Chapter 8

The setting sun painted a picture in the windshield that no artist could hope to equal. Junior had planned on driving as long as possible, but knew he was getting drowsy. He had thought of asking Sarah to drive so they could keep going all night but her yawns lead him to believe she wouldn't be any more alert behind the wheel than he was. When Sarah pointed out a sign that advertised a rest area one mile ahead he alerted the others over the radio that they would be checking it out. Junior had second thoughts as soon as he saw the parking lot was full. He slowed to a crawl as Sarah grabbed her shotgun from the back seat and made sure she had a round chambered. Sarah pointed out the only people visible, three men and a woman sitting at a picnic table under a pavilion. Junior brought the truck and trailer to a stop, advising the others over the small hand held radio that he would be making contact. He told Sarah to get behind the wheel and to leave the motor running. He stepped out of the truck, waiting while she slid over behind the wheel. Junior walked back to the two Hummers keeping the vehicles between him and the four people.

"Leave a driver in each and keep the motors running," he advised Carr. "The rest of us will check it out, but I don't know if I want to stay this close to other people tonight. It might be best if we found somewhere else to spend the night."

Carr nodded before suggesting that Junior and he make a quick check while Jessica covered them with the .50 cal on the Hummer. Junior agreed and the two men began approaching the occupants of the pavilion, being careful to stay out of Jessica's line of fire.

"I don't like it," Carr said. "They should be getting up and checking us out, not just setting there like this is any other day. I got a bad feeling those four are bait, and the trap is waiting to close." Junior stopped and studied the four at the picnic table. Carr was right; the two facing away from them hadn't even turned around to check them out. Curiosity should have made the at least turn around to watch them approach, but they just sat there, staring at each other across the concrete table. Junior chewed his lower lip lightly as his eyes took in their surroundings. To the left of the pavilion, and set a little deeper in the park, was a building housing vending machines and the restrooms. He could not see through the tinted windows to tell if anyone was inside, but the building was large enough to house several dozen people. From the number of vehicles in the lot, even figuring for a fifty percent mortality rate on the occupants from the flu and another twenty five to thirty percent seriously ill, there should have been a lot more people present than just four. As he looked the situation over Sarah's voice came over the radio.

"Guys, there are several people in the building, I can see their shapes through the glass." She paused for a second before continuing. "I know you're in charge Junior, but is there any real reason for us stopping here. I think we should just leave." Junior could hear the concern in her voice and glanced at Wayne. The big man shrugged and began backing toward the trucks, careful not to turn his back on the four people outside, or the building farther back. Junior headed for the big Ford after glancing at Jessica who still had the area covered with the big machine gun. He climbed into the passenger side after making sure Carr had gotten into the Hummer behind them. At his nod Sarah got the truck rolling for the interstate. Junior spun and looked over his shoulder when he heard the .50 cal let off a short burst, but the trailer hitched to the truck blocked his view. He was fumbling for his radio when one of the girls in the last hummer came on the air.

"Some men came around the building from the back as we were leaving. One of them put his gun to his shoulder so I dusted them off a bit." Junior could hear the stress in Jessica's voice, although it remained clear and concise. "Don't think I hit anyone, we were already moving and it was a snap shot, but they sure dived for cover." After a short pause she continued, "Everybody's buttoned up back here, and as far as I'm concerned we can just keep going all night."

Junior acknowledged her report before digging out the atlas he had packed. Studying it for a moment, he planned out a route that should take them around the major cities coming up, and then advised the others over the radio. He asked Sarah if she wanted him to drive but she insisted she was fine. He figured she was wide awake now, he knew he was, and settled down to enjoy the ride for a while.

A dull pain in his neck woke him and he blinked several times to clear his eyes. He realized he was slumped in the seat, his head against the passenger window. Sitting up he grimaced at Sarah as he rubbed his neck where the unnatural position had tightened the muscles. He noticed a set of taillights ahead of them and studied them for a moment.

"Where are we? He asked Sarah. Glancing at the clock he noticed it was nearly two in the morning.

"Somewhere in Illinois," Sarah replied. "Janet is from the area and knows somewhere we can spend the night and rest up. Her grandparents have a farm just outside of Champaign, and we can crash there. I think she wants to check on them too, since we're so close. She and Carr took the lead about an hour ago, and we should be getting close."

Junior was a little worried about what or who they would find there, but kept his thoughts to himself. He and Sarah talked about their impressions of the others as they followed the Hummer onto an exit ramp. Making a left turn they passed through a little town called Seymour and traveled for about ten minutes before the Hummer ahead pulled into a large gravel drive next to a two story farm house. No light showed in the house, even the pole light over the drive was dark. Junior realized something that had been nagging him; they hadn't seen any signs of working electricity since they had fueled up back down the road. Thinking of this caused him to glance at the fuel gauge with concern. The gauge showed less than a quarter of a tank remained, and he moved fuel to the top of his mental list. Climbing down from the truck he met with the others as they all stretched muscles cramped from long hours on the road. After a short discussion Junior followed Janet as she lead the way to the back door. Retrieving a key from a hideout in a hanging plant they went inside, flashlights playing across kitchen cabinets. Janet hurried through the house, calling loudly for her grandparents. Junior turned as Sarah and the others joined them. The group spread out searching the house for signs of habitation. Carr began going through the cabinets looking for food. He found very little, and a quick glance in the fridge convinced him he didn't want to open it again anytime soon. He found a note on the counter, hand written by someone who shook as they wrote. The tried to read it, but the poor light and spidery writing made it hard to read. He was still puzzling it out when Janet returned with a dejected look on her face. Without a word he handed the note to her, as he had figured out enough to know it was from her grandmother, and the news wasn't good. Janet read the note silently, her eyes filling with tears. When she was done she sat down at the table while silent tears coursed down her face. Carr stood beside her, his large hand resting on her shoulder, the only comfort he knew how to give. When the others returned to the kitchen they found the two there. The women rushed to Janet, comforting her with hugs and gentle words as only a woman can. Junior and Wayne stepped away to give them space, and discuss their plans for the rest of the night. Junior went to the trailer and retrieved some MRE's for a quick meal. While outside he decided to check out the large machine shed and headed that way. Finding the walk in door unlocked he stepped inside. The open space ate up his light, but he made out enough to see the only thing inside was a antique John Deere tractor. It took several minutes to figure out how to open the large sliding doors and when he opened them he found Wayne outside waiting for him. Telling the other man what he wanted to do, they soon had the vehicles inside. A quick check via the radio assured them that Janet knew where a key to the shed was located and they locked the place up for the night. Junior knew that someone could still get inside but figured they would make enough noise to alert whoever was on watch. The two men returned to the house to find Sarah in the kitchen alone.