Bug Out! Part 8: RV Park Terror

by Robert Boren

  “Malcolm, we got company.”

  “Pickup truck full of inbreeds, right?”

  “Yeah, you see them?”

  “Yep, they’re coming up on my left side. I think I’ll make a lane change. Later.”

  “Wow!” Heidi cried. “Malcolm just did a quick lane change, and almost took that pickup truck out! Now they’re trying to get to the right of him.”

  “Keep it steady,” George said. “I’m going to take out these idiots on our left.” He slid open the window by the dinette, and pointed the assault rifle at the truck. It was pulling up alongside quickly now. “Go to hell!” he shouted, and sprayed the cab with gunfire, hitting both the driver and the passenger. The truck went out of control and careened into the ditch on the left side of the road, hitting the soft dirt and cartwheeling. “Scratch one truckload of inbreeds.” George laughed. “How’s Malcolm doing?”

  “They’re trying to force him off the road,” Heidi said. “Those idiots think they’re going to move a 44 foot diesel with a pickup truck!”

  George laughed. “Yeah, that’ll be interesting. That’s a 50 thousand pound rig.”

  “Whoa, he just lunged at them, and they almost came off the road,” she cried. George got back up in the passenger seat, gun still in his hands.

  “Malcolm’s just playing with him, but he’d better be careful,” George said. “They might shoot out his tires.”

  “I don’t think they want to do that,” Heidi said. “They want the vehicle.”

  “You’re right. They probably think there’s some old retired couple in there,” George said, chuckling.

  “Uh oh,” Heidi said. “They’re alongside the front passenger side, and one of the guys in the back is pointing a gun in the window at Malcolm.”

  “I see it. That won’t go over well,” George said, watching, his heart pounding. Malcolm’s coach lurched hard to the right, sweeping the pickup truck off of the road. It hit the shoulder and rolled several times. Malcolm slammed on the brakes and parked by the side of the road. Heidi pulled up a little ways behind him, and George leaped out of his seat, just as Malcolm was walking out, pistol in hand.

  “Stay in the coach, Heidi, and take the pistol out of the side map holder just in case. Keep your eyes open.” She nodded and grabbed the gun, checking the clip to make sure it was loaded.

  “What’re you guys going to do?” she asked, sounding out of breath.

  “Those are enemy combatants. What do you think?”

  “Don’t get shot,” she said.

  George met Malcolm on the side of the road. They started walking towards the truck, which was laying upside down, smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. Two men got to their feet from behind it and ran.

  “Pull!” Malcolm shouted, laughing. Then he fired his rifle and hit the first militia man, sending him sprawling on the ground. George shook his head, laughing, and shot the other one with the assault rifle. They walked closer.

  “How many were in this thing again?” Malcolm asked. “Hard to see from where I was.”

  “Two in the cab, three in the back,” George said.

  “Help me,” a voice said, coming out from the cab. “It’s going to blow. Please get me out of here.”

  George and Malcolm looked at each other, then got closer. Malcolm looked in the cab.

  “Well, hello there, inbreed,” Malcolm said. “What was that you wanted?”

  “Get me out, please,” he croaked.

  “Hey, Malcolm, the other guy from the back is dead,” George said. “Looks like his head almost got pulled off. He’s over there.”

  “Well, that’s really too bad. The driver’s deader than a doornail too. So tragic,” he said, with semi-serious tone. “What’s that over there?”

  “Jerry can,” George said. “Must have been in the back. Surprised it isn’t further away from the truck.”

  “Got anything in it?”

  George picked it up and shook it. “Aw, maybe a third full or so.”

  “Good, bring it over here,” Malcolm said.

  “Get me out, please. I don’t want to burn up,” croaked the voice from the cab.

  “Thanks, George,” Malcolm said, taking the can. He leaned his gun up against his leg and opened the can. “Smells like gas alright.” He turned the can sideways and shook some gasoline into the cab, causing the militia man to scream. Then he walked slowly away from the truck, pouring a long trail.

  “You’re a sick puppy,” George said.

  “Hey, this is an enemy combatant. You know they would have raped Heidi and then killed all three of us if we wouldn’t have won.”

  “You know something? You’re right,” George said, a wicked grin on his face. “Got a match?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “Haven’t been able to give up those damn cigars yet. Gonna be the death of me.” He pulled out a match, lit it, and dropped it onto the gasoline trail. The line of flame moved quickly to the truck, and the cab became an inferno in a noisy rush. The militia man screamed.

  “Ah, shut up, inbreed,” Malcolm shouted.

  “We’d better get out of here,” George said.

  “Yeah, I guess. Those creeps scratched up my rig.”

  “It road worthy?”

  “Yeah, no problem,” Malcolm said, taking a last look at the burning vehicle. The militia man had stopped screaming. Malcolm got a grin on his face. “I’m gonna enjoy this trip. Onward.” He walked back into his coach.

  George entered his rig, and slid into the passenger seat again. He looked over at Heidi. “Ready to go?”

  “Did you guys really have to do that?” she asked, a disgusted look on his face. “I knew you guys were going to kill him, but did you have to burn him alive?”

  “Yeah,” George said, “and I hope the enemy sees what we did.”

  “Why, so they’ll come after us?”

  “No, so they’ll fear us,” George said. He didn’t look at her.

  Back in Kansas, the Suburban and the bobtail pulled into Howard’s truck stop. The men all piled out, and headed for the store.

  “Hey, guys, how you doing?” Howard asked, smiling at them from behind the counter.

  “The place is coming along great,” Gabe said, smiling. “We need a few things.”

  “Okay, what?” Howard asked. Gabe slid a piece of paper across the counter to him. “Hmmmm, I’ve got all the tires. Also got the batteries and the trailer light connectors. You guys know I have the propane, so bring the bottles over by the tank out front. I don’t have any fifth wheel hitches, but I know somebody who sells those. I suggest that you bring the truck that needs that in, rather than try to install it yourself, though. Is it with you?”

  “No,” Dobie said. “But I’ll bring it back.”

  “Okay,” Howard said. He pulled a business card out from below the counter and handed it to him. “Here’s the card for the guy I know. He’ll do a good job for you.”

  Dobie looked at it. “Chuck’s RV Warehouse, huh?” he said. “Thanks.”

  “By the way, I do deliver propane, so if you end up needing refills down the road, just give me a call.”

  “We’ll probably take you up on that,” Gabe said.

  “How’d the glass company do?” Howard asked.

  “Great, thanks. I couldn’t believe how quick they were,” Dobie said. “We might need some chain link work done. We’ll be needing a couple of gates put in, and some cement and post work.”

  “Well, surprisingly enough, I know somebody who does that too,” Howard said, chuckling. “Don’t have a card for him, though. Just call me when you’re ready, and I’ll put you in touch for a quote.”

  “Good,” Gabe said.

  “Think you’re going to stick it out there during the winter?”

  “I don’t know, Howard. Hopefully,” Dobie said. “How bad does it get here? Will we be totally stuck out there?”

  “At times,” he said. “The plows don’t get all the way out there that often. You get the power
back on alright?”

  “Yeah, they turned that on after a phone conversation. Same with the satellite system,” Dobie said.

  “Well, that’s half the battle. I’d suggest all of you guys get ceramic heaters for your rigs. That way you can save on the propane. I’d also make sure that the diesel tanks are full up before winter sets in. That way if you lose power you’ll have a backup.”

  “You have ceramic heaters?” Dobie asked.

  “Nah, I can’t compete with Walmart on those. You should swing by there on your way out.”

  “Okay,” Gabe said.

  “You guys find the bar that Chet had out there?” he asked, grinning.

  The men looked at each other.

  “Yeah, we did,” Gabe said. His heart was starting to race. “Nice find. Not sure the women folk are that happy about it.”

  “I’ve got a sizable hangover because of that place,” Jake said, laughing.

  “Well, Hilda probably isn’t happy to see it,” Howard said, chuckling. “Ger used to tell me about that. He said she made him take his booze out to the deer blind. Wish I’d been able to see that. He said he turned it into a man cave.”

  Terry started laughing. “I was in that thing. Lots of booze out there, plus a good stash of girly magazines.”

  Howard started cracking up. “Yep, that sounds like Ger. I used to wonder how he and Hilda stayed married so long.”

  “Wish I would’ve seen Hilda’s park,” Gabe said. “Hopefully the cretins didn’t completely ruin it.”

  “Yeah,” Howard said. “Where do you want me to load the tires?”

  “I’ve got all of the wheels in the back of my bobtail. You guys can mount and balance, correct?”

  “Of course, just back it up by the bays over on the far side of this building,” he said, pointing.

  “Okay,” Jake said. “I’ll go bring ‘er around.”

  The men walked out the door. Jake and Terry went around the back to get the bobtail, while Gabe and Dobie stood outside, soaking up the sun in front of the store. Dobie elbowed Gabe.

  “What?”

  “Check out those rednecks over there,” Dobie said. He nodded towards the gas pumps. There was a dirty old pickup truck fueling up. The truck had four militia-looking men in the back.

  “Cretins?” Gabe whispered “My phone didn’t go off.”

  “Mine neither,” Dobie said.

  Chapter 16 – Wild Turkey

  Dobie and Gabe looked at the rednecks in the truck at the gas pumps.

  “They might just be hunters, you know,” Dobie said.

  “I know,” Gabe said. “How can we tell?”

  “The guy gassing up is wearing a tank top. If they pulled chips out of their arms recently, he’ll have a scar…maybe even a bandage. I’m going to walk over there and take a look.”

  “Alright, Dobie. Be careful,” Gabe said.

  He nodded and walked over to the far side of the gas pumps, close to the truck. The men in the back were joking around. It sounded like they had a wild time at a bar last night. The guy pumping gas saw Dobie checking them out.

  “Want something, Friend?” he asked cautiously.

  “Oh, no, sorry,” Dobie said. “I lost my fuel cap key. It might be in that stall next to you.”

  “Oh,” the man said. He smiled and nodded. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, man,” Dobie said, smiling back at him. He could see his triceps clearly. No scar. No bandage.

  “So, did you nail her?” asked one of the guys in the back of the truck, laughing.

  “Naw, she said she was married,” said another.

  “Horseshit,” said the third.

  Dobie pretended to look around on the ground next to the pumps.

  “Dammit,” Dobie said. “Not here.” He started back.

  “That sucks,” the gas pumper said. “Sorry, man.”

  Dobie nodded and smiled at him as he walked away. He got next to Gabe again. “No scars, no bandages. Those guys are alright.”

  “Whew,” Gabe said. “Had me worried.”

  “Me too. Jake get the truck pulled around?”

  “Yeah,” Gabe said. “You wanting to go to Walmart today for those heaters?”

  “No, I think we ought to get back,” Dobie said. “Then I need to bring my truck back here for the fifth wheel hitch. If the shit hits the fan, we’ll need to get outta dodge in a hurry. I want to be ready.”

  “Okay,” Gabe said.

  It took about two hours to get the tires mounted and the propane tanks filled up. When men had everything loaded up and ready to go, Gabe walked back into the store to pay up and say goodbye to Howard.

  “Hey, Howard, everything’s done,” he said, pulling out his credit card. Howard took it and got busy ringing it up.

  “Gonna go to Walmart?” he asked.

  “Haven’t decided yet,” Gabe said. “We’ll see. Dobie will be back pretty quick to get that fifth wheel hitch installed.”

  “Today?”

  “I’m guessing early tomorrow,” Gabe said. “We’ll see how the day goes.”

  “You guys seem pretty anxious to be able to high-tail it out of there,” Howard said.

  “Well, yeah,” Gabe said. “This group’s had to leave in a hurry more than once. If bad folks start getting past the Kansas border, we’re gone. The park is nice, but it’s not even a little bit defendable.”

  “Oh,” Howard said. “Makes sense, I guess. That area is flatter than a pancake.” He handed the card back to Gabe, with a receipt.

  “Okay, thanks, Howard,” Gabe said, shaking hands with him.

  “Good luck,” Howard said. “I hope you get to stick around. Nice having you guys here.”

  Gabe nodded on the way out.

  The drive back to the park was uneventful. They got through the gate, and drove back by the trailers. Terry got out of the cab of the bobtail, and was walking towards his trailer. Trish saw him, and came running, jumping on him, hugging and kissing, her legs wrapped around.

  “You weren’t worried about me the whole time, I hope,” Terry said, grinning.

  “I’m going to worry about you whenever you’re out of my sight, so get used to it,” she said, looking into his eyes.

  “It was a safe trip,” Terry said. “The cretins aren’t around.”

  “Hopefully,” she said warily. “I’m still nervous. You guys get everything you needed?”

  “Everything except for the fifth wheel hitch for Dobie. He’ll have to take his truck in for that. He’ll probably do it tomorrow.”

  “Good,” she said. “Here comes Jerry and Jasmine.” Terry turned and saw them coming. They had concerned looks on their faces.

  “Hey, everybody,” Jerry said. “We need to have another meeting. Could you come to the clubhouse?”

  “Sure,” Terry said. Gabe turned and nodded yes.

  “Everything okay?” Dobie asked.

  “We got an email from Malcolm Davis,” Jerry said.

  “Holy shit,” Dobie said. “Let’s go.”

  They all followed Jerry and Jasmine back towards the clubhouse.

  “Hey, Jane, it’s starting,” Jasmine yelled as they passed by the barn. Jane came out and met them, carrying the laptop, open. Charlie, Hilda, Kurt, and Jackson were all on their way in. Jeb and Rosie were already inside, having coffee with Earl and Mary.

  “Okay, I think we’re all here,” Jerry said. “Frank, we need you to break away for a few minutes.”

  “Okay,” Frank said, walking over. “What’s going on?”

  “Jane got an email very early this morning.”

  “From who?” Frank asked. “General Hogan?”

  “Malcolm Davis,” Jane said. There was a murmur amongst the group.

  “No way,” Mary said. “What’d it say?”

  “Gather around. I have it up on my laptop,” Jane said. Everybody got close as they could and read. It took a few minutes, because not everybody could get close enough at once.

  “You haven’t r
eplied to this yet, have you?” Frank asked.

  “No, of course not,” Jane said. “We wanted to discuss it before we do anything.”

  “They know where we are, so they’re showing up whether we like it or not,” Jeb said. “In reference to us, are these good guys or bad guys?”

  “Well, that’s the real question,” Jerry said. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is a gift.”

  “What do you mean?” Charlie asked.

  “We know where most of the enemy leadership is, and we’re pretty sure that General Hogan is being held captive as well. We think we know where.”

  “Go on,” Charlie said.

  “George and Malcolm are very experienced fighters. Hell, George is Special Forces. Don’t you think they might come in handy when we’re trying to take out the leadership, and rescue the General?”

  “How do you know they’d go along with that?” Kurt asked.

  “Well, I don’t know, for sure,” Jerry said. “But it’s worth talking to them about.”

  “What if they just show up, get the info they need from the dungeon, and then kill all of us?” Hilda asked.

  “Why would they do that?” Jasmine asked. “I’ve been doing research on these guys since we got the email, and I already knew a fair amount about Malcolm. They don’t tend to kill innocents. They kill the bad guys and all their friends. Okay, maybe they do too much without due process, but there aren’t any cases where they’ve shot up folks like us.”

  “One other thing to keep in mind,” Trish said. “If Scott is still alive, he’ll eventually come back here. Wouldn’t it be better if we helped these guys take him out?”

  “She’s got a good point,” Jasmine said. “We don’t want that guy around. He’s somebody who would kill all of us if he had the chance, and he doesn’t have a chip in him. He could sneak up on us.”

  “So I take it you’re saying that we should invite these folks over,” Earl said.

  “Yep,” Jerry said. “I say we tell them that we have evidence, and invite them to come stay a while. Oh, and by the way, they’re both in RVs.”

  There was a chuckle from the group.

  “Well, spaces we have,” Gabe said, grinning. “I say we try to strike a deal with these guys, but part of the deal has to be no premature notification of law enforcement about the dungeon. We can tell them why.”