Endless Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Four) (8 page)

Berke hadn’t said that in a sense of arrogance, but more so in stating fact. Maxie imagined that the residents of Lost Summit were as close to family as one could get, seeing as how the population was so small. She could only hope they would be welcoming in adding two more strangers with mouths to feed, clothes to wear, and a place to sleep.

“Where are your other teammates located?” Maxie wondered if it were possible to meet up with the other men from Berke’s old unit. He’d been right about traveling in groups…it was safer than being out here on their own.

“Owen is in Florida, Mason is in Nebraska, and Van is in New York,” Berke replied, looking at the clock on the radio. He’d been doing that a lot, but he continued to talk before she could ask why. “I spoke with them and they are all headed to Washington over various routes. Van will have the toughest time considering he’ll be moving against the wave of people driving toward his starting location. Owen has his Harley, so I’m not so worried about him. He can slit lanes with the best of them.”

Maxie would have asked why Van would even try to cross the country heading for the northwest, but she already knew the answer. They were a team and they stuck together. Nothing had changed. She thought about her father and was glad he wasn’t here to see this day. He would have tried to be the man he once was and it would have gotten him killed. It had yet to really sink in…the fact that life as they knew it was over. The world had experienced what the nation’s sociologists and expert color commentators described as a paradigm shift.

Money didn’t mean anything anymore and many previously important material possessions weren’t a concern to most of the world’s population as of earlier today. It all came down to clean air, food, water, and shelter—the most basic requirements of every human being on the planet. And could they gather enough to survive until Mother Nature allowed them to rebuild the world?

“You mentioned natural mountain springs,” Maxie reminded him, wanting to hear more about the fishing lodge. “Won’t the water become contaminated?”

“The underground springs are protected enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. The mine provides us access to the springs before they reach the surface,” Berke said, rolling his neck as the initial tension started to bleed off. Maxie was surprised he’d lasted this long, seeing as he’d been driving this entire time. “With the town banding together, there’s a real good chance we’ll make it through this. We’ll have enough hands to tend to everyone’s needs. Everyone will have a job to do and a part to play. Think about it. Military men, farmers, electricians, handymen, cooks, and countless other experienced men and women. Tank is the type of leader to keep them all together and moving in the right direction.”

Maxie couldn’t say it aloud just yet, but she felt better about having made the decision to reach out to him. Jacob needed to be surrounded by a community of like-minded people and she was grateful they’d made it this far. He’d become rather silent, so she unbuckled her seatbelt and peered over the back of her seat. She didn’t even need to ask for Berke to put on the overhead light, because he did so immediately. Jacob’s lashes were resting against his flushed cheeks and she sighed in relief that he might actually sleep most of the night listening to the hum of the engine.

“Would you like me to drive awhile?” Maxie asked, settling back into her seat and suddenly feeling overcome with exhaustion. She hadn’t had much sleep the night before due to the adoption appointment this morning and it was catching up with her fast. She’d rather put in her time at the wheel before it became impossible to keep her eyes open. “I can take a turn. They did train us how to drive offensively in the academy.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Berke replied with a smile before once again enveloping them in darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the black empty night, but she eventually made out that he’d leaned his head back against the headrest. “But you need to catch some sleep first. We have no idea what we’re about to face come morning and I need you alert and rested.”

Another sense of unease swept over her and she had to remind herself that they really weren’t all that safe inside the cab of this truck. It was only an illusion and she’d been able to keep it up considering they’d seen nothing to contradict her sense of security. That would most likely change come first light and stark reality hit full force.

“Wake me if you start to fall asleep at the wheel or a threat of any kind appears.” Maxie lifted an arm to rest her head in the crook of her elbow as she leaned against the window. She was very grateful she was able to stay with Berke instead of traveling east with the other townsfolk, though she didn’t state the obvious because they both understood. Instead, they kept up the banter and each of them realized it was their way of coping. She liked it. “I don’t want to find myself dead because your dumb ass hit a tree. That’s a relative boring way to go considering the alternatives we have available to us.”

Maxie didn’t like the comforting, rich sound of Berke’s laugh. It gave her a sense of false security and she couldn’t afford to become lax. Instead, she concentrated on the soft breathing of Jacob behind her. Like many new mothers before her, she’d learned to anticipate each breath and soothe her own fears. She’d stayed many times at his bedside acquiring that habit. He’d come into her life at a time when she’d least expected it, but he’d given her a reason to fight. She would go down in a massive blaze of glory before she’d ever allow anything to happen to him.

She was the mother grizzly now. All others beware.

T
hey had managed
three days into the trip before all hell broke loose. The first twelve hours had been relatively easy, with the exception that Jacob wasn’t too thrilled with being cooped up in his car seat the entire time. Berke didn’t blame him and was impressed with Maxie’s ability to keep him occupied when he was awake. She’d rotated between the front and the back seat, depending on where she was needed.

Now? With what Berke was staring at…he wanted her and Jacob anywhere but their vehicle.

Fuel had become an issue after the second stop. Many of the main roads where stations could be found were strewn with abandoned vehicles. Berke managed to negotiate a deal for a fill-up with a local farmer in exchange for some much needed ammunition.

Radio communication with Tank that same night had uncovered a request that they bring any grow lamp bulbs they could find while en route to Washington. Tank had a supply but he’d wanted more to have on hand. Berke had to laugh when Maxie had recommended they stop again for fuel at another farm, only to have it turn out to be home to a huge abandoned marijuana grow operation. Fortune had truly shone down on them that day. They’d gathered over fifty high quality grow bulbs and all the fuel they could use.

With what was in front of them, Berke wasn’t so sure they’d manage to keep it.

Berke had kept up the conversation to prevent both of them from becoming despondent over the change in scenery. The back roads had started to become congested around twelve hours ago and now they were fighting tooth and nail to find a route that wasn’t blocked. He wasn’t having any luck, so he’d become more vigilant and the silence would stretch for a couple of hours as he maneuvered them through the vast amount of cars, trucks, campers, and whatever else that had an engine.

That was…until now.

Berke hadn’t been surprised to see that the farther they drove, the majority of the small towns had all but been destroyed by looting from those people who’d decided to stay behind. It was easy to see that civilization was breaking down, but that wasn’t anything compared to what desperation would look like once the ash finally hit. No clean water? No sunlight? No fresh air to breathe? It would be hell on earth. It was rather morbid, but he wondered when they would see their first body. Sooner or later, someone would object to another idiot’s decision and guns would come out.

Berke shouldn’t have even let those thoughts enter his head.

What should have taken a day and a half with both of them taking a turn at the wheel had taken three, and they were nowhere near their destination. They had gotten to the West Coast prior to the ash fall making it that far south. The prevailing winds were taking the majority of the ash cloud directly east over the Midwest and on to the northeastern states.

He would rather be dealing with those types of elements than what was standing before him.

Berke hadn’t wanted Maxie to see his frustration at not making better headway, but he was having trouble hiding it with each passing minute. Now he didn’t have to.

They were currently on the outskirts of Sacramento, having the wherewithal to stay away from the major cities and travel secondary roads whenever available, but it didn’t matter. According to the radio reports, the casualties in the Midwest were beyond imaginable and those left behind were preparing for the worst. People were scavenging for whatever supplies they could find and then barricading themselves inside their homes. Berke was beginning to think along those same lines, because the sight before him didn’t give him many options.

“Maxie, get in the back with Jacob,” Berke ordered with a steel tone, both of them having seen what lay ahead. It was something out of a warzone—and Berke should know, considering he’d done two combat tours in Afghanistan—with men wearing black masks over their faces and shooting their weapons into the air as they tried to control those around them. They were stopping vehicles and confiscating what supplies they could, most likely killing those individuals who didn’t comply. There was a body lying on the side of the road with a woman crying nearby. She had her hands in the air to mimic surrender, but the tension in her shoulders told him she was ready to make a break for it. Berke made a quick but decisive decision as the road in front of them was all but impassable and there was a vehicle currently inches from his bumper. “Do not, under any circumstances, leave that boy’s side.”

Berke glanced in the rearview mirror, not wanting to take his eyes off of the scene in front of him, but needing to see if the person behind them could provide some assistance. The seventy-year-old woman was more of a target than anything else, leaving him with another decision to make.

“Berke?” Maxie whispered, wincing when a couple rounds were shot into the air in another attempt to subdue those vehicles that were already at a standstill. She was up on her knees and ready to climb over the console when he rested his hand over hers, which had instinctively gone for her weapon. She resisted for maybe three seconds before giving in and climbing over the console to be seated next to Jacob. “There are only three of them. Look at the body lying on the side of the road. We need to take the offensive and eliminate the threat.”

“Yes,” Berke agreed, keeping his voice low as he pressed the button to roll down his window. He noticed something that Maxie couldn’t from her position in the back. “The one in the white shirt is nervous. He’s staying to the side while the other two clean house. He most likely feels like he’s doing this out of necessity. He is going to hesitate.”

“And the leader in blue?” Maxie’s inquiry pulled Berke’s attention to the one who could make or break this situation. Berke never liked to make a call on how missions ended, but he’d calculated the odds of everyone making it out of this alive…and they weren’t good. “He’s already got eyes on you.”

“White will come up to the passenger side and that’s the one I need you to concentrate on,” Berke directed as he rolled the passenger side window down. “I’ll handle the one in blue. There are rabbit ears in the console. I took them from the range. Put them on Jacob.”

Maxie didn’t have to be told the reasoning behind his command. She’d been in law enforcement long enough to know how this was going to play out. Berke could see the older woman behind them panicking and trying to turn around, which only drew the attention of those she was trying to avoid. He reached below his seat and slowly drew out a Sig Sauer Model 1911 Emperor Scorpion .45 ACP.

“Don’t hesitate for a second, Maxie.” Berke hadn’t been in such a situation since he’d been with his team in Afghanistan. Sweat broke out on his brow, but not in apprehension. Instead, he was concerned that Jacob would get caught in the crossfire. “Draw your service weapon and rest it gently on the shoulder of the passenger seat, hidden from view behind the headrest. Pull the trigger as soon as your target is centered on the open window.”

Berke hadn’t said the last word before the man in blue started to yell at them to get out of the vehicle. He was waving his weapon around, but Berke didn’t move a muscle. He sat still and ready, already five steps ahead of how this would unravel. It was very much like a chess game and checkmate was closer than anyone on the opposing team imagined. The man in white stepped away from the two still looting the dead man’s car and tentatively pointed his S&W Model 586 .357 Magnum revolver toward the passenger side of the truck.

“Get out! Get out now!”

Berke could have sworn he heard a few curse words being mumbled underneath Maxie’s breath, but it was covered at the first sound of a loud cry. Jacob didn’t like the headphones and was no doubt trying to get them off of his head. She was going to have her hands full making sure they stayed in place if he wanted to hear after this was all said and done. The sound of two weapons firing inside this small truck cab was going to be deafening. He had to trust that she was alert to what was coming their way.