Stockton, and the horrors that were growing behind them. We didn't have to go far, just be able to get through a hundred feet or so and get past the fire truck, then it would be smooth sailing on to Stapleton's.
Amy stood up beside me. "Where are all of the SUVs? Or trucks?"
I scanned the intersection again. Not a single four wheel drive vehicle to be seen. "I don't see any."
"Most people up here have one for the winter. If there's none here, then none got stuck."
I grinned and slammed my hand down on top of the roll bar. "And that means there's a way around somehow, some way a car can't go."
Roger sighed, "Or some way a car is now clogging."
I drummed my fingers on the roll bar. "Pull forward. We need a better look."
Roger put the Jeep in neutral and let gravity pull us down the gentle incline. Once we got closer I could see a narrow path off of the far side of the road, up a rocky embankment at a precarious angle, but there were clear tire tracks cut into the dirt. I pointed. "Right there. Anything that could off-road was able to get up and over."
Amy climbed up to stand on her seat, trying to peer over the roofs of the abandoned cars.
"There's a red sports car sideways in the road right there. Looks like it skidded off the rocks."
"As long as four wheels are on the ground we can move it." I hopped out of the Jeep.
Eli looked at me in horror. "What are you doing, man?"
I gestured to the cars. "I bet every single one of these things has keys in the ignition. If we can just move them out of the way - not all of them, just enough to make a gap for us to drive through, we can get around that thing and make our way up the road."
Roger chuckled to himself. "I worked as a valet for three summers at my father's country club. I never thought parking cars would actually become a useful skill." He turned off the ignition and pulled up on the emergency brake, then slapped Eli on the knee. "C'mon boy, let's get parkin'."
Eli reluctantly unbuckled himself from his seat and stepped out of the Jeep, still clutching the shotgun tightly in both hands. I could see his nerves were frayed, his eyes darting left and right with every hesitant step. I walked to him and handed him my rifle. "That silver Honda there isn't going anywhere," I said, pointing at the car up against the tree, "why don't you climb up on the roof and keep watch for us? We're going to be pretty distracted getting in and out of cars, especially if we have to push a bunch of them. No sense leaving us defenseless."
Eli nodded, taking the rifle and handing the shotgun to me. I quickly passed it off to Roger. "You're faster on your feet, so you're on point." Eli climbed up onto Honda, gave a quick look through the scope down both ways, then signaled the all-clear.
"So," Roger said, "where do we start?"
Amy pointed at a blue Ford near the corner. "That one."
We both looked at her quizzically.
She gave an exasperated sigh, "It's like Tetris, but in reverse. That one will be the easiest to get out. It's not blocked or jammed in. It may have been one of the last cars in from this side. We start there, and pull them out one at a time."
I gave Roger a shrug, "Sounds like as good a plan as any."
We spent the next half hour carefully making our way through the mass of cars, moving them one at a time. Most still had the keys in them, showing the mindset of the people that got out of them. They weren't just in a rush, they were panicked, moving in desperation. Once they couldn't drive any further they opened their door, got out, and ran. I could see a few of the cars still had people strapped into the seats, the cars to either side crushed in so tight it would be impossible to get in our out. I couldn't imagine someone sitting in their car while they slowly starved to death, so I guessed they were bitten - a few of
Amy stood up beside me. "Where are all of the SUVs? Or trucks?"
I scanned the intersection again. Not a single four wheel drive vehicle to be seen. "I don't see any."
"Most people up here have one for the winter. If there's none here, then none got stuck."
I grinned and slammed my hand down on top of the roll bar. "And that means there's a way around somehow, some way a car can't go."
Roger sighed, "Or some way a car is now clogging."
I drummed my fingers on the roll bar. "Pull forward. We need a better look."
Roger put the Jeep in neutral and let gravity pull us down the gentle incline. Once we got closer I could see a narrow path off of the far side of the road, up a rocky embankment at a precarious angle, but there were clear tire tracks cut into the dirt. I pointed. "Right there. Anything that could off-road was able to get up and over."
Amy climbed up to stand on her seat, trying to peer over the roofs of the abandoned cars.
"There's a red sports car sideways in the road right there. Looks like it skidded off the rocks."
"As long as four wheels are on the ground we can move it." I hopped out of the Jeep.
Eli looked at me in horror. "What are you doing, man?"
I gestured to the cars. "I bet every single one of these things has keys in the ignition. If we can just move them out of the way - not all of them, just enough to make a gap for us to drive through, we can get around that thing and make our way up the road."
Roger chuckled to himself. "I worked as a valet for three summers at my father's country club. I never thought parking cars would actually become a useful skill." He turned off the ignition and pulled up on the emergency brake, then slapped Eli on the knee. "C'mon boy, let's get parkin'."
Eli reluctantly unbuckled himself from his seat and stepped out of the Jeep, still clutching the shotgun tightly in both hands. I could see his nerves were frayed, his eyes darting left and right with every hesitant step. I walked to him and handed him my rifle. "That silver Honda there isn't going anywhere," I said, pointing at the car up against the tree, "why don't you climb up on the roof and keep watch for us? We're going to be pretty distracted getting in and out of cars, especially if we have to push a bunch of them. No sense leaving us defenseless."
Eli nodded, taking the rifle and handing the shotgun to me. I quickly passed it off to Roger. "You're faster on your feet, so you're on point." Eli climbed up onto Honda, gave a quick look through the scope down both ways, then signaled the all-clear.
"So," Roger said, "where do we start?"
Amy pointed at a blue Ford near the corner. "That one."
We both looked at her quizzically.
She gave an exasperated sigh, "It's like Tetris, but in reverse. That one will be the easiest to get out. It's not blocked or jammed in. It may have been one of the last cars in from this side. We start there, and pull them out one at a time."
I gave Roger a shrug, "Sounds like as good a plan as any."
We spent the next half hour carefully making our way through the mass of cars, moving them one at a time. Most still had the keys in them, showing the mindset of the people that got out of them. They weren't just in a rush, they were panicked, moving in desperation. Once they couldn't drive any further they opened their door, got out, and ran. I could see a few of the cars still had people strapped into the seats, the cars to either side crushed in so tight it would be impossible to get in our out. I couldn't imagine someone sitting in their car while they slowly starved to death, so I guessed they were bitten - a few of
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