PART 6

While they were still uneasy with leaving their home in the care of Carl, the man who had only half an hour or more ago broken into their house, they still felt better leaving him on somewhat good terms than they would have felt if they had left him on his own in their area after angrily kicking him out of their house.

            “Jill, I have to tell you. There was some shooting at the gas station as I was leaving” said Mark, wanting to impress upon Jill the severity of their current situation.

            “Oh dear!” said Jill “is everyone ok?”

            “I don’t know, but we need to get away from the city. Without fuel, things will get bad really fast.”

            “Hon, what’s going to happen to us?” said Jill, slowly becoming even more worried about their future.

            “I don’t know. I really don’t” replied Mark. “I’m sorry.”

            The two drove along in silence for about 45 minutes, when suddenly, as they drove over a hill, they saw a large tree lying across the back country road that, until then, they had been traveling without any problems at all. As they slowed and approached the tree, a man came out from behind it holding a rifle. The two stopped the car, and, unsure as to what to do, stayed motionless. The man approached the window and tapped it. Knowing he had no other recourse, Mark rolled the driver’s door window down part way, and looking warily toward the man, said “Can we help you sir?”

            “Yes y’all can” said the man. “If y’all have any guns or gasoline, y’all better give them to me right now, understand?”

            “Sir, listen, my wife and I, we just want to get to her parents house, ok? We’ve got no guns and just enough gasoline to get there” Lied Mark, hoping that the man wouldn’t search their car.