The Dark Road Series Collection by Bruno Miller

Author:Bruno Miller [Miller, Bruno]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wordstream Books
Published: 2019-05-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

They gave Topeka and Kansas City a generous berth as they skirted the edge of both cities. Ben thought he probably went a little farther around each one than he needed to, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Based on the information he had, he knew both places were trouble, so there was no need to feel bad about the extra time it took to navigate around the cities. Being cautious was well worth the extra effort and navigation.

Besides, a more direct route could have cost them a lot more than time.

They were able to make good time otherwise on I-70, when they did use it, and Ben found himself able to actually exceed the speed limit for long distances. Slowing down to avoid hazards had become the exception, rather than the rule, on the big multi-lane road.

This is what he’d hoped to find, figuring that traffic would have been light on this road at the time of the EMP attacks and mostly limited to trucks and the occasional car.

His assumption proved to be true for the most part, and the large remains of the 18-wheelers were easy to spot from a distance and avoid without slowing down at all.

Of course, they paid for the speed with frequent stops for fuel, but they could time it with their deviations from the interstate and take advantage of the safety of the secondary roads.

They also benefited from the opportunities the lesser roads provided in the way of smaller gas stations to top off the tanks on the thirsty Blazer.

Ben felt better at these smaller, out-of-the-way locations. Less population usually meant less chance of trouble. But he knew the landscape would change soon and they would be forced to refuel in some less desirable areas in the not too distant future.

The mood in the truck improved briefly when they passed the sign that welcomed them to Missouri. Small talk filled the cab for a while as they speculated on things to come.

But the feeling of progress diminished as the unrelenting road, seemingly unchanged despite all their hard hours of driving, stretched out in front of them.

When they passed the sign saying they still had 87 miles to go before the first exit to St. Louis, Ben began to realize that his hope of getting through a good portion of Illinois was probably a little too ambitious for the day.

It was already well into the afternoon, and if he stuck to the travel plan they would most likely end up at the Illinois border around six, maybe a little earlier depending on the roads after he got off the interstate.

He planned on going around St. Louis to the north and stopping at the Mississippi River to take a break before they continued on, but by the looks of things, they would make camp along the river instead tonight. That would be a good place to stop. They would have plenty of fresh water and with any luck could catch some dinner.

He was grateful for the dehydrated food, but a change of menu would be welcome.

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