Every cell in my body was on high alert as our cars crept down a side road and we spied a gas station ahead. It was one of the bigger chain companies with four aisles of pumps. Between my breathing and heart rate, I hardly heard Rylen whisper.
“I think everyone should stay in the vehicles this time except those who need to turn on the generator and pump.”
He didn’t have to worry. My exploring days were over. We inched closer, all of us swiveling our heads around at the empty rest area off the highway. The closer we got to the mini mart and pumps, the more apparent it became that the place had been looted. Broken glass. Trash strewn and shelves toppled. Everything useful had to be gone. I let out a shaky sigh.
Devon and Rylen pulled up at the pumps, facing out toward the street so we could take off at a moment’s notice if necessary. Matt and Texas Harry came up to Ry’s window.
“We’ll check it out,” Texas Harry said. “Y’all keep an eye out for our signal.”
Rylen nodded and stepped out, sending a rush of cold air in through the open door. He and Devon got the pumps ready. Tater opened his door and stood inside of it, gun propped on his shoulder as he kept watch. His jaw was set hard. I looked over at Remy and found her watching him, rubbing her arms.
She abruptly turned to look out the back window, away from him. “So weird to see towns abandoned,” she whispered. I followed her lead, turning and sitting on my knees, resting my arms and chin on the back of the seat. In the nearby field was a small farmhouse with a silo in the distance. I stared at the house and wondered how unethical it would be to check out houses for food. Even though the DRI probably took every scrap long ago.
A beep rang out, making us all jump.
Our heads spun toward the minimart where Texas Harry was swinging an arm over his head like a helicopter. Numbers popped up on the tank screen.
“Yes!” I cried. Rylen and Devon got their pumps going. Remy and I hugged each other as the sound of rushing gasoline filled the vehicle.
But after a few moments the pumps shut off with a wheezing sound.
“Damn it,” Tater said. “Only a quarter tank.”
My heart sank with dread at the thought of having to stop again soon.
Nobody said anything as everyone piled back in the SUV and minivan, and took off back down the road.
I stared from the window. Hunger began to gnaw at me. We would find food. I had to stay hopeful.
We got back on the side road, which soon turned from pavement to gravel. The bumpiness kept me on edge. On one side of us were patchy trees; the other side was rocky flatness stretching into picturesque mountains of striated browns, tans, and reds. In the near distance, running parallel to the mountains, was a main highway. Every so often there were abandoned cars off to the side that had probably run out of gasoline.
The sky above was a soft, hazy blue with grayish clouds that made me shiver. A winter sky, and we were moving north. It would only get colder. I freaking hated the cold.
I looked around at our clothing. Tater and Rylen both wore jeans, boots, and T-shirts. Remy had leggings and a light sweater over a tank top, and I had skinny jeans with a flimsy, poor excuse for a sweatshirt. We were both in sneakers. Our clothes were okay for a south Nevada winter, but not a northern Utah winter. I really wished we had boots with thick socks, and sweatshirts with coats and earmuffs and—
“Fuck, veer off!” Tater shouted.
I grabbed Remy’s arm and the oh-shit handle as Rylen abruptly turned into the trees. The SUV bumped and rattled. Up ahead, Devon was doing the same thing in the minivan. We went as far as we could until the trees became too thick to pass. Then we turned our faces to the windows, all of us breathing hard as we strained to see. I could barely make out the mountains and main road now, until a caravan of yellow busses came into view on the distant highway, followed by three white vans and a black sedan.
My pulse pounded in my throat as I imagined townspeople on those busses, just as my parents and Abuela had been, thinking they were being brought somewhere safe, only to be murdered. Suddenly I could hear the screams from last night, people from my town standing at the gates of the camp, screaming and screaming. It was so real that I gasped as my vision cleared, jumping in panic.
Tater saw and stared at me, but I shook my head, mouthing, “I’m okay.”
We’d all been holding our breath, trying to will ourselves and our vehicles to be invisible, until Remy let out an anguished, barely audible,“Oh, my gosh.Those people!”
“There’s nothing we can do,” Tater said. He sounded numb.
My eyes burned and I swallowed hard. I wanted to stop those busses, to save them from their fate. We were ill-prepared to do that, and it left me feeling helpless. After several silent minutes passed, we reversed back on to the road. Remy and I never let go of one another.
We weren’t driving much longer when Devon pulled aside again, this time less recklessly. There was a car on the side of the road, halfway into the trees.
“Flat tire,” Ry whispered.
“I’ll check it out,” Tater said. “You guys stay here.”
We watched as Tater and New York Josh approached, guns out. Within a minute, they had the doors and trunk open. Tater grabbed something out of it and turned. He held up an unopened big bag of wavy potato chips.
Remy and I accidentally let out yells of joy before covering our mouths. Rylen chuckled at our excitement, and then whispered, “Score,” as Josh held up a gallon of water. We all climbed out of our vehicles. My body was too excited about salty goodness to care about the biting chill on my arms. I took the chips from Tater and opened it as I stood in front of our SUV. I rationed it into ten piles on the hood of the car.
