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and it was a good time to be on the highway if we had to be.
     
    I radioed to the boys in back and told them to come out and stretch their legs and take a pee if needed while I walked up the on-ramp to take a look and see if I could tell if the way was clear enough.
     
    All was quiet. That was a good thing in my book, because now I was looking around for someone to jump out at us. I hated feeling that way.
     
    I thought about the delicate threads of our world and how easily things had turned into chaos. I regretted not getting to know my neighbors down the road better.
     
    If we could have come together as a community beforehand and planned things out in case there was an emergency, things may have played out much differently.
     
    As it was, right now the band of looters was probably burning our house down. I reached the peak of the on-ramp and looked around. There were a few stranded cars that looked like they had actually been pushed off the road, but for the most part, the area was clear and there was no traffic.
     
    It was weird that I was standing in the middle of I-55 and nothing was moving. I wasn’t sure if it being deserted made me feel better or worse.
     
    Could it be a trap? We weren’t that far out of the city yet. There was no way we would know for sure.
     
    I decided to ask the rest of the group and see what we wanted to do. We could try to take the highway but that would leave us really open an exposed. However, it would also give us room to turn around if needed.
     
    If we took the smaller two-lane road, it would be longer, but we wouldn’t be as exposed. The down side is that none of us really knew the road that well, and we didn’t know if we ran into a barricade or something if we would be able to turn around.
     
    Plus, who knows what people might be waiting to take our stuff…or worse.
     
    I presented the options to the group.
     
    “I think we should chance it on the interstate. As much as I don’t like being on the highway, the ability to turn around and keep driving without hitting something is high on my list.” Carl said.
     
    “I agree. The highway has my vote.” Evan said.
     
    I looked over at Katherine. She was looking at the on ramp and pondering the options.
     
    “The only thing I really worry about is how far any exits are spaced out. Plus, there are a lot of steep bluffs that people can hide in.” She said.
     
    “True,” I said. “But that would be no different going the long way.”
     
    She sighed.
     
    “Okay. Let’s take the highway. You guys stay down and quiet if we have to stop. We will let you know if something is up. Otherwise, stay down. We don’t want anyone knowing you are there if at all possible.”
     
    Carl and Evan both nodded and got back into the truck bed. I pulled the tarp taught against it and handed the bungees to the guys so they had access to the hook. They were able to hook it from the inside, concealing where they were.
     
    I pulled Kat into my arms and hugged her tight before we hopped into the cab.
     
    We were half-way there. If the highway was this clear all the way down, it would be an easy second half.
     
    Of course, that wish was too good to be true.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 11 - Katherine
     
    We were able to drive with the windows up for a while which was nice because the damp chill just seemed to penetrate all the way to the bone.
     
    I was feeling a little bad for Carl and Evan in the truck bed. I’m sure it had to be cold as fuck and even with coats on, the wind coming from under the tarp had to be a pain.
     
    But I was glad they were willing to do it. If we could get down to mom’s safely, it was because of the help we’d received from them.
     
    We passed several cars that had ran out of gas on the road. For the most part, it was pretty open and it almost felt like we were driving down