Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

it is, isn’t here. It would be all smashed too, right? Like another car in the derby?” He turned to face north. “And look.” He pointed towards our future path. “There’s a clear strip right down the center of the highway.”
    Sure enough, he was right. The highway had a single cleared lane right down the center, and all kinds of smashed-up cars were angled off to the sides of it, as if they’d been pushed there by a giant beast mowing through.
    “It’s still leaking oil,” said Paci, on his knees, staring under the car. “This happened recently.”
    “Something came down the middle of this highway like a friggin’ snowplow and moved everything out of the way,” said Rob, his voice going soft.
    I wasn’t sure what my friends thought, but I was suddenly very uneasy about this turn of events. I’d never seen anything like this before, and this was my third time on post-apocalyptic I-95.
    “What does dis mean?” asked Bodo.
    “Only thing that could have done that would be a big truck or maybe a tank,” said Paci.
    My blood ran cold, and my words came out sounding strangled. “A tank?”
    “Nah, it’s not a damn tank,” scoffed Rob. “A tank would run right over the top of a car, not push it to the side. You’re looking at a big old truck. One-ton or bigger. Maybe an all-terrain modified baby or even a semi.”
    “Whatever it is, it’s going to be a monster,” said Paci.
    “And not bike-friendly,” added Winky.
    We all looked at each other in silence. I finally couldn’t take it anymore; I had to say something. “So what does this mean? Should we get off the highway?”
    “No,” said Paci, shaking his head. “It will take us too long to reach Kahayatle, and I don’t want this monster getting too close to our land before we do.”
    “I agree. I vote no, we stay on the highway,” said Rob.
    “Me also,” agreed Bodo, getting back up on his bike seat.
    “I vote we pedal our buns off until we get to Kahayatle,” suggested Winky. “Maybe we can beat this thing, whatever is, before it gets to our house. Or before the owners of it wake up to plow some more cars down.”
    I didn’t need to hear anything else. “Let’s ride,” I said, putting renewed energy into my pedaling. Within minutes I was sweating and huffing, but I kept going, fearing that our Miccosukee and Creek friends were in danger from some unknown monster-truck owner.

CHAPTER FOUR

    WE WERE ALMOST TO THE turnoff for Kahayatle when the unmistakeable sound of a diesel engine reached our ears.
    I stopped pedaling abruptly, squeezing my brakes so hard, my tires slid on the pavement. Not expecting me to stop, Winky crashed into the back of me, sending both of us to the blacktop in a pile of bike parts and limbs.
    “Dammit, Winky!” I yelled, sitting up and trying to untangle my legs from my bike. I had a skinned elbow now and at least a bruise on my knee.
    I stood and moved my leg around a little, checking to see if it would affect my fighting abilities. I was relieved to find it was okay.
    “Dammit, Winky? What about dammit, Bryn? You’re the one who stopped without any warning.” Winky had gotten up and was brushing herself off. “I have a tear in my boot now, thanks to you.”
    “Thanks to you riding too close,” I mumbled.
    “Shush. Do you guys hear that?” asked Rob.
    “Dat’s a truck,” said Bodo, straddling his bike and walking it over to us.
    “That’s a big truck,” said Paci. “Really big.”
    “Can you tell what kind?” I asked Rob.
    “Big.” He looked at me, all serious now. “Does it matter what kind? It’s friggin’ big. That’s all I need to know.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, it matters. Is it a big pickup or a semi? With a trailer or without?”
    “What are you thinking?” asked Winky, leaving her bike to stand by me.
    Now I was excited and not as afraid. “I’m thinking if it’s a semi with a trailer, we can use it to haul stuff! We wouldn’t need much gas to get to Haven.” The images were building in my mind - me at the wheel of a giant truck with everything we’d need to support our community riding behind me in a big fat trailer.
    This engine sound we were hearing felt like good news. I could totally envision us off-loading a loom from a tractor trailer and Peter jumping up and down while squealing like a girl. I so wanted to make my little buddy happy. He was working so hard to make all of us comfortable, he deserved it.
    “Do you know how to drive one of