The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 29

Hank and Nina were deep in discussion as the clouds finally broke apart.

"It's two o'clock," Hank said. "We can probably get halfway to Ironwind if we leave now."

"The clouds haven't completely passed over, so it might be better to wait another hour in case it rains again. Even then, we'll be hoping we find somewhere safe to camp overnight."

"True... Should we put it up to a vote? It's the people in the back who are out in the weather."

"That sounds like a plan." She raised her voice to ensure she had everyone's attention. "Alright. We have three options. One, leave now and possibly get rained on. Two, wait an hour to see if the clouds continue to break up and then decide. Or three, wait until tomorrow since it's already two o'clock. How many for option one?"

It came as no surprise that no hands were raised, although I didn't plan on voting since I wasn't the one gambling with my health.

"Option two?"

Eight hands were lifted.

"Option three?"

Two hands were raised.

The majority was clear. Everyone else must be just as tired of waiting here in boredom as I was. They scattered as they began packing.

~

       Even though we had only been driving a couple of hours, Daniel and I were the only ones who weren't huddled up against the damp, cold air swirling around the back of the truck. The occasional rays of the sun weren't doing much to warm things up for our companions. To make things worse, the clouds were closing back in.

The lack of buildings or any other potential shelter was also worrying them. We didn't want to go down any of the side roads since the three we checked turned out to be dead ends. We hadn't even seen a gas station for the last hour. If there were houses nearby, they were well off the road. My map was, once again, useless. No one even asked to see it.

Suddenly, the truck jolted as a boom resounded under us, followed by the sound of rubber slapping against the highway. The truck seemed to drag more.

Daniel leaned over the side, then knocked on the cab window. "We have a flat tire."

Hank slowed down as I sighed at the latest turn of fate.

"Probably some metal or something," Ben said. "It happened right as we passed that dented bumper."

"There's a few pieces of metal and plastic on the road there, so it's possible," Daniel said, glancing back at the bumper. There wasn't a vehicle there, just the twisted piece of metal, as if someone had hit a zombie and kept going, leaving the bumper and any other debris behind.

As soon as the truck stopped, Daniel and Ben both hopped out to investigate. Hank got out but barely even glanced at the tire. He went straight to the back of the truck and peered underneath.

"There's a full-size spare tire, but no way to tell how much air is in it until we get it down," Hank said as he stood back up. "Tom, is there a tool kit in the truck, or any tools?"

Tom opened the passenger door and let Chloe out as he and Marissa checked inside the cab. "Just this."

"Was there another tool near it?" Ben asked, going over to take the tool. "There should have been something to lower the spare tire."

"Not that I see. No jack either."

"I can get it down," Daniel said as he slid under the truck.

Seconds later, there was a clunk of a piece of metal hitting the pavement, then the spare tire was pushed out from underneath.