by Robert Boren
“The cows?” she asked.
“Yeah. Saw them starting towards the road earlier.”
“How’s Sherry feeling?”
Eric laughed. “About as good as you did when you woke up. Francis said she doesn’t drink much.”
“Yeah, that’s what she told me too,” Kim said. “We both needed that.”
“You like her?”
“I do,” she said. “What is it about drinking that makes you bond so quickly?”
“All your defenses come down,” Eric said.
“I’ll wash the dishes. Then you can unhook us.”
“Okay,” Eric said. He finished his cereal and put the bowl in the sink, then got a second cup of coffee. “Don was having fun trying to wake up the girls.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Kim said.
“You know what ran through my mind?”
“No, what?”
“We want to have some of those?” He laughed.
“I’ve heard that teenage daughters are a challenge,” she said. “Lord knows I was.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” she said. “My mother and I were in a state of war for much of my adolescence. She had the patience of Job.”
“You’re a delight,” Eric said. “I can’t imagine you being that difficult.”
“We usually grow out of it,” Kim said. “You still want to, though, don’t you?”
“Want to what?” he teased.
She came over into his arms and kissed him tenderly. “You still want to put a baby in me?”
“Yes, I do,” he said, looking into her eyes as he brushed her hair out of her face. “More than ever.”
“Good,” she said, turning to get back to the dishes. He slapped her butt. “Hey!”
“Hey, what?” he asked.
“Men,” she said. “I’m done with the water.”
“I’ll go get busy.” He left the coach, got into the Bronco, and backed it into position to hitch up. Then he went to the utilities and unhooked them.
“I’ve got everything stowed, honey,” Kim said out the door. Eric got into the driver’s seat and looked back at her. “I’m going to pull out. Want to take Paco for a walk?”
“Sure, I’ll do that now,” she said. Eric watched as she left the coach, and then fired up the engine and pulled forward, turning onto the road and backing towards the Bronco. Dirk was just pulling up behind him as he was hitching her up.
“Paco is done,” Kim said as they approached. “I’ll get him fed.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Ready?” Dirk asked.
“Yep, off we go,” Eric said. “We can stay on 290 until it runs into I-10.”
“Okay,” Dirk said. “Need gas pretty soon?”
“I can make it to Johnson City. You?”
“We can make it that far,” Dirk said. “See you there.”
Eric got into the coach. Kim was already behind the wheel, adjusting the mirrors. “Anything I need to know that’s different than towing a boat?”
“The towing part isn’t much different, but driving the coach is. Your back end swings wider, because of the overhang over the back wheels and how close you’re sitting to the front wheels. So in turns, especially right turns, don’t turn the wheel until you’re past the corner. Swing wider than you would in a car.”
“Okay,” she said. “Here we go.” She put the class C into gear and drove forward, the tow-bar doing its initial clunk as the telescoping unit locked in. “Do I need to input the code at the gate?”
“No, there’s a metal detector on the inside. It’ll open automatically from this side. Watch for cows!”
She giggled. They got through the gate and onto the road, making a left. The cows had already passed.
“This right turn is a little tight,” Eric said. “Remember what I said.”
She nodded, hands firmly gripping the wheel, taking the turn perfectly.
“Great job,” Eric said. “One thing I forgot to mention. Other vehicles going by, especially truck, will rock this puppy quite a bit. Just hold onto the wheel and try to keep her straight. You’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” They rolled down the small country road and made the right turn to the access road, stopping at 290. The highway was empty. Kim drove onto it, hitting the accelerator hard. “Takes a while to get up to speed, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, this engine is working pretty hard, especially when we’re towing,” Eric said. “It’s strong, though. Rebuilt a couple years ago. She’s got some guts.”
They got to Johnson City, where they stopped to gas up. Kim took Paco out while Eric went to the gas pump. Dirk pulled into the island next to his and started pumping gas.
“Something doesn’t feel right here,” Eric said, looking around. “Not enough people out and about for this time of morning.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Dirk said.
“Where’s the Suburban?”
Dirk pointed behind him. “Last island, over there.”
“Hope they’re keeping the girls out of sight,” Eric said.
Dirk looked over at the Suburban. “Shit, I didn’t even think about that. Be right back.” He trotted over and talked to Don, then hurried back.
“Too late, they already hit the store,” Dirk said. “Where’s Kim?”
“She’s right there,” Eric said, pointing to the grass median by the road. “Looks like she’s coming back. Maybe I should send her into the store looking for the girls.”
Kim came back over and noticed Eric’s expression right away. “What’s wrong?”
“The girls went into the store by themselves,” Eric said. “It’s making us nervous. This place doesn’t feel right.”
“Seems like not enough traffic,” Kim said. “It always this dead around here?”
“Not the times I’ve been here,” Eric said, eyes darting around nervously.
“Look, here they come,” Kim said, pointing at the store. The girls were walking back to the car with big drinks in their hands, happily chatting.
“Well, they don’t seem too nervous,” Dirk said.
“No, but look at those guys next to the door of the market,” Eric said, nodding.
Kim glanced over at them. “They just look like kids,” she said. “They’re gonna stare at the girls. They’re about the same age.”
“You’re probably right,” Eric said. He finished pumping gas. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right about that,” Dirk said. “I keep feeling like we’re being watched.”
“You two are making me really nervous,” Kim said.
“You gonna use the bathroom?” Eric asked.
“In the coach,” she said. “I’m not going in the store. You want me to keep driving?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “I’m going to bring one of the AKs up to the front.”
Dirk nodded at him as he put the gas pump nozzle back. “I’ll do the same. Keep your eyes open.”
“Will do,” Eric said. He got back inside the coach just as Kim was climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be up there in a second.”
“All right, sweetie.” She drove off the gas station lot and headed back towards 290, Don’s Suburban and Dirk’s pickup and trailer following.
“Good, Don’s in the middle now,” Eric said, sitting in the passenger seat and putting the AK next to him on the floor. “That’s better. He’s by himself with the girls. They ought to have somebody riding shotgun.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised Chance or Francis didn’t ride with them,” Kim said.
The caravan got to 290 and sped up, Eric checking the rear-view mirror every minute or two and scanning the sides and front.
“You really look nervous,” Kim said. “Did you actually see somebody watching us, or is it just a feeling?”
“Just a feeling,” he said. “Probably nothing. It’s been a long few days.”
Eric looked at his phone. “Stonewall is only about fifteen minutes away.”
“You ever been there?”
“Just passing through,” Eric said. “It’s pretty small. I’d say under five hundred people.”
“You’re worried about the girls,” Kim said.
“And you,” Eric said.
“Why?”
“Because of what we heard at the police station,” Eric said.
“We haven’t had a situation like this in America for a long time,” Kim said.
“Civil War was the last time,” Eric said, “other than the Indian wars, and none of those lasted very long.”
“How do you think the population is gonna take it?”
“We’ve already seen some of it,” Eric said. “We’ll fight to protect our families and our home.”
There was a boom in the distance. Kim shot a worried glance at Eric. “What was that?”
“Reminds me of what we heard before we left Carthage,” Eric said. “There’s another one.”
Eric’s phone rang. He answered it.
“Eric, you hearing that?” Dirk asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Artillery?”
“Sounds smaller than what they shot Carthage up with, but sounds can be deceptive. What town is coming up?”
“Stonewall. Wonder if that’s where it’s coming from?” Eric asked.
“There’s another one. Louder than before. Wonder if we’ll be able to go through the town?”
“We’ll find out in about five minutes,” Eric said. “We’re almost there.”
There were two more loud booms, and black smoke was rising down the road ahead.
“Does frigging 290 run right through the middle of Stonewall?” Dirk asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “Those are Tanks. More than one. You hear how close together those last two shots were?”
“Yeah,” Dirk said. “Find us a detour.”
“Will do,” he said. “Talk to you in a few minutes. Call Don and let him know what’s going on.”
Okay, man,” Dirk said. Eric ended the call and went frantically to his map app.
“We going around the town?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “There’s only one choice that I see. Make a left on Ranch Road 1623. It’s small, so we’ll have to slow way down. Then we can cut back over to 290 on Upper Albert Road.”
“How far is it to 1623?”
“About two minutes, so be ready.”
“Shit, is that a tank?” she asked, pointing in the distance. Just then the main gun fired, and a structure exploded.
“Son of a bitch,” Eric said. “I hope they don’t chase us.” He hit Dirk’s contact.
“Left on Ranch Road 1623. We’ll take that down to Upper Albert Road, then get back on 290, if they don’t see us.”
“Can they catch us on the back roads?” Dirk asked.
“An M-1 Tank will go at least forty-five, and the big gun has some reach, but they look pretty busy,” Eric said. “Still, we’ll be lucky to get past this. Stay sharp. Watch for smaller vehicles chasing us.”
“I’m making the turn,” Kim said.
“Gotta go,” Eric said. He ended the call. “Good, the tanks probably won’t notice us. Look at the trees. Windbreaks almost all the way south.”
“Good, that makes me feel better,” she said. They sped up on the small country road, brush and trees on either side of the road. Two more booms floated towards them.
“Dammit,” Eric said. “I’m calling Sam O’Reilly.” He hit the contact. It rang a few times, then clicked.
“Eric?” Sam asked. “Something wrong?”
“Tanks are attacking Stonewall. We just had to take a detour.”
“Oh, shit,” he said. “They see you?”
“I don’t think so,” Eric said. “We took a Ranch Road south, and we’ll cut over to 290 south of the town. Other people are gonna run right into the middle of this, though. You know 290 runs right through the middle of the town, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve been there many times. I’ll make some calls. Thanks for telling me. How many tanks?”
“At least two, judging by the rate of cannon fire,” Eric said.
“Okay, talk to you later. Be careful.”
Eric ended the call. “Hopefully there’s enough of the Texas Air National Guard left to do something.”
“Won’t that kill a lot of people in town?”
“Most of them are probably already dead,” Eric said.
“How much further on this road?”
Eric looked at his phone. “Couple miles.”
“We’re losing our cover,” she said.
“It’s okay, we’re far enough away now. If the tanks saw us and cared, they’d already be lobbing shells over here.”
“Could they hit us?”
“Distance-wise, probably, but they can’t get a clear shot through the trees and brush.”
Eric’s phone rang again. “Dirk,” he said, putting it to his hear.
“Hey, man, you call this in?” Dirk asked.
“Yeah, just called Sam O’Reilly.”
“Good,” he said. “We coming up to that second road?”
“Any minute now. Watch for smaller vehicles coming after us. If we’re gonna get hit, that’s how it’ll happen. You got our back door.”
“Roger that,” he said. “Later.”
Eric ended the call. “There’s the road. Tight right turn.”
“See it,” Kim said, slowing down. She took the turn onto the small road. “Shit, this is only one lane.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Eric said. “Hear that?”
“What is that?” Kim asked, eyes wide. Eric smiled back at her.
“Jets,” he said. “Probably the Texas Air National Guard.”
Suddenly there were explosions to the north.
“Those poor people,” Kim said as she struggled to keep the rig on the thin, broken asphalt.
“Fireballs,” Eric said, looking out his window. “Wow.”
There was silence after a few more explosions. Eric started to settle down. The road got tighter, branches scraping the roof of the coach from time to time.
“We doing damage?” Kim asked.
“I’ll have to look at the roof. Might have to patch the rubber.”
“Is that a big deal?”
“Nah,” he said. “Had to do it before.”
“How much further to 290?”
Eric looked at his phone again, moving his finger across the surface. “It’ll take a while. There’s a left curve coming up, and then a little further there’s a sharp right, which will take us towards the north again.”
“Hope nobody comes the other direction,” Kim said.
“Most of the people who would be back here probably have four-wheel drive,” Eric said. “Don’t get off the road.”
“Okay,” she said.
They made it back to 290 in about twenty minutes. The road was deserted as Kim made the left turn. She gasped as she looked in the rear-view mirror.
“That town is gone,” she said.
Jets buzzed them, firing machine guns in back of them as they moved on the road.
“They don’t want us on 290,” Eric said. “Turn around. We’re taking the back roads.
Kim nodded and made a wide turn, heading south again. “We’re going to end up on dirt again, aren’t we?”
“We might.”
Chapter 14 – Juarez
Chief Ramsey rushed into Governor Nelson’s office.
“I heard,” Nelson said, not even looking up from the papers on his desk.
“Stonewall?” Ramsey asked.
“Yeah, Landry called me,” he said. “Who told you?”
“Eric Finley called Sam,” Ramsey said as he sat down.
“That boy has been pretty damn helpful,” Nelson said.
“He has,” Ramsey said. “What did Landry have
to say?”
“Three tanks,” Nelson said. “The people in them barely knew what they were doing, but that didn’t stop them from blowing up several buildings and spewing machine gun fire all over the place. Some of Gallagher’s people are going in there to see how many casualties there were.”
“There’s been medical people there already, though, I hope?”
“Oh, yeah,” Nelson said, “almost forty wounded. They’re receiving care now. Some of them aren’t going to make it.”
“Geez,” Ramsey said. “I’m thinking that these tanks aren’t being moved very far after they’re highjacked. Probably why we haven’t found them in the east like we expected.”
“That’s what the real take-away is in this,” Nelson said. “These three were highjacked very close to where they attacked. Landry’s jets found the flatbed trucks, amongst the hills north of town.”
“Dammit,” Ramsey said. “We don’t know where the highjackings took place.”
“I know,” Nelson said. “Believe it or not, we’ve got bigger problems.”
“Uh oh,” Ramsey said. “What?”
“The enemy has been flooding into New Mexico, and they’re massing along our western border. They’ve already been staging raids into El Paso. Large raids. More than the local PD can handle.”
“Damn purple-state New Mexico,” Ramsey muttered. “Open border fools.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Nelson said, leaning back in his chair. “We’ll have to help them to protect ourselves.”
“What does that mean?” Ramsey asked.
“It means we’ll need to move a significant portion of our National Guard over there to stop the invasion, and then we’ll need to pursue the enemy across the border and wipe them out.”
“Meanwhile our cities are open to attack,” Ramsey said.
“Nobody said this job was gonna be easy,” Nelson said. “If we don’t shut down that situation, the cities will be even worse off.”
Ramsey sighed. “So what do we do?”
“We follow the advice we got from those two generals we talked to a couple days ago,” Nelson said.
“Walker and Hogan,” Ramsey said.
“Right. We bring in citizens. We have no choice. Here’s where the gun laws of Texas will pay off.”
Ramsey sat thinking for a moment. “I think I finally got something through my thick skull. Just now.”