“I can’t believe this should apply to all of us, though.” Charles countered.
“It does, and it will.” She squared her shoulders and looked each of them in the eye as she spoke. “You saw how quickly this spread in the world. Now imagine if it broke out here. On a ship this small? There would be no survivors.”
Charles swallowed his retort and nodded. “Point taken.”
The door burst open and Jason stepped in, eyes wide. “Doc! You need to check on Bren. Something ain’t right.”
Henry pushed at the burned out Civic, then surrendered. “Why do we have to do this?”
Wally gave him a duh stare. “Why do you think? She holds us responsible for everything that happened last night.”
Henry sighed and leaned against the still-smoldering remains. “This thing ain’t gonna roll. We’re gonna have to tow it.”
Wally kicked at the wheels, steel wire wrapped around each from the remains of the tires. “We’re gonna need something big if we’re pushing this thing. I think it even melted some of the asphalt under it.”
“Whodathunk that such a little car could leave such a huge mess.” He sighed, then pushed off the blackened hulk. “I’ll get the truck.”
“You better make sure Candy gives her okay.”
Henry turned and gave him a dirty look. “She said to clear the road. We need the truck to haul this junker off. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Last time you drove the truck you dented the doors to the warehouse.” Wally was beginning to enjoy busting Henry’s nuts.
“Trying to escape from the Zulus!” He paused and gave Wally a smirk. “I guess I should have just kicked you out of the cab about a block away, so they’d have a snack and leave the rest of us alone.”
“Ha-ha-ha. You’re not funny.”
“Shut up and get the gate, will ya?” Henry pushed the other side of the gate open, then climbed aboard the large truck. He started the engine and pulled it carefully past the dead Honda. He backed it up slowly while Wally directed him back.
Once in position, the two men connected a chain to the remains of the Honda and pulled the slack out of the chain.
“You gonna steer the Honda?” Henry asked.
“You wrecked it. You steer it and I’ll drive the truck.”
“I didn’t wreck it! Candy did.”
Wally shot him a crooked grin. “You gonna try to make her steer it then?”
“Shut up and get in the cab. With any luck the steering wheel is locked, and we can just drag the damned thing down the road and dump it in an empty lot or something.”
Wally shook his head as he climbed up into the cab. “I’ll watch this side.”
“Yeah and I’ll watch this one.” He put the truck into gear and let the clutch out slowly. It began rolling forward with such ease that he feared the chain had come loose. He was about to stop and check when the little Honda eased into view of his side mirror.
“Keep an eye open for a good place to dump her.” Henry continued to ease the truck down the road, praying that the bare wheels didn’t destroy the pavement as the wheels tried to bite into the asphalt.
“Up there.” Wally pointed to an abandoned gas station. “There’s enough clearance we should be able to pull under the cover and drop it right by the pumps.”
Henry nodded. He knew for a fact they had already siphoned almost all of the fuel from the underground tanks. The Civic wouldn’t hinder them from pumping what little remained since the tank accesses were on the other side of the building.
He pulled the truck across the concrete parking area and watched the little Honda hop up and over the curb, tugging slightly as it skewed closer to the pumps. He continued pulling the burned-out car until it sat almost directly in front of the pumps, then slowly backed the truck up.
“Let’s grab the chain and get back before any of the Zulus decide to see what the fuss is about.” Henry slid from the cab and began unhooking the chain.
Wally reached for his arm and stopped him. “Do you hear that?”
Henry gave him a confused look. “Hear what?”
“It sounds like an engine.” He leaned from behind the truck and stared down the road. “Like a motorcycle. Maybe a Harley?”
Henry shook his head until the distinctive roar of a V-Twin engine could be heard echoing through the streets.
He turned and gave Wally a wide-eyed stare. “You think it’s the marauders?”
Wally shrugged. “I only hear one.”
Henry hurriedly wrapped the chain into a loop and tossed it into the back of the truck. “We need to get the hell out of here.” He ran for the cab and climbed up into the seat.
Wally reached for his hand just as he grabbed the keys. “There!”
The pair stared down the street and saw a lone rider slowly approaching, his head slowly turning, scanning the area.
“Fuck me.” Henry bent low in the cab and reached to pull Wally down beside him. “Maybe if he doesn’t see us, he’ll think the truck is abandoned.”
Wally was practically in the floor of the truck as the motorcycle slowed, the driver revving the engine as he pulled into the gas station.
“Tell me he didn’t see us.” Henry whispered.
Wally’s eyes were wide, but he shook his head. His hand slowly reached up and pushed the lock button on the doors just as the engine on the motorcycle died.
The two men sat in the cab of the truck and realized just how warm it got in the early mornings of New Mexico when locked in a sealed truck with the
