Truck Drivin’ Hero Page 12

  Sunshine, Speedy and Hero all exchanged humorous looks. They had said the same thing last night before enjoying a little extra dessert themselves. “Well, give me a bite of that dangerous apple pie,” Hero said. Apple scooped up a forkful and shoved it in Hero’s mouth, getting whipped cream all over his face.

  It was a fun little moment before getting back to work, and after the narrow brush with disaster they had just had, Hero didn’t feel like rushing it.

  The girls didn't seem to want to hurry either. Sunshine ordered a piece of pie that she and Speedy split while they all sat around the table and laughed. It was comfortable, and if they'd had the time, they would have stayed all night. But they didn't have the time.

  An hour later, they were back on the road. Ahead, a sign flashed.

  WEIGH STATION: OPEN

  Hero grabbed the CB radio’s hand set. “Hey Sunshine, I thought your friends were supposed to be taking care of all the weigh stations on this route.”

  “Affirmative. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Hero thought for a moment. “Turn back to breaker 1-9,” he said, turning his radio back to Channel 19. “Breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, this is Hero. Is anyone at that chicken coop open on I-80?”

  Silence for a moment, then a voice. “Hero, this is Red. You wouldn’t happen to be traveling in an old Mustang convertible, would you?”

  Dread filled Hero. “That’s an affirmative, buddy.”

  “There’s a Grey here who’s awful keen on findin’ you. Weirdest getup I ever saw on him. Cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and he’s covered in something that looks like, well, jizz.”

  Hero sighed. “I know him well. Anything you can do to help me out? I can't stop.”

  There was a moment of silence and Hero's stomach flipped as he waited.

  “Well, you see, my brakes are actin’ up real bad. I might have to back up on the exit ramp after leavin’, and I ain’t no good at backin’ up without a ground guide. I just might jackknife the truck right across that exit ramp.”

  Hero smiled. “That would be a real shame if that happened, but I’d have to thank you if it did, Red.”

  “Good luck to ya, Hero. 10-7,” Red said, indicating that he was signing off.

  “Alright, ladies, you heard him. We’re blowing past the weigh station,” Hero said, hanging up his hand mic.

  “Sir, I'm just trying to figure out what happened,” Zorflox said in what he thought sounded patient. It was so hard to get the nuances right in this human language.

  “I done told you what happened. My brakes locked up, and I needed to return to the weigh station. But then I jackknifed the truck and, well, here I am,” the man said, pointing at his truck and then shrugging. Zorflox decided that this man must be too stupid to live or at least in need of another profession.

  “But what does that mean?”

  “Got dam, ain't you never driven a truck before?” The man sounded frustrated, which made no sense to Zorflox. He was not the one searching for a criminal.

  “No, I have never driven a truck before.”

  “Well, you see, I ain't real good at backin' up without a ground guide, and-”

  “Sir, can you just get this truck out of the road?”

  “Now hold on one damn minute. I'm tryin' to tell you what happened. Now, you see, I ain't real good at backin up', and when this truck's brakes were feelin' funky, I hit 'em too fast. By the time I...”

  Zorflox stood there and listened, wishing he were anywhere other than here, in the sun, with this idiot truck driver. He never even noticed the truck zooming down the highway, missing the weigh station completely.

  14

  The solar storm only got worse, and the effects were becoming much more noticeable. The sides of the highway were littered with cars that were no longer working. People were walking alongside the road, unable to get cell phone reception to get a ride share. A lot of them had their thumbs stuck out, looking for a ride, but Hero didn’t stop. He was on a mission, and even if he wanted to help, there was no way he could help everyone.

  Apple had been silent for hours when the HAM radio chirped to life. “This is Mad Max calling Hero, you got your ears on?”

  “This is Hero, five by five,” he responded.

  “Hey, we’ve pretty much come to the same conclusion you did, that the aliens were caught with their pants down by this solar storm. Their advanced electronics are way more susceptible to the radiation than ours. We think they’ll have a reduced capability for the next few days, even at night-time and even after the storm subsides.”

  “That’s great news, Mad Max. Keep me updated.”

  They drove for about a minute more before Apple said something. “Why do you think that is?”

  “What, the aliens being caught unaware? Who knows? There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense about them.”

  “What do you mean?” Apple asked.

  “Well, they’re smart enough to travel all the way here and subjugate us, yet dumb enough to make enough mistakes that they haven’t wiped out your Resistance yet. Sounds a little like another genius I know,” Hero said.

  “Ha, ha,” Apple said sarcastically.

  “You want my guess? They never seen anything like our sun. I know there are a bunch of other types of stars, and they must come from one that doesn’t put out any of the type of radiation that we’re used to,” Hero mused.

  “That might explain why that alien didn't want to take off his glasses. It seemed to hurt his eyes, like he wasn't expecting it.. It definitely would explain why their electronics are more vulnerable.”

  “As for why we saw it coming and they didn’t, they probably saw the same signs you did but didn't know what it would do. A cool spot on the sun doesn’t sound to me like it would cause any effects back here, but you eggheads saw it and knew what was coming. Their sun or planet's shielding must be different.”

  Apple sat there, thinking. “You know, you’re pretty good at making a hypothesis. And here I thought I could never learn anything from a truck driver.”

  Hero thought about that for a moment. “A wise man once said that how dumb you are depends on what part of the country you're standing in.”

  Apple looked thoughtful. “Who said that? Confucius?”

  “Nope. The Bandit said that in Smokey and the Bandit.” She looked at him blankly. “Oh, come on. You haven't seen it either?”

  She shook her head. “I'm afraid it's from before my time.” She changed the subject. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after this mission?” she asked.

  “People been asking me that since I got pulled into this mess. My plan is to just go back to Iowa and fix cars until I can’t anymore,” he said.

  Apple thought about that. “Yeah, but couldn’t you just... fix cars for us? Or maybe, instead of fixing cars all day, spend half the day shooting holes in our theories.”

  “As much fun as it would be to point out what’s wrong with you eggheads for a day or two, I think I’d get bored of that.”

  Apple clearly wanted to say more about that, but she didn’t. She just changed the subject. “If all you want to do is fix cars, why’d you even take this job?”

  “Tim Hutchinson and I served together in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We were part of what was known as Operation Dragon Strike. We spent the day driving up and down what was known as Highway 1, dodging bullets and IEDs. Then we’d go back to our Forward Operating Base and get attacked by mortars at night. I saved his life and he saved mine. He’s family. In my book, once you’re family, you’re always family.”

  “So he just came to you and asked, and you said yes?” Apple asked.

  Hero grimaced. “I made it sound that way, didn’t I? But, no. I said no, and then he told me that Speedy would be on this mission, and that sealed it for me.”

  “So you’re doing this for Speedy?”

  “She’s family, too,” Hero said with a shrug. “Where’s your family?”

  “Most of my actual family was kil
led in New York City when it fell. The Resistance is the only family I have left,” Apple said.

  “I’m sorry.” They drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke again. “Do you know anyone at the Colorado base?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m just going there to set up the reactor, and then I hope to be back in Teaneck before they give my bunk away to someone else.”

  “Hutch made it sound like the Greys were going to find the Teaneck facility sooner or later. You’d probably be safer in Boulder.”

  Apple sighed. “Yeah, maybe. Maybe I’m just struggling to find my place in this dystopian world.”

  “We all go through that at some point or another. You're about twenty-four years old, right? When I was your age, I had just left the Army, and that felt like the world ending to me.”

  “But you found your way.”

  Hero smiled. “I spent a little while bumming around aimlessly, mostly drinking and gambling in Las Vegas. Then I got lucky one night and bought Alexandria here. I ran cargo all over America for a while. I made a lot of money, which I spent on a lovely lady. I settled down for a bit.”

  “What happened to her?” Apple asked.

  Hero wasn't quite ready to say that she was in the car in front of them. “We broke up, and I found a new lady, just in time for the aliens to land. This truck became our base of operations, and we killed our fair share of the Greys. You heard that part of the story in the briefing room.”

  Apple nodded. “So Sunshine’s family too.”

  “She is. Maybe more like the family you only see on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but still family.”

  Apple smiled. “I don’t have anyone in particular that I’m close to in the Resistance. One day I hope to have a family like yours.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find some scientist that makes you happy. One that likes to read about thermobiology, or whatever textbook you had earlier.”

  “You were right, that book was too boring,” she said.

  “Well, reach back in the sleeper and grab one of the books in the drawers,” Hero said, gesturing behind him.

  Apple unbuckled her seat belt. A couple minutes later, she returned with two books. “I got one by William J. Arand and one by E. L. James.”

  “Oh, don’t read the one by Arand, I’m halfway through it. Besides, after seeing you in handcuffs, I think Fifty Shades of Grey might be right up your alley,” he said.

  “I know Fifty Shades was a cultural phenomenon, but I was like ten years old when it came out.”

  “Well, enjoy,” Hero said. She curled up with the book, reading quickly for the next few hours. They pulled off the highway at a few minutes after 1800.

  Hero and Speedy filled up their vehicles and headed over to a motel shortly afterwards. Apple had been reading for hours at this point, but she suddenly snapped back to the real world. “Where are we?”

  “Toledo, Ohio. I stayed in a Motel Six here the other night, and it worked out that we're staying there again. Do you want to join us for dinner?” Hero asked.

  “I’d like that,” Apple said with a smile.

  Hero parked the semi in the same spot as the first time, just taking up a few more spaces this time. Then they all jumped in the Mustang to head to dinner. Speedy put the top up and took them to a local diner that she knew.

  When they got there, they all jumped out. They'd managed to park right next to the entrance of the restaurant. Speedy cursed and grabbed a rag from the glove box, then began furiously wiping a large white spot from her windshield and mumbling under her breath. Sunshine bumped her with her shoulder as Hero and Apple looked on. She grumbled and threw the rag back in the car, and they all headed in.

  “Okay, Apple. You're a scientist, so maybe you can solve this for us,” Speedy said as they entered the restaurant. The waitress motioned them to take any table they wished and they took a booth toward the back. Speedy sat next to Sunshine, while Apple sat next to Hero.

  “I'm happy to help,” Apple said.

  “Do birds pee?” Speedy said it with such seriousness that no one said anything for at least ten seconds.

  Finally, Sunshine snorted a laugh. “She's just mad that a bird shit on her baby.”

  “So, I want to know. Did that stupid bird pee or poop on my car?” Speedy crossed her arms, her eyes flashing.

  “I'm happy to answer that,” Apple said. “I'm not a biologist, but I read this in a book once. See, birds only have one opening called the cloaca. They poop, pee, and have sex all though that one hole.”

  Hero groaned. He set down his menu, suddenly not hungry. “We don't talk about cloacas at the dinner table. We're about to eat, Apple.”

  “What? It's just science,” Apple said, raising her hands. “There's nothing gross about science.”

  “That's not true. There's plenty that's gross about science,” Hero said.

  “Wait, so you're telling me that birds do it all through one hole?” Sunshine suddenly looked a little horrified. “And that's where eggs come from?”

  “Yup.” Apple said with a nod. She began poring over the menu.

  “I am so not ordering the egg scramble,” Sunshine said, setting down her menu. “Nothing with eggs on it.”

  “Suit yourself. I'm eating all the eggs I can. Damn bird crapped on my car and I'm taking my revenge,” Speedy replied. She picked up the menu and looked it over. “Where did you see the egg scramble?”

  “Page two,” Sunshine replied. “But seriously, you're going to eat them? Now that you know where they come from?”

  “I know where you came from, and I still...” Speedy trailed off, but made sure to give a super obvious wink.

  Sunshine's eyes went a little wide, surprised that it was Speedy sharing private information out in the open, instead of her. Apple didn't seem to notice at all. Hero started to laugh. It felt good to laugh. It felt light and free. With all the stress of this mission, he realized he hadn't truly laughed in days.

  The three girls looked at him like he had lost his mind, but he didn't care. He cut himself off, but he kept chuckling every few seconds. It felt so good and right to be here. For the first time in years, Hero felt happy. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel lonely or lost. He had a purpose. A family.

  He looked around the table. The beautiful blonde woman across from him was teasing the woman sitting next to her. The brunette was leaning into her, whispering something either funny or sexual to the blonde as her dark hair spilled across her shoulders. Both their sets of eyes turned to Hero at the same time, meaning they were whispering about him. He looked over at Apple. The red-headed beauty turned and gave him a quick look, then down at her menu again, blushing at having been caught. Her leg brushed up against his more and more as she became more relaxed.

  Home, he realized. This is what home felt like. Home wasn't a place, it was a feeling. And it was with these three women that he felt like he was home.

  “How long do we have here?” Speedy asked once they'd ordered their food.

  “All night, if you want,” Hero told her. He didn't want this feeling to end.

  All around the table, everyone relaxed and glanced around. None of them wanted this feeling to end either.

  “I'm ordering pie, then,” Apple announced.

  They were still laughing on the car ride back to the motel. Apple kept her seat belt off and fell up against Hero a few times when Speedy went around a corner. He could tell that she was flirting more and more, but he didn’t cut her off yet. He was enjoying himself, and didn't want the good time to end. Nobody else seemed to notice.

  When they got to the motel, Sunshine and Speedy stayed in the car to make sure their weapons were secure. Hero went in to get the rooms, and Apple trailed behind him. As soon as they were inside the door, Apple pulled on his hand. “You know, if you want to save a little money, you could just get three motel rooms.”

  Hero’s heart began to race a little bit, but he needed to make sure that he wasn’t reading this wrong, o
r that she wasn’t pulling his chain. “Is that right?” Hero asked.

  Apple made eye contact with Hero and bit her lip. “Mmm, hmm.”

  Hero ran his other hand through his hair. He wasn’t reading this wrong. She wasn’t pulling his chain. And after spending the day with her in the truck, then an enchanting evening at the diner with her flirting every chance she got, it was a tempting offer. Sorely tempting.

  “Do you often share a room with truckers that you just met?” Hero asked.

  “Never, but I'm feeling dangerous for some reason. I think I can make an exception,” she said. She put her hand on Hero’s bicep. “Just. This. Once,” she said, putting another finger down with every word she said.

  Hero could feel his face turning red. He was definitely conflicted. Last night with Sunshine and Speedy had supposedly been a one-time thing, but he had felt the energy at dinner tonight between them. They probably chatted about it in the car during the day, and Hero was sure that they absolutely planned to have another mind-blowing threesome.

  On the other hand, there was Apple’s fit body, her pretty face, her innocent demeanor.

  Hero sighed. It just wasn’t in the cards. He had come on this mission to break Speedy from the Resistance, and he couldn’t even attempt to do that if he slept with some other woman tonight.

  “Actually, I was only going to get two rooms,” he said.

  “That’s fine. I’ve heard that Sunshine and Speedy enjoy each other’s company anyway. I certainly got that impression tonight,” Apple said.

  “They sure do,” Hero said, then braced himself for her letdown. “But you’re staying in your room alone tonight.”

  Apple stared at him, obviously confused. “What do you mean? Are you going to sleep out in your truck?”

  “Nope,” Hero said. Just then Speedy and Sunshine walked in. Hero gulped. He might as well rip this band-aid off quickly, make it clear what was going on right away. “You girls ready to go to bed?”

  “Ugh, I have been looking forward to it all day,” Speedy said. She came up and wrapped an arm around his body.