Escaping Vegas

by Dennis Elder

  Mark’s mind raced. Something was going on here. After a couple uncomfortable seconds, he decided he needed to split up these two newly encountered groups and interrogate them separately.

  “Would the two of you mind coming over here with the rest of us?” asked Mark, with a slight hand gesture. “I get a little nervous when I have someone at my back.”

  “Sure,” said Kevin agreeably. As he and Marylin walked forward from just below the road’s shoulder toward the freeway divider, Jake came up from his crouching position and rested his Bushmaster on his hip. Kevin and Marylin instinctively kept their distance from Ralphy and Squeaky. Hampton followed along and sat obediently next to Marylin. When the dog looked up at Ralphy, Hampton suddenly showed his teeth and growled a little.

  “Nice doggie,” mumbled Ralphy. He was terrified of big dogs and felt the long scar on his right leg suddenly itch. At the age of thirteen a Rottweiler attacked him and his friend after they tormented the dog with rocks. Even after the police shot the dog in the dead, the paramedics had to use a pry bark to open the dog’s mouth.

  Mark was still confused. What were the chances of discovering two groups in a little town like Baker? Then he looked down at the dog and concluded it might be a trained Police dog.

  “Where’d you get the dog?” asked Mark, in a friendly tone.

  “Found him in a basement up the hill,” responded Kevin. “Seems he was far enough underground to survive the radiation blast.”

  “How do you know about the radiation?” asked Doc.

  “It was our jobs,” replied Marylin. “We worked for NOOA.”

  Obviously, Mark and Doc failed to recognize the acronym. So, after a few uncomfortable seconds Marylin offered the longer title.

  “NOOA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”

  “And,” added Doc.

  “Before the radiation hit our full time jobs were to monitor and report on the Sun’s activity,” added Kevin.

  But Mark was more interested in the dog. If the dog was indeed a police trained animal he could be very useful on their trip. Military patrols in Afghanistan used specially trained dogs all the time. Control commands were universally the same. He decided to find out.

  “Any chance you know the dog’s name?” asked Mark.

  “Hampton,” said Marylin.

  “Hampton?” responded William as he cracked a grin. “Who names a dog Hampton?”

  “It’s on his collar,” added Kevin.

  Mark stepped to the side two paces and made eye contact with the big animal.

  “Hampton,” Mark said in the voice he’d been taught to use with similar dogs in Afghanistan. “Heel.”

  Hampton immediately came to Mark’s side, turned around and sat next to him. Nobody said anything.

  “Hampton,” started Mark again. “Lie down.” Hampton laid down at Mark’s feet but kept his eyes on the Major. Then Mark gave him a hand signal to come to a sitting position again. The dog came upright immediately and sat at Mark’s side.

  “This is a police dog,” said Mark. “Good boy,” added Mark as he reached into his upper pocket and pulled out a stick of beef jerky. He dropped half the stick to Hampton and put the other half back in his pocket. The dog caught, ate and swallowed the treat in three bites.

  Marylin leaned over the Kevin and whispered, “I told you that dog could speak English.”

  Mark turned back to Squeaky and Ralphy. Squeaky was amazed at what the big guy could do with the dog. His mouth hung open in a fascinated half smile. Ralphy was still uncomfortable around the dog but tried to conceal his fear.

  You guys said you came from Las Vegas, right?” asked Mark. The question caught the two convicts off guard.

  Ralphy quickly replied, “Right. Las Vegas.”

  Then Mark turned back to Kevin and Marylin and said, “And you guys came from the same place, Las Vegas, right?”

  “Right,” replied Kevin, as he smiled at Ralphy and Squeaky. “Interesting coincidence.”

  Mark knew something was fishy here. But he still didn’t know what yet. Doc smelled it too and let his bike down slowly to the ground with his left hand. Then he placed both hands on his weapon. William copied Doc’s moves and mannerism. A few more seconds ticked by before Mark decided what to do.

  “Doc,” said Mark.

  “Yea boss,” replied Doc.

  “You and Jake keep our two biking friends here company for a while. Make sure they have a chance to use our bike patch kit to get their bike back in good order,” said Mark. “I’m going to take Hampton and his two friends back to the main group. We’ll get settled for the night and then we’ll come back here to you and our friends with some water and hot chow.”

  Mark looked at Ralphy and Squeaky.

  “You guys OK with that?” asked Mark.

  “Sure,” said Ralphy, trying to smile.

  “Sure,” added Squeaky. “Hope you guys have some decent chow. “I’m tired of eating canned stuff.”

  “Well, I’m not sure what’s on the menu tonight, but we’ll make sure you two gentlemen get enough to eat,” added Mark.

  “Thank you!” said Squeaky. He was certainly hungry for something hot for a change.

  “Our pleasure,” responded Mark.

  Mark turned and stood next to Doc. He whispered to him.

  “See if you can get the firing pins out of those rifles. I’ll be back soon.”

  Mark turned to William.

  “William, you’re with me,” said Mark.

  “OK, boss,” said William.

  Mark gave a couple of quick hand signals to Frank and Sam’s teams ordering them to return to the main group. Then he turned back to Kevin and Marylin.

  “If you’d follow me please,” said Mark.

  Kevin and Marylin were grateful to get away from the two men who’d been stalking them. They moved briskly along with Mark and William. Hampton stayed on Mark’s heels.

  Doc and Jake remained standing with their guns informally pointed at Ralphy and Squeaky. Even though Mark and the others had left, there was still some tension in the air.

  Jake reached into a storage container on his bike. He fished out his repair kit and a pump and set the items on the ground in front of Squeaky. Squeaky smiled and bent over to pick them up.

  “You guys know how to repair a tube or will you need some coaching from us?” asked Doc.

  Ralphy felt he should offer a friendly smile. He did his best but all he managed to do was look even creepier.

  “Thank you,” offered Ralphy. “But we know how to do it.”

  “Good,” responded Doc. “Then let’s get it fixed. We wouldn’t want anything to hold you two up on your way to Los Angeles.”

  It was Docs turn to smile now. But he kept an even gaze on the two men.

  Chapter 81: Good Boy

  Marylin and Kevin kept quiet as they walked back to the main group. Frank, Tyrone, Sam and Boone joined them as they came back to their firing positions. Once everyone was together, Mark began debriefing the men, while they continued to walk. He told them about the two guys camped out along the wall and how Doc and Jake were going to stay with them for a while. Then he informally introduced the two new people and their dog Hampton.

  “Why were those guys camped out in the middle of nowhere?” ask Sam.

  “Because they were chasing us,” added Marylin, from behind.

  Mark heard the woman but didn’t reply.

  When Mark and their group finally got back to the team and the bikes, he gathered everyone around. He reviewed what had happened so far. He told the group about the two men. He then shared with them that he was sure the two were prison convicts from the crude tattoos that covered their forearms. Sylvia asked about Doc. Mark explained how he and Jake would stay with the two men until Mark came back to spell them around dinner time. Mark then turned to the Marylin and Kevin. He asked them their names and introduced them to the main group. Marylin was so relieved to see another female.

&nbs
p; “Can’t tell you how good it is to see another woman,” blurted out Marylin. Tears formed in her eyes.

  Kevin saw her frustration and spoke up.

  “We were living in Nipton. It’s about 80 miles North East from here. We ran out of food and water a few days ago and decided to walk to Las Vegas, thinking there would be more supplies that way, and it was closer than Los Angeles,” said Kevin.

  “When we got close to Las Vegas we were taken in by a sweet woman just South of the town,” said Marylin. “Her name was Olivia Martin. She was so kind and helped to hide us from the convict army in Vegas. She showed us her Olympic medals. She was a swimmer. But then the men came.”

  By then Marylin was crying again and couldn’t finish. Sylvia took Marylin into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder.

  “Its Ok honey,” whispered Sylvia. “Your safe with us now.”

  “Olivia hid us in her attic just before the men finally broken into her home. They threatened to kill her unless she told them where we were hiding,” added Kevin. “They said they had seen us walking on the road. We heard the whole thing from upstairs. You could tell from their language the men were coarse and vicious – bad men. She gave her life to save ours. We started walking South the following evening.

  “How did you know it was a “Convict army?” asked Mark.

  “Olivia told us that about a day before we me her, a number of men broke into their home and forced them to march back to Las Vegas with them,” continued Kevin. “She heard two of the men bragging or talking about how good it was to be part of something and their convict army could whip anybody.”

  “How did she survive?” asked Sam.

  “Her husband started talking back to one of the convicts and the man shot her husband dead right in front of her. She collapsed on top him and wouldn’t leave his body. So, they beat her until they thought she was dead,” said Kevin. “When they finally left she was able to crawl away in the dark and make it back to her house.”

  “Real charmers,” said Frank.

  “What about the two men we just met?” added Mark. “How do you know them?”

  “We don’t,” said Kevin. “But we spotted them following us a few days ago. Luckily we make it to Baker just before they caught up with us. We hid out hoping they’d pass, but they’ve been just camped out by the side of the road ever since.”

  “You think they are part of that convict army, Mark?” asked Boon.

  “Maybe,” answered Mark. “We’ll find out tonight.”

  Mark turned Marylin and Kevin.

  “We are on our way North to Salt Lake City,” began Mark. “We have good intelligence that it may be a good place to start again – someplace safe. We’d like to invite you to join our little group, if you like.”

  Marylin could barely contain her excitement.

  “Yes,” she answered with enthusiasm. “Yes, please, if you’ll have us.”

  “One thing,” said Mark. “If you come with us you will follow my orders or the orders of my men. We’re all ex-military and until we get to Utah and find a safe place to survive, all of us have agreed to abide by those rules.”

  “Yes, we accept, gratefully” said Kevin. “We thought for sure those men would find us sooner or later. We’ve been hiding in a hot trailer with hardly anything to eat. You’ll find us very willing.”

  “Good, then you’re welcome to join us,” Mark replied. “Now we need to get you two outfitted for the trip North and get the team settled for the night.”

  “And what about Hampton,” asked Marylin. “Can he come too?”

  “Oh yes,” said Mark. “Hampton will enjoy high honors in our little group. He’s going to became very useful, and I think we should adopt him as our team mascot.”

  Everybody liked that idea. There were smiles all around. Mark looked down at the big dog still sitting at his feet.

  Would you like that?” asked Mark, as he looked down. “How’d you like to be our team mascot, boy?”

  The dog paused a moment and then barked. Mark reached into his upper pocket and gave Hampton the other half of his beef jerky stick.

  “Good boy,” said Mark.

  Then the Major turned to his growing team and began to issue instructions.

  Chapter 82: Highway 127

  Mark split the main group into three teams. One group would find a larger home where they could all spend the night. The second team began searching for dinner, water bottles and couple guns for Marylin and Kevin.

  “Find every water bottle in Baker,” said Mark. “Fill containers if you have to. We may need them all during the next leg of our trip.”

  “Make sure you filter anything out of the tap,” added Sylvia before team two left. “Doc will have our heads if anyone gets sick along the way.

  The third party was to find some firewood.

  “Find enough for a roaring campfire and bring it down to where Jake and Doc are,” said Mark. “Then come back to camp. If they ask what’s it for, them um I thought they’d like a nice warm fire tonight.”

  It was getting dark by the time Mark, Sam and Susie headed down to where Doc and Jake were watching the two convicts. Their rifles stayed behind, but each of them kept their handguns in their side holsters. They had brought more than enough food for the three of them, as well as Ralphy and Squeaky. Mark brought Sam because he was the best interrogator in the group. He wanted Susie because he thought having a woman present might make them nervous.

  “People make mistakes when they’re nervous,” said Mark as they walked toward the campsite on the Southbound lanes of the freeway. “Isn’t that right, Sam?”

  “Every time,” said Sam, smiling as he balanced the food and water in his arms and hands.

  The food was hot and smelled good. They brought plates, cups, and utensils and even found some booze. Marylin told Mark that the two men had been drinking hard each night and usually passed out by the time it was dark.

  “What do you want me to do?” said Susie as he walked along with an equal amount of food and water.

  “Just look as pretty as you can,” said Mark.

  “Want me to distract them a little?” asked Susie as she smiled a bit.

  “Probably a long time since either one of those guys has seen a real woman,” replied Mark. “I’m betting your presence will help Sam squeeze a little more information out of them.”

  “Piece ah cake,” said Sam.

  “Piece ah cake,” added Susie.

  When Mark, Susie and Sam got to the campsite, Mark noticed the large pile of wood to the side. Boon had delivered. Sam and Susie began setting down the food and water.

  “There we go,” said Mark. “We brought plenty to eat and drink. Figured you guys could use a hot meal. I see you got the wood. Gets cold in the desert at night.”

  “Been cold the last two nights,” said Squeaky.

  “Thanks,” said Ralphy as Susie handed plates and utensils to the two men.

  Mark turned to Doc and Jake.

  “You two holding up alright? asked Mark.

  “We’re fine,” said Jake with a disarming smile. “We’ve been talking about all kinds of stuff.”

  “Good, good,” replied Mark. “There’s some food back at camp for both of you. Exit on the Death Valley road and it’s up the hill a bit. Boon will be out on the road watching for you.

  “Thanks,” said Doc. “Oh, and by the way we showed Ralphy and Squeaky here how to clean their guns. Both rifles are working much better now,” finished Doc as he winked at Mark.

  Mark understood. Jake and Doc had been able to successfully remove the firing pins from the convict’s rifles without them knowing. That was a load off Mark’s mind. They could easily handle the men now with only their handguns, if things got ugly.

  “Thanks,” said Squeaky, as he watched Susie ladle out a steaming pile of beef stroganoff on to his plate. Susie meant to get as close as she could to both men as she served them. Ralphy could smell her hair when she passed by. He felt an irresist
ible urge to reach out and grab her. But he didn’t do it cause something told him the other men might not like it.

  While everyone got settled, Mark got a fire going and laid a couple of split logs on the growing flames.

  “So, how’d you get the name Squeaky?” asked Sam as he took a full bite of the stroganoff.

  Squeaky looked at Sam for a moment and wondered if he should tell him the truth. The true story was connected to his time in jail. He looked over at Ralphy for help.