Escaping Vegas

by Dennis Elder

  Survivor Wars: Escaping Vegas (Volume II)

  By Dennis Elder

  2019

  “We’ll be pedaling hard, nighttime op, quiet like church mice running on cotton. Hopefully we’ll be miles up the road before they know we were even in the neighborhood.”

  Thanks to:

  Scott & Holly for inspiration

  Keli for illustrations

  Cindy for proofing

  And friends for perusing

  Volume II: Recap

  In Volume I, Out of LA, our solar system’s Sun suddenly breaks loose with a lethal burst of Gamma Radiation, traveling at the speed of light. In eight minutes, the earth is hit so hard that every living creature on the surface of the planet is killed immediately, or, depending on their level of exposure, dies off in a matter of days.

  Only those few lucky enough to have been underground at the time of the event would survive. In North and Central America, where the radiation received was at its lowest, thousands of unfortunate souls were exposed to just enough radiation to turn them into walking Zombies, initially roaming the streets in childlike innocent. But as they grow hungry, they turn aggressive, attacking and consuming other survivors with violence and wolf pack like coordination.

  A band of Ex-military, sleeping in the basement of an under construction Police Station house, escape the devastation. They rise the next day to find the world has changed dramatically. Once they grasp the extent of the problem, they band together, working as a team to move to a new home, somewhere they can establish a safe society. But first, the must get out of LA.

  They spend days preparing for a trip North, to Salt Lake City, where they decide they have a best chance to survive.

  But there are other survivors, some willing to take what they want by forcing their brand of violence on the innocent. As our team of military survivors moves North out of Los Angeles, they must fight to survive. Some die, but they also find other survivors who also want a chance at a new beginning.

  Now they must travel up the I-15 freeway, ultimately passing through Las Vegas. But that won’t be so easy.

  Chapter 79: Good thing

  Dr. Kevin Phillips and Marylin Stanza were still trapped in the trailer park across from two of Ivan Petrovich’s men camped out on the freeway. They had tracked the couple to the town of Baker two days earlier. The two men were sure the couple were somewhere in the small town; somewhere close by, so they decided to stay put until Kevin or Marylin showed themselves. Ralphy and Squeaky were supposed to bring back Marylin and kill Kevin. Marylin was to go into their Vegas pleasure house and serve as one of several female slaves to the two hundred plus convicts that moved into the Bellagio hotel in Downtown Vegas and took over the empty city.

  The wind was howling when Marylin reached up to split the trailer curtains for the first time since she awoke. She looked out the window and checked on the bad guys. One of them was inside his blankets and leaning up against the freeway dividing barrier. The other man wasn’t in sight. It didn’t panic her. They often split up during the daylight hours.

  Kevin was stirring. Marylin had given him a second night on the couch. He’d slept most of the day before, a confirmation that he’d definitely received a concussion from falling down those stairs.

  Hampton, there newly adopted dog, was up and watching Marylin’s every move.

  “You hungry boy?” asked Marylin. Hampton’s ears suddenly perked up.

  “I swear you understand English,” said Marylin as she moved toward the dog food and Hampton’s bowl. The dog let out a small whine of anticipation.

  “Remember, Hampton,” said Marylin. “No barking, Ok? No barking today.”

  As usual two cups of dog food went into the big bowl. She cracked a new water bottle and filled Hampton’s water bowl too.

  “You know you eat too much,” said Marylin as he set the two bowls on the kitchen floor and watched the big German Sheppard gulp down his food and water.

  Marylin looked out the trailer’s front curtains again.

  “They still there?” asked Kevin from his now upright sitting position.

  “Yep, responded Marylin. “One of them at least.”

  “Where’s the other one?” questioned Kevin.

  “Beats me,” said Marylin. “Probably off looking for food and water.”

  Suddenly the trailer door handle began to giggle. The sound froze Marylin in her tracks. Mark pulled his finger up to his mouth in a silence gesture as he reached under the couch and picked up the revolver. Both Kevin and Marylin kept rock still. Hampton continued to eat his food. As the door handle jiggled, it dawned on Kevin that the crunching sound of Hampton eating his dry dog food might give them away. But the food was mostly gone anyway and the thought grabbing the bowl away from the hungry dog just might make him bark.

  So, nobody moved.

  The man outside came around to the trailer’s windows and tried looking inside. But Kevin and Marylin had pulled all the curtains down tight. They could see the shadow of the man’s head as he tried to peer through the windows. Once he tried all three windows the guy finally moved on. After a few seconds they heard him successfully open the trailer door next to them. He made some noise as he searched inside. A minute or two later he moved on to the next trailer. He spent the next two hours searching all fifteen of the trailers on the same semicircle dirt road that Marylin’s and Kevin’s trailer sat on. He left the park around 11 am and finally moved back toward the freeway.

  The scared couple watched the man from time to time though the curtains. Kevin finally put the revolver back under the couch once the guy got back to the freeway and sat down next to his companion.

  “That was close,” said Kevin.

  “I thought they found us for sure. Good thing you remembered to lock the door last night,” said Marylin.

  During the last two nights they had been taking Hampton out so he could go to the bathroom. In fact, they had been doing the same thing themselves. They always went together – one person watching while the other found a quiet place to do their business. They were especially quiet at first. But the two men on the freeway seemed dead to the world after all the booze they drank each night.

  The sun was nearly overhead now. The early morning shadow that protected Squeaky and Ralphy from the sun was gone. Squeaky opened up his ratty backpack and pulled out two bottles of water.

  “Found a couple bottles of water in the trailer park,” said Squeaky. “No food though.”

  Ralphy heard Squeaky’s report but didn’t look over at him. He squinted hard as the sun beat down on his head. The wind was finally letting up a bit, but it was still hard to look out at the town of Baker with your eyes wide open. The sun was 100% today.

  “They have to be here somewhere,” said Ralphy, frustration sounding in his voice. “We’ve watched the road every day. And we’ve been checking the road South every day on our bikes. We would have seen them if they had tried to walk out of here.”

  “Maybe they walked out at night and we just missed um,” replied Squeaky.

  Ralphy didn’t say anything for a while. Then he stood up.

  “I still think they’re close, maybe even watchin us. Sure feels like they’re watchin us,” said Ralphy in desperation. Then he turned to Squeaky.

  “Maybe we need to do a house to house search, check every dwelling and building from one side of the town to the end,” suggested Ralphy.

  “That’s a lot of work,” responded Squeaky. “We could spend days looking and not find a thing.”

  “Unfortunately, we don’t have an option. We have to come back with her or some other woman,” said Ralphy.

  “Or not come back at all,” said Squeaky.

  “Won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it, man,�
�� said Ralphy. “But girl or not, I think Ivan is the kind that holds a grudge. Sooner or later he’d send a few of the boys after us. If he sent Claudio then we’d be dead for sure.

  “Yea,” added Squeaky. “Remember how he killed that guy over a pair of sunglasses at that gas station. He stomped on that guy’s head flat like it was a pumpkin.

  “Exactly, responded Ralphy. “Imagine what he’d do to our heads over a prime time woman.”

  “Yea,” said Squeaky.

  “I like my head the way it is,” Squeaky thought to himself.

  Chapter 80: Something’s fishy

  It was just after 3:30 pm when Jake and William came to a stop about a hundred yards before the Death Valley Road off ramp in Baker, California. Jake saw something unusual up ahead. They both jumped off their bikes and pulled their guns up. Jake flipped up the doubler on his SmartScope.

  “William?” questioned Jake.

  “Ah huh,” replied William as the boy looked through his own gun’s scope.

  “You see anything unusual up ahead?” he continued, using it as a teaching moment.

  “I see two guys,” said William, as he adjusted his scope. “They’re just sitting by the side of the road.”

  “Yep,” responded Jake, as he pulled out his radio.

  “Mark, we advise to pull over,” said Jake.

  The group was about two hundred yards behind when Jake called in it. Mark gave the word and everyone pulled over. Mark got off his bike and brought the radio to his mouth.

  “What’s up,” said Mark.

  “We’ve got a couple of men sitting by the center of the road, maybe 300 yards ahead of our position,” said Jake

  “Right,” said Mark. They know you’re there yet?”

  “Nope,” replied Jake. Looks like they’ve been there a while too. Lots of burnt logs, trash, and couple bikes. I see one, maybe two rifles.”

  “Understood,” said Mark. “Stay put. I’ll send up flanking teams.”

  “Roger that, said Jake.

  “Sam, Tyrone, Boon and Frank,” barked Mark.

  The four men ran forward with their guns ready.

  “Jake spotted a couple of guys up ahead camped out on the road,” explained Mark. “And he noticed maybe two weapons.”

  “What are they doing?” asked Frank.

  “Nothing,” replied Mark. “Just sitting there and they look like they’ve been there for a while.”

  “That’s kinda weird,” said Sam.

  “So, we’re not going to take any chances,” directed Mark. “Frank, you and Tyrone approach below the left shoulder and get as close as you can without being seen. Sam and Boon, you two come up behind them from the North bound lane. Give me a wave when you’re both in place. Then just Doc and I will casually ride up on them and see what they’re up to. If they make any funny moves, drop ‘um. No second chances, Ok?”

  All four men nodded their heads.

  “Ok, move out,” commanded Mark.

  Mark turned back to his radio and told Jake to lay low and wait until he and Doc caught up with them. Then they’d all ride up on the two men together. It’d be a good show of force with four men instead of just two. Mark also told the others behind him what was happening and to hold their position. He gave Susie his radio.

  Two minutes later Mark got visual waves from Frank and Sam and so he and Doc took off riding. They slung their Bushmaster’s across their chests with the safety switch off. Jake and William were ready when they got to them and all four men fell in line. William went to the back.

  About a hundred yards out Ralphy caught their movement out of the corner of his left eye. He jumped up and saw four bike riders approaching. Squeaky noticed Ralphy stand up and then saw the men as well. He stood up more slowly. Both men stood frozen for the moment. They were close enough to see the bike riders were armed.

  “What’d we do?” said Squeaky.

  Ralphy thought fast.

  “Quick, punch a small hole in your bike tire” replied Ralphy.

  “What?” asked Squeaky.

  “Do what I tell ya!” barked Ralphy.

  Squeaky deftly pulled his knife and made a small incision in his front bike tire. Air began to hiss.

  “They have guns,” added Squeaky, as he glanced at his own rifle leaning against the wall next to him. He was tempted to grab it.

  “I seem um,” responded Ralphy. “Just play it cool for now.”

  Squeaky was getting more nervous as the men rode closer. All four of them looked well equipped. He edged closer to his rifle.

  “Don’t even think about grabbing your rifle,” said Ralphy, watching Squeaky with his eyes.

  “But…” said Squeaky, feeling trapped.

  “Just follow my lead and let me do the talking,” said Ralphy. “You understand?”

  “Yea, Ok, sure,” said Squeaky.

  Mark slowly rolled up on Squeaky and Ralphy and faced the two men. Mark’s guys stood with their bikes balanced between their legs. They made sure they were not positioned between Sam’s or Frank’s team’s lines of fire. Even so, Mark had his hand on his Bushmaster’s trigger grip. Doc and Jake did the same.

  “Afternoon,” said Mark.

  “Hello,” said Ralphy. He smiled and tried to look friendly.

  Squeaky raised his right hand a little in a friendly wave and then put both hands at this side. Then he looked at Ralphy.

  “Which way you boys heading?” asked Mark.

  “To Los Angeles,” said Ralphy. “How about you guys?”

  “North,” said Mark with a smile.

  “How come North?” asked Ralphy.

  Mark didn’t reply. He looked over their informal camp site and then back up at Ralphy.

  “Looks like you’ve been here a while,” suggested Mark. “Maybe a few nights from the looks of things.”

  “Yea, we got a flat a few days ago. We’re out of repair glue,” said Squeaky. We were about to start walking on foot. You guys wouldn’t happen to have an extra tube or some repair glue we could borrow?”

  “I’m sure we could help you out,” said Mark.

  “That’s just great,” said Ralphy. “We weren’t sure what to do. Good thing you guys happened along.”

  “Yea, that’s great,” parroted Squeaky, as he tried to smile.

  “Glad to help,” added Jake.

  “Where you guys from?” asked Mark. “Looks like you’ve been traveling for a while.”

  “Las Vegas,” replied Squeaky, just as he remembered he wasn’t supposed to talk.

  Ralphy gave him a dirty side glance. Squeaky dropped his head a little.

  “Vegas, huh,” responded Mark, as he looked at Squeaky. “What’s it like in Vegas?”

  “Well, we got….” partially replied Squeaky. But Ralphy quickly cut him off.

  “Well, what Squeaky was trying to say is we got family in Riverside,” said Ralphy. “I was hopin my sister might have survived.”

  Ralphy did have a sister in Riverside. She’d been dead for seven years - killed in a police shootout during a meth amphetamine raid.

  “That wasn’t what I asked,” said Mark. “I asked what it was like in Vegas?”

  Neither Ralphy or Squeaky knew how to answer the question. Just as Ralphy was about to lie again, he was suddenly interrupted.

  “Vegas is a hell hole,” said a man from behind Mark’s position.

  Jake dropped to a crouch and spun around with his rifle pointed on the man and a woman standing his rear. A large German Sheppard dog was sitting at the woman’s feet. Doc kept his gun pointed at Ralphy and Squeaky.

  Mark turned to the man and woman. Ralphy and Squeaky also turned toward the couple they’d been tracking. It was the first time they’d seen them up close.

  “Damn,” thought Ralphy to himself. “They must have been close by.”

  “And who are you?” asked Mark.

  “Just a couple of tired astrophysicists trying to survive,” offered Kevin.

  “Astrophysicists?”
mumbled Doc quizzically.

  “Where’d you to come from?” asked Mark.

  “It’s a long story. We were living in Nipton, about 80 miles North of here. Once the food and water ran out, we walked toward Vegas, thinking we’d be better off there. Frankly we were lucky to get out of there alive,” said Kevin.

  “Vegas is a bad place, mister,” added Marylin. They killed an old woman who tried to hide us. Beat her to death. You don’t want to go there.”