This is one of those moments where I
don’t want to say, “I told you so” because I don’t want to be right. Okay, so
these are the facts. The Will Rogers Turnpike has an entrance at Adair that
leads you on a pretty straight shot to Tulsa. Not much of the landscape has
changed on that front. Adair is a ghost town and the boys experienced no sign
of life or unlife while on the Turnpike. There were a few abandoned or broken
down cars along the way. Some of the cars were apparently swerves off the roads
and then stuck or abandoned. But there were no signs of people.
A few years ago, there was some pretty
massive construction to feed the turnpike traffic into Tulsa and the Port of
Catoosa. That area is snarled with what Eric described as a tanker explosion. A
crash involving a gas truck, an explosion and a subsequent snarl of metal has
left the massive off ramp effectively blockaded. But beyond the barricade,
there was a plethora of shambling bodies.
Choosing to turn around, the group
circumnavigated through Verdigris to make their way through Claremore. Now, if
you remember right, Claremore is where Brian and Kelly were from and the reports
they brought with them was that the town was overrun. However, Eric is saying
that the place is a ghost town now. Before, Claremore was a pretty expansive
community with a local college and lots of commuters choosing to live there and
make the drive into Tulsa to work. Just off hand, I know there is/was a
Walmart, several pawn shops, an archery store, and at least two pretty nice gun
shops. These are all prime targets for supplies.
Apparently a crew in Claremore had
decided this as well and had already taken up possession of such things. And
they defended the Walmart parking lot with more of a “shoot first, ask
questions later” mentality. Apparently this group – these Others – have not
adopted the Us vs. Them attitude that we have. According to Eric, it is them
versus everyone and anyone.
I am trying not to judge them. It was
one thing for us to defend this store. I cannot imagine the fight to take back
an prime piece of real estate like a Walmart in the middle of an overrun city
with a highly dense population. For all we knew, those guys spilled guts and
lost family members to stake that claim and were not about to give it up to
rampagers and pillagers. Maybe I am trying to justify their actions so I don’t
hate them. I don’t know.
But while Eric was slowly circling the
parking lot, the ambush from the roof was apparently pretty substantial. The
SUV is compromised and I think they are lucky not to have lost tires or taken
slugs to the engine block. But luck aside, Luke took was hit.
Hunter said he didn’t go fast but he
was not writhing in terrible pain. They applied pressure and did their best but
he passed away just this side of Foyil.
He was my friend. No one made me laugh
like he did. He was my brother from another mother. And I wasn’t there when he
died. I wished them luck and told them to come back safe. But it was not
enough. It was just that quick. Here one minute. Gone the next. And for what?
He was killed by some jackals who didn’t
want to have their stuff stolen when we have so many supplies that we wouldn’t
have even wanted their stuff in the first place. We could have combined
resources or even offered trades. But no. Nice job, humanity. Way to instill
faith…
