Bug Out! Part 9: RV Ambush

by Robert Boren

  Frank put his phone in his pocket and walked out to the salon.

  “He’s safe?” Jane asked.

  “Yes, he’s safe, and he’s coming for a visit. We need to get George to put our location in the drop box.”

  “I’ll bet he’s already done that, but let’s go make sure,” Jerry said.

  “How about some coffee first?” Jane asked.

  “There’s some in the clubhouse,” Jerry said. “Let’s go.”

  Howard drove the class C through the morning sun. He was running on pure adrenaline at this point, after not sleeping at all. He didn’t drive all night. He found a place to park, pretending he would sleep. He didn’t. The sound of Scotty’s pleading voice kept playing back in his mind over and over. That wasn’t all that was in his mind, though. There were the images of Amanda, naked, under him. Fighting, clawing, and crying. The feel of her neck in his hands, throbbing. Wide eyes staring, then empty. He looked over at her. She was snoring. The robe had come open, giving him a hint of what was underneath. I can’t take it.

  He was about to transition over to the main route into St Louis. He went the other way, out into the empty land. He was going to do it. I can’t help myself. He drove down the small two lane highway for miles, until there weren’t houses and businesses and other cars passing him. She woke up when he turned onto the dirt road.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, eyes filled with terror. She closed the robe around herself.

  “I need a bathroom break,” he said, as he guided the coach down the rutted road.

  “You could have pulled over anywhere to do that,” she said, starting to get up.

  “It’ll take me a little while, and your friend’s blood is all over the floor. Probably on the steps, too.” He parked, and got up as if he was going to the bathroom. When she started to follow him, he whipped around and grabbed her arms. She fought him, screaming, flailing at him, but she wasn’t strong enough. He elbowed her in the face, causing blood to gush from her nose, and then dragged her into the bedroom, pulling the robe off as he went. He threw her on the bed and got on her, assaulting her over and over, for more than an hour. His hands went around her neck, and she fought harder, eyes wide, in a panic. As she was starting to black out, her eyes showed Howard what he wanted to see. Her life was going to end. Then she was still, and he let go, her eyes open, staring into nothingness. Howard got up and went back into the front of the coach. He sat down and cried. “What have I done?” he asked himself.

  He picked up his cellphone and called Scotty’s number. It rang and rang. No answer. Dammit. He went back into the bedroom and took several pictures of Amanda’s lifeless body. Then he put them into a text and sent them to Scotty.

  “Time to go,” he said to himself. He picked up Amanda and took her outside, laying her against the roadside. He made his marks, and then cried over her one more time. Why can’t I stop myself?

  He got back into his coach and drove to the two-lane back-top, heading for the highway. He drove too fast, racing back to the barn. I hope he lived.

  Jerry went to his coach to wake Jasmine. She was already awake, having morning sickness again. She came out of the bathroom, using a wet paper towel to clean her face.

  “I’ll be glad when I get past this part,” she said, looking at Jerry, trying to smile.

  “I know, sweetie,” he said.

  “You look like you’re ready to go,” she said. “What’s up?”

  “General Hogan is free. He just called Frank.”

  “Oh, thank God,” she said. “What now?”

  “He’s coming here to talk. I was going to go meet up with Frank and Jane in the clubhouse. We need George to put our location in the drop box.”

  “Good,” she said. “I’ll get dressed. There’s probably coffee in the clubhouse already.”

  “There is,” Jerry said. “Already had some.” He waited until Jasmine got dressed, and watched her walk out of the bedroom. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “I’ve seen that look before, and it led to this,” she said, smiling, pointing at her stomach. “C’mon, let’s go.”

  They left their coach and met Frank and Jane on the way.

  “Look, there’s George and Heidi, coming out of their coach,” Jane said.

  Frank waved, and pointed to the clubhouse. George nodded, and knocked on Malcolm’s door.

  “He got the message,” Frank said.

  “Wow, I can smell the coffee from here,” Jasmine said as she got onto the steps of the porch.

  As they entered the clubhouse, Charlie and Hilda turned around, grinning.

  “It’s on the news,” Charlie said. “The General’s safe.”

  “He’ll be coming here soon,” Jerry said.

  “Have some coffee,” Hilda said.

  George, Heidi, and Malcolm walked in.

  “Damn, that smells good,” Malcolm said, heading for the kitchen.

  “You’ve heard?” Frank asked him.

  “Yeah, George just told me,” he replied.

  “Hey, George, is our location in the drop box?” Jerry asked.

  “No, but I’ll do it in a few minutes,” he said. “Best morning I’ve had since we started this trip.”

  “Seriously,” Malcolm said.

  “I’m going to crank up the PC app and watch Capitol Reef,” Frank said. “If those guys decide to run, I want to keep tabs.”

  George nodded as he joined Malcolm in the kitchen. Heidi followed, then Jasmine, Jane, and Jerry.

  Frank got the app loaded, and navigated to Capitol Reef. Most of the icons were still in about the same area as before, but as he zoomed out, he saw another small concentration by the front gate. Jane walked up to him with two cups of coffee, and handed one to him.

  “Still there?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but there’s some activity at the front gate. Look.”

  “That’s where the tank was,” she said.

  “That’s right. Been a while since we did any poking around here.”

  Jerry walked up with Malcom, Jasmine, and Heidi. George went outside, onto the porch.

  “Ah, the front gate, eh,” Jerry said. “Wonder if the tank is still there?”

  “Tank?” Malcolm asked.

  “Yeah, we saw it using the park’s surveillance system,” Jerry said. “Hey Frank, can you still get into that system?”

  “Good question,” he said. “The connect info is on my laptop. I’ll have to send it to this machine.”

  “I probably still have it on mine, too,” Jerry said.

  George came back in. “Okay, the General will have the location soon,” he said, sitting down next to Heidi, sipping his coffee.

  “We’re getting close to another battle, aren’t we?” Heidi asked. “I can feel it. Makes me nervous.”

  “You and me both,” Jane said.

  “We might be able to let the army do the heavy lifting this time,” Frank said. “Maybe we’ll just be their eyes and ears.”

  “Doubtful, if the General is coming here,” Jerry said.

  “Yeah, I’d have to agree,” George said. “They’re going to need our capability. A big army operation is going to get noticed by the wrong people. Too hard to keep secret, and we know there are some enemy operatives without chips.”

  “Yeah, like General Kincaid,” Jerry said.

  “What are you doing?” Malcolm asked, watching the PC screen.

  “Pulling back a bit,” Frank said. “Look at that line of icons on the road in.”

  “Are they leaving, or coming in?”

  “Coming in,” Frank said. “Maybe the enemy is gathering for a meeting.”

  “Perhaps it’s a good time to hit them,” Malcolm said.

  Scotty awoke with a start, as the door opened. He heard Kerry and Blake coming in, and another man’s voice. There were heavy footsteps, and he heard a plastic box being set down on the wood floor next to the couch. He opened his eyes and looked up.

  “Can you hear me?” said a voice
he didn’t recognize. Scotty tried to focus. Most of the pain was gone. It was a dull ache now.

  “Scotty, you okay?” Blake asked.

  “Scotty, can you hear us?” the other man said.

  “The wound is under his shirt, Johnny,” Kerry said.

  Johnny looked over his shoulder at Kerry. “Must be why the blood is on his shirt, I suppose, dummy.”

  Scott tried to talk, but nothing was coming out. Then he watched Johnny pull a foil package out of the big plastic case on the floor behind him. He snapped something and held it under his nose. There was a searing pain in his nostrils, and then he was much more awake.

  “You hear me now?” Johnny asked.

  “Water,” Scott croaked.

  “I’ll get it,” Blake said, trotting out of the room. He was back in a few seconds with the glass. Johnny took it, lifted up Scott’s head, and put it to his lips. Scott felt the cool liquid break its way down his throat. He coughed.

  “Is he gonna be alright?” Kerry asked.

  “Well, he’s still alive,” Johnny said. “Why didn’t you guys call 911?” He stood up and looked at both of them, his muscular body looking huge to Scott.

  “We will if we have to,” Blake said. “We don’t want mom to find out we’re here.”

  “Where are you supposed to be?” Scott croaked.

  “At the center,” Kerry said. “We ain’t going back there.”

  “The looney bin,” Johnny said, laughing. “You guys sure this is your cousin?”

  “Yes,” Blake said.

  “Okay, let’s take a look at this wound,” Johnny said. He kneeled back down and lifted Scott’s bloody shirt.

  “Ouch,” Scotty cried.

  “What does it feel like?” Johnny asked.

  “Dull ache, unless you mess with it,” Scott said, wincing as Johnny probed at it.

  “This isn’t too bad,” Johnny said. “You really should go into the hospital, though. I can’t tell for sure if there’s internal bleeding.”

  “Should I sit up?” Scott asked.

  “No, I’d stay like this for a while yet,” Johnny said. “Drink more water. If you start to feel light headed or you get real short of breath, you’ll need to get to a hospital. Fast. Do either of you inbreeds drive?” he asked, looking at them.

  “What’s an inbreed?” Kerry asked.

  Scott started to laugh. “Shit, that hurts.”

  “Want me to get the number for their mom and call her?” Johnny asked.

  “No, she hates me,” Scott said. “I’ll take my chances with these two.”

  “Who stabbed you?” Johnny asked.

  “He said it was some dumb bitch,” Blake said.

  Scott started to laugh again, but it turned into a cough. Johnny got a concerned look, and pulled out a small flashlight. “Open your mouth.” Scotty complied, and Johnny shined the light in his mouth. “No blood that I can see,” he said. “That’s good. Let’s take your blood pressure.”

  Johnny got out his blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. Kerry and Blake watched as he took the blood pressure.

  “Normal,” Johnny said, removing the cuff. “You’re probably going to be okay. I’ll get a dressing on that wound. You’ll want to change it a few times in the next couple of days.”

  “Thanks, doc,” Scotty said.

  “I’m just a paramedic,” Johnny said. “If I were you, I’d go to the emergency room, but I get the impression you aren’t going to do that.”

  “Not unless I have to,” Scott said.

  “You’re really their cousin?” Johnny asked.

  “Yeah,” Scott said.

  “We told you that already,” Blake said.

  Johnny ignored him. “You Chet’s kid?”

  Scott’s eyes got wider. “You knew my dad?”

  “My dad and my uncle knew him,” Johnny said. “I was too young. Hell, I’m younger than you.”

  “Really? What’s your last name?”

  “Beckler.”

  Scott got a sly grin on his face. “Really, now. Was your uncle named Jason, by any chance?”

  Johnny got a scared look on his face. “You’re like them, aren’t you?”

  “What’s he talking about?” Kerry asked Blake, who returned a dull glance.

  Scotty just smiled. “We should talk.”

  “I got to go,” Johnny said. “The boss will be wondering where the hell I am.”

  “You’ll be back?” Scott asked.

  “Yeah, we can catch up then. Get some rest.”

  Johnny picked up his stuff in a hurry, shoving it into the plastic case. He rushed out the door.

  “Hey, inbreed number one,” Scott said.

  Both of the boys looked over at him.

  “What does that mean?” Blake asked.

  “It means you’re both special,” Scott said. “Is that basement room still set up down there?”

  “We don’t go down there,” Kerry said. “Scary town.”

  “Is there something I can sleep on down there?”

  “Yes, there’s beds,” Blake said.

  “Good, then you two carry me down there, and bring some water and food down.”

  “Okay, Scotty,” Kerry said.

  “If anybody comes to the door, don’t tell them about me. Understand?”

  Both of the boys nodded yes.

  Chapter 16 – Old Friends

  “You got another Ethernet hub, by any chance?” Frank asked Jerry, as they were sitting around in the clubhouse.

  “No, I don’t, but I’ll bet that Jake does. Why?”

  “I thought it’d be nice to be able to connect more than one machine in here.”

  “We could set up the Wi-Fi. Jake was talking about that yesterday.”

  “That’d be good too, especially for the RV spaces, but in here, a hub would work fine. Let’s go ask him.”

  “Okay,” Jerry said. The two men got up and walked out the door, heading for the trailers. Jake was sitting under Dobie’s awning with Gabe.

  “Good morning, guys,” Frank said.

  “Good morning to you,” Gabe said, smiling.

  Jake nodded, smiling too. “Heard about General Hogan. Good news.”

  “Sure is,” Jerry said. “Hey Jake, you wouldn’t have any Ethernet hubs in your warehouse there, would you?”

  “Yeah, I have a few,” he said. “Need one?”

  “We were thinking about setting one up in the Clubhouse.”

  “Let’s go,” Jake said. “It’ll be in the back of the bobtail.”

  “Thanks, Jake,” Frank said.

  “I’m still planning on getting the Wi-Fi hooked up too,” Jake said as they walked. “You okay with the bandwidth usage?”

  “Sure,” Frank said. “I think we’ll be fine for the number of coaches we have, and I’m done with the hacking.”

  “What are you guys gonna do next?” Jake asked.

  “I’ve got the connect info for the National Parks system on my laptop. I wanted to use it to do a little spying on our friend Saladin, if the video cameras are still working. We’ve got a bunch of people showing up at Capitol Reef as we speak.”

  “Gonna hit ‘em?” Jake asked, grinning.

  “Probably,” Frank said. “The General will be coming to see us soon. I bet we’ll be working with him on this.”

  They got to the bobtail. Jake pulled a full key ring out of his pocket.

  “Damn, Jake, that’s a lot of keys for a pocket,” Jerry said, chuckling. “You need one of those cable spool things.”

  “I know,” Jake said, chuckling. “I should weed through them. I can’t even remember what some of them are for anymore.” He found the key for the padlock on the bobtail door, unlocked it, and rolled it up.

  “You’ve got a hell of a lot of stuff in here,” Frank said, watching Jake climb in.

  “Yeah, but some of it got a little shot up,” Jake said. “Damn pajama boys.”

  “Hopefully they didn’t hit the hubs,” Jerry said.

&nbs
p; “Here’s one,” Jake said, turning towards them, holding it up. “No holes in the box.”

  “Good,” Frank said.

  “Holy crap, that’s a 24 port hub,” Jerry said. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, these are nice,” Jake said. “You can run a whole damn office with this sucker.”

  “Good, we can set it up by one of those long tables, and get a lot of PCs connected in the clubhouse,” Jerry said.

  “Well, here you go,” Jake said. “Just a sec, I’ll get you a bundle of cables.” He went back into the truck, and came back with a handful of them.

  “Perfect,” Jerry said, taking the cables from Jake.

  “If that’s not enough, come on back and I’ll give you some more,” Jake said. “Think I ought to work on the Wi-Fi?”

  “Why don’t we wait until after the General’s visit,” Frank said. “We should have a better idea of what the future will hold after that.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Jake said. “If you need anything else, you just let me know.”

  “Thanks,” Frank said. He walked back to the clubhouse with Jerry, and they got to work setting up one of the long dining room tables.

  Jane walked in. “What’s that?” she asked.

  “We got an Ethernet hub from Jake,” Jerry said. “It’s like the one out in the barn, but it’s got 24 ports instead of just 4.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Maybe Jasmine and I could set up in here, then. It’s cold out there in the morning, and hot later in the day. This is a lot nicer.”

  “Sure, go ahead and bring your laptops over here,” Frank said. “I’m going to go get mine from the coach. I’m hoping the connection info I have on there for the National Park system still works.”

  “Ah, that would be good,” Jane said. “I’ll go grab my laptop. I think Jasmine’s still out there. She’d probably rather be in here too. I’ll let her know.”

  “Good, we’re almost done setting up,” Jerry said.

  Scott woke up, and looked around the dark recesses of the basement, laying on a small twin bed against the dirty brick wall. He felt at home, but he was antsy. He kept running through last night over and over. I thought I had Howard. Did he just get scared? I can’t lose him yet. I need his help to take back my park.

  There were footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked over and saw Kerry and Blake, one with a tray of food in his hands, the other with a pitcher of water and a glass. They hurried over and put them on a table next to the bed.