Tread Fearless: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 4) (5 page)

John followed Adam to a small group of men standing around and talking near the lead engine. When he was within talking distance of the men, John greeted them in a friendly manner, but to Jeff he greeted warmly, like a brother, and embraced him as he would Pete. Jeff seemed a little surprised at John’s attention, but then reciprocated and said, “I’m glad you guys made it, though I’m still sad to see you go.”

“How’d the meeting with Dillon go?” asked John.

“Awesome. The first order of business is to build a guardhouse down here, over where the campsite was.” John nodded and Jeff continued. “After that, we’ll probably build a settlement on the pasture over yonder . . . for the families of the guards and such. But I think most construction will happen at the ranch. I’ve decided not to return to the neighborhood. I agree with you, I think it’s safer down here,” finished Jeff.

John and Pete exchanged knowing glances and Pete said, “I recommended they demo the tracks about a mile from each end of the train . . . as a buffer. I was about to show them the best spots to set up an OP and defensive positions. Do we have enough time?”

“Sure,” replied John. “It’s gonna take us a while to fill your truck. I’m thinking we’ll fill it with the remaining cans you have in the truck, and then fill those cans with diesel from one of the tank cars.”

“That’ll work for me,” said Pete. He turned to look at two men standing next to him and said, “Let’s get going then.” One of the men leaving with Pete was Dillon’s older son, but John couldn’t remember his name.
The other was one of Jeff’s guys from the neighborhood. Pete and the two men jogged over to the camo ATV, and they took off down the trail along the tracks.

John looked at Jeff, grunted with a smile, and said, “I guess that leaves us for gas detail.”

“That it does,” replied Jeff.

The refueling took longer than John would have thought, but most of the time was consumed in drawing fuel from the diesel laden tanker. Neither man knew how to open the top hatches, but after a little trial and error, they finally figured it out. Then it was only a matter of starting a sufficient siphon with the garden hose provided by Dillon.

John watched as one of the men started drawing on the hose with his lips and stopped him. “The last thing you want to do is fill your lungs with diesel fumes. Here, let me show you a better way . . . it’s called a gravity siphon. Watch this.” John climbed atop the tanker and lowered the garden hose all the way down into the tanker. Careful to let the fuel push all the air from the hose. Then John crimped the end and handed it to the man on the ground.

“Careful now! When you release the crimp in the hose the fuel will begin to flow,” added John.

The man cocked his head, and following John’s instructions he released the crimp in the hose over an open fuel can. The fuel began to flow from the hose and fill the empty can. The man looked up at John and said, “That’s much easier . . . and cleaner. Thanks.”

“I think so, too. And you’re welcome,” said John. “But it only works if you can use gravity. It doesn’t work so well with pulling fuel up from underground storage tanks.”

When the empty fuel cans were filled with diesel, John turned to Jeff and inquired about unleaded gas. Jeff informed him that he checked the tanks twice, and there was no unleaded fuel tankers. John nodded to Adam and the others, and they left to carry the fuel cans to Pete’s truck. While they were gone, John and Jeff talked security, and the future of the train.

Though John thought it was a great idea to build a guard house, he encouraged Jeff to consider emptying the train of everything important as soon as possible. John could tell Jeff didn’t understand his concerns, so he laid it out to him as best he could. “It’s only a matter of time before some organized group, be it the government, or some other gang of thieves, finds this train and takes it for themselves,” said John. “And that would be sad for you and everyone who needs it. Move the staples first, as quickly as you can. Then concentrate on the other stuff . . . the nice to have stuff. I promise, you won’t regret it if you do,” finished John.

“Dillon said the same, but I thought he was being paranoid,” replied Jeff, as he turned toward the sound of the approaching ATV.

John was glad Dillon felt a sense of urgency about the treasure as well, and hoped they could come up with a plan to haul the food someplace safe, especially the grain from the hoppers. John saw Pete and waved casually while asking, “Are you about ready to head out?”

“I am,” said Pete, as he jumped out and shook hands with the men in the ATV. He slung his AR across his back and walked over to John. The ATV spun off and Jeff watched it go.

Pete turned to Jeff and said, “They’re heading up to the ranch to report to Dillon, said they’d be back in half an hour.”

“You guys see anything?” asked Jeff.

“Nothing significant, but this is a really long train. I don’t think it will be a secret much longer. You should think about pulling what you can from it as soon as possible,” added Pete.

“John just said the same, so I guess that’s what we’ll do. So, you guys taking off now?”

John nodded and said, “Yes. I think it’s time.”

“Where you heading?” asked Jeff.

John paused just long enough for Jeff to notice his reservation. Before John could comment he answered his own question by saying, “Look, I understand . . . security and all.”

“No, it’s not that,” replied John. “But I do think it’s wise not to say too much. Anyway, we’re heading north, toward Oklahoma, then Kansas, then left . . . to the Rockies.”

Pete said nothing to this, and John was grateful for his discretion. It was true they were heading for the Rockies, but not on the path John had mentioned. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to keep it a secret, as much to protect Jeff as themselves. John didn’t understand the threat that was coming this way, but a part of him, a distant and remote part of him, was certain that someone in the approaching party was more dangerous than the party itself. Someone was looking for him, or people like him. He didn’t understand it, but he felt it. And the less he told Jeff, the safer everyone would be.

Jeff studied John for a moment and said, “Well, safe travels then. I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped us. I’ll never forget that help either. I hope we get a chance to meet again someday.”

“I’m sure we will,” replied John. “Just you be careful. Don’t trust any strangers, and keep your family close. Don’t move around alone . . . the bigger the group when you travel, the safer you’ll be.”

They talked a bit more about this and that while they walked to the vehicles. And though John and Pete had only been gone for an hour, they couldn’t help but notice the relief on Jenna’s and Bonnie’s faces when they returned. After a few more “good byes” and “good lucks,” Jeff turned and walked back to the train. It was full morning now, and everyone was eager to be on their way.

After a quick pre-departure huddle, the company mounted up in their respective vehicles and followed Pete north, along the tracks, until they came to a cattle gate. They passed through the gate with practiced efficiency, and were soon traveling northwest on a secondary, rural ranch road, toward Decatur. Their goal for the first day was to reach
Wichita Falls, which was about a hundred miles away, but traveling by secondary roads would definitely slow them down. Still, John and Pete were cautiously optimistic.

Bypassing all the major built up areas would also add a lot of time to their trip, but they would eventually have to find some place to fuel up. With the extra fuel on board, John figured they could reach Amarillo, but they’d have to find more fuel if they were to make it to Santa Fe, and then north into Colorado. He didn’t know what to expect, but he trusted the company, and he trusted the compass. It was sitting on the seat between him and Jenna.

John would occasionally look at the compass, but it wouldn’t point him in the right direction until he picked it up. Jenna tried to use it, and so did Bonnie, but for them the compass pointed north. At first they were intrigued when John picked up the compass and it spun to point the true way, but after a while the ladies got tired of it and talked, or just dozed off.

Radio chatter between the vehicles was kept limited and to the point. After an hour, and hearing from Paul that his kids had to pee, Pete began to look for a suitable place to pull off. He was about a mile ahead, which was more than John liked, but he knew Pete was capable and careful. Besides, it was nice not to have to worry about every roadway danger. Eventually, Pete radioed back that he found a suitable place for a short stop, and informed everyone that he was going to check it out.

They were east of Decatur, driving through open grass lands occasionally broken up by a few intermittent streams and rolling hills, when Pete radioed the “All clear,” and gave instructions for the rest of the company to proceed along the route until they came to a cattle guard on the right. Pete said he marked the cattle guard with a piece of engineer tape. After the turn, John was to drive down a dirt road for one-half a mile and look for a derelict home and barn on the right.

John acknowledged the transmission and waited for Paul to acknowledge. When Paul responded, Jenna said, “Why all the security? Do you guys really think we’re in so much danger?”

“I think we’re in a lot more danger than you realize, but being safe is always the best course of action I think,” said John, as he made the turn over the cattle guard. The Suburban rattled noisily as the tires traversed the long steel rails. John slowed so as not to create a big dust trail behind him, but he also didn’t want Paul to create a dust trail. Depending on the weather, tall columns of dust could be seen for miles, and John knew the importance of discretion, especially when they were traveling in unknown areas.

“It would be different if we were an armed military convoy, where intimidation could come into play, but we’re just a group of families. The last thing we want to do is attract attention. We’ll be careful and cautious for as long as we can,” finished John, as he looked for the next turn. He spotted Corbin and slowed further. Corbin saluted and waved John through a fence that connected a long driveway up to the abandoned farmhouse and barn.

John rolled down the window and asked, “Want a lift?”

“No sir, I was told to wait for the last vehicle,” replied Corbin.

John nodded and drove on slowly. Bonnie chuckled and said, “He did it . . . he turned those boys into his private little army.”

“And I’m glad for it,” replied John. “You know better than most what it’s like to be on the road, don’t ‘cha Bon?”

“That I do,” replied Bonnie. “It’s just that . . . well, I don’t know. It’s just so sudden, and strange.”

“The boys turning into soldiers?” asked Jenna.

“Everything,” replied Bonnie. “It felt so normal at your place, even with the biker attack and all, but now that we’re moving again . . . it seems surreal.”

John and Jenna nodded, but it was John who spoke first. “You’re right about that,” he said. “I’ve seen and done things I never imagined. But I have a strong feeling it’s only the beginning. We’re gonna see a lot of strange things before this is over. I think Pete’s doing the boys right
by keeping them organized and tight,” finished John, as he pulled into the spot directed by Pete.

With the Suburban parked under a copse of spindly trees and thick cedar bushes, John set the parking brake and got out. “Nice find. How’d you manage?”

Pete snorted and said, “Adam found it . . . said he had a feeling about it and we turned to take a look. I was surprised to see the barn and farmhouse. We checked it out, everything’s clear. Think we should make this our lunch break area?”

John looked at his watch and saw that it was a little after eleven. “Sure. What do you think?” he asked Pete.

“Let’s check with Paul,” replied Pete, and the two men walked over to the truck. “Hey Paul, what do you think about making this an early lunch rest stop?”

Paul looked surprised to be considered for his opinion, but he quickly recovered and voiced his agreement. Marissa and Abby were already instructing the young boys on where to pee, and they themselves were looking for a suitable place to do likewise, but not against a tree.