Patriots Unleashed

by Robert Boren

  “You got it,” the man said. He was middle aged, with a belly and receding hairline. “Trucks. Three of them. That work for you guys?” He slid three sets of keys across the counter. “They’re full of gas.”

  “We don’t even need to fill out paperwork?” Lita asked.

  “Look, I’ve got to round up my family and get them the hell out of here. Take off. It’s the three trucks sitting together on the lot, right by the exit. Enjoy and good luck.”

  “Thank you,” Richardson said, grabbing one of the keys. “Go find your family, and good luck.”

  The man nodded, worry on his face.

  The group sprinted out the door, going around the building to the exit side of the lot.

  “There they are, dude,” Juan Carlos shouted. They got into the trucks.

  “Which way?” Madison yelled.

  “Take I-37 towards San Antonio.”

  Madison and Hannah looked at each other and cracked up. “Remember what happened last time we went there?” Hannah shouted.

  “Any port in the storm,” Lita yelled. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Just as they were leaving there was the sound of naval guns again, a shell falling only a hundred yards from their hotel.

  “Whoa!” shouted Lita as she got into the passenger seat. Richardson started the truck and they flew off the parking lot, heading for the interstate, the other two following closely.

  Chapter 16 - Choice

  “What the hell is going on in the gulf?” Junior asked, looking at the app on his phone. “Hundreds of men showing up in boats. Corpus Christi and Galveston. Crap, and South Padre Island again.”

  “You’re kidding,” Rachel said. “We lost our US Navy support.”

  “Kinda looking that way,” Junior said.

  “Just when we think an area is locked down,” Rachel said. “We’d better get ready. The meeting starts in a few minutes.”

  “I’m ready now,” Junior said. There was a knock on the door. Junior opened it.

  “You ready?” Kelly asked, standing outside the door with Brenda.

  “Coming,” Junior said. He stepped out, Rachel following him, and they headed towards the Parks and Rec building.

  “Wonder how the social media team is doing in there?” Brenda asked. “We’re gonna need them.”

  “Seriously,” Rachel said. “You guys been watching the apps? We’re being invaded along the gulf coast.”

  “What?” Kelly asked, turning towards her.

  “Hundreds of men hitting the beach in Corpus Christi,” Junior said. “Some at Galveston and South Padre Island too.”

  “That’s not good,” Brenda said. “We’ll probably fight them after we finish here.”

  “That thought has crossed my mind,” Junior said.

  They entered the Parks and Rec building, which was cool with air conditioning.

  “Hey, Jason,” Junior said as he walked up. “See what’s going on in the gulf?”

  “Oh, shit, what now?” Jason asked, standing next to Kyle and Eric.

  “Don’t know, but they’re getting hit in three places,” Junior said.

  “We need to get done here and get back to Texas,” Kyle said. “Our state needs us.”

  “Well, if the people vote to leave for home now, we’ll be there in a hurry,” Eric said.

  “I think that would be a mistake,” Jason said. “How bad is this invasion?”

  “Hundreds of enemy fighters,” Junior said. “Why… oh. You’re gonna bring it up, aren’t you? Make that sound more dangerous than what we’re about to do in Arizona.”

  “That would be manipulation,” Kelly said, trying not to laugh.

  “What are you pencil necks crying about now?” Curt asked, walking up with Amanda.

  “Where have you been?” Junior asked. “I was looking for you.”

  Amanda smiled and held out her hand, showing a modest ring. “Not the best, but it’ll hold me until things settle down.”

  “You two got married!” Rachel said. “Congrats!”

  “How?” Brenda asked.

  “We took Don and Sydney with us to the Justice of the Peace, got hitched there,” Curt said. “They witnessed. Took about ten minutes.”

  “This is so cool,” Rachel said. “Wonder if we’ll have a little extra time.” She looked up at Junior, who smiled.

  “I’m game, but let’s get past the meeting first.”

  “We’re gonna take off pretty quick if we decide to go into Arizona,” Jason said. “Hate to burst your bubble.”

  “No problem,” Rachel said. “Gives Brenda more time to work on Kelly.”

  “Hey, watch that,” Kelly said, laughing.

  “Yeah, seriously,” Brenda said. Kelly shot her a smile. “What?”

  “How do you know I don’t want to?”

  “We’ve already talked about that, you old fool,” Brenda said.

  “You don’t think we’ll stay together?” he asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” she said, softening. “You really want to, don’t you?”

  “Kinda, yeah,” Kelly said.

  Junior laughed. “Knew it.”

  Brenda looked at him. “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Let’s talk about it later,” Kelly said. “I think this shindig is about to start.”

  “It is,” Rachel said. “Jason’s taking the stage.”

  The murmuring of the crowd stopped as Jason stood in front of them, Kyle and Eric by his side.

  “We should get started,” Jason said.

  “Go for it, man,” Dirk said, Cindy next to him. “We’re all ears.”

  “Yeah,” Jax said, fingers brushing his long blonde beard. “We gonna go kill more heathens?”

  Jason smiled. “We’ve got a choice to make, folks. I’ve been talking to Governor Nelson and his team, and General Hogan.”

  “This about the problem on I-40?” Francis asked.

  “Yep,” Jason said. “Eric was looking at the map and got an idea. You want to take it?”

  “Sure,” Eric said. “We know we can’t go up through the junction of I-25 and I-40 to finish our last mission. The enemy is there waiting for us.”

  “Saw that,” Clancy said. “Suicide, even if we have the Mescalero tribe with us.”

  “Yep,” Stanton Hunt said.

  Eric nodded in agreement. “After looking at the map, I saw that we can cross into Arizona on Route 60, and take Route 191 north to I-40. Knock the hell out of it from that side, then come back down 191 to Route 60 and take that east. Oh, and we knock the hell out of Route 60 too, because that’s another way to I-25 that’s north of the bridges we blew.”

  “I like it,” Curt said.

  “What’s the other choice?” Sydney asked.

  Jason stood back up. “The other choice is to forget it, and go back to Texas.”

  The crowd erupted in murmurs.

  “What does Governor Nelson want us to do?” Chance asked.

  “He’d like us to hit I-40 if we can,” Jason said, “but he doesn’t want us to get killed in the process, and he doesn’t want us to hit anything else.”

  “So no attacking the depot in Santa Fe?” Kelly asked.

  “Nope, they’ll use the US Airforce to take that out, after we’ve destroyed the roads.”

  Don stood up. “I’m getting a lot of social media traffic about the Gulf Coast. We’re being invaded down there.”

  “Yes, if we go back to Texas, we’ll still be in the middle of battle,” Jason said. “No doubt about that. If we are successful in taking out I-40 and Route 60, the enemy will have to spend time trying to fix it. That’ll be less time they have for pursuing us back to Texas.”

  “I want to do what will hurt the heathens the most,” Dirk said. “I think that’s blowing up I-40.”

  “I agree,” Curt said. “Then we should go back and rejoin the big group. Take them down to the Gulf and kick some ass.”

  “Well, those are our choices,” Jason said. “Who wants t
o hit I-40?”

  Most of the people in the room raised their hands quickly.

  “I think that’s a winning number,” Kyle said, looking out over the crowd.

  “Does anybody want to give reasons for why they don’t want to hit I-40?” Jason asked.

  “Wasn’t the vote enough?” Francis asked.

  “It wasn’t unanimous,” Jason said. “We need to consider everything.”

  White Eagle stood up. “I didn’t raise my hand, but I’m not completely against the mission.”

  “What makes you nervous about it?” Stanton Hunt asked.

  “I’ve heard some bad stories about Arizona,” he said. “There’s militias operating there, working hand in hand with the Islamists. I’ve heard they’re smarter and better equipped.”

  “Yes, I have heard such things as well,” Stanton Hunt said. “I think it’s worth the risk.”

  “One other thing bothers me, either way we go,” White Eagle said. “What happens when you all go back to Texas?”

  “Well, you’re welcome to go there with us, of course,” Jason said. “We’d love to have you. I understand that this is your home, though. It’s not going to be an easy decision.”

  “I think we’d like to go with you, and return to our lands when the war is over,” Stanton Hunt said. “I’ll have to bring that to the council. If we do that, we have to bring everybody, though. You understand that, I hope.”

  “Yes, of course,” Jason said. “Wouldn’t expect anything else.”

  “Well then I’ll raise my hand and vote for the mission,” White Eagle said. “And I’ll be proud to fight with you again.”

  People broke into cheers in the room, surprising both Stanton and White Eagle.

  “Why are you surprised?” Dirk asked them. “You folks saved our butts big time. As far as I’m concerned that makes us friends for life.”

  “I feel the same way,” Stanton Hunt said, “and I have the added benefit of helping one of my best friends.”

  “Who’s that?” Dirk asked.

  “General Hogan,” he said.

  “When?” Curt asked.

  “I say we take off in two hours,” Jason said.

  “Give us four and we’ll have some helpers in Arizona,” Don said. “We’ve already made contact with some people who are helping us spread the word.”

  “I could live with that,” Jason said, “especially if we get additional help out of it.”

  “Gonna miss having my bobtail,” Amanda said, “and you’re not going on your own in that damn Barracuda, either, remember?”

  “Why don’t you use Moe’s Jeep,” Clancy asked. “It’s got a gun on it.”

  “That’d be great,” Curt said. “Who wants to use my Barracuda?”

  “Show me how and I will,” Stanton Hunt said.

  “Sure, I’ll check you out on it,” Curt said.

  “You better not get yourself killed in that thing,” White Eagle said.

  “Don’t worry,” Stanton Hunt said. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “I’ll get it out of the toy hauler so you can try her out,” Curt said.

  Stanton nodded, and the two walked out the door. Amanda smiled.

  “So you really did it?” Brenda asked, looking at the ring.

  “I want a better rock, but this will do for now,” Amanda said. “I’m so glad that we’ll be together in the next battle.”

  “I’ll bet,” Brenda said. “Who’s idea was it to get married?”

  “Both,” Amanda said. “I was resisting a little bit. He wasn’t having it. It was exciting. He basically took me. Wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Junior and I are going to tie the knot too, but probably not till we get back to Texas,” Rachel said.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen that coming for a while,” Brenda said. “You two really have the hots for each other, and you’ve got a baby on the way.”

  Rachel smiled. “Falling in love with him was so weird. It snuck up on me slowly, and before I knew it he was all I could think about. I had to convince Junior that I wasn’t kidding.”

  Amanda chuckled. “I knew I was going to be with Curt the first time I saw him.”

  “Well, you do make quite a pair,” Rachel said.

  “We should go get our guns loaded up and check out our off-roader,” Junior said, walking up with Kelly.

  “Good idea,” Brenda said. “You ready, honey?”

  “I was born ready,” Kelly said.

  “Oh, brother,” Brenda said. They walked off with the crowd, leaving the social media team to themselves in the Parks and Rec building.

  Chapter 17 – VFW

  Glenn wiped the bar with a white towel, glancing at the clock. The VFW lounge was dimly lit. Too dim for Glenn’s taste. He’d talked the club into installing back lighting behind the shelves. Didn’t add much light, but it looked cool, and helped his eyes read the labels on the bottles a little easier. He ran his fingers through his gray beard, then leaned against the back counter, looking out over the room. Everything was ready, but he was tired. Sleeping had been bad lately. Too much drama. His mid-fifties body was gaining a new ache every day, it seemed to him, and he went home exhausted every night, only to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling for several hours before drifting off.

  Trixie walked in, checking her dress as she approached. “Hey, sweetie, you just about ready? I heard there were more folks coming. Birthday for somebody or other.”

  “Sach,” Glenn said, looking Trixie up and down. She still had a body on her, but her face had the lines of time and her hair was too black to be believed. He did a last check in the mirror, running his hands over his crew-cut. Trixie snickered.

  “That’s too short to even comb,” Trixie said. “You haven’t been in the service for twenty years. Why keep the haircut?”

  “Low maintenance,” he said. “Getting tired of the beard, though. You’re awful gussied up. Making a move on Sach or something?”

  She laughed. “Sach? That old son of a bitch? No, I just want to put forth a nice look for the customers, that’s all.”

  “Well you still got it,” Glenn said.

  “Yeah, watch your hands tonight,” Trixie said, smiling, the thick makeup visible now that she was closer.

  The club usually got busy about six in the evening, and it was five-thirty. Not much to do in St. Johns, Arizona, even on a Saturday night. The front door creaked open.

  “Shit, already?” Trixie asked, walking behind the bar. She took her gum out of her mouth and put it in the trash.

  “You can chew gum in here, you know,” Glenn said.

  “Makes me look cheap,” she said, turning to watch several old men come in. “I may be a floozie, but I don’t want everybody to know.”

  Glenn cracked up. One of the customers snickered. “I heard that, Trix. Let’s go somewhere private and discuss it.”

  Trixie laughed. “Yeah, like you’re up for it, Howard.”

  The man smiled at her, a distinguished looking white-haired gent who looked more vital for his 83 years than most. “You might be surprised, toots.”

  “Yeah, right,” she said. “What’ll you guys have?”

  “Whiskey,” said another of the men, an overweight ex-fire fighter named Clark. “Care to join me?”

  Trixie shook her head no. “Not a chance, Clark. Why do all of you guys hit on me every time you come in here?”

  “Why wouldn’t we?” a short man asked, mischievous grin on his face. He looked like a turtle with his bald head and beak-like nose.

  “Better watch out for Archie,” Clark said, patting the short man on the back. “When he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go.”

  “What, in his depends?” Trixie asked. The whole group laughed, except Archie.

  “That wasn’t nice,” Archie said, trying to keep a straight face, breaking into laughter when he couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “What’s that on the TV?” Howard asked, pointing at the set high on the wall next to the shelves o
f liquor. “Shit, it’s that Ivan character again.”

  “California,” Archie said, shaking his head.

  “Turn it up,” Howard said.

  “All right, all right,” Trixie said, picking the remote up from behind the bar and raising the volume. “Oh, God.” The screen showed a bunch of women’s bodies, heads next to them, on a bloody floor. She pointed the remote at the screen to turn it off.

  “No, dammit, leave it on,” Archie yelled.

  “Fine, I’m leaving the room then,” Trixie said, setting the remote down on the bar. She stormed into the back, Glenn shooting her a worried look.

  “Brave Patriots attacked this UN base in Diablo this morning,” Ivan’s voice said as the camera panned on the bodies, then backed up, showing the doorway and then the building. “You can see that this is the school the UN was using as a base. The Patriots helped my forces kill all the UN Peacekeepers and the Islamist scum who were there. They were using these kidnapped women for sex slaves.”

  “Those bastards,” Howard said, hand gripping the bar rail so hard his knuckles turned white. “Son of a bitch.”

  “Don’t go keeling over on us here,” Glenn said. “Have a drink, guys. On me.” He poured whiskey into shot glasses and slid them forward on the bar, the men gathering around to drink them. Trixie stuck her head out the kitchen door.

  “Is it over yet?” she asked.

  “I think the gory part is,” Glenn said.

  “He’s done,” Archie said. “The screen went black, and then the sports channel came back up, the commentators looking at each other, speaking in hushed tones.

  “We need somebody like Ivan the Butcher here,” Clark said. “You know they’re starting to roll right up Highway 191 now, right?”

  “Islamists?” Archie asked. “How do you know?”

  “My brother-in-law in Duncan saw them this morning,” Clark said. “The local sheriff got the drop on them, and set up a roadblock, but if the Islamists send a large enough force down that road, they’ll get past.”

  “No,” Trixie said.

  “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you,” Archie said.

  Howard and Clark snickered.

  “Shut up,” Trixie said. “Be serious for a minute, okay? We’re right on that damn highway. What if they show up here?”