by Robert Boren
“Thanks, Hilda,” Frank said.
Jake walked up with Jackson and Earl. “We got the internet hooked back up.”
“Great,” Frank said. “What was wrong with it?”
“Somebody climbed up the pole and cut the wires,” Jake said. “About a hundred yards east of where the cell tower was. That’s our weak spot back there.”
“We’re really vulnerable here,” General Walker said. “Wish we had satellite internet.”
“I got two dishes,” Jake said. “One of them has bullet holes in it, but I can fix it. Won’t get the kind of bandwidth we’d need for the whole park out of them, but they’d be fine for backup.”
“I agree,” Frank said. “Let me know how I can help.”
“Will do,” he said. “I’m gonna go clean up. That spaghetti sauce I’m smelling?”
“Yep,” General Hogan said, chuckling. “Hilda is a jewel.”
***
Sue sat in the police station, on a chair next to the desk of Officer Shockney. He’d been on and off the phone several times. She was getting tired. It had been several hours. Her phone rang. She answered.
“Sue?”
“Gabe, thank God. Where are you?”
“We’re on our way to your park,” he said. “Eddie filled me in on what happened. Where are you now?”
“I’m at the police station,” she said. “That killer is still out there.”
“What are you gonna do?” Gabe asked.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “This is horrible.”
“What ever happened to that Sheriff?” Gabe asked.
“Sheriff Branson?” she asked. Officer Shockney heard that, his head snapping over. Sue saw it. “Just a sec, Gabe.”
“What about Sheriff Branson?” Officer Shockney asked.
“He had all the RV Parks along Route 36 watching for these folks. When I saw them, I tried to call him. Over and over. No answer.”
“He’s missing,” Officer Shockney said. “We’re all trying to find him.”
Sue put her phone back to her ear. “Sheriff Branson is missing,” she said. “The officer here just told me that.”
“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Gabe said. “I think I’d better let Malcolm’s friend know.”
“Malcolm’s friend?” she asked.
“Yeah, Ted Crowley,” Gabe said. “He’s catching up to us, should hit your park shortly after we do.”
“I don’t know what’s going on at my park,” Sue said.
“Eddie’s been keeping it going,” Gabe said. “He said he was bringing in another person to take over for him soon.”
“Skip Baker,” she said. “Good. I need to call him. You sure you should go there? This guy is dangerous.”
Gabe chuckled. “I hope he shows up. If he runs into Dobie, Malcolm, and I, he’s gonna wish he didn’t. And by the way, Ted’s bringing an FBI agent with him.”
“FBI?” Sue asked, drawing another look from Officer Shockney.
“Yeah,” Gabe said. “What are you gonna do? Want us to swing by and pick you up?”
“Maybe,” she said. “How far are you?”
“Twenty minutes from Cameron, give or take.”
“I’ll get back with you, Gabe. Thanks.” She ended the call.
“Okay, who’s coming?” Officer Shockney asked.
“You ever hear of Malcolm Davis?” she asked.
His eyes got wide. “No way.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I think I’ll let them pick me up.”
“Who else is with him?” Officer Shockney asked.
“Ted Crowley, an FBI agent, and a couple other people.”
“Heard of Ted Crowley,” he said. “Serial Killer Task Force.”
“Oh, that’s where Malcolm knows him from, I suspect.”
“Probably,” Officer Shockney said. “Going with those guys might be dangerous for you.”
“I know, but I can’t stay here forever, and I can’t lose my park. It’s all I have.”
“You have to do what you think is best,” he said. “Mind if I tag along when you leave? At least for a while?”
“I’ve got no problem with that at all,” Sue said. “The more the merrier.”
“Good,” he said.
“I’m going to call Gabe back and ask him to pick me up, then.” She looked at her phone, and hit the contact.
“Sue?”
“Yeah, Gabe,” she said. “I’ll take you up on your offer. Swing by the police station and pick me up.”
“Will do,” he said. “See you soon.”
***
“Kerry, come out and give me a hand,” Scott shouted. He was done with the bodies. He marked both of them, and had the Jeep pulled up close. Kerry came out.
“What do you need help with, Scotty?”
“Lift their legs for me. We need to put the bodies in the Jeep and take them away.”
“Okay,” he said. They picked up Shannon first, Kerry looking away as he lifted her by the ankles. They put her in the back of the Jeep. Cindy was next. She was lighter. They set her carefully on top of Shannon.
“Where are we taking them?” Kerry asked as they got into the front seats.
“Further out,” Scott said. “I don’t want them to be found for a long time.”
They drove down the driveway that went behind the barn, past a dilapidated storage shed and a pasture. There was another road running along the back of the pasture, looking like it had been deserted for years, with thick weeds on its surface.
“Where did they go?” Kerry asked. “The people who owned the farm, I mean?”
“Good question,” Scott said. “I don’t know. Something caused that farmhouse to collapse. Reminds me of old dust bowl pictures.”
“Dust bowl?”
“Yes, Kerry,” Scott said. “It’s history. Back during the Great Depression, there was bad weather that caused farms in the Midwest to dry up and blow away.”
“The houses and everything?” he asked, eyes wide.
“No, the top soil. The dirt they planted crops in,” Scotty said.
“Did that happen here?”
“No, south and west of here,” Scott said. “This farm isn’t that old. It’s been ruined for a good ten years, but the dust bowl was about ninety years ago.”
“Oh,” Kerry said. “Then what happened here?”
“Maybe the family died out, and nobody was left to take over,” Scott said. “Doesn’t look like very good farm land.”
“I saw cow milking stuff behind the barn,” Kerry said.
“Could have been a dairy farm, I suppose,” Scott said. “There’s the end of the road.”
“We gonna keep going?” Kerry asked. “I like riding around back here.”
“Yeah, we’ll keep going,” Scott said. They went past the broken fence and into another pasture, dry and ruined, dead brush around the perimeter. They were about half way through it when Scott’s ears perked up. He stopped the Jeep.
“What?” Kerry asked.
“Shsssshhh! Listening.”
“That’s a helicopter,” Kerry said.
“Son of a bitch,” Scott said. He drove as fast as he could towards the stand of trees on the far end of the pasture, bodies bouncing in the back. Cindy bounced out into the pasture just before they made it to cover. Scott shut off the engine and watched.
“Cindy came out of the back!” Kerry said, looking behind the Jeep.
“It’s okay, this is a good place to leave her. Help me with Shannon, okay?”
Kerry nodded, and they got her out, putting her under a tree as the sound of the helicopters approached.
“We need to get under more trees,” Scott said, scanning the horizon further out from the barn. “Look, over there.”
The two jumped into the Jeep and headed in that direction, Scott driving as fast as he could without kicking up dust. They got to the denser trees and stopped.
“What now?” Kerry asked as the chopper sound got louder.
“We watch
and wait,” Scott said.
They sat in the Jeep, watching the sky. The chopper finally came into view. It was a police chopper, and it was circling over the barn.
“Crap, they’re gonna find the RV,” he said. “Should have brought all the guns with us.”
After about fifteen minutes of circling, the chopper flew slowly away. It was silent for a while.
“When do we go back, Scotty?”
“I’ll sneak over there when it’s dark,” he said. “Just sit tight.”
“I’m getting hungry.”
“I know, Kerry. You’re going to have to be a big boy for me now.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be a big boy.”
Scott scanned the area. He was just starting to relax when he saw two officers with a blood hound working their way down the driveway towards the first pasture. He started the engine. “They’re coming, Kerry. Put on your seat belt.”
“Okay,” Kerry said, eyes wide with fright. Scott drove the Jeep off the road, barely making it between the dense tree trunks and into another field. The tracks. They’ll see the tracks.
“Hold on, Kerry. I’m gonna haul ass.” When he hit the new pasture, he gunned it, driving as fast as he could without losing control, kicking up dust, rocks hitting the dash plate underneath. Kerry held on for dear life. They made it to the next stand of trees, and into another pasture, speeding up again. Suddenly there was the rushing noise of water. A creek. Shallow. Perfect.
“Can we get past that?” Kerry asked, terrified.
“We’re gonna use it,” Scott said, putting the Jeep into low four wheel drive and slipping cautiously into the running water. They drove along until the rocks got too big and slippery, then got off on the far side of the creek. They were in another large pasture, speeding up. There were hills coming, and Scott could just make out a fire road up ahead. There wasn’t as much cover by it as he would’ve liked, but he headed for it anyway, hitting it fast, kicking up dirt as he got into the switchbacks.
“Where does this go, Scotty? The mountains?”
“Maybe,” he said. The trees were getting thicker, but it didn’t feel like mountains to him, just hills. He wished he still had Cindy so she could look at a GPS app for him. They got to the crest of the hill and stopped. Scott got out and looked down in the valley below. Beautiful, with a stream running through the bottom, lush greenery extending away from it. He froze. Truck camper, small cab-over on a four wheel drive truck. Pop up style. Down in the valley below, nobody around. Perfect.
“Look, it’s a camper,” Kerry said.
“Shssshhhh,” Scott said, finger to his lips. “Quiet. We’ll get out of sight and wait until dark.”
“Okay, Scotty,” Kerry whispered. They got back into the Jeep and headed down the road until they got to the next stand of trees. They stopped under them.
“Put your seat back and try to rest,” Scott whispered. “It’s gonna be a long night.”
***
Jeb woke up. He hurt all over, but he felt better than yesterday. Each day he woke, he felt stronger. He looked over at his Rosie, snoring softly, her body rising and falling. The iron door opened, startling her out of sleep.
“What that?” she asked.
The delicate looking man switched on the lights. Jeb squinted to see who it was. Another man came in, wearing a uniform he didn’t recognize. Somebody behind them shoved a third man into the cell. He was a large burley man in a tattered Sheriff’s uniform. He grunted as he fell to the ground. An Islamist appeared at the door.
Jeb looked at them and laughed. “Hey, inbreed, seen Saladin lately? Let’s talk over a ham sandwich.”
“Speak when spoken to only,” the delicate man commanded harshly.
“Kiss my ass,” Jeb said. The delicate man moved forward, and nodded to the man in the strange uniform. He slapped Jeb hard on the face. Jeb laughed and spit blood at him, hitting his camo trousers. “Oops, sorry. Was aiming for that sweet little blue beret of yours. Couldn’t quite make it.”
“I know uniform,” Rosie said. “It UN.” She spit on the ground in front of her.
“You’ll do a lot better if you learn to respect your superiors,” the delicate man said.
“Eurotrash,” Jeb said. “I should have known. The only problem is that most of Europe has already rejected you cretins. I saw it on TV before your inbreeds snatched us.”
“They will come around,” the delicate man said, stepping more into the light. Jeb’s eyes opened wider.
“I know who you are,” Jeb said. “Daan Mertins. Saw your kisser on video from Hilda’s RV Park.”
“Yes,” he said. “And how is Hilda?”
Jeb laughed. “Protected by people you can’t handle. Hell, she could probably kick your ass herself.”
The burly man snickered, sitting up.
“You. You shut up,” the Islamist barked.
“Stuff it,” the burly man said. “Try to slap me and see what happens.”
“What’d they grab you for? Make them eat some bacon?” Jeb asked, snickering.
“The UN nabbed me,” the man said. “Dick Branson. I suspect you’re Jeb.”
“How would you know that?” Jeb asked.
“I know Ted Crowley, and he knows Malcolm Davis.”
“Oh,” Jeb said.
“Have your reunion later,” Daan said. “We will negotiate a trade for you people. If you cooperate, you might live through this.”
Jeb laughed. “Oh, really, Eurotrash. Just who do you expect to get for us?”
“Frank, George, and General Hogan.”
Jeb laughed so hard he rolled over on his side. “I’ll kill myself before I let you cretins take any of them.”
“Me too,” Rosie said. “I live long life. I spit on UN. I won’t cooperate.”
“I suggest you cretins go attack them,” Jeb said, still laughing. “Then you can join Saladin and Simon Orr and the rest of the traitors in hell.”
“Go ahead and enjoy,” Daan said. “We’ll leave you alone. I think the insults will cost you your meals for the next day.”
With that, the three men left, slamming the iron door behind them.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Branson said.
“Likewise,” Jeb said. “This is Rosie. What’d they grab you for? You look like a sheriff.”
“I am,” he said. “The UN started throwing their weight around in my brother’s county. Western Colorado. I went to help. We had a battle. Killed a whole bunch of blue helmets. I got captured on the way back to Missouri.”
“They really think they can win here?” Jeb asked. “There’s no friggin way.”
“They’re getting help from some Federal agencies,” Branson said. “It’s a big mess. We’ve got a lot of fighting left to do.”
“I wasn’t kidding about this trade they want to do,” Jeb said. “I’ll kill myself first.”
“Me too,” Rosie said.
“I’d rather kill them,” Branson said, a sly smile on his face.
“I understand why they want Frank and General Hogan,” Jeb said. “Wonder why they want George. He killed a lot of them at Capitol Reef, but so did the rest of us.”
“I met him once, and Ted told me a little about him,” Branson said. “He’s ex-special forces and ex-CIA. He’s got friends in extremely high places. He’s dangerous to them.”
“He’s dangerous to anybody,” Jeb said, laughing. “Very impressive. Never forget when he lit up that M107.”
“How strong you now, Jeb?” Rosie asked.
“Hell, they’ve let me sleep for two days, on and off. I’m still real sore, but I feel pretty good.”
“What happened to you?” Branson asked.
“Gut shot in the Capitol Reef battle,” he said. “Had the last surgery about two weeks ago.”
“Wow,” Branson said.
“How about you?” Jeb asked. “You look kinda busted up. Rosie’s a nurse.”
“Yes, I nurse,” Rosie said.
“I’m fit
as a fiddle,” Branson said. “My clothes are a little messed up. Happened when I killed two of those UN jerks with my bare hands.”
Chapter 17 – Eye in the Sky
Clint had his rig almost set up. He ran out the slides, then came out in front and surveyed the four rows of coaches. Family and friends. No, all family. His eyes welled up with tears as he looked at them.
“Pa!” Jason shouted, trotting up, his two brothers and Louis following behind.
“Yeah,” Clint said, smiling. “You guys got the trailer hooked up?”
“Yeah,” Jason said as he got next to him. “We just met Jackson and Earl. We met Terry earlier too. And Kurt, and the Sheriff.”
“Remember these folks aren’t celebrities,” Clint said. “They’re freedom fighters just like we are. Don’t do too much hero worship.”
“I want to meet Jeb,” Louis said. “We’ve got to spring him.”
“I’m sure that’ll be the first order of business,” Clint said. “That, and staying alive, of course.”
“Think the UN is gonna follow us back here?” John asked. Angus came up beside him to listen, a worried look on his face.
“They might have already,” Clint said. “Look up there.” He pointed upward.
“Crap, that’s a drone,” Jason said. “We about to get attacked?”
“Maybe, so stay sharp. Stay armed all the time.”
“Okay, Pa,” Jason said.
“Go see if anybody needs help with setup, and then we’ll go to the clubhouse. We’re gonna get dinner.”
“Good, I’m hungry,” Angus said.
***
Frank and Jane sat with Jerry and Jasmine in the clubhouse, sipping coffee and resting up before the meeting. General Hogan came in.
“Looks like they all got situated,” he said, grinning. “That’s almost forty seasoned fighters.”
“Yeah, now I feel like I’m in the Alamo and David Crockett’s group just showed up,” Jerry said, a goofy smile on his face.
“Don’t worry, this ain’t gonna be our last stand,” the general said. “I just heard back from Sam Hinton. That drone up there is for us. Here’s the IP address. You can access the video from there.” He handed Frank a slip of paper with the address on it.
“Who put it up there?” Frank asked. “Our military?”
“Yeah. The military is very upset with DC and the UN right now,” General Hogan said. “Most of them, anyway.”