Driving back to town Roland turned up the stereo to distract himself but he couldn't stop thinking about the body bag or the blood on the cruiser. Looking down at the speedometer he realized he was going a little faster than was safe considering the conditions and eased his foot off the gas pedal; the Dakota had good tires but he didn't want to risk crashing especially know there was no one to come to his aid. Reaching the edge of town Roland slowed down at an intersection and crossed over onto the south bound side of the divided highway that ran from one end of Fort McMurray to the other, keeping his eyes peeled for anything moving. He didn't see anything as he passed Confederation and Thickwood drives, their unfinished overpasses looming large and ominous in the heavy snow. Once he crossed the bridge and was on the south side he started to notice dark shapes on either side of the road, some with hazard lights or interior lights still on. Roland could see no tracks in the snow ahead of him so he assumed they had been there for a while.
The snow was getting deeper rapidly and while the truck had good tires on it, it was only two-wheel drive so Roland pushed the gas pedal a little harder. If the snow got to deep he'd be stuck without a vehicle in a town with no power and no people. There were at least a dozen vehicles overturned on Beacon Hill but he didn't see anymore once he reached the top. Lighting a smoke he grabbed his cell phone and pressed the power button the screen lighting up the cab of the truck, and a warning popped up saying he had no service. "Best coverage in Canada my ass." He muttered to himself as he passed the city limits sign.
Fifteen minutes after he passed the city limits sign a mass of dark shapes filled his headlights and he slammed both feet down on the brake pedal. "SHIT!" He screamed as the front of the truck collided with the side of a Hyundai Tiburon with a loud crunch. His backpack and cell phone flew off the front seat and he felt his toolbox slam into the back of his seat as he was held back by the seatbelt. Taking a deep breath he put the truck in park and unbuckled his seatbelt. He could see the silver Tiburon's door had been caved in by the impact and he was pretty sure his passenger side headlight was smashed; thankfully he had hit the other car at an angle. Gathering his thoughts, the flashlight, and the shotgun he opened the door and climbed out of the truck. Other than the headlight Roland could find no damage on the Dakota, the Tiburon's door was folded in half and the window was shattered. Peering through the snow Roland realized there must have been hundreds of vehicles covering both sides of the highway and the intersection, it looked like a drunken parking lot; many of the vehicles had lights on or doors open.
The snow was eight inches deep now and as he looked at the carnage around him he knew the Dakota was not going to make it through the ditch and onto the other side of the mess. He had to go back to the city to find another vehicle. Once back inside the truck his stomach gave a loud rumble reminding him he had yet to eat. With only one headlight it was slow going back to town and it gave him a lot of time to think about what had transpired since he had woken up which had felt like years but was actually only two hours. By the time he reached town he was still wondering what had happened, where everyone had gone, and how he had missed an evacuation then he remember the answer to one question. He had taken a sleeping pill the night before in an effort to force his internal clock back onto a being awake during the day schedule. He was never able to fully adjust to the switch from night shifts to day shift and often stay up during the night right up until he had go back on days. That just left the questions of why everyone had been evacuated and what had happened to them.
Deciding to return to his apartment to get food before searching for another vehicle Roland turned off of the highway and the Dakota was slammed into the back of a flatbed work truck that had been parked in the Tim Horton's line-up, all four doors left open. Roland saw the truck too late as he felt the other truck's trailer hitch tear through the Dakota's radiator before the front of the Dakota crumpled into the other trucks deck. In an instant both airbags deployed as everything in the truck including Roland shifted forward violently, an air compressor coming from the back seat and striking the windshield. Roland felt his head snap forward and then backwards just as everything went black for him.
The sound of the truck's horn filled his ears as Roland shook himself awake and looked around. Things were strewn all around the truck and airbag powder covered large portions of the front seats and his legs. Punching the steering wheel to make the horn stop and gathering his thoughts he unbuckled his seatbelt feeling a spot in the center of his chest already starting to bruise. Grabbing his cell phone, backpack and the shotgun Roland climbed out of the truck and surveyed the damage before heading around to the passenger side for the duffel bag. The Dakota was destroyed; green antifreeze colored the snow underneath the crumpled front end and jagged pieces of metal had punctured both tires. Once around on the passenger side Roland put the bulletproof vest on underneath his jacket and after emptying its contents put the flashlight, ammunition and a spool of rope into his backpack. Making sure he had the keys in his pocket Roland started walking towards his apartment, it was normally only a five minute walk through the mall and Superstore parking lots. The weather made the trek much more difficult as Roland had to take baby steps to keep from tripping over curbs. The line up at Tim Horton's was full of cars; all with doors open and empty, Roland considered checking for one with keys but figured it would be safer just to walk to his apartment.
Halfway across the mall parking lot Roland saw a shape coming out of the snow towards him and it might have been the wind but he could swear he heard it moan loudly. "Is someone there?" The shape continued to move towards him. "Hey are you alright?" Still no reply came but the moan seemed to be getting louder. Just as he was about to call again the snow cleared and Roland got a good look at the shape. It was a homeless woman bundled up in mismatched clothes, her mouth was open and her arms outstretched but the thing he noticed most was the chunk of her neck that was missing and the large red stain on her jacket. Dropping his guard Roland rushed forward. " Oh my god, areā¦" He was cut off as she lunged forward tackling him to the ground her teeth snapping as she reached for his neck.
