by Robert Boren
“Yeah,” he said. “We getting close?”
“About three more miles. This is a small park, but there’s a bar and grill right next door. We can walk over.”
“Good, I could throw back a few before we hit the sack,” Kelly said.
“The street view of this place shows it almost deserted. There’s only one fifth Wheel in the picture.”
“Does it look nice?”
Brenda laughed. “It looks like a piece of pasture on the side of the road with gravel patches. A building in front. Not a lot of amenities, but it looks clean and level.”
“I might have to help Junior set up,” Kelly said. “He’s never had an RV before.”
“Where does he live, anyway?”
“In a small place on the edge of what used to be his dad’s ranch,” Kelly said. “He parceled off and sold all but that one spot. What he has left is actually a decent piece of land. Few acres. Stream running along one side.”
“Here it comes,” Brenda said. “Make a left turn on Cemetery Road. The park will be on your left.”
“That the bar and grill?” Kelly asked, nodding towards a squat-cinder block building with a red metal roof.
“That’s it,” Brenda said.
Kelly made the left turn half a block past the bar, and then turned left into the park driveway, pulling up in the staging lane. “Damn, this place is packed.”
“Sure is,” Brenda said. They got out as Junior pulled up behind them, big grin on his face. He bounded out the door of his coach and caught them just outside the office.
“How does she drive?” Kelly asked.
“Like a dream, brother,” he said. “That a bar we went past on the way in?”
Brenda snickered. “Figured you’d notice that.”
Kelly held the door open for Brenda and Junior.
“Hope you got reservations,” the woman behind the desk said. She was middle-aged, dishwater blonde hair, chunky build, remains of a delicately pretty face under the lines.
“I put in a reservation a little while ago,” Brenda said. “Under Kelly. Two spaces.”
The woman looked at her computer screen. “Oh yeah, the early arrivers. Welcome.”
“Thanks,” Brenda said.
“Awful busy for mid-week,” Kelly said.
“You got that right,” the woman said as the printer started running behind her.
“Any idea why?” Kelly asked.
The woman slid the printed pages across the counter to Brenda, along with a map of the park. “Been trying to figure that out myself. Things have been a little crazy. There was another riot in Austin last night, and problems in Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.”
“Radio isn’t saying much,” Junior said. “Had it on most of the way here.”
“I know,” the woman said. “Same card as you made the reservations with?”
“Yes,” Brenda said.
“Okay, then you’re all set. Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Brenda said.
“Yeah, thanks, baby,” Junior said. The woman rolled her eyes as they walked out.
“Geez, Junior, you gonna go hit on that lady?” Kelly asked.
“Like she’d give me the time of day. Look at me. I look like Gabby Hayes.”
“If you shaved and got some new clothes, it would help,” Brenda said.
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Junior said.
Kelly laughed. “You haven’t changed your look in about thirty years,” he said. “C’mon, let’s get parked. I’ll help you hook up.”
“Thanks,” Junior said.
Kelly drove into the park, following the map. Their spaces were pull-throughs towards the back. “Hey, this isn’t bad at all,” he said.
“Better than I expected,” Brenda said. “Anything I can help with?”
“You could pretty up the trailer a little,” Kelly said. “While I get the utilities hooked up for us and Junior.”
“You’re gonna show him how, right? So you don’t have to do it for him every time?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Kelly said.
They got out of the truck. Kelly hooked up the trailer utilities quickly, then poked his head in the door.
“Hot in here,” Brenda said.
Kelly reached in and flipped the power switch inside the door. “Just turn the thermostat to about 65 and the air conditioner will kick in.”
“Okay,” she said.
Kelly walked towards the back end of Junior’s Brave. He already had the utilities hooked up.
“Wow, you got it done yourself, huh?” Kelly asked.
“The guy at the shop ran me through it,” Junior said. “Easy peasy. Think I ought to hook up the sewer?”
“I wouldn’t,” Kelly said. “We’re only gonna overnight here, and our tanks will hold us just fine. When we stop for a few days we’ll hook up the rest.”
Junior walked to the door of his coach. “Come check it out.”
Kelly followed him in and looked around. “Wow, this is nice. Looks like they refurbished everything.”
“They did,” Junior said. “Like I said, this was a good deal.”
“I talked to Hank about it,” Kelly said. “He told me he rebuilt the motor himself.”
“Who’s Hank?”
“The mechanic who did my bearings and tires,” Kelly said. “Nice guy.”
“The salesman said I ought to get a beater car to tow.”
“Not a bad idea,” Kelly said. “Find one that’s already set up if you can, though. Tow plate setups are pretty damn pricey.”
“We going to the bar?”
“I’ll check with Brenda. Won’t be for very long. I’m beat.”
“Yeah,” Junior said. “Maybe we ought to take naps and go later.”
“That’s a better idea,” Kelly said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” Junior said.
Kelly walked back to the trailer and went inside. The air was already cooler inside.
“You know, this trailer ain’t half bad,” Brenda said. “I could live in this for a while. How’d Junior do?”
“He was finished hooking up when I got there,” Kelly said. “Salesman went through it with him.”
“Well I’ll be damned,” Brenda said. “He in a hurry to go to the bar?”
“I suggested that we go after we take naps,” Kelly said. “Mind?”
“Not even a little bit,” she said, yawning. “Let’s go to bed.”
Kelly nodded and walked to the back where the bed was, stripping off his clothes on the way. He pulled back the covers and got in.
“No hanky panky until we’ve rested for a while, okay?” Brenda asked. She pulled her blouse over her head. Kelly groaned when he saw her naked chest.
“I’ll try,” he said. “You’re so gorgeous.”
“Stop,” she said, slipping out of her pants. She climbed into bed next to him. “Should we leave the air conditioner on?”
“Yeah,” Kelly said. “It’s not the best, and this afternoon will get warm.”
“Okay,” she said as she snuggled next to him. They were both out in minutes.
Kelly awoke to banging on his door.
“Dammit,” he said, picking up his phone.
“What time is it?” Brenda asked, eyes still closed.
“It’s 5:30,” Kelly said. “Probably Junior wanting to go to the bar. Probably a good time to get up.”
She sighed. “You’re right. If we get up now, we should be able to sleep at a normal time tonight.”
“Yeah,” Kelly said, getting out of bed. He slipped on his jeans and looked out the window at Junior’s smiling face.
“Time to get up, man,” he said, his muffled voice coming through. Kelly cracked open the door.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kelly said. “We’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” he said, grinning. He walked back to his rig. Kelly turned to see Brenda pulling her shirt back on.
“Damn, missed it,” he said
.
“You’ll get your chance later,” Brenda said. “Wonder if the food is any good at that dive?”
“Only one way to find out,” Kelly said, putting his shirt on. They went outside and walked to Junior’s coach. He was sitting outside on one of his new folding chairs.
“Nice here,” Junior said. “I could get used to this lifestyle.”
“You and me both,” Kelly said. “Ready?”
“I was born ready,” Junior said. Brenda looked at him and chuckled.
“What?” Junior asked.
“Oh, nothing,” she said, smiling. “Let’s go have a good time.”
“Which way? Out the front gate?” Kelly asked.
“No, man, look over there,” Junior said. “Northeast corner of the park. There’s a break in the fence and a trail. We can walk through right there.”
They walked in that direction, going through the opening and onto a dusty dirt path.
“This would be a mess after it rains,” Brenda said.
“Good shortcut for now, though,” Kelly said. “Quite a few cars in the parking lot.”
They left the dirt path, getting on the black-top parking lot, walking to the door in the front. Kelly held it open for the other two, and they went in.
The bar was along the entire back wall, a doorway into the kitchen to the far left. There were booths along the right and left walls, pool tables in the middle, with a few round cocktail tables filling in the empty space. A juke box played country-western music. People turned to look at the trio as they walked in.
“No space at the bar,” Junior said.
“Rather sit at a booth anyway,” Brenda said. She pointed to an empty booth half way down on the left side. “How’s that one?”
“Looks good to me,” Kelly said. They made their way over and sat down. A pretty young bar maid came over and stood at the end of the table, smiling at them. She had dark brown hair, long and straight, brilliant eyes and an innocent smile. A nose ring in her right nostril gave her a wilder look that she would have had otherwise.
“What can I get for y’all?” she asked in a West Texas drawl.
“Got any IPA on tap?” Kelly asked.
“Sure do. Local brew, best in the state,” she said.
“I’ll take that.”
“White wine,” Brenda said. “Any kind will do.”
“And for you, sir?” she asked, looking at Junior.
“Got Bud Lite on draft?” he asked.
“Sure do,” she said.
“Good, rinse me a mug with that swill and then fill it with IPA,” he said. Kelly laughed out loud, Brenda shook her head, and the waitress wasn’t sure what to say.
“He’s just kidding, honey,” Brenda said. “Take it from a fellow barmaid.”
“Oh, you know the business?” she asked. “Need a job? We’re looking for somebody to help out.”
“I own my own place in Dripping Springs,” Brenda said. “On vacation.”
“Yeah, an extended vacation,” Junior said. “I’m available for beer tasting. Oh, and I’d be happy to interview potential bar maids, too.”
Kelly laughed again.
“Oh, brother,” Brenda said. The barmaid giggled. “I guess I’ll have to ask the boss about that.”
“You have food?” Brenda asked.
“Yeah, but the choices are a little limited. Ran out of a lot of stuff. We didn’t expect this many people here mid-week. Not sure what’s up with that.”
“Well, bring us menus and tell us what you have left,” Brenda said.
“Okay,” she said. “Drinks coming right up.”
She walked away, hips swaying in her tight jeans.
“That’s a fine piece of woman-flesh,” Junior said.
“Yeah, who’s old enough to be your granddaughter, you old reprobate,” Brenda quipped.
Junior chuckled. Kelly shook his head.
“Wish they had the TV going in here,” Brenda said. “Love to know what the hell is going on with all these travelers.”
“I got a TV in my rig,” Junior said. “We can check it out when we get back if you want.”
“Get anything over antenna out here?” Kelly asked. “They didn’t have cable.”
“Don’t know. Haven’t checked it out yet.”
“How’d you sleep in your new rig?” Brenda asked.
“Like a baby,” he said. “I wouldn’t have woken up, but I set the alarm on my phone. Didn’t want to get my hours all messed up.”
“I wasn’t so happy when you banged on the door,” Kelly said. “But I’m glad you did.”
“Me too,” Brenda said.
“Here you go,” the barmaid said, carrying a tray with drinks over. She handed them out, and slipped them the menus.
“We’re out of beef,” she said. “Still got chicken, catfish, and turkey burgers.”
“Thanks,” Brenda said, looking at the menu.
“Oh, and I asked the owner about your offer,” she said, looking at Junior. “He almost fell on the floor laughing. That was good. He’s had a rough few days.”
“Sorry to hear it,” Junior said. “What happened?”
“His kid brother got killed on Falcon Lake a couple days ago.”
“No,” Kelly said. “Tell him we’re sorry.”
“Tell him we’ll kill a few Islamists for him,” Junior said, eyes narrowing.
“Kill?” the barmaid asked, frightened.
“Don’t worry,” Brenda said. “He’s not as crazy as he looks. You see the Dripping Springs attack on TV? And the battle in Austin a couple days ago?”
“Yes,” she said. “Just awful.”
“These two were in the group of men who did the counter attacks. That’s why we’re on the road.”
Her eyes got wide. “No, really?”
“Really,” Brenda said.
“You’ve seen some action yourself,” Kelly said to Brenda. “Saved my ass at the bar, remember?”
She smiled. “Anyway, they’ve got our number, so we had to leave.”
“Casey might want to talk to you guys,” she said. “You mind?”
“Casey?” Kelly asked.
“The owner,” she said, smiling. “He almost shut this place down to go after them. Business took off so fast that he gave up on that idea.”
A man rushed in the door of the bar. “Hey, something big happened in San Antonio!” he yelled.
“What?” asked a man sitting by the door.
“Damn Islamists stormed city hall. Killed the mayor and half the city council. There’s a big gun battle going on there now.”
“Somebody turn on that TV,” another man said.
The bar maid rushed over to the bar, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. Video of downtown San Antonio came on the screen. The announcer came on.
“We can confirm that the mayor and all city council members who were in today have been killed, their headless bodies dumped off the roof onto the lawn below. Police and armed citizens have the building surrounded.”
“Holy shit,” Junior said. “Too bad we’re so far away from there.”
“I’m glad,” Brenda said. “Look at all those citizens. They outnumber the police, from the look of it.”
“This attack follows similar attacks earlier today in Houston and Dallas. This is the only attack where the terrorists were successful at getting inside the city headquarters.”
“Well, now we know what’s going on,” Kelly said. “Damn cretins.”
“We’ll meet them again,” Junior said. “They won’t enjoy it.”
A large man walked towards the booth, white apron on, followed by the bar maid. He had long hair in a net, clean shaven, with muscular shoulders and arms.
“This is them,” the barmaid said.
“Thanks, Darby,” he said. “Hi folks. Darby told me who you were. Nice to meet you, and kudos for your actions.”
“Thanks. I’m Kelly. This is Brenda, and the crazy one there is Junior. Good to meet you. Sorry to hea
r about your brother.”
He nodded, grim look on his face. “I’m Casey,” he said. “You guys are on the lam?”
“Yeah, we’re hoping to meet up with the rest of our group out west.”
“What will you do then?” Casey asked.
“Regroup and plan attacks,” Kelly said.
“The rest of your group took off too?”
“Yeah, after we found out how we were being tracked,” Junior said. “Hey, you talked to any officials on your cell phone?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Why?”
“Do you know if you were talking to them on a land line, or on a cell line?” Kelly asked, eyes darting around the room.
“I don’t know,” Casey said. “Why?”
“Islamists hacked the Austin PD cell phones, and put in a back door through the encryption. It was like a virus, and replicated onto any other cell phones making contact with them.”
“Oh, crap,” Casey said. “I’d better find out about that.”
“What kind of cell phone do you have?” Kelly asked.
“Android,” he said.
“Yank the battery, and call the authorities you talked to on your land line. They can’t trace that.”
“This is how they found that Austin cop’s parents, isn’t it?” Casey asked.
“Yeah,” Kelly said. “They also found all of us, the night after the Dripping Springs Superstore attack.”
“They kill any of your men?”
Junior chuckled. “Nope, but we killed a lot of them.”
“No shit,” Casey said. “How many?”
“Eighty or ninety that night,” Kelly said. “Hundred more in Austin the following day. Oh, and this started with about forty at the Superstore, but we didn’t do all of them.”
“They’re still after you, then?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kelly said, “but we dumped the phones. Put them on a freight train to Newark. I don’t think the enemy knows where we are.”
Casey laughed. “Good.”
“Yeah,” Junior said. “You might have somebody on your tail. I’d watch yourself. Check on that phone problem. Get rid of your phone if there’s any chance they’ve hacked it.”
“Thanks for that info,” he said. “I’ll go yank the battery now.”
“No problema,” Junior said.
“Food and drinks on the house for you guys tonight,” Casey said.