonshiners from another camp. They brought him and his wife here and traded them to this camp for supplies.
His wife, Dana, was unable to work, and because of that, the moonshiners refused to give her adequate food or water. Martin pleaded her case, but his requests fell on deaf ears. She passed away on the second day here, and as hard as that was for him to deal with, he took consolation in the fact that she wouldn’t have to endure this world or the moonshiners’ treatment anymore.
The more Ben heard about Martin and his wife’s ordeal, the more he understood the man’s lust for revenge. There was no doubt that Ben could rely on Martin in a firefight. He just hoped that if it came to that, the guy wouldn’t be overzealous and get himself killed. Revenge could be a dangerous emotion and cause a man to make brash decisions in the heat of the moment. Only time would tell if Martin was able to wrangle those feelings and rise above all this.
The good news, though, was that Martin was game to follow them to Cloverdale. He even seemed relieved to have a plan in place and a destination in mind. Ben was happy to be able to provide that for him, and he hoped he wasn’t overselling Cloverdale. What if Cloverdale wasn’t even there anymore? Ben hadn’t thought beyond that much, not because he didn’t care but because he didn’t want to.
If Vince and the others had been overrun by looters, they’d have to make a new plan and find somewhere else to regroup. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it was a reality they might have to accept. Ben thought about the little spot where they’d found water after the Blazer broke down. He’d marked it on the road atlas as a water source. But that was Plan B, and thoughts like this were exactly why he did his best to avoid dwelling on things he had no control over.
This post-apocalyptic world had a way of forcing a person to speculate about the worst-case scenario, and while that could sometimes be a good thing and help them prepare, it was also exhausting.
Ben hoped Vince and the others were fine and that Cloverdale would still provide them refuge. The end goal remained Colorado, and regardless of what they found when they reached Cloverdale, it wouldn’t change their plan. Vince would be excited by their return and probably do his best to talk them into staying, like he did last time. Knowing that someone had your back at night was comforting. It was the first good rest Ben had on the road since they left Colorado, other than the early-morning attack they experienced while there.
Even at Jack’s, Ben was on edge and never fully let his guard down. Being part of a like-minded group had its merits and certainly provided a sense of security they would never feel when it was just them. But he had concerns about the long-term sustainability of a place like Cloverdale. There was strength in numbers, but with that strength came responsibility and mouths to feed as well.
Ben had noticed a lot of dead livestock in their travels. The pastures were littered with carcasses of cows and horses that had either starved or died of dehydration. At least that was
