“Looks like he didn’t die of hunger.” I point to the lines of canned food.
Zach’s shoulders drop. “He was old. Maybe his heart gave out.”
“I guess we should see if there’s anything useful.”
While Zach tops off our packs with more food, I inspect the pile of weapons.
“Man, he’s got some military-grade stuff in here.” I point to a pile of hand grenades and landmines. On a whim, I stash a few grenades in the front flap of my backpack.
“Hey, look over here,” Zach calls out from the back of the bunker. He’s standing next to several five-gallon plastic gas cans. “These are full.”
“Nice. That’ll get us quite a bit farther.”
We haul up everything we want and stash it in the back of the car, sprinkling a little of the extra gas over the logs to be sure the fire burns well.
Zach stands over the pyre, matchbook in hand. He pauses momentarily, then strikes a match and tosses it in. “Goodbye, Ezra. I’ll miss you.”
Chapter Sixteen
On The Road
AIDEN
After we clear the junkyard, we stop to consult a map from an old atlas that Zach packed.
Interstate 90 is the most direct route by far, but we agree it’ll leave us the most exposed. So we stick to smaller highways and backroads. The route will take us through the rest of western Montana, across the Idaho panhandle, and finally into Washington.
If all goes well, we could arrive in Seattle in only a few days. That depends on how clear the roads are and how easy it is to find gas along the way.
We’re on the open road, and it feels great. The speed is exhilarating. I love to drive. I’m in my element. And this Camaro has horsepower to spare. I’d like to see a carjacker try to overtake me with this baby. Scratch that. I’d rather we not see anybody. But if we do, I’m ready.
As we drive along, I keep my eyes out for cars by the side of the road, but only if the cars aren’t too trashed. We’re checking for extra gas, but secretly, I’m also looking for unlocked cars and keys. I’ve found nothing yet.
Unfortunately, the Camaro only has an eight-track player. I’ve been aching to hear my mixtape, but Zach finds a Credence Clearwater Revival eight-track cassette in the glove box. So we race over the open plains of Montana, with the sounds of “Proud Mary” and “Fortunate Son” blaring over the speakers.
Zach’s window is down, and he’s letting his hand get buffeted by the wind. He looks over. “So, what did you want to do with your life? Like, before all this.”
“I wanted to study molecular biology. Thought I could cure cancer.”
“Wow. That’s quite a goal.”
“Yeah, well. Curing cancer wasn’t going to happen. It turns out I wasn’t particularly good at school. Too distracted.”
“Distracted by what?” Zach asks.
“By parties and boys, mostly.”
Zach lets out a little laugh. “Ha, I can relate. When I was touring the U-Dub campus, the boy selection looked pretty comprehensive.”
“Was your boyfriend planning on going there too?”
“Oh, Felix? No. He was staying on Vashon. That’s part of why we broke up.”
“Oh?” My head spins a little.Broke up?
“Yeah. It was my choice. We were high school sweethearts, and I’d be going to college. I kinda always knew it wasn’t going to be forever.”
This is a genuine surprise for me. I had worked up this scenario where Zach and his boyfriend were these star-crossed lovers trying to get back to each other. Things are rearranging rapidly in my brain, and my stomach does a little flutter.What the heck was that?
