Bug Out! Part 13: Finale

by Robert Boren

  “Yeah,” Frank said. “Good idea.”

  “How much daylight we got left?” Dobie asked.

  “Maybe three hours,” Hank said. “Shadows grow fast back here. We want to be off the dirt road before dark if possible.”

  “Here comes Gabe and Agent Williams,” Malcolm said, pointing.

  “Hey, guys,” Gabe said. “This must be Sarah and Hank. Great to meet you! I’m Gabe.”

  “And I’m Agent Williams, FBI,” he said, smiling. “Glad we found you guys.”

  “You been listening in?” Frank asked.

  “Yeah, we heard. Let’s high-tail it,” Gabe said.

  “Why don’t I take the lead,” Hank said. “I know this area.”

  “And I’ll follow in the Jeep,” Ted said.

  “Sarah, I want you to ride in your mom and dad’s motor home.” Hank said.

  “You sure?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Hank said.

  “Mind if I ride in the back of the truck with a rifle?” Gabe asked.

  “No, not at all,” Hank said. “Good idea, at least till we get to the blacktop.”

  “I’ll join you,” Agent Williams said.

  “Good. Let’s move out,” Malcolm said. Sarah climbed into her parent’s motor home. The group drove, slowly poking along on the rough road.

  “You two have been living in this thing all these months?” Sarah asked, looking around the coach as they bumped down the road.

  “Yeah,” Jane said. “It’s been bliss, actually. Your father and I are closer than ever before.”

  “Good,” she said. “I was a little worried about you guys after dad retired.”

  “Me too,” Jane said. “Funny, I thought it was because we were spending too much time together, but look at us now. We’re always together.”

  “We needed a purpose,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right, honey.”

  “How’s it going with Hank?” Frank asked.

  “Oh, I love him so much, daddy,” Sarah said. “We fell for each other fast. I think my friend was jealous.”

  “What happened to her?” Jane asked.

  “She went back to Portland. She had a better job there than I did.”

  “You’re still friends, though?”

  “Yes, of course, mom. She’s happy for us. She was my Maid of Honor.”

  “Good,” Jane said.

  ***

  “Pretty back here,” Gabe said as they bounced along in the back of the truck.

  Agent Williams nodded, eyes peeled. “We ought to have the RVs further behind us, just in case,” he said.

  “We heard you,” Frank said. “Say something to Hank. I don’t think he’s on the meeting.”

  Agent Williams got his head to the window of the cab. “Hey, Hank, the RVs are going to hang back a little bit. Don’t want to have them visible if somebody’s lying in wait up there.”

  “Good idea,” Hank said. “I can speed up a little, then.”

  “Go for it,” Agent Williams said.

  “All right, hold onto something.” Hank sped up as soon as Agent Williams was sitting down. Ted got the message and sped up too. The RVs fell behind, not even visible after the next bend in the road.

  “How close to those vehicles do you want to be?” Jerry asked over the web meeting.

  “Three hundred yards,” Agent Williams said. “We’re going at a pretty good clip now.”

  “Yeah, my butt’s going to be sore tomorrow,” Gabe said.

  “Okay,” Jerry said. “You’re about six hundred yards out now. Might want to start slowing down as you get closer, to cut down the noise.”

  “Just about time,” General Hogan said, coming back onto the meeting. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

  “Sounds like people are gathering around,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, those that aren’t drinking with my mom,” Jasmine said. “She just gave George one of those Weng Weng things.”

  Gabe snickered. “Uh oh.”

  “Okay, you’re within three hundred yards now,” Jerry said.

  “Hank, we’re close enough,” Agent Williams said into the cab. Hank nodded and pulled off to the side, behind some dense brush.

  “We’re stopping,” Malcolm said. “I’ll get up there with my crossbow. Keep your heads down.”

  Ted parked the Jeep behind the truck and got out, closing the doors softly and rushing over to the truck. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

  Hank picked up his cross bow and got arrows loaded. “We should stay under the brush as deep as we can. No chatter.”

  “I’m coming, bringing Duchess,” Dobie said. “Be with you in a sec.”

  “Why not Princess?” Gabe asked.

  “She’s guarding the coaches, keeping Simon and Peabody in line. We’re leaving Frank, Jane, and Sarah alone, you know.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Gabe said. “Here comes Malcolm.”

  “Ready, guys?” Malcolm whispered, trying to catch his breath.

  “Give Dobie a minute,” Gabe said.

  “Here he comes,” Hank said, looking back.

  “Let’s go,” Dobie said. “Want me to lead?”

  “No rifle?” Hank asked.

  “He’s a champion combat pistol shooter,” Gabe said.

  “Oh,” Hank said. “Good.”

  The men snuck along the shoulder of the road, far enough in to stay under the cover. They could hear the creek’s water rushing to their right. Dobie stopped suddenly, pointing down through a break in the brush.

  “Fishermen,” Malcolm whispered, smiling.

  “Keep going,” Agent Williams whispered. “Don’t let them see us.”

  They got past them, the distance between the creek and the road narrowing quickly.

  “That’s why this spot is popular,” Hank whispered.

  “Three Jeeps,” Dobie whispered. “Straight ahead. Looks deserted.”

  The men approached, fanning out on either side. Then there was the sound of breaking brush. Duchess growled.

  “Oh, shit!” said Dobie, backing up, the others whipping their heads around.

  Chapter 17 – Air Horn

  “Holy shit, where’d he come from?” Gabe shouted, getting his rifle up to his shoulder.

  The huge brown bear stomped through the brush as Duchess growled, ready to attack. Dobie struggled to hold onto her leash. “Duchess, NO!”

  “Got a bead on him with the cross bow,” Hank yelled.

  Then an air horn went off, piercing and loud. The bear looked around, and then ran into the brush on the other side of the road as the men whipped their heads around. It was the fishermen.

  “You guys alright?” asked the first one. He was a thirty year old blonde man, looking like a big kid with a silly grin.

  “You guys were fishing down there?” Malcolm asked.

  “Yeah, trying to find some dinner for tonight,” the second one said. He was a small thin man of about forty, with dark balding hair. He was holding the air horn.

  “Anybody else with you guys?” Agent Williams asked, eyeing them as the third man walked up. He was in his early fifties, with a shaved head and a goatee.

  “Nah,” the older man said. “I’m Vince. Who are you guys? Not bear season, you know.”

  “How come you have three vehicles for only three guys?” Malcolm asked.

  “And who might you be?” the older man asked.

  “Malcolm Davis,” he said, looking at them.

  “Oh, shit,” the second man said. “You guys know who he is, don’t you?”

  “Answer the question,” Malcolm said.

  “We’re off-roaders,” Vince said. “We’re on our way to a camping spot, and we love to drive our Jeeps back here. Good enough?”

  “Good enough,” Malcolm said, relaxing.

  “What are you guys worried about, anyway?” the first man said. “I’m Justin, by the way.”

  “Agent Williams, FBI. Sorry, there’s some very bad men after us. We had to make sure you weren�
�t them.”

  “FBI, huh,” the second man said. “I’m Kent. Good to meet you guys. Sorry I scared you, but I didn’t want you killing that bear. Not enough of them left, you know?”

  “Thanks for that,” Hank said. “I didn’t want to kill it.”

  “Hell, that crossbow probably would have just pissed him off,” Vince said, laughing. “Who’s after you guys?”

  “What’s going on up there?” Frank asked over the web meeting.

  “Oh, sorry Frank,” Gabe said. “Forgot you were on.”

  “I think these guys are okay, Frank,” Dobie said. “We’ll come back and get into our rigs, and we can proceed.”

  “Yeah,” Malcolm said. “Keep an eye out for that bear, though.”

  The two of them left.

  “So who is it that’s after you guys?” Kent asked.

  “The UN and the Islamists,” Agent Williams said.

  “Son of a bitch,” Justin said. “Malcolm Davis, a guy named Frank, and an FBI agent. You know who these guys are, don’t you?”

  “Resistance,” Vince said, smiling. “Good to meet you. I’ve been following the stories. Don’t have the words. What are you doing way back here?”

  “They came to rescue my wife and me,” Hank said. “I’m married to Frank’s daughter. The bad guys figured out where we were.”

  “We probably better get ready to go,” Gabe said. “They’re still out there, you know.”

  “Nobody else showing up on the satellite,” Jerry said over the web meeting.

  “What?” Hank asked, seeing Gabe listening.

  “Jerry said there’s nobody else showing up on the satellite feed.”

  “That’s how you guys saw us?” Kent asked.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Gabe said. “Three men coming in only three vehicles looked a might strange to us. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Vince said. “Anything we can do to help you guys?”

  “You already did,” Hank said, smiling.

  “What is it with the UN crap?” Kent asked.

  “They’re not legit,” Agent Williams said. “Either steer clear of them or kill them on sight.”

  “I prefer the latter,” Justin said.

  “Yeah, right,” Vince said. “You’ve got a wife and two kids. Some people are meant to fight. Others are meant to keep the fabric of our society alive. You steer clear, and raise a good family.”

  “He’s right,” Gabe said. “This thing won’t go on much longer. Trust me.”

  The sound of rolling vehicles approached from behind them.

  “You guys drove those monsters back there?” Kent asked, cracking up. “Brave.”

  “There’s a nice big clearing back there,” Gabe said. “Good for camping, even with motor homes, as long as it’s not the rainy season.”

  “Seen them back there,” Vince said. “Don’t like the generators.”

  “I hear you,” Hank said. He turned to see Sarah running to his side.

  “That was scary,” she said.

  “Wish I had video of that bear. It was a monster,” he said, hugging her.

  “I suggest we get moving, folks,” Malcolm said. “We’ll lose the daylight pretty soon.”

  “Yeah,” Hank said. “We got blacktop coming, but it’s not that much fun in the dark until we get to the interstate.”

  “All right, you guys take care,” Vince said. “We’re pulling for you.”

  “Thanks so much for your help,” Gabe said, smiling at them, shaking their hands.

  “Likewise,” Kent said. “Glad I got to meet you guys.”

  “Me too,” Justin said.

  Hank and Sarah got back in the truck and drove down the road, followed by Ted in the Jeep, Malcolm’s motor home, Dobie’s fifth wheel, and Frank and Jane’s gasser. They hit the blacktop in about 20 minutes, headed for the interstate, racing against the sunset.

  ***

  “He’s okay!” Vicki said, smiling. Jamie was asleep against her. Frankie was still sitting next to her on the couch, deep in thought. “Something wrong, Frankie?”

  “No, it’s just this place,” she said. “Playing back in my head.”

  Jake walked over. “They’ll be on the interstate in a few minutes,” he said. “Pretty easy trip after that.”

  “Thank God,” Vicki said.

  “You can say hello to Dobie on the web meeting, you know. It’s still going.”

  “I know, but I’ll wait. He’s got enough distraction to deal with,” she said. “I plan on taking a lot of his attention when he gets back here.”

  “Well, now that we’re past that, I think I’d like a drink,” Jake said. “Want to join me at the bar, honey?”

  “Sure, why not,” Frankie said. “You want to join us?”

  “No thanks, Frankie,” Vicki said. “You have fun. I think I’ll go check on Derek. It’s been a while.”

  She started to get up, but then heard voices. Teenaged girls. What? Not again.

  “You hear them, mommy?” Jamie asked, waking and studying her face.

  “Sometimes,” Vicki said. “I don’t like it.”

  “The nice ones aren’t bad,” she said. “Let’s go get Derek. I’m sleepy. Can we go to bed?”

  “Yes, sweetie,” Vicki said.

  ***

  “Charlie, Kurt, Sheriff, want to talk for a few minutes?” General Hogan asked them. They were all sitting in the kitchen, quietly chatting with Jerry and Jasmine.

  “Sure,” Charlie said.

  “How about Jerry and Jasmine?” the Sheriff asked.

  “I’ll fill them in later,” General Hogan said. “We need to keep that web meeting going while our friends are still in harm’s way.”

  “Yeah, I’m good with that,” Jerry said. “Go ahead.”

  General Hogan took the men into the back bedrooms, passing Vicki and her two kids as they were leaving the hallway.

  “Okay, what’s on your mind, general?” Charlie asked.

  “George and I were on the phone with Field Marshal Hopper earlier,” he said. “We got trouble.”

  “Uh oh,” the Sheriff said. “What?”

  “Hopper’s mole got some good information, before he got gutted and tossed to the side of the road.”

  “Son of a bitch, they killed him, eh?” Kurt said. “Thought he was getting out when we pulled off the rescue.”

  “He was planning on it, until he got more info. He was a patriot. Knew the risk. Too bad we didn’t make a deal with the militia earlier. This would probably be over by now.”

  “Well, lots of bad things happened between us, general,” the Sheriff said. “Hopefully that’s over now, but I’ll keep my guard up. What’s the deal?”

  “The men the enemy had in the northwest corner of New Mexico are racing to their big base in the southeast part of the state. The leadership is in an absolute rage about the rescue. As soon as they get themselves placed at their base, they’re sending a large force here.”

  “How large, general?” Kurt asked.

  “Larger than we can handle,” General Hogan said.

  “So we need to split?” Charlie asked.

  General Hogan sighed. “Yeah, but we don’t want them to know that we’ve split. We’re going to attack them at the same time they’re hitting this place.”

  “Attack them? Where?” the Sheriff asked.

  “At their base in Carlsbad Caverns,” General Hogan said. “We’ll meet up with the militia on the way.”

  “We can beat them there, but we can’t beat them here?” Charlie asked.

  “We’re going to sacrifice this place,” General Hogan said. “They’re sending their best people here, while we’ll be taking over their base there.”

  “What’s to stop them from going on a rampage, hitting us after we take their base?” the Sheriff asked.

  “Well, 95% of these folks still have chips, and we will destroy their safe haven. They’ll be like fish out of water. We’ll mop them up afterwards, when they’re on the run.”
/>   “What about the UN?” Charlie asked.

  “The army is going to take them out,” General Hogan said. “With tanks, infantry, and air power. The navy is going to be in on it too.”

  “The navy?” Kurt asked.

  “Remember that route the UN was setting up to bring people through the Gulf of California and up into Arizona?”

  “Yeah, general,” Kurt said.

  “They’ve got everything set up, and are pumping UN Peacekeepers in there now.” The General smiled at them. “They think we can’t stop them because all of our aircraft carrier groups are elsewhere, and our army is scattered. They forgot about other parts of our navy.”

  Kurt started laughing. “What, they going to take the Iowa Class battleships out of mothballs and hit them with those 16 inch guns?”

  “One of them will take part, yes,” General Hogan said, twinkle in his eye. “The Iowa. It quietly left LA Harbor last week, steaming south. There are other ships involved too, coming out of San Diego.”

  “Sounds like we’ll have several operations happening at the same time,” Charlie said.

  “Yes,” General Hogan said. “I wanted to break this to you guys so you can prepare the people. We need to leave all our coaches here, so it looks like the place is still inhabited.”

  “Our homes are gonna get blown up,” Kurt said, eyes welling with tears.

  “That’s a distinct possibility,” General Hogan said. “Sorry. Our lives are more important.”

  “That why I saw Ned’s men parking their Humvees in the barn a little earlier?” Charlie asked.

  “Yeah,” General Hogan said. “The enemy hasn’t started aerial surveillance yet, but when they do, we don’t want to alarm them. We want to appear as if nothing’s wrong. The Humvees will leave before the surveillance starts.”

  “We should move that armored semi away from here also,” Charlie said. “Maybe Jake’s bobtail too. How much time do we have before they start looking?”

  “We think it’ll be three to four days.”

  “And how long do we have after that, General?” the Sheriff asked.

  “Another few days,” he said. “We should be ready to get out of dodge fast, though. We could be off by a day or two in either direction.”

  “Hell, so we’re gone in a week,” Charlie said.

  “Yep. Sorry to have to break that to you. I know you love your home.”