be a matter of time when we have to either leave or end up dead."
"Might as well go ahead and leave now if that's the case," Sean agreed.
"You guys can go if you want to," Jamal replied. "Me, I don't trust him."
"Jamal, I don't blame you for not trusting me," Jake continued. "I mean, we just met this morning, and not on good terms. You guys don't have to go if you don't want to. That's your choice and yours alone. All I'm asking is that you at least consider this option."
Jamal walked away. Alana walked forward. "I'm in."
"Same here," Sam replied.
"Count me in," Sean said. "These raiders here are getting on my last nerves too."
All eyes were on Nick, who was still silent.
"It's settled, then," Nick finally replied. "I'll let everyone else know tomorrow morning when they wake up."
Chapter 11
Morning came quick. The survivors woke up early. Nick explained to everyone that Jake's group was heading to Fort Benning, and that they were welcome to go with them. Nick, Sam, Alana, Sean, and many other survivors at Fort Bragg packed their things to go with Jake. A handful stayed behind, including Jamal and his family. Once everyone was fully packed, Jake's group led everyone out of Fort Bragg, with the small convoy of survivors following his work truck.
The convoy traveled for miles on I-95, crossing the North and South Carolina border, then continued on I-20, driving around Columbia, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia. The convoy would stop and fuel when they needed to, and search for more food and supplies as well. They drove around Atlanta, Georgia, and got on I-85 to Fort Benning.
Sixty miles outside of Atlanta, on I-185, the bus carrying the survivors broke down. They pulled over to the side of the interstate. Nick opened the hood of the bus. It was smoking heavily.
"Yep," Nick sighed. "The engine overheated, causing the head gasket to blow."
"What are we gonna do now?" Alana asked. "We're miles away from an exit. Even if we get to one, there may not be a mechanic store nearby."
There was a lot of vehicles parked on the interstate.
"We could always yank a head gasket out of one of these vehicles lying about," Jake suggested.
"I don't think that will work," Sean replied.
"It'll work," Matthew answered. "I had to do it while stuck in Afghanistan. Hummer broke down, and there was a car on the side of the road, so me and the squad I was with took some necessary measures. All you need is some silicone bonding fluid and a spare head gasket and it'll last you at least a few miles, depending on the vehicle you're driving."
"In that case," Jake replied. "Let's spread out and look for a good head gasket and some silicone. might as well siphon some fuel and look for some supplies while we're at it."
Many of the two groups spit up to look for the supplies. The kids and elderly, along with a few others, stayed on the bus. There were a few dead bodies in some of the vehicles, so the group only took what