Bug Out! Part 13: Finale

by Robert Boren

  “Get them all?” Jane asked.

  “I think so,” Frank said. “Hope they don’t have any more folks out there. All it’s gonna take is one to get to a phone.”

  “You keep watching,” Jane said.

  “Yeah,” Frank said, zooming out again, straining his eyes to see details on the screen.

  “Jane?” General Hogan asked over the web meeting. “Get them? Just getting back on.”

  “Yeah, we got them. The big group were in that field in front of the park. Two vehicles took off after they looked in the park, heading back to town. Frank got them all.”

  “Yes!” General Hogan said. A few other voices joined in. “Don’t relax, guys. Stay sharp, and assume the enemy might still know we’re coming. This is far from over.”

  “We know, General,” Ned said. “We’re more than half way down the river bed.”

  “Good,” General Hogan said.

  ***

  “Can’t we even turn on our fog lights?” Heidi asked after George hit another good sized rock in the river bed.

  “No,” George said. “Hold on. This Jeep can take a lot of abuse.”

  There was a jarring impact on the bottom of the Jeep again.

  “Shit!” Heidi said.

  George looked over at her and grinned. “Some people do this for fun, you know.”

  “Goody for them,” Heidi said. “Hey, they’re slowing down. Maybe we’re almost to the end.”

  Ned’s voice came onto the meeting. “Hey, guys, the river bed is going up a steep spot, but we’re really close to the site. I can see the edge of the parking lot from here. Leaving the river bed, so we’ll have to slow down. Lots of big rocks, so stay sharp.”

  “Oh, great,” Heidi said. They followed the Humvee in front of them onto the rougher dirt, but at a much slower speed.

  “This is actually easier,” George said. “Going slower, that is. I can see things coming.”

  “The first Humvee just stopped,” Heidi said.

  “All right, guys, we’re here,” Ned said. “George, get that M107 and the OICW set up on the edge of the parking lot and keep watch. Bring rifles too.”

  “Roger that,” George said, parking the Jeep.

  “Wedgie and Spence, each of you take a team of five and fan out on either end of the parking lot. I’m going straight up the middle.”

  “Got it, boss,” Wedgie said.

  “Yeah,” Spence said.

  George and Heidi got the OICW and M107 out of the back of the Jeep as quietly as possible, leaving them in their cases. They put rifles on slings over their shoulders and rushed up to the edge of the parking lot.

  “Perfect,” George whispered, looking at a small flat spot behind the parking lot curb. “I’m setting the big boy up here. You take the OICW down that way about thirty yards or so. Far enough to get a clean shot at the building entrance over there.”

  “Okay,” Heidi whispered, trotting over there in a crouch.

  George pulled the M107 out of its case and dropped the tripod, then took off the lens caps and got into position behind it, using it to scope out the area. “Ned, I’m set up.”

  “I’m set up too,” Heidi said.

  “Let’s move out,” Ned whispered. The men got up and ran across the parking lot, crouching, looking in all directions.

  “Deserted,” George whispered, watching them.

  “I’m at the door,” Ned said. “Shit, it’s not even locked. Wedgie and Spence, watch the door from both directions. I’m taking my guys in.”

  Ned pushed the door open and held it, watching as his men came through, guns aimed in front of them. They were in a big foyer in front of ticket booths and the information counter. The entrance to the caverns was on the far right. Ned nodded towards it, and the men followed him. They got to the turnstiles. Ned pushed. “Dammit, these are locked. We’ll have to go over the top.”

  “We’ll be sitting ducks,” one of the men said. “Any other way back?”

  “Not that I can see, unless we can break into one of the ticket booths,” another man said. “There’s doors in the back of them.”

  “Try the side doors on those booths,” Ned whispered.

  “This one’s locked,” one man said.

  “Whoa! This one’s unlocked.” He opened the door. The smell of death hit him in the face.

  “Damn, there’s a body in here without a head. It stinks.”

  “Better than being in the open,” Ned said. “Get over there guys, but stay low.”

  The men converged at the second ticket booth and went in the door, holding their breath as the waked through to the back door.

  “We’re in,” Ned whispered. “Keep a good eye out.”

  “Nobody around yet,” Wedgie said.

  “Yeah, clear out here, too,” George said.

  “Hey, guys, we got to the north entrance,” Shirley said. “Goodnight and Orr are with me.”

  “Good,” Ned whispered. “Be careful. Something about this place doesn’t smell right.”

  “Yeah, seems too easy,” Charles Goodnight whispered.

  Ned and his men went down the long dark corridor toward the opening of the cavern. It switched back and forth as it descended. The air got cooler as they went down.

  “I hate these blind corners,” Ned whispered.

  “Seriously,” one of his men said.

  “We’re inside,” Shirley whispered. “Nobody around. Deserted. I don’t think they’re around.”

  “I’m getting the same feeling,” Ned whispered as they continued down the switchbacks. “We’re at the bottom. Wow, look at the food services stuff they have down here.”

  The walkway had opened up into a large cavern, with round man-made structures sitting on either side, counters with food service stuff, surrounded by benches and tables.

  “Wonder if there’s a bar,” one of Ned’s people whispered.

  “Cut the chatter,” Ned said.

  “What are you guys seeing?” Shirley asked.

  “Snack bars,” Ned whispered. “Look like they’ve been closed down for a while. Refrigeration is still running though. I can hear the humming.”

  “Hope this place isn’t a trap,” Shirley said.

  “You’ve got people watching outside, I hope,” Ned said.

  “Oh, yeah. You?”

  “Yep,” Ned said as they followed the pathway behind the snack bars. “What the hell!”

  “What did you see?” George asked.

  “A bunch of people chained up and gagged, on benches and tables behind the snack bar.”

  “Alive?” Heidi asked.

  “Don’t know yet,” Ned said.

  Chapter 24 – Bunker Buster

  Ned rushed over to the row of people. He counted nine. They looked at his light, fear in their eyes.

  “Who are you?” Ned asked.

  “They’re gagged,” Wedgie said, sneaking up behind him. “I’ll cover you. Pull the gag of the first one.”

  The gag was simply a thick strip of cloth, tied in the back. Ned set his M-16 down and untied it. “Who are you guys?”

  “National Park employees,” the man croaked. “Who are you?”

  “Army Special Forces and partisans,” Ned said. “I’ll get you guys untied.”

  “Take off the gags first,” Wedgie said.

  “Got it,” Ned said, behind the row of people, untying gags. Three were women, the rest men. “Hey, Spence, there’s a flat of water bottles over there. Bring them, okay?”

  “Roger that,” Spence said, trotting over to them.

  “Are you going to kill us?” a woman asked, eyes terrified.

  “No, no,” Ned said. “We’re here to kill the Islamists. We’re the good guys.”

  “Why do they have you here?” Wedgie asked, eyeing them.

  “They have us calling in every so often to keep the National Park Service from showing up,” the first man said. “I’m Pete Kaminsky. I was the lead person here.”

  “Anything strange ab
out the people who are tending you?” Spence asked as he brought over water bottles.

  One of the women raised her hand. “They all have nasty scars on their upper arms. Some of them look infected.”

  “This isn’t the enemy base,” Ned said. “I’m untying these folks.”

  “Okay,” Wedgie said. “Sorry, just wasn’t sure at first.”

  Ned untied their hands, and Spence got their feet, then handed out water bottles.

  “Oh, thank God,” Pete said, taking a big swig.

  “What do we do with them?” Spence asked.

  “How often do the Islamists come in here?”

  “Three times a day,” Pete said. “Food, water, bathroom breaks. Sometimes it’s not soon enough.”

  “How many?” Ned asked.

  “Usually three or four,” the woman said. “I’m Marie, by the way. Thanks so much for untying us.”

  “They’ll be coming soon,” Pete said. “Better warn the rest of your people, and get out of sight.”

  “We should get out of here now,” one of the hostages said.

  “NO!” Pete said. “You guys need to tie us back up.”

  “He’s right, Ned,” Wedgie said. “If those guys notice anything, we’ll have their whole base on alert.”

  “Yeah, I want you to get those bastards,” Pete said.

  “George?” Ned asked. “Shirley?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been listening,” George said.

  “Me too,” Shirley said. “We’ll lie low. Tie them back up and hide. Don’t leave anything out that will tip off the enemy.”

  “Dammit,” Marie said. “You’re right, Pete.” She held out her hands to be tied again. Ned, Wedgie, and Spence got them tied and gagged, and then the men rushed back into the shadows.

  ***

  Frank and Jane were still at the laptops. Jane was using a satellite view over the enemy base, but it wasn’t at a good angle. “Wish we had a drone over the scene.”

  “General Hogan thought it was too risky,” Frank said. “But I hear you. We’re semi-blind.”

  “Why don’t you get on the web meeting now?”

  “Good idea,” he said, picking up his bluetooth headset and hitting the contact.

  “Frank’s on,” Jane said softly into her headset. “Looks like we contained the problem back at the RV Park.”

  “Good,” General Hogan said. “You hear what just happened, Jane?”

  “Parts of it. Ned’s guys found hostages in the cavern, right?”

  “Yeah, but the important part is they aren’t using the caverns as a base. They’re all in the buildings.”

  “Good, easier targets,” Frank said. “Wish we had a drone over them.”

  “We’ll have one soon,” General Hogan said. “Just got off the line with the Air Force.”

  “Excellent,” Frank said.

  “Good news,” Ned whispered. “How soon?”

  “Less than half an hour,” General Hogan said. “Stay sharp. They might have patrols going all over the area. Your vehicles out of sight?”

  “They’re below a bluff off the end of the parking lot,” George said. “And it’s pitch black out here, once you get away from the parking lot lights. With a little luck, they won’t see us.”

  “Good,” General Hogan said. “Frank, I’m texting you the IP address of the new drone. Works the same as the other one. Keep both of them in view. Could still be stragglers back in Kansas.”

  “Got it, general,” Frank said.

  Vicki rushed into the clubhouse with Clara and Frankie. “Any word?”

  “The first teams are at the caverns now,” Jane said. “The enemy isn’t using them. Sounds like it won’t shield their chips.”

  “How about the big team?”

  “They aren’t there yet,” Frank said. “We got another drone assigned to us. That’s gonna help.”

  “How about Kansas?”

  “Oh, we killed all the enemy fighters who went there. The RV Park didn’t even get touched.”

  “Good,” Frankie said.

  “How’s the rest of the folks in the tent area?” Jane asked.

  “Nervous as hell, especially Rosie,” Clara said.

  “She’s been through the ringer,” Jane said. “Tough lady, though.”

  ***

  Gabe was driving the first white van down the highway, trying to catch up with the rest of the group. He glanced down at the lead box on the floor of the passenger side, in front of the seat, and chuckled to himself. Dobie was in the other van, right behind him, the dogs in back.

  Dobie called Gabe.

  “Hey, Dobie, what’s up?”

  “Think we ought to get on that web meeting?”

  “Yeah, probably,” Gabe said. “How are your dogs doing in the back of the van?”

  “I’ll have to wash them when we’re done,” he said. “The back is a bloody mess.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” Gabe said. “I’m gonna get on the meeting.”

  “I will in a minute. Want to call Vicki first.”

  “Okay, talk to you in a few minutes.”

  Dobie ended the call, and hit Vicki’s contact. It rang twice.

  “Dobie?”

  “Hi, Vicki. How’s it going there?”

  “We’re just walking back to the tent area from the clubhouse.”

  “What were you doing in there?”

  “Oh, just asking for news,” she said. “Everybody’s so anxious.”

  “I can imagine. Hear anything interesting? I haven’t gotten on the web meeting yet.”

  “Yeah, the enemy isn’t in the caverns, but they’re holding the National Park employees hostage there.”

  “Good, that’ll make things easier,” Dobie said. “Buildings will be easier to hit.”

  “Will you be in the middle of the fighting?”

  “I don’t know,” Dobie said. “My dogs will be involved, for sure, and I’m a damn good pistol shot.”

  “You be careful. Frankie and Jamie both think you’ll come through this, but I’m still nervous.”

  “Don’t worry,” Dobie said. “Watch out for yourself. There might be danger where you are too, you know.”

  “I know, we’re watching, and everybody’s armed.”

  “Good. I’d better get on the web meeting. Take care.”

  “You too, Dobie.”

  Dobie ended the call and got onto the web meeting. “Dobie’s on.”

  “Good,” General Hogan said.

  “Hi, Dobie,” Gabe said. “How’s she doing?”

  “Nervous,” Dobie said. “How far behind are we?”

  “A ways,” General Hogan said. “We need to get those suckers filled with explosives before you get all the way there. Watch for my kid’s Humvee and Jake’s bob-tail.”

  “Okay, will do, general,” Dobie said.

  “Hey, Dobie,” John Harper said over the web meeting.

  “John, how you doing? Got your dogs?”

  “Hell, yes. You?”

  “Yeah, in the back of the van.”

  “Hey, guys, cut the chatter,” Ned said.

  “Oh, sorry,” Dobie said.

  “Yeah, sorry,” John said.

  ***

  Ned huddled far in the shadows of the cavern, down the walkway, around a corner. The rest of his men were with him, listening. It had been more than half an hour since they tied the hostages up.

  “Ned,” George whispered. “Here comes a pickup truck. It’s pulling right next to the front doors.”

  “Thanks,” Ned said. He glanced at the others, and they nodded.

  There was a clank as the door opened, but then silence.

  “They make us?” Wedgie whispered.

  “Nah, we probably won’t hear them again until they’re in the snack bar area,” Ned whispered back.

  Footsteps approached, and snickering, then a few Arabic words passing between the men. Some laughter. Ned, Wedgie, and Spence glanced at each other, grinning.

  “They have no idea,”
Wedgie whispered.

  “You, call office, leave message,” one of the Islamists said, pulling the gag off Marie and untying her hands. He handed her a cell phone. She made the call, checking in, saying she was too busy with a wildlife problem earlier.

  “Good, thank you,” the Islamist said. “Okay, two by two, bathroom and eat.”

  Two of the Islamists finished untying Marie, and the woman two seats away from her. They walked them off to the ladies room. After a few minutes, they came out, and a third Islamist handed them each a bottle of water and a protein bar. They ate quickly and sat back down. The men tied them back up, put in the gags, and then picked two more.

  “George, tell us when they takeoff,” Ned whispered.

  “Yeah, and count them,” Wedgie said. “I can see five in here.”

  “That’s what I saw driving in,” George whispered. “Two in the cab, three in the bed.”

  “We’re sneaking up to the ridge overlooking the access road,” Shirley said. “Maybe we can get an idea of what building they came out of.”

  “Don’t get seen,” General Hogan said.

  “Don’t worry,” Shirley said.

  The men in the cavern sat silently, listening, no longer trying to watch for fear of being noticed. After about ten minutes, there was a voice.

  “Okay, we’ll be back in the morning. We’ll have better food. Got some fresh produce coming.”

  Footsteps echoed through the cavern as the men walked towards the ramp, sound diminishing quickly.

  “Front door just opened,” Heidi said. “Here they come.”

  “Get down lower,” George whispered. Heidi got behind the embankment. “Sorry, honey, but there’s just enough light out here to show that blonde hair of yours.”

  “They leaving yet?” Shirley asked, her breath laboring from the climb.

  “They’re standing next to the truck having smokes,” George whispered. “I’d better stay down until they drive off.”

  “We’re on the ridge now. I can see the buildings. Perfect. Two of them are just huge, by the way.”

  “Keep your head down,” Hopper said. “They might be watching the ridge. I would.”

  “We got the black-out paint on,” Shirley said. “And it’s really dark up here. Don’t worry.”

  “I hear the truck starting,” George whispered. “They’re driving away.”