299 Days: The Collapse

Chapter 67 Ten Bucks a Gallon (May 7)

The guys were following Lisa well. The last trucks would run red lights to stay with the convoy, but no one was exactly handing out tickets. There wasn’t a lot of traffic. Lisa was surprised to see most neighborhoods along the way to her parents’ had checkpoints, some with armed men. She hadn’t been out of the house in several days. Everything had changed. It looked like something out of a movie. She was so glad they were getting out of here.

Her parents’ neighborhood didn’t have any checkpoint or guard. They drove right in. Are you kidding me? Lisa thought. No guards? Her attitude about armed men guarding neighborhoods had changed 180 degrees during that short ride. She was so glad her parents could come out to a safe place and be with her.

Her dad, Drew, was waiting in their Toyota, with the engine running. It was 5:40. They were early. He got out of the car and yelled for Eileen to hurry up. He looked at the convoy and couldn’t believe it. Who were these guys? Did Grant hire some Iraq or Afghanistan vets as mercenaries? Drew felt safe.

Pow got out and introduced himself to Lisa’s dad. “Sir, I’m Bill Kung. Everyone calls me ‘Pow.’”

“I’m Drew,” Lisa’s dad said to the unusually tall Korean young man. “Thanks for doing this.”

“No problem, sir,” Pow said. He pointed to each truck and said, “That’s Scotty, Bobby, and Wes, but you can meet them when we get there. I will take the lead.” Pow handed Drew a walkie talkie. “This is a handheld CB radio. We all have one, and some spares. Lisa will get one, too.”

The CBs were Scotty’s idea; he was the “comms guy.” They plugged into a magnetic car antenna for great reception, but that wasn’t necessary for the short ranges they would be at during the convoy. The CBs were simple to use. Everyone on the Team was very glad Scotty got them. They had given him crap about spending his money on radios when he could have gotten more ammo, but now it was clear he’d made a good decision.

Pow continued with Drew. “If you can’t get us on the CB and see trouble or need some help, flash your headlights at me and I’ll radio the guys.” Drew nodded. Eileen was coming out of the house. She looked hurried and scared. She stared at the trucks and the men in the driveway, looking puzzled. Who were these people? Was all this necessary? They were just going to the cabin. Sure, things on TV looked bad but not in her neighborhood. This all seemed kind of dramatic. Overly dramatic. But she didn’t want to argue with Drew, or especially Lisa, in front of Manda and Cole. If Lisa said they needed to leave right now, that’s what they would do. Even if it was weird.

Pow came over to Lisa’s Tahoe. She rolled down the window. He handed her a CB handheld, and showed her how to use it. He told her about channel 38.

“Mom, I can be the radio person,” Manda said. “You need to drive.”

“Good idea,” Lisa said. Manda was really stepping up in the responsibility department. She had always been fairly responsible, but lately she was acting and sounding like a grown up.

Pow asked Lisa, “Do you have a gun?” Lisa shook her head.

“Yes, I have one,” Manda said. “Sorry Mom. Dad taught me how to use it, and I have it safely in my pocket with a holster.”

“Manda!” Lisa screamed. “What are you doing with a gun?”

“Mom, look around!” Manda yelled back, which she had never done before to her parents. “What are we doing here? We have a bunch of armed men protecting us because criminals are running around everywhere and there are no police.”

Manda paused and continued in a non-yelling voice, “So that’s what I’m doing with a gun. Dad said I needed to have one if he had to go.”

Lisa could not believe that her daughter had just yelled at her, but she also couldn’t argue with that. “OK, but don’t take it out of your pocket. And put it away in a locked case when we get to the cabin.” Manda nodded.

Pow got a signal from Drew that they were ready. “OK, let’s head out. We’ll do a radio check.” He got into his Hummer. Manda set the channel to 38 and turned up the volume. “Pow here, check?”

“Drew.”

“Scotty.” It was silent for a while.

“Manda,” she said, figuring it was her turn.

“Wes here, check?”

“Bobby.”

Pow came back on. “That’s the order we’ll go in. Me, Drew, Scotty, the Matsons, Wes, and Bobby in the rear. Let’s get out of here.”

Everyone got into their vehicles. They maneuvered so the vehicles were in the order Pow had given, and then rolled out of the Taylors’ neighborhood.

When they got out of the subdivision, Drew came on the CB and said, “Uh, sorry guys, but I need some gas.”

Crap. Who bugs out without a full tank of gas?

Pow asked, “How much do you have?”

“About a quarter tank,” Drew said. That wouldn’t get them there. It would in normal times, but they had to count on traffic jams and going on long detours.

Pow asked, “Is there a gas station on the way toward the freeway?”

“Yes,” Drew replied.

“OK, we’ll give it a try,” Pow said, trying not to let Drew know how pissed he was. “I hope they’re open and the line isn’t too long.” This was going to throw off the whole timetable. They might have to go part of the way in the dark, which meant a gunfight was entirely possible. Damn it.

After a while, they came up to the gas station. The line was pretty long, but moving. Pow came on the CB, “OK, Drew, gas up. Quickly. Anyone else need any?”

Everyone said no. Lisa told Manda how much gas they had. Manda felt like a grown up when she got on the CB and said, “We have three-quarters of a tank. Oh, Manda, that is. I mean the Matson car.” She was getting the hang of it.

It took about twenty minutes for Drew to get to the pump. A handwritten cardboard sign on the pump said, “No credit cards. Cash only. Pay inside.” Drew motioned to Pow that he was going inside. He had a revolver so he’d be OK, but Eileen was unarmed and in the car. Drew was glad the guys were watching him and Eileen. It was so nice to have these guys around. They were so polite too, saying “Sir” and “Ma’am” all the time. They must be veterans just back from the Middle East.

When Drew got into the gas station, the man behind the counter said, “Gas? Cash only. Ten bucks a gallon.”

Drew said, “What? Are you kidding? That’s not what the sign says.”

“Sign is wrong,” the immigrant man said. “Ten bucks a gallon or nothing at all. You want gas or not?” The cashier was being a dick. He seemed really nervous, probably because he had so much cash in the till and had been dealing with frustrated customers all day. He had a pistol on a holster that was plainly visible. There were several young men that seemed to be his family members standing around and watching every customer.

Drew got out $100 in twenty dollar bills and put it down on the counter.

“Ten gallons on pump four,” the cashier said as Drew left. That gas station had always been a pleasant place in the million times Drew had been there before. But not now. It was a mean and dangerous place. Drew didn’t want to be there. He wanted to gas up and get the hell out.

He pumped his gas and started to leave. Two women were arguing over something. Drew kept his eyes to himself and got back in the car. Whatever was wrong was between those people, not him. Drew realized that he had never been in a gas station and heard people argue. Ever.

He got in the car and grabbed the CB. “All done. Ten gallons. Ten bucks a gallon. Thanks for waiting, gentlemen. Let’s get out of here.”

“You paid how much a gallon for this gas?” Eileen asked.

“Dear, this is a stressful enough situation,” Drew said as politely as he could. “Please don’t treat this like it’s the normal world. This isn’t normal. We are lucky to get any gas and we’re extremely fortunate to have these guys taking us to Lisa’s cabin. I need you keeping your eyes open for things on the road. This is not going to be a normal car ride. OK? I let a lot of stuff slide in the past, but not today. I am in charge of getting you to safety. I take my job very seriously. OK?”

Eileen had never heard Drew talk like that. But she was glad he was. He was being a man. She paused. “OK, Drew. Thank you for what you’re doing. I can’t wait to be with our grandkids.” She put her hand on his shoulder. She felt so close to him.

He felt the closeness with her, too. Stronger than he ever had. Her hand on his shoulder was what he needed. He had a hard job ahead. They all did. He needed to know that Eileen was on his side, not complaining about how things were different. Thank God she understood.