Bug Out! Texas Book 4: Texas Battle Cry

by Robert Boren

  “Good,” Jason said, phone to his ear. “Somebody kill the damn car horns.”

  “Who you calling?” Gray asked.

  “Chief Ramsey,” Jason said.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t panic just yet,” Clancy yelled from the roof. “Maybe those folks are joining us.”

  “That’s why Jason’s making the call,” Kyle shouted back. “They should’ve told us if that was the case, though. Otherwise how do we know if we should fight them or not?”

  “You got that right, pencil neck,” Curt said.

  “You gonna fire up the Barracuda?” Amanda asked.

  “No, it’s no match for an M-1 Tank. We might need it to escape.”

  Don and Sydney ran over, Moe trying to keep up behind them.

  “What the hell is going on?” Moe asked.

  Kelly, Junior, Nate, Fritz, Jasper, and Earl rushed out of the clubhouse.

  “What the hell is going on out here?” Kelly shouted.

  “Tanks,” Clancy yelled. “Sitting on I-10, to the east.”

  “They’re not moving?” Don asked.

  “No,” Clancy said. “They’re just sitting there.”

  “Hear that?” Sydney asked. “Squeaking. Coming from there.” She pointed west. Clancy whirled around, binoculars still at his eyes.

  “Oh, shit,” Clancy said. “Four more tanks, stopped on I-10 to the west. We’re being surrounded.”

  “Oh no,” Amanda said, clutching Curt.

  Eric and Kim trotted over. “What’s going on?” Eric asked.

  “Tanks parked on either side of us, out on I-10,” Jason said.

  “No,” Kim said, looking up at Eric. “What are we gonna do?”

  “What about Ramsey?” Curt yelled as Jason walked over.

  “No answer,” Jason said. “We’re going to have to fight them.”

  “They’ll win,” Curt said. “They got us outnumbered.”

  “Yeah, we don’t want to get into a tank on tank battle if we can help it,” Eric said.

  Carrie, Kate, Brenda, and Rachel ran over, Carrie with Chelsea in her arms.

  “What’s happening?” Kate asked.

  “Tanks sitting on the east and west of us, on I-10,” Kyle said.

  “Dammit,” Rachel said. “What about this air power we were promised?”

  “We don’t know,” Kyle said.

  “Should we head into the hills?” Carrie asked. “In the four-wheel drive vehicles?”

  “Not yet,” Curt said.

  “Hey,” Clancy shouted. “Both groups are holding up white flags. Looks like they want to talk.”

  “No way,” Curt said. He climbed onto the roof. “Let me take a look.”

  Clancy handed him the binoculars. Curt took a look at both.

  “Well, they ain’t Islamists,” Curt said. “They look like military to me. Our military.”

  “Texas National Guard?” Clancy asked.

  “Yeah,” Curt said. “This doesn’t smell right. They would’ve sent an envoy to talk to us before showing up with tanks, if they’re legit.”

  “Yeah,” Jason said. “I think Curt’s right.”

  “Try Ramsey again,” Curt said. “Anybody else you can call?”

  “He’s our contact,” Jason said. “Bothers me that nobody is at the switchboard.”

  “You called the Austin Police Station and got no answer?” Curt asked. “That’s not good. You got a cell number?”

  “It’s probably not safe,” Jason said.

  Curt jumped off the roof and rushed over. “You’re kidding, right? What’s his cell number. My phone isn’t hackable.”

  “You see any enemy on there?” Kyle asked.

  Curt pulled out his phone and checked his scanning program. “No, nothing. Give me the number.”

  Jason went to his contacts and found Ramsey’s number, then read if off. Curt punched it in and made the call.

  “Ringing,” Curt said. There was a click.

  “Ramsey,” a voice said.

  “Hold it. Gonna put you on speaker.” He motioned for the others to gather around.

  “Hear us?” Curt asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “What’s going on? Why’d you call me on this line?”

  “No answer at the station,” Jason said.

  “What?” Ramsey asked. “Son of a bitch.”

  “What’s that noise?” Kyle asked. “You in the car?”

  “Yeah,” Ramsey said. “Can’t stay on long. What’s the matter?”

  “There’s six M-1 Tanks sitting east of us on I-10, and another four sitting west of us on I-10,” Jason said. “They got us bottled up.”

  “Oh, no,” Ramsey said. “This is bad.”

  “So you don’t know who they are?” Jason asked.

  “No,” he said.

  “They’re waving white flags,” Curt said.

  “Something happened,” Ramsey said. “Something big.”

  “C’mon, Ramsey, spill,” Curt said.

  There was a pause on the line.

  “Out with it,” Jason said.

  “It’s the Governor,” Ramsey said, “and Landry and Gallagher.”

  “What about them?” Jason asked.

  “They’re all missing. I’m out with a security detail looking for them now.”

  To be continued in Bug Out! Texas Book 5, available in the Kindle Store and Kindle Unlimited 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 lady’s man, but really a romantic. Worships girlfriend Kate. Mid 30s.

  Kate – strong, beautiful, emotional, witty. Former news reporter for a local Texas TV station. Deeply in love with Kyle. Can have a 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. Head over heels 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.

  Junior – Kelly’s best friend. A tall rail of a man with a thick beard, usually wearing a battered cowboy hat. Funny, crazy, smarter than most people realize, good in a fight, strong, loyal to the death. In love with Rachel. Early 50s.

  Rachel – picked up on the road. Black hair and brown eyes, short and thin, with a face of delicate beauty. Former drug abuser with difficult past. Lost only child to SIDS, which broke up her first marriage and led to the drug abuse. Leans on Junior, needs strong man in her life. Late 30s.

  Nate – co-leader of Rednecks. A small man with hawkish eyes. Shrewd, brave, temper, known to get into trouble, extremely loyal to friends. Always thinking. Mid 50s.

  Fritz – member of Rednecks. Tall and thin, long hair. Questionable past, can be cruel, loyal to his friends. Not as smart as Kelly, Junior, or Nate, but brave in a fight with good skills. Not one to tangle with. In trouble with the law more often than the other Rednecks due to temper. Early 60s.

  Chris – Brenda’s ex-husband and co-owner of Texas Mary’s. A large, heavyset man with a shaved head and goatee, giving him the look of a biker. Still loves Brenda, but the relationship has been over for years. Brave, careful, measured, good host, lik
ed by everybody. Not as smart as Brenda or Kelly. Mid 50s.

  Curt – former police officer in Austin, and most recently San Antonio. Large man with a military haircut, clean shaven. Punched superior officer in San Antonio. Genius. Renaissance man. Understands many technical disciplines, creative, skilled. Has temper but with heart of gold. Likes to tease his friends. Would die for them. Skilled fighter who can turn the tide of a battle on his own. Sense of humor is crude but funny. Mid 40s.

  Simon Orr – dangerous leader of militia movement, trying to take over Kelly’s group. Large man wearing cowboy garb. Shadowy, cruel. Crossover character from original Bug Out! Series. Wants to become a warlord. Playing against every side except his own. Mid 40s.

  Sydney – one of the Merchant girls living outside of Fredericksburg, next to Jason’s family homestead. Grew up with Jason and his brother Eric. Former teenage girlfriend of Eric. Beautiful, smart, funny, avid hunter and tracker, runs family moonshine business with her sister Amanda. Raven hair and stunning bright blue eyes. Mid 30s.

  Amanda – Sydney’s older sister. Raunchy, wild, aggressive, knows what she wants and goes for it hard. Beautiful, deep blue eyes like Sydney, hair bleached blond, contrasts with jet-black eyebrows. Tattoos. Smart, good negotiator, runs family moonshine business with Sydney, more technically savvy. Early 40s.

  Gray – leader of the bikers, originally from southwest Texas. A large man with black hair and a black beard. Brave and resourceful, suspicious of strangers, but loyal once he’s decided you’re a friend. Late 40s.

  Cindy – Gray’s wife. Nervous, small dainty blonde with tattoos and piercings. Pretty face ravaged by a hard life. Early 40s.

  Moe – owner of the Fort Stockton RV Park. Overweight and balding with a gray and brown beard, shrewd and strong, strategic thinker, protective, kind. Mid 60s.

  Clancy – Moe’s nephew. Scraggly thin man with a wicked grin and long stringy brown hair. Works at the Fort Stockton RV Park. Smart as a whip with good intuition. Outdoorsman. Protective of the group, good with technology, good at organizing and getting things done. Mid-30s.

  East Texas/Florida Group

  Eric – Jason’s brother. Over six feet tall with a trim but massive build. Was living in Florida before the war started. Private Investigator working elder fraud cases in retirement areas of central Florida. Brave, very athletic. Fast, good with guns and other weapons. Smart, charismatic. Loved by everybody. Loyal to a fault. Mid 30s.

  Kim – Eric’s girlfriend. Red-haired, freckled beauty with a slim build. Tough as nails but gentle with friends, deeply in love with Eric. Mid 30s.

  Dirk – leader of Deadwood, Texas group. Medium sized man with a muscular build. Gruff, shrewd, brave, sentimental. Loves family and friends. Large man, muscular build. Late 50s, but young for his age.

  Chance – best friend of Dirk. Short and chubby but quick, good in a fight. Wise cracks a lot. Good mixture of smarts and bravery, but cautious. Mid 40s.

  Don – single dad widower with teenage daughter. Large man, average build with a conservative haircut. Kind and gentle, smart, protective. Lonely, misses wife. Brave but not really a fighter. Took in daughter’s best friend when her family passed. Late 30s.

  Francis – Don’s older brother. Local political figure in Deadwood. Older man, spry for his age. Smart, good strategic thinker, understands the meaning of events better than rest of group, sage. Mid-60s.

  Sherry – Francis’s wife. Younger than him by ten years. Still pretty, trying hard to keep it together during wartime but having trouble. Depression. Mid 50s.

  Alyssa – Don’s daughter. Pretty, a little self-centered. Misses mother. Terrified of enemy after attacks on Deadwood. 17 years old.

  Chloe – Alyssa’s best friend. Orphan taken in by Don after both parents killed. Mousey, kind, smart, helps Alyssa to cope. 17 years old.

  DPS Patrol Boaters Group

  Juan Carlos – young, handsome Hispanic, full of vigor and enthusiasm. Skilled boat pilot, brave and cunning. Family in Texas since before the Alamo. Loves the state, patriot. Mid 20s.

  Brendan – partner of Juan Carlos. Also young and handsome, ginger redhead. Loves to joke and tease, but can be serious. Good with weapons, natural fighter. Mid 20s.

  Lieutenant Richardson – Leader of Juan Carlos and Brendan. Handsome man of average size and build with light brown hair. Tough, strong, thoughtful, loyal, brave. Headed for higher rank. Mid 30s.

  Lita – girlfriend of Lieutenant Richardson. Beautiful Hispanic woman with model’s figure and expressive eyes. Witty, smart, brave. Emotional, worships her man. Protective, mothering. Mid 30s.

  Madison – girlfriend of Juan Carlos. Emotional but brave, beautiful with thick blonde hair and curvy figure, college girl forced to quit due to war. Head over heels for Juan Carlos. Mid 20s.

  Hannah – best friend of Madison and girlfriend of Brendan. Dark haired beauty. Slim dancer’s figure, athletic. Self-conscious, afraid to be hurt, passionate, deeply in love with Brendan. Can rally in a fight if needed, surprisingly brave when pushed. Terrified of losing Brendan in the war. Mid 20s.

  Captain Jefferson – leader of the DPS Patrol Boat group. Thrust into the position after the deaths of others. Black man of average height and build. Still learning, trying to live up to his position. Old friends with Lieutenant Richardson. Early 40s

  DPS Commissioner Wallace – overall head of DPS Organization. Strong, cunning, thinks several steps ahead of most others. Black man, large and imposing. Loves his men. Feeling is mutual. Early 60s.

  Texas Leadership

  Kip Hendrix – President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate, and the leading liberal in that body. Large man, bald, with a wrinkled face but a dashing look. Has corrupt past, problems with sexual harassment, but down deep has a good heart. Trying to be better. Very complex person. Old friends with Governor, loves him even though they were estranged for many years. Multi-level thinker, good intuition, protective of those he loves, nasty enemy to have. Deeply in love with Maria, although he viewed her as just another conquest at first. Early 50s.

  Maria – secretary to Kip Hendrix. Hispanic beauty with curvy figure and a haunting face, well liked and respected by all around her. Knows how to get things done in Texas government. Fell hard for Kip Hendrix, now loyal to him above all else. Late 30s.

  Governor Nelson – Charismatic conservative leader of Texas. Handsome in a rugged way. Patriotic, honest, strong, but opinionated. Old college buddy with Kip Hendrix. Strong bonds between them, even though they are political opposites. Thinks several steps ahead of others, takes risks when he knows he’s right. Loved by the people of Texas, for the most part. Has solid-gold BS detector. Early 50s.

  Brian – Governor Nelson’s secretary and right-hand man. Black man. Cunning and loyal to the Governor. Protects him at all times. Much more important person than most people know. Mid 30s.

  Commissioner Holly – ultra left-wing member of the Police Commission. Friends with Kip Hendrix. Tall and skinny with a goatee. Smart but far from open-minded. Constantly knocking heads with the Austin Police Department. Holding his nose to support Governor Nelson while the war is on. Mid 50s.

  Jerry Sutton – aid to Kip Hendrix. Political operator. Clean shaven and pudgy. Tries to do a good job. Cares more about power than political philosophy. Early 30s.

  Chief Ramsey – Austin Police Chief. Overweight but still burly, with the look of a redneck. Old friends with Governor Nelson. Didn’t get along with Kip Hendrix in the past, but friends now, fighting a common enemy. Brave and loyal, strong leader, cares more about his cops than himself. Early 50s.

  Major General Gallagher – head of Texas Army National Guard. Old-time soldier, tough and strong, unafraid. Loved by his men. Mid 60s.

  Major General Landry – head of Texas Air National Guard. Cocky but cautious about using his resources, almost to a fault. Late 40s.

  General Walker – US Army General, stationed in Texas until the war broke out. Near genius intelligence, charismatic, uncanny ab
ility to turn a defeat into a victory. Feared by the enemy. Crossover character from original Bug Out! Series. Mid 50s.

  General Hogan – US Army General, friend of General Walker. Black man, loved by his men, tough, no-nonsense. Strategic thinker, takes risks, understands people. Fine leader. Crossover character from original Bug Out! Series. Mid 50s.

  Saladin – evil leader of the Islamist forces in the western states. He is not in Texas, but the Texas leadership is aware of him and his plans. Crossover character from original Bug Out! Series.

  Copyright

  Bug Out! Texas Book 4 copyright © 2016 by Robert G Boren. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Thanks to Laura Thomas for editing this book!

  About the Author

  Robert G Boren is a writer from the South Bay section of Southern California. He writes Short Stories, Novels, and Serialized Fiction. Most of his work is about people from the South Bay.

  Other Books by Robert Boren