“Well, we can forget about getting a ride,” Dan says. “Both lanes are completely blocked. Even the emergency lane.”
“I’m not walking twenty-five fucking miles,” William mutters as he scans the road. “There’s gotta be some way we can drive …” He looks at Åsaa. “Do you know of any other roads leading to Bergen from here?”
She shrugs. “The nearest one is five miles farther east.”
“That’s most likely going to be packed full as well,” Dan interjects.
“You’re right,” William says, chewing his lip. “We’ve gotta think outside the box here. What road didn’t anybody else think of taking? Åsaa, you’re our local guide. Anything come to mind? Anything at all? Like a dirt road or something. It doesn’t even need to be a proper road, just something wide enough for a car to drive on.”
Åsaa gestures to the other side of the road. “Well, there’s a hiking trail on that hilltop. I’ve walked it with … with Erik a couple of times …”
“Could a car drive on it?” William asks quickly, before Åsaa can sink back into painful memories. “Is it wide enough?”
“I … I guess so. In theory, at least. But it’s very hilly. It’s certainly not meant for cars.”
“Good,” William nods, feeling uplifted. “That means no one else would have thought of taking it.”
“I don’t even think we can get a car up there,” Åsaa says.
“What about down there?” William asks, pointing. “Looks like the hillside isn’t really that steep. I think we could do it.”
He begins walking along the road, Ozzy by his side. Dan and Åsaa follow suit.
“Are you sure we can drive up the hillside?” Dan asks. “I think it’s pretty steep for a car.”
“Depends on what kind of car we’re talking about,” William says. “Damn, there’s a lot of Teslas. Considering how much oil you guys have, you really like electric cars.”
Åsaa hardly seems to notice the remark.
Then William sees it. He stops and points. “There! That one!”
“Which one?” Dan asks, squinting.
“The BMW,” William says.
Dan still looks puzzled.
“The SUV,” William adds.
Dan shakes his head. “Those are just letters to me.”
William sighs. “It’s the big white one.”
“Ah. You think that one could drive up the hillside?”
“I know it can. It’s basically a family-friendly jeep.”
Åsaa gasps. “Look! A man’s coming!”
William follows her gaze. Almost a mile down road he can see a guy walking between the cars. He’s headed this way. The crooked walk suggests he’s either hurt or dead. None of which are appealing prospects.
“There’s more than one,” Dan remarks.
William looks farther up road and can make out at least five additional figures, all coming this way.
“I think we’d better hurry,” he says. “They’ll be here in five minutes. Come on!” He runs down the hillside, Ozzy right at his heels, the bag bouncing on his back.
He doesn’t waste time looking back to see if the others follow him, instead he focuses on not tripping and falling, as taking a tumble on the steep hillside would likely mean rolling all the way to the bottom.
Ozzy—having the advantage of four legs—quickly gains the lead and reaches the road in a matter of seconds.
William joins him half a minute later. As he steps onto the concrete, he darts a glance in the direction of the oncomers, but he can’t see them yet. Behind him he can hear Dan and Åsaa catching up. Ozzy looks at him eagerly, waiting for what will happen next.
William runs to the SUV, which is parked at a crooked angle with both front tires on the roadside, almost like the driver wanted to go off-road to escape the queue, but then changed his mind at the last second.
“Please don’t be locked,” William mutters as he makes his way to the rear door, slipping off the bag. Just as he grabs the handle, Ozzy barks up at him loud and sudden enough to cause William to jump.
“Jesus Christ, buddy! You made me shit myself!”
Ozzy glares up at him, growling menacingly, bristling like a porcupine.
“What is it?” William says, frowning and looking around quickly. “It’s okay; no one’s here. We’re just going for a ride.”
His hand is still resting on the handle and he’s about to pull it when he catches a movement through the tinted window. A girl’s face is staring out at him, biting and smearing the window in drool and blood.
“Oh, shit!” William gasps and lets go of the car handle like it just turned red-hot. He steps back just as Dan joins him. “Don’t,” William says, grabbing him by the arm. “Someone’s already in there …”
“Oh, no,” Dan sighs, catching his breath.
Åsaa catches up and stops a few paces away. “What’s wrong?” she asks.
“There’s a girl inside,” William says, wiping sweat from his brow. The morning has suddenly turned warm; the fog is almost gone and the sun is climbing the sky. Ozzy is still growling and barking. “We need to deal with her before we can take the car.”
“Can’t we just take another?” Åsaa asks.
“No, I told you, we need this one,” William says, pointing at the BMW. “It’s the only one I could make out from up there that’ll take us off-road. Ozzy, will you shut up? We get it!”
“She’s not alone,” Dan says as Ozzy resorts to an anxious whimper and begins slinking around the SUV.
William turns to the car and sees two other faces now—an older boy and a younger one have both squeezed in next to the girl.
Probably her brothers. Fuck me, they’re just kids …
“Why did their parents just leave them?” Åsaa whispers, horror in her voice. Her lips begin to tremble and she shakes her head. “Those poor, poor kids …”
“Don’t go into hysteria now,” William says harshly, feeling his stress levels spike. “We need to think up a solution, and quickly. Before the other dead assholes show up.”
“Can’t you just shoot them through the window?” Dan suggests, nodding at the rifle in William’s hand.
He shakes his head. “That’s a bad idea. We’ll bust the window, and we might need it
