Free Broken Roads: A Tale of Survival in a Powerless World (Broken Lines Book 2) by James Hunt Page B

of the road, blocking both lanes. Ulysses glanced up into the cab window. He climbed up and opened the door taking a look inside. Except for a pair of gloves on the seat, it was empty.
     
    From his elevated position, he was able to see into the distance. He looked for signs of any farms in the distance, but was disappointed when he could find nothing. He jumped back down from the tractor and continued his journey into town.
     
    The buildings grew larger the closer he came. The sun had crept higher into the sky, and the heat was bearing down on him now. The cool of the morning was disappearing. He reached into his pack and pulled out one of the bottles of water he packed. He took a sip. The town was only another one hundred yards away.
     
    Ulysses squinted his eyes at lumps scattered on Main Street. At first he couldn’t tell what they were, then he glanced up into the sky and saw the buzzards circling. His pace slowed. He glanced around the buildings looking for signs of any people. He edged along the side of the road, moving along in the tall grass for cover.
     
    The only part of him exposed was the top of his head. His eyes scanned above the grass looking for anyone that might have seen him coming. He approached the stores on the right side of Main Street and waited on the edge where the tall grass ended and the clearing began.
     
    There was no movement in the town, so Ulysses kept low and ran up to the side of the first store. He followed the edge of the building’s wall to the main road.
     
    The buzzards overhead squawked, still circling the rotting flesh down below. Ulysses turned his focus to the storefronts. Most of their windows had been smashed in. None of those close by was a pharmacy.
     
    Ulysses adjusted the strap along his chest and mapped out a route in his mind. There were enough cars for him to hide behind, so he’d have to pass each store carefully, checking to see if there was anyone inside.
     
    He sprinted to the other side of the street and knelt down by a car. He put his hands on the hood, but the removed them quickly. The metal on the car was scorching.
     
    Ulysses crept along the storefronts, checking inside each window before he passed. Each one he looked into was ransacked. He kept his eyes peeled for a pharmacy and then, halfway down Main Street he finally saw it.
     
    The pharmacy windows were smashed, but its green painted letters glistened in the sun. Ulysses kept his hand close to the holster on his hip as he moved toward the pharmacy.
     
    As he approached the motel he could hear voices in the distance. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the murmuring grew louder. Ulysses stopped at the corner of the building right before the motel. Two bikers came into the parking lot.
     
    “The dumb bitch is still here. I’m surprised she hasn’t taken off yet.”
     
    “How the hell is she supposed to escape when she’s got another guy on her every twenty minutes?”
     
    “You try her out?”
     
    “Yeah, I’ve had better, but it wasn’t bad.”
     
    The sound of their boots and voices started to fade. Ulysses grabbed the pistol from his holster. He clicked the safety off and glanced around the corner. He saw the backside of the two men he had overheard heading to the far end of the motel and then they disappeared through one of the doors.
     
    Ulysses waited to see if someone else would come outside, but no one did. A car sat out front of the motel in the street, riddled with bullets. He made a dash for it, crouching behind the engine. His fingers gripped the gunshot holes in the passenger door.
     
    Another car sat parked in front of the pharmacy. He glanced back through the window of the car, checking to see if anyone was watching. When he took off running his knees popped and when he reached the curb of the sidewalk he tripped. The pistol flew from his hand and skidded across the sidewalk.
     
    He pushed himself off the pavement, wincing. He grabbed the pistol and