by Robert Boren
“Wait a minute, Frank killed two men?” Jane asked. She had a horrified look on her face.
“Lucy helped, don’t forget,” Jerry said. “And I helped on one of them. He doesn’t get all the credit.”
“You guys are sick,” the Sheriff said. “Really.”
The paramedics were done closing up Jeb’s dressing. They looked over at the doctor. He nodded, and they gathered up their stuff and left.
“I thought Charlie would be down here. Where is he?” asked Jeb.
“He thought somebody ought to be watching the front of the park, so he’s up on the roof of the store,” said Hilda.
“Oh. Good idea,” Jeb said. “He’s a better shot than I am, and he’s got better eyes too.”
“So you guys have the front and back at least partly covered,” the Sheriff said. “That’s good.”
“Should we be staying here?” asked Jane.
“If I were you folks, I’d probably stay here rather than get out on the road right now,” the Sheriff said, “been hearing some bad things.”
“I’m getting to where I don’t trust anything you local folks say,” Jane said. “No offense, but we’ve gotten bad info from people saying they had good info ever since we left LA.”
“She’s right,” Jasmine said. “We need people to level with us about the situation around here. And we aren’t going to be held here because the Army doesn’t want us to spook bad guys. That’s not how we operate in this country.”
“Here here,” said Cynthia. It was the first time she said anything since the shooting started. She didn’t look good. She looked terrified and exhausted. The doctor walked over to her, and they had a hushed conversation.
“You are free to go if you feel you must,” the Sheriff said, looking over at Jasmine. “But think carefully about it.”
“We have a crowd of people heading this way,” Jerry said as he looked out the window. “Took them a while to get out from under their beds after all the shooting, I guess.”
Hilda looked over at Jerry with an annoyed expression. Then she walked out onto the veranda to greet them.
“What’s going on?” asked Earl. Jackson was next to him, and the rest of the people gathered around.
The sheriff joined Hilda on the veranda before she could start talking.
“Hi, Folks,” the Sheriff said in a loud voice. “I’m sure you heard the gun battle this morning. It appears to be over at this point.”
“Who was it?” asked Earl.
“Three Islamist fighters and three militia men,” he replied.
A murmur went through the crowd.
“Were they fighting each other?” asked Jackson.
“No, it appears that they were working together.”
“Who shot them?” asked Earl.
“Jeb, Frank, and Jerry.”
“It’s important that we don’t panic,” Hilda said “We have Frank in the blind at the rear of the park keeping watch now, and Charlie is on the roof of the store watching the front of the park.”
“Yes,” the Sheriff said. “The Army’s also on their way here.”
More murmurs from the crowd.
“You mean an officer, or a bunch of troops?” asked Jackson.
“Probably an officer and a junior officer,” the Sheriff said.
“You are welcome to hang out in the clubhouse if you’d like,” Hilda said. “I made up some coffee earlier, and it ought to be ready now.”
“Sheriff, are the roads safe enough for us to be able to leave if we so choose?” asked Jackson.
“In a word, no,” the Sheriff said. “We have been getting bad reports over the last day and a half.”
“What kind of reports?” asked Earl.
“Scavengers attacking vehicles on the highway.”
“How about Islamists and Militia folks? How much trouble are we really in?” asked Jackson. “The truth, please.”
“The Islamists? They took us by surprise here,” the Sheriff said. “We were told they were all contained east of Flagstaff. We knew there were militia active between here and Tusayan. We had no idea they were working with the Islamists. That one is a shock, at least to me. I don’t understand what is going on there. The objectives of these two groups don’t coincide.”
“Yes they do,” Jackson said. “Just like the Venezuelans and the Islamists also lined up. They want to topple the US Government, or secede and set up their own territories. They want to appoint themselves warlords.”
“Wonderful,” Jerry said, walking out onto the veranda. “They are both pretty damn stupid. They have no chance of winning, but even if they did, as soon as they got the US authorities out of the way and the US citizens under control, they would be fighting each other. Idiots.”
“I saw a story on TV last night about some Islamists that were caught sneaking over the Canadian border yesterday,” said Earl. “The report said that a number of these creeps probably got through. Wonder if these Islamists are from the southeast or the north?”
“Another good reason not to get back on the road now,” the Sheriff said.
Just then an Army Humvee drove in through the gate and parked in front of the clubhouse. There were two officers in the front, and four troops in the back. They all jumped out of the vehicle. The officers made their way towards the veranda.
“Who’s in charge here?” asked the one of the officers.
Chapter 3 – The Cavalry Arrives
The four soldiers that got out of the back of the Humvee stood around the vehicle with their weapons in their hands, keeping an eye on the crowd. The two officers were up on the veranda of the clubhouse.
“I asked who was in charge here?” the officer asked. He had a surly manner.
“I’m the owner of the park, sir,” Hilda said. “But we don’t have anyone formally in charge.”
“That’s going to change,” he said.
“Actually, no it’s not,” Jerry said, stepping up. “We have information for you guys. We’ll give it to you, and then you will be leaving us alone. This is still a free country, and we aren’t under martial law here.”
“And who are you?” asked the officer.
“A citizen, and a Marine,” Jerry said. “My name is Jerry. Who are you?”
“Lieutenant James,” the officer said. He was starting to calm down. “Where did you serve?”
“Gulf War,” Jerry said.
The other officer whispered something in Lieutenant James’s ear.
“Alright, sorry I came on so strong,” he said. “Who can fill me in on what happened this morning?”
“Why don’t you come into the clubhouse?” asked the Sheriff. “We can talk in there. All but one person involved in the action this morning are inside.”
“Okay, fine,” said the Lieutenant, and he and the other officer followed the Sheriff and Jerry. Hilda brought up the rear.
“Would you gentlemen like some coffee?” she asked.
“That would be great, thanks,” said the Lieutenant. “Oh, and this is Major Hobbs.”
“Have a seat, gentlemen,” the Sheriff said. “We’ll fill you in on what we know.”
“Where’s the other person involved?” asked Major Hobbs.
“He’s out in a deer blind behind the RV Park, keeping watch,” Jerry said. “That’s where all the action happened this morning.”
“Alright, we can talk to him later. Which of you were involved?”
Jeb, Jerry, the Sheriff, and Hilda raised their hands.
“What happened?” asked the Major.
“We were all sitting in here talking to the Sheriff about a death that happened last night,” Jerry said.
“Death?” asked the Major.
“Yes,” the Sheriff said. “A murder, we believe.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and the person who died was our ham radio operator,” Jerry said. “More on that later, though. You want to hear about what happened this morning, correct?”
“Yes,” the Major
said. “Please go on.”
“So anyway, we heard shots coming from the back of the park,” Jerry said. “Sheriff Brown ran out there to see what was going on. He came back in a few seconds, and asked about the deer blinds in the back.”
“Then my mom called on the cell phone,” Jasmine said. “She was out in our rig, and she could hear Jeb calling for help. We couldn’t hear it up here.”
“I see,” the Major said.
“Jerry and Frank went running back to the rear of the park, and they picked up their guns from their rigs on the way,” the Sheriff said. “I went out there too.”
“I take it Frank is the person who is back in the deer blind right now?” asked the Major.
“Yes,” Jerry said.
“I probably should take it from here, guys, since I was out there. I’m Jeb.”
“Alright,” the Major said, looking back at Jeb as he hobbled over. “Were you wounded?”
“Yep, traitorous creep shot me in the leg. Just a flesh wound, though.”
“He patched up just fine,” the Doctor said from the back of the room.
“You the doctor?” asked the Major.
“Yes. By the way, that bullet was definitely military hardball. Passed clean through, no expansion.”
“Interesting,” the Major said. “Go on, Jeb.”
“I spent the night up in the blind,” Jeb said. “So I wake up at about 8:30 or so this morning. I hear voices, and the sound of some men coming towards the blind. I stood up and grabbed my rifle. Then I heard the shot, and felt the bullet go into my leg. I fell over, and pulled the door of the blind shut while I was laying there. Then I got up with my rifle and fired at the guy that shot me. Nailed him right in the head with my .270. Before these guys knew what was going on, I had three more down, but that was the end of my ammo. My Remington bolt action doesn’t hold many rounds, and I wasn’t carrying any extra.”
“I see. So then you called for help, I take it?” asked the Major.
“Yep. Glad old Rosie heard me,” he said.
“Who’s Rosie?” asked the Major.
“That’s my mom,” Jasmine said.
“Good thing she’s not here. She’d be all over you, Major. She likes men in uniform,” Jerry said, laughing. Major Hobbs smiled.
“So the three of you went back behind the park with guns,” the Major said. “What happened next?”
“Frank had his dog with him,” Jerry said. “She’s a Jack Russell. We went through the back gate and called out to Jeb. Then he yelled to look out, and somebody started shooting at us from the forest. We all hit the dirt. The Jack Russell saw where the shooter was, and Frank could see where she was looking, so he aimed his rifle in that direction. He saw some movement, and fired. He killed that one. We inched forward, and asked Jeb if he saw any other bad guys. He said no, so we continued, but then the dog started to growl and looked over at some bushes. This time I saw a person in the bushes, so I fired at them with my M-1 Carbine. I hit him a couple of times, but he got up and started running.”
“Damn .30 Carbines are useless,” Jeb said.
“Yeah,” the Major said. “Did he get away?”
“No, Frank shot him with his Winchester,” Jerry said.
“Oh, 30-30?” asked the Major.
“No, he’s got a sweet little saddle gun in .44 Mag,” Jeb said.
“Well, that will do the job,” the Major said. “Any more?”
“Nope, that was it,” the Sheriff said. “We don’t know if there were others there that escaped, or if the entire party was just these six guys.”
“Where are the bodies?” asked the Major.
“Right where they fell back there.” the Sheriff said.
“Ok, anything else?” asked the Major.
“Yeah, three of them are Islamist fighters, and three of them are militia guys,” Jerry said.
The Major looked over at the Lieutenant.
“Crap,” said the Major. “We had heard a couple of reports that they were working together, but didn’t believe it. Guess we have proof now. I’d like to take my men back there to investigate, and also to patrol the area to make sure nobody else is left. Could you call Frank and tell him we’re on our way? I’d rather not get hit with a .44 mag today.”
“I’ll call him,” Jane said. “I’m Frank’s wife.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Jerry, you’re welcome to come with us, and you too, Sheriff.”
“I’ll go if you need me,” Jeb said.
“No you won’t, hop along,” said the Doctor. “Keep off that leg as much as you can for the next couple of days.”
Jane got Frank on the phone.
“Frank?”
“Hi, honey,” he said. “Everything alright up there?”
“Yes, we’re fine. I’m not happy about you being out there by yourself.”
“I know, but somebody had to stay, and I’ve got a lot of ammo on my belt. What’s up?”
“The Army is here. Six men. They are coming back, with Jerry and the Sheriff. Just wanted to make sure you knew so you don’t shoot them.”
He laughed. “Alright, sounds good.”
“Ok, they’re leaving now. Love you,” she said.
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
Jane hung up and set down her cellphone.
“Okay, he knows you guys are coming,” she said.
“Thanks,” the Major said. “Lieutenant, got get the guys and we’ll get moving.”
“Roger that, sir,” he said, and he went out the door and had a brief chat with the men.
The Major, Jerry, and the Sheriff walked out the door and headed to the back of the park. The rest of the men caught up with them about half way back.
“Look sharp, men, and don’t shoot at the person in the deer blind. He’s a good guy,” the Major said. “We could have either Islamist fighters or militia men or both back here. Keep your eyes open.”
The men nodded.
“That the gate?” asked the Major.
“Yep,” Jerry said. Jerry opened it, and all of the men went through. They walked about fifty yards.
“Frank,” shouted Jerry.
“Yeah, Jerry, I see you guys.”
“Any sign of more cretins?” He shouted.
“Nope, quiet as a church back here, but we have some vultures circling. Look up.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jerry said when he saw them. “That didn’t take long.
“You sure there’s no activity back here?” asked the Major.
“Who’s that?” asked Frank.
“It’s Major Hobbs, Frank,” Jerry said.
“Oh. Yes, Major, I’m pretty sure, because I have my eyes and ears up here.”
The Major gave Jerry and the Sheriff a quizzical look.
“He’s talking about that Jack Russell of his,” the Sheriff said. “That little sucker gave us a good warning earlier.”
“Oh, I get it,” said the Major.
“What now?” asked Jerry.
“How many people will that blind hold?” asked the Major.
“I think it ought to be able to hold four without any problem,” Jerry said.
“Alright. Lieutenant, you take the troops back a little further and look around. I’m going up into the blind with these guys.”
“Will do, Major,” he said. “Alright you guys, let’s go.”
“Frank, we’re coming up,” Jerry said.
“Come on up and have a drink,” Frank said. He laughed.
The Sheriff was first up the ladder, then the Major, and then Jerry.
“I can see why Jer used to brag about this thing,” the Sheriff said with a grin. This is nice. I take it that cabinet has the stash.”
“Who’s Jer?” asked the Major.
“He was Hilda’s husband,” the Sheriff said. “And an old friend of mine. He passed a few years ago.”
“Oh.”
“Take a look at this,” Frank said. He raised the top of the table, and showed off the booze
and magazines.
“Dang, you weren’t kidding about a drink,” the Major said. He laughed.
“Hilda made Jer take all of the booze out of the house,” the Sheriff said. “So he made himself this little retreat. It’s not a bad deer blind, either, from what he said.”
“This looks like ¾ inch marine grade plywood,” the Major said. “Will take a decent sized bullet. A .50 cal would blow a hole through it, but it’s going to stop a lot of small arm fire.”
“Yep, and if it gets real bad, you might be able to hide behind one of the tree trunks,” Frank said. “That being said, this is no fort. Bad place to get trapped in. It’s a good lookout though.”
“Well, we need to talk, gentlemen,” the Major said.
“I figured,” Frank said. “I miss anything at the clubhouse?”
“Not a lot,” Jerry said.
“We had been hearing rumors that the Islamists and the militia were working together,” Major Hobbs said. “This is the first time we’ve seen proof.”
“How much trouble are they going to give the military?” asked Frank.
“Oh, we’ll take care of them, but we’re still fighting the Islamists over by Flagstaff, and trying to mop up around Phoenix. Tucson is pretty well locked down, and so is Yuma. The bigger problem is down in Mexico.”
“I had a feeling that was going to be the case,” Frank said. “Are we going to annex Mexico?”
“No, not exactly,” the Major said. “We have basically merged with Mexico. The majority of the people down there are for it now. It’s going to take a lot of time and resources to rid the area of Mexican Nationalist forces and the Islamists. The Islamists got stuck there when we shut down our borders and blew the shit out of Venezuela.”
“Don’t tell me, let me guess,” Jerry said. “The Islamists south of the border are allied with the Mexican Nationalists, and that’s working so good for them that they decided to try the same thing here.”
“That’s what it sounds like to me,” the Major said. “And of course we don’t have enough troops to cover everything. Luckily the Mexican army is with us down south, and they didn’t get hit with nukes, so their population is intact.”
