The fuel gauge hovered between three quarters and half a tank. Brooke kicked herself for not filling up earlier. Her NASCAR speed from that morning had drained more fuel than she would have liked.
There was a gas station just before the interstate that she could hit along the way—if it hadn't already been ransacked by looters like the water station.
Emily poked her head through the space between her and John's seats.
“Mom, when will we get to come back?” Emily asked.
The truth was, Brooke didn't think they'd ever come back. John must've felt it too, since he had grabbed his father's flag. But her daughter couldn't sense the finality of it. This was just a trip to go and visit family, a trip that had always warranted a return home.
“After staying with Aunt Amy and discovering all the fun things you can do when we get there, you might not even want to come back,” Brooke said.
“Fun stuff? Like what?” Emily asked.
“Stuff like... well... there's...” Brooke answered.
“They actually have lakes where you can swim in North Carolina,” John said.
“Really?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, and they have more than just water to drink. They have sodas, and juices. It's pretty awesome,” John said.
Emily giggled and bounced up and down on the seat. Brooke looked over to her son and mouthed “thank you.” Even through all of the teenage angst, he still had the heart of his father.
Traffic was light. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and set it down in the cup holder. Once she made it out of the city, she might be able to pick up a signal somewhere else.