Winds of Ares: An Apocalypse Thriller by Druga, Jacqueline (most recommended books TXT) 📕

As soon as I stepped from that tent, I saw Alice making her way with Den.

She froze, stopping completely in her tracks. When she saw me, she didn’t look happy, she looked scared.

“Oh, God, Jana, tell me Martin and everyone is okay,” she said.

“They are. We got separated. Me and Lane are the ones not really okay.”

She exhaled with a smile and rushed to me. “Oh, good.” She embraced me. “Not that it’s good you guys aren’t okay, but everyone else is fine.”

“What happened?” I asked. “You left to go back.”

She shook her head. “It got real bad, Jana. I mean, we were backtracking from the storm. I managed radio contact with some guy in Denver. Nothing is left. So, we turned around, to try to find you guys.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t get home, but I am so happy to see you. Now we just have to find Martin and the others.”

“Then what do you say, Nick Fury, I go get the truck and we find the others?”

“I say that’s a plan.”

“Be right back.” Alice flashed a smile and turned to go the other way.

Den was still there, quietly listening. “See,” he said. “It all worked out.”

“It did. Why … why did she call me Nick Fury?”

He pointed to his own eye.

With an, ‘Ah’, I put two and two together about the eye patch, and I just shook my head with a smile.

I felt so much better about everything, and Alice was definitely a welcome surprise.

TWENTY-FOUR – JULIUS

In the three hours it had been since I had seen Lane after they moved him to the Intermediate Care tent, his improvement was remarkable.

While far from being out of the woods, the nurses believed he was on his way to getting there.

They had him in a curtained off area in the large tent. There were about twelve others there, and medical personnel were in there constantly with their patients.

His fever hadn’t broken completely, but it had come down. They were pumping him steadily with medication and a steady flow of oxygen through his nose, it helped him breathe easier and took away the color of death he had before.

He was groggy and still out of it, but he was talking some.

Before I sought out Lane, Alice had told me, “It’s a one way trip today. By the time we get there, find them, it’ll be getting dark. We go and stay wherever we find them or wait until tomorrow.”

She showed me the map and how we would take the smaller, southern bridge where we were supposed to meet Martin in case he was camping there. If not, then head north and find the welcome center.

“I’m worried,” Alice said. “The doctor wants you on antibiotics, too. Should you be running around?”

“I’ll be fine. Anita is there when we find them. They can give me some pills,” I said.

“Not like the hard stuff, right?” Alice asked. “I heard you were searching out Vicodin.”

I laughed. “I didn’t even know what I had grabbed.”

“I thought so. Well, whatever you decide.”

It was a tough decision. It really was.

I wanted to find Martin and the kids, along with the others. I wanted to see for myself they were alright and let them know we were fine. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to leave Lane.

Without getting into details how I was going, I asked what he thought I should do.

Even in his half ‘out of it’ state, he answered. “Go. Go find them. Come back tomorrow. What are you gonna do? Watch me sleep? I would think you did that enough in our marriage.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do,” I said. “Lane, why didn’t you mention my eye was bad?”

“You hurt your eye?” he asked.

I pointed to the eye patch.

“I didn’t notice.”

“Neither did I.”

Alice called out, “Knock-knock and stepped into the partitioned off area where Lane and I were. “No door. I couldn’t knock.”

“Look who came back,” I told Lane.

“Hey …” he said slowly. “I knew it.”

“Looks like you ain’t riding in any rodeos any time soon, cowboy,” Alice joked.

“If there ever is again, I will.”

“I’m sure you’ll start one. Did you decide, Jana?” Alice asked.

“Yes. I’m ready. Let’s go. Lane needs to rest.”

“Then let’s do this. Hey …” She pointed at Lane. “Get better.”

Lane gave a thumbs up.

I said my goodbyes to Lane and Alice, and I headed out to find the rest of our group.

Those who had left with Alice stayed behind because we were returning.

When she said the truck was ready, I expected to see her rig. She had dumped it for a smaller more fuel efficient truck. A fifteen foot box truck with the wording, “Herbie’s Hubcaps Service’ on the side.

We drove on the original course I had planned out, back through Daniels and taking Route Three to the bridge.

The river seemed high to me and the current was strong, so much debris floated in it.

I told Alice about our water funnel and how everything happened. I mentioned Sturgis and how I wanted to find him.

He was just one of many people we met along the way.

One of many I would think about, wonder about. The towns we passed through were flattened and the ones that were holding down the front lines.

There was no one there when we crossed the river, we even drove a few miles and saw nothing.

The ground was muddy and there was no sign of any tracks.

We took a deeply tree lined and winding road north, passing a town called, Hinton. At least that was what the sign said.

The town was flooded, water came nearly to the road. The farther north we drove, elevation increased, and we arrived at where the Mary Draper Ingles Bridge used to be.

“Holy cow,” Alice stopped the truck, opened the door and stepped out facing the empty space. “Holy cow, this is insane.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “You survived this?”

“Yeah, we did.”

Alice whistled. “The Little House on the Prairie Bridge is gone. And you spoke to Martin after?”

“The