Chapter 27
Their mother was still standing on the porch when the pair headed for the road.
She knew her mother wouldn’t stop watching the road until they returned.
Veronica was still working out the plan in her head when they reached the outskirts of the village.
Once again, she was shocked to find no one posted guard outside.
Grinding her teeth together, she maneuvered her horse down the road to the other side, with Conner riding silently beside her.
“You’ve got to talk to these people,” Veronica growled. “They are sitting ducks. What if we’d been folks looking to rob them blind?”
He sighed. “I know. I’ve brought it up a few times to the elders, but so far, they think it’s all just a bunch of show from the government.”
“Jesus, don’t they realize there is no government anymore? At least not that’s going to come to help them?” Veronica asked.
“There is nothing we can do about it now, at least not until we get back and have a town meeting. Let’s keep our heads in the game. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. If things are really as bad as you say, I’m guessing you’ve got a plan, right?” Conner asked.
“You know me too well.” She laughed. “We are going to take the road down and then cross through the forest instead of getting on the two-lane highway leading to Starver City.”
“What are we going to do after we get through the forest area?”
“We’ll tie off the horses and then have a look around before heading in.
I’d like to keep our distance until we know for sure it’s going to be safe to cross into the city.
If it looks too dangerous, we’ll move on to the next city, and we’ll just have to keep doing that until we find an area that looks safe enough to go into. ”
“From the sounds of it, you don’t plan on us getting back today.”
“I’m hoping we don’t have to go too far to find what we’re looking for. I’m still planning on getting back today, but it’s going to depend on what we see and how far we have to go.”
“You know the horses are going to be a lot slower than the motorcycle. It could take us a lot longer than your original plan.”
Veronica chuckled. “I know. I’m actually hoping that I’m wrong about shit hitting the fan and we reach Starver and find everything perfectly calm.”
“But you don’t think that’s going to happen, do you?” Conner asked.
Veronica shook her head. She was expecting to find the community in turmoil, to find its citizens just as terrified as the rest of the nation.
Veronica knew they had to get the old ham radio up and running to find out what was going on across the country, but it had slipped her mind until that moment.
She wanted to check on her friends back in California, assuming that Gregory was able to get the one at his shop working again.
The horses trotted slowly down the dirt road.
Soon, Conner was going to see firsthand what they had fought against to get to the homestead.
It wasn’t something she’d wish on anyone.
Thankfully, Bryson was safe back at the farm with the others.
As long as they could protect everyone, Veronica didn’t care what happened to her.
There was always a comfortable silence that came with spending time with Conner.
He never forced conversation on her, nor did he pry into her life and the world she’d built back in California.
Her stomach lurched. That was all gone now.
Even if the government somehow swooped in to save the day, the damage was done.
It would take years before things were restored back to some semblance of normal.
“You should know the entire town was really impressed with the fact that you were able to get here on a motorcycle. I’m sure they’re all going to ask you a million questions when they get the chance.”
Veronica chuckled. “I’m not sure why everyone is so impressed with the bike.
It was really easy enough that anyone could have gotten it going.
I simply just got lucky in the process of putting it back together, and when the EMP struck, I didn’t have any of the electronics hooked up. That’s all it really was.”
“I think you’re just being a little too modest, but it makes sense why the man on the road wanted to take it from you. I’m sure that guy isn’t going to be the last one to try to steal the bike, since there isn’t any other mode of transportation right now.”
“That’s the main reason I don’t plan on advertising my services as a mechanic. I’d end up spending the rest of this time with the power out, trying to get every other vehicle up and running.”
Conner shrugged. “That makes sense, but wouldn’t it be better if everyone had something to drive around in so they wouldn’t be willing to take what isn’t theirs?”
“Just because I don’t want to advertise what I can do doesn’t mean I don’t think others should be able to get on the road as well. We’re going to have to get others going, too, but there’s a time and place for that.”
“I have to say it is one hell of a bargaining chip for the homestead if you do let people know what you’re capable of. I think that when the time comes, you should be willing to help out as many people as you can.”
Veronica pursed her lips, her grip on the reins tightening some so she didn’t look in her brother’s direction.
She hadn’t thought about her trade being used to barter, and she wasn’t sure she was supportive of the idea.
Teaching others how to do what she’d done was more in line with what Veronica wanted to accomplish.
There was no reason to hoard her skills with a wrench nor the knowledge that brought her there.
Plus, without knowing what the true cause of the EMP had been, she had no idea if she could duplicate the results she’d gotten with the motorcycle.
The storage chest she’d kept the parts had acted as a Faraday box of sorts.
The electrical components of the bike had been safe and not conducting any power at the time, nor had they been drawing it thanks to their age and build.
The last thing she wanted to be doing was giving her brother, or anyone else, false hope.
Until she was certain she could make it happen again, Veronica wasn’t going to be showing anything to anyone.
They’d been on the road for nearly forty minutes when the main highway at the base came into view.
Her stomach rolled, remembering well what lay in the trees beyond the mountains.
“I really didn’t mean anything by it, and it is completely up to you whether you want to make your ability as a mechanic known. You’re starting to look a little pale,” Conner said. “We can always go back if you need to.”
“No. We definitely need to know what’s going on around us. Besides that, we’re not going to be able to make it through the winter without salt and a few other things. What we’re trying to do is extremely important to our survival through the winter.”
“I’m definitely not saying it isn’t, but you just look a little off your game right now. We are definitely going to need the salt and whatever else you have on the list of things to pick up from here.”
“I’m fine. We need to take a closer look at what is going on.”
Conner nodded. “You’re right about that. We need to know if there are any dangers lurking out here, even if they are a good hour away from the homestead. We’ve already made it this far, so keep on leading the way, and I’ll follow along.”
“I was planning on it. Just make sure that you stay as quiet as possible and try not to let anyone know we are here. You’re also going to have to make sure you have your gun at the ready. If we run into any danger at all, I want to make sure we are both ready to fight back.”
Conner went slightly pale before nodding and pulling his shotgun around to the front of his chest. Veronica did the same with hers as they crossed down onto the road before moving into the forest. With only their knowledge of the area and a compass to guide them, Veronica prayed she wasn’t leading her brother to his death.
She forced the thought from her mind. Nothing would stop her from keeping him and the others safe.