“We ran out of gas ten miles from town so we had to abandon the search. We were lucky to get as far as we did. We had to hide the truck until we could come back for it.”

“Was gas hard to find in those days?”

“Certainly. Rationing had ended years earlier. If you were lucky to have a truck or car still working then finding gas became a real problem. Some folks buried their stockpiles under the house. Others tried to hide what they could in storage sheds or barns.”

“So what happened after you hid the truck? Did you walk into town?”

“We first pushed the truck into a shallow ditch and covered it with tree limbs and whatever trash we could find. Then we decided to walk into town, avoiding the highway, of course. It was getting dark. It was suicide to be caught on the highway after dark.”

“Yes. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve had others who were in that area tell me horror stories of being on the highway, especially after sundown. The roving gangs must have been quite a threat.”

“You have no idea.”