Bug Out! Texas Book 6: Citizen Vengeance

by Robert Boren

  “Helps us out now.”

  “It does,” Sydney said. “I’m surprised the enemy hasn’t started hacking away at the infrastructure.”

  “Maybe they need it themselves,” Don said.

  “That’s probably it,” she said. “I’ll bet it has something to do with those RFID chips.”

  “Think so?” Don asked.

  “Yeah, I read an article about that technology a few years ago.”

  “Why would you be reading about that?” Don asked.

  “Inventory control,” she said. “The article was well written and easy to understand, even for somebody like me who isn’t an IT person. Wish I could remember the name of the author. Frank something. Might be interesting to read now that we know the enemy is using similar technology.”

  Don snickered. “So you were thinking of putting RFID chips on your moonshine jugs?”

  “Yeah, as a matter of fact. Those jugs are expensive. We charge if they aren’t returned. It’d be nice if we knew in a flash how many we had and where the outstanding ones were.”

  “You can track outside of your own facility with these chips?”

  “Yeah, that was what the article was about,” Sydney said. “It was for multi-national corporations, so they could keep track of inventory world-wide over the internet.”

  “Oh,” Don said.

  “Frank Johnson,” Sydney said. “I think that was the name. Maybe I’ll google him when we’re on a break someplace. The article was available on the web. That’s how I got it before.”

  “You better hold off on that,” Don said. “Remember what Ramsey and Nelson said. We don’t want the enemy seeing us research their RFID setup on the internet.”

  “Shit, you’re right,” Sydney said. “I’ll lay off.”

  “I wish that guy working for General Hogan would figure this out,” Don said. “It’d be nice to know where all these creeps are at any given time.”

  “Wouldn’t they just dig the chips out if we cracked them?”

  “Easier said than done,” Don said. “The ones we’ve seen so far were buried deep. It’s dangerous to dig them out if you’re not in a hospital. Good chances of infection.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Eric told me,” Don said. “He’s the person who dug them out after the last battle.”

  “You go back a long time with him, don’t you?”

  “Not nearly as far back as you do,” Don said.

  “We were kids when we were together,” she said.

  “I know, he told me all about it,” Don said. “Well not all about it.”

  Sydney rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. How did you meet him?”

  “He showed up near Deadwood after he crossed the border into Texas. Helped us fight.”

  “That’s in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it?”

  “Kinda sorta,” Don said. “He couldn’t get past any of the border checkpoints from Louisiana, so he found a spot where he could drive across in the forest. Good thing he did. He helped us figure out that the enemy was coming over that way too. We would’ve lost a lot more people if not for him.”

  “I can’t wait until we stop for a while. So tired of this.”

  “I can’t wait until I get back into bed with you,” Don said, shooting her a smile.

  “Don!” she said.

  “What? We’re alone.”

  “I’m just teasing you,” she said. “I’ve been itching for that too. Even if we don’t do anything but cuddle.”

  “I know,” Don said. “Maybe tonight.”

  “We’ll see,” Sydney said. “I think this is a dangerous time.”

  “Don’t get into a bad mindset,” Don said. “That doesn’t help either of us.”

  “You’re right,” she said, watching him drive. “I love you so much.”

  “And I adore you,” he said.

  The phone rang. Don picked it up off the center console and looked at it.

  “Moe,” he said. “Here, put it on speaker.”

  “Okay,” she said, taking it from his hand.

  “Hey, Moe, hear us okay?” Sydney said.

  “Yeah,” Moe said. “Hold the line for a moment. I’m trying to patch in Jason, Kelly, Junior, Kyle, Curt, Cindy, Chance, and Dirk. Clancy’s already on.”

  “Okay,” Sydney said, shooting a worried glance at Don.

  “Don’t get worried yet, baby,” Don said.

  “Sorry, can’t help it.”

  They waited as the phone beeped several times.

  “Okay, I think everybody’s on. You all hear okay?”

  Several people said yes.

  “Okay, here’s the deal. I talked to the owner of the RV Park we’re going to in Amarillo. Told him we had a whole lot more people coming.”

  “They can’t handle that many, can they?” Curt asked.

  “The park we’re going to can handle a hundred and fifty coaches,” Moe said. “They’re pretty empty right now, and they’re closing up until we get there.”

  “That’s more than I expected,” Jason said.

  “Yeah, seriously,” Dirk said, “but it’s still nowhere near enough.”

  “There’s two other big parks nearby. Almost walking distance. The biggest one is about half full, but it has a huge surge capacity.”

  “Surge capacity?” Junior asked.

  “Yeah, they put on music festivals every few months. They’ve got about six- hundred RV spaces with hookups, and room for another several hundred tent campers.”

  “That’s still not enough,” Kelly said.

  “Not finished yet,” Moe said. “They’ve also got a huge flat area behind the park. He said we could put at least eight hundred tents back there, and he’s got water and bathrooms on that end of his park. There’s also a less level area behind that which could hold several hundred more in a pinch.”

  “Okay, so we’re talking about fifteen hundred spaces, then,” Kate said.

  “Yep, and then there’s the third place. It’s more expensive, and it’s got quite a few full-timers, but they still have another three-hundred spaces available.”

  “So roughly eighteen hundred,” Kate said. “It’s a good start.”

  “The surrounding area is pretty flat too, so we can expand out.”

  Junior chuckled. “It’s gonna look like the Rio Grande Valley when the snowbirds show up.”

  “Yep,” Moe said. “It’s gonna be nuts.”

  “We’ll be a big target for the enemy,” Chance said. “Might be a problem.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Jason said. “Remember what the US Airforce did in Galveston.”

  “Shit,” Curt said. “Maybe we ought to have some people stay in Lubbock, and some of the other towns in the area. There’s a lot of small towns showing up on the map.”

  “Lake Meredith is pretty close by, too,” Brenda said. “There used to be a lot of big camping spots there.”

  “Few of the small towns around there have RV Parks big enough to make a dent,” Moe said. “Clancy and I have been looking into it. I could see Lubbock and the lake.”

  “What’s your suggestion?” Jason asked.

  “Maybe we should see if Nelson will cover reservations for all the places still open in Amarillo,” Moe said. “What do you think, Jason? Could you run it up the chain?”

  “Sure, I’ll call Ramsey,” Jason said. “I share Chance’s concern, though. We don’t want to expose ourselves any more than possible.”

  Junior chuckled. “Guys, we’re gonna have many thousands of people showing up, from what I’m seeing on social media. No matter where we go, we’ll be visible to the enemy.”

  “Yeah, Junior’s right,” Curt said. “I say we go ahead and reserve the spaces we can, and play it by ear. Don’t think I like the idea of our forces being too far away. We could die waiting for them to arrive if there’s a problem. My cellphone early warning tools aren’t worth much anymore. They got wise.”

  “Anybody object to making the
arrangements?” Moe asked.

  Nobody said anything.

  “Okay, I’m gonna do it,” Moe said. “Work the money, Jason, okay?”

  “You got it,” Jason said.

  “Take care, folks,” Junior said. “See you there.”

  A few people said goodbye and the call ended.

  Don looked at Sydney. “Scared?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve been scared since I joined up with this crazy outfit. It is what it is.”

  Chapter 31 – B-1 Bombers

  Maria’s phone rang. She looked at it, and glanced over at Hendrix, on the couch next to her.

  “Shit, it’s my mom.” She put the phone to her ear and got up, walking into the console room.

  Hendrix turned down the TV and listened as the conversation on Maria’s end got more and more heated. Maria ended the call and came back into the living room, tears running down her cheeks.

  “You okay?” Hendrix asked, getting up to hug her.

  “Mom found out we’re married,” Maria said.

  “It was bound to happen eventually,” Hendrix said, hands caressing her back. “How?”

  “Some reporters saw us together when we went to the Capitol,” she said. “They thought our body language looked a little strange, so they did a records search and found out about the marriage. I’m so sorry.”

  Hendrix pulled back from her and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. “I’m proud we’re married, and I want everybody to know about it.”

  “I know, honey,” she said. “It makes it more difficult for you, though.”

  “No it doesn’t,” Hendrix said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Celia screwed my mom’s boyfriend again,” Maria said. “My family is so messed up.”

  “Celia needs help,” Hendrix said. “She’s mentally ill. You know that.”

  “Frankly, my mom’s not much better,” Maria said. “She said she’s going to kick Celia out of her house again.”

  “Do we need to take her in?”

  “Absolutely not,” Maria said. “I won’t have her here. No way, no how.”

  “Well, I’ll support you any way you want me too,” Hendrix said.

  “I know, honey,” Maria said. She kissed him gently. “Look at the family you’ve married into.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Hendrix said.

  “What if she shows up?”

  “Do you think they know where we are?” Hendrix asked.

  “I didn’t tell her, but Celia may figure it out.”

  “Then we’ll deal with it,” Hendrix said. “Don’t worry about it now.”

  “I’ll try not to,” she said.

  “Good. Want a drink? Might settle you down.”

  “I’d rather have you,” she said. “Let’s go in the bedroom for a little while.”

  “I like that idea.” Hendrix smiled.

  They broke their embrace and were walking towards the hallway when the console beeped.

  Hendrix laughed. “Shit.”

  Maria giggled. “So much for that idea. I’ll go log on.”

  “Okay,” Hendrix said, following her into the console room.

  Maria got the meeting up while Hendrix pulled the second chair next to her. They watched the monitor as Ramsey, Gallagher, and Nelson walked into the conference room, Brian at the laptop again. A second window opened showing Wallis’s face.

  “Thanks for coming, everybody,” Nelson said. “We’ve got a possible emergency brewing. I wanted the team to know about it right away.”

  “Wonderful,” Hendrix said.

  “Go ahead, Wallis,” Nelson said.

  “Yes sir. I got an encrypted message from the leadership of the US Airforce.”

  “Uh oh,” Gallagher said.

  “What’s going on?” Hendrix asked.

  “Half a dozen bombers flew out about half an hour ago, without authorization.”

  “Without authorization from whom?” Ramsey asked. “The folks that ordered the bombing of Galveston?”

  “I wish,” Wallis said. “No, they think it’s the people who were involved with that bombing. Something tipped them off that the brass was close to exposing them.”

  “Does the brass know about the RFID chips?” Gallagher asked.

  “Don’t know, and I didn’t mention that,” Wallis said.

  “Son of a bitch,” Gallagher said. “What did they take?”

  “B-1 Bombers,” Wallis said, grim look on his face.

  “Well, at least they didn’t take off with any of the stealth bombers,” Ramsey said.

  “These are just as bad,” Wallis said. “All they have to do is fly low, and that’s easy over Texas.”

  Nelson’s forehead was sweating. “What’s the payload? Not nuclear, I hope.”

  “They aren’t saying, Governor,” Wallis said. “Probably conventional. The B-1 isn’t their strategic platform anymore.”

  “What should we do?” Nelson asked.

  “If the drones are ready, maybe we should get them in the air,” Ramsey said.

  “No,” Wallis said. “The B-1 bombers will see them and shoot them down. We don’t want that. They’re not ready yet, anyway. We just got them a few hours ago. We have ground stations to set up and man.”

  “So, what do we do?” Gallagher asked. “Sit here with our thumbs up our butts until they run out of fuel?”

  “Colorful,” Wallis said. “I’m afraid that’s all we can do at this point. I suggest we keep important personnel underground.”

  “Should we warn the Fort Stockton group?” Ramsey asked.

  Nelson sighed. “Yeah. Not that there’s anything we can do beyond that.”

  “I’m not giving up yet,” Wallis said. “When we get off this call, I’m gonna call my contact and chat about putting some reliable people in the air to counter this.”

  “Don’t mention the RFID chips,” Nelson said.

  “I won’t,” Wallis said. “Trust me on that.”

  “Okay,” Nelson said. “Brian, send out a text to everybody on the list. Order them to get to an underground shelter as quickly as possible. Got it? Say it’s an order from me.”

  “Will do, Governor,” Brian said.

  Wallis’s eyes got big. “Just a sec.” He left the screen.

  “Shit, wonder what that’s about?” Hendrix asked, feeling his heart beat quicker.

  Wallis came back, sweat on his brow. “San Antonio is under bombardment.”

  “Oh no,” Nelson said. “What are they hitting?”

  “The National Guard troop encampment just outside of town,” Wallis said.

  “Son of a bitch,” Gallagher said. “We’ve got anti-aircraft batteries there. I’m gonna make the call. Talk to you guys later.” He got up and rushed out of the conference room.

  “I’m ending the call now,” Nelson said. “Stay underground. That’s an order.”

  The monitor went dark. Maria looked at Hendrix.

  “Don’t worry, we’re safe down here,” Hendrix said. “They can’t touch us.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’m scared for Texas.”

  He took her hand. “Me too.”

  The monitor beeped again.

  “Oh, crap, what now?” Hendrix asked.

  Maria clicked on the monitor. “This is outside.”

  “President Pro Tempore Hendrix?” the man asked.

  “I’m here,” Hendrix said. “What is it?”

  “There’s a hysterical young woman at the gate,” the man said. “She’s insisting we let her in. Says she’s your sister-in-law. It looks like she’s off her meds. What do you want me to do?”

  Hendrix and Maria looked at each other in shock.

  Chapter 32 – Amarillo

  Kyle took the off-ramp onto Bell street in Amarillo. “We’re gonna attract a lot of attention. Wait till those tank flatbeds roll through here.”

  “I don’t think we can worry about that now,” Kate said. “This is mostly residential. Nice looking homes.”

&nbs
p; “Yeah. Where do I turn?”

  “Get on Westbound I-40,” Kate said. “All three parks are next to it, each further out of town.”

  “Shit, we’re probably visible from the damn interstate, then. Which one is ours?”

  “The first one we run into,” she said. “It’s just past South Soncy Road, on the right-hand side of I-40. The next one is on the left-hand side, about half a mile down.”

  “What’s the name?”

  “Amarillo Oasis,” Kate said.

  “Where’s the third one?”

  “Quarter of a mile past the second one, on the right-hand side of I-40.”

  “Damn, wish we weren’t gonna be clustered so close together,” Kyle said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “Look, that cop over there is looking us over,” Kate said.

  Kyle looked over, then cracked up. “He just gave me a thumb’s up sign. Must know who we are.”

  Kate smiled. “Good. Now I can relax a little more.”

  “I see I-40 down there already.”

  “Yeah, this isn’t a huge town,” Kate said.

  “The second group ought to be taking off soon,” Kyle said. “Hope we’re doing the right thing.”

  “You think we’ll get attacked before we have enough people here?”

  “Probably not,” Kyle said. “Remember what Jason told us a little while ago. None of the enemy fighters have come across the border into Texas yet. They’re still where they’ve been for the past several days. They can’t get here that fast.”

  “I was looking at that earlier,” Kate said. “It’s just over an hour from Glenrio to Amarillo. That’s not much. If they left now, they could get here before the entire group arrives.”

  “Thanks for that warm fuzzy feeling,” Kyle said, grinning at her.

  “You don’t look very scared.”

  “Somebody’s watching out for us,” Kyle said.

  “Or we’ve been lucky, and you know what they say.”

  “What’s that?”

  Kate looked down the road. “Luck has a way of running out.”

  “Don’t worry, honey,” Kyle said. “Here’s I-40.” He drove over the bridge, then took the frontage road to the on-ramp. “Not much traffic.”

  “I’m glad,” Kate said. “It’s not too far, so stay in the right-hand lane.”