Bug Out! Part 8: RV Park Terror

by Robert Boren

  “I know, our OB told us that.”

  “Okay, honey, I’d better get off the phone. Traffic is getting kinda heavy again.”

  “Wow, you’re driving?”

  “Sure am. It’s not as scary as I thought it would be.”

  “Well, good for you, mom. I’ll talk to you soon. Be careful. Love you both.”

  “Love you too, honey. Bye.”

  Jane handed the phone back to Frank. Traffic slowed to about 30 mph.

  “Well, that was quite a call,” Frank said. “Nice job in candy coating our situation. She doesn’t need the stress right now.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. She sounded so happy.”

  “Yes, she did,” Frank said.

  “Wonder what caused the traffic to slow so much?”

  “I’m on it,” Frank said. He was staring at his phone, using his fingers to move things around. “Oh, it’s just highway 94. That’s coming up fast. It’s a smaller road than 24. We’ve probably got people on the southbound 24 dumping onto the 94 too.”

  “Crap. It’s liable to be a long slog, then.”

  “Could be. It’s really hard to say. Route 24 goes off to the north east and links up with I-70. That’s a better road if you want to go east in a hurry. A lot of folks might be getting on this road to go that direction.”

  “Any enemy fighters on that stretch of I-70?” Jane asked.

  Frank took a look. “Not a one. I think something happened to the guys who were coming down 87, too. They haven’t moved for a while. I doubt that the traffic is that bad.”

  “Check the traffic app.”

  “Doing that now. Yep, the traffic isn’t that bad. It’s moving at 30 mph or so. I’ll bet the army nailed those guys.”

  “I hope so,” Jane said. “There’s a sign for route 94.”

  “Good. About right, there’s the airport.”

  They followed the line of coaches onto the transition road. As Frank was hoping, most of the people were heading northeast. Route 94 was crowded, but it was moving at about 60 mph. Frank and Jane looked at each other, relieved. They watched silently as the farm land went by on either side of them. Frank dozed off, and Lucy with him, curled up on his lap. Jane drove for about an hour. She saw the signs for Route 40 coming up, and followed the group onto that road. It was wider, and they were traveling along at almost 70 mph after a few minutes. The added speed woke Frank up with a start.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “We just got onto route 40,” she said. “This is a much faster road.”

  “What’s that town?” he asked, pointing.

  “I saw a sign for Kit Carson just before you woke up, so I’m assuming that’s it.”

  “Oh,” Frank said. He pushed on Lucy, and she jumped off his lap and got into her bed.

  “How far from Kit Carson to Sharon Springs?” Jane asked.

  “I was just going to check that out,” Frank said, getting his phone out of his pocket. He fiddled with if for a few minutes. “Yes! Only about an hour.”

  “Really? That’s great.”

  “I’d better check out the long range app.”

  “Yeah, it’s been over an hour. I’m surprised you slept so long.”

  “Me too,” he said, as he stared at the phone. “Crap.”

  “What?”

  “Those cretins aren’t stuck anymore. They’re getting onto route 94 right now.”

  “They’re coming after us,” Jane said, a horrified look on her face.

  Chapter 2 – Kansas Border Stop

  Frank and Jane followed the line of coaches down Route 40, heading for Sharon Springs, Kansas. Traffic was moving along at a good clip now, and the farmland rolled by on either side of the road.

  “The Kansas border isn’t that far,” Frank said, looking at his phone. “We’ll go through Cheyenne Wells first.”

  “Just saw a sign for that. We’re about five miles out. Not many towns out here.”

  “You holding up alright?” Frank asked.

  “Sure, this has been an easy drive,” Jane said. “How about the cretins?”

  “Been keeping a close eye on them. They’re still on highway 94, but it looks like they stopped.”

  “How far?”

  “Not very. There’s an air force base right by there. Hope they aren’t planning something.”

  “What kind of base, Frank?”

  “Looking that up now,” he said, looking at his phone. “Crap. Space warfare. That’s one of the bases that they use for our Satellite systems.”

  “Maybe you’d better try to get General Hogan.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.” He dialed, heard ringing.

  “Hello?”

  “General, it’s Frank.”

  “Frank, how are you? Make it across yet?”

  “Close. You seeing the cretins on highway 94?”

  “Yeah, we’ve been watching them, thanks to you.”

  “They’re getting close to Schriever Air Force base.”

  “Roger that, we’re ready for them.”

  “Good…that’s all I wanted to know.”

  “By the way, thanks,” the General said.

  “For what?”

  “For making sure my boys were ok, and for giving them that Oldsmobile.”

  “Oh, almost forgot about that. Seems like so long ago. The Oldsmobile belonged to Gabe. They made it to you okay?”

  “Yep, they did.”

  “Good, General. Glad to hear it. They said a lot of nice things about you.”

  “We had a tight little Boy Scout unit,” he said, chuckling. “Better times than these. I gotta go Frank. Don’t worry, I don’t see anybody else anywhere near where you’re going.”

  “Me neither. Take care of yourself, General.”

  “You too. Call me when you get settled.”

  “Will do.” Frank put the phone back in his pocket.

  “We’re okay, I take it?” Jane asked.

  “Sounds like they’re setting a trap for the bad guys at the air force base. We should be fine. They aren’t after us.”

  “Good, I’m relieved,” Jane said. “There’s Cheyenne Springs. Bigger than I expected.”

  The line of coaches slowed as they drove through the outskirts of town.

  “Wow, two big parks, and fairgrounds,” Frank said. Then he cracked up.

  “What?”

  “My map shows a ‘Waterin hole’…with a Martini glass icon. First time I’ve ever seen that. Wonder if Rosie and Jeb will stop off.”

  Jane laughed. “In better times, yeah, I’m sure they would.”

  They got past the town in just a couple of minutes, and sped back up. There was only a short drive left before they hit the border.

  “Uh oh, there’s a roadblock up there,” Jane said, looking.

  “Border. I expected that,” Frank said. “Keep calm, sweetie.”

  They rolled to a stop, and watched as Gabe talked with the officer. Gabe pulled out his phone, and then Frank’s phone rang.

  “Gabe,” Frank said. He answered the phone.

  “Frank, can you come up here?” The officer wants to chat.”

  “With me?” Frank asked. He got a twinge that he hadn’t felt since Officer Simmons was still around. “Be right there.”

  “They want to talk to you?” Jane asked, looking scared.

  “Yeah,” he said, getting out of his seat. Lucy jumped up and down. “Not now, girl. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, Jane. There aren’t any cretins around.”

  “Okay, be careful.”

  Frank stepped out of the coach and shut the door. He walked up to the front of the line, where Gabe was standing, talking to the officer.

  “Thanks, Frank,” Gabe said.

  “No problem. What’s up, officer?”

  “Your name is Frank Johnson?” he asked, in a businesslike manner.

  “Yes,” Frank said.

  “Can I see some ID?”

  “Of course,” Frank said, pulling his wall
et out of his pocket. He took out his driver’s license and handed it to the officer.

  “Okay, very good,” he said. “All of these people are with you?”

  “Yes, they are, officer,” Frank said. “Somebody cleared the way for us?”

  “Yes, the regional army commander told us you’d be coming through. The border is closed to most people.”

  Frank felt relieved.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Gabe said, chuckling. “Thank you General Hogan.”

  “Don’t use that name around here,” the officer said. “We’re still at war, remember.”

  “Got it. Sorry, officer.”

  “Okay, you folks are free to go. Take care of yourselves.”

  “Thanks, officer,” Frank said. “Talk to you in Sharon Springs, Gabe.”

  He walked back to the coach.

  “Everything okay?” Jane asked.

  “Yeah, General Hogan notified them about us. Good thing…the border is closed.”

  “Well, this is a relief in more ways than one.”

  “Yeah, we can get through, but the cretins will get stopped.”

  “Exactly,” Jane said. “Should only be about half an hour to Sharon Springs.”

  They got going again, and rolled along on the empty road, looking at the flat farmland on either side that seemed to go on forever.

  “It’s a good thing this farm land is still producing,” Frank said.

  “Maybe we’ll be safe enough here to spend the night in Sharon Springs.”

  “Maybe. It’s still early, though, and I can drive for a while after we stop.”

  “I know, I’m not worried about us. Think about the folks that can’t hand off the drive to somebody else. The Sheriff, and Mary, and Jackson, and Earl, and Jeb. They’ve got to be beat.”

  “Oh,” Frank said. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll suggest that we hang out, then, if the truck stop that Kurt was talking about looks safe.”

  The rest of the miles went by quickly. Frank and Jane were quiet, until they saw the signs for the town.

  “There it is,” Jane said. “Three miles.”

  Frank nodded. They were there in no time.

  “This isn’t much of a town,” Jane said.

  “Nope, big truck stop, though. See it?”

  “Yeah, there goes Gabe. Looks like we have the place all to ourselves.”

  “There are a couple of big rigs in the back,” Frank said. “See them?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Jane said. She followed the line of vehicles onto the lot, and pulled up to the gasoline pumps.

  “How we doing?” Frank asked.

  “We’ve got about a third of a tank. This fill up is going to cost a little more than the last few.”

  “I’ll gas us up. Why don’t you take the girl out?”

  Jane nodded and got out of her seat, handing the keys to Frank. Then she took Lucy outside. Frank got out, went over to the pump and got the gasoline flowing. Earl had just pulled in on the other side of the pump.

  “Frank, how you doin?” Earl asked as he put the pump nozzle into his rig.

  “Probably better than you,” he replied. “Must be tough having to do all the driving yourself.”

  “Oh, it’s not bad. This is a nice rig. I’m hoping Kurt will sell it to me eventually.”

  “There’s Jackson,” Frank said, pointing, as he pulled up behind.

  “We gonna stay here tonight?” Earl asked.

  “Hopefully,” Frank said.

  Jackson walked up. “Gentlemen,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Gentlemen? Who you talking to?” Earl asked, busting up. “Good to see you, brother.”

  “I got pretty damn nervous at the border,” Jackson said. “What’d they ask you?”

  “They wanted to see my ID,” Frank said. “General Hogan told them we’d be coming. The border is closed for most people, like we heard.”

  “Yeah, I was listening to the radio,” Earl said. “Residents only. They have to protect this farm land at all costs.”

  Charlie walked over. “Hi guys,” he said.

  “Hey, Charlie,” Jackson said. “How’s the diesel?”

  “Fast pumps,” Charlie said. “Glad to have the place to ourselves. I’m thinking we ought to spend the night here.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” Jackson said. “I’m beat. Long ass drive.”

  “Exactly,” Charlie said. “Why don’t you guys pull into the back, like we did at the last place?”

  “Will do,” Frank said. The pump handle clicked. “Good, I’m done. See you guys back there.”

  “Okay, Frank,” Jackson said, as he walked back to his rig. He moved up to the pump as Frank drove out.

  Jane was still walking around, chatting with Jasmine, Mary, and Hilda. Frank slid his side window open. “Jane, I’m going to pull around the back.”

  “Okay, be there in a few minutes,” she said.

  Gabe and Dobie had finished gassing up, and they were already back in the lot behind the store. Dobie was getting his dogs out for a walk. Jake pulled the bobtail up next to them, and got out of the driver’s seat. Terry and Trish got out of the passenger seat and made a b-line for the store.

  “They’re in a hurry,” Gabe said.

  “We don’t have a bathroom,” Jake said, laughing. “It’s fun to watch those two together. Makes me feel young again.”

  “Want a hand with the dogs again, Dobie?” Gabe asked.

  “Sure,” he said, handing a couple of leashes to him. They started walking around, exploring the back area.

  “This place is deserted,” Gabe said, looking at the flat dusty parking lot. “Haven’t been here for years. When I was a kid, this place was bustling.”

  “What happened?” Dobie asked.

  “I-70. Most people take that road to go east these days. I’m surprised this truck stop is still here, actually.”

  “When was I-70 built?”

  “Mid 1950s. This road does run into it, eventually. I suspect that’s when we’ll change over.”

  “Where?”

  “Right by a little town called Oakley,” Gabe said, as they walked towards the perimeter fence of the lot. “I hope we don’t have to keep going east, though. At least not for a while.”

  “You and me both,” Dobie said. “I’d like to settle down for a while. It was nice at your place while it lasted.”

  Gabe laughed. “Well, yes and no. How many times did we get attacked, again?”

  “I know, that part kinda sucked,” Dobie chuckled.

  “Sure did.”

  “Here come the others,” Dobie said, pointing. Frank and Earl had just pulled in. Charlie and Jeb were just pulling up, too, and Kurt and Mary were behind them. The Sheriff’s rig pulled up, then Jackson, and finally Jerry and Jasmine’s rig.

  “We lost a few along the way, didn’t we?” Gabe asked. “I only see the core group with us now.”

  “I’ll bet some of them went elsewhere after we got across the Kansas border. We still have a target on our backs, and they know it. Probably a good time to cut and run.”

  “Yeah, Dobie, you’re probably right. I see eight motorhomes now, plus my truck, Jake’s bobtail, and your SUV.”

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  “Wonder if anybody’s selling motorhomes around here?” Gabe asked. “I’d love to find one.”

  “Kinda expensive, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah,” Gabe said, “but I’ve got plenty of money in the bank, and I’m homeless at the moment, too.”

  “I guess I’m in the same boat there, and so is Jake,” Dobie said.

  “Maybe we could share one.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Look, Charlie is trying to round everybody up. Let’s get these dogs tied up to my truck and then go over there.”

  Dobie got the dogs tied up and fed, and then trotted over to the group with Gabe. Jake joined them on the way. Trish and Terry came strolling over too, both with sodas in their hands.

  “Okay, looks like we’r
e all here,” Charlie said. “Anybody object to staying here tonight?”

  Nobody spoke up. They decided who’d bunk in with the RV’ers.

  “Okay, great,” Charlie said. “There was an RV Park not too far away…Kurt and Hilda both knew the owner, but we aren’t sure if it’s still there. We still have some light, so maybe we can take a toad or two over there.

  “Hell, my Suburban isn’t hooked up to anything, and she’s full of gas,” Gabe said.

  “Ah, good idea,” Charlie said. “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t we go into the store and ask around,” Kurt said. “I used to know the guy who owned this joint. If he’s still there, he could probably tell us about that park.”

  “Good idea,” Jerry said.

  “There’s an old guy in there, at the counter,” Trish said. “Maybe it’s him.”

  “Maybe,” Kurt said. “I hope so. Haven’t seen Howard in forever.”

  “Alright, let’s go over there,” Charlie said. “I guess we can have some time to relax, too. That roadblock should keep anybody unsavory from joining the party.”

  “We’d see them coming with Frank’s app, anyway,” Jerry said. “They haven’t moved from where they were for almost an hour. I suspect they’re trying to mess with that air force base.”

  “I talked to the General about them,” Frank said. “He said they’re watching and ready.”

  “Good,” Jeb said. “Wish I could go help them.”

  “No, you stay. We fight another day,” Rosie said, leaning against him.

  Charlie, Hilda, Kurt, and Mary started walking over to the store, leaving the rest of the group behind.

  “When’s the last time you saw this guy?” Charlie asked.

  “Hell, probably the mid - 1990s,” Kurt said, chuckling. “He had a firecracker of a wife. I think she passed on, though.”

  They got to the front of the store. It looked fairly modern, with a glass front that was in good shape, and glass double doors in the middle. The four of them went through, and walked back to the counter.

  “Hey, Howard,” Kurt said. The white haired old man was crouched over, looking at a newspaper. He turned around slowly, and got a big grin on his face.

  “Kurt, you old son of a bitch, how the hell are you?”

  “I’m alright,” he said, extending his hand over the counter. “How are you?”