Roadies
One More Push
They followed Henness Pass Road. By the time the sun broke over the mountains they reached an intersection with Highway 89 in sight down to the left. The traffic crept north at a walking pace on both sides of the road. Seth turned to the right instead and pulled over to talk with the others.
Cruz pointed toward highway 89. “There’s no way we’re going south on that road. I don’t know how far this street goes, but as long as it’s south I think we should stay on it.”
Rick stretched and shook the cobwebs from his head. “If that’s 89, aren’t we basically there? I need some sleep.”
Cruz nodded to Seth. “He’s right, we’re all tired. Maybe we can find a spot to chill for a while?”
Seth rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Alright. Let’s head south on this road. If we see a good spot, we’ll break there.”
They worked their way through the light traffic until the convoy came to a three way stop sign. Seth read the road sign when they passed. “I don’t believe it!”
Andrew leaned from the backseat. “Believe what?”
“The sign said NF-11.” Seth slapped the steering wheel. “We hit gold dude! This road is going to hit Sage… something. I know a vacation house on that street. We did a corporate retreat there back in the day.”
Andrew leaned forward from the back seat. “Are you sure?”
“Hey, it might be gone now, but the road hits 89 close to Stampede. From there we can take fire roads. We can be there before lunch.”
Andrew suggested. “Why don’t we drive by the house and take a look. Maybe we can get a final rest before hitting the lake.”
Seth wanted to push for the lake, but saw Megumi agreed with Andrew. “No problem. I’m tired too.”
They continued south to Sagehen Road. “That’s it!” Seth turned right, and led them a mile down the road. “There it is. I remember that fence.” He pulled to the shoulder of the road and stopped.
Andrew moved around trying to get a better view. “I don’t see any cars outside. It looks empty.”
“I think this one is the caretaker’s place. We want the dirt road continuing from the driveway across the street. You guys wait here. I’m going to walk down and check it out.”
Andrew grabbed Seth’s shoulder. “Wait. Let me go. I’ll check it out.”
“All you need to do is see if there’s any activity. Don’t go in, nothing. Got it?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back. Easy.”
“While you do that I’m going to tell the others why we’re here.” After Andrew left Seth snuck a puff from his cigarette.
Andrew returned within five minutes. “It’s huge… There was no sign of any people, cars, or anything. No lights on. No smoke or steam from the vents. It has to be empty.”
“Alright.” Seth hid his cigarette and blew his smoke into the air. “Let’s go.”
Cruz knocked on the door and rang the bell. Nothing.
Seth looked at Trent. “You, Cruz and Jovel give me a perimeter search and see if you can beat me in. These locks are a little tougher than a Kwickset.”
Seth fiddled with the deadbolt for ten minutes before it started to unlock. “Ha…. I think I got it.” He started to push the door open.
Cruz pulled the door open from inside. “Seth, you didn’t think that was you?”
“Aw man… I thought I had it.” Seth stepped in and looked around. “How did you get in? Wow. Look at this mess.”
Cruz scanned the room. “Maybe they packed up and ran?”
Jovel stepped inside and looked around. “Did these guys have some visitors, or what?”
Heavy footsteps came from the hallway around the corner. Seth put his finger to his lips and motioned for everyone to be quiet. The hardwood floors echoed louder with each step, but stopped before they came in the room. The hall light turned on and cast a tall shadow across the hallway wall.
Seth swallowed hard.
Cruz motioned to Seth he was going to say something. “Who’s there? Hello.”
Trent stepped from behind the corner. “Hey. You got in. There’s nobody here, but you should see the Vette in the garage.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Randy walked in the front door. “I put ten people around the property. We’ll rotate every hour so everyone can get some rest.”
Bruce poked his head in the door. “Seth. Everyone’s out front. What should I tell them?”
“Tell them to spread out and get cleaned up. It might be a while before there’s hot water, if any.” He pushed a pillow out of his way with his foot. “And tell everyone to clean a room. It’s the least we can do.”
Trent picked up the pillow. “I only noticed the Vette because I was checking to see if the water heater was on.”
“And?”
“And they have an on-demand system big enough for the whole lodge. We have as much hot water as we have cold water… all you want.”
Bruce pumped his fist. “Great. I need a real shower.”
Seth nodded his head. “Let’s get cleaned up and rested. We should head out again at sunset.”
“What can I do?” Nico asked.
“You and Jovel make sure the vehicles are parked out of sight… And get some rest.”
Cammy turned to Seth. “I’m going to take Marcus and check out what the kitchen is like.”
Danny picked up a bowl. “I can get the dogs some water.”
Seth asked. “Hey Rick, can you and West help me get a few things in order so we can all get along here. We also need to think about how we’ll handle things at the lake.”
*****
Bodies shuffled around quietly, tired from being up all night. Steam rolled out of the bathrooms on ten-minute intervals, and each bathroom always had a line three people deep.
Midmorning Rick and West sat at the dining table working on their list of needs and concerns from within the group.
Rick started to write when he caught a whiff of the air. “Oh, man does that smell good. I’m famished.”
West’s rubbed his stomach. “Me too. I almost wish I couldn’t smell it until we get to eat. This is torture.”
Steward walked by. “West, I was… oh my, I love garlic. Who’s in the kitchen?”
Danny came up from the basement with an armful of drinks. “Who wants soda? There’s a lot more downstairs.”
Randy came right behind him with a case of wine. “We found several cases of wine too.”
Nico saw them and started grabbing glasses to hand out. “Hey Cruz, give me your bottle opener.”
Cruz tossed it to him while nodding at Trent. “Let’s get some dishes from the hutch and stack them on the table… It’s got to be close to buffet time.”
Rick folded his notes and put them in his pocket. “Hey West. Can you believe what started as a smell has generated such a buzz?”
West’s stomach growled loud enough to hear. He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his belly. “I believe it.”
A line twenty people deep watched Cammy, Marcus, and Megumi bring the first round of spaghetti, buttered garlic bread, and a tray of steamed vegetables.
Rick called over to Seth. “Hey man, don’t you want to say something?”
“Good idea.” Seth came over and tapped an empty wine glass with a spoon. “Friends. Can I have your attention for a moment? Before we eat today, I would like to take a moment to thank our Father. I believe He is a big part of our success so far. We have been blessed at every turn. We’ve overcome every obstacle. And now, we are within reach of Stampede. My guess is we’ll start eating in two minutes, and in ten you’ll all be sound asleep. So rest well. Tonight we will get to Stampede and establish base camp. Please bow your head with me for a second, and give your own personal thanks to our Father.”
Seth took his plate and sat on the couch, but the warm sunlight coming through the window put him to sleep before he finished. He started to wake from his nap, following the noise from the television where a crowd gathered. He grabbed his glass of wine, took a drink to rinse the sleep from of his mouth, and joined them.
On television, a young man wearing an olive green suit with a black collar, and a breastplate, hovered in a bubble thirty feet above the entrance to the Dome of the Rock. A substantial entourage hovered behind him. They wore black suits and sunglasses, with olive green accessories.
Jovel leaned to Seth and whispered. “You were right. I heard a lot of theories when I was behind the bar, and after awhile nothing seems real… but you were right man. I’m glad I came.”
Seth put his arm around Jovel and gave him half of a hug. “I’m glad you’re here too.”
Andrew crawled on the floor to get closer to the television. “There are people as far as I can see.”
Cruz laughed. “Of course man. Everyone knows it’s going down in Jerusalem.”
The man in the olive green suit spoke. “People of the twenty-first century, are you ready for your rapture?”
The crowd roared until he raised his hands, creating a ripple of silence pushing out in all directions.
“Relax and listen close. I will tell you what you need to know.”
Andrew turned to the others. “Hey, I don’t see any speakers. How’s he doing that?”
Cruz suggested. “It must be built into his bubble?”
The bubble moved as he started to pace. “I do not have a name, I have a post, and I serve the very god you are about to reunite with. I’m his priest, and Jerusalem is my city. These men are my staff. Others like us are in the skies of thousands of cities around the globe. You are truly a chosen generation.”
Jovel nudged Seth. “Looks like we got up here just in time.”
The priest walked above the crowd, holding his hands up to quiet their cheers. “We are grateful for all you believers who have made the pilgrimage to be with us, but we can’t all come to Jerusalem. The entire earth is our garden. You are sprinkled everywhere for a reason, and we have to serve in an orderly manner.”
“My purpose today is to issue the call to the first fruits. If you have ears to hear, you will know it. You are the closest of God’s children. You are the ones who will help God in heaven, but the key to your rapture is your hometown. It is written you will hear the testimonies in your own native dialect, so please go to your native town. The priests around the world are extending their outreached hands to you. Each one is highly skilled in the language and culture of the city they serve. That is where you should be. There’s nothing you can do from here. Morning Star is here to take you with him, but you do not go from here. Now hurry and get ready to leave.”
The priest turned and walked toward his entourage. He smiled at the people below him. “People of earth. Return to your hometown courthouse and register. We already know who you are, but we have to know you know who you are. If the spirit leads you, go and register for you and your family’s guaranteed spot on our team.”
Seth swallowed hard. “People believe this… Don’t they?”
The priest returned to his entourage by the dome. He turned toward the crowd. “We are counting on you to do your best to get your whole family signed up. This is your chance to help save them. We are going to see everything written happen right before our eyes. This is our last plea to you or your family. Those in doubt need to reconsider and join us? Eternity is forever, and it would be much better to have you with us.”
Seth turned to Randy. “This guy has no limits.”
The entourage of bubbles circled the priest. “One more thing. Everyone that signs up gets two hundred and fifty thousand currency credits to help you get by until the rapture, and another two hundred and fifty thousand heaven credits when we rapture. That’s per person! So a family of four is already instant millionaires here, but they will be heavenly millionaires as well. Am I done? No! The first one hundred and eighty million… Did you hear me? The first one hundred and eighty million registers get all bills, mortgages, and any other financial obligations automatically covered. Erased. Blotted from anybody’s ability to collect, and that’s before your tax free credits.”
The bubbles zipped in formation back to the center craft above the dome, circled around it once, and followed the priest’s bubble single file into the bottom.
Cruz stared at the television. “Wow… I… I…”
Seth pointed at him. “I do. This is how people start turning in their family members. They think they are building a heavenly savings account.”
Randy said. “Let the losers lose. We are here for those who wake up.”
Seth replied. “Yeah, but for those of us who are awake, the target on our backs just got a little bigger. You might as well say there’s a bounty on us?”
Trent walked in the front door. “Hey guys. I did a little scouting. The roads are too crowded, but I found some decent fire roads. I don’t know if the bus can make it through?”
Randy asked. “Maybe we can find a shallow creek to follow under the road.”
“No way.” Andrew shook his head. “This time of year? There’s too much water.”
“He’s right.” Trent walked over to a wall map of the area. He pointed to their location, ran his finger along the map for a mile to highway 89. “If we turn left and go with the traffic for a couple of hundred yards, there’s a fire road here. It runs straight across to Stampede.”
Nico said. “Why don’t we just ram the cars with the bus, and drive right through?”
Seth laughed. “We don’t need them chasing us to our campground. It’s been too long of a journey. Let’s just sneak in the backdoor as quietly as possible.”
That night they traveled by starlight. The fire road cut through the hills for several miles. Every so often a brilliant green line shot across the sky.
Seth asked Megumi. “Did you see that? The meteors will be even more awesome in August. Just wait and see.”
She smiled.
The convoy reached the west side of Stampede, where Trent waited on his bike. He got off and walked over to Seth’s truck. “The lake has an upper finger with several creaks feeding it, and a lower finger with a smaller creek. The fire road we took delivered us to a peninsula right between them.”
Seth shook his head. “Man, we must have made a wrong turn in the dark. I know there’s a road that takes us right to the boat ramp.” He pointed south. “Whistle punk is over there by the dam. Can you go down that road and see if there’s a place we can cross?”
“Sure. I went partway down before, but I’ll check it a little closer this time.”
Less than twenty minutes later he returned. “If we follow the road to the bottom, there’s another road. This time I turned left and after a few hundred yards it crosses the stream. I think everyone can make it.”
They followed Trent to the stream. Seth opened the door to check the depth, but Aizu spotted a rabbit on the other side and jumped out of the truck. She ran into the water, which was about a foot deep and easily crossed the stream. The rabbit ducked into the trees, but Aizu stayed hot on its tail.
“She’ll be back. I’d say if she can make it across without breaking pace we should be fine.” Seth climbed back in his truck. The Tundra crossed without a problem. Nico’s cousin drove the Ford, and it pushed through, but he struggled to make it. In the process he spit rocks and mud, creating a few ruts. The minivan took a running start. It hit the water and started to float. It slowly sank until the wheels hit the bottom. West put the four-wheel drive in low gear, and the van crawled from the stream.
Trent took off his shoes and socks, rolling up his pant legs. “I don’t even want to try to ride across that.”
Seth offered. “I can tie a tow strap to the Tundra and you can walk beside it. You’ll never push it through alone.”
“Good idea. Here, catch my boots. My socks are inside.”
Seth caught the first one. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave them on? It’s not exactly sand you know.”
Trent tossed the second one. “Yeah. I stayed dry this far, and we’re almost there. I hate wet boots. Besides it’s only about twenty feet.”
Halfway across Trent stepped on a sharp rock and lost his balance. The bike leaned away from him and fell in the water. He slipped and fell back the other direction. A few people jumped in and helped him get up. A couple others pulled the bike to shore.
Trent sat on the shore and put his boots back on. “That really sucks! I have dry boots, but everything else is soaking wet.”
Cruz and Bruce pushed the bike up to a flat spot and put the kickstand down.
Seth waived to Nico. “It’s all clear. Anytime you’re ready.”
Nico let off the brake, and entered the stream. The rear tires spun a little, but managed enough traction to push the bus into the middle of the creek. When the front tires started to climb out, the rear started spinning. The back slid downstream a few feet until the left tire hit a deep spot. The water piled up on the up-creek side like a dam. It started to spin the bus around. One of the front tires found a different hole. Everyone screamed as the bus tilted. Water pushed the bus up into the air, rolling it on its side. People scrambled to get out. The water was only two feet deep inside the bus, but the darkness and current made it worse.
Seth yelled to Cruz and Trent. “Hey guys. Get a rope on the bus.”
Nico climbed up the bottom of the bus and caught the rope from Trent. He tied it around the right front tire, and threw the other end back. Trent caught the rope and tied his end to Seth’s trailer hitch.
Nico pried the front doors open. One by one they climbed out and jumped off the front tire to the shore. Nobody got hurt, but they did loose some supplies.
Debbie and Amy grabbed some towels and started handing them out.
Seth looked over the damage. “Just try to secure it. Maybe you can tie the rope to that boulder over there. We’ll come back later and see what we can salvage. For now let’s get to Whistle Punk.”
Trent wiped his neck with a towel. “Hey guys, thanks for getting my bike out of the stream.” He tried to start the bike, but it wouldn’t.
Bruce laughed. “Hey Trent. I didn’t want to laugh at the time, but since we know you’re okay… that was pretty funny dude. I’m sorry, but that was a good one.”
“Ha ha. At least I still have dry boots.” Trent started to push his bike.
Seth scrunched his eyebrows. “Are you really going to push that? You’re soaking wet, and it’s going to be at least a mile of dusty dirt road. Besides, you just took a bath, and we’re about ready to crash for the night. Do you really want to get all dirty?”
“It’s better than leaving it here.”
“Why? We’ll be back tomorrow.” Seth held his arms out and looked around. “Who’s going to come out here tonight and take it between now and then?”
“I guess you’re right.” Trent pushed his bike toward the trees.
Cruz scratched his head. “How far is he going?”
Once behind a tree, Trent chained the tire to the trunk. He heard rustling in the bushes behind him. “A bear? No… Are there mountain lions up here?”
Seth called to Trent. “Come on dude. Are you covering your bike with branches, or what?”
Trent heard the animal in the bushes run toward him, so he turned and ran toward the group. “Aaaaugh! Help!”
Aizu emerged from the bushes right behind Trent. She passed him with ease.
Everyone broke out in laughter as Trent realized what happened.
Their battered convoy followed the fire road to the lakeshore. The low water level made it easy to drive along the edge of the lake, and the moon and stars reflecting off the water made it easy to see across Stampede.
Seth’s face lit up when the boat launch came into view. He recognized the place where Megumi fed the deer, so he woke her up. “Hey… We’re here… Look. That’s where you fed the deer those bread rolls. We made it.”
They approached the campground quietly, finding only a few tents.
Seth told everyone to pick a spot and do the best they could. “Tomorrow the real work begins.”