that?” Randell asked.
“First, there are probably going to be troops at the bridge. The second one being that we’d have to get across the Red River. You’re our resident Texas historian, Randell. How deep is that river?”
“I don’t know for sure. Probably ten to twelve feet. Depends on how much rain we’ve had.”
“Do the kids know how to swim?” I asked Joni.
“Jessica maybe,” she said. “Martin, no.” She looked down.
“I can’t swim at all,” Jay said poking his head up next to Randell’s.
All I could think was, Great.
I scratched my head for a minute. “We’ll have to think of something because staying on this road isn’t an option. Tomorrow, we’ll either bake or the zombies coming up from the south will get us.”
“What the plan, Stan?” Jay said.
“I don’t know for sure,” I said, “but get everyone ready to leave by nightfall.”
The sun was about to dip below the horizon and the temperatures dropped below boiling when some internal alarm told me it was time to leave. I mustered our people, grabbing whatever we could carry. It took me a couple exchanges with Jay to convince he shouldn’t bring all our MREs with us.
I was concerned if the other road refugees saw us moving northward en masse it could create a panic because there were too many of us to hide. I considered moving our group off road, but in the impending darkness anyone of us could fall into a hole or get bitten by a snake, so I decided to risk it and stuck with road.
We passed through several groups people standing beside their cars. When they asked where we were going, I just said we were heading into Ringgold for water. What I would say after we passed Ringgold was a mystery to me, but I figured I’d come up with something when the time came.
“Mom,” Martin cried out, “my shoe fell off.”
I saw Martin’s silhouette against the pink horizon shifting around while standing on one foot.
“Well, find it, Martin,” Joni said in a slightly exasperated tone.
“It’s too dark,” Martin said.
“Hold on,” Joni said, “I’ll help you find it.”
She made her way back to him when a voice asked out of the dark, “Joni? Is that you?”
Joni spun around and looked into an RV sitting on the road just a car away. “Dave?” she asked drawing out the name.
Dave? Who the hell is Dave?
The next thing I knew was that Martin was bounding down the road and shouting, “Daddy!” His single shoe slapped on the pavement while his shoeless foot was near silent.
The door of the RV opened and light from the inside spilled onto the road. Standing in the doorway was a shirtless man, a little thick around the middle, and a tangle of hair on his head. Just as he stepped down onto the road, Martin slammed into him, nearly toppling him.
Joni stood frozen in place, while Jessica made a few tentative steps towards the man who I assumed was her father and Joni’s husband. Joni looked towards Dave and then to me and shrugged.
“Marty!” Dave exclaimed. “I’m so glad to see you. Where’s your sister?”
“I’m here,” Jessica said, gaining some momentum. A moment later and she hugged the man called Dave.
Joni made her way to the reunion and joined in the hug, but with some reserve. At least, that’s how I read the body language, but maybe that’s what I wanted to see.
“We thought you were dead,” Joni said.
“I went back to the hotel, but you guys were gone,” he said.
“We were there,” Joni said. “We waited.”
“Well, I was running late,” he said.
“You were at your fantasy football draft,” she said and there was some heat in her voice. The kids instinctually drifted back to their mother.
“It ran long, I know, but…” he said.
“It ran long?” she said. “Didn’t they have TVs where you were?”
“We only had it on ESPN,” he said.
A new voice came from inside the RV, “Dave, who’s that you’re with?” It was a woman. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and reminded me of Marilyn Monroe, but
“First, there are probably going to be troops at the bridge. The second one being that we’d have to get across the Red River. You’re our resident Texas historian, Randell. How deep is that river?”
“I don’t know for sure. Probably ten to twelve feet. Depends on how much rain we’ve had.”
“Do the kids know how to swim?” I asked Joni.
“Jessica maybe,” she said. “Martin, no.” She looked down.
“I can’t swim at all,” Jay said poking his head up next to Randell’s.
All I could think was, Great.
I scratched my head for a minute. “We’ll have to think of something because staying on this road isn’t an option. Tomorrow, we’ll either bake or the zombies coming up from the south will get us.”
“What the plan, Stan?” Jay said.
“I don’t know for sure,” I said, “but get everyone ready to leave by nightfall.”
The sun was about to dip below the horizon and the temperatures dropped below boiling when some internal alarm told me it was time to leave. I mustered our people, grabbing whatever we could carry. It took me a couple exchanges with Jay to convince he shouldn’t bring all our MREs with us.
I was concerned if the other road refugees saw us moving northward en masse it could create a panic because there were too many of us to hide. I considered moving our group off road, but in the impending darkness anyone of us could fall into a hole or get bitten by a snake, so I decided to risk it and stuck with road.
We passed through several groups people standing beside their cars. When they asked where we were going, I just said we were heading into Ringgold for water. What I would say after we passed Ringgold was a mystery to me, but I figured I’d come up with something when the time came.
“Mom,” Martin cried out, “my shoe fell off.”
I saw Martin’s silhouette against the pink horizon shifting around while standing on one foot.
“Well, find it, Martin,” Joni said in a slightly exasperated tone.
“It’s too dark,” Martin said.
“Hold on,” Joni said, “I’ll help you find it.”
She made her way back to him when a voice asked out of the dark, “Joni? Is that you?”
Joni spun around and looked into an RV sitting on the road just a car away. “Dave?” she asked drawing out the name.
Dave? Who the hell is Dave?
The next thing I knew was that Martin was bounding down the road and shouting, “Daddy!” His single shoe slapped on the pavement while his shoeless foot was near silent.
The door of the RV opened and light from the inside spilled onto the road. Standing in the doorway was a shirtless man, a little thick around the middle, and a tangle of hair on his head. Just as he stepped down onto the road, Martin slammed into him, nearly toppling him.
Joni stood frozen in place, while Jessica made a few tentative steps towards the man who I assumed was her father and Joni’s husband. Joni looked towards Dave and then to me and shrugged.
“Marty!” Dave exclaimed. “I’m so glad to see you. Where’s your sister?”
“I’m here,” Jessica said, gaining some momentum. A moment later and she hugged the man called Dave.
Joni made her way to the reunion and joined in the hug, but with some reserve. At least, that’s how I read the body language, but maybe that’s what I wanted to see.
“We thought you were dead,” Joni said.
“I went back to the hotel, but you guys were gone,” he said.
“We were there,” Joni said. “We waited.”
“Well, I was running late,” he said.
“You were at your fantasy football draft,” she said and there was some heat in her voice. The kids instinctually drifted back to their mother.
“It ran long, I know, but…” he said.
“It ran long?” she said. “Didn’t they have TVs where you were?”
“We only had it on ESPN,” he said.
A new voice came from inside the RV, “Dave, who’s that you’re with?” It was a woman. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and reminded me of Marilyn Monroe, but
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