Days Of Perdition: Voodoo Plague Book 6 (5 page)

The fire road was rough.  Calling it a road was being
generous.  It was actually nothing more than a path across the desert leading
up the edge of the Mogollon Rim to mountain country.  The vegetation had been
scraped away and just the largest of rocks removed.  It was only navigable with
a stout four-wheel drive vehicle with high ground clearance. 

John had built up his truck for just this kind of terrain,
installing tall off-road tires, specialty suspension components and replacing
Ford’s factory skid plates with heavy, iron plates to protect the underside of
the vehicle.  Regardless, Katie knew from experience that if she went too fast
or didn’t control the truck properly that she could damage it.  Not that being
stranded out here wasn’t looking to be preferable to being stranded in town, but
she didn’t want to wind up on foot.

Speed wasn’t her friend on the trail.  Her foot spent more
time on the brake, controlling descents into dry washes than it did on the
gas.  She drove for an hour before coming to a stop at the bottom of the first
of many steep climbs as the road pushed deeper into the wilderness.  Leaving
the engine idling, she was paranoid about turning it off and it failing to
start when she was ready to go, she stepped out to find a place to relieve
herself.

Needs taken care of she, she drank some water while
surveying the area.  While she was stopped she decided to check in with Steve. 
Pulling out the phone she dialed his number, waiting impatiently for him to
answer.

“I’m watching you in real time,” he said when he picked up.

“Great.  Ever think I might want some privacy to use the
bathroom?”  Katie asked, shading her eyes as she looked to the north and the
steep climb in front of her.

“Relax, I couldn’t see anything.”  He chuckled.  “You’ve
only covered a little over five miles, if you weren’t aware.”

Katie was surprised.  She hadn’t thought to check the
odometer when she drove through the gate, and hadn’t realized just how slow she
was moving.  She’d probably be making better time on horseback, she mused.

“Then there should be about 65 miles to go.  Right?”  She
asked.

“68.  I’ve got it mapped out on the computer.  Looks like
you’ve got some pretty serious climbs ahead, as well as a couple of canyons to
get through.  The good news is the road looks open all the way to Payson.”

“That sounds like there’s some bad news.”  Katie said,
turning to check the road behind her, looking for dust trails that would
indicate someone was following.  She was pleased to see nothing moving other
than birds flitting from bush to bush.

“There is.  Payson is overrun with refugees.  People in
tents, RVs, campers; some just sleeping on the ground.  Hard to tell from
satellite, but it looks like the wild west.  I’m seeing groups of armed men
circulating through the camps.  It looks like they’re taking supplies from
people.  In the time I’ve been watching I’ve seen at least a half a dozen
shootings and more fights.  Don’t see any cops but there’s a few guys on
horseback trying to maintain order.”  Katie stood quietly, thinking about what
he’d just said.

“How much gas do you have?”  Steve asked after she didn’t
say anything for nearly a minute.

“Just over half a tank,” Katie answered after leaning into
the cab and checking the gauge.  “That’ll get me to Payson, but not much
farther.  This thing uses a lot of fuel in four wheel drive.”

“OK, you’d better get moving.  You’ve got less than two
hours of daylight left and you probably shouldn’t try to move at night.  You’ll
have to use your lights and that will make you stand out like a beacon.”

“Good advice,” Katie said, realizing she hadn’t even thought
about what she would do when it got dark.  “OK, I’m going to get moving.  I’ll
call you when I stop for the night.  Can you look and see if there’s anywhere
you think I can get gas when I make it to Payson?”

“I’ll see what I can find.  Be careful.  I’ll talk to you
soon.”  There was click and he was gone.  At least he hadn’t told her he loved
her again.

With a grim expression, Katie climbed back into the cab,
locking the doors before starting forward.  The road in front of her ran level
for a hundred yards then made a sharp right as it started climbing up the side
of a tall hill.  It was narrow, the driver’s side of the big truck right
against a vertical wall of dirt and rock, the passenger side tires no more than
a foot from a drop that progressively got worse the higher she climbed.

Keeping her speed low, Katie gripped the wheel with sweaty
palms as she steered as far away from the edge as possible.  A couple of times
the large exterior mirror right outside her window scraped on rocks protruding
from the wall, but she didn’t care.  She wasn’t going to drive one inch closer
to what had grown to a several hundred foot drop straight down.

Finally she topped out, the road going back to the left as
it crested.  Stopping, she looked ahead at a series of progressively taller
mountains marching away into the distance.  Turning to look over her shoulder
she was dismayed to see nothing but a thick layer of smoke blanketing the
valley where Phoenix was located. 

The sun was low in the western sky, the smoke in the air
producing a breathtaking sunset, but she had no appreciation for it.  Turning
her back on the city she drove forward carefully, bouncing over large stones embedded
in the road and steering around a couple of tree stumps that had been left
behind when the trail was cleared.  Reaching the far edge of the crest she
stopped when the road disappeared over the edge, descending into a shallow
canyon.

Leaving the truck running, Katie stepped out and walked to the
edge.  The road wound its way down a couple of hundred feet, switching back on
itself several times before bottoming out and climbing the next mountain.  The surrounding
mountains shaded the canyon ahead of her and it was already dusk at the bottom. 
She didn’t think she could make it to the bottom before she lost the sun and
had to turn on her headlights.

Thinking about it, Katie decided to spend the night on the
high ground.  She looked around for a place to park the truck that would be
hidden from the trail in case anyone came by during the night.  It took a few
minutes, but she felt lucky when she found a spot halfway back to the other
edge of the crest.  Behind the wheel again she backed up slowly until she
reached a relatively flat spot in the terrain that led away from the road. 
Driving a hundred yards she made a sharp left and came to a stop behind a thick
stand of stunted pine trees.

Saying a prayer, she shut the engine off and walked back to
the road.  Turning, she tried to spot the truck but it was well concealed.  She
was halfway back to it when she looked down at where she was walking and saw
the very visible tracks left by the aggressive treads of the off-road tires. 
She was losing light in a hurry and cast around until she found a fallen tree
branch still heavy with pine needles.  Working quickly she erased the tracks into
the trees as best she could, but there was nothing she could do about the
tracks climbing the hill, crossing the crest and ending at the drop into the
next canyon.

Anyone following her trail would notice that she hadn’t
continued on.  She racked her brain, but couldn’t come up with a solution to
that problem.  Not pleased with the situation, but realizing there was nothing
else she could do, Katie dialed Steve again as the sun dipped below the
horizon.

“I’m stopped,” she said when he answered.

“I’m still watching.  That was smart wiping out your
tracks.”  He sounded proud of her.

“Hopefully it wasn’t necessary,” she said.  “Any movement on
the road?”

“Nothing so far, and it’s good you got on it.  A truck tried
to run the roadblock you were stuck behind and the fake cops started shooting. 
Lots of bodies and they’ve had reinforcements show up.”

Katie took a deep breath; glad she’d known of another way into
the mountains.  She was just starting to say something to Steve when a screech
owl cut lose from the top of a tree not far from where she was standing.  The
birds make a horrible sound that if you don’t know what it is will scare the
crap out of you.  Even knowing what they sounded like, Katie let out an
involuntary scream of her own, the owl answering her a few moments later.

Steve went into a panic, shouting into the phone.  When she
was able to speak again Katie told him what had happened and got a little
irritated when he started laughing.

“Yeah, let’s see how well you do out in the middle of
nowhere.”  She said petulantly.  “I was a field officer, but the field wasn’t
the woods.  Now, if you’re through making fun of me did you find any place I
can get gas when I get to Payson?”

“Maybe.  The power is still on and there are a couple of gas
stations that are open.  It looks like the owners are taking barter only.  I
guess money isn’t worth much any more.  And at the edge of the largest camp
there’s a tanker truck that’s been pulled in.  It’s the largest gang that has
it and they’re trading gas for supplies.  You’re either going to have to trade
something, or find a vehicle you can siphon gas out of.”  He said.

They talked for a few more minutes then ended the call with
a promise from Steve that he’d watch over her on satellite while she slept.  If
he saw any vehicles or people approaching her position he’d alert her with a
call to her sat phone.  Plugging the handset into a car charger, Katie dug out
a can of soup, ate it cold, then crawled into the back seat of the truck. 
Locking the doors she made sure her phone’s ringer was turned on in case Steve
called, then lay down on the floor of the truck, shotgun cradled in front of
her in case she needed it.

The night passed without incident.  Katie surprised herself
that she was able to sleep despite being half frightened out of her mind.  She
woke with a start when the satellite phone rang, grabbing it and stabbing the
green button to accept the call.  It was Steve, not with a warning of
approaching danger, but a wake up call. 

The sun was just clearing the mountains to the east and
Katie grumbled at him and talked for a couple of minutes even though she wasn’t
in the mood.  Ending the call she sat up and looked around, then climbed out of
the truck and walked into the thick cover of the stand of trees so she could
use the bathroom without Steve watching.

A quick breakfast of canned peaches and a bottle of water
and she was ready to go.  The truck started easily, despite her fears that when
she turned the key nothing would happen.  She started down into the canyon,
riding the brakes as she bounced down the side of the mountain.  At the bottom,
the road had been partially washed out by a rainstorm, a deep ditch carved out
of the hard earth.

Controlling the truck’s speed, Katie let the front tires
drop gently into the ditch then had to give it a little gas to keep rolling
forward.  Quickly braking, she slowed the momentum as the rear tires reached
the edge of the drop.  Slowly she inched forward, the rear tires rolling over
the edge and the back of the truck dropping.

The drop was arrested with a hard impact, the truck coming
to a sudden stop.  She sat for a moment, but when everything seemed OK she
pressed on the accelerator.  The engine picked up, but the truck didn’t move. 
Pressing harder on the gas, Katie cursed when the front tires began spinning,
throwing up a cloud of dirt and small rocks.  She lifted her foot, the tires
immediately stopping their spin.

Popping the door open she stepped out and looked at the
back.  The rear tires were barely touching the ground and had dug out two shallow
furrows when she’d tried to accelerate.  The ditch was deeper than the
clearance from the rear bumper to the ground.  She was hung up, the truck
resting on the back bumper, the rear tires held hanging down and unable to gain
traction.  It wasn’t going anywhere.

Katie suppressed a scream of frustration, but lashed out
with her steel-toed boot and kicked a sizable dent into the truck’s sheet
metal.  She stopped and stared at the dent, beginning to giggle when she
thought about how mad John would be if he were there to see what she’d done.  Looking
at how the truck was stuck she recognized her mistake.  She should have steered
the Ford at an angle across the depression.  She still might have bottomed the
bumper out, but it would have only been one corner and she would have been able
to pull free.  She wasn’t surprised when the phone rang.

“What’s wrong?”  Steve asked.

“The bumper’s hung up,” she said, moderating her tone.  It
wasn’t his fault and she still worried he was going to turn petulant and stop
helping her. 

“Do you have a jack?  Lift it up enough to drive forward so
it clears whatever it’s hung on.”  Katie was surprised at the helpful
suggestion.  She’d never thought of Steve as someone who could solve problems
like this.  He used to be great at puzzles and seeing patterns and trends. 
That had made him very good at his job, but she hadn’t expected him to be of
any use other than as her eye in the sky.

Dropping the phone on the driver’s seat without breaking the
connection Katie ran to the back of the truck, rolled open the bed cover and
lowered the tailgate.  She started moving bags of canned food and her other
supplies, finally spotting the hi-lift jack John kept in the bed.  Pulling it
towards the back, she had to reposition it so she could lift it.  The jack was
over fifty pounds and four feet tall, reminding her of a bigger version of the
old style jacks that used to come in large, American built cars.

With the jack out she looked it over and saw how it was
meant to attach to the truck.  Unfortunately, it was designed to hook onto the
back of the bumper and the bumper was firmly stuck on the top edge of the
wash.  She pushed it away in frustration, letting it fall to the dirt, but
thought better of her action and muscled it back into the truck.

The tool back in place, she spotted a small folding shovel
clipped to the inside wall of the truck’s bed.  Grabbing it, she extended the
spade and started attacking the ground around and under the rear bumper.  Ten
minutes later she had hardly made any progress.  The soil was almost as hard as
the large rocks that were firmly lodged in it.  The shovel was just too small
and light for the task.

Flinging it into the back of the truck, Katie wiped sweat
off her face and walked to the cab to pick up the phone.

“Why won’t the jack work?”  Steve asked as soon as she spoke.
 Katie explained the problem to him.

“Try the other jack,” he said.

“What other jack?” 

“There should be a smaller, scissor style jack that came
with the truck from the manufacturer.  You should be able to get it underneath
and lift at the axel.”  He said patiently.

Katie stood staring at the truck.  “Where would it be?  I’ve
never seen one.”

“Look behind the back seat.  If not there, try under the
back seat.  There has to be one unless John took it out, but there’s no reason
he would have done that.”  Steve said.

Katie opened the rear driver’s side door and had to shift
some more supplies so she could search for the jack.  She didn’t see one, but
kept looking.  After several minutes she forced open a large, plastic panel and
there was a sturdy scissor jack clamped securely in place.  She’d had to put
the phone down to pry open panels and when she snatched it up to talk to Steve
she could hear him shouting her name even before she lifted the handset to her
ear.

“I’m here,” She said.  “What’s wrong?”

“You’ve got two Jeeps coming up behind you.  At least two occupants
in each one, but the tops are up so I can’t get a good look or see if there’s
any more people in them.”

“How close?”  Katie raised her head to look up at the crest
where she’d spent the night, afraid she would see the front end of a vehicle
nosing over and starting down the fire road toward where she was stuck.

“They’re making the climb you made before you stopped for
the night.  That has slowed them a little, but if they keep coming you’ve got
maybe twenty minutes before they can see you.”

“Shit!  OK, stay on the phone.  I’m going to see what I can
do with the jack.” 

Katie tossed the phone on the front seat and reached for the
jack, pausing when she realized she needed to plug the handset into the charger
so it didn’t die while she was working.  The last thing she wanted was to be
completely alone out here. 

Satellite phone batteries charging, she yanked the jack out
of the clips holding it in place and dashed to the narrow space between the
rear tire and the edge of the wash.  Shoving the heavy tool through ahead of
her, she crawled through on her belly, looking at the truck’s suspension. 
Settling for the left side bracket where the shocks were bolted on, she squirmed
the jack around on the ground until she felt it was stable. 

Unfolding the crank she turned it, the threaded rod pulling
half the scissor towards her, which pushed the top closer to the bottom of the
bracket.  Cranking as fast as she could, the handle stopped moving when the top
of the jack met the resistance of the weight of the truck.  Cursing, Katie
shifted herself around so she could exert more force.  The crank began turning
again, but slower than she would have liked. 

The foot of the jack began to compress into the dirt, but only
sank in a couple of inches before the truck began to move.  Suppressing a cry
of excitement, Katie turned the rod as hard as she could, willing the mechanism
to move faster.  Not watching the rod, she was surprised when it suddenly came
to a stop, her hand slipping off.  She had reached the limit of the jack.

Looking at what she’d accomplished, Katie cursed.  The jack
had been designed to lift a truck sitting on pavement just high enough to
change a flat tire.  A tire much shorter than the big off-road tires John had
put on the Ford.  She had succeeded in lifting the left rear side of the truck
no more than four inches, and as far as she could tell the bumper was still
firmly embedded in the ground.

Scrabbling backwards, she stood up and grabbed the phone. 
“I’ve raised it as far as it will go, but the bumper didn’t move,” she said
into the phone.  “Where are the Jeeps?”

“Five minutes from the crest on the far side,” he said. 

“Goddamn it, what do I do?”  She asked, not really expecting
an answer so much as voicing her frustration.

“Do you have a tool kit?”

“What?  Why?”

“A tool kit?  Do you have one?”  He asked again.

“Hold on,” Katie pulled the charging cord out of the phone
so she could stay connected with Steve as she went to the back of the truck.

Climbing up the side of the wash she then stepped up onto
the tailgate and frantically threw supplies out of her way.  John was someone
who was rarely caught unprepared, especially if he’d had an opportunity to plan
for something.  Two heavy canvas bags were stashed at the front of the bed, and
the first one she unzipped was full of greasy tools.

“Yes, there are tools.  Why?”  She couldn’t help looking up
at the crest to make sure she hadn’t already been spotted.

“Get back under the truck.  The bumper shouldn’t have more
than four bolts holding it to the frame.  If you can undo them, you’re free!” 
Steve was excited and speaking fast.  “Just be careful.  There’s going to be a
lot of pressure on the bumper and you don’t know which way it will go when you
release it.”

Katie was already moving, shoving the phone into her pocket
and lifting the bag with both hands, dropping it over the side of the truck. 
Jumping down she crawled back under the truck, dragging the bag with her.  It
only took a moment for her to find the bolts Steve was talking about, and he
was right about there only being four of them.

Digging through the tool bag she started trying sockets
until finding one that was the right size, then spent another few precious
minutes finding the right ratchet to match.  She had to pause and think about
which way would loosen, finally falling back on the helpful rhyme of ‘righty
tighty, lefty loosey’. 

Ratchet set properly, she grabbed the steel handle and
pulled with all her strength, sweat popping out from the exertion, but the bolt
didn’t budge.  She stopped for a moment and took a couple of deep breaths, then
tried again without any better luck.  Wanting to scream in frustration she
forced herself to calm down and fished the phone out of her pocket.

“I can’t move them.  They’re too tight!”  She said.

“Is there a breaker bar in the tool bag?  It’s going to have
a connection on the end like the ratchet, but it will be long and heavy.  If
not that, then a long pipe that can slip over the ratchet so you’ve got more
leverage.”

Katie set the phone down and frantically dug through the
duffel, coming up with a two foot long iron pipe that slipped over the
ratchet’s handle.  She wrapped her hands around the end of the pipe, took a
deep breath and pulled as hard as she could.  With a squeal of metal on metal
the bolt gave a little.   She rotated the ratchet handle a couple of clicks and
pulled again, the bolt turning more, its resistance finally ending. 

Jerking the pipe out of the way she used the ratchet to
quickly remove the bolt and let it drop to the ground.  Repeating the process
she removed the next one, then realized how much time she was using and
snatched the phone out of the dirt.

“Two bolts done.  Where are the Jeeps?”  She asked.

“They’re on top of the mountain, about a minute from the
edge on your side.  Keep working.  They can’t come down that trail fast. 
They’re going to see you, but you’ve got time if you work fast.”

Dropping the phone again Katie attacked the remaining two bolts. 
When the fourth one broke free she caught her breath as the bumper shifted and
the back of the truck dropped several inches.  Hoping that was all that would
happen, she carefully began turning the last bolt, squirming away from the
bumper as it came free.  The truck dropped another inch then stopped, the
bumper crushed under the rear edge of the bed.  She quickly lowered the scissor
jack and yanked it out of the way.

There was a bundle of electrical wires running into the
bumper, but she didn’t have time to worry about it.  Scrambling from underneath
the truck she tossed the phone into the cab, dropped the tools into the duffel
and swung it up into the bed of the truck.  Moments later she had the bed cover
rolled back into place and slammed the tailgate.

Katie dashed to the open door, pausing before climbing in
and looking up at the trail crest, several hundred feet above her.  No vehicles
were visible, but she was sure she could see two figures standing at the edge. 
Ignoring them, she climbed into the driver’s seat, closed the door and securely
belted herself in.  The first time John had taken her off-road she’d thought he
was joking when he told her to keep her seatbelt on.  Until the going got rough
and her head hit the ceiling, then she wished she had listened to him.

Stepping on the gas the truck started rolling.  There was
the protest of crunching metal from the rear, then more noise as the wiring
held and began dragging the bumper.  It didn’t take long for it to snag on a
rock, the wires ripping free and dragging on the ground as Katie bounced across
the floor of the canyon.