Bug Out! Texas Book 3: Republic in Peril

by Robert Boren

  “I know,” Kelly said quietly. “No way we can stay here. We need to get tires for those flatbeds tomorrow, and get ready to high-tail it. You are going with us, right?”

  “If you’ll have me,” he said quietly.

  “Are you kidding?” Kelly said, putting his arm on his shoulder. “You’re one of us, and you gave us a great port in the storm for a little while. You’ll get your place back after this is over.”

  “Hope so,” he said. “I know of several other locations we might consider. I’ll start looking into them in a little more detail.”

  “Good, you do that,” Kelly said. “You got a rig?”

  “Big pusher,” he said. “Clancy’s got a rig too. Maybe I ought to get the batteries charged up tonight.”

  “We probably won’t have to leave that quickly,” Kelly said.

  “Look at how many men they have,” Moe said. “I’m betting they know we hit their tank hijacking. We’ll be lucky if they don’t end up here before end of the day tomorrow.”

  “I think we have a little more time that that,” Kelly said. “Maybe I just hope we do. Doesn’t hurt to be ready.”

  “I think we should start stowing stuff first thing in the morning, Kelly,” Brenda said.

  “We have a stalemate on South Congress Avenue,” the commentator said. “The mortar rounds stopped the advance towards the Capitol, so the enemy left a force there to return fire, while attempting to move the remainder of their force to the west. The citizens are pursuing them, both sides taking many casualties. Apache attack helicopters are in the south part of the city, attempting to stop the flow of enemy fighters coming up I-35, with mixed results. Several Apaches have been shot down with hand-held missile launchers.”

  “Oh, geez,” Brenda said.

  “Don’t lose hope,” Kelly said. “We’ve got only a thousand people right there. There’s a lot more where that came from.”

  “He’s right,” Clancy said, looking at his iPad. “Guess how many gun owners there are in Texas.”

  “Few hundred thousand?” Rachel asked.

  Clancy laughed. “Almost ten million.”

  “Holy shit,” Rachel said.

  “Yeah, this ain’t over,” Kelly said. “Not by a long shot.”

  “But how many are military grade?” Moe asked.

  “Enough,” Kelly said, “but with those kind of numbers, it really doesn’t matter that much. Ten million single-shot rifles would be hard to beat by any army in the world. It’s just basic math.”

  “Yeah, he’s right,” Clancy said. “Once this really starts going, Islamist body disposal will become a problem.”

  “All body disposal will become a problem,” Kelly said. “Lots of good Texans are gonna get killed. This won’t be a turkey shoot. It’s going to be a big mess for everybody involved, and each and every one of us stands to lose somebody we love. I’d keep that in mind.”

  “Oh, God,” Brenda said. “I didn’t really get that before.”

  “I knew it, but nothing brings reality home like seeing tanks rolling into Austin,” Junior said. “We have to win this. We have to stay strong.”

  Curt ran into the room. “Guess what I found?” he asked.

  Kelly and Junior looked at each other and grinned.

  “Uh oh,” Brenda said.

  Curt held up the enemy phone, and the men gathered around.

  “There’s a big group of them in the woods north of Mountain City,” he said. “I’ll bet they’ve got all kinds of supplies there. Ready for a road trip?”

  “Shit, man, that’s five hours away, assuming we can stay on I-10 most of the way,” Moe said.

  “So we tow the Barracuda with Jason’s jeep,” Junior said. “Take Kyle’s truck.”

  “You got the fifty-cal working?” Clancy asked. “Bitchen.”

  “What about the tanks?”

  “Somebody’s got to protect the homestead,” Junior said. “Besides, we’d just lose them there. They’ve probably got their reserve tanks at that location. We can outrun them with the Barracuda, Jeeps, and Kyle’s truck. Can’t with a tank.”

  “Exactly,” Kyle said.

  “I’ll go get my bikers,” Gray said. “We’ll haul ass down there and reconnoiter. We can leave in about five minutes.”

  “Yeah, you do that,” Curt said. “I’d better go get Jason and Kyle up.”

  “Count us in,” Junior said.

  “Yeah, Kelly said. “We’re going to need to drive shifts.”

  “Yep,” Junior said.

  Brenda looked at Kelly. “No way I can talk you out of this, is there?”

  “No,” Kelly said.

  “Okay,” she said. “I don’t like it, but I hitched myself to a man. Probably be disappointed if you chickened out.”

  Kelly took her into his arms and kissed her passionately, then looked her in the eyes. “You might have to fight. Be ready.”

  “Understand,” she said.

  “Let’s go,” Kelly shouted.

  Chapter 21 – Biology

  Jason laid on his back in the dark bedroom, not able to sleep. Carrie was still out in the salon watching TV. He heard a knock on the door. Dingo growled.

  “Jason?” Carrie said. “You still up? Curt’s outside.”

  “Coming,” Jason said, getting out of bed and getting into his pants. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw Carrie’s face.

  “Tanks and a lot of enemy troops are attacking Austin up I-35.”

  “No shit?” Jason said, heading for the door. He opened it. Curt came in.

  “You see what’s going on?” Curt asked.

  “Just now,” Jason said. “We don’t have the resources to counter-attack.”

  “You’re right,” Curt said, “but there is something we can do. We need to take off now, while they’re busy.”

  “Dammit,” Carrie said.

  “You don’t know what he’s asking for yet,” Jason said softly. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I used their cellphones to figure out where their base is.”

  “Where?” Jason asked.

  “Mountain City,” he said.

  “Shit, that’s four or five hours away,” Carrie said. “More with the RVs.”

  “It’s just under five hours,” Curt said.

  “What do you want to do?” Jason asked.

  “Sneak in the back and blow up whatever tank fuel and ammo we can find,” Curt said. “Kelly’s talking to Kyle about it right now. Some of Gray’s bikers just took off to reconnoiter.”

  “I don’t like this,” Carrie said.

  “Neither do I, honey, but we need to do this. What do you have in mind, Curt?”

  “Tow the Barracuda behind your Jeep again. Take Kyle’s truck. Enough people so we can drive continuously through the night. It’ll still be dark when we get there if we leave now.”

  “How come the Apaches haven’t found them?” Carrie asked.

  “They’re in the hills above Mountain City. Lots of tree cover there,” Curt said. “Besides, those Apaches are a little busy right now.”

  “I’ll go get dressed,” Jason said.

  “Good, I’ll pull the Barracuda behind your Jeep.” He left the coach as Jason went into the bedroom. Carrie followed him back there.

  “You can’t talk me out of this,” he said.

  “I know,” she said, hugging him. “I don’t have to like it. Wonder how Kate is taking it?”

  “She’ll probably want to go,” Jason said.

  “So do I,” Carrie said.

  “You’re pregnant, and you have our daughter to take care of.”

  “I know, honey,” Carrie said. “You’d better not get killed.”

  “I won’t,” he said. “We’ll strike and get the hell out of there.”

  “You’re going to drive all the way back here afterwards?”

  “Maybe,” Jason said. “Or maybe we’ll rest at the folk’s house. Eric is there right now, remember.”

  “Okay,” she said. “It
’s probably safer than here. That thin road in the hills is a good choke point.”

  “Yeah, I told Eric we might end up there,” Jason said. “It’s quite a few acres.” He finished dressing and went for the door, Carrie following him. Kate was outside watching Kyle load the mounted .50 cal. She was crying. Carrie walked over to her.

  “You okay?” Carrie asked.

  “No, but I know it has to happen,” she said.

  “You going?”

  “I wanted to, but he talked me out of it,” she said. “I’m going to make a deal with one of Gray’s people to pull the trailer if we have to leave before they can get back.”

  “Shit, I didn’t think about that,” Carrie said. “I’ll have to drive this beast.”

  “You can do it,” Kate said.

  “Hey, Kyle,” Jason said, “I’ll set one of the BARs and ammo on the floor in your cab, okay?”

  “Yeah, buddy, thanks,” Kyle said. “Junior’s going to ride with me, so I might have to stash it behind the seat.”

  “I’ll go with you, if you don’t mind,” Kelly said, walking up, Brenda next to him.

  “Sure,” Jason said. “Glad to have you.”

  “How are you feeling about this?” Brenda asked Kate and Carrie.

  “How do you think?” Carrie asked.

  “Yeah, what she said,” Kate said. “You?”

  “I don’t like it, but it’s the man I chose,” she said. “I think Rachel is taking this as bad as I am.” She nodded. Rachel was close to Junior, talking to him, arms waving around.

  “Don’t worry, Rachel,” Junior said. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

  “You better not get killed,” she said, hugging him, turning her head up to kiss him. He thought it was going to be on the cheek, but she kissed him on the mouth.

  “You don’t like me that way,” Junior said.

  “I want you back here,” she whispered. “You make it back, and I’ll give you a good roll in the hay.”

  Juniors eyes got wider and he chuckled. “No you won’t, but the thought will be nice on the long drive.”

  “You might be surprised,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t risk ruining our friendship, and that’s the truth,” he said, stroking her hair. “You’re gonna have to drive the Brave if something happens before we get back. You know where the keys are, right?”

  “Yeah,” she said, looking up at his face again.

  “Hey, Junior, while we’re young,” Kelly called to him. Then he climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

  “Coming,” he said, rushing to Kyle’s truck.

  Curt finished hitching the Barracuda, and rushed to the back seat, behind Jason. “Let’s go, man,” he said. Jason nodded and drove ahead, Kyle following him with Junior.

  Rachel walked over to the other women. They watched their men leave silently.

  “There they go,” Rachel said, sniffling.

  “What were you talking to Junior about over there?” Brenda asked.

  Rachel giggled, wiping the tears away from her eyes. “I told the old coot I’d screw him if he came back okay.”

  “You didn’t,” Brenda said, then started laughing. “That’ll give him some incentive.”

  “He said he wouldn’t,” she said. “Doesn’t want to ruin what we have.”

  “He’s a lot smarter than he appears,” Kate said. “I’ve really gotten to like him.”

  “I know, me too,” Carrie said, “and Chelsea just loves him.”

  “You wouldn’t really, would you?” Brenda asked. “It’s not like you love him.”

  “I do love him, but not like that,” Rachel said.

  “Then why would you even consider it?” Kate asked.

  “Because men like him are vital now,” Rachel said, determination on her face. “We need to keep our society together, and a lot of that is on us women. So yeah, I’d screw him. Hell, I’d have his baby.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Brenda asked.

  “Deadly serious,” she said. “You picked a good man. From what I heard, everybody was surprised.”

  “Oh, I had a huge crush on him for quite a while,” Brenda said, “but I didn’t let him know about it. It’s different, though.”

  “Why?” Rachel asked.

  “Well, for one thing, he’s about two years older than me,” she said. “You know how old Junior is, right?”

  “Yes, he’s sixteen years older than me,” she said. “Like I said, I don’t love him that way, but the age difference wouldn’t stop me. Look at Hollywood. This age difference seems to be the norm there.”

  Carrie giggled. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.”

  “I’m going to try to get some sleep,” Carrie said. “Chelsea will be up bright and early. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  The others nodded as she climbed into her rig.

  “She’s so strong,” Rachel said. “Pregnant with a young child in this world, and she keeps it all together.”

  Kate snickered. “Kyle and I are trying.”

  “You’re joking,” Brenda said. “Now? Really?”

  “The urge is incredible,” Kate said.

  “You two going to get married?” Rachel asked.

  “I already consider us married,” she said. “We’ll officially tie the knot before too long. We’ve already talked about it.”

  “He worships the ground you walk on, that’s for sure,” Brenda said.

  “As Kelly does with you,” Kate said.

  Brenda was quiet for a minute, eyes tearing up. “Hell, if I could, I’d let Kelly knock me up too, probably. I’ve had the urges, even with my plumbing all messed up.”

  “Hysterectomy?” Rachel asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, “six years ago. I’d probably be done by now anyway.”

  “How about you, Rachel?” Kate asked. “Your plumbing still work?”

  Rachel looked at her and smiled. “Oh, I think everything still works. Had a baby, but it died.” She started to tear up.

  “Oh no, what happened?” Kate asked.

  “SIDS,” she said. “On a camping trip with my first husband. I went off the deep end after that. Lost the marriage and pretty much everything else.”

  “How long ago?” Brenda asked.

  “Ten years,” she said. “I do have the urge to get pregnant too, though. I can’t understand it.”

  “It’s the times,” Kate said. “The struggle. I read about that someplace.”

  “How strong do you have it?” Brenda asked. “Strong enough for Junior?”

  She thought about it for a moment. “Shit. Yeah. That’s probably what’s going on.”

  “Biology,” Kate said. Rachel looked at her and flashed a wicked grin.

  “Junior ain’t gonna know what hit him when he gets back.”

  Brenda giggled. “No way.”

  “Yes way,” she said. “I just decided. I’m gonna screw his brains out until it works.”

  “What if he doesn’t work?” Kate asked.

  “Oh, he works,” she said. “Hard not to notice. We have been living together in that little motor home, after all. He likes to look at me. He thinks I don’t notice.”

  The three of them giggled, but then their faces got serious.

  “I hope they make it back,” Brenda said, tears running down her face.

  Kate and Rachel nodded, and they all went back to their rigs.

  Chapter 22 – Waiting

  Lita sat behind the bar in the dim light. There was a soft knock on the door. She looked at her phone. Almost 2:00 AM. Another soft knock.

  “Coming,” she said as she walked to the door. She looked out the window and opened it, letting Hannah and Madison in.

  “Hi, Lita,” Madison said, brushing her blonde hair back. “Hear anything yet?”

  “They won’t be here for a while,” Lita said. “They have to put the boat away and drive over here.”

  “Did you see that fireball to the north?” Hannah asked, taking off her coat.

&n
bsp; “Heard about it on the news,” Lita said. “Sea plane trying to rush in under the radar. I suspect our men had something to do with it.”

  “Our men?” Hannah asked, smiling.

  “Yeah, you’re serious about Richardson, but the two of us just met ours,” Madison said.

  “You like them,” Lita said. “I can tell. And here you are in the middle of the night.”

  “Okay, I do have a strong attraction for Brendan,” Hannah said. “Makes me tingle when I think about him.”

  “Tingle?” Madison asked. “Oh brother.”

  “You don’t have any reaction to Juan Carlos?” Hannah asked. “You two were hot and heavy last night, as I remember.”

  “Oh, I have the usual biological reactions,” she said. “Not to be crude.”

  Lita and Hannah looked at her and laughed.

  “Typical Madison comment,” Hannah said. “TMI, by the way.”

  “So sue me,” she said. “How long are they going to be here?”

  Lita shrugged. “Why ask me?”

  “C’mon, your boyfriend is the leader, right?” Madison asked.

  “He’s only a lieutenant,” she said. “He told me he didn’t know. Could be weeks. Could be days.”

  “You trying to figure out if you should get serious or not?” Hannah asked.

  “Of course, aren’t you?” Madison asked.

  “I’m just letting my emotions guide me,” Hannah said. “Seeing where it leads. We’ve gotten thrown together. I’m liking it so far.”

  “Would you have let Brendan pick you up, if you just saw him in a bar?” Lita asked.

  Hannah thought about it for a second. “You know, I probably would have gone for Juan Carlos first, just based on looks.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Madison asked. “I didn’t pick him before you got a chance. It was the other way around. I remember when you two locked eyes.”

  “Would you have gone after him instead?” Hannah asked.

  “He’s too much the sensitive type for me,” Madison said, “but let’s be honest. They’re both hot. Either one of us would have been interested in either one of them under normal circumstances.”

  Hannah giggled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  “I think they’re coming,” Lita said, listening. “I hope it’s them, anyway.”