He turned slightly and gave her a sad smile. “I don’t know if you ever had a chicken fried steak, but oh my god…” He rubbed at his middle and sighed again. “The gravy…on everything. Pour it all over the meat and the taters and…” He shook his head. “And bacon. I know everybody likes a good BLT, but me? I like bacon and onion. Pile that shit nice and thick, slather the toast with mayo and—”
He slammed on the brakes as something huge and yellow pulled in front of him. Trevor jerked the wheel in a panic, praying to miss the giant, lumbering machine that appeared from behind a semi blocking his lane.
He felt the wheel jerk in his hand as the front tire jumped the curb and the RV swayed, threatening to flip over. He fought the momentum and slid the machine to a stop, dust and dirt flying as it skidded across the dry median.
Trevor had to pry his fingers from the steering wheel and he spun in his seat to check on Patricia. “Are you okay?”
She appeared startled but unharmed.
“What the hell was…” He turned to stare out of the window and saw two figures running toward the RV. He jerked the transmission into gear and stomped the gas pedal.
It was right about then that he realized the engine had died.
In a panic, he put the transmission back into park and turned the key, praying that the engine would start.
Sudden banging on the side window had him cursing under his breath and pumping the gas pedal in an effort to start the machine quicker.
“Hey, are you okay in there?” A very large black man asked from the passenger door.
“Go away!” Trevor continued to crank the ignition when another man appeared at his door.
“Dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t even look before…” the wide-chested white guy said.
Trevor panicked and reached for the AR. He fought to get it around the steering wheel and had to lean to the middle of the cabin to point it at the white guy. “Get the hell out of here or so help me, I’ll…”
Hank stepped back from the window, his hands in the air. “Hey, buddy…we don’t want no trouble.” He stepped further back and shook his head. “But you ain’t going nowhere unless you got a spare tire.” He slowly pointed to the front driver’s tire. “Blowout.”
“Leave us alone!” Trevor’s voice cracked as he jabbed the barrel toward Hank. “We just want to get the fuck out of here.”
Patricia picked up on Trevor’s panic and began to whimper. Trevor spun in his seat and pointed the barrel at Wally. “I mean it, man. Get the fuck out of here. Leave us alone!”
Wally had stepped away from the RV when he first spotted the rifle and now was easing his way out of the line of fire. “Hey man, whatever you say.”
Trevor spun back and pointed the rifle at Hank. “Go on! Git!”
Hank continued to back away, his hands held up in surrender. “I understand buddy. I ain’t…” Hank paused and squinted in the bright sunlight. “Hey…ain’t you that dude we dropped off the other day?”
Trevor’s eyes widened and he stared at the man. “Who the fuck are you?”
Hank breathed out slowly and nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure you were with that group that we drove towards Albuquerque. You and two other guys, right? A big, shaggy ex-con looking dude and a small squirrelly looking dude.” Hank pointed at Trevor. “And you.”
Trevor shook his head. “I don’t care man. Just…go. Leave us alone.”
Hank nodded and lowered his hands. “Okay man. That’s fine. If you got them other fellas with you, then you got back up.” He stepped toward the front of the RV. “But I was just gonna tell you, we got a sweet setup now. Hot and cold water, electricity, the works.” He walked around the front of the RV and waved at Wally. “The offer still stands man. If you get tired of being on the road.”
Wally shook his head almost violently at Hank. “How do we know that he wasn’t in one of those dozers?”
Hank thought for a moment then nodded. “You’re right.” He hooked a thumb back toward the RV. “But if he came back, that’s one less dude plotting against us.”
“You’re way too trusting.” Wally waved him back and away from the RV, his eyes straining to see the occupant. “Come on. We have to finish this thing.”
Hank stepped away then leaned back toward the RV. “Offer stands, man.” He pointed to the front of the machine. “If you need help with that…let me know.”
Chapter 5
Buck shook Hatcher’s shoulder until he popped his eyes open. “What? What’s happening?” He sat up abruptly then gripped the sides of his head. “Oh, shit…”
Buck handed him some aspirin and a tall glass of water. “I’d offer you a hair of the dog, but your sister and Candy swiped it all.”
Hatcher groaned as he reached for the aspirin. “Good.” He popped the aspirins and washed them down quickly. “I need coffee.”
“You need to deal with your demons.” Buck leaned back in the chair and eyed Hatcher cautiously. “If you don’t, you’re going to destroy yourself.”
Hatcher tipped the glass and drank the last of the water then set it down on the table. “What do you know of demons?”
Buck snorted. “You’re shitting me, right?” He leaned forward and tapped his finger on the table. “I know you haven’t forgotten who was right there in the middle of that shit storm when it first started.” He stood from the chair and stared down at Hatcher. “My sister and my mom were the first to catch this crazy-assed bug. My mom spread
