“When is all this going to end?” asked Kyle.
Robert looked back in the direction of the two dead intruders. “Never. Too many bad people.”
Robert motioned for Kyle to come down the steps and then he pointed toward the van.
“Look at that.” Robert smiled at the old van. “If that thing has a full tank of gas, it can get us where we need to go.” Robert dramatically held up his hand and crossed his fingers. He went directly toward the front of the van and opened the driver’s side door. The interior dashboard was cracked and faded from the sun. The seats were torn open. One section of the seat had a spring exposed. The inside smelled like mildew. He sat in the dirty driver’s seat and stared at the instrument panel as he gripped the steering wheel. The dials on the instrument panel were all pointing down. He needed to determine how full the gas tank was. The key was still in the ignition, and hanging from the key chain was a lucky rabbit’s foot. With a turn of the key, the engine roared to life. Robert pressed the accelerator quickly to the floor and the engine backfired with a cloud of smoke.
“What’s it look like?” asked Kyle.
Robert was tapping the fuel gauge with his finger. “Hold on, it’s moving.”
After a minute of the old engine sputtering and rattling, the needle of the fuel gauge only rose slightly higher than the empty mark. Robert turned his head, looked at Kyle, and shut the engine off.
“It’s nearly empty. We’d never make it in this thing.”
Robert fumbled with the key chain and removed the rabbit’s foot. He tossed it at Kyle and said, “Here’s some good luck for you.”
Kyle caught the good luck charm and dangled it briefly in front of his face. “Thanks, I could use that.” Kyle grinned. “Lately, if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” he said, putting the lucky charm deep into his pocket.
Robert shifted his position in the driver’s seat to directly face Kyle as he stood by the open driver’s door. He lightly kicked Kyle’s leg and pointed to his friend’s feet. “Get your boots on. You don’t want to get bitten by a snake.”
Kyle rolled his eyes and turned to walk toward the cornfield to get his boots. “Don’t test me, old man. Let’s get going.”
Back at the campsite, they found Ben with his wife and son, sitting close together. Joy radiated from their faces as they watched the two men emerge from the cornfield and advance toward them, unharmed. Kyle’s wife ran toward him and hugged him tightly, being careful of his still tender and swollen right hand. Kyle put his arm around her and hugged her back. He slipped the gun belt off his shoulder and held it up, signaling to Ben that he had retrieved his weapon from the house. Ben got up and walked toward Kyle. Kyle tossed it to him when he was halfway there.
“I bet you don’t forget to keep this with you from now on,” said Kyle, pointing at Ben’s holstered pistol.
Ben knew that he had made a mistake by not keeping it with him, even if he was only going to the neighbor’s farm. He did not hesitate to place the leather holster around his waist and buckle it tight. Ben’s son walked to his side and stared at the pistol, touching the handle with curiosity. His wife came to his other side, and he put his arms around his family. “There is no way I can thank you enough for what you have done.” Ben cleared his throat. “I know there is no way we would be here right now if it weren’t for you.”
Robert’s attention drifted away from the conversation as he caught a glimpse of the rafts near the water’s edge. His brow furrowed as he thought of the van parked behind Ben’s house. Robert spoke, interrupting the conversation.
“The van behind your house… it works. The motor runs, we started it,” said Robert.
Ben lifted his hands, palms forward, and raised both eyebrows. “It’s yours, buddy. You just say the word.”
“It’s a gasoline motor. Do you have gas?” pleaded Robert. “A full tank of gas could get us home.”
Ben cast his eyes lower. “Sorry. All we have is diesel. The neighbors, too.”
Robert looked back toward the rafts. He was irritated at how slow this trip has been and how much time they had lost due to these types of unfortunate circumstances. The rafts were a way to get home, but he hated how long it was taking. He had spent a lifetime traveling at highway speeds, and this was a difficult adjustment. Regardless, Robert did not want to go back into a warzone to scavenge gasoline for a van that he was not sure would be reliable transportation. A breakdown on the road, a roadblock or trap on a highway, all it would take is one perilous twist of fate, and they would be stuck with no easy way to continue on, and no convenient source for water. Although the river was slow, it was sure.
Robert looked at Ben, shook his head wearily, and said, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”
Kyle reached deep into his pocket. He retrieved the rabbit’s foot, held it up briefly for Robert to see, and then tossed it to him. Robert snatched it from the air.
“You keep it, then. Let me know if it works.”
Robert rolled his eyes. He was not superstitious, but he did find humor in Kyle’s gift.
A gust of wind blew through the campsite. Ben reached for his hat at the same instant he realized he was not wearing one. He awkwardly pretended that he had been intending to scratch his head, and then his hands dropped to his side again. The gust of wind was strong enough to bring up some dusty dirt, causing everyone to turn their heads away from it. The sleeping puppy woke, stretched, and limped toward Ben. It balanced on one good leg and extended its front paws up toward Ben’s knees. He looked down at the pup. It made him smile. He cradled the puppy carefully with one arm, extended his hand to Robert, and thanked him again for all his help.
“Is there anything I can do for you before you leave?” asked Ben, gently scratching the puppy’s neck as he cradled it.
“Nothing I can think of.” Robert briefly looked back at the river.
“You better get going,” said Ben, pointing to the sky. “You’re burning daylight.”
Ben’s family stood next to him. They watched Robert, Kyle, and Alexis get into the rafts and push away. Robert was the last to leave. He deeply missed his family and was happy to continue the journey. Robert’s raft headed backward into the current. He gave one last, quick wave and then used the paddle to correct the raft’s direction. The three were finally on their way downstream again. Robert felt the bulge of the rabbit’s foot in his pocket and pressed his palm against it. I’m ready for some good luck now.
Chapter Nineteen
Robert knew that they were getting close to Kansas City. He obsessively looked around for any familiar landmark, and when the tall buildings in the city’s downtown area broke the horizon, he finally smiled.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed.
The others stopped rowing and turned, looking over their left shoulders. They saw the buildings, too, buildings now as empty as the hopes and dreams of the people that once worked in them.
“How much farther?” pleaded Alexis.
Both she and Kyle were exhausted. Kyle’s hand was not completely healed and Alexis was losing her battle against the summer heat and the long hours of constant rowing. Because of this, the married couple was having difficulty keeping up with Robert’s adrenalin-fueled rush.