“Well, at least part of what Sean was saying appears to be true,” Frank said. He pulled out the AAA Road Atlas and opened it up to the big map of the US.
“How far are we from the border right now?”
“According to the map, we are about as far as Temecula is from the border in California. A ways, but not far enough to stay here, that’s for sure.”
“Should we leave tonight?”
“No, we’re too tired, but let’s hit the sack and be up before 6:00 tomorrow morning.”
“Alright, honey, let’s go to bed,” she said, switching off the radio.
They turned out the lights in the coach, and went into the bedroom. They got their PJs on and were just laying down when they heard Lucy run in.
“Mind if she comes up?” asked Jane.
“No, it’s fine.”
“C’mon, girl, jump up,” said Jane. Lucy bounded up onto the bed. She sniffed and nuzzled both Jane and Frank, and then laid down between them with a sigh. They all drifted off to sleep.
Frank awoke with a start. Mr. Wonderful had gotten up on the bed, and was purring loudly, his nose touching the side of Frank’s face.
“Thanks a lot,” Frank said.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“Mr. Wonderful just woke me up.”
“So what else is new? Go back to sleep.”
Frank tried to get back to sleep, but he couldn’t. He checked the time on his cellphone. It said 5:30. He decided to get up, and went quietly to the kitchen counter to turn on the coffee machine. He picked out one of the bold coffee pods and brewed it. Jane came out just as his cup was full.
“That one for me?” she asked, smiling.
“It’s bold. Do you want it, or should I make you one of the mild ones?”
“Mild. I’ll do it. Go ahead and enjoy your cup.”
Frank nodded and carried his coffee cup over to the dinette. He raised the blind on the window and looked out. Sean was already up, getting his rig ready to go.
Jane sat down with her cup, and looked out the window.
“Well, they aren’t sleeping in, are they?”
“Nope. I suspect we’ll get a knock on the door any time now.”
“Just go about your business, Frank.”
“Alright.” He finished his cup, and then went into the bedroom to get dressed.
He came back out, and looked out the window again. There were other people getting ready to leave.
“Hey, honey, will you take care of Lucy’s walk while I’m getting things unhooked?” Frank asked.
“Sure, no problem.” She got up to get dressed.
Frank opened the door of the coach and stepped out into the cool morning. There was a flyer taped to the door on the outside. Frank pulled it off and looked at it. Then he laughed. He opened the door back up.
“Jane, guess what?”
“What?”
“We got a flyer from the park management taped to our door. It says that if we want to stay another night, it’s 150 bucks, and it says that if we aren’t out before 9:00am, they are going to charge an extra fee.”
“Bullshit,” Jane said. “The contract I signed said checkout time was 11:00 am.”
“Who cares? We’ll be out of here by 7:30 if not sooner.”
“True. I’m coming out with Lucy.”
“Okay. I’m going to go ahead and bring the slides in when you guys are out. Then I’ll finish unhooking. I think I’ll fill the fresh water tank too.”
“Good idea,” she said as she came down the steps with Lucy in front of her.
Frank brought in the slides and got the jacks up, then got up and looked around the coach. Not much to stow. They didn’t get much out last night. He went outside and got the utilities unhooked. He was back in the coach raising the front blinds when Jane walked up with Lucy.
“Mission accomplished,” Jane said.
“Good. Go ahead and get the fridge buttoned up. I’ll pull out on the road so we can hook up the Jeep.”
“Got it. You want anything to eat?”
“I’m not hungry at this point. Why don’t you put that box of Clif Bars up in the front?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Frank got the coach pulled out on the access road, and hooked up the Jeep into place behind it. As he was finishing, Sean walked up.
“Well, Frank, we’re ready to go.”
“Headed to Flagstaff?”
“Yep, for now. You?”
“Yeah, same,” replied Frank. “How good a road is Route 60?”
“It’s not terrible. If you’re going to Flagstaff, you’ll have to switch over to Route 71 and then Route 89. They aren’t great, but good enough.”
“Alright, thanks,” Frank said, walking over and shaking hands with Sean. “Good luck to you. Maybe we’ll see you in Flagstaff.”
“Hopefully,” said Sean. He turned and walked over to his truck. Frank watched as they slowly drove to the front gate.
Frank got into the coach. Jane was already sitting in the passenger seat. Frank got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“Sean going the same way we are?”
“Yes. It’s the only way you can go, I’m afraid.”
Jane nodded. Frank put the coach in gear and drove to the gate. There was a huge lineup of rigs there. People were bickering at each other. There was a big sign on the door that had the new prices listed.
“Geez, people are starting to get panicky,” Jane said.
“If I was the owner of this park, I’d put a limit on this price gouging. If the customers get mad enough, there's going to be problems, and I doubt that the local authorities are going to want to get involved.”
As they passed through the gate and onto the street, a gunshot startled both of them. Frank looked into his side mirror and saw several men running into the office.
“That didn’t sound good. What happened?” Jane asked.
“Looks to me like some customers have already gotten tired of the prices,” Frank said. “I’m so glad we are getting out of here.”
Route 60 was not built to handle the volume it was getting. It was moving, but only at about 30 mph. A mixture of cars, big rigs, and RVs were on the road as far up as Frank could see. It was bad all the way to Route 71, where Route 60 heads off to Phoenix and Route 71 heads north. Most of the people on the road were going to Phoenix, and that helped a lot. Frank could see Sean and Sarah’s 5th wheel ahead of them in the distance as they got on 71. The traffic sped up to about 55 mph.
“Whew, glad to be out of that,” Jane said. “Want a Clif bar?”
“Sure, good idea. Wish we could make coffee on the road.”
Jane nodded, and handed a bar over to Frank. He tore open the wrapper and devoured it quickly, washing it down with the bottle of water that Jane had put in his cup holder. Jane ate a bar as well.
Suddenly Frank saw flashing lights in his rear-view mirrors.
“Oh, shit, what now?” he said.
“What?”
“Can’t see yet, but it looks like we have some emergency or police vehicles coming up behind us in a hurry.”
“Do you need to pull over?”
“No, there isn’t much in the way of southbound traffic. They’ve been passing to the left.”
The vehicles were upon them in seconds, passing them on the left at a fast clip. It was two Arizona DPS cruisers, and an army Humvee with a gun mounted in the back.
“Uh oh, I don’t like the look of that,” Jane said.
“Me neither,” Frank said.
Jane sat up higher in her seat and pointed, a panicked look on her face.
“Shit, look, they're pulling over Sean and Sarah’s rig!”
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Bug Out! Texas
Texas Lockdown
Chapters 1-4
Robert Boren
Chapter 17 - Bug Out! Texas – Soft Target
Jason Finley sat in his recliner, watching the TV
, his daughter Chelsea curled up on his lap, thumb in her mouth. The front door opened.
“Jason?” a gruff man’s voice said.
“I’m back here, dad,” Jason said. He shook Chelsea and she stirred, thumb coming out of her mouth. “I’ll turn on Bubble Guppies,” he told her.
“Okay, daddy,” she said, slipping off his lap, looking at him with groggy eyes as he switched the channel with the remote.
Jason stood, his strong six-foot-four build giving him a commanding presence as he walked to the kitchen. He rubbed his sable hair in the back, bunched up from dozing in the recliner.
His father was walking towards the coffee maker. He looked like an older version of Jason, still strong and upright for seventy-four, gray hair getting a little shaggy. “Want coffee?” he asked, looking at the coffee mugs in the cupboard above the counter.
“Yeah, sure, why not,” Jason said. “Where’s mom?”
“She’ll be along,” he said, putting a coffee pod into the machine and a cup into place. “Somebody from church called her while we were parking. Big pot-luck this weekend. You ought to come along with the family. Been a while.”
“Gotta work,” Jason said, leaning against the counter. “Some nut-balls from downtown are gonna demonstrate in downtown Austin again. The citizens are fighting back now. We’ll be there to get between them again.”
“What are they demonstrating about this time?”
“They want to ban open and concealed carry and put in that stupid assault weapons ban that the President has been flapping his gums about lately,” Jason said. “Oh, yeah, and they also want the bill to ban religious courts rejected.”
The old man rolled his eyes. “How can you stand to be a cop in Austin?”
“Let’s not have that conversation again, dad,” Jason said.
“Why not? I can get you hired into my old department in Fredericksburg just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
“I like living here in Dripping Springs,” Jason said, “and I have more room for advancement in Austin than I do in a small town department like Fredericksburg.”
“You don’t want to be a muckity-muck in a big city department. Trust me. Been there, done that. In Dallas, remember?”
“Yeah, and you got a better pension because of it,” Jason said.
“Jason! Randolph!” an old woman’s voice called from the front door.
“In the kitchen, mom,” Jason shouted. “Chelsea’s in the den if you want to see her.”
“I smell coffee,” she said, walking into the kitchen.
“Hey, Liz,” Randolph said. “Everything okay?”
She sighed. “Oh, yes,” she said, as she put her purse on the kitchen counter. Liz was a handsome woman with medium length hair dyed auburn and a short, trim frame.
“So what was so important?” Randolph asked.
“Mrs. Pickens, bless her heart,” Liz said, taking the cup of coffee that Randolph brewed for her. “That woman is going to drive me over the edge.”
“I thought you weren’t talking to her anymore,” Randolph said.
“I’m not. She’s throwing her weight around, and Mrs. Howard got all upset.”
“So what else is new?” Randolph asked.
“Grandpa!” Chelsea squealed as she ran into the kitchen. “Grandma!”
“Hi, sweetheart,” Randolph said, squatting and petting her curly brown hair. “How are you this fine morning?”
“Hi, Chelsea!” Liz said, squatting too, making a funny face at her. Chelsea giggled with delight.
“I wish your brother would settle down,” Liz said. “We need more grandkids.”
“Eric never gives us the time of day anymore,” Randolph said. He sighed. “Hope he grows out of that someday.”
“We’ve got another one coming, remember,” Jason said.
“Yes, and none too soon,” Liz said. “Where is Carrie, anyway?”
“Shopping,” Jason said. “She ought to be back any minute.” Jason’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. “Speak of the devil.” He put the phone to his ear.
“Jason! There’s shooters at the Superstore! Oh, God, I’m so scared.”
“Calm down, honey. Where are you now? In the store?”
“Yes, in the stock room,” she said. “I hear them shooting people outside. What should I do?”
“Stay hidden,” Jason said, eyes narrowing. “I’ll get Kyle and be there in a flash.”
“Hurry, but be careful,” she said, sounding on the verge of tears.
“I gotta go,” Jason said, stuffing his phone into his pocket. “Can you guys watch Chelsea for a while?” He rushed into his bedroom and grabbed his handgun, a rifle, and a shotgun.
“What’s happening?” Randolph asked, right on his heels.
“There’s a shooter at the Superstore,” Jason said, rushing towards the door
“Oh, no,” Liz said. “What are you gonna do?”
“Help,” Jason said, bursting out the door, running to his four-door Jeep Wrangler. Jason fired up the engine, tossed the guns in the back, and peeled out, driving towards Old San Antonio Road. He pulled his phone out and hit Kyle Wilson’s contact.
“Jason, what’s up?” Kyle asked.
“Get your guns. I’m picking you up in three minutes.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Shooters at the Superstore. Carrie’s hiding in the back. She said they’re shooting people in the store.”
“Dammit. I’ll be waiting on the curb.”
“Thanks, partner.” Jason floored it, the Jeep taking off like a rocket down the street. Kyle’s street was on the right, two blocks ahead. Jason slowed down to make the turn, and saw Kyle standing on the curb a few houses in. He opened the rear passenger door and put his guns on the back seat, then jumped into the front passenger seat.
“I called the local PD,” Kyle said.
“Good. They ought to be along by the time it’s over.” Kyle was built like a linebacker, buff from working out and doing triathlons. He had sandy blonde hair and a closely-cropped blonde beard.
“How many shooters?”
“Don’t know,” Jason said. “Look, there’s the parking lot. People are running out into the street.”
“Pull over there and let’s sneak in,” Kyle said, pointing to a side street right before the parking lot.
“Yeah.” Jason turned right and parked under some trees. They both got out, careful not to slam their doors. Gunfire and screams flowed out of the parking lot ahead of them. There was a grassy berm between the street and the parking lot. The two men crept up on their bellies, peeking over. There were two young men pointing AK-47s at an old man and his wife, shouting something at them. The old man flipped them off and reached into his pocket. The two young men fired, killing both of them.
“Shit, you hear that? Arabic,” Kyle said.
“You sure?” Jason asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, getting a bead on the first one with his rifle. He pulled the trigger, splitting the man’s head open like an overripe tomato. Jason hit the second man square in the chest before he could move.
“Scratch two,” Jason said.
There was more yelling in Arabic, and men were rushing towards Kyle and Jason.
“Look, that’s about twenty men,” Jason said, panic in his eyes. He opened fire with Kyle.
“There’s too many of them for these bolt-action rifles,” Kyle said.
Suddenly they heard a yeee-hawwww and three four-wheel drive trucks flew onto the parking lot, the beds loaded with men firing rifles and shotguns, blasting the Islamists, sending them running for cover.
“First time I’ve been happy to see armed rednecks show up,” Jason said. “Let’s go get us some.” The two men got up with their shotguns, leaving the rifles in the bushes, running, shooting everybody they saw with an assault rifle. After a few minutes there was silence in the parking lot. Kyle, Jason, and a couple dozen rednecks went row by row looking for survivors. Eve
ry few minutes there was a scream, a frantic Arabic voice, and several gun shots. Police sirens approached.
“Geez, about frigging time,” Kyle said, shaking his head.
“Let’s go get Carrie,” Jason said, trotting towards the front doors of the Superstore. They were closed. One redneck rushed from the parking lot to the doors and was hit by machine gun fire.
“Dammit,” Kyle said. He looked at Jason, who had a steely reserve on his face, eyes narrowing, tears forming. “Don’t do anything stupid, man.”
“I’ve got to get her out of there,” Jason said, sneaking closer.
“Well don’t through the front,” Kyle said. “Let’s take the side or the back.”
A man in white garb appeared on the roof. Somebody fired a shot at him but missed. Then they heard the raspy sound of a bullhorn.
“Hold your fire or we kill all forty-three hostages,” the man said with a heavy Arabic accent.
***
Carrie sat in the dark janitor’s closet with two other women. One of them was whimpering.
“Shut up or you’ll get us killed,” Carrie whispered in her ear.
“We’re dead anyway,” the woman said in a New England accent.
“You packing?” Carrie whispered to the other woman.
She nodded yes, and got close to Carrie. “I’m Kate. All I have is a .32 pea-shooter, and those guys have machine guns. What do you have?”
“My hubby’s old .40 cal Glock,” she whispered. “He’s Austin PD, and he’s outside now, probably trying to figure out how to get inside. I called him when this started.”
“You two have guns? That’s disgusting,” said the whimpering woman.
Kate looked at her in disbelief. Carrie chuckled. “She ain’t from around here,” she whispered.
They heard opening and closing of lockers and closet doors approaching them, and foreign voices.
“Oh, no, they’re coming this way,” the whimpering lady said.
“Shut the hell up or I’ll shoot you myself,” whispered Kate, glaring at her in the dark.
“They’re gonna find us,” Carrie whispered. “Hide your gun on your person. Don’t leave it in your purse.”
The Plan: How the Bug Out! War Began Page 10
