Bug Out! Texas Book 2: The New Republic

by Robert Boren

  “We still have the others that Wallis got?” Gallagher asked.

  “They were at Zapata,” Jefferson said. “I’ll make sure they’re brought here if they survived, along with any rockets that are left. I’ll let you know if we need more.”

  “Good, you do that,” Gallagher said. “Men, any more questions?”

  “Nope,” they said.

  “Okay, get some grub and rest. We’ll have the meeting about the new hardware in a few hours.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Yes, thank you, sir,” Brendan said. They left the storage room with Captain Jefferson.

  “Remember what he said. Mum’s the word until the meeting.” Jefferson said.

  “Yeah, we get it,” Brendan said.

  “No problema,” Juan Carlos said.

  They walked to the first building to get some food.

  Chapter 11 – Sonora

  “Daddy, are we almost there?” Chelsea asked, her car seat strapped into the couch.

  “Yeah, honey, only anther five minutes,” Jason said in a loud whisper. He glanced over at Carrie, snoring softly in the passenger seat. Curt was in front of them on the road, Kyle behind with Kate next to him on the bench seat again. She looked asleep in the rear-view mirror.

  Route 277 was sparse compared to the gentle hill country terrain Jason lived in. Less trees. More arid. Not desert like West Texas, but getting there. He could see I-10 looming in the distance, and the speed limit was coming down as he neared it. He followed Curt under the I-10 overpass, slowing more as they got into the sleepy little town. The sign for North Crockett Avenue appeared, and he watched as Curt slowed and took the left turn.

  The RV Park was three blocks to the right, off Third Street. Curt made the turn. It was a little tight, so Jason took note and made the turn nice and wide. He saw Kyle in the rear view doing the same thing after he straightened out. Carrie woke up.

  “Oh, we there already?” she asked, stretching.

  “Yep,” he said. “Want to take out Dingo while I go pay?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Can I come too, mommy?” Chelsea asked.

  “Of course, honey,” she said.

  They got out of the coach, Dingo prancing around, happy to be outside. Kyle and Kate walked up hand in hand.

  “This place actually looks better than I expected,” Kyle said.

  “The pool isn’t open, though,” Kate said. “It’s dry. Looks pretty trashed.”

  “No problem,” Jason said. “We’re just here to sleep and re-group.”

  “What a garden spot,” Curt said, walking up. “I’m so tired. Glad it was only a short drive.”

  “Seriously,” Kyle said. “Maybe we should try to stay awake a little bit longer, though. Get our sleeping back into sync.”

  “Let’s talk about that when we get settled,” Curt said. “There is something to be said for traveling at night, you know.”

  “True,” Jason said. “We’ll chat, maybe have a beer or two. Sound good?”

  “Yeah,” Curt said. “Let’s go settle up and get parked.”

  They went into the office. There was a short, round old man behind the counter, fly swatter in his hand.

  “Dammit,” he said, watching the fly buzz by his face. “I’ll get you, you son of a bitch.”

  “Good afternoon,” Curt said.

  The man took his focus off the fly and looked over, annoyed. “What the hell do you want?”

  Curt laughed. “We called a little while ago. You remember, don’t you? Three rigs.”

  “Oh,” he said, calming down. The man looked like a troll, with tufts of white hair coming out of his scalp, face, and ears. “Sorry. Damn fly’s been messing with me all day.”

  “No problem,” Curt said.

  “Good thing you folks called ahead. Phone’s been ringing off the hook for the last couple of hours. Everybody’s got their panties in a bunch.”

  “Really?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “You look like a cop.”

  “I do?” Kyle asked. “Is that a problem?”

  “Are you?” the old man asked.

  “Yeah,” Kyle said. “All three of us are.”

  “Oh, shit,” he said. “You aren’t gonna cause no trouble are you?”

  “You don’t like cops?” Jason asked.

  “Oh, some of them are okay, like those guys who blasted the pajama boys in Dripping Springs.”

  Kyle and Jason glanced at each other. Curt walked away laughing while Kate snickered.

  “What’s so damn funny?” the old man asked.

  “Those two are the cops from the Dripping Springs attack,” Kate said. “Their boss told them to disappear for a few days.”

  The old man smiled and slapped his knee. “Well I’ll be bushwhacked. Welcome. I’m Quincy, but my friends call me Brushy.”

  “Brushy, huh,” Curt said, walking back over, his eyes still dancing with laughter. “These two pencil necks just got lucky in Dripping Springs.”

  Kyle cracked up. “Yeah, whatever.” He turned to Brushy. “You ain’t gonna advertise that we’re here, are you?”

  “Why would I do that?” he asked. “Damn city folks, thinking everybody out here is a fool.”

  “Calm down, Brushy, it’s okay,” Kate said. “We’re a little paranoid. Been attacked twice, and some of those jerks killed Jason’s parents.”

  “Yeah, saw that on the news,” he said. “Real sorry about that.”

  “The Islamists have gotten the worst part of it so far,” Curt said. “Hell, even Kate here blasted some of them, both at the Superstore in Dripping Springs, and last night at our camp site.”

  “They following you guys?” Brushy asked, eyes darting around. “Better make sure my shotgun is loaded.”

  “Don’t worry, they don’t know where we are now,” Curt said.

  “How do you know that, young fella?”

  Curt pulled out his phone and showed it to the old man. “See that? It shows me if we’re being tracked. They aren’t around here right now. They went east.”

  “Where’d you get that app?” Brushy asked.

  “Took it over from the Islamists,” he said. “They were tracking my phone. I turned their app against them.”

  Brushy laughed hard. “Nice. You’ll warn me if they come a calling, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, you can count on that,” Curt said. “I don’t expect them, though. We dumped all the phones they were tracking except this one, and they can’t track it anymore.”

  “Where you goin’?”

  “West,” Jason said. “To join some others.”

  “Okay,” he said. “You guys look bushed. I’ll get your spaces set up.”

  “Thanks, Brushy,” Kate said.

  He nodded as he filled out the tags.

  “You got a land line around here?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah, over there,” he said. “Why?”

  “Need to call Austin PD later. I can use my cell phone in a pinch, but I’d rather not until we’re sure we can’t get re-acquired by the Islamists.”

  “Well, be my guest,” Brushy said. “We’re having barbecue later, if you guys are interested. Six thirty. You can come for free. Most people are getting charged.”

  “We might just take you up on that, after we get a nap,” Curt said.

  “Good, hope to see you,” Brushy said. He slid the three tags over to them with maps. “Enjoy. Good to have you here.”

  “Thanks,” Curt said. They turned and walked out the door.

  “Get a load of that guy,” Kyle said.

  “Told you he was a hoot,” Curt said. “Let’s go.”

  Carrie was just getting back to the coach. “What are you guys grinning about?”

  “That old man in there,” Kate said. “Colorful guy. He invited us for barbecue later. Think it’s time for a nap now, though.”

  “Yeah, you got that right. Even Chelsea will take one now. Been a long couple of days.”<
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  They got back to their rigs. Curt drove into the park, the other two following. Their spaces were near the center, pull-through spaces with trees shading them. They got set up in a few minutes and met outside.

  “So, naps, then some barbecue with Brushy?” Curt asked.

  “Brushy?” Carrie asked.

  Kate laughed. “That’s his nickname.”

  “Geez,” she said. “Fine with me. What time?”

  “Six thirty,” Jason said. “Gives us about five hours to sleep.”

  “Good,” Carrie said. “I’m done. Hitting the sack. See you all later.”

  “Be there in just a second, honey,” Jason said, watching her lead Chelsea and Dingo inside. Kate turned and went to the trailer, nodding at Kyle on the way.

  “That’s her hurry-up nod,” Curt said to Kyle. “It’s starting already. When’s the wedding?”

  “I could see that happening,” Kyle said, looking embarrassed. “She’s a keeper.”

  “She’s hot enough to hold a guy’s interest,” Curt said. “No offence.”

  “None taken,” Kyle said. “Why we still out here?”

  “Just had a couple questions for Curt,” Jason said.

  “Shoot.”

  “You sure that phone can’t be traced?”

  “I’m sure,” Curt said. “I know how their app worked. It’s pretty simple stuff. I’m way ahead of them. What else?”

  “Will the alarm wake you if they’re coming this way?” Jason asked.

  “Sure will,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, that’s it for me,” Jason said. “You guys got anything?”

  “Not me,” Kyle said. “Bed awaits.”

  “Yeah, see that you sleep at least a little,” Curt said to Kyle. “I’m good. Always have guns nearby, though, okay?”

  “We do,” Jason said. “Don’t you worry about that.”

  Curt smiled. “Okay, see you guys a little later.”

  They retired to their coaches.

  Jason woke up to his cellphone alarm at six in the evening. Carrie was still sleeping. He got up and went into the salon. Chelsea was sitting at the dinette table with her coloring books.

  “When did you get up, honey?” Jason asked.

  “A little while ago,” she said.

  “You should have woken one of us up before you came out here.”

  “I wasn’t going anywhere. I know I can’t go outside.”

  “Well, next time wake one of us, okay?”

  “Okay, daddy,” she said. “I’m hungry.”

  “We’re going to go to a barbecue in a little while,” Jason said.

  “Think they have hot dogs?”

  “I don’t know honey. We’ll see.” Jason got his laptop out of the closet and set it up on the dinette table next to Chelsea’s coloring books. “Move over a little, sweetie.”

  “Okay, daddy,” Chelsea said.

  Dingo growled, waking up on the floor between the front seats.

  “Shhh,” Jason said, getting up and rushing to the door. He looked out and saw Curt standing by the back of his toy hauler.

  “Is it okay, daddy?” Chelsea asked. “There aren’t going to be bangs again, are there?”

  “No, sweetie, it’s just Uncle Curt,” he said. “I’m going to go talk to him. Tell mommy if she wakes up, okay? Stay in the coach.”

  “Okay, daddy,” she said.

  Jason opened the door as quietly as he could and stepped out. Curt saw him and grinned.

  “Get enough sleep?”

  “Yeah, Curt. You?”

  “Slept like a baby, but I always do in this thing. I’m going to full-time for a while when I decide where to settle.”

  “We may all be doing that for a while,” Jason said. “Hope nobody messes with the house while we’re gone.”

  “You could move out to your dad’s spread if you wanted,” Curt said. “Love that place.”

  “Eric and I are gonna have to figure that one out, but I don’t see moving out there now. Too far from work.”

  “Yeah, that’s true,” he said. “You got a nice spread in Dripping Springs. A little close-in for my taste.”

  “It’s better if you’ve got kids,” Kyle said. “And we’re having another.”

  “I can see that, I guess,” he said. “Check out my garage.” Curt unlocked the latches on the back of his rig and lowered the ramp. The Barracuda sat inside, gun barrel pointing outward. On the sides and behind it were work benches, cabinets, and tools.

  “You took out the furniture,” Jason said. “One of my friends has the same model. His has a bed that comes down from the ceiling and couches that fold down on either side near the entrance.”

  “I ripped all that stuff out,” Curt said. “No need for it. C’mon up.”

  They walked up the ramp. “That your 3-D printer setup?” Jason asked, walking to the workbench against the front wall.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Amazing what you can do with these things now.”

  “Ammo reloading equipment. That’s good. And a lathe,” Jason said, looking at the driver’s side wall.

  “Comes in handy. I had a small vertical mill, but with the new 3-D printer, I didn’t need it anymore. Saved me some weight.”

  “This is nice,” Jason said. “Hell, you even got a fridge and sink out here.”

  He grinned, walking to it and opening it up. The fridge was chock-full of beer.

  “What a shock,” Jason said.

  “Want one?” Curt asked.

  “Sure, why the hell not? We’re on vacation.”

  The two of them chuckled as Kyle walked up.

  “Get any sleep, lover boy?” Curt asked as he handed Kyle a beer.

  “Yeah, we laid off each other,” he said, taking a swig. “Nice setup, man.”

  “I like it,” Curt said. “When the heat dies down, we need to go to my place outside of San Antonio. I’ve got several more of those auto grenade launchers there.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Jason asked.

  “Well, you got four-wheel drive vehicles. How’d you like to have guns on them?”

  Jason laughed. “If things stay crazy, I’d be interested. I’m hoping this will settle down and the government will take control of the problem.”

  Curt laughed. “I was in a meeting shortly before I got put on leave. They had some estimates that didn’t sound too good.”

  “What?” Kyle asked.

  “Four to five hundred thousand enemy fighters already inside Texas, with several hundred thousand more on the way from the south, east, and west.”

  “Really?” Kyle said. “We heard there was a big problem, but not that big.”

  “How’d you get in so much trouble with San Antonio PD?” Jason asked. “Why’d you get kicked off the force?”

  “I’m still on leave,” Curt said. “Pending an investigation.”

  “You punched a superior officer?” Kyle asked. “Really?”

  Curt nodded.

  “Why’d you do that, anyway?” Jason asked.

  “The department was drawing up plans for martial law,” Curt said. “Including temporary gun confiscation.”

  “They’ll never get away with that,” Jason said. “Not even in Austin.”

  “Austin and San Antonio are two very different cities,” Curt said. “Austin has a lot of your garden-variety nuts, and they make a lot of noise. They’re a nuisance, but that’s about it. Ever hear Chief Ramsey talk about restricting liberty?”

  “Hell no,” Kyle said.

  “San Antonio is run by the open-border crowd now. They’re fanatics on protecting the rights of immigrants, and they have a complacent police chief who only cares about his damn cushy retirement.”

  “By immigrants, you’re talking about illegals, right?” Jason asked.

  “Of course,” Curt said. “I got nothing against legal immigrants. Anyway, I got into an argument with some brass over this. That’s why I threw the punch.”

&nbs
p; “Do you really believe those numbers?” Kyle asked.

  “Oh, yeah, I believe them,” he said. “Wish I could say different.”

  Kate and Carrie walked up with Chelsea. “You guys drinking already?” Carrie asked.

  “I’m hungry, daddy,” Chelsea said.

  “He said six-thirty, right?” Kate asked.

  “Yep,” Kyle said. “Let’s go.”

  “Yeah,” Curt said.

  Jason and Kyle got out of the garage, and Curt closed the ramp. The group walked to the main building. Brushy was standing in front of a huge 55-gallon drum barbecue, slathering meat with sauce using a long brush.

  “That smells pretty damn good,” Curt said as they walked up.

  “Hey, how you doing?” Brushy asked, smiling as he turned towards them.

  “We got some sleep,” Jason said. “That’s a good thing.”

  “Not much of a crowd yet,” Carrie said.

  “Oh, Brushy, this is my wife Carrie,” Jason said. “And my daughter Chelsea.”

  “Good to meet you,” Brushy said. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

  “Yep,” Carrie said. “Three months.”

  “Do you have any hot dogs?” Chelsea asked.

  “Sure do,” Brushy said. “Just haven’t put them on the grill yet. They don’t take as long to cook.”

  “Goody,” Chelsea said.

  “You folks make yourselves at home. There’s ice beer in that washtub over there.”

  “Thanks,” Kyle said.

  “Here comes some more folks,” Curt said, looking over at them and smiling.

  “Welcome, folks,” Brushy said. “Have a beer. Over in the washtub.”

  “Thanks,” said a large man with black hair and a beard, wearing biker garb. His woman was next to him, a small and dainty bleach blonde with an edge. He walked to the wash tub and grabbed a beer. His woman got one too.

  “Don’t drink too much, Gray,” she said. “They keep showing up.”

  “I’m pretty sure we lost them by now,” he said, taking a swig of the beer.

  “Where you from, friend?” Curt asked.

  “Rio Grande Valley,” he said. “You?”

  “San Antonio. I’m Curt.”

  “Gray,” the man said. “This is Cindy.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, trying to smile, her eyes darting around nervously.