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

phone; afraid Steve was calling with another warning.
    “One of the Jeeps didn’t make it across the stream,” he
said.  “Current took it a hundred yards down the canyon and it’s wedged against
a boulder.  Don’t think you need to worry about them anymore.  They can’t all
fit in one Jeep.”
    “That is good news,” Katie breathed a sigh of relief.  “Is
the Jeep that made it across still following?”
    “No, he’s stopped.  Looks like families in each Jeep.  Right
now there’s adults and a couple of kids on foot.”
    This caught Katie by surprise.  She hadn’t even considered
any possibility other than the Jeeps were loaded down with men who were best
avoided. 
    “What are they doing now?”  She asked after a moment.
    “Just standing there looking at the wrecked Jeep.”
    “Will they be able to get it out?”  She asked.
    “Wouldn’t do them any good.  It’s nose down and the whole
engine is under water.  No way with today’s electronics that thing will ever
run again without a long visit to a repair shop.”  Steve answered.
    Katie thanked him for the update and ended the call. 
Stepping on the gas she started up the incline for the next ridge, the tallest
so far, but only went a few feet before stopping.  She sat thinking for a
moment, then with a sigh put the truck in reverse and backed up until she came
to a wide enough spot in the trail to turn around.  A minute later the phone rang
again.
    “What are you doing?”  Steve asked, sounding irritated that
she had reversed course.
    “I can’t leave them out here.”  Katie answered.  “Not if
they’ve got kids with them.  They’re stranded and there will probably be more
people along that might not have the best of intentions.”
    “Are you crazy?  Just because they have kids with them
doesn’t mean they won’t shoot you and take your truck.  Turn around and keep
going and let them worry about themselves.”
    Katie knew that Steve was most likely right.  She also knew
that John would probably give her the same advice.  But she had to live with
herself and if she drove away and didn’t at least try to help these people, the
idea of leaving children stranded in the wilderness would haunt her.  Telling
Steve her mind was made up she ended the call.

11
     
    The Jeeps had been carrying two families, one with parents
and three children, the other parents and two children.  Katie had experienced
some tense moments as she approached them.  The people had heard her coming
well before she got there and the two fathers had hidden their wives and kids
behind a jumble of large boulders.  One of them had stayed nearby while the
other stood waiting for her, blocking the trail.
    He was armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle, and as she
approached him Katie scrutinized how he was handling the weapon.  The muzzle
was in front of him, pointed at the ground as she came to a stop fifty yards
from where he stood.  Taking a deep breath, Katie shifted into park and opened
her door, careful to stay behind it as she stepped down from the cab.  When the
man made no threatening move she moved out into the open, seeing him visibly
relax and let the muzzle drop a few inches when he realized she was a woman.
    “Not a fighter,” she said to herself, knowing anyone with
any degree of combat experience would never relax just because it was a woman
that stepped out of the truck.
    “I came back to help you,” Katie shouted, still staying
close enough to dive into the truck if need be.  She had her own rifle ready to
go if she had to defend herself.  After a few moments he glanced over his
shoulder then began walking towards her. 
    She knew there wasn’t anyone else in the area.  Steve had
been keeping an eye on them while she drove, and it was just the two men with
their wives and children.  The man approached slowly, eyes focused on Katie. 
He wasn’t expecting problems and never bothered to check the surrounding area. 
She was