Free Days Of Perdition: Voodoo Plague Book 6 by Dirk Patton

two bolts. 
When the fourth one broke free she caught her breath as the bumper shifted and
the back of the truck dropped several inches.  Hoping that was all that would
happen, she carefully began turning the last bolt, squirming away from the
bumper as it came free.  The truck dropped another inch then stopped, the
bumper crushed under the rear edge of the bed.  She quickly lowered the scissor
jack and yanked it out of the way.
    There was a bundle of electrical wires running into the
bumper, but she didn’t have time to worry about it.  Scrambling from underneath
the truck she tossed the phone into the cab, dropped the tools into the duffel
and swung it up into the bed of the truck.  Moments later she had the bed cover
rolled back into place and slammed the tailgate.
    Katie dashed to the open door, pausing before climbing in
and looking up at the trail crest, several hundred feet above her.  No vehicles
were visible, but she was sure she could see two figures standing at the edge. 
Ignoring them, she climbed into the driver’s seat, closed the door and securely
belted herself in.  The first time John had taken her off-road she’d thought he
was joking when he told her to keep her seatbelt on.  Until the going got rough
and her head hit the ceiling, then she wished she had listened to him.
    Stepping on the gas the truck started rolling.  There was
the protest of crunching metal from the rear, then more noise as the wiring
held and began dragging the bumper.  It didn’t take long for it to snag on a
rock, the wires ripping free and dragging on the ground as Katie bounced across
the floor of the canyon.

10
     
    Katie pushed on, the trail climbing successive ridgelines as
she moved north.  It was rough going, deep ruts and large rocks constantly
challenging her driving skills and the truck’s capabilities.  Keeping a wary
eye on the gas gauge she wasn’t happy with how much fuel was being burned to
cover such a short distance.  Cresting another ridge, she stopped and leaving
the engine idling stepped out to relieve herself.  She made sure to move under
a large pine tree with thick boughs so Steve couldn’t watch on the satellite.
    Business attended to, Katie called Steve as she stepped to
the back of the truck and looked to the south.  The view was breathtaking,
forested hills with canyons carved between them dropping away to the valley
where Phoenix sat.  By now she was a couple of thousand feet above the valley
floor, and could look down on the thick haze of smoke that hung over the city. 
    “Where are the guys in the Jeeps?”  She asked when Steve
picked up.
    “Just cresting the ridge to your south,” he answered. 
“They’re moving a little slower than you.  Hard to tell on satellite, but I
think one of the Jeeps isn’t really set up for any serious off-road travel and
the driver is having to take it really easy.”
    Finally some good news. 
    “How much farther do I have?”  Katie asked, digging a fresh
bottle of water out of the back of the truck.
    “The computer shows forty one miles, but it’s just drawing a
line and not taking into account the terrain.  You’ve probably got close to fifty
actual miles to go.  At your pace you won’t be there before dark.”
    Katie didn’t like hearing that answer.  Not with two
vehicles only a few miles behind her.  The last thing she wanted to do was stop
for the night and let them catch up.  She also didn’t like the idea of traveling
at night.  The road was difficult enough to navigate with the sun shining
brightly and it would be three times harder with only the truck’s lights. 
Deciding she’d better cover as much ground as she could while it was daylight,
Katie told Steve she’d call him later and resumed her trek.
    The north side of the ridge she had stopped on was the
steepest descent she had ever driven, the heavy truck constantly threatening to
start slipping sideways.  She had no idea just how steep it really was, but