Bug Out! Part 12: RV Alliance

by Robert Boren

  “I’ll get the coffee pot going, and then we’re gonna talk,” Jane said.

  Frank sighed. “Okay. I’ll get my PC started while you’re busy with that.”

  Jane returned in a few minutes. “Okay, spill it. What kept you up last night?”

  He looked down for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Daan Mertins.”

  “I figured he might have something to do with it,” she said. “What about him?”

  “I kept thinking that he might have a hit team with him. People like George, who could hunt us down. I feel like our butts are flapping in the breeze. They know where this place is.”

  “Oh,” Jane said. “Do we need to leave?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Why don’t you discuss it with General Hogan and George?” Jane asked.

  “I’m going to,” he said. “This morning. I think they know that’s a danger already.”

  Jane’s eyes got wider. “You think they might use us for bait?”

  “I hope not, but it’s possible,” he said.

  “Can they can protect us?”

  “George is pretty capable, but he’s also been out of the game for a while. Daan’s people are still in the thick of things.”

  “You’re scaring me,” Jane said.

  “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. You know there’s another possibility.”

  “What’s that?” Jane asked.

  “Daan might have his hands completely full trying to protect the WTO folks. Or trying to set them up. We don’t really know which side he’s on.”

  Jane was silent for a moment, thinking it through. “Why all the sneaking around by Carlsbad Caverns?” she asked. “Are they setting a trap for us or for the WTO folks?”

  “Could be either. Hard to tell. Check your laptop. They still showing?”

  She clicked open the app. “No hits since yesterday at about 9:00 pm,” she said.

  “And the WTO guys got to San Diego late yesterday, too,” Frank said.

  “Do you want to leave? Head east? Or go home?”

  “You mean leave the group?” Frank asked.

  “Or even take the group,” Jane said. “I’ll bet most of them would go.”

  “I wish it was that easy,” Frank said. “If Daan brought hunters with him, they’ll find us even if we leave.”

  Jane sat on the chair in front of her laptop, looking into space. “If the General’s right about our government, there are people here that want us dead too.”

  “I know,” Frank said. “That’s been chewing at me for a while. We’re really screwed.”

  Jerry and Jasmine walked in together.

  “Good morning,” Jerry said. His smiling face turned to concern when he saw the expression on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Frank said.

  “Don’t tell them that,” Jane said. “He’s worried that Daan Mertins might have brought assassins with him to target us. He stewed about it all night.”

  Jasmine expression showed fear. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “His hands may be too full to worry about us,” Frank said. “You guys looked like you were about to tell us something. What’s up?”

  “We got a call from mom,” Jasmine said. “They’re letting Jeb out in three days. We’re leaving tonight to pick them up.”

  “That’s great,” Jane said.

  “Good news,” Frank said. “You taking the motor home?”

  “Yeah,” Jerry said.

  “Taking anybody along?” Jane asked.

  “You mean a caravan?” Jasmine said. “We’d love that, but aren’t we already short too many people here?”

  Jane looked at Frank. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Road trip,” he said. “Not a bad idea to be mobile for a while. What do you guys think? Two and a half days driving, a day or two there, and a two and a half days back.”

  “I’d love that,” Jerry said.

  “Me too, but would that leave enough people here?” Jasmine asked.

  “Well, let’s think about it,” Jerry said, ticking off names on his fingers. “We’ve still got Earl, Jackson, Charlie, Hilda, Terry, Trish, Kurt, Mary, Jake, George, Heidi, the General, and the three privates. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

  “Seems like it to me,” Frank said. “What time are you leaving?”

  “Couple of hours,” he said. “Can you guys get ready that fast?”

  “Sure,” Frank said. “What do you think, honey?”

  “Let’s do it,” she said. “I probably would have said no yesterday, but after your worries this morning, I'd feel safer on the road.”

  “Who should we tell?” Jasmine asked.

  “Charlie. He’ll handle the rest,” Jerry said.

  “What if we run into trouble out there?” Jasmine asked.

  “Then we’ll have four guns instead of two,” Frank said.

  “And five on the way back, if Jeb’s got the gumption,” Jerry said. “I’ll throw a couple of his rifles in our coach.”

  “Don’t expect too much from him,” Jasmine said. “He’s going to need time to heal.”

  “Let’s go chat with Charlie,” Frank said. “I’ll tie in with the General too.”

  “Okay,” Jerry said.

  “I’ll go get our rig checked out,” Jane said. “We need to load more food.” Jasmine nodded, and they left the clubhouse.

  ***

  Ted was following Malcolm, bored with the monotony of the road. Fields, small towns, more fields. Semi-trucks. Northern Missouri wasn’t his favorite place, but at least they were nearing the Mississippi River. His phone rang.

  “Ted?”

  “Dick Branson, how the hell are you?” asked Ted.

  “Fine. I think you were right about the house. Nobody’s there. At least nobody alive.”

  “Why?” Ted asked.

  “I got some news. You hear what happened in that Indianapolis suburb last night?”

  “Something about a couple shooting a few cops. Exposed corruption in the local PD. That what you’re talking about?”

  “Yeah,” Branson said. “Here’s what didn’t make the news.”

  “Uh oh,” Ted said.

  “The bureau found prints at the woman’s house. Matched some of the prints at the biker massacre.”

  “And since you were part of that investigation, they called you right away,” Ted said. “Lucky break. So we know that either Scott or Howard were involved.”

  “Looks that way,” Branson said.

  “Anything else?” Ted asked.

  “Not yet,” he said. “All indications are they’re headed west on Route 36.”

  “Really? That’s the road we’re on right now. East bound.”

  Chapter 4 – Day Camping

  Jerry and Frank walked up to Charlie’s rig. He came out, surprised to see them.

  “Morning, guys,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “Jeb’s gonna get released in three days. We’re gonna take a trip back there in our rigs,” Jerry said.

  “Oh,” Charlie said, smiling. “It’ll be great to see him. You’re both going, eh?”

  “Yeah,” Frank said. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  “I think it’s great,” Charlie said. “We’ve got plenty of people here to protect the home fires.”

  “That’s what we were thinking,” Jerry said. “If anything goes wrong on the road, we’ll be in better shape too.”

  “Yeah,” Charlie said. “When are you leaving?”

  “Within the next hour,” Frank said. “The girls are getting our rigs ready now.”

  “Okay,” Charlie said. “You guys have a safe trip. Call us if you get into trouble.”

  “Will do,” Jerry said. He looked over at Frank. “Shall we go chat with General Hogan?”

  “Yeah,” Frank said.

  “I’ll see you later,” Charlie said as they walked off.

  They went to the lounge. The General was puttering
in the kitchen. His privates were on the couch, watching TV.

  “Hey, General,” Frank said.

  “Ah, good morning,” he said. “Want some coffee?”

  “Already had some, thanks,” Frank said. “We’re leaving on a road trip.”

  “Jeb’s ready to be released,” the General said.

  “Good guess,” Jerry said.

  “It’s not a guess,” he said. “I’ve got people at the hospital, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Frank said. “They gonna stay in that area?”

  “They’ll turn their attention to the WTO group as soon as Jeb leaves.”

  “Oh,” Frank said. “Anything new on that?”

  “Nope, they’re still in San Diego.”

  “You think there’s any chance that Daan Mertins might have an assassination team with him?”

  “To hunt for you?” the General asked.

  “Well, to hunt for us,” Frank said.

  “Possible, but I think he’s gonna have his hands full, and it’s difficult to get unsavory people into the country right now.”

  “He’s unsavory,” Jerry said.

  “Yeah, but the WTO as a whole isn’t,” the General said. “At least in the government’s eyes. Good way to sneak back in.” He paused. “I guess if Mertins can sneak in, he could bring somebody along.”

  “Anything new on the EU?” Frank asked.

  “Yeah,” the General said. “The EU is totally FUBAR. Luckily England and Germany retained control of their countries. Be interesting to see how well they fight on the same side.”

  “Still worried about our troops from Mexico ending up over there?” Frank asked. Jerry shot him a worried glance.

  “Not as much,” the General said. “Some of our troops are already back. They’re building up in Texas and New Mexico as we speak. They’re going into Arizona as soon as they’re assembled.”

  “Good,” Jerry said. “About friggin time.”

  “We’d better get going,” Frank said. “We’re taking off in a few minutes.”

  “Stay in touch, and don’t worry about this place,” the General said, smiling.

  “Thanks,” Frank said. He and Jerry left, headed back to their rig.

  “Well, that was good news,” Jerry said. “About our troops coming home from Mexico, that is.”

  “Yes,” Frank said. “Did he seem nervous to you?”

  “No, not really,” Jerry said.

  “Must just be me,” Frank said. “I’ll be ready in a few. Meet you at the gate.”

  “Okay,” Jerry said.

  Frank stuck his head in the door. “Hey, honey, I’ll dump the holding tanks, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said. “I’m almost done in here. Don’t shut down the water or electrical yet, though.”

  “Okay,” Frank said. He took care of the holding tanks, and then collected the chairs and put them into the storage compartment.

  “Frank, why don’t you take Lucy out for her walk?”

  “Okay,” Frank said. He hooked her on the leash and walked her around as Jane finished. By the time he got back, the slides were in.

  “We taking the toad?” Jane asked.

  “I think we should,” Frank said. “I’ll get her ready.”

  “Okay,” Jane said. “You can unhook the utilities.”

  Frank got that done, and drove the car behind the coach as Jane pulled up the levelers. She drove the coach forward far enough for Frank to get the toad aligned, and Frank hooked it up.

  “Want me to drive the first stretch?” Jane asked, still sitting behind the wheel.

  “Sure, sounds good,” Frank said. He sat in the passenger seat while she drove to the front gate. Jerry and Jasmine were there waiting. They took off, navigating through the small country roads towards town. Frank’s phone rang.

  “Frank, need gas?”

  “Yeah, but I think Howard’s place is shut down now.”

  “I know. There’s another town about twenty miles down the road. Let’s stop there.”

  “Okay, sounds good.” Frank put his phone back in his pocket.

  “We’re not stopping in town for fuel?”

  “No, next town.”

  “Okay,” she said. “We’re in pretty good shape. Have over half a tank.”

  They settled into the drive. Lucy came over and whined at Frank, so he patted his lap, and she jumped up. Mr. Wonderful wandered out and sat between the front seats.

  “Good to be on the road again,” Frank said.

  “Yes,” Jane said.

  ***

  “Here comes the Mississippi,” Scott said. “Hey, Kerry, go in the bunk and watch for road blocks, okay?”

  “Sure, Scotty,” Kerry said as he climbed up.

  “Keep your fingers crossed,” Cindy said.

  The traffic thickened up as they approached, but it was moving at almost the speed limit.

  “See anything, Kerry?”

  “Nope, nothing up there,” he said. “Should I keep watching?”

  “Yeah,” Scott said.

  “There’s the bridge,” Cindy said. “Traffic is going over slow, but at least it’s moving.”

  “Yeah,” Scott said. “Wonder if this bridge is taking the extra traffic okay? Some of these smaller bridges are getting old. Especially the ones off the beaten path.”

  “I’ve been over this one before,” Cindy said. “When the ex and I used to camp here. It’s not a real old one.”

  “Going down to two lanes ahead, Scotty,” Kerry said.

  “Still no roadblocks? No police?”

  “Nope,” Kerry said. “Just a lot of cars.”

  “Think anybody found the swapped plates yet?” Cindy asked.

  “I doubt it,” Scott said. “How long do you think it’d take for you to notice if your license plates were changed?”

  “Probably quite a while, unless I was close to renewal,” Cindy said, grinning. She laughed.

  “What?”

  “Imagine what’s going to happen when the poor sucker that buys that coach tries to register it the first time.”

  Scott laughed. “Yeah, seriously.”

  “Here we go, up and over,” Cindy said, as they climbed the bridge. It was slow going now. Traffic was moving at 20 miles per hour.

  “Keep your eyes peeled, Kerry.”

  “Will do, Scotty. I can’t see very far ahead now, because of the hump in the bridge.”

  “Yeah, but as soon as we get to the highest spot, you’ll be able to see a long way. Be ready.”

  “I will,” he said.

  “What will we do if there’s a roadblock?” Cindy asked.

  “Good question,” Scott said. “Shoot our way out. We probably won’t make it very far.”

  “Kinda what I was thinking,” Cindy said, looking nervous.

  “I can see now, Scotty. No road blocks. No cops.”

  “Good, Kerry. Thanks.”

  “Okay if I stay up here?”

  “No problem,” Scott said.

  “We’ll be at the camping spot in an hour, give or take,” Cindy said.

  They drove off the bridge and the road widened, cars speeding back up to highway speed. Scott relaxed. He looked over at Cindy. She looked more relaxed too. They rode silently for a while. Scott was tired. Really tired. It wasn’t just driving through the night, either. He didn’t get much sleep the night before. Cindy noticed.

  “You aren’t gonna nod off on us, are you?” she asked. “I can drive, you know.”

  “How much further to this camping spot?”

  “We’re getting close now. About twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll make it that far,” Scott said. “You can’t be doing much better.”

  “Yeah, I’m tired. We should sleep during the day. Drive at night.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Scott said.

  The traffic was getting lighter on route 36 as they got further from the bridge. Scott had to fight the urge to speed up. He kept it steady at fifty five, with half
an eye on the rear view mirrors.

  “It’s coming up quick,” Cindy said, sitting up straighter. “Take the next off-ramp.”

  “Okay,” Scott said. The off-ramp dumped them onto a small country road, with farm land on either side. “How far?”

  “Only ten more miles,” Cindy said. “But it’s mostly flat and straight.”

  “Not many cars,” Scott said.

  “Yeah, there’s nothing here except for a small stream close to this camping spot. Fishing’s pretty good.”

  “I saw the fishing equipment in the storage compartment.”

  “Yeah, that’s why we came here,” Cindy said. She looked over at him. “Scotty?”

  “What?”

  “Are you gonna kill me?” she asked. “When we’re in the middle of nowhere?”

  “No,” Scott said. “If I was going to kill you, I would have done it by now.”

  “When did you have the chance?”

  “You really want to go there?” Scott asked.

  “Just want to know where I stand,” she said. “I won’t go down without a fight.”

  “Cindy, don’t worry. You want honesty. I’ll be honest. But don’t think I’m going to do you in, because that’s not my plan anymore.”

  “Anymore?”

  “Yeah, anymore,” Scott said, taking a deep breath. “I came to your place last night planning to play with you and then kill you. I had it all planned out.”

  She looked at him nervously. “What was the plan?”

  “Have dinner, then more fun in the bedroom. Then strangle you, and dump your body outside of town. Tie up the loose end.”

  “Why?”

  “You sold me the motor home. You could identify me,” Scott said.

  “When did you change your mind?”

  “I started to when I was watching you in the kitchen,” he said. “But the arrival of your ex sealed the deal.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Scott said. “But it did.”

  “So I don’t need to worry?”

  “Oh, yeah, you need to worry, but not about me.”

  “You’re talking about the cops?”

  “The cops and the FBI, mainly.”