by A. American
Bob laughed. “That’s a hell of an idea, kid.”
Gene was immediately at the bumper. He pulled a small tape measurer from his pocket and measured the bumper and the one disassembled rifle. After a moment, he said. “We can get four rifles in there if we take them apart like this.”
“What are we going to do with the others?” Teague asked.
Daniel nodded at the rear of the van. “There’s another bumper back there.”
Gene smiled, “We can fit them all.”
“What about the ammo?” Daniel asked.
“We should be able to stuff it all into the rear bumper,” Gene said. “We don’t have that many rifles. But we’re going to have to pitch the shotguns from the other night.”
“We don’t need them,” Bob said.
Gene, Daniel and Teague got to work taking the weapons apart. To fit them into the bumper, they had to remove the pistol grips as well. Fortunately, Daniel kept the proper tools in the van for the job.
While they were working on the guns, Christy had Bob sit down so she could look at his wounds.
Christy finished going over Bob’s wounds about the time the guys finished storing the guns. Daniel was about to put the cap on when Bob walked up. “Let’s put our IDs in there too.”
“Why?” Daniel asked.
“Couple of reasons. One, you and I were supposed to talk to the FBI. They could be looking for us. Two, if we need to do some creative talking, I don’t want them to have anything they can pin us down with.”
The explanation seemed logical, so everyone placed their wallets in and the cap was secured to the bumper.
“What if they ask for our names?” Christy asked.
Daniel shrugged. “I guess we’ll wing it.”
The approach to the bridge was long and elevated. Once on it, there was no turning around. Daniel gripped the wheel a little tighter as he watched the crest of the road ahead of him, waiting to see the large armored trucks appear.
Bob turned in his seat. “Gene, you’re my brother. The rest of you are my kids.”
“Like hell!” Teague shouted.
“Shut up and listen. We need a story. We’re heading to my mom’s place in Hot Springs. If we’re questioned, we need a decent story.”
Gene started to laugh. “Over the bridge and through the woods to Grandma’s house we’ll go!”
Christy started to laugh, but stopped when Daniel spoke.
“There’s the truck.” he said. Then he corrected himself, “I mean trucks!”
Bob looked up. “Oh shit.”
Ahead of them was a proper roadblock with several MRAPs and many men. They had the bridge blocked at its center.
“Yep. They’re looking to catch people out here. Once you’re on this, there’s no way to turn around,” Bob said.
“They’re searching every car,” Daniel said.
“Just remember what I said.” Bob reminded them.
As they approached the roadblock, a man waved for them to slow down. Daniel did as instructed, and rolled to a stop. Several men approached the van and ordered everyone out and demanded their IDs. These were what you’d expect of the modern militarized federal tactical ninjas. They wore black uniforms, kitted out with all manner of MOLLE pouches, thigh holsters and tactical vests that read POLICE in white letters on the back. The black balaclavas covering their faces topped the ensemble off.
Christy quickly said, “We don’t have our IDs. We were robbed.”
When Bob opened his door, the man standing there looked at his leg. “What happened to you?”
Bob shook his head. “We had a hard time getting out of Atlanta. And like she said, we were robbed. A couple of times.”
The uniformed man looked at the van. “That why you did all this?”
Bob nodded and made a pained expression as he tried to exit the van. The man held out a hand. “You can stay in your seat.”
The rest of the group got out as the men manning the roadblock began searching the van’s interior. The man standing beside Bob asked, “Where are you headed?”
“To my mom’s place in Hot Springs. We figured it was better than Atlanta. I was able to get my sons and daughter rounded up, and picked up my brother on the way out as we headed west.”
The man nodded and asked. “Any weapons in the van?”
Bob shook his head. “No sir, no weapons in the van at all.” He smiled inside at the fact and irony of the statement.
Another uniformed man asked Teague. “What happened to your face?”
Christy quickly threw an arm around Teague, which startled him. “We were robbed. He fought with them and my brother is the only reason we still have the van.”
Teague nodded. “We’ve had a hard time.”
The search ended up being rather cursory at best. The uniformed men gathered and spoke quietly. Daniel started to get worried and began biting his fingernails. Christy saw this and took his hand. He looked at her and she smiled, mouthing the word, relax.
After a moment, one of the men returned and said, “You can go. Just remember there is a curfew. You do not want to be caught out after dark.”
Bob smiled and nodded. “Indeed. We’ll be off the road by then. Thank you.”
The group quickly got back in the van and continued across the bridge. Daniel was drumming the wheel with this thumbs. “I nearly shit myself.”
Bob laughed. “Wasn’t anything to it. No big deal.”
“Because we were able to hide those guns,” Gene said.
Teague grunted. “Let’s hurry up and stop somewhere so we can put them back together. I feel totally naked.”
Bob looked at his watch. “Let’s roll for a couple of hours. We’ve got a little time before we need to be off the road.”
In Lake Village Arkansas they turned west and drove through neat farm fields flat as a pool table. They passed through a couple of small towns that Norman Rockwell would have seen as sparse. They seemed totally devoid of life. There was no one out at all. That changed when they reached the town of Hamburg.
Hamburg is a small town nestled in a grove of hardwoods. Just outside of town, beside a sign announcing the annual armadillo festival, was a roadblock. As Daniel slowed the van, he said. “We were so close.”
Teague leapt up between the seats to look. “I told you we should have put the guns back together!”
“I just can’t believe it,” Bob said.
“I know. What are we going to do?” Daniel asked.
“Only in Arkansas could you have a damn festival for something as nasty as a damn armadillo,” Bob said.
Daniel looked at him. “What?”
Bob pointed out the windshield at the sign, “You don’t see that damn billboard with a giant rat in the armor suit on it?”
“Screw the sign! What about those guys?” Daniel shouted.
The roadblock consisted of a couple of sheriff department cars and several civilian vehicles. Behind these stood many armed men of uncertain intent. Much like the last group, these too were kitted out in tactical of the day, save one major difference. No two of them were alike. All had various camo patterns, and their personal kit varied from man to man.
Bob held a hand out behind him. “Give me your ‘kerchief, Gene.”
Gene pulled a white handkerchief out of his hip pocket and handed it forward. Bob shook it out. Rolling down his window he held it out as high as he could through the gun port. “Drive forward real slow.”
Daniel started to sweat. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was all those men pointing guns at him. But he did what Bob said. He’d gotten them this far. They rolled slowly forward as the men behind the barricade held their positions. When they were about thirty meters from the barricade, the PA from one of the sheriff cars cra
ckled to life.
“Stop! Everyone get out of the vehicle! Keep your hands where we can see them!”
“Alright, everyone. Real slow, get out,” Bob said.
They all slowly got out, holding their hands high over their heads.
“Step in front of the vehicle and spread out on the road! The loudspeaker shouted.”
“This is bullshit,” Teague muttered.
“Daniel?” Christy said quietly.
“Just stay close, babe,” he replied.
“Everyone, just stay calm,” Bob said.
They spread out on the road as instructed and waited. Once they were all out on the road, several men came out from behind the barricade, walking towards them with weapons at low ready.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Teague muttered.
“Be cool,” Bob said. “These guys look different. I don’t think they’re feds.”
As they got closer, details began to appear. Several of the men had a Velcro patch of the Texas flag on their chest. Some were bearded and at least one wore a cowboy hat. The deputies were in uniform, however.
“You’re right, Bob. These look like my kind of people,” Teague said.
The group of men spread out in front of them and stopped. One of the deputies stepped forward, his rifle at low ready, and he looked them over. “Where are you going?” He asked.
“We’re headed to Texas,” Bob replied.
One of the men with a beard and the Texas flag on his chest asked, “What for?”
“We heard it was the land of reason, that Texas told the feds to shove their Martial Law up their ass. That the power was still on and the grid was cut from the rest of the country.”
The bearded man cocked his head to the side and asked. “And just how did you hear all that?”
Bob gestured with his head towards Gene. “He’s a HAM guy and has a radio.”
The group of men closed ranks, talking amongst themselves. After a moment, they broke up and the bearded man asked. “Texas ain’t got room for any freeloaders. You got any weapons?”
“I thought we were in Arkansas,” Bob said.
The man nodded. “You are.”
“Then who are you guys?”
Pointing at the deputies, the man replied, “They’re with the Ashley County Sheriff’s Office.” Then, thumping the Texas patch on his chest, added, “We’re Texas militia.”
Bob cracked a smile. “So the Texas militia invaded Arkansas?”
The militia members laughed. The joke made everyone relax as the men lowered their weapons. Bob lowered his hands, as did Teague and Gene. Daniel and Christy kept theirs up.
“No. We decided to create a bit of a buffer for ourselves,” the bearded man replied.
“Plus, the federal government can kiss our ass!” One of the deputies shouted.
The bearded man pointed at Bob. “What happened to you?”
Bob looked down at his bare legs. “Bullet.”
One of the deputies looked back over his shoulder and called out, “Hey, Doc!”
Another man appeared from behind the barricade and jogged up. The deputy pointed at Bob and told him to take a look. As the man walked over, Bob held a hand up. “I’m fine. We’ve got our own doc.” And he pointed at Christy.
The man looked at her. “You a doctor?”
“No, I’m a critical care nurse. I was working in a pediatric center in Atlanta.”
“Holy shit! You guys drove all the way from Atlanta?” The bearded man crowed.
Bob took a cigarette pack from his shirt pocket and shook a smoke out, lit it and blew out the smoke before replying, “Yep.”
Seeing the cigarette, the bearded man licked his lips and rubbed his chin. “You got an extra one of those?”
Bob laughed and looked at the cigarette. “That’s like asking if I got extra money.” He paused for just a moment before pulling the pack out again and walking towards him, offering the smoke.
After lighting it with his own lighter, the man held out his hand. “Thanks, name’s Mathew Ward. Call me Matt. We ran out yesterday and I’m about to lose my mind.”
After shaking his hand, Bob offered him the pack. “Here, keep it. I’ve got a couple more. Call me Bob.”
Matt smiled. “Thanks Bob, you’re alright. Let’s go meet the guys.” He looked past Bob at Daniel and Christy. With a laugh, he said. “You guys can put your hands down.”
Chapter 12
After introductions were made, Daniel drove the van into town. Matt rode with them to the town square. He directed them to park across the street from an orange building. The sign over it read, Sawyer’s Steak House.
“Figure you guys are probably hungry,” Matt said as he got out of the van.
“Yes, we are,” Gene replied.
Bob looked up at the gaudy orange building. “What’s for dinner?”
Matt smiled. “Brisket.”
Gene pushed past the two men, making for the open door of the restaurant shouting, “Make a hole! Make a hole!”
They went inside and took a seat. “You’ll love the food,” Matt said.
It wasn’t long before a medium height pie-faced man with what appeared to be a perpetual smile walked up in a white apron tied around his waist. He was wiping his hands on a small towel. “Howdy, folks. Hope y’all are hungry. Today, we’ve got brisket, mashed potatoes and green beans.”
Matt smiled. “This is Tommy. Really knows his way around a smoker.”
“Wait,” Christy said. “Tommy? Like Tom Sawyer?”
Tommy smiled. “Exactly like that. But everyone calls me Tommy.”
Gene picked up a napkin and tucked it into the top of his shirt. “Sounds good to me, Tommy.” Picking up a fork, Gene added, “Bring on the brisket.”
Tommy laughed. “Sounds good, folks. I’ll be right back. Sweet tea good for everyone?”
Bob nodded. “We’re from Georgia, Tommy. There isn’t any other kind.” Tommy chuckled and disappeared.
“That’s really funny. Tom Sawyer,” Christy said with a big smile. Daniel laughed at her. “What?” She asked.
“You’re funny.”
Matt leaned in on the table. “Tommy is a really good man. He feeds anyone that needs it, no questions asked. He’s been taking care of us since we came up.”
Teague seized the opportunity to ask some questions. “What’s your plan? What are you guys doing?”
Matt let out a breath. “We’re just trying to keep a buffer between us and the feds. We’re not sure what they’re up to just yet.”
Bob laughed. “Texas not big enough for you guys?”
Matt smiled. “You guys don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” Daniel asked.
“The Republic of Texas is a lot bigger now.”
Bob leaned back in his seat. “I know you Texans like to call it a Republic. But I’ve got a feeling there’s more to it now.”
Smiling, Matt nodded. “Oh yes there is. The state legislature passed secession and the governor signed it. We are now really the Republic of Texas.”
“You left the US?” Christy asked in surprise.
Matt nodded affirmatively.
“About damn time someone got the balls!” Teague added.
“You’re not worried about what the government is going to do?” Daniel asked.
“Of course there’s a concern. Plus, it’s not going smoothly. But we’re set on this path. It’s the law of the Republic now.”
“You said the Republic was bigger.” Bob said.
Matt nodded. “New Mexico and Oklahoma joined us. Arizona is probably going to as well.”
“What about all the federal assets? Texas has a lot of military bases. Not to mention the Border Patrol
and other federal departments,” Bob asked.
“We seized it all,” Matt said. “Most of the personnel went along with it. Those that didn’t were escorted to the border and released. We changed the logo on the Border Patrol equipment. Gave them new patches and issued new rules of engagement. Things are a little different down there now.”
“And all that happened without issue?” Bob asked.
Matt shrugged. “Well, no. There was some trouble. Plus, there are a couple of DHS facilities that are holding out, but they’ve been told to surrender or a column of M1s is going to roll out of Fort Hood and turn their building into a pile of broken rock.”
Tommy showed up with plates and served everyone. He then returned with glasses of tea. The talk paused while everyone ate. “Enjoy,” Tommy said as he walked back to the kitchen.
“Oh wow, this is some damn good Brisket,” Daniel said.
“Yeah it is,” Christy added. “After the last few days, anything fresh is good.”
With a forkful of potatoes, Matt said, “And it’s all fresh. He makes these from scratch. Even the beans were grown locally.”
“What do I have to do to join the militia?” Teague asked.
“You just have to sign up. We can get you kitted up if you need it,” Matt replied.
“Why are you going to do that?” Daniel asked.
Teague dredged a bite of Brisket through a small bowl of sauce. “So I can kill as many of those federal fuckers as possible.”
“So far, we’ve been lucky and haven’t had any engagements,” Matt replied.
“I’m ready for it. Done it once already,” Teague replied.
Bob used a piece of meat to mop his plate. “You know they’re sitting on the bridge over the Mississippi in Refuge, don’t you?”
Matt nodded. “We know they’re there. But they don’t know we’re here. We’ve been watching them since they showed up. But they haven’t ventured to this side of the river. Not sure why.”
“They had a lot of armor over there,” Teague noted.