“Sam and you were worn out from your drive. We decided to cover for both of you so you’d be rested today,” Granny B replied.
Tom cleared his thoughts and remembered a task that he hadn’t completed. “I have to sneak up to Ashland and see what’s going on before we head over to the ranch. I’ll need Jackie to go with me.”
Granny B’s brow was furrowed, and her lips twitched. “Is it necessary to scout Ashland before going home? We’re all tired and need to rest in the comfort of our home.”
“I don’t like it any more than the rest of you, but Ashland is the closest city, and we’ll eventually need supplies and communication with some of the citizens. I’d like to know as much as I can now, instead of finding out later at the wrong end of a gun.”
Granny B huffed. “I guess you’re right. Can you do it in one day, so we can get home as soon as possible?”
Tom smiled and gave his grandma a hug. “A day and a half, no more.”
“Okay, but please be careful.”
Jackie scanned the city from the top of a semi-trailer using the night vision scope. “You know, I never thought about how flat Ashland is for being stuck in the middle of a bunch of mountains.”
“It has a lot of character on the west side of town, but yes, most of the town is flat when compared to our ranch. Take a break, and let me take over. I haven’t heard any gunfire for several hours, and it appears all but a hearty few are in bed. That cluster of lights in the center of town worries me. They must be guards.”
“What would they be guarding, and why?”
“We’re too far away to tell. I think we’ll see more come daylight, but I don’t want to spend too much time up here after sun up. Getting caught would ruin our day.” Tom chuckled.
Tom took the time to scan all around them to make sure no one was slipping up on them. He only saw a few dogs and a man and woman walking into town. They appeared to be on a stroll without care, which made Tom feel nervous. Most of the fires that had racked the city a couple of weeks ago had burned out and left the town pockmarked with piles of charcoal and singed bricks. Tom guessed over a third of the city had been burned during the first few days of the chaos. He thought, What made those two feel safe? This is the apocalypse, and people are supposed to be hiding in basements and scrounging for food. What gives?
The sun crept higher in the sky, and they saw more people by the minute. There weren’t as many as before, but more than a hundred were leaving their homes and walking toward the town center. Most carried empty gallon milk jugs. Tom and Jackie waited long enough to see many people come back weighted down with full jugs and bundles or bags. “Could those be jugs of water and food?”
“Sis, I think that’s all they could be. I wonder what they’re trading for the food and water. We need to move to a less open spot. I want to sneak closer to downtown, but I think it’s too chancy. Let’s look around the neighborhoods and find someone to talk with.”
Jackie climbed down the front of the trailer to the semi and jumped to the ground, followed by Tom. Tom looked around and walked west into the first neighborhood between them and the town center. Tom’s stomach growled when he smelled something cooking. “Is that bacon?”
“No, it’s beef.”
Tom’s belly signaled it was time to eat. “That’s cruel to be eating steak while we’re eating Granny B’s weeds and granola bars. I wonder where they’re getting the beef.”
Tom hadn’t liked the food they’d been scrounging on the road, but the smell of the beef cooking reminded him that there was still good food left in the world. “Well, I’m full. I guess we should see if we can find someone who will talk with us.”
Jackie looked around the garage they’d been hiding in and said, “A good start would be to not have that rifle in your hands and maybe stick that pistol under your shirt.”
Tom heard a commotion out on the street, and someone yelled a block away. Tom saw a man running toward the open garage door and called out to Jackie. “Hide in the back of the garage!”
Tom joined her behind a Jeep and watched as a young man ran in and slid under the Jeep to hide from the ones following him. The man’s feet were only a few inches from Jackie. She cringed when the men chasing the young man ran by the garage with only a quick look. The man started crawling his way backward to keep the Jeep between him and the open door. Tom saw the guy was unarmed, so he stood up and placed a foot on the man’s back. “Hey buddy, slowly stand up, and I won’t blow a hole in your side. Keep your hands in the air.”
Tom removed his foot and backed a couple of steps away. With Jackie beside him, they watched the man stand up, facing the Jeep. Tom barked an order. “Now, turn toward me.”
The man was startled. “Who are you? You’re not with Jock’s gang. She’s way too pretty to be a biker bitch.”
Jackie tried not to smile but couldn’t help herself. “The question really is … who are you, and why were those men chasing you?”
“I’m
