by Robert Boren
“Keep an eye on the apps,” he said, “and keep your gun handy.”
“Which one?”
“Whichever you’re most comfortable with,” he said.
“Still the Mini-14,” she said, getting up and grabbing it from the back cabinet. She came to the front, checking the magazine. “Don’t slam the door. The munchkin is asleep again, finally.”
He nodded as he slipped a pistol into his belt behind his back, grabbing his M-16 as he went out the door. Kyle and Kate were waiting, both holding their weapons.
“Wonder what’s up?” Kate asked.
“Probably a mechanical problem,” Jason said. “C’mon.”
“Why didn’t they text you?” Kyle whispered. “Something doesn’t smell right.”
They made their way to the first of the three tank flatbeds.
“Where’s the drivers?” Kate whispered.
“Maybe helping with the front unit,” Kyle said.
“Freeze,” a gruff voice said. “Drop your weapons. Now.”
“Dammit,” Jason said under his breath, setting his M-16 onto the pavement. Kate and Kyle did the same.
Two dirty-looking men appeared from behind the second tank flatbed, both holding shotguns.
“Look, Jasper,” the first one said, a short little man with rat-like eyes and stringy black hair. “More machine guns.”
“Shut up, Ben,” said the other man. He was larger and carried himself better, but he was just as dirty, his teeth rotten, hair long with streaks of gray.
“Who are you guys?” Jasper asked, sizing them up.
“She’s purty,” Ben said, looking at Kate.
Kyle shot Ben a scary stare, which made his shudder. “Where are our drivers?” he asked.
“Suzy has a gun on them,” Ben said, followed by a raspy snicker. “They ain’t gonna get the action they was hoping for, believe you me.”
Jasper shot him a glance. “Will you shut the hell up?”
“What do you want?” Jason asked.
“Well, those tanks, for one thing,” Jasper said. “They’ll bring a pretty penny from the militia group that’s just across the border.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know, who are we?” Ben cracked. The raspy snicker was back.
“I told you to shut the hell up,” Jasper said. “Let’s just say we’re businessmen.”
“Our forces will show up here if we’re late,” Kyle said.
“Are we supposed to run away and hide since you told us that?” Ben asked. Jasper shot him another glare, but didn’t speak for a moment.
“That may be, mister, but if anybody shows, you’ll be the first person shot.”
“Suit yourselves,” Jason said.
“Hey, Pa, come here and help me tie these guys up,” a young woman’s voice said from the front of the first flatbed. “They’re sizing me up a little too much, and it ain’t for my body this time. I can tell.”
“Show them some, then,” Ben said. He slapped his knee and laughed.
Jasper looked at him in disgust, then turned towards the front of the flatbed. “I’m coming, honey bunny. You guys, get in front of me. Now.”
Jason and the others walked forward, letting Jasper and Ben get behind them.
“Walk forward,” Jasper said. “One false move and I’ll splatter your guts all over the side of this nice tank.”
“It’ll just make it look meaner,” Ben said.
“I told you to shut the hell up,” Jasper said. “You may be an inbreed, but do you have to prove it all the time?”
“You weren’t mean like that when daddy was still alive,” Ben said.
“I said shut up,” Jasper said.
They got to the front of the flatbed. A shapely girl in her late teens stood there with a shotgun pointed at the three drivers. She was wearing battered dirty cut-offs and an equally dirty tank top, split ends on her long blonde hair tangled around her shoulders. She had a face that would be almost pretty if it didn’t show the dullness behind her eyes.
“Sorry, Jason, she was lying in the street next to a motorcycle on its side,” the driver of the first flatbed said. “I had to stop. They fooled me.”
“Not your fault, Jimmy,” Jason said.
“You just wanted my figure, mister,” Suzy said.
Jimmy started to say something, but thought better of it.
“Ben, go get me that duct tape from the truck glove compartment.”
“I know where it is, Jasper,” he said, rushing down the road’s embankment to a primer gray pickup with dents and rust all over it. The door opened with a loud creak. Ben was back with a half-used roll of tape in a few seconds.
“Dammit, Ben, is this all we have with us?” Jasper asked. “I told you to put that new roll in this afternoon.”
“I forgot. It’ll be enough.”
“Watch that one, Pa,” Suzy said, nodding towards Jason. “He looks like a snake ready to bite.”
“You wouldn’t be getting any ideas like that, would you?” Jasper asked, “because if you’re thinking that, I’ll just kill you right now.”
Jason stared back at him, weighing his chances with the pistol he had in his belt, behind his back.
“Jasper broke the stare. “Ben, tie their wrists with the duct tape, and do a good job.”
“Okay,” he said. Jasper watched while he did it. When he was done, Suzy and Jasper showed expressions of relief, and Jasper pulled out his phone.
“You calling Phillip?” Ben asked.
“Yes, so keep your mouth shut, and keep the shotgun on our friends here. Got it?”
“Don’t be mean. I know what to do.” He turned towards the captives, aiming the shotgun, and moving it from one to the other like a sprinkler head.
“Phillip? It’s Jasper. You interested in some tanks?”
He listened for a moment, then looked at Jason. “What kind of tanks are these?”
Jason looked him in the eye for a moment. “They’re Shermans.”
“He says they’re Shermans,” Jasper said. He moved the phone away from his ear quickly, a nervous expression washing over his face, with a hint of anger. “All right mister, quit lying. Phillip said the only Shermans left are in museums. What kind of tanks. You’d better be right this time.”
Jason looked at Kyle for a moment, then sighed. “M-1.”
“He says M-1, Phillip. Is that good?” Jasper smiled wide. “In that case, they’re gonna cost you.” He listened for a moment.
“Make a good deal, Pa,” Suzy said.
“Ten thousand a piece?” Jasper said, eyes wide. “Really?”
“What?” Ben asked. “That’s a fortune, that is.”
Jason snickered. Jasper shot him a glance.
“What’s so funny, mister?” Suzy asked.
“Yeah, what’s so funny?” Jasper asked.
“M-1 tanks are worth over four million dollars each. You’re happy to sell them for ten grand. That’s funny.”
Kyle smirked, shooting Jason a glance.
“Oh baloney,” Ben said.
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up,” Jasper said, his face a mixture of anger and excitement. “Nice try, Phillip, these are worth over four million bucks.” He pulled the receiver away from his ear again, as Phillip shouted at him so loud that Jason and the others could hear the tinny voice.
“Problem?” Jason asked. “I’m not lying. Look it up.”
“He said that’s new prices, and these aren’t new,” Jasper said, “plus these are black market. He said he’d go twenty grand each.”
“That’ll keep us going for a year, Pa,” Suzy said.
“How would you know?” Jasper asked. He put the phone back to his ear. “I want fifty thousand each.” He listened for a moment, then nodded his head yes. “Okay, I’ll do forty thousand.”
“Wow,” Ben said.
“Just a sec, let me give you the GPS coordinates,” Jasper said. He held his phone in front of his eyes and moved his finge
r across it, then read off the numbers. “Got it?” He pulled the phone away from his ear again. “I didn’t tell you I was in Arizona. What’s wrong with New Mexico? It ain’t that far.”
“He’s gonna back away,” Suzy said.
Jasper smiled as he listened. “Okay, Phillip, I can hold them ‘til you get here,” He slipped his phone back in his pocket.
“Hey, Pa, what if they have other folks in those RVs back there?” Suzy asked. Jasper looked at her, eyes wide, then turned quickly towards Jason and the others.
“You got anybody back there?”
“My German Shepherd is in the big motor home,” Jason said. “Go ahead and let her out.”
“Don’t do it, Jasper,” Ben said. “They’re scary.”
“Shut up, you half-wit. I know better than that.” Jasper turned back to his prisoners. “Might as well sit down in front of the truck. It’s gonna be a wait.”
Jasper walked away with Suzy to talk, leaving Ben to watch the prisoners. His attention span wasn’t great. Jason looked over at Kyle and Kate.
“Phillip is probably that leader of the Williams Militia that we heard about from General Hogan,” Jason whispered. “Those guys have chips. Our folks will see them.”
“Our people are already on their way,” Kate said under her breath. “Hope Carrie keeps quiet.”
“They’re coming back,” Kyle said, nodding.
“You got it, right, Suzy?”
“Yes, Pa, when they get here, I’ll hide out with the shotgun.”
Chapter 28 – Fluid Leak
Eric drove the Bronco on Highway 60 towards Jason’s position, Kim riding shotgun, watching her phone. Paco was sitting in the back seat, face out the window, staring into the wind. The sun was almost down.
“Something’s going on,” Kim said. “I see enemy hits coming this way from Arizona.”
“Crap, really?” Eric asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Looks like about twenty people. A few more straggling along behind them. They’ve crossed the New Mexico border, but just barely. We’ve got some time before they get here.”
“This scares the crap out of me,” Eric said. His phone dinged.
“Carrie,” Eric said, looking at the screen.
“Watch the road,” Kim said. “I’ll read it to you.”
“Thanks,” Eric said, passing it to her.
“Shit,” she said, brow furrowed. “They’re stopped on the road. Jason went outside and hasn’t come back after half an hour. He’s not answering texts.”
“They’re being held,” Eric said. “Or worse.”
“Don’t go to the worst place right away, honey. She can’t see what’s going on from where she is, and she’s scared to go outside, so she’s staying out of sight with Chelsea.”
“Dammit,” Eric said. “They got hijacked for the tanks. We should have stuck together and gone slower. Never again.”
“Live and learn,” Kim said. “I’ll reply that we’re on the way, and ask for the GPS coordinates. Then maybe we can shut off the lights and sneak in.”
“Yeah, do that,” Eric said, glancing at her.
She typed on her phone as Eric gripped the wheel, wanting to go faster. The phone dinged again. Kim read it. “Get ready, they’re only half a mile from here.”
“Maybe we should turn off our lights, then,” Eric said. “Pass the word, honey.”
She nodded. Eric turned out the lights, but it wasn’t completely dark yet. He concentrated on the white lines of the road, slowing down slightly. Text replies were coming, Kim reading them before responding.
“Everybody got the message,” Kim said. “Curt says we ought to stop at the quarter mile mark and walk in quietly.”
“I agree. Let me know when we get that close.”
Kim nodded. They rolled along a little further, and then she turned to him. “Now.”
Eric slowed to a stop, and they got out, Eric grabbing an M60, Kim her M-16. Curt and Amanda trotted over, followed by Junior and Kelly. Stanton Hunt appeared with White Eagle, who carried a sniper rifle.
“We’ve got to be quiet,” Eric said. “How good are you with that long gun?”
“I can take out a gnat’s ass at three hundred yards,” White Eagle said.
“He’s right,” Stanton said. “It’s a little dark, though.”
“This scope is made for that,” White Eagle said. “Trust me, if we can get to a place where I can get a clear shot, I’ll nail them.”
“Let’s go,” Eric whispered. They moved forward in a fast walk, getting down off the shoulder of the road when they could make out the dark hulk of the tank flatbed.
“Slow down,” Junior whispered. “Young woman and two men, the smaller of the two holding a shotgun. Looks like Jason, Kyle, Kate, and the drivers are there, sitting in front of that flatbed.”
“I need to be a little bit closer,” White Eagle said, after looking through the scope for a moment.
They moved forward again, trying not to make noise in the rough ground below their feet. The large man turned, looking down the road at them.
“Freeze,” Eric whispered.
They stopped moving. The big man turned back towards the woman. The smaller man set down his shotgun and walked to the road shoulder to pee. The young woman took his place by the prisoners, pointing a shotgun at them.
“Better hit her before the little guy comes back,” Stanton whispered.
White Eagle was looking through the scope, crosshair on the woman’s scraggly blonde hair. He pulled the trigger, and her head exploded, blowing brains all over the other two captors, who froze, watching her collapse on the road, both of them screaming. Then White Eagle shot the small man, his head splattering over the prisoners and the front of the flatbed truck. The big man threw away his shotgun and put his hands in the air.
“Don’t shoot!” he cried.
White Eagle had him in his crosshairs.
“Don’t kill him yet,” Eric said. “Let’s go, guys. He’ll tell us everything.”
They rushed down the road, guns aimed, getting there in seconds.
“Why’d you shoot my little girl?” the man cried, tears running down his cheeks.
“Gee, I wonder,” Kelly said, picking up the man’s shotgun.
“About time you guys got here,” Jason said. He smiled as Curt helped them up.
“Nice shooting,” Kyle said.
“That was White Eagle,” Junior said.
“Thank God,” Kate said, rubbing her wrists, still sticky from the tape.
“There’s militia men on the way,” Jason said. “I don’t know how far away.
The drivers were up now. One of them noticed fluid dripping out of the engine on the first flatbed. “Dammit, that bullet when through the in breed’s head and hit the engine.”
“We know about the bad guys,” Junior said. “They have chips. Still a good two hours away. They’re coming east on Highway 60.”
“Really?” Kyle asked. “How many of them are coming?”
“Looks like about thirty,” Eric said, looking at the app.
“I’d better go get Carrie and Chelsea,” Jason said, running to his rig.
“Thank God,” Carrie said, coming down the steps with Chelsea in her arms. “Our guys got here?”
“Yeah,” Jason said. “Good job lying low.”
“Why didn’t they come back here and capture us?” Carrie asked.
“These folks were beyond stupid. I told them my German Shepherd was in the coach, and they were welcome to let her out. They believed me.”
“Morons,” Carrie said.
“What’s a moron?” Chelsea asked, still half asleep.
“Never mind, honey,” Carrie said, shooting Jason a look. He shrugged, smiling. They got almost to the front.
“Keep Chelsea back here,” Jason said. “It’s a little gory.”
Carrie nodded, getting only far enough to hear the conversation.
“If they’ve really got thirty people coming, we
’re going to need some help,” Kelly said.
“The RV Park is only twenty minutes away,” Stanton said as he typed a text message. “There’ll be fifty warriors here in half an hour, tops.”
“Yeah, I asked more to come too,” Curt said, “but we need to leave a good force there. The enemy will be driving right by Pie Town. They might notice something at the park. It’s visible from the road.”
“Who are you with?” Eric asked the surviving hostage-taker.
“His name is Jasper,” Jason said.
“Well, Jasper?” Eric asked, getting closer, gun aimed at his head.
“We’re just scavengers,” Jasper said, tears still running down his cheeks. “We weren’t going to kill these guys. Just sell the tanks and be on our way with the money.”
“The militia would’ve killed us,” Jason said. “Probably would’ve killed you guys too.”
“Philip wouldn’t do that,” Jasper said.
Kelly and Junior shot each other a glance. “Wait, Phillip, you say?” Junior asked.
“Yes,” Jasper said. “Don’t call him Phil. He’s killed people for that.”
Kelly laughed. “These are Simon Orr’s people.”
“You know Simon Orr?” Jasper asked.
“Oh yeah, we know Simon Orr,” Kelly said.
“Where is he?”
“Taking a dirt nap,” Kelly said. “General Hogan killed his sorry ass.”
“Really?” Jasper asked. “When?”
“A while back,” Kelly said. “Hey, Jason, there might be more in this band of inbreeds around, and they don’t have chips.”
“Yeah, where’s the rest of your clan?” Jason asked.
“There’s only some kids and a couple women,” Jasper said. “The rest joined up with Phillip a long time ago.”
“Why should we believe you?” Kelly asked.
“I’m not lying,” Jasper said.
“Well, if somebody else shows up that isn’t part of the militia, you’ll be the first person shot,” Jason said. “Not too much fun to hear that, is it?”
“Look, I’m sorry, mister,” Jasper said. “I was just trying to provide for my family.”
“Wonder if Phil, oh excuse me, Phil-lip is coming with the militia?” Kelly asked. “Love to kill that son of a bitch.”
Carrie stuck her head out from behind the flatbed and shot him a glance, nodding down at Chelsea.