by Robert Boren
The waitress came over. “Drinks?”
“Margaritas?” Hannah asked.
“Maybe we should get a couple of pitchers,” Brendan said.
“Yes, we’ll take two pitchers of Margaritas,” Richardson said. “Six glasses.”
“Coming right up,” the waitress said. She walked away.
“Don’t drink too much,” Hannah said. “I want you sharp tomorrow.”
“Really?” Brendan said. “We doing something tomorrow?”
She punched him in the upper arm. “Don’t even, after all that.”
Juan Carlos laughed hard.
“Don’t you start too,” Madison said, trying to look stern. Her face melted into a smile. “I can’t wait.”
“Me neither,” Juan Carlos said. He kissed her.
“Ahem,” Lita said. “Can’t you two wait until tomorrow?”
“No, as a matter of fact,” Madison said, kissing Juan Carlos again.
The waitress brought the two pitchers, a busboy following her with a tray of glasses.
“Here you go,” she said. “Enjoy. I’ll be back later to take your orders.”
“Thanks,” Richardson said.
“Here’s to us,” Juan Carlos said, raising his glass. The others raised their glasses as well.
“Yes, to us,” Lita said. They all had sips.
“Wow, these are strong,” Madison said. “I can’t drink much. Still on pain meds.”
Suddenly there was screaming below them, a woman running, two men in white garb chasing her. One of them swung a big knife, hitting the side of her neck. She hit the ground right by the edge of the river. The attacker raised the knife again, coming down on her neck, her head rolling into the river as surrounding people screamed in horror. Then there was automatic weapons fire coming from up the river on the right of the restaurant.
“Get down!” Richardson yelled, the women getting on the floor as quickly as possible. “Get your guns out, guys.”
Juan Carlos and Brendan already had their guns out, crawling to the edge of the balcony and peering out as a dozen Islamists ran in with AK-47s blazing. Suddenly there were handguns out everywhere, patrons firing at the attackers.
The waitress ran out and looked over the balcony.
“Get down!” Richardson shouted. She turned towards him, moving too slowly, bullets slamming into her back. Her body slumped to the floor.
“Oh, God!” Madison shouted.
“Fire at them,” Richardson said as he opened up, hitting several of the Islamists. And old man across the river pulled out a big single action pistol and blazed away, the big .45 long colt rounds reverberating through the valley of restaurants, bars, and hotels.
“More coming,” Brendan said, aiming at another group of terrorists running in, cutting down several.
“We don’t have that much ammo, dude,” Juan Carlos said.
More citizens were getting into the fight, hiding behind anything they could find and blazing away.
“We need to get the girls off this damn balcony,” Brendan said.
“Look, some of the Islamists just went in the front door of the restaurant,” Juan Carlos shouted.
Chapter 33 – The Wave
Curt, Jason, and Kyle walked into the clubhouse. It was dusk. There were rows of laptop computers on the long benches, twenty-five people typing away at their keyboards.
“How’s it going?” Curt asked Don, who was supervising the room.
“We’ve gone viral,” Don said. “We’ve got commitments from thousands of people.”
“Wonder how many will actually show up?” Kyle asked.
“Don’t underestimate the citizens,” Jason said. “Remember the Superstore? Remember Austin?”
“Yeah, keep that in mind, guys,” Curt said.
Jason’s phone rang. He pulled it out.
“Ramsey again?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah,” Jason said. “Let’s go off in the corner by the stage and I’ll put it on speaker.”
He answered as they headed towards the spot, then pushed the speaker button as the others gathered around.
“Hear us?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Who’s with you?”
“Kyle and Curt,” Jason said. “What’s going on?”
“The enemy force is moving your way,” he said. “Thought I’d better call you instead of wait for the next satellite image to come out.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jason said. “Still about a thousand?”
“Closer to fifteen hundred now,” Ramsey said. “They’re coming out of the woodwork. How’s the recruitment coming along?”
“We’ve gone viral,” Jason said. “We have thousands of people saying they’re gonna show.”
“Where are the enemy fighters now?” Curt asked.
“They’re about ten miles north of I-20, near the town of Wicket,” Ramsey said. “Mostly on foot still, from the look of it. They might try to steal more vehicles in the town.”
Curt looked at the area on his phone. “Hell, this area is flatter than a pancake on all sides. Perfect for our off-roaders.”
Jason got Don’s attention and motioned him over.
“What’s up?” Don asked, Sydney by his side.
“They’re ten miles north of Wicket on I-20, heading this way on foot,” Jason said. “Tell everybody to converge on that area. We’re leaving now. Hopefully we can soften them up before the main group gets there.”
Don nodded and took Sydney by the hand, rushing up on the stage. He got in front of the mic and switched it on.
“Everybody, our team is taking off now. The enemy is converging on the small town of Wicket, near I-20. Tell everybody to show up there, with everything they have.”
There were murmurs in the room, then the sound of keyboards being pounded.
“Let’s saddle up,” Curt said. They hurried out of the clubhouse.
“We need to tow the off-roaders, don’t we?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” Curt said.
The PA system clicked. Moe’s voice came on. “It’s zero hour. The enemy is converging on Wicket, near I-20. That’s about an hour’s drive. Everybody to their vehicles. Take route 18.”
People were rushing around the park as Curt, Jason, and Kyle rushed back to their spaces.
“Ready to go, brother?” Eric asked, sitting behind the wheel of his Bronco. Kim was next to him, an M60 in her hands.
“You’re going to drive and shoot?” Curt asked.
“Yeah, that way Kim can use the M60 machine gun,” Eric said.
“Well, you should be able to handle it. I hope most of the teams have a second person for a gunner.”
Kelly pulled up in his truck, unit on the roll bar behind the primer-gray cab, looking huge. Brenda had the sight in front of her in the passenger seat.
“She know how to shoot that?” Jason asked.
“Hell yeah,” Brenda said. “Practiced earlier. It’s a breeze.”
“These guys are going to be well armed, so don’t get too close,” Curt said. “Remember our training. These M19s have a range of over 1500 yards. That’s fifteen football fields. Hard for them to stop us with gunfire at that range in the dark, so don’t get much closer than that. Got it?”
“How about the tanks?” Brenda asked.
“They’re leaving now,” Junior said, walking up. “Look, over there.”
Cindy rushed over. “We’re ready to go.”
“You get checked out on the off roader?” Curt asked.
“Yep, I’m ready to go get some revenge. For Gray!”
“All right!” Curt said. “Hey, Pencil neck, help me hitch the Barracuda to your Jeep, will ya?”
“Yeah,” Jason said.
Kyle rushed to his pickup truck. Kate was already there, messing with the sight.
“Think you know it well enough?” Kyle asked.
“Hell yeah,” she said. “I have the M60 in the cab too. What happens when we run out of ammo?”
“We
high-tail it back to Amanda’s bobtail so we can get more,” Kyle said. “Aim carefully. Look for enemy fighters who are bunched up. This machine gun can mow down a lot of people in a hurry. That’s what a .50 cal is good for.”
Curt rushed over to the bobtail. Amanda was already in the cab. “You good, honey?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I wish I was towing you instead of Jason.”
“We need access into the back quickly,” Curt said. “We don’t need a trailer behind you gumming things up. Remember what I said. Stay well back. Use the gun to protect the truck and yourself only. Don’t draw fire by going after somebody who’s not coming after you.”
“I got it,” she said. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get hit with all that ammo in the back. It’d blow me to the frigging moon.”
“Yeah,” Curt said. “Follow us.”
“Will do, honey,” she said. “Give me a kiss.” He rushed over and stood on the running board, kissing her passionately.
“Don’t get killed,” he said.
“Yeah, don’t you get killed either,” Amanda said. “I’ve got plans for you after we finish this.”
He grinned and rushed over to help Jason hitch up the Barracuda behind his Jeep.
“Done playing kissy-face, lover boy?”
“Shut up, pencil neck,” he said, face turning red.
“You’d better be careful,” Carrie said, watching Jason.
“Remember what I said. If there’s anybody showing up here, get into the back of Curt’s toy hauler. Got it?”
“I got it,” she said. “You don’t think they’re coming here, though, right?”
“I’d be shocked,” Jason said, “but be careful anyway.”
Junior finished hooking an off-roader behind Kelly’s truck. It was a two seater, Rachel already in the passenger side seat, checking out the sight. Junior climbed behind the wheel. “Okay, Kelly!” he shouted. Kelly drove forward.
“Let’s get out of here,” Curt said.
Jason nodded, getting into his Jeep as Curt climbed into the Barracuda. Francis slid into the passenger side of the Jeep, pulling the sight over.
“Dirk and Chance on the way?” Jason asked as he drove.
“Yeah, they got the truck wired,” he said. “We’re gonna do a lot of damage, but I’m glad we have others showing up.”
“I hope they do show up,” Jason said.
“This is Texas,” Francis said. “They’ll show. Trust me.”
There was a big group of vehicles moving through the gate. Moe led the way in his Jeep, M19 perched above his head, one of Gray’s guys in the passenger side manning the sight. Clancy followed him in his pickup with one of Gray’s guys in the passenger seat. Then came Kelly and Brenda pulling Junior and Rachel in the off-roader, and Cindy in a one-seat off-roader behind that, being towed by some of Gray’s guys in another truck. Jason, Francis, and Curt followed, then Dirk and Chance in their truck, several more Jeeps and Pickup trucks manned by more of Gray’s people, and Amanda’s bobtail.
“Whoa, check it out!” Francis said, looking out the window of the Jeep. “Gray’s bikers have mortars and RPGs lashed onto their sissy-bars.”
“Bitchen,” Jason said, watching them weave through the traffic to the front of the line. They roared off ahead of the group.
“They’re gonna get there first and lob mortar rounds, aren’t they?” Francis asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Saw M60s lashed to some of them too.”
Don and Sydney watched the last of the vehicles roll out the gate, then went back into the clubhouse.
“Getting a lot of responses?” he asked.
“Hell yeah,” Alyssa said.
“Hell?” Don asked. Alyssa looked at Chloe and giggled. “Sorry dad, but let’s get real.”
“We’re getting a huge response from Lubbock, but they’ll be the last people there,” said Sherry.
“Hope they really show up,” Sydney mumbled, getting close to Don. “I’m so scared.”
“I know, me too,” Don said. “Don’t worry. Let’s get online and help until the next Satellite image comes out; then we have to broadcast it in a hurry.”
Sydney nodded and got to work.
The convoy made good time, racing down the road as the sun set. They caught the slower-moving tanks after half an hour, passing them up, horns honking.
“Wish they were further along,” Junior said to Rachel, wind blowing their hair as they were dragged behind Kelly’s truck.
“They can fire from a long way off, though, right?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah,” Junior said, “but we don’t have that many rounds for the big guns.”
“Think we’re gonna live through this?” she asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Junior said.
“Good, because I’m late,” she said.
“No, really?” Junior asked.
“Yeah, but don’t tell anybody yet, okay? It’s really early. Could just be nerves.”
“All right,” Junior said. “I hope it’s true.”
Kelly and Brenda watched the area as they drove, night falling, headlights coming on in their caravan.
“We’ll turn the lights off when we get close, I hope?” Brenda asked.
“We’ll hear three horn honks from Moe,” Kelly said, hands sweating around the wheel. “After we make the initial attack, we’ll want to get away from this truck and go at them with the M60s and BARs.”
“I practiced with the M60,” she said. “The BAR kicks too hard.”
“I’ll use that one,” Kelly said. “I’m used to them.”
“We’re over half way there,” she said, looking at her phone.
“Good,” Kelly said. “The waiting makes me more nervous than the fight does, usually.”
“Most of the battles I’ve been in have happened so fast that I didn’t have time to think about it,” Brenda said. “Remember the attack on Texas Mary’s.”
“That was the first time I kissed you,” Kelly said.
She was silent for a moment. “You’re right, it was. You would remember that. Men are so sentimental.”
“Don’t tell anybody,” he said, grinning.
“You’re the love of my life,” Brenda said, her hand going to his thigh. “You know that, right?”
“I know I feel that way about you,” Kelly said.
“Good,” Brenda said. “If we have to end during this, I’ll die happy at least.”
“We aren’t gonna die,” Kelly said. “Don’t get yourself into that mindset, okay?”
“I’ll try,” she said. “When are we un-hooking Junior and Rachel?”
“When the three horn honks happen,” he said. “We’ve got another fifteen minutes, I reckon.”
Darkness settled on the land as they raced forward, a faint squeaking of the tanks behind the main group. The three horn honks came. Vehicles towing off-roaders pulled over to the side of the road, and headlights went off.
“Get me un-hooked, pencil neck,” Curt said. Jason and Francis chuckled as they unhitched the off-roader. Curt fired it up. “Okay, see you guys.”
Kelly and Brenda unhooked Junior and Rachel’s off-roader.
“Thanks, brother,” Junior said. “Happy hunting.”
“You too,” Kelly said. “Don’t get killed. Nate was enough.”
“We’ll avenge all of them today,” Junior said.
Once all the off-roaders were unhitched, the caravan started forward again, lights off. The moon was rising, but it wasn’t full, making visibility tough.
Jason’s hands were so sweaty that he had to dry them on his shirt. Francis looked over at him.
“How we gonna see the enemy?” he asked.
“Gray’s bikers have flares and some Willie Pete,” Jason said. “They’ll get there early and light up the area.”
“Willie Pete?” Francis asked. “That stuff is harsh.”
“I’m glad,” Jason said as they sped forward, the off-roaders falling a little behind.
“We’re the tip of the spear, aren’t we?” Francis asked.
“Yeah,” Jason said. “We’ll form a line about fifteen hundred yards out and move in slowly, hitting them with as many grenades as we can. When they start shooting at us, we’ll need to back off.”
“By then hopefully the tanks will be here,” Francis said.
“If the people from the towns don’t show up, this will be a short battle.”
Suddenly there were bright flashes ahead of them, lighting up a sea of armed men marching forward.
“Oh, my God,” Francis said. They slowed to a stop, getting into firing position as explosions of Willie Pete hit the troops, causing them to run in several directions.
“That looks like a herd of bison,” Jason said. “I’m going up another fifty yards. Open up.”
More mortar rounds sounded, and the crackle of thousands of rifles from the enemy, bullets whizzing by them.
“They can’t see us,” Francis said.
“Yeah, but there’s so many of them that some of us are gonna get hit,” Jason said.
“There go the off-roaders!” Francis said.
“Fire!” Jason shouted. Francis aimed and fired grenades as fast as he could, the other vehicles following suit, explosions rocking the enemy positions.
Junior drove his off roader right towards a big clump of men. “Fire, sweetie.”
“You got it,” Rachel said, pulling the trigger, the grenades flying out of the barrel as Junior zig-zagged between explosions.
“What are they firing at us?” Rachel asked. She fired another volley.
“Mortars,” Junior said. “Keep on them. See that truck attempting to drive out?”
“Got it,” Rachel said, aiming and pulling the trigger. The truck blew up, lighting the whole area.
“My God,” Junior said, eyes wide as he saw how many enemy fighters there were, coming towards them in a run.
“Fire as fast as you can,” Junior said in a panic, looking over to see Curt rushing by, shooting rapid fire, hitting scores of enemy fighters.
“There’s too many of them,” Rachel said as Junior retreated and turned to make another run.
“Shit, they just killed one of our off-roaders,” Junior said, pointing at the fireball off to the side. Rachel peppered the area with fire as Kyle’s truck flew into view, the .50 cal spewing lead, bowling down people left and right.
