RU in? - 1st novel in the Ruinsaga series

Chapter 16 .

Tanner

I had an uneasy sense of dread as we waited behind the multitude of cars on the freeway. All lanes, medians and emergency lanes were filled with stopped cars trying to abandon the cities. I wasn't sure where everyone was going. All cities would be the same. I knew where we were going - to the diner near the freeway to find my sisters and Grace's siblings.

I called Lily again and held the phone to my ear. I waited, but I didn't even get the all circuits were busy message. It was only silence. I tried to call Hunter with the number Grace had given me, but the results were the same.

"I can't get through," I said to Grace.

"Try my phone," she said.

"I can't get through to anyone either," Connor said.

"Me neither," Camila and Todd said at the same time.

"I'll try Grace's phone," I said. I took her phone from her purse and tried to call Hunter first. I encountered the same issue. It didn't sound like it was even trying to ring. I tried my parents and Lily's number with the same results.

It was dark outside except for the car lights. There were cars in front of us, behind us and beside us. Dr. Higgins truck was directly in front of us. Dr. Smith and Dr. Patel still rode with him. The students that had been with him were now in their own car stopped beside the truck. It had been a half hour and traffic hadn't moved at all.

"It would be faster if we got out and walked," Camila grumbled.

"What if traffic starts moving as soon as we get out?" Connor asked.

We waited in silence for a few minutes before Grace said, "Maybe we can convince those behind us to backup and we can take side streets or something."

She didn't sound too thrilled with that idea and I wasn't exactly thrilled with it either. Side streets meant going through towns where we were more likely to encounter zombies. But as it was, we were at a complete standstill.

None of us said anything to her suggestion.

There was a scream from somewhere to the front of us. We all stiffened. I gave Grace her bow and arrows and grabbed my baseball bat. The people in the back tightened their hold on their weapons. We waited. There was a moment of silence and then more screams from up ahead. A few people got out of their cars and passed us as they ran back in the direction we had come from. Terror was on all of their faces. Some carried children, some had weapons or backpacks, but they all ran away.

Grace and I exchanged a glance. I grabbed her purse, she grabbed her 24 hour kit and we both got out of the car. Camila, Todd and Connor followed our lead. I couldn't see what was happening up ahead, but I could guess from the throngs of people getting out of their cars and running our way.

Dr. Harris, Dr. Patel and Dr. Smith scrambled from the truck.

"Run!" Dr. Harris yelled to us and the students in the car next to them. Dr. Patel crouched and Dr. Smith scrambled onto his back. Dr. Harris carried their weapons as they ran to the concrete barrier to the side of the freeway instead of running along the freeway like everyone else was. Connor started to run with everyone else, but I grabbed his shoulder and moved him so he faced the barriers.

"That way," I said. The students that came with us and our group of friends were the only ones who followed the doctors to the side and over the concrete barriers. We ran across the grass field as more screams came from the freeway behind us. Dr. Harris had a hand on Dr. Smith's back to support her as she bounced on Dr. Smith's back.