Jackal fired at the windshield, hammering the glass and the driver behind the wheel. The driver convulsed, then slumped in the seat.
I advanced on the truck with my pistol trained at Red Skull. I glanced at the driver inside the cab for a split second, then back to Red. I nudged his boot. He didn’t move. I couldn’t spot an entry wound on his body.
Jackal whistled loudly, standing at the front of the truck. He offered a thumbs up. I parroted the gesture. I grabbed Red by the arm and flipped him over onto his back.
Blood painted the side of his neck, the top of his shirt, and vest. The lower part of his mask had been damaged from the bullet exiting right above his jaw.
A lucky shot, all things considered, but the mask was toast.
I leaned over his body and jerked the passenger door open. Jackal stood on the other side, patting down the driver. He reached inside the flap of his coat, feeling around.
“Who are these guys?” he asked, pulling his hand out from the man’s coat.
“Not sure. They may have known the guys we killed back at the plane, though,” I answered, skimming over the floorboard and center console. “When they spotted the jeep, they acted suspect.”
The static from a two-way radio hissed from inside the cab. A voice crackled, fading in and out. We both froze and listened to the garbled mess, but couldn’t make out the transmission.
I leaned forward on the front of my feet, then craned my neck. I looked at the center console and spotted a radio lying face down.
The driver’s hand laid on the back of the radio. I moved it out of the way and grabbed the two-way.
“–over. What’s–status–” the garbled voice said before cutting out.
“Did you get that jeep running by chance?” I asked, looking over to Jackal.
He nodded. “I did, for now.”
“The next town up is Elko. Not sure how far away it is, though.” I backed away from the cab, then tossed the radio to the passenger seat. I left the door open and moved to the front of the truck.
Jackal kept his rifle pressed to his chest and walked around the bumper to meet me. He tilted his head at an angle to block the wind. I leaned in close.
“There seems to be a lot of heat out here,” Jackal said, pointing at White Skull with the barrel of his rifle.
“Agreed. When we get to Elko, we need to gather some proper gear and move on,” I replied. “Probably need to find another ride and get a map as well. No telling how much longer that jeep’s going to run before it dies for good.”
“You think we’ll run into any more trouble?”
“No telling, but trouble always seems to find us no matter where we go.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CORY
An apocalyptic wasteland. That’s what Salt Lake City looked like from afar.
The skyline hid behind the falling ash. Portions of the buildings peaked through the dull-gray hue that washed out the city and surrounding areas. The thick, swollen clouds clung to the dismal sky, refusing to leave.
“That looks bleak,” Anna said from the middle of the back seat. “I wonder if the entire country looks like this.”
“It’s gotten worse,” Cindy replied, pointing out of the windshield. “The ash started to fall a few days ago, but not as bad as this. The city put out a general warning for all residents to stay indoors and minimize going outside, but I never heard what caused it. Volcano most likely.”
I jerked the steering wheel, missing another car parked in the middle of the highway. The SUV skirted past the sedan, threading its bulky frame between the vehicle and guard rail.
“Seems like traffic is a bit heavy here,” Anna said, holding onto the front driver and passenger seats. “I wonder if these vehicles stalled because of the ash, or if there was a bad wreck that jammed traffic up ahead, and they weren’t able to get it cleared.”
I pumped the brake and followed the highway around the rim of the city, weaving in and out of the cars that lay before us. “I imagine the falling ash choked the engines. I wouldn’t be surprised if ours didn’t die soon with the amount that’s coming down.”
“Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen. I’d prefer to not walk through that mess again,” Anna replied. “The motel isn’t much farther up the road here. You’ll need to take the next exit.”
I glanced at the gauges on the dash, checking for any issues with the engine. No bright-colored warnings flashed, for now. I looked to the side-view mirror for any vehicles in tow, but spotted no headlights slicing through the soot.
I kept to the far side of the road, watching for the exit to appear on the large-green signs that hung above the highway.
Anna tapped my shoulder, then pointed ahead. “Past that tanker truck up there, the highway curves. The exit is right after that. It’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. I’ve done it a few times.”
“Got it,” I replied, pulling back onto the shoulder of the highway to go around more cars that sat in our way.
We cruised at a modest thirty miles an hour past the ash-covered vehicles. I followed the curve of the highway past the tanker truck and around the guard rail of the bridge that slanted down at an angle.
The exit sign appeared through the gray ashfall, followed by an off-ramp. I cut the steering wheel clockwise, taking the exit. We followed the snaking off-ramp down to the street below that had fewer cars blocking our paths.
A few
