The Plague Years (Book 1): Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here (39 page)

“Under that pile of brush over there,” said Chris pointing to where he and Amber had camouflaged the car.

Chad charged over to the car and began frantically tugging at the timber and tumbleweeds hiding it. It was exposed in a few minutes and it was clear that it had been hit at least twenty times. Three of the tires were flat and the windshield was blasted back into the passenger compartment. Oil covered the ground underneath. Chad sat down abruptly in the gravel with his head in his hands.

“It’s just a car,” said Mary as she came to his side and sat down.

“It’s not that,” said Chad trying not to weep. “It was an extravagance to own it. I knew that and was planning to sell the car soon anyway to help with college expenses for the kids before the plague happened. But it’s just that everything has turned to shit. We are stranded out in the middle of the Washington Prairie without any options and damned few friends.”

“You got friends,” said Smokey as he and Dave walked up. “We won’t abandon you guys. You didn’t have to help us. Lots of folks would have just driven off. You didn’t, so we won’t.”

“I don’t know,” said Chad. “It feels like I have died and gone to hell.”

“Shush honey,” said Mary with her arm around him, “It’s not that bad.”

“She is right Chad,” said Dave. “You are alive and doing your damnedest to keep us all alive and safe. But to quote William Shakespeare, ‘Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.’ It’s our job; you, me, and all the rest who will not submit to kick their asses back to hell!”