Forsaken: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival series (Dark Road Book 10), page 1
FORSAKEN
Dark Road, Book Ten
Bruno Miller
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Things go from bad to worse for Ben and his crew as they struggle to push on toward Colorado. Unfortunately, due to Emma’s deteriorating health, they’re forced to alter their plans. But a delay might not be their biggest problem.
Battling the elements and their own physical limits proves to be almost as treacherous as the roving gangs of highway bandits that lurk in the shadows, looking to prey upon the weak or unprepared. It’s more important than ever to remain vigilant.
Especially when being deep in Patriot Hooligan territory makes every stop to fuel the vehicles a potential life and death situation. The murderous gang of extremists leave no question about their intent for anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Something made clear by the grim remains of their evil deeds that litter the route to Fort Wayne.
With no other choice, they must push on toward their new destination for Emma’s sake. But Ben sees Colorado and home slip further from their grasp, along with his expectations of humanity. Even the youngest of the group can no longer be sheltered from the problems this post-apocalyptic world presents or the tough choices that come along with surviving in it.
Forsaken: Book Ten
Copyright © 2021 Bruno Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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NEWSLETTER
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
About the Author
Chapter One
With Emma’s health in jeopardy, there was no choice but to take Rita and her husband up on their offer of joining them in Fort Wayne. The fact that their daughter was a doctor and had the medicine Emma needed was reason enough, but Fort Wayne was also closer than Cloverdale. There’d been plenty of time to study the map yesterday, and thanks to Ben’s guilt, he’d plotted what he thought would be a safe route to Fort Wayne for the older couple. He planned on going over it with them before they parted ways, but that wouldn’t be necessary now.
He figured it would take about two or three hours to reach their daughter’s place from where they had originally intended on separating. Overall, they were probably looking at around six or seven hours of hard driving, not counting fuel stops or anything else. The anything else concerned Ben the most. But that would be an issue regardless of where they were headed.
At least Fort Wayne was much closer than Cloverdale. And Rita had assured him her daughter and son-in-law were well-equipped to take care of themselves and do more than just stay alive in an event like this. It turned out the son-in-law, Edward, was a bit of a prepper. Ben had more questions, but there was no time to ask them now. They needed to finish breaking camp and loading the vehicles so they could hit the road.
With his daughter’s health hanging in the balance, making good time today would take on a whole new meaning. He told himself he wouldn’t panic, but the anxiety was already building. Ben stuffed the tents into the back of the Blazer while Sandy and Rita packed up breakfast.
“You doing okay?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Emma looked back from the passenger seat. Ben had carried her there from the tent before he started breaking down gear.
“Hang in there, honey. We’ll be packed up and moving in no time. Just try and get comfortable.” Ben did his best to encourage her, but she knew as well as the rest of them that they had a long day of driving ahead.
“Okay.” Emma began dragging herself over the console and toward the back seat. She looked pale, and the sight of her struggling to maneuver inside the truck made Ben quicken his pace. The clock was ticking, and he had no idea how much time they had left. Even the dogs sensed the urgent mood in the camp and all but ignored the creek this morning. Bajer was eager to join Emma in the Blazer and hopped in on her own as soon as Emma was seated. Allie helped round up Sam and Gunner while Joel and Martin finished loading the freshly topped-off water containers.
Ben waited until he was sure everyone was within earshot. “All right, guys, same as yesterday. You all know the drill. Allie, you mind taking the Toyota again?”
“Yeah, sure, no problem.” She glanced back at Joel, who was mid-stride on his way to the Jeep with a five-gallon water container. He paused for a minute and shrugged. Ben half expected at least an eye roll but instead saw that his son understood what was at stake today.
“What’s the plan? I mean, how long will we be on the interstate?” Martin asked.
“It looks like an hour, maybe two, before we pick up Route 224 on the other side of Akron.”
“And we still need to get gas somewhere,” Martin reminded him.
“We do, but with the spare cans added to your tank, we’ve got some breathing room. We can afford to be choosy about where we stop,” Ben added.
“How long to get to Fort Wayne altogether, do you think?” Carlos asked.
“I’m not going to lie to you guys. It’s going to be a long day. I think we’re looking at seven or eight hours of hard driving today.” Ben heard a few sighs from the group.
Sandy spoke up. “But we don’t have a choice with Emma’s foot looking the way it does. The longer we sit here, the longer we’re going to be on the road.”
Ben was surprised by her energy but encouraged by her enthusiasm. “She’s right, guys. So with that being said, let’s get underway.”
Without another word, everyone broke away and went to their vehicles. Joel and Allie lingered for a moment, holding hands before risking a brief kiss goodbye when they thought no one was watching. Ben felt bad about splitting them up for the day, but there were more important things to worry about right now.
“Come on, girl.” Ben was too impatient to wait for Sam and lifted the big yellow dog straight into the back. He regretted it immediately when a sharp pain shot through his side. He was feeling better overall, but he had to remember not to push himself. If he did, the injuries from the moonshiners’ compound would never heal. Sandy could drive a little later and he’d rest, although he didn’t see that happening, not with his daughter suffering in the seat behind him.
“Em, I want you to drink as much as you can today. We’ll stop extra if you need to pee, so don’t worry about that.” Ben climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
“Daaad,” Emma protested.
“I mean it. You need to stay hydrated and flush out the toxins.” Ben was glad to see life in her eyes for a few seconds, but her weary expression soon returned.
“Your dad’s right, Emma. You need to drink plenty of water today. It’ll help you feel better,” Sandy added.
Ben sat still for a moment and waited on starting the Blazer until he heard the other vehicles running. Turning the Blazer’s key in the ignition, he held his breath until the engine roared to life. As much as he had enjoyed the peace and quiet of this place, it was good to hear the big V8 echo through the woods. With four vehicles this old, every morning was a roll of the dice. Considering the abuse they were putting the trucks through on a daily basis, it was remarkable they hadn’t experienced any mechanical problems on this leg of the trip. The luck they were having with the vehicles wasn’t lost on Ben, and he was grateful for it.
Joel led them out of the horseshoe-shaped campsite and maneuvered the Scrambler onto the overgrown trail leading back to the freeway. Brad hung onto Gunner in the back of the Jeep as the two of them swayed back and forth over the bumps. Allie came next in the Toyota, with Rita riding shotgun, then Martin in the Scout. Ben and Sandy would bring up the rear like they did yesterday. For Ben, it was a bittersweet arrangement. He liked the idea of being up front and first to encounter any problems, but not as much as he liked having the others where he could see them, especially the kids.
He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about the driving arrangements. With Sandy riding in the Blazer with him, they were the only ones with the ability to take turns driving. He wasn’t worried about Joel or Allie, at least not nearly as much as he was worried about Martin. The kids had the stamina for it. Ben thought about all the crazy, long road trips he’d taken as a young man. But Martin was not a young man by any stretch. Then again, neither was Ben.
“Promise me you’ll let me know when you get tired and need me to drive.” Sandy frowned. “I see you’re still limping a little.”
“I promise, although I think the days are gone when I can sleep on the ground and get up without at least a few aches and pains.” Ben hadn’t paid much attention to how he felt after the news of Emma’s infection.
“Yeah, I’m right there with you on that.” Sandy rolled her head around and rubbed her neck. Ben did his best to avoid some of the bigger potholes in the trail, but it was impossible to miss them all.
“Sorry, I’m trying not to hit those,” he apologized as the Blazer jerked to the left, then quickly back the other way.
“You okay back there?” The small crater in the road had nearly thrown Sam from her perch on top of the gear, but Ben was more concerned with how Emma was faring.
“I’m fine.” Emma readjusted herself on the bench seat. He could hear her straining as she pulled herself into a more upright position. She wasn’t fine, though, and she wasn’t going to get any better until they reached Fort Wayne and hopefully administered the medicine she needed. That was their best option. Even if they managed to find a pharmacy or medical facility that hadn’t been stripped clean by looters, what would they be looking for? He had no idea what was wrong with Emma or what she needed to feel better. Ben didn’t like putting this much faith in someone he barely knew. But that was the reality of the situation. And right now, his daughter’s life might depend on it.
Chapter Two
Within minutes, the rough dirt road led them back up the grassy embankment to the interstate. Ben looked down at the creek from the bridge as they crossed over. The morning sun filtered through the green-leafed trees lining the creek and sparkled across the surface in patches. It made Ben yearn for simpler times. Little Yankee Run had been a good spot, one of the best places they’d found to camp on this crazy road trip so far. It would have been a great morning if it weren’t for Emma’s injury, and he imagined they would have hung around a little longer if they hadn’t needed to seek help.
He knew for a fact the boys were hoping to get their lines wet again this morning. There would be other opportunities. Right now, they understood that catching fish for breakfast wasn’t a priority. Once they finally reached Colorado, hunting and fishing would become daily chores necessary for survival. The MREs were easy and would get them home if need be, but they wouldn’t last forever. That was a worry for another day, though.
Ben glanced over the gauges to make sure all was well with the truck as he thought about the one good thing to come out of them changing their plan this morning. They would be leaving the interstate behind shortly—and with it the chance of running into any of the Patriot Hooligans, or so he hoped. There was no shortage of gang-tagged signs and overpasses along the highway. The spray-painted skull and PH letters seemed to be waiting for them around every curve. Ben was beginning to think their territory was all of Ohio. They’d been lucky so far, but that wouldn’t last forever.
A part of him had also had enough of interstate driving. The ability to travel faster was an undeniable advantage, but it came at a price, and that was their safety. After the day they’d had yesterday, he was sure the back roads couldn’t be any worse. That was what he told himself, anyway. He wanted to believe it, but that was because they would eventually have no choice in the matter.
The first hour on the road passed quickly, and according to the last couple of road signs, they were getting close to their exit. That also meant they were about to drive right through the center of Akron. It was the most populated area they had been through in days, and based on what Ben had seen in the smaller towns along the way, he was expecting trouble. The original plan was to skirt the city on a secondary road to the north, but they didn’t have the time for that now, not with Emma feeling the way she was. So far, they were ahead of schedule, and Ben didn’t want to lose that time being overly cautious.
If necessary, they could wait until well after Akron to fuel up. Once they took 224 and headed away from the city, they could find a place. It was a less-traveled road that would take them all the way to Fort Wayne. There should be plenty of gas stations to choose from.
Ben was still struggling with the decision to head for Fort Wayne instead of Cloverdale. He’d made peace with it quite a few miles back, or at least he thought he had. But now that they were close to the point of changing course, he was second-guessing the decision.
Traveling to either place was a gamble; that much was certain. At least Rita’s daughter was a doctor. The best they could hope for in Cloverdale was a second-year vet student. Reese seemed like a nice girl and was very capable when it came to animals, but this was his daughter they were talking about, not a dog with an injured paw. That was it; he wasn’t going to think about it anymore. They were doing the right thing. They had to be.
There was another benefit to leaving the interstate behind; they would avoid both Columbus and Indianapolis by heading northwest toward Fort Wayne. The other side of Columbus was where he’d been planning on picking up Interstate 70 once again, the route that had caused them so much trouble on the way east to Maryland, or so they thought at the time. When Ben considered the last couple of days, that portion of the trip seemed relatively tame now.
“How are you doing, Em?” Sandy turned in her seat to face the back of the truck.
“Cold and hot at the same time.” Emma’s voice was weak and muffled from under the sleeping bag. It was hard to believe she could tolerate the sub-zero bag in this heat.
“Here, drink a little water.” Sandy assisted Emma with the full Nalgene until she couldn’t drink anymore. Ben felt the urge to go faster but resisted pushing the pedal down any farther. It wouldn’t do any good. He couldn’t help but think this might be their last chance to travel at these speeds for a while. There was no telling what they’d find on the back roads to Fort Wayne.
So far, the secondary roads had proven less cluttered with wrecks, except for in the more populated urban areas. But just because the road looked clear ahead didn’t mean there wasn’t a burnt-out pile of cars blocking the lane around the next bend. That was something they had to constantly be on the lookout for. It was tempting to speed when presented with what seemed like an open stretch of country road in the middle of nowhere, but they’d seen too many examples of why that was a bad idea. Still, with Emma’s health at stake, it was probably best that they weren’t leading the pack.
With a four-vehicle caravan, being cautious on the road was more important than ever. Their reaction time was severely handicapped, and it would only take a momentary lapse in attention to cause some really big problems. He hoped they could reach Rita’s daughter’s place before dark. But his concerns weren’t entirely because of the hard-to-see road hazards.
Four sets of headlights weaving through the otherwise dark countryside were likely to draw some unwanted attention. The situation would only worsen as they traveled west and the terrain flattened out. There were no longer any artificial light sources at night, at least not many that they had seen. The trucks’ lights would stand out like a beacon, broadcasting their exact location to anyone paying attention or looking for just such a thing.
