by Robert Boren
The motor of the chainsaw labored as it cut through the branch. Jerry got almost all the way through, and stopped.
“Stand back, folks,” he shouted over the noise. Then he cut the rest of the way through, and the large branch crashed to the ground. He got down and cut the branch into smaller pieces, and then the other men pulled the pieces over to the side of the road.
“Why don’t you pull your rig under the trees?” Jeb said. “Better cover. We can put our vehicles next to it, and it’ll be hard to see us from the air.”
“Great idea,” Jerry said. He folded up the ladder and carried it and the chainsaw back to the storage compartment. Then he went into the coach, got behind the wheel, and fired it up. “Hold on, I’m going to move under the tree.”
“Why?” Jasmine asked.
“Cover.”
“Oh, good thinking,” she replied.
The coach crept forward. Jeb was outside with the others, watching and guiding. He finally put both hands up. Jerry stopped, and shut the engine down. He went back outside and looked.
“Perfect,” he said.
“Yeah, I think we can hang out here for a while,” Jeb said.
“Dobie, want to go back to the park with me?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah, sounds good. See you guys later.”
Jerry nodded, and then looked at Jeb and Terry.
“The back storage compartment has some chairs,” he said. “Feel free, guys.” Then he went back inside the coach.
“All set?” Frank asked.
“Yep, and Gabe’s going back to the park with Dobie,” he replied. “How are you doing?”
“I’m ready to take a chip out of the box,” Frank said. He reached for the box, removed the top, and brought a chip out, taking it from its plastic bag and putting it on the table in front of him. He switched on the signal detector. Then his hand reached over to the signal generator. “Keep your fingers crossed.”
Chapter 10 – Nervous Dobermans
Gabe drove the Suburban down the dirt road, away from Jerry’s rig. Dobie was riding shotgun, and Duchess was in the back, scanning the territory.
“We didn’t have to go nearly as far as I expected,” Gabe said.
“Hope Frank is able to do what he needs to do,” Dobie said.
“Me too. I’ll feel better when we get back to the park. I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,” Gabe said. “Can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Well, then let’s haul ass. The main road’s coming up fast.”
Gabe got onto the highway and cranked the big SUV up to about seventy.
“You know it’s possible we’ll have to leave your park, right?” Dobie asked.
“I don’t want to think about that.”
“I know you don’t, but if we have to get out, it’s going to be in a hurry, and we need to be able to hit it on a moment’s notice. You might want to put some of your valuables in the car, just in case.”
“You don’t think the place will hold?” Gabe asked.
“Against a really small force, maybe, if they don’t get the drop on us,” Dobie said. “The dogs should help with that.”
“You think we should be expecting a larger force, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, Gabe, I do,” Dobie said. “I can’t believe we’re only drawing random attention. I suspect somebody in the enemy ranks knows we’re a threat.”
“Frank?”
“Yeah.”
“Think we should make him leave, Dobie?”
“Hell no, I think we ought to be doing everything we can to protect him and help him. We might have to move again, though, and if it gets to that point, I want to make sure you come with us.”
“Why?” Gabe asked, looking over at Dobie for a moment.
“You’re the only family I’ve got left, that’s why,” Dobie said, choking up.
“Oh. I know, you’re right. I guess we should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
“We should have a plan.”
“Plan?”
“Yeah, just in case. Where would be the best place for us to run too if it gets too hot around here?”
“I’d head for Kansas,” Gabe said. “Take the back roads to route 24, through the copper mountains, then east. Link up with route 94, then route 287, through Kit Carson, and onto route 40. Should be safe to get back on I-70 eventually. Get as close to Missouri as we can.”
“Good plan. We should punch that into our phone GPS, and spread it around to the others, just in case.”
“Okay, Dobie, I’ll go along with that, but let’s not jump the gun.”
“Agreed.”
“Maybe I should call the park and make sure everything’s okay before we get there,” Dobie said.
“Sure, go ahead. We’re probably back in range of the cell towers by now.”
Dobie pulled his phone out of his pocket and punched in Jake’s number.
“Hi, Jake.”
“Dobie, glad you called.”
“Everything okay?”
“Basically, yes, but your dogs have been walking around growling. It’s got people scared around here. Some of them are afraid to leave their coaches.”
Dobie got a scared look on his face. “Go talk to Charlie and the Sheriff right now. Those dogs won’t growl for no reason. There’s somebody around. Watch yourself.”
“Alright, I’ll call you back.”
“Oh, shit, what’s the matter?” Gabe asked.
“Something’s wrong. The dogs are growling. They won’t do that for no reason.”
“Uh oh. What should we do?”
“Keep rolling, and keep your eyes open. You got any long guns back there?”
“Yeah, but I’m not a great shot like Jeb or Kurt.”
Dobie’s phone rang. He answered it.
“Dobie? This is Charlie. How far out are you guys?”
“Maybe ten minutes out.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll ask Jackson to get ready with the backhoe. The Sheriff’s already on the roof, and the mortar is still in place if we need it.”
“Good. I’ll call you just before we go around the last bend.”
“Great, thanks. Take care of yourselves.”
Gabe gripped the wheel tighter, and gritted his teeth, and Dobie saw the fear in his eyes. They drove along quickly. The road was completely deserted. It was late afternoon now, and the shadows were getting long.
“Maybe they’re waiting until dark,” Dobie said.
“Maybe. I hope we can get through that gate before they attack.”
“Yeah, me too. Maybe we should drive past a little ways to see if there’s any sign of trouble. Is there a safe place to turn around up there?”
“Well, if worse comes to worse, we could turn around on the road back to the canyon area. I doubt anybody’s back there, with Earl and Jackson watching, and the back road destroyed.”
They rode along silently for a while, both of their minds going a mile a minute.
“There’s the last curve,” Gabe said.
Dobie nodded and dialed his phone.
“We’re almost to the last curve, Charlie.”
“Good. We’re all in place.”
“Think we ought to drive past the park a little ways and see if anything’s going on?”
“You sure you want to risk that?”
“No, but I think we need to find out. We can barrel down that road to the back canyon if we get into trouble.”
“Well, if you see somebody, we can aim the mortar their way and let ‘em have it.”
“Yeah, Charlie, that’s what I was thinking.”
“I’ll get Jackson ready to go.”
“Don’t have that backhoe out in the open any longer than absolutely necessary.”
“Got it, Dobie. See you in a couple minutes.”
Dobie stuck his phone in his pocket.
“Stop the car for a moment. I want that rifle up here.”
“O
kay,” Gabe said. He brought the SUV to a stop along the side of the road. Dobie jumped out and went in through the back passenger side door, grabbing the rifle.
“Don’t worry, girl,” he said to Duchess. She looked at him and whined.
“Go for it,” Dobie said as he got back into the front seat. “I wouldn’t go too slowly.”
Gabe stuck his foot on the gas pedal and got them back up to about sixty. They rounded the curve, passing the front of the park and going around the next bend. There were two cars and a pickup truck parked along the far side of the road, but nobody was in sight.
“Oh, crap,” Gabe said as they flew by.
“Pull into the canyon road.”
“Did you see anybody, Dobie?”
“No, sure didn’t. We might have snuck past them.”
Gabe drove onto the canyon road, and did a K-turn right in front of the gate, pointing back towards the highway, so they’d be ready to leave in a hurry.
“Dobie, there’s a place up there where we could see those vehicles. Maybe we ought to sneak up there and get a good look. I don’t want to fire mortar rounds at somebody who’s just down there fishing. There’s another creek and some springs down from that part of the road.”
“Good, lead the way,” Dobie said. He let Duchess out of the back of the SUV. “Duchess, guard the car.”
Dobie followed Gabe up the side of the hill, along a trail that led through the trees to a small flat plateau. They could see the vehicles, and there was enough cover to stay put.
“Turn your phone ringer off,” Dobie whispered.
“Right,” Gabe said, fishing his phone out of his pocket, while Dobie called Charlie back.
“Charlie,” he whispered. “We’re on the road into the canyon. We saw two cars and a pickup truck parked on the far side of the road. We’re hiding on the side of the hill, watching to see if it’s bad guys or just some fishermen.”
“Where should we point the mortar?”
“Move it towards the left about thirty degrees from where it was pointed yesterday. Distance is probably already close.”
“Will do. Just say the word when you want us to fire.”
“I’ll call you back, Charlie. Thanks.”
He put his phone back in his pocket.
“Duchess will really stay by the car and guard it?” Gabe whispered.
“Yeah. At least we’ll know if somebody tries to sneak up on us.”
“Look, a pajama boy,” Gabe said, pointing. “What’s that he’s carrying?”
“Crap, that’s a mortar,” Dobie said. “It still has to be assembled.” He pulled his phone back out and dialed Charlie.
“Let ‘em have it. We’ll spot, so stay on the phone. It’s Islamists. They’re carrying a mortar down below.”
“Got it,” Charlie said. Then there was the pop, and an explosion as the mortar round hit the road, next to the vehicles, sending the pickup truck and one of the cars flying down the road. There was screaming in Arabic from below.
“Take it out about ten yards and hit them again,” Dobie said.
Another pop, and then another explosion. Two militia men scrambled up the hill and tried to make the last car. Dobie pointed the rifle at the front of the engine and fired. Steam came gushing out of the grill.
“Nice one,” Gabe said.
“Here, take the rifle and shoot into the engine again,” Dobie said.
“Charlie, hit them again. Got any Willie Pete left?”
“Yeah, you guys far enough away?”
“I think so,” he said.
Then there was a pop, and a rushing sound with an explosion. Gabe and Dobie felt intense heat blow by them. Duchess barked. Dobie looked down at the car…there was a man running towards it. He pulled his pistol and fired, hitting the man in the torso. He fired again, hitting the man in the head. Gabe wailed away at the car with the rifle, putting two more bullets in the engine and one through the driver’s window.
“Where’s the other guy?” Dobie asked.
“I think he’s hiding behind the car.”
“Charlie, back up ten yards and hit them again with Willie Pete.”
“Got it,” Charlie said. There was the pop, and the rushing sound, and the intense heat washed over them again. The car exploded into flames, and the man behind it tried to run, but he was covered with fire. He fell down on the road, dying.
“That got ‘em,” Gabe said.
“I wish we could see down the side of that hill,” Dobie said. “Charlie, put the mortar out about twenty yards and hit them with a conventional round. Then take out another ten and do it again, then bring it in forty from there and hit them one more time. Then we’ll need to get a party down there to look.”
“Got it.” The mortar fired in fairly rapid succession. The third one caused a secondary explosion.
“Good, got their shells,” Dobie said. “Hear that, Charlie?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to get off the phone now and take the dog down there to look. Hold your fire.”
“Alright, Dobie. The Sheriff and I are going to go down there on foot too.”
“Good.”
“What do you want me to do?” Gabe asked.
“Drive the SUV back to the front of the park,” he said.
“Okay.”
The men climbed down. Duchess ran over to Dobie, tail wagging.
“You know how to fire one of these?” Dobie asked, picking up the dead man’s AK-47.
“Yeah,” Gabe said. “Don’t you want it for down there?”
“Naw, I’m better with the pistols.”
“Okay,” Gabe said, taking the weapon and getting into the car. “Be careful.”
“You too. Let me take a look down the road before you get out there.” He trotted up to the intersection and looked down. Fire smoldered, but there was no movement. “Okay, Gabe, go ahead, but drive by there fast, just in case.”
“Righto,” Gabe said. He fired up the SUV and drove out. He made it in front of the park in no time, and drove across the bridge just as Charlie and the Sheriff were getting ready to walk across. He parked beside his residence, out of sight.
Dobie was already at the shoulder of the road, and he looked down. There was a small fire going below, but it didn’t look hot enough to turn into a forest fire. There were bodies all over the place, and broken equipment, too. Mortars, ammo cases, other stuff. He was about to climb down when he saw the Sheriff and Charlie coming. He went over to join them.
“Anybody still kicking?” the Sheriff asked.
“Not that I can see, but who knows how many might have fled further down that mountain.”
Well, we can guestimate how many there were. Two sedans. Maybe five in each. Pickup truck…probably six. So we’re talking about sixteen men. How many bodies?”
“Didn’t get a good count yet. There’s one guy back on the road into the canyon. I wasted him with my pistol when he tried to run away from the mortar rounds. There was one guy trying to escape from this car here. He got hit with the Willie Pete and burned up. Not a pretty sight.”
“Anybody in those first two cars?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“I guess we get to go down there, then,” the Sheriff said. “I’ll be able to see tracks if some of them skedaddled.”
“This makes me nervous,” Charlie said. “Some of them might be hiding in the trees, waiting to take some shots at us.”
“We should get some warning from Duchess.”
“Maybe you should go get the other three,” Charlie said.
“That’s a good idea,” Dobie said. He trotted down the road until he could see the front of the park, and then called Princess. She came running over. “Simon and Peabody,” he shouted. They came running over too. The three dogs greeted Duchess, and then they followed Dobie back over to the shoulder next to the burned sedan. The Sheriff and Charlie were already down the hill.
“Look at this,” the Sheriff said. “Four of
these idiots got hit when the pickup and the other car rolled down the side of the hill.”
“Dead?” Dobie asked.
“One was still barely alive, but I put him out of his misery,” the Sheriff said.
“I didn’t hear a shot.”
“Used my knife. Why waste ammo? He was pinned under the wreckage.”
“We can account for thirteen,” Charlie said. I count eleven dead down here, plus the one on the road and the one you shot.”
“That’s not enough bodies,” Dobie said.
“Probably not,” the Sheriff said. “Unless the cars weren’t full. Let’s go down the hill a ways and look for tracks. Keep those dogs close. Stay out of the open as much as possible.”
The men picked their way down, looking warily in all directions, as the dogs searched, noses to the ground, looking up every few seconds and sniffing the air.
“Look, tracks right there,” Charlie whispered, pointing. “Two men.”
Suddenly a bullet whizzed by, striking a tree behind them, sending splinters flying. The dogs took off running towards the direction of the bullets, barking like crazy. The Sheriff and Charlie had their rifles aimed from behind trees, scanning with their scopes, in the direction the dogs were running.
“There’s one,” the Sheriff said. He fired, and a man fell from the tree. Over to the right, another man jumped out of the tree, threw his gun away, and started running. Charlie shot him in the back. He fell to the ground. Dobie looked over at Charlie, surprised.
“What, Dobie, you think we take prisoners?” he said. “Not a chance.”
“Okay, I get it,” Dobie said.
“I’ll go see if there are any more tracks,” the Sheriff said. Dobie followed him, watching the dogs as they looked around. They scoured the area for about twenty minutes. Charlie had gone back up and was removing the chips from the bodies.
“I don’t think there were any more,” the Sheriff said. “No tracks anywhere, and your dogs would have noticed something. Let’s go back up.”
Dobie nodded. The Sheriff stopped at the bodies down by the tree and cut the chips out of them.
“There’s another body back on the canyon road. We’d better get the chip out of that one too,” Dobie said. “What about the bodies?”
“They’re far enough away for the smell not to bother us,” the Sheriff said. “I say we take their guns and ammo and anything else of value, and leave them here for the bears and the boar.”