by Robert Boren
“Got any grenades left?” Malcolm shouted.
“Yeah,” Jackson yelled back.
“See if you can roll one underneath that last coach.”
After that, several men rushed out of that coach with their hands up.
“Guess they know English. No prisoners,” Jeb shouted. All of the men opened up on them, while Jackson pulled the pin and tossed the grenade under the coach. It blew up and became an inferno right away.
“This is why we don’t want to get into a battle on the road,” Kurt said, looking at the three ruined coaches in flames. “A motorhome is a rolling tinder box.”
“Seriously,” Earl said.
They waited for a few minutes. It was silent below.
“Should we go down there and check it out?” Kurt asked.
“There might be somebody waiting for us down there,” Jackson said. “I didn’t see enough men show themselves.”
“Wait a minute, there goes George,” Jeb said, pointing. He was carrying the assault rifle that Malcolm brought.
There was some gunfire, and then some shouting in Arabic. Malcolm got behind the M107, aimed it, and fired. There were screams down below, and then another man ran out from under the bridge. Jeb’s rifle cracked, and he hit the ground dead.
“All clear,” George shouted, coming out into the open. “Let’s meet over there, in front of that bluff.”
Jeb looked over at the bluff. “I think I know what he has in mind,” he said. “We can see the whole area from there. Good place to ambush the other group.”
“If the other group comes here,” Kurt said. “I’m still not convinced they’re on their way here. I think they might have been sent to the canyon.”
“Well, let’s go over there and see what they’re thinking,” Jeb said. The men walked back to their jeep and took off across the bridge, linking up with Malcolm and George on the other side.
“Nicely done,” Jeb said, getting out of the jeep. The others bailed out, and looked up at the bluff. “You’re thinking we should take the jeeps up there?”
“Good vantage point, from the look of things down here,” Malcolm said.
“If they’re sending forty men, they’re going to be in a lot of vehicles,” Kurt said. “We might be biting off more than we can chew, unless we can wait until they go down under the bridge and bunch up. I wouldn’t count on that, unless they’re really stupid.”
Jeb’s phone dinged. “Text message coming in,” he said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He got a strange look on his face, a mixture of fear and relief.
“What is it?” George asked.
“The second group of cretins turned around. They’re high-tailing it back to the Denver area.”
“They know we can see them,” Malcolm said.
“I’d say that’s a pretty sure bet,” Kurt said. “What now?”
“Let’s go back to the RV Park and get some shut-eye,” George said. “Then go to Kansas in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Kurt said. “We’ll be able to see anybody else coming.”
“I’m good with that,” Jeb said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m bushed.”
The men got back into their jeeps and headed for Sidney.
Howard drove the Class C east on the interstate, until they were just outside of Kansas City. He pulled off onto a small highway. The bedroom was still noisy. Lots of bumping noises and grunts, but no more screams. He hoped she wasn’t dead yet. That wouldn’t do. There was a dirt road coming up, which curved off into a stand of trees several hundred yards down, bordering the back pasture of a farm. He turned onto that and drove the heavily rutted road, the coach bouncing and creaking, pots and pans making noise in the kitchen cabinets. He slowed down some more, but he wanted to go faster. He couldn’t wait to get back there. Suddenly the bedroom door slid open.
“She’s all yours, old friend,” Scotty said, pulling his pants back on.
“She still alive?”
“Yeah,” he said. “She passed out, though. Had a lot of fight in her. She’s stronger than she looks, so be careful. I’m thinking soccer or track, maybe softball.”
“These trees look okay?” Howard asked, his adrenalin building fast.
“Yeah, it’ll do. I’ll keep watch. Enjoy.”
Howard parked, and practically leaped out of his seat, rushing back as Scotty chuckled, a smug look on his face. The door slid shut, and then there was a scream as the victim woke up again. It sounded like a brawl was going on in there. Scotty chuckled again, and went out to the front passenger seat. He started to work out his disposal plans as he looked out the windshield.
Jane and Jasmine sat, staring at their laptops with tired eyes.
“Well, the boys are going back to Sidney, and they’ll be here in the morning,” Jane said. “I say we hang it up for the night.”
“Agreed,” Jasmine said. “It was a good day.”
“Yes,” Jane said, as she shut down her laptop. When it was off, she closed the lid and slowly got off the stool, shaking her legs.
“Yeah, I’m a little stiff too,” Jasmine said. “That was a long time in the saddle.” She shut the top on her laptop, and they left the barn, walking back to their coaches.
“You think the other group turned around because they know we can see them?” Jasmine asked.
“That makes the most sense, but who knows,” Jane said. “It’s possible that they just needed the men for something else.”
“We did poke the hornet’s nest, you know,” Jasmine said. “It’s liable to come back and bite us.”
“Maybe, but I’m too tired to think about that now. See you in the morning,” Jane said. She walked to her coach and quietly entered, trying not to wake up Frank. Lucy came running to the door, jumping up and down.
“Quiet down, girl,” she whispered. “I know you were out earlier.”
She walked into the bedroom, stripped, and climbed carefully into bed. Frank didn’t even stir.
Sun broke through the gaps in the curtains, hitting Terry in the face, waking him. He looked over at Trish, still sleeping, light brown hair spilled over the pillow. He sighed. How did I get so lucky?
He tried to get out of bed without waking her, but she stirred and turned towards him, groggy.
“Sorry,” Terry said.
“I need to wake up anyway,” she said lazily, smiling. “I guess you aren’t tired of me yet.”
“Well, we are still newlyweds, you know,” he said as he pulled on a t-shirt. He smiled at her. “I love you more every day.”
“I know, me too,” she said, pulling back the covers and sitting up. Terry sucked in air when he saw her uncovered, and she looked over at him, her eyes dancing. “You want to get back into bed, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Terry said.
“Well, later,” she said. “We’re going to have a busy day today.”
“You think we’re going to have to leave?”
“No. At least I hope not,” she said, getting dressed. “The away team should be back, with our guests.”
“Oh,” Terry said. “I’m a little nervous about them.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said. “I’d worry about the former owner of this park, though. I don’t think those guys would bother coming here if they thought he was dead.”
“That thought has crossed my mind,” Terry said. “I’m glad we got the trailers ready to go.”
“Me too,” Trish said, looking around it as she walked out of the bedroom. “This little home of ours is really growing on me. It’s so cozy.”
“Yes,” Terry said. “It’ll be a nice start for us.”
“We need to talk about something,” she said, as she filled the coffee pot with water and put it on a burner. She looked serious.
“Uh oh, should I be worried?”
“No, silly,” she said, seeing his concern. “I’m heading into my most fertile time. I can feel it.”
“Oh, really,” Terry said, smiling. “You want me to us
e birth control?”
“Maybe, but I want the two of us to decide on it,” she said. “What do you think?”
“Do you want to be pregnant during this?”
“I’m craving that, but maybe that’s all emotion. Maybe we should use our heads instead of our hearts.”
“I’ll go along with whatever you think is best,” Terry said.
“No, you aren’t going to get away with that,” she said, looking at him seriously. “Not with me. I’m not going to decide. We’re going to decide.” She turned towards the counter and grabbed the can of coffee, spooning some into the percolator’s brew basket.
“You want my head or my heart?” Terry asked, walking over to her, putting his arms around her shoulders and neck from behind, pulling her close.
“Both,” she said, putting her hands on his arms and settling into him.
“Good. I think they agree, actually,” he said. “But turnabout is fair play. I’ll tell you what I want, but that doesn’t make the decision.”
“I know,” she said, turning around towards him, looking into his eyes.
“I don’t think we should make the final decision right this minute, but I’ll tell you what my gut tells me,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, trying to read his eyes.
“I want you pregnant.”
She continued to watch his eyes. Then she looked down for a moment, pulling him closer.
“Alright,” she said. “That’s what my heart wants too. My head’s going to need some time to wrap itself around it. I’ll tell you what I think tomorrow morning. Then we’ll talk some more. Fair enough?”
“Yes,” he said. He raised her chin with his hand and kissed her.
Jane woke up with a start, thinking she must have overslept. She felt over where Frank should be, but he wasn’t there. What time is it? Her phone said 9:30. Urrggg. She got up, dressed in a hurry, and headed to the clubhouse.
“Good morning, honey,” she said, as she approached Frank. Lucy ran over and jumped at her shins, tail wagging. He looked up from his monitor briefly, smiled, and then looked back down. He needs to keep at it, she thought to herself. She got a cup of coffee from the big pot in the kitchen, and then went out to the barn and turned on her laptop.
“Morning, Jane,” Jasmine said as she walked up. “Sleep well?”
“Overslept.”
“Me too,” Jasmine said, opening her laptop and turning it on. “Frank back at it?”
“Yeah, he didn’t even want to talk. He was up before I was.”
“Jerry’s been burning up the internet with his iPad,” Jasmine said.
“About what?”
“Serial killer activity around here, and stuff about Malcolm and George.”
“He worried?” asked Jane.
“No, I think he’s more fascinated. He’s been keeping track of what the away team’s been doing, too. I filled in some blanks for him after I got back to the coach last night. I think he’s at the point where he looks at Malcolm and George more as good guys than bad guys.”
“I guess I should text Jeb and see where they’re at.”
“I already talked to mom,” Jasmine said. “They’re on their way here, should be here in about an hour and a half.”
“Good,” Jane said. “Any activity with the enemy?”
“All quiet,” Jasmine said. “I did a search before I left the coach. Icons under the bridge and in the canyon unchanged. Same number, no movement.”
“I’m surprised.”
“Why?” asked Jasmine.
“Don’t you think the authorities would have been out there to clean up by now? Maybe not in the canyon, but at that bridge, at least. You have to be able to see those burned out coaches from the road.”
“Good point,” Jasmine said.
“Oh!” Jane said, looking at her screen. “There we go. I can see movement at the bridge. Looks like the bodies are being carried. One vehicle full is driving towards Sidney right now, too.”
“Hopefully the coroner,” Jasmine said.
“Nothing at the canyon yet,” Jane said. “Wonder if the TV news has anything yet?”
“Good question. We could go check in the clubhouse.”
“No, let’s leave Frank alone in there,” Jane said. “He might be on the verge of cracking the security around that names file.”
“Okay,” Jasmine said.
“Hey!” Jane said. “All of the icons around the bridge just disappeared.”
“Maybe the paramedics did something,” Jasmine said.
“Maybe,” Jane said. “The ones on the road to Sidney disappeared too. That’s odd.”
“Uh oh, maybe the enemy is on to us,” Jasmine said, looking white as a sheet. “I’ll check the Canyon.”
“I’m looking at it now,” Jane said. “Nothing. All of the icons are gone.”
“Shit!” Jasmine said. Just then Jerry ran into the clubhouse.
“Something’s wrong,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “All of the icons in Denver just dropped off the screen.”
“Oh no,” Jane said. “They know. They changed something.”
“Or they took their chips out,” Jerry said.
“I doubt that,” Jane said.
“Why?” Jasmine asked.
“Think about it,” Jane said. “We just saw the bodies being moved out of the bridge area. Those folks were dead. They couldn’t have removed their chips, and I doubt the coroner would do that, either, especially timed right with the rest of them going dark.”
“You’re right,” Jasmine said, “and just because the chips are out, doesn’t mean they’re invisible. They’d have to be destroyed or shielded for us not to see them.”
“Yeah, this had to be a system change,” Jerry said. “If the timing wasn’t right on, I’d be worried that it isn’t the coroner at the bridge. The timing is too much of a coincidence. We’d better go talk to Frank.”
“Okay,” Jane said. “C’mon.”
“Should we tell the snipers to get on the roofs?” Jasmine asked.
“Not yet,” Jane said. “We know there were no live ones any closer than about four hours out.”
The three trotted over to the clubhouse.
“Frank!” Jane said. “All of the icons have disappeared.”
Frank stood up and looked over at them as they approached, still deep in thought.
“Frank!”
Chapter 9 – Canadian Passage
“Frank!” Jane cried, as the others studied him. He looked like he was waking up.
“Don’t worry,” Frank said, finally paying attention. “I knew they’d do this. The apps are searching for the new keys now. Shouldn’t take more than about fifteen minutes.”
Jerry looked at his phone. “Can I tell it’s doing that?”
“No, I didn’t build an indicator into the program for that. Maybe I should.”
“What if they start doing this really often? During a battle, for instance?” Jerry asked.
“They won’t,” Frank said. “It’s a really big job for them.”
Jane walked over to Frank and hugged him. She had a look of relief on her face. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Frank said. “This tells me that they’re onto us now, though. It might change things a little.”
“Think they’ll take out the chips?” Jerry asked.
“I doubt it,” Frank said. “That’s their whole command and control system. They’d have to halt operations, at least for a while.”
“You looked like you just woke out of a sleep when we came in,” Jane said. “What’s going on?”
Frank smiled. “I think I cracked the problem. I was getting ready to run a test when you guys came in.”
“Good, you keep at it, Frank,” Jane said. “We’ll just wait over there.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
“Let’s go in the kitchen and get more coffee,” Jerry said. They walked over there and stayed for a while, quietly chatting, Jerry checking his phone e
very couple of minutes.
“Hey, the icons are back,” Jerry said, grinning.
Jasmine looked at her phone. “Yep, they are. Looks like the meat wagons picked up everybody from the bridge site. Icons moving along in several vehicles, towards Sidney.”
“Good,” Jane said. “Maybe we ought to leave Frank alone.”
“Yeah,” Jerry said. They walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the door. “Thanks, Frank. They’re back.”
Frank nodded, and went back to the PC as they left the room.
“Well, that was scary,” Jasmine said. “Let’s make sure the PC apps are working again.”
Jane nodded, and they the two of them went back to the barn. Jerry went back to the coach and picked up his iPad. It was back to normal - icons showed up in all the places he expected. He went back to his reading about Malcolm and George.
Scotty sat in the passenger side front seat of Howard’s Class C. The noise was still coming from the bedroom. “Hey, better wrap it up,” he shouted.
“In a minute,” Howard shouted back, sounding out of breath.
Scotty got a wicked smile on his face. He wished they weren’t on the road. This one would last a while in the dungeon. A lot of them don’t.
Howard finally came out, dressed again.
“You kill her?” Scotty asked.
“No, she passed out again. Want to tie her up?”
“No, we’ll have to dispose of her and get moving,” Scotty said. “I want to leave a trail going in the direction of Ohio.”
“How should we do it?”
“I’ll let you make the choice,” Scotty said. “Enjoy, and then hang her in one of the trees.”
“You want to use any of our markers?”
“Of course,” Scotty said. “Like I said, I want to lead a trail going east.”
“You don’t think you’re going to re-settle at the park, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Scotty said, smiling. “It has lots of features that I’ve missed.”