by Robert Boren
They climbed the bluff, and suddenly there was a small sign. Dripping Springs RV Park.
“I better slow down,” Eric said. He pushed hard on the brakes of the Class C. “Whoa.”
“That comes up fast,” Kim said as Eric struggled to make the sharp turn.
“Yeah, it does. I almost overshot it.” He drove up the incline and made a sharp turn to the left, getting on the small country road.
“I can’t even see 290 behind us now,” Kim said. “Maybe this is exactly the kind of place we need tonight.”
“Hope it hasn’t rained lately. This park is all dirt and it gets muddy fast. I almost got stuck back here once, after a poker game. Started raining hard. We waited too long to leave.”
“Doesn’t look like it’s been raining lately,” Kim said. “This road dead-ends, see?”
“Yeah, we make a left, then go down a few blocks, then make a right.”
“There’s a cow in the road up ahead,” Kim said, pointing.
“Oh, yeah, forgot about them. They come out of that pasture over there in the morning, and come back in at night. I’ve had to wait for them before.”
Eric drove slowly around the cow. Other cows were heading for the road behind it from the left side of the road.
“Wow, look at all of them,” Kim said “There’s even some calves.”
Paco growled.
“Don’t worry, boy, they won’t hurt you,” Eric said. “There’s the park driveway.”
Kim giggled as they drove up to the gate. “You weren’t kidding about this place. Geez.”
An old man wearing a battered cowboy hat trotted up to Eric’s window.
“You folks got reservations?” the man asked. He was missing a couple teeth.
“I’m Eric,” he said. “Called a while ago.”
“Good,” the man said. “I’m Jody. We got the space right next to the front building, another one three spaces down from that, and two in the back. Sorry we can’t put you guys together.”
“No worries,” Eric said.
“The gate code is real difficult. 1-2-3-4. It’s mainly just to keep the damn cows out of here.”
“That’s easy, thanks. Need to see my card?”
“No, already charged it. We’re cool. Enjoy. Oh, and don’t let that little dog roam around after dark by his self. Bobcats and coyotes around here. Pigs too, every once in a while, but they can’t get past the fences.”
“Thanks,” Eric said. He drove up to the gate and punched in the code. The sliding chain-link gate rolled slowly over to the side. Eric saw Jody talking to Dirk as he drove in.
“You paid for them too?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “We’ll settle up later.”
“Is this place cheap?”
“No, it’s kind of expensive for overnighters. Not a bad deal if you’re staying a month or more, though.”
“I’m surprised,” Kim said, watching as Eric pulled over to the side.
“There’s a shortage of RV Parks around here,” Eric said. He shut off the engine. “Got to un-hitch the Bronco.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll come watch. I should know how.”
“All right,” Eric said. They got out of the car and walked to the back. Dirk pulled up in his pickup and trailer.
“Taking that one, eh?” he asked.
“Yeah. You taking the back?”
“Yeah,” Dirk said.
“You got enough sleeping space?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “The girls sleep in the back of the suburban. The rest of us fit in the trailer, and we still got the back of the truck too. The camper top is pretty well insulated.”
“It’s not gonna be cold tonight,” Eric said.
“Yeah,” Dirk said. “Well, I’m gonna go get set up. Why don’t you two come over after you’re set up. We’ll have a beer or two. I got some beef too. I’ll cook it up.”
Eric looked at Kim, and she shook her head yes. “Fine, we’ll be over in a little while.”
“There go the cows,” Kim said, pointing into the pasture next door. “Now I feel like I’m in Texas.”
Dirk chuckled. “See you two later.” He drove his rig forward, the suburban following.
Eric and Kim finished with the Bronco. Kim moved it out of the way as Eric jockeyed the Class C and started backing it in. He was almost there when Kim rushed over to guide him the final few feet.
“You’re far enough,” she called out. Eric shut down, and they did the utilities together, then went into the coach.
“Shall we take Paco out?” Kim asked.
“Sure, might as well,” Eric said. They hooked him to the leash and walked along the pasture fence, watching the cows and a few goats meander towards the barn in the distance. The sun was below the horizon. Paco froze and watched a goat and its kid approach. He growled, and the mama goat turned and headed back to the main group of animals. Eric looked at Kim and smiled.
“It’s peaceful back here,” Kim said.
“Yeah, it is,” Eric said.
“Not very nice RVs, though.”
“These folks are either working or poor,” Eric said quietly. “Or both, I suppose.”
“What’s it cost to stay here full time?”
“Only $550 per month plus utilities,” Eric said. “If you don’t have to make payments on your RV, that’s a damn cheap way to live.”
“You aren’t kidding,” Kim said. “This is bigger than it looks from the front.”
“Yep,” Eric said. “They expanded it back further since the last time I was here.”
“Looks like Dirk’s already set up.”
“Yeah. Maybe we should go over there now, instead of taking Paco back first.”
“Fine by me, if they don’t mind,” Kim said.
They walked over. The young girls were sitting in folding chairs next to the Suburban, chatting and giggling. Francis and Sherry were sitting in chairs closer to the trailer. Chance, Dirk, and Don came around the back end of the trailer, carrying a barbecue and a bag of charcoal briquettes.
“Hey, guys,” Dirk said, smiling. “Just about ready to break out the beer. Ready for one?”
“Sure,” Eric said. “Want us to take Paco back to our rig?”
“Nah, he’s welcome here,” Dirk said.
“Great, thanks,” Eric said.
Dirk headed towards the door of his trailer. After a few seconds, he poked his head out. “You guys better get in here.”
“Uh oh,” Chance said. “What?”
“North Korea is getting ready to fire off its ICBMs.”
“I’ll hold onto Paco,” Kim said as Eric got up. “I don’t want to watch that.”
“I’m with you,” Sherry said as Francis got up. “Come sit by me and let’s get acquainted.”
Kim smiled and came over with Paco as the men went inside.
“What’s going on?” Alyssa asked. “Why are the men going inside?”
“War news, honey,” Sherry said.
“See you in a few minutes, Kim,” Eric said. He followed the others into the trailer.
“Got it on CNN,” Dirk said. As everybody squeezed inside, he opened the fridge and started handing out beers.
“That rocket is fueling up,” Chance said. “How are they getting that video?”
Suddenly there was a bright flash on the screen, and the video feed went dead.
“Yes!” Eric said. “I think we just took out that missile.”
“Either that or somebody took out the video camera,” Don said.
“Turn it up, man,” Chance said.
“You’re closer,” Dirk said. Chance nodded and turned up the volume.
“Although we don’t have confirmation yet, it appears that we have taken out that missile facility. We also have unconfirmed reports that there are other attacks happening against North Korea right now.”
“Yaahooo!” Chance yelled.
“Listen,” Dirk said. They all shut up, and the sound of others cheering in the
park floated around them.
Kim and Sherry poked their heads into the trailer.
“What just happened?” Sherry asked.
“We just took out North Korea’s ICBMs,” Francis told her.
“Good,” Sherry said. “Didn’t like the graphics we saw yesterday on their missile range. Not one bit.”
“Want to come in and watch?” Dirk asked. “There’s room.”
“I think I’ll sit this out,” Sherry said. She looked at Kim. “Go ahead if you want to watch.”
“I’ll pass,” she said.
“Good,” Sherry said. “Dirk, honey, pass me that bottle of Southern Comfort I saw in the cupboard earlier, and two glasses.”
Dirk chuckled. “Coming right up.”
Kim looked at Eric and shrugged. He gave her a thumbs up, and she followed Sherry outside.
“So what now?” Chance asked.
“If we’ve taken out all of their missiles, we might not have to bomb the hell out of them,” Dirk said.
“Yeah, maybe,” Don said. “I hope we take out the leadership.”
“Don’t they have the third of fourth largest army in the world?” Chance asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “We’ve got a lot of troops over there, too. I hope they’re okay.”
“We are getting confirmed reports that the US Air Force has been able to take out all of the missile sites in North Korea. A huge force of North Korean infantry surged across the DMZ. As soon as they reached South Korea, they surrendered. There are reports of North Korean soldiers shooting their officers at that time. The Chinese army is now pushing southward from their border, taking out all North Korean military installations with little or no resistance.”
“Good,” Eric said.
“Hate to see the Chinese going in there,” Chance said. “That’s just gonna cause problems later.”
“Maybe,” Dirk said. “Whose side are the Chinese on now?”
“Their side,” Eric said. “As usual. Same with the Russians, I suspect.”
“In other news, there has been widespread violence in Great Britain, France, The Netherlands, and Denmark. The Muslim minorities in those countries have come out in force to protest the actions of western countries during this crisis. Angry mobs of natives in those countries have attacked the protesters, and in almost all cases, the local police have been standing aside and letting the violence go on, resulting in injury and death for many of the protesters. In London the police did draw the line when a group of hooligans attempted to go into a Muslim neighborhood and pull people out of their homes.”
Chance cracked up. “Soccer hooligans.”
“People are finally waking up,” Francis said. “Pity it took so much bloodshed.”
“I’m surprised the governments are finally doing the right thing,” Dirk said. “After all, they caused this mess. They let subversives into our societies in the name of diversity. They called anybody who disagreed a racist. Same with the lackey media.”
Chance laughed. “Yeah, in the EU and Canada they jailed people for hate speech when they protested. Our stupid Administration would have done the same thing if not for the First Amendment.”
“Okay, I think I’d better go get the coals started,” Dirk said.
“I’ve had enough too,” Don said.
“Yeah,” Francis said. “I’ll sleep better tonight.”
“I won’t,” Chance said. “This fight is only just starting.”
Chapter 9 – Hospital
Kip Hendrix was back at work in the morning, almost caught up on sleep from the day before. Maria wasn’t there yet, much to his disappointment. He turned on the coffee maker and walked into his office, noticing the blinking light on his phone. Coffee first. Jerry Sutton walked into the suite as he was getting to the machine.
“Jerry, how are you?” Hendrix asked.
“You look chipper after such a long day,” Sutton said.
“Want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure,” he said. “Thanks, boss. Where’s Maria?”
“I don’t know.” Hendrix made two cups, and they walked into the office.
“She was being pretty buddy-buddy with you yesterday in the bunker. Hope you weren’t with her last night.”
Hendrix smiled at him. “No, I wasn’t. I slept. By myself. What’s on your mind?”
“There was a big tactical meeting yesterday. Hear about it?”
“I knew it was happening, but I didn’t need to be there,” Hendrix said. “You know something about it, or are you pumping me for info?”
“You know what it was about?” Sutton asked.
“That massacre at the roadblock yesterday, some missing M-1 Tanks, and some tips about the safety of our dams.”
“Dams?” Sutton asked.
“We have reason to believe they’re being targeted.”
“Oh, okay,” Sutton said. “Damn terrorists.”
“I didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, did I?” Hendrix asked.
“I heard a really bad rumor,” Sutton said.
“Well, out with it.”
“The roadblock wasn’t just to check out people coming into Austin. There were radiation detectors there. Our intelligence services think a nuclear device could be driven into our cities in a truck.”
Hendrix sighed, and reached for his TV remote. He switched it on and turned the sound way up, then gestured to Sutton. They met in front of it.
“The walls might have ears,” Hendrix whispered in his ear.
“Shit,” Sutton said.
“There was a nuclear device found in a boat off Kemah, just seconds before it was gonna go off.”
“My God,” Sutton said.
“We’ve got the harbors locked down now, but the device was small enough to put into a truck. Everybody’s going crazy.”
“Now the roadblock attack makes more sense,” Sutton whispered. “Is that what they think will happen in the lakes?”
“No, that’s something else,” Hendrix said. “They wouldn’t even tell me about that one. I’m lucky to know they’re even worried about the dams.”
“Geez,” Sutton said. “Maybe it’s time to take all that built-up vacation.”
“Don’t you dare,” Hendrix said, reaching to shut off the TV. They went back to their seats.
“I was kidding, Kip.”
“I know,” Hendrix said. “If you think you’re the only one scared about this, you’d be wrong.”
“Okay, fair enough,” Sutton said. “What’s Holly think about all this?”
“Haven’t talked to him since we got out of the bunker,” Hendrix said. “I’ve got at least one phone message to listen to. Run along and I’ll do that.”
Sutton stood up. “You’ll tell me if you hear anything else?”
“Depends on what it is,” Hendrix said, grinning.
“Okay,” he said, “and watch yourself with Maria. That display in the bunker yesterday worried me.”
“Maybe she’s actually interested,” Hendrix said. “Fear and stress make some women seek a protector.”
“You’d better be sure about that. I’d advise against it even if you are.”
“Duly noted,” Hendrix said. “See you later.”
Sutton left. Hendrix leaned back in his chair a moment, thinking. Then he picked up the phone receiver and hit the message button, playing the first message.
“Kip, it’s Holly. You know what this meeting is about? Assholes woke me up. Should I go, or can I blow it off?”
Hendrix deleted the message. “Horse left the barn on that one.” He played the next one.
“Mr. Hendrix, this is the Assistant Attorney General. Please call me back. Things have changed. We need to talk. Sorry about last time.”
Hendrix chuckled and saved the message. “One more.” He played the last one.
“Mr. Hendrix,” Maria said, crying. “Celia had a nervous breakdown after seeing all of the nuclear attacks. I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t have money or insurance,
but she needs to go to the hospital. Please call me.”
Hendrix hit the callback button. It rang twice, and clicked.
“Maria?” Hendrix asked.
“Oh, thank God,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid my sister is going to hurt herself.”
“Oh no. So sorry. We can get her under observation,” Hendrix said. “At least that will keep her from hurting herself in the short term. There’s programs that can do follow-up care. I’ll help you with that too. So sorry to hear this.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “What do I do?”
“Why don’t I come over there? We’ll make the arrangements.”
“To my place?”
“That’s where Celia is, right?”
“Yes,” she said. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all,” Hendrix said. “What’s your address?”
“You sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure,” he said.
“Okay, take I-35 south. Get off on West Slaughter Lane, going west. Then turn left on First Street. I’m in the first big apartment complex on the east side. It’s 10100 South First Street. You can’t miss it. Second floor, number 202.”
“I’ll be there shortly,” he said. “Don’t worry.” He ended the call, then rang the switchboard.
“Yes, Mr. Hendrix?”
“Maria is out today, and I have to leave for a while. Please tell whoever calls that I’m out of the office on an emergency.”
“Is everything alright, sir?”
“It will be.” Hendrix got up and left his office, grabbing his coat on the way. He saw Sutton out in the lobby.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
“Just a personal issue,” he said. “I’ll be back later. Call my cell if there’s an emergency.”
“Okay,” Sutton said, eyeing him as he rushed to the parking lot.
The drive to I-35 was stop and go, but once on it, Hendrix moved fast in his Mercedes SUV. “Must be the roadblock up north,” he said to himself.
Slaughter Lane was a huge street, bumper to bumper all the way to First Street. He took the left, his heart starting to beat faster. Maria’s pretty face and shapely curves filled his mind’s eye. He saw the huge park over to his right. Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park. All the hours I worked to improve that park, over the objections of the budget cutters. Public opinion helped him to win out. It was one of his first big victories. Not a month went by where he didn’t get a nice comment from somebody about his work for that park. Will I blow it now?