Max Ryker- The End Begins by David Wayne

Author:David Wayne [Wayne, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781733098113
Publisher: FreeMedia Concepts, LLC
Published: 2019-05-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

I woke up the next morning with every bone in my body aching. I was covered in dark purple and yellow bruises. I reeked of pig poop, even though I had soaked in a cold creek for an hour last night. It’s like the stench had seeped into my pores. Yesterday, in just half a day, we’d logged almost as many miles as we’d walked the entire trip. That’s the difference between traveling windy trails on foot and riding down logging roads on motorized buggies. Unfortunately, after entering the Talladega Forest, I’d had a date with a tree and some wild boars, and it had totaled my rig. Now we’d be walking, because the quads weren’t designed to carry two people plus bulky gear.

I attempted to crawl from the tent. The pain was severe, shooting though my body in agonizing jolts. I moaned but kept going. It was time to face the sister, who I was sure would be furious at my blunders—I sure would be. After all, because of me, we were back to hoofing it. She wasn’t pissed off at all. I found her singing to herself under a tree, waiting for me to have breakfast.

The plastic MREs contained a pretty good offering—oatmeal, mixed fruit, a Pop-Tart, and a small package of instant coffee. Sarge had been generous, allowing us to take all the supplies we could carry.

“These aren’t bad, are they?” I said, making the kind of light conversation she enjoyed in the morning. The raspberry Pop-Tart sure beat corn for breakfast.

“They’re actually quite good,” she agreed. “You know, I wonder if that’s how the animals would have seen you?”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“You know, if animals actually speak to one another? They stumble upon a human, paralyzed in pig poop and unable to move. Maybe they see a Meal Ready to Eat. You know, Max the MRE?” she said, shooting me a big grin. I ignored her.

Before leaving the depot, Sarge gave us a map containing undocumented military roads leading through the Talladega National Forest. The obvious path through the wilderness was at its narrowest point—a five-mile strip due east of the depot. But a railroad track also ran through that particular swath, and Sarge advised that people traveling the Talladega would likely walk those tracks. That meant Hogwogs. He suggested we cross several miles north, utilizing a non-public military passage that was only shown on his unpublished map. The forest was twice as wide but contained logging-grade roads. That would allow for fast and easy travel conditions. His way would also exit considerably north of the interstate, in an area with long stretches of country dirt roads. That meant less chance of meeting people when we exited the forest. Bottom line—his way added miles but would be safer. That made sense.

The military thruway had apparently not been used for many years. It was overgrown with bushes and high weeds. Parts had washed away from summer storms. Still, the grade was fairly flat, allowing for an easy hike.

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