Bug Out! Texas Book 7: Flood of Patriots

by Robert Boren

  “Yeah, I did,” Brendan whispered. “They just took somebody down.”

  “Or one of our guys got taken down,” Madison said.

  “Negative vibes,” Brendan said.

  “Wish we could see something, dude,” Juan Carlos whispered. “This sucks, man.”

  “Seriously,” Brendan said.

  “What’s going to happen when we pull forward?” Madison asked.

  “I think Richardson wants Hannah and I out of the boat again,” Brendan said. “With the M60 and the SMAW. You two will probably stay here and fire the guns.”

  There was more rustling around, and then some shouting.

  “Here we go,” Hannah said. “Should we get out?”

  “Texting Richardson,” Brendan said. Gunfire erupted. Richardson and Lita opened fire, and the dogs in the Jeep started to bark.

  “It’s on,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Richardson wants me to pull the rig far enough up so we can see the facility,” Brendan said. “It’s in range of the boat guns.”

  “I’m going too,” Hannah said.

  “Okay, but stay behind the ridge. I’m only pulling forward enough to clear the hill.”

  More gunfire went off, and the Jeep moved forward, down the side of the hill, stopping near a line of trees to the left. Roberto and Kris got out and found good cover to fire from. They opened fire on the men outside the walls, causing them to flee back inside the compound. The pickup trucks and the van sped past the boat as Brendan rushed to the driver’s seat of the truck. Bullets flew at them, hitting the rocks on the ridge.

  “Dammit,” Brendan said, sneaking into the cab. Hannah was behind him. “Stay down over there. I’ll be back in a second.”

  “Be careful,” she said, watching him get in and fire up the engine. He pulled forward quickly, going up the ridge. A rifle shot hit the top of the cab over the passenger seat. He continued on, until the boat was level at the top of the ridge, then put the tranny in park and set the brake. Gunfire hit the bow of the boat and bounced off. Brendan waited until Richardson and Lita opened up with their M60s again, and then slipped out of the truck and joined Hannah.

  “You see good enough?” Brendan yelled.

  “Yeah, dude,” Juan Carlos said. He got on the starboard gun and fired several grenades at the wall of the facility, it’s rusty sheet metal flying out of the way, exposing running men.

  The two trucks rolled close, everybody piling out and rushing towards the hole in the fence, guns blazing. The van rolled towards the front gate, but stopped as machine gun fire slammed into the cab,

  “Shit, we just lost some people in that van,” Madison said. She aimed the port gun in the direction of the machine gun fire and pulled the trigger, strafing the area with .50 cal fire as Juan Carlos joined in with grenades.

  “Be careful, some of our guys are inside the compound now,” Brendan shouted.

  “Hey, Juan Carlos, stay sharp,” Richardson said. “Gaz Tigr coming out of the gate. Get ready on that big gun.”

  “Got it,” Juan Carlos said, switching places. Bullets bounced off his shield as he aimed and fired. He narrowly missed the Tigr with the first shot, but hit it with the second and third shots, the vehicle blowing up. A second one raced past it, heading for one of the trucks, going right past the van. Juan Carlos hit it, blowing the vehicle up with one shot as several men rushed to the van. They got behind it and pushed it towards the front of the facility, dropping to the ground as more machine gun fire came at them.

  “See where that’s coming from?” Juan Carlos asked Madison.

  “Yep,” she said, pulling the trigger, sending a hail of bullets into the sheet metal wall. The machine gun kept firing.

  “Shoot a grenade at them,” Brendan shouted.

  Madison nodded and flipped the lever, then let three fly, blowing up that section of fence, stopping the machine gun. Several enemy fighters ran from the area, picked off by Richardson, Lita, Roberto, Kris, and Brendan. More machine gun fire started, from a wall further to the right of the facility.

  “I’m gonna get them,” Hannah said, her blood up. She picked up the SMAW and aimed it, firing, the area below the machine gun nest exploding.

  “That’s my girl,” Brendan said, firing at the survivors who were trying to escape the flames. Then there was a huge explosion, the van blowing up, taking out most of the fence on the left side.

  “Holy shit,” Juan Carlos shouted. He brought the big gun around again as several vans raced out of the site, one of them on fire.

  “Shoot those,” Richardson yelled.

  “I’m on it,” Juan Carlos said, firing the big gun, getting all but one of the vans. The last one was getting away, but Hannah fired the SMAW from an easier position, tagging the back end, setting off the gas tank. It exploded in flames.

  The machine gun fire stopped, but small arms fire from M-16s, shotguns, and hunting rifles continued for a few minutes. Every so often an enemy fighter would make a run for it, only to be cut down by guns on the ridge. Then there was silence.

  “Is it over?” Madison asked.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Juan Carlos said, “but keep your eyes open.”

  “We can go down there,” Roberto shouted. “Just got a text from Jay.”

  He got into his Jeep with Kris and they headed down to the compound. Richardson and Lita got back in the truck, Brendan and Hannah climbing into the boat. The rig pulled forward, heading down to the front of the facility.

  “Madison and Juan Carlos, keep watch from the boat,” Richardson said. “The rest of you can follow me.”

  Hannah and Brendan climbed out of the boat, eyes darting around until they were on the ground. They checked their weapons and rushed to catch up with Roberto, Kris, Richardson, and Lita.

  “Think the girls are okay?” Hannah asked.

  “I hope so,” Brendan said. The group went in through a big hole where the gate used to be. There were bodies everywhere. Mostly Islamists, but a few of Jay’s men were dead too.

  “This was hell,” Gerald said, rushing over to Roberto. “Where are the dogs?”

  “Left them in the Jeep,” Roberto said. “I don’t want them attacking any hostages. As soon as we know they’re safe, I’ll let the dogs loose to scour the site.”

  “You didn’t find the girls yet, did you?” Kris asked.

  “No, but there’s two buildings that we haven’t checked yet,” Gerald said. “Jay’s over at the first one now, trying to find a way in. The main door is barricaded.”

  “Let’s go help him,” Brendan said. Hannah nodded and they walked over. “What’s up, Jay?”

  “Somebody’s in here,” he said. “They won’t answer, and that door is bolted. I’m afraid to blast my way in. What if it’s the girls?”

  “Hey!” Hannah yelled from outside. “Stand back from the door. We’re gonna blow it.”

  “No!” screamed a male voice with an Arabic accent. “We open. Don’t shoot.”

  Hannah looked at Brendan. “Well?”

  He nodded, motioning for her to get back as the bolt moved inside. The door opened slowly.

  “Don’t shoot,” the man’s voice said again.

  Jay kicked the door open the rest of the way and looked inside. One of his men reached into the door and found the light switch. “Should I?”

  “Yeah,” Jay said, still pointing the gun inside.

  “Stay here,” Brendan whispered to Hannah. She nodded yes. Richardson and Lita walked over slowly.

  “There’s four Islamists in here, standing with their hands up,” Jay said, looking at them under the dim ceiling light. “They’re covered. No nooks or crannies to hide in that I can see. It’s just a big open space.”

  “Get their guns,” Richardson said.

  “They’re piled up by the door,” Jay said. He tossed them outside. “I’ll frisk them. Cover me.”

  Brendan and Hannah slipped into the door and held their weapons on the Islamists as Jay checked them. Gerald came over with R
oberto and Kris. They stared at the men, who were trembling with fear.

  “Where’s the women?” Hannah asked.

  The lead Islamist’s eyes darted to her. “What women?”

  “Don’t bullshit us, heathen,” Jay said, moving forward, gun pointing at the man’s head. “Where are they?”

  “Look, they’re scared to death,” Gerald said from the door. “They did something bad, and they don’t want us to know.”

  “Hey, Brendan, let’s go check that other building,” Richardson said from outside. “C’mon. These guys will cover the prisoners.”

  “Got it, boss,” Brendan said, moving outside with Hannah at his side. They went to another building, about forty yards away, across the dirt littered with dead fighters.

  “Anybody in there?” Richardson asked. “We’re here to save you.”

  Dead silence. Brendan approached the metal door carefully, shoving on it. “Locked up tight, man.”

  “If you’re inside, stand away from the door,” Hannah shouted. “We’re gonna blow it.”

  “Wait!” Richardson said. “Let’s all move back. There might be explosives in there.”

  “Yeah, he’s right, honey,” Brendan said. “Move back.”

  Hannah nodded and they moved back about fifteen yards.

  “This enough?” Hannah asked.

  “Get on the ground, everybody,” Richardson said. “Do it from the ground, Hannah.”

  She nodded, and all of them got down. “Now?”

  “Last call!” Richardson yelled. “Get away from the door.”

  Silence. Richardson nodded to Hannah, and she fired the SMAW. It blew the door in.

  “Holy shit, hope there wasn’t anybody in there,” Brendan said as he watched the smoking hole.

  “C’mon,” Richardson said, moving towards the door, rifle pointed in front of him. He slipped in the door and flipped the light switch. “Shit, don’t come in here.”

  “What is it?” Lita asked, rushing in the door. She came back outside and threw up on the ground next to the building.

  “What’s in there?” Hannah asked, eyes welling with tears. Gerald rushed over and looked in, crying as he left. Richardson was still inside.

  “What’s going on, boss?” Brendan asked.

  “Stay there,” he said.

  “What was in there?” Hannah asked.

  Lita spit the remaining puke out of her mouth. “Heads on one side of the room, bodies on the other.”

  “Oh, God, the girls?” Brendan asked. Lita nodded yes.

  Richardson came out, face grim. “They’re still warm. These bastards did this while the attack was going on.”

  “No,” Hannah said.

  Roberto went towards the door.

  “You don’t want to go in there, man,” Richardson said.

  “You’re right, but somebody has to see who they are,” Roberto said. “They have families. This is a small town. I’ll know them.” Kris followed him inside.

  “Honey, don’t come in here,” he said.

  “Oh, no no no,” she cried. “Marissa. Juliet. Cynthia. Dammit.”

  They both came out in tears, Roberto jogging towards the gate.

  “Where’s he going?” Hannah asked.

  “Don’t mess with him right now,” Kris said between sobs. “He knows what he’s doing.”

  “Who was in there?” Gerald asked.

  “All of them,” Kris said, covering her mouth. She ran a few yards away and threw up, dropping to her hands and knees.

  “Here comes Roberto,” Brendan said. “Shit, he has the dogs with him. He’s going to the other building.”

  “Get out,” Roberto shouted at Jay.

  “No, man,” Jay said. “You can’t do that.”

  “Watch me. Get out now.”

  Jay ran out of the building with the two men who were with him. Roberto took the dogs through the door. “Kill ‘em.” He pulled the door closed, the dogs snarling as the Islamists screamed.

  “Oh, God,” Hannah said, putting her hands over her ears as tears flowed down her cheeks.

  “This is barbaric,” Lita said, looking down at the ground.

  “No, it’s necessary,” Richardson said, face grim. “The enemy needs to see this. They need to understand who they’re fighting. They need to know they’re in total war. What they did can’t stand.”

  “We should take pictures and post them all over social media,” Brendan said. “Of the victims and the enemy.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Hannah said. “We should.”

  “Are you sure?” Lita asked.

  “Do you know how close we came to the same fate?” Hannah asked. “Remember when they hit the trailer park? They were looking for us. They almost got us. They would’ve raped us and killed us, just like they did here. We need to strike terror into their hearts.”

  The snarls and screams and scraping on the walls went on for almost ten minutes, Roberto leaning against the door to keep it closed. He was sobbing.

  Chapter 9 - Fallout

  Kip Hendrix was making coffee when Maria joined him in the kitchen.

  “We going outside today?” she asked. “You’ve got street clothes on.”

  “I need to go meet with Cole Stanton,” he said. “About your sister.”

  “Is that what Nelson talked to you about yesterday afternoon?”

  “Yeah, honey,” he said.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I wanted you to get a good night’s sleep last night. You’ve been pretty restless.”

  “I’d rather you just tell me, but okay. What are you going to do?”

  “Lean on him to beef up security for Celia,” Hendrix said. “Ramsey tried to convince him, but Cole told him to shove it.”

  “He won’t tell you to shove it?”

  Hendrix chuckled. “He might, but I’m an old ally of his. He’s one of the progressive community in Austin. I’ve got a better chance of convincing him than somebody he considers to be a reactionary.”

  “This political stuff doesn’t seem important anymore,” Maria said.

  “To you and me, no, but others aren’t seeing it that way. A lot of my old friends think Nelson is the devil incarnate for taking us out of the union, you know. A lot of them probably consider me to be a sell-out.”

  “Oh,” Maria said. “You don’t care about that movement anymore, do you?”

  “Not now, but I will again someday. I’d love for things to get back to normal so I can be part of a healthy opposition.”

  The console beeped.

  “Uh oh, sounds like a meeting coming up,” Maria said. She tightened up her robe and rushed into the console room. Hendrix followed her, watching over her shoulder as she logged on.

  “Nelson,” Hendrix said. “And all the others, from the look of it. Something big must have happened.”

  “Hope it’s good news,” Maria said, looking over her shoulder at him. The picture came up, Brian in the conference room with a cup of coffee next to his laptop.

  “Good morning,” Hendrix said.

  “Yes, good morning,” Maria said.

  Brian nodded. “Sorry it’s so early.”

  “We were both up,” Maria said. “It’s past seven.”

  Nelson and Ramsey walked into the room. Gallagher followed.

  “Who’s on?” Nelson asked.

  “Kip Hendrix and Maria,” Brian said. “Wallis said he’d be a minute.”

  “He’s probably chewing out one of his captains,” Gallagher said.

  “Let’s not make light of this,” Nelson said.

  “I wasn’t,” Gallagher said.

  The console beeped again. A window opened showing Wallis, grim expression on his face.

  “Okay, we’ve got everybody we need,” Nelson said. “Maria, you may want to leave the room for a few minutes. What we’re about to show is a little frightening.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Maria said.

  “Oh boy, what happened?” Hendr
ix asked.

  “A post went viral on social media late last night, and it’s still rolling this morning,” Nelson said. “I’ll show it, then we’ll talk.” He nodded to Brian. The screen showed a page with three pictures on it. The top picture took up half the screen. It was a gruesome picture of beheaded girls, some of them looking no older than fifteen. Below that was a picture of chewed up Islamists, with two giant dogs sitting next to them, blood all over their faces. The picture next to it showed bodies of Islamist fighters blown to bits, some of them missing limbs. The caption under the top picture said: You do this ^ and you’ll end up like the men below.

  “Oh, God,” Maria said, closing her eyes.

  “This is worse than I’d heard,” Gallagher said. “Where did this happen? Anybody find out yet?”

  “Northwest part of San Marcos,” Wallis said. “Near the junction of route 80 and route 12. It was at an abandoned recycling center being used as an enemy base.”

  “I know this isn’t politically correct, but I’d call that good work,” Gallagher said. “We know who did it yet?”

  “A group of men from the San Marcos area, aided by three of my folks,” Wallis said.

  “Your folks?” Nelson asked.

  “DPS Patrol Boaters,” Wallis said. “Part of the group that saved downtown San Antonio.”

  “You aren’t thinking of discipline for these guys, I hope,” Gallagher said.

  “Not unless I’m ordered to do it,” Wallis said. “I’m not upset about what these guys did to the Islamists. I’m upset about what happened to the girls. Had a conversation with Captain Jefferson about it, about half an hour ago.”

  “Did he know about this?” asked Nelson.

  “No,” Wallis said. “His men had been pursued and repeatedly attacked by people from this enemy base. They were at a local’s home near the Purgatory Creek area. A friend of the homeowner found out where the enemy base was.”

  “So, they took it upon themselves to attack,” Gallagher said. “I like it.”

  “Make no mistake, so do I,” Wallis said. “This is how we’re going to win the war.”

  “No disagreement here, although death by Rottweiler isn’t the most humane way to do things,” Nelson said. “We’re getting a lot of international fallout from this. The UN is talking about it in the Security Council as we speak, and they’re calling on the Feds to get control of Texas.”