by Robert Boren
“What’s funny about this?” Ramsey asked.
“Two thousand men,” Don said. “Jason made a deal with Stanton Hunt. Those Islamists are going to crap their pants when two thousand warriors meet them.”
“You think that’s who it is?” Nelson said. “Really? One hundred percent?”
“I can’t see any icons other than the ones we already knew about, who were surrounding the bridges at Truth or Consequences.”
“Are we sure they’re really on our side, honey?” Sydney asked.
“Jason was sure,” Don said. “There’s going to be a boatload of people by the Rio Grande pretty soon.”
“The drone video just showed up,” Wallis said. “I’ll send it to Maria.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Hope this tells us something,” Nelson said, still pacing.
“Maybe you ought to sit down and relax, Governor,” Dr. Schultz said.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just worried. I pace when I’m in the middle of something like this.”
Maria and Hendrix shot each other a worried glance.
“Here’s the video,” Maria said, putting it on the screen.
Gallagher chuckled. “Those aren’t Islamists. That looks like a giant used-car lot moving down the road. Trucks, station wagons, sedans, even a couple of school buses.”
“That’s not Highway 70,” Hendrix said. “Look at the buildings on either side.”
“Yeah, they’re on I-25, just north of where your folks in Las Cruces blew the bridges,” Gallagher said.
“Where are the enemy fighters now?” Hendrix asked.
“Between Rincon and Radium Springs,” Don said. “They’re pretty well spaced out.”
“Are they on the drone video someplace?” Nelson asked.
“No,” Wallis said. “Sorry. We’ve got the drone going in that direction now, but they’ll be engaging our people before we get that video.”
“So we wait,” Hendrix said.
“Yep, we wait,” Nelson said. “I think I need a drink.”
“Still not trusting that the tribe is on our side?” Ramsey asked.
“Not so much that,” Nelson said.
“I know what he’s worried about,” Gallagher said. “The Islamists are going to be at the target area before the tribe can get there. Maybe well before.”
“What’s well before?” Hendrix asked.
“Half an hour or more,” Gallagher said. “Long time to hold on when you’ve got that kind of numerical advantage against you.”
Chapter 33 – Out of Ammo
“There’s the bridges,” Junior said, from the wheel of his off-roader.
“See them,” Rachel said.
Eric blasted past them in his Bronco, going fast enough to draw some air. Machine gun fire erupted, hitting the dirt around him, a couple rounds going into the back wall of the vehicle. He made a quick turn and headed for cover.
“I see where it’s coming from,” Junior said. “See them?”
Rachel answered by firing off several grenades. The third one set off a secondary explosion, but then gunfire started from several other places.
“Crap, they’re dug in all over the place,” Junior said, turning around and heading for cover. Several more vehicles rushed in, opening fire after they were peppered with gunfire, then turning back for cover behind a line of trees that extended on both sides of I-25.
“They aren’t very good shots,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, luckily for us,” Junior said.
Kelly rolled up next to them in his truck, Brenda riding shotgun.
“Where are they?” Kelly asked.
“There’s a couple small ridges on the far side of the Rio Grande,” Junior said. “There’s also a few in the trees on this side of the river.”
“Here comes Moe and Clancy with the mortars,” Brenda said.
“Good,” Junior said. “How far back are those tanks?”
“They’re a good seven or eight minutes away,” Eric said from his Bronco. “We need to soften things up with the mortars, but they take a few minutes to set up. I’ve got an idea.”
“Oh, crap,” Kim said.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m going to get behind that enemy position there, east of the clump of trees, and take them out. Then we can use that for cover to wail away at the ridges. We’ll be in range.”
“They might have mortars too, you know,” Kelly said.
“I know,” Eric said.
“No icons left from where those trees are,” Kim said.
“Good,” Eric said, flooring the Bronco, dust and pebbles hitting Kelly and Junior’s rigs.
“Hey, dammit!” Junior shouted.
“That ain’t funny,” Kelly said, spitting dust out of his mouth.
“Look at that crazy SOB go,” Brenda said, a big grin on her face.
Jason and Francis arrived, then Curt and several others. They trotted over.
“We pinned down here?” Jason asked.
“Kinda,” Junior said.
“No kinda about it,” Kelly said. “They’re dug in across the river, up on those short ridges over there, and also in the trees on this side of the river. Eric’s on his way over to bust up their nest on this side and use it to fire on the ridge. Moe and Clancy are setting up the mortars.”
“The tanks almost here?” Junior asked.
“Just a couple of minutes,” Jason said. “They can get close enough here to hit those bridge supports.”
“Think so?” Curt asked.
“Yeah, but we do need to clean out whoever is on this side of the river. Hey Moe, how soon can you fly some mortar shells.”
“Now. Ready?”
“Yeah, but don’t hit Eric. He’s heading for that clump of trees over there.”
“Got it,” Moe said, dropping a round into the tube. The mortar round popped and flew, blowing up on the far side of the bank, about fifty yards below the ridge. Then gunfire erupted out of the trees on their side of the bank, as Eric’s Bronco roared up, the M19 firing grenade after grenade as Kim joined in with the M60, spraying machine gun fire into the nest. The Islamists broke and ran into the river, only to be cut down by several of the bikers, who were already dug in with BARs and M60s just slightly to the west. Eric moved into the cover as the enemy fighters on the ridge fired at his Bronco, getting to safety just in the nick of time. He opened up with the M19, blasting the positions on the ridges, and then another mortar round flew, hitting dead center on the eastern ridge.
“Whoa,” Junior said. “That got’em.”
“Listen,” Kelly said, smiling as the squeaking of the tanks approached.
“Yes,” Junior said.
Moe turned the mortar to the western ridge and dropped in a round, the first one falling short. They could see the enemy fighters fleeing.
“Set it out further,” Clancy said. “Make them run back this way.”
Moe got an evil grin on his face and adjusted the range out, then dropped in a round. It went just where he wanted it too, in the middle of the fleeing men, blowing some of them into the air, pieces of them raining down onto the hillside below.
“Geez,” Brenda said, hiding her eyes.
“Hold your ears,” Junior said too late. The first tank’s cannon fired, the round hitting the bridge support, sending out a cloud of gray mist, making everybody’s ears ring.
“Holy crap,” Dirk said as he pulled up with Cindy and Chance.
“Hey, you continue with the mortar attack,” Moe said. “I’m gonna go spot for the tanks.”
The second tank pulled up and fired, hitting the same bridge support, showing more rebar now as the grey dust swirled around like dense fog.
“I told you this one would be harder,” Kelly said.
“Yeah, I can see that,” Junior said. “Dammit. We might have to sneak in and blow it the old-fashioned way.”
“Don’t give up yet,” Moe said, walking forward. Then he dropped to his knees, blood coming out of hi
s side.
“Uncle!” Clancy shouted, rushing over and dragging him back.
“Look, that’s a whole lot of Islamists rushing towards the bank of that river!” Curt yelled. He jumped into his Barracuda and flew forward, firing grenades as fast as he could pull the trigger, weaving in and out of cover. Eric and Kim were still firing, but the cover wasn’t good enough for the number of troops firing at them, so he backed out and drove to the others.
“I think our friends have arrived,” Eric said, short of breath, Kim looking scared to death. “We need to find a new position.”
“Look, there’s a few hundred fighters at that side of the bank,” Kelly shouted.
Clancy had Moe under cover. “Uncle, where’re you hit?”
“Side,” he said, wheezing. “Flesh wound. Get on that damn mortar. Use the willie pete on their positions.”
“Okay, Uncle,” Clancy said, running back to it. All three tanks were in position now, firing at the bridge, cracking their way through slowly with their cannons as they were peppered with machine gun fire from across the bank. Then they all opened up with their .50 cal machine guns, killing most of the Islamists on the bank, who were rapidly replaced by more in a seemingly endless line of fighters.
“We’re gonna get overrun if we don’t get help pretty soon,” Jason said.
The mortars started firing again, Clancy, Dirk, Cindy, and several others working them, fire exploding onto the far bank. The Islamists nearby ran, the gunfire stopping for a moment as bodies burned on the sand.
“Keep at them,” Curt yelled from his Barracuda, as he lobbed grenades one after another on the fleeing fighters.
The tanks moved up further and fired their cannons, finally chewing their way through the first strut on the bridge.
“That’s one!” Jason shouted.
“We’re gonna run out of ammo before we finish,” Clancy yelled.
“Keep on those mortars and don’t worry about it,” Moe shouted from where he lay.
Kyle’s truck roared over to the cover position, and he jumped out.
“Hey, man, they’re getting ready to flank us from the west, in those trees on our side of the bank. I need some help.”
“On it,” Curt shouted.
“Me too,” Eric shouted. They all drove back into that area and opened up, sending so many grenades into the midst of the enemy fighters that the small forest started on fire. Then the mortars started dropping on them too, and they ran for the river, crossing it in a panic.
“Nice job,” Eric shouted. “Let’s follow them.”
“Are you crazy?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said as he drove, getting airborne with speed, firing the M19 as he drove. Kim fired the M60 when she could see fleeing targets on the other side of the river. Then there was a thunderous roar as all three tanks fired at the second bridge support at the same time. It was too much for the structure, and the northbound bridge fell, slamming into the river below. Everybody cheered.
“One down, one to go,” Jason shouted. The tanks knew what to do now, coordinating fire on the remaining bridge supports, breaking through the first one in the second volley.
“Damn, they figured that out,” Junior said.
They heard a whistle coming at them.
“Watch it, mortar rounds coming in!” Jason shouted. There were explosions all around them, one hitting the second mortar team, mostly bikers, killing them instantly.
“No!” Cindy cried.
Clancy and his team fired back, using willie pete again as the tanks thundered away at the bridge, working on the last of the supports. Then one of the tanks exploded in flames.
“What the hell?” Jason screamed. Then more mortar rounds dropped on them, causing them to run back from the river in a panic.
Eric drove away from the impacts, but then came back around in a power slide, opening fire on the position he saw the mortar round come from, covering the area with grenade fire.
“You’re scaring the crap out of me,” Kim shouted, half a smile on her face as she opened fire again with the M60.
He shot her a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”
Gunfire started up from the enemy side of the bank again, and more mortar rounds flew in.
“Look out!” Dirk shouted, watching as a round came down too close to their last mortar team, Clancy diving out of the way with several other men. When the dust cleared they were back at it, firing more willie pete, turning the far bank into a sea of fire before their eyes.
“I’m almost out of ammo,” Curt said.
“I know, me too,” Eric said. “Where’s Amanda?”
“Couple hundred yards back,” Curt said. “C’mon.” They raced in that direction.
Jason watched the continuing stream of Islamists moving over the dead bodies on the bank, using them as cover to fire from. “We’re in trouble,” he said to Kyle. “We’ll have to reload, and that might be all the time they need.”
The tanks were blowing two at a time now that the third tank was destroyed, making slower progress, but they were down to the last support as the Islamists rallied again, getting up closer, opening fire.
“Dammit,” Jason said. His phone rang. He put it to his ear.
“Jason, we’ve got a big problem,” Eric said.
“What?”
“Somebody blew up Amanda’s bobtail. Our ammo is gone.”
Jason froze, trembling. “No. Amanda?”
“She’s not here. We could see where she was dragged into another vehicle. Curt fired up the app. He saw the enemy fighters, heading to the west, and took off after them. I couldn’t stop him.”
“How many?”
“Only about fifteen,” Eric said. “Want me to follow him?”
“Shit,” Jason said. “One mess at a time. We’ve got more Islamists coming, and almost all of us are out of ammo now.”
“I’ve still got some mortar rounds in the back of the Bronco, and plenty of ammo for the M60s.”
“Bring it,” he said.
“Maybe we should retreat, and go help Curt,” Eric asked. “We can’t hold off the enemy without the M19s.”
“We have to blow that bridge,” Jason said.
“How close are we?”
“Couple more shots,” Jason said. The cannons went off again. “Scratch that as a problem. It’s coming down.” There was a huge crash in the background.
“Finally,” Eric said. “I’m on my way back, but as soon as we get this locked down, I’m going after Curt.”
“Me too,” Jason said. “Wait, something’s happening.
“What?”
“Small arms fire, coming from the south. The Islamists just changed their focus. It’s no longer us.”
“It’s the tribe,” Eric said. “Ten to one.”
“Hey, Jason!” Kelly cried. “The tribe is here. They’re flooding the other bank, killing off the Islamists in a hurry.”
“Yeah, I knew those Injuns would come through!” Junior shouted.
“We’ve got this,” Jason said. “You guys take off after Curt. I’ll be along soon. I’ll send Kelly and Junior, too.”
“Okay, I’m off,” Eric said. The call ended.
“What’s going on?” Junior asked. “You don’t look happy, and we just won.”
“Somebody blew the ammo truck and took off with Amanda,” Jason said. “Curt found them heading west on the app and took off after them. I just told Eric to follow.”
“We’re going too,” Junior said, look of resolve on his face. Rachel nodded in agreement.
“Hell yes,” Kelly said. “Let’s get going now.”
“Yes, let’s,” Brenda said.
Jason watched as the off-roader and truck raced away, then turned back to the rest of the people.
“Did I hear you right?” Dirk asked. “Amanda?”
“Yeah,” Jason said.
“We should go too,” Chance said.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Dirk said.
Cindy no
dded yes, and they took off.
Kyle rolled over. “Looks like we won.”
“The Islamists have Amanda,” Jason said, grim look on his face.
“What? How?”
“Blew the ammo truck and took off with her,” Jason said. “I’m gonna saddle up in a minute. Figured I’d better chat with Stanton Hunt before I left.”
“You do that,” Kyle said. “I’m taking off to help Curt. You want to stay here, Kate?”
“Are you kidding?” she said. “We’ve still got ammo for the BAR and the Thompson. Let’s go.”
They rolled off, Jason watching them.
“Jason,” Francis said softly. “Look.” He pointed at Clancy, kneeling over Moe, sobbing.
“Oh no,” Jason said. “C’mon.”
They rushed over to Clancy’s side, others joining them, circling Moe’s lifeless body.
To be continued, in Bug Out! Texas Book 9, available now!
Cast Of Characters
Texas Hill Country Group
Jason – Austin PD. Young man with family. Brave, trustworthy, great in a fight, loyal. Six foot four and handsome with thick sable hair. Considered to be a high-potential employee by Austin PD. Responsible. Mid 30s.
Carrie – Jason’s wife. Strong, brave, witty, smart. Short dark hair and delicate, pretty face. Girl next-door type. Has calming effect on Jason and others. Good in a fight, brave to a fault. Pregnant. Mid 30s.
Chelsea – toddler, daughter of Jason and Carrie. Cute, rambunctious.
Kyle – Austin PD. Partner of Jason. Large man, built like a linebacker, with sandy blonde hair and a sly grin. Cheerful, funny, great in a fight, puts on front of being player, but really a romantic. Worships girlfriend Kate. Mid 30s.
Kate – strong, beautiful, emotional, witty. Former news reporter for a local Texas TV station. Fell hard for Kyle, carrying his baby. Temper. Early 30s.
Kelly – leader of Rednecks. Huge man with long brown hair and a beard. Tough, gruff, smart, great judge of character. Strategic thinker. Man’s man. In love with Brenda. Mid 50s
Brenda – half-owner of Texas Mary’s Bar and Grill in Dripping Springs. Voluptuous with bleach blonde hair and a slightly wild look. Deeply in love with Kelly. Extremely intelligent. Runs business side of Texas Mary’s. Strong but worries about Kelly constantly. Good in a fight. Mid 50s.
