by Robert Boren
“Hi, Cheryl. You guys still open for business?”
“We are now,” she said. “Who’s this?”
“Hank, from the Boise Fire Fighter’s Association. Remember me?”
“Yes, of course,” she said. “You coordinated the convention a few years ago. You guys want to come back?”
“It’s not the Fire Fighter’s Association this time, but I’ve got a large group – tents and three RVs.”
“How many tents?” she asked.
“Just a sec,” Hank said, covering his phone with his palm. “How many tents, guys?”
“Say roughly fifty,” Frank said.
“Roughly fifty, Cheryl.”
“Wow. That would give us a good shot in the arm. When?”
“Later today,” Hank said, “but I got to make sure everybody is okay with it. They were gonna stay in Lubbock.”
“Seminole is much nicer than Lubbock, sweetie,” Cheryl said. “You call me back as soon as you know.”
“Great, thanks,” Hank said.
“Sounded promising,” Jane said.
“Yeah,” Hank said. “You want to make calls?”
“I’m on it,” Frank said. He hit General Hogan’s contact.
“Hey, General Hogan.”
“Frank, how goes it?”
“Good. My son-in-law knows of a great place to camp that has space for tents and RVs. It’s in Seminole.”
“Seminole? Where’s that?”
“About an hour and a half southwest of Lubbock.”
“Ah, closer to the enemy.”
“Yes,” Frank said. “You like that idea?”
“Sure do,” he said. “Should I call everyone?”
“Yeah. We’ll make the reservations.”
“Excellent,” General Hogan said. “I’ll get back with you after everybody’s on board.”
“Good,” Frank said. “Talk to you later.” He ended the call and slipped his phone back in his pocket.
“Make the reservations,” Frank said. He took his credit card out of his wallet and handed it back. “Use this.”
“Okay,” Hank said. He got on the phone.
***
“Well, I guess we’ll be on the road a little longer than we thought,” Heidi said, glancing over at George from behind the wheel of their Jeep.
“It’s a good call, though,” George said. “I’ll take over the driving in a little while. How’s our gas?”
“A little under half a tank. I’ll need a potty stop before we run out.”
“Me too,” George said. His phone rang. He checked the number. “Malcolm.”
“Hey, George, how far along are you?”
“We just passed Amarillo. Kinda glad we aren’t stopping there after all.”
“Yeah, that was a good idea. Glad we’re going to Seminole instead of Lubbock, too.”
“Why?”
“Lubbock is too far from the enemy and too big,” Malcolm said.
“Oh. Maybe we’ll be noticed easier in a small town.”
“Maybe, but this RV Park is way on the outskirts. Agent Williams was just looking it over with Google Earth. I don’t think we’ll draw much attention there, and we’ll be dribbling in over almost an hour. I don’t think we’ll attract too much attention.”
“True. What’s on your mind?”
“You get those film cans put down in the dungeon?”
“Yeah,” George said. “You know if ground forces show up there, it’s likely they’ll find them down there. Pretty hard to miss the lump in the carpet for that trap door.”
“I know, wish it was flush.”
“Nighthawk probably couldn’t sound-proof it good enough any other way. Remember that he had a working RV Park going while he was using the place.”
“I’ll bet he had the barn doors closed most of the time.”
“Yeah, probably,” George said. “You getting antsy to move on now that the serial killer is dead?”
“No, I’m actually looking forward to finishing off the enemy. I think you’ve been a good influence on me.”
George chuckled. “I don’t know that we’re a very good influence on each other.”
Heidi laughed, looking over at George.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Malcolm said. “I heard Heidi. How’s she holding up? You two seem to be closer than before.”
“This has been good for us, I think.”
“Okay, George. I’ll see you soon. Be careful.”
“Will do. You too, Malcolm.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket.
“Everything okay?” Heidi asked.
“Yeah, I think he wanted to make sure I didn’t forget the films.”
“You put them in the dungeon?”
“Yeah, sweetie. Not that it will make much difference if the enemy really overruns the place on the ground.”
“If they don’t, we’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” George said. “As much as I love our coach, I hope they go in there. It’ll buy us nine hours. That could make the whole difference.”
“What’s the worst case?”
“They’re already following us.”
“Oh,” Heidi said, scared look on her face.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got a lot of items in our bag of tricks still,” he said, giving her a wink.
She smiled at him, the look of love getting to George. He was suddenly more nervous. I can’t lose her now.
***
General Hogan’s phone rang. He answered it.
“General Hogan?”
“Field Marshall Hopper. Thank God. What happened?”
He chuckled. “Friggin UN. What a bunch of losers.”
“I take it you won.”
“They tried a frontal assault, which is all you can do in this place. You ever been here? It’s in a box canyon.”
“I thought it was a death trap, to be honest.”
“Against a real force, it could be,” Hopper said. “We knew that, so we’ve got about half our men camped a quarter mile in front of the park, in that nice forest. Hell, all of our people wouldn’t fit in the park anyway.”
“So when they assaulted you guys, they found themselves in a crossfire situation, eh? Beautiful.”
“About half of them ran. We got them all.”
“Killed them all?”
“Yeah, we can’t hold prisoners right now, and we don’t need anybody talking about what happened either."
“Tough situation, but I would’ve done the same.”
“Where you guys going?”
“Still Texas, but won’t say the exact place on this line. I’ll contact you when we get there.”
“How far out are you?”
“About three hours,” General Hogan said. “I’m worried, though.”
“About a mole?”
“Yeah. If we’ve got one, the enemy will probably turn back from the Kansas park and hi-tail it down here.”
“And you don’t think you can beat them on the road?”
“We aren’t in a convoy. We left slowly in small groups. That makes it harder for them, of course, but they might be right on our heels by the time we get camp set up. And that’s not the worst of it.”
“Yeah, if there’s a mole, the folks in Carlsbad Caverns already know what you’re doing.”
“Exactly.”
“Wish I still had eyes and ears with them.”
“I know,” General Hogan said. “That was valuable.”
“Well, I’d better get off the phone, general. We need to take off for New Mexico within the hour.”
“Good. You lose anybody in that last skirmish?”
“Yeah, my horse,” Hopper said. “Bastards shot her out in that pasture.”
“Sorry to hear that, but glad your people all survived.”
“Thanks, General. See you soon. Be careful.”
“You too. Godspeed.” General Hogan ended the call.
“They’re okay, it sounds like.”
“Yeah,
son, they’re okay. I’m getting to like Hopper.”
“I can tell. Keep your guard up, though, okay?”
“I will.”
***
Dobie pointed ahead, off the highway. “Hey, look at the Walmart. Parking lot is almost empty. Should we grab some more camping supplies?”
“I’m game,” Gabe said. “I’ll get Frank and Malcolm on the horn.” He filled in the others.
The three rigs pulled onto the parking lot and stopped on the outside section. Everybody got out, stretching their legs. Dobie got his dogs out, and Frank got Lucy out.
“How many of us should go in there?” Gabe asked.
“Oh, maybe three or four,” Frank said.
Everybody jerked as their phones buzzed.
“Shit, the app went off. Enemy hits,” Frank said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“Yeah, they’re close,” Malcolm said, looking at his phone. “Gone already.”
“Shielded vehicle,” Frank said. “Somebody probably just opened the door.”
“What do we do?” Jane asked. “Leave?”
“No!” Malcolm said. “If they’ve made us, they’ll follow us. We need to ice them right here if we can.”
“Let’s go about our business,” Frank said. “Try to find them in the process.”
“Yeah,” Agent Williams said. “I suggest that Gabe, Frank, Jane, Sarah, Ted, and I fan out and walk to the store.”
“Yeah, look for vans or trucks that aren’t quite right,” Malcolm said. “Meanwhile I’ll get out the crossbow and rifle.”
“I’ll get my crossbow too,” Hank said.
“You any good?” Malcolm asked.
“I can hit a gnat’s ass at a hundred yards,” he said, grinning. “Even if it’s windy.”
“Okay,” Agent Williams said. “Dobie, keep those dogs alert, and ready to attack.”
“Roger that,” Dobie said. “I’m getting my pistols on too.”
“Good,” Ted said. “Let’s go. Act natural.”
“And remember that bullets go through these rigs like a hot knife through butter,” Gabe said.
“Guys, dial the conference call number,” Frank said. “Put on blue tooth headsets if you have them. I just started a meeting.”
“Good idea,” Malcolm said.
Everybody was ready in less than a minute, and the store team walked forward, fanning out as best they could without drawing too much attention.
“Glad there aren’t many people in the parking lot,” Frank said into his headphone as he walked with Jane and Sarah.
“Seriously,” Gabe said. “Look over there. Two vans, parked next to each other. About halfway between us and the store.”
“See them,” Malcolm said.
“No other vehicles nearby that could hide people,” Agent Williams said.
“Not on this side of the building, anyway,” Gabe said.
“The app hits came from this side of the building,” Frank said. “I caught a glimpse before mine refreshed. I’ll bet it’s those two vans.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions yet,” Ted said. “We don’t want to be killing some kids in a delivery truck.”
“Entering the store,” Frank said. “Let’s make it snappy in here.”
“Yeah,” Malcolm said.
Frank, Gabe, and Ted grabbed shopping carts. Agent Williams led them back to the camping area.
“Perfect, fully stocked,” Gabe said with glee.
“Load ‘em up,” Frank said. “Tents and sleeping bags. I don’t think we need any more stoves or water bottles.”
“Any movement on those vans, Malcolm?” Agent Williams asked.
“Not yet,” Malcolm said.
“This is good,” Gabe said. “Fifteen more tents. Twelve more sleeping bags.”
“Let’s get to the checkout.”
“Hey, let’s grab a couple of those Coleman lanterns and some gas,” Gabe said. “I got room.”
“Okay,” Frank said. “Meet you up there.”
They picked different lines in the checkout area. The lines were short and moving quickly.
“Uh oh,” Malcolm said. “Looks like a couple of Islamists dressed in street clothes. Past the main body of cars, walking towards the vans. Big cart full of stuff. Food, it looks like.”
“Yeah, I see them,” Dobie said. “There’s no way they can fit all that in the front. They’re going to open the back doors.”
“We’ll get buzzed if they’re bad guys,” Frank said. “Perfect.”
“Just about through the checkout line,” Agent Williams said. “I’m packing, how about the rest of you?”
“I’ve got my off-duty gun,” Ted said.
“I’m not armed,” Frank said. “Damn .44 is too big to hide.”
“Me neither,” Gabe said. “I’m no good with a pistol anyway.”
“Nothing here,” Jane said.
“I’ve got my small pistol,” Sarah said. “Can’t say I’d be good in a fight.”
“Okay, make sure the un-armed folks are pushing the shopping carts, okay?” Malcolm said. “Walk as far from those vans as you can.”
“Okay,” Frank said.
“Everybody un-armed wait in the store!” Malcolm said.
The phones buzzed, startling everybody. Several other people in the store jerked, crouching, turning around.
“Islamists!” a woman shouted. “They are around. I got buzzed a little while ago!”
“Holy crap, lots of people have the apps,” Jane said. Frank grinned.
“I’m letting the dogs go, then we’ll get them,” Dobie said. He undid their leashes. “Go get ‘em!”
The dogs sprinted towards the vans, the Islamists turning, horror in their eyes. Then the arrows flew, hitting men inside the back of the vans as they shouted. Dobie ran up, guns blazing, dropping everybody outside of the vans as the dogs jumped in the midst of the screaming Islamists. More arrows flew. More screams.
“Don’t go out there!” Agent Williams shouted inside the store. “FBI!” he held up his badge. “We’re taking care of them.”
“Oh, thank God!” an old woman shouted. “Kill the bastards!”
There was more gunfire outside, then silence.
“They’re all dead,” Dobie said. “Three in the back of each van. We should take their weapons and ammo.”
“Check the arms on the drivers,” Frank said.
“Already on one,” Malcolm said, trying to catch his breath. “This first one has scars.”
“This one does too,” Dobie said.
“Hey, I got an idea,” Frank said. “Let’s take their vans.”
Malcolm laughed. “Crap, that’s a great idea. Agent Williams, think you could call the locals and have them pick up the bodies?”
“Hell yeah,” Agent Williams said. “We’re on our way out of the store now. Anybody else around?”
“Nah, don’t think so,” Malcolm said. “No more hits, no more vehicles like this.”
“Good,” Agent Williams said.
“Frank, I know how to cut chips out of those guys,” Jane said. “Think a few might come in handy?”
Frank looked at her and grinned as they pushed the shopping cart through the door. “This is why I love you. Go ahead. I’ll get the cart pushed out to our rigs. Leave the chips in the shielded area, though.”
“Okay, honey,” she said, walking towards the vans, pulling a large folding knife out of her purse.
“Wow, dad, you guys are good.” Sarah said.
“Hey, Hank nailed some of them, you know,” he said. “You’ve got a good man.”
“I know, dad.”
“Ted and Agent Williams, you guys want to drive those vans?” Malcolm asked.
“Hell yeah,” Ted said.
“I’m good with it,” Agent Williams said. “Nobody’s going to want to ride in the back. It’s a bloody mess back there.”
“Okay, got three chips,” Jane said. “That enough?”
“Nah, get all of them,”
Malcolm said. “If you don’t mind.”
“Okay,” she said, taking her knife into the next van. “I’ll need to change my shirt.”
Malcolm chuckled. “Is it wrong to think this was fun?”
“Sicko,” Ted said, shaking his head.
The group had the camping equipment loaded within about five minutes. The Islamists were in a pile, covered by blankets that were in the backs of the vans.
“You get the locals on the horn?” Malcolm asked Agent Williams as he was getting into the driver’s seat of the first van.
“Yeah. They’ll be here in about ten minutes. I suggest we be gone before they get here, or we’ll get held up.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing,” Malcolm said. “Let’s get on the road.”
“Ready to go, Ted?” Agent Williams asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Kinda stinks in here.”
“It does. Just run with the front windows open for a little while. The back is sealed.”
“Got it,” Ted said, smiling. They drove towards the rigs, and then the small caravan headed towards the highway.
Frank was driving the motor home. The back of the coach was full of camping gear now. Jane looked back at it from the passenger seat.
“We should have enough shelter for everybody.”
“Hey, honey, refresh your app, okay?” Frank asked.
“Why. You see somebody else?”
“No, I just want to make sure there’s nothing leaking out of those vans.”
“Okay.” Jane opened the app and pushed the refresh button. “Nope, nothing. Think the vans are close enough?”
“Yeah,” Frank said. “This could be a really good move, if we’re lucky enough to retain any semblance of surprise.”
“Yeah, I could see that,” Hank said.
“Won’t the enemy wonder what happened to those guys?” Sarah asked.
“They might,” Frank said. “But remember, everybody has the apps now, so the Islamists know they’re at risk whenever they go out.”
“Yeah, and a bunch of people inside the store saw Agent William’s badge,” Jane said.
Frank chuckled. “You should have seen what happened in the store when everybody’s apps went off. It was beautiful.”
Chapter 21 – Seminole Target
Jeb was driving, Rosie in the passenger seat.
“There sign for Seminole,” Rosie said.
“Great. Made good time,” Jeb said.