22

Obstructions are few on this stretch of Interstate 35. Most of the wrecks that once choked this route into Fort Worth now lie in dusty heaps at the side of the road, their bodies having been stripped of serviceable parts long ago by city gang scavengers. The piles of auto-shells steadily increase as you near the outskirts of Fort Worth, warning you of the increasing likelihood of ambush and prompting you to keep your eyes peeled for anything that could pose a threat to the convoy.

To your left, you can see the buildings of downtown Dallas perched precariously around the edge of a huge crater. These once-gleaming towers of mirrored glass and steel now lie black and broken, like a circle of charred bones. It is a chilling sight.

At a junction on the outskirts of Fort Worth, you decide to leave Interstate 35 and follow a safer route that will take you around the city. The remains of Interstate 820 serve your purpose well, until you reach another junction where the Jacksboro Highway crosses your path. In order for the convoy to connect with Interstate Freeway 20, the highway that leads all the way to Big Spring, you must traverse one major obstacle—the Trinity River.

You consult your map. There are two places where the convoy can cross the Trinity, both of them close by. Two miles further along Interstate 820 there is a bridge over Lake Worth. Two miles northwest, along the Jacksboro Highway, another bridge crosses the river at a place called Lakeside Village.

If you wish to check out the bridge at Lakeside Village, turn to 312.

If you decide to continue along Interstate 820 and attempt to cross the Trinity River at Lake Worth, turn to 149.