by Robert Boren
“Like what?”
“Well, for starters, that citizens of the world comment,” Jerry said. “I know we favor an open border policy, but pushing it during this crisis is going to play right into our enemies’ hands. You know that, right?”
“I can’t completely forget about what’s right,” Hendrix said. “And by the way, our party needs the votes from people migrating to our country. Without them our agenda will languish and fail.”
“They can’t vote anyway,” Sutton said.
“They can’t vote yet,” Kip said. “We have to go step by step. You know that.”
“Look, I understand, and I agree, but we have to put a lid on that until this invasion gets put down. Remember our strategy. You and the other progressives need to survive past this mess.”
“By completely ignoring our principles?” Hendrix asked.
“No, by paying attention to timing and events. How many Republicans do you remember who fought FDR on World War II?”
“None offhand, but there were some,” Kip said.
“And there’s my point. They became irrelevant, forgotten by history. You don’t want that to be your legacy. Bide your time on this stuff. Shift your focus onto protection of the homeland, like we discussed.”
“Don’t you mean the fatherland?” Hendrix quipped.
Sutton chuckled, Hendrix showing a nasty grin. “Funny,” Sutton said. “Kinda.”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Hendrix said, leaning back in his chair. “I’ll try to control myself a little better. They’ll never know what hit them.”
“Good,” Sutton said as he got up. “And lay off of Maria, okay? Mexican girls are a dime a dozen. Find one from somewhere else, okay?”
Chapter 36 – Dirt Road to Texas
Eric was behind the wheel, blasting down State Route 3015 a little too fast, eyes darting to the rear-view mirrors every few seconds.
“How long before somebody finds the bodies of those Islamists” Kim asked.
“Hard to say,” he said. “Longstreet is close enough to hear the gunfire, but there’s hunters around here. They might not have thought much of it.”
“There was a burst of automatic fire from that last guy,” Kim said.
“That’s true,” he said. “I’ve been watching the mirrors. Nobody’s been behind us.”
“Does it bother you? Killing people back there?”
“No,” Eric said. “Does it bother you?”
“No, not even a little bit,” Kim said. “In the movies they always say that killing somebody really tears you apart.”
“In the real world it probably depends on who you killed and why,” Eric said. “Shit, listen. Chopper.”
“Uh oh,” she said. “I’m gonna go look out the back window.”
She got up and went to the back. Paco saw his chance and jumped up into the passenger seat, sitting up to look out the front.
“Miss your seat, do you, fella? Sorry, but it’s hers now.” He chuckled to himself.
“Hey,” Kim said when she returned. “Get outta my seat.”
The dog jumped down and watched as she sat, then looked at her earnestly.
“Okay,” Kim said, patting her lap. Paco jumped up and nuzzled her.
“Couldn’t see anything?” Eric asked.
“No,” she said. “Sounds like they set down. They’re probably looking at the bodies now.”
“Hopefully they don’t notice which way our tracks went,” he said.
“You’re driving kind of fast for this little road, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “I want to put distance between us and those bodies.”
“Well be careful. I wish we didn’t have to dump my phone.”
“I know, the GPS apps are helpful,” Eric said, looking at her for a moment.
“Cars coming around that bend,” Kim said, pointing.
They whizzed by them.
“Those looked like workers going home,” Eric said. “Must be a plant of some kind back here.”
“There’s more,” Kim said. “Hell, they’re going as fast as we are.”
“Probably no highway patrol back here,” he said. “Think I should slow down?”
“Maybe,” she said. “More traffic. Look, there’s a cross street coming up.”
“And a big church off to the right there,” Eric said. “Shit, stop sign.” He pushed the brake pedal hard, trying to slow down before he rolled into the intersection.
“Geez,” Kim said, gripping the seat.
“Sorry,” Eric said.
“It’s okay,” she said. “The name of the road changed, look. Bell Bower Texas Line Road. Long name.”
Eric took off after looking down the long cross-street. “I think the border is coming up pretty quick.”
“You think somebody’s watching it?”
“As I remember, there’s no road. Just dirt. Pasture land and forest.”
“This thing gonna make it?”
“Probably, but if we get stuck, we got the Bronco, and it’s got a winch.”
“More cars,” Kim said, nodding up ahead. “Look, the second one is slowing down.”
“Dammit, he’s trying to flag us down.”
“Well, stop and spin him a story,” Kim said. “We don’t want him putting anybody on our tail.”
Eric nodded and slowed to a stop. The truck pulled up, the driver rolling down his window.
“Hey, friend, there’s no RV parks back there. Road gets kinda tight, too. No good place to turn around except the plant, and it’s all the way at the border.”
“My brother-in-law owns some land in the forest back there,” Eric said, smiling. “We’re gonna spend a few days.”
“Really? In Louisiana?”
“Nah, over the Texas border. There a good way through?”
“Well, there’s a way. Not good. Alongside the plant, but it’s pretty soft ground back there. Might be okay since it’s been dry lately.”
“What kind of plant?”
“Natural gas wells,” the man said. “They quit running two shifts, so there won’t be anybody around.”
“Do we have to go through any gates to get to the border?”
“Nah,” he said. “Just be careful. If you see ground that looks soft, don’t drive your rig over it.”
“We got the Bronco back there with a winch,” Eric said. “Ought to keep us out of trouble.”
“Yeah, probably,” the man said. “You guys take care back there.”
“Will do. Thanks!”
The man drove on. Eric looked over at Kim and smiled. “Good enough BS?”
“Yeah,” Kim said. “Better drive.”
Eric drove forward, getting up to about forty-five.
“There’s more back here than I expected,” Kim said. “What are those places. Asphalt, with those pipes sticking out.”
“Probably played-out natural gas wells,” Eric said. “Feels so deserted.”
“There’s another cross-street,” Kim said.
“Now this is really weird,” Eric said. “Make a left here and you’re still on Bell Bower Texas Line Road. Make a right and you’re on Paul Road. Go straight and you’re on Helen Lane.”
“Which way do we go?”
“Straight, I think,” Eric said as he drove past the intersection.
“Wow, there’s a house over there,” Kim said. “To the right. First one we’ve seen. Who would want to live out here?”
“Hermit, I guess.”
They rolled along silently for a few minutes, eyes peeled, Eric still glancing in the rear-view mirrors every few seconds.
“Big curve,” Eric said.
“Feels like we’re going south,” Kim said. “I hope we took the right road.”
“It’s curving again to the west,” Eric said.
“And again to the south,” Kim said. “Slow down, this is sharp.”
“Okay,” Eric said, putting on the brakes. Suddenly they were out of the trees, and a plant lay before them
. “I’ll bet this is the place the old man was talking about.”
“Probably,” Kim said. “Looks active. See that little road that runs off towards the right?”
“Yeah,” Eric said, stopping the rig. “Dirt, but used often and kept up. I think we need to turn here. The road ahead goes right into the heart of the plant.”
“Hope we don’t get stuck,” Kim said as Eric moved forward, turning onto the dirt road. They traveled slowly, both of them scanning ahead.
“It curves onto another one of the asphalt patches,” Eric said. “With the pipes, but active. See those pumps?”
“Yeah,” Kim said. “We gonna drive across it? Sure we should?”
“No guts, no glory,” Eric said.
“That’s what you said when you almost got us tagged by a train,” Kim said, a smirk on her face.
They drove across the asphalt slowly, watching for pipes.
“There,” Eric said. “Dirt road. There’s a little Texas border sign, see it?”
“Looks homemade,” Kim said. “That isn’t much of a road. It’s just pasture land past the sign.”
“I see a road up ahead, though. Look.”
They rolled onto the pasture, slowing to a crawl. Eric put the transmission into low gear.
“There’s actually two roads,” Kim said. “One goes towards the north, one towards the south. Which one should we take?”
“North,” Eric said. He drove towards it, the frame of the class C moaning as it rolled over the uneven ground. They got to the road and the ride smoothed out.
“Thank God,” Kim said as Eric sped up slightly.
“I’ll feel better when I can’t see Louisiana in the rear view mirror,” Eric said.
“You’re going to get your wish,” she said. “Look at how dense the trees are getting. Strange how we have an area of small trees and an area of bigger trees next to it.”
“This is a logging farm,” Eric said.
“Oh,” Kim said. “Duh. Should have thought of that.”
“It’s gonna be dark before too long. We need to find some tree cover and bed down for the night.”
“Hey, look at that road coming up. At least it’s gravel.”
They rolled up to it and stopped. There was a small sign to the right.
“That road goes to State Route 463. We don’t want to take that. It heads right back to the border.”
“Oh,” she said. “Yeah, we don’t want to go there.”
“This is starting to come back to me,” Eric said. “Hunting trips with dad. Oilfield Road is coming up. That will take us to the nearest town.”
“What town?”
“Deadwood,” he said. “Then we can go towards Carthage, and we’ll be back in civilization.”
“Deadwood? I thought that was in the Dakotas. Wild Bill Hickok, right?”
Eric laughed. “Wrong Deadwood.”
“Oh,” she said. “Look, there’s that road again. 463.”
“Yeah, that road curves around. I figured we’d cross it somewhere.”
“The dirt road ends,” Kim said.
“See across that pasture?” Eric asked. “There’s an old trail there. That’s how we get to Oilfield Road. Old covered-wagon route.”
“Can we get across that pasture in this thing?”
“I think so, if we go slow. I’ll hug the trees so we don’t stick out so much.”
“It’s almost dark,” Kim said. “Can you see well enough without the headlights on?”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” he said, turning onto the pasture. He went across at the southern boundary, the ground more compacted than he expected.
“This isn’t so bad,” Kim said.
“Yeah, we aren’t the first people to do this,” Eric said, smiling at her. He sped up slightly, but was still going under ten miles per hour.
“You’ll have to turn to the north ahead,” Kim said. “Look at the tree line.”
“I know,” Eric said. “Look, more new trees. More logging.”
He turned when the tree line went north, and then they saw the big trail in front of them.
“Wow, this is wide,” Kim said, “and look at those ruts.”
“Wagon wheels,” Eric said.
“Shoot, sign says there’s a creek ahead,” Kim said. “Mill Creek. Can barely read it in this light.”
Eric smiled. “Yeah, I know exactly where we are now.”
“How we gonna cross a creek?”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be dry. No problema. There’s good cover back there. We should stop before it gets pitch black.”
They drove to the edge of the dry creek and then started across it. The rear wheels got stuck in the shallow channel.
“Shit,” Eric said.
“Do we need to get the Bronco unhitched?”
“I’ll try to rock first,” he said, putting the coach into reverse. He went backwards and forwards several times, increasing the gas slightly. On the third try the back wheels climbed out of the rut and they pulled forward.
“Geez, that was close,” Jill said.
“No kidding,” Eric said. “Look at that spot to the right. Dense forest. I’m going in there.”
“Looks dark. Don’t get stuck.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “If we do, we’ll get unstuck in the morning. We don’t have to go back far to be out of sight.”
They drove in, avoiding tree trunks, fallen logs, and boulders, finding a reasonably flat patch. Eric pulled forward as far as he could, still leaving himself space to maneuver out, and parked. He leaned back in his seat and turned to Kim, smiling.
“Wow,” she said. “Well, at least we’re in Texas.”
“Yep,” he said, opening the cab door. “Let’s take Paco out.”
“I need to use the bathroom first.”
“You go inside, I’ll go outside.”
She giggled as she went into the back of the coach. Eric got Paco on the leash and took him out the driver’s side door. “C’mon, boy.”
Kim joined them in a few minutes, coming out the side door of the coach.
“Peaceful,” she said as she caught up.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “Lots of open land like this in Texas.”
“Why’d you leave?”
“For my business,” he said. “Never considered myself anything but a Texan, though. Where are you from?”
“Originally? Upstate New York.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but we moved before I was four years old. I can’t really remember it. We ended up in Georgia eventually, outside of Atlanta.”
“And you’ve been in Florida for about four years, right? I remember that from our first date.”
“Yes,” she said. “I was tiring of it, though.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Never seemed like home. I would have left earlier, but…” She stopped in mid-sentence.
“What?”
“It’s silly,” she said.
“So?”
“I wanted to give us a longer chance,” she said.
“Really?”
“You just can’t tell when a woman likes you, huh?”
He chuckled. “No, I guess not.”
“I’m glad I didn’t leave.”
“I’m glad too,” he said, taking her by the hand. They strolled a little longer, and then went back to the motor home.
“We should avoid turning on the lights, right?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “Hope you don’t mind, but I think it’s safer.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I just want to eat something and climb into bed with you. Naked. You don’t mind, do you.”
“What do you think?” he said, as he got Paco’s food out. “I’ve got canned stew in the cupboard. Sound okay?”
“Sure,” she said. “We can cook that on the stove, right?”
“Yeah,” he said.
They were eating dinner in the dark when the sound of several helicopters
approached.
“Oh shit, you don’t think they’re looking for us, do you?” Kim asked
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Eric said. “We’re under the trees. I don’t think they’ll see us, but I’m glad we have the lights off. Let’s go watch out the windshield.”
“Okay,” she said. They climbed up into the cab. “I can’t see them. The trees are too dense.”
“Look over there,” Eric said. “They’re using a spotlight on the ground. Good.”
“Why good?”
“Because if they’re using that, they don’t have a FLIR system.”
“FLIR?”
“Forward Looking Infrared. It’s the expensive type of night vision.”
“Could they see us with that?”
“Yeah. FLIR reads temperature differences,” Eric said. “We’d stick out like a sore thumb because the engine is still warm.”
“Oh,” she said. “That’s scary. Hard to hide anymore, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “Look, they’re following 463 south. I think we’re safe.”
“Glad we didn’t go that way. Let’s go to bed, okay?”
“Sure,” Eric said. They got up and went to the back of the coach, stripping and sliding into bed next to each other. They didn’t sleep for a while.
Chapter 37 – Arroyo Chapote
“Where we going, Chauncey?” Juan Carlos asked as he drove the sleek Patrol Boat out of the harbor.
“Arroyo Chapote,” he said
“Really, dude?” Juan Carlos asked. “That one is tight. Not enough room to launch anything out of there, that’s for sure.”
“Our planes saw a barge and another one of those big cutters heading into that area earlier today. We think they’re staging for a crossing. It’s a pretty thin part of the lake.”
“There’s cliffs along there, man,” Brendan said. “Good place to get shot up. Could be a trap.”
“We won’t be hanging around long,” Chauncey said. “We’ll spot first, then take action if we have to. Intelligence says there’s nearly five hundred men queued up there.”
“Okay,” Juan Carlos said. “Arroyo Chapote it is. Fasten your seat belts.” He pushed the throttle forward, the boat jumping onto a plane, cutting through the water in the darkness.
“Go to the edge of the opening and try to drift past the front,” Chauncey said.