The convoy kept going, day turning to night. They stopped at a truck stop, and though their rest was much appreciated and needed, they still had nightmares of the arrival of hundreds of police.
Pussycat's affliction grew better, healing slowly but surely. He spent much of his time sitting shotgun in Dreamer's truck or laying in the sleeper with Odie.
Once the convoy hit Atlanta, however, things went downhill from there. The trucks were brought to a stop just North of the city limits. A few whispers rose over the CB, questions without answers.
"What's goin' on up there?" Hot Grandpa asked.
"Smokey done brought the State Police down on us." Psycho whispered.
Hot Grandpa threw his mic down. "Son of a bitch."
The truckers began climbing out of their cabs one by one.
"Stay here." Dreamer growled.
"Hell no, I'm coming with you!" Pussycat argued, beginning to crawl through the cab after her.
Dreamer pushed him down. "I said stay here!"
Pussycat complied, much to his displeasure.
Pitbull got out of his truck too, and the line kept going.
"Sodbuster, keep them crackerheads away, you're in charge now, ya hear?" Psycho ordered over the CB.
"Ah, yes sir." Sodbuster replied confusedly.
"The hell you think you're doin' you crazy son of a bitch?" Lumberjack hissed.
"I took the risk of bein' a blocker for a reason, now you get the others back to their trucks, I'm gonna distract the police. When you hear my signal, you break for the North, got it?"
Sodbuster sighed. "Yes sir."
"Good man, Sodbuster."
Lumberjack got out of his truck and began herding the others back to theirs. They all heard the hum of the Psycho Billy Cadillac as it started up. Dreamer pushed past Lumberjack to see what was going on.
"What the hell is he doing?" Dreamer asked.
Lumberjack grabbed her by the arm and led her back to her truck. "Don't matter, he's gonna get us out of here, that's all you need to know."
Dreamer pulled away from him. "Uh, I think I have the right to know just what the hell the leader of this convoy is planning seein' as how I'm a member."
Lumberjack spun Dreamer around, and took her by her belt, shoving her up the steps of her truck. "Truck. Now. And be ready to go."
Dreamer climbed into the cab, slamming the door shut behind her. She screamed in frustration.
"What's wrong?" Pussycat asked, startled.
"He ain't tellin' me what's goin' on, I mean, I got the right to know just what in the hell I'm gettin' myself into."
"It ain't about you no more, all eleven of us are in this together now."
"You think I don't know that? Do you think I wanna see the rest of the convoy walk into a trap blindfolded?"
"I don't think Psycho would do that to us, he's smart, I'm sure he's got a plan."
Dreamer leaned back in her seat and sighed. "I just want to know what the hell's going on."
Just then, Sodbuster's voice broke over the CB. Breaker one-nine, this here's the leader of the convoy, start your engines please, we'll be departin' shortly, over."
"Hey… ain't Psycho the leader of the convoy, come back?" Hot Grandpa asked.
There was no answer from Sodbuster.
"What the hell is goin' on?" Pitbull muttered to himself.
The trucks' engines all roared to life, the sound of gunshots could be heard over the rumble. Over the CB, a Rebel yell pierced the frequency. With that final note, Sodbuster's truck rushed forward. He was followed by Lumberjack, who was followed by Cooler, then Ladies' Man, then Cattleman, then Shit, Pitbull, Dreamer, and finally Hot Grandpa. As the trucks rolled past, they saw the flaming remains of the Psycho Billy Cadillac. Each of them took off their hat and honked their horn to pay their respects to their fallen ally. Lying next to the wrecked car was Psycho's lifeless body. He'd been torn apart by the policemen's bullets and impaled by a road marker.
An officer knelt next to him, placing two fingers to the side of his neck. He looked up to his comrades and shook his head.
The convoy stopped just across the Tennessee-Georgia line. They pulled off into a deserted patch of nothingness, just dirt for acres and acres surrounded by swampland on three sides. The swamp was on the North, East, and South. To the West was road, then more swamp and forest. It was a perfect little escape from reality.
Sodbuster's voice broke over the CB. "Careful pullin' off here, there's a dip when you come off the road."
The trucks rolled off the road and into the dirt, following Sodbuster. They worked themselves into a half-circle, making a protected camp. The release of air-brakes and the slamming of doors sounded off.
Dreamer walked up to Sodbuster. "What the hell was that?"
Sodbuster gave her a somber look, showing the hidden pain behind his bright eyes and perfect smile. "Psycho wanted us to get away, he sacrificed himself for us. There ain't nothin' I coulda done to have stopped him."
"They killed him, Sodbuster, don't you understand? You saw Smokey there, he just crossed the line! We gotta get back at 'em!"
Sodbuster cupped Dreamer's bruised cheek in his hand. "Smokey crossed the line when he did this to you. A man who hits a woman ain't a man at all. I know you want your revenge, and personally, I can't say I blame ya, but you know it'd be a suicide mission to attempt such a thing."
Dreamer dropped her gaze and nodded.
"Good girl."
"So what now? Where do we even go?"
Sodbuster turned away from her. "We go North, that's what Psycho said to do, and I feel obligated to go through with it."
"How long till we're on the road again?"
Sodbuster looked around at the barren patch of land. Shit was standing in the middle of the half-circle with a shovel, digging a small hole in the ground. "A while, days maybe, just till the heat dies down. They already killed one of us, who's to say they won't do it again right after?"
Dreamer nodded, becoming distracted with what Shit was doing. She walked over to him.
"Ah, Shit, what're you doin'?" Dreamer asked.
"I'm diggin' for water." Shit replied.
"Why?"
"Well, Lumberjack said we might be here for a while, so why not make a home outta it?"
Shit's shovel hit something in the ground, and water began to rise from the hole.
"I'll be damned, you found a spring!" Dreamer exclaimed surprisedly.
Shit took a small tin ladle and dipped it into the water. "Yep, delivered and filtered by Mother Earth."
Shit handed her the ladle and she took a sip from it.
"Mmmm." Dreamer hummed.
The truckers got settled into their new home. They stretched a tarp across the half-circle of trucks, making a solid shape. This provided them with a large area of shade. They made Shit's hole bigger, allowing them to dip large, five-gallon buckets into the spring. Now, only one struggle remained: Food.