Bug Out! Texas Book 7: Flood of Patriots

by Robert Boren

  “We’ve got some work to do,” Don said. “You okay?”

  “I don’t want to stick around if the enemy is coming this way. You?”

  “I think it’s the only choice,” he said. “Wonder where Jason and Carrie are going in such a hurry?”

  “They want to hit the medical clinic in town for a pre-natal check,” Sydney said. “She’s way overdue.”

  “Oh,” Don said. “Yeah, I’ll bet she is.”

  Alyssa and Chloe jogged up to them, both smiling.

  “You two look chipper,” Sydney said. “You must be okay with going.”

  “I didn’t want to be separated from the group,” Alyssa said. “I’m relieved.”

  “Yeah, I had a bad feeling about that,” Chloe said.

  “How about your friends?” Sydney asked.

  “All of them feel like we do,” Alyssa said.

  “Good,” Don said. “I expected people to be upset.”

  “We’re gonna go help Francis and Sherry,” Chloe said.

  “Make sure they don’t mind you staying with them,” Don said.

  “They don’t, but I’ll ask again,” Alyssa said, looking back as the two walked away.

  “How much do we have to do?” Sydney asked as they walked back to their trailer.

  “Not a lot. Hell, we just barely got here. I want to check the fluids in the car, and check the tire pressure. That’s about it.”

  “We’ve got a few things to stow inside,” Sydney said. “That’s only about five minutes of work, though. Living tiny has its advantages. You really can’t let a mess spread out.”

  Curt and Amanda walked over.

  “Well?” Amanda asked. “You okay with going?”

  “Yeah, I’d rather go,” Sydney said. “Everybody thought we’d be upset.”

  “I’m glad we’re all going,” Curt said. “Glad they’re moving the prisoners to Waco, too.”

  “I figured you’d want them all shot,” Don said.

  “I do, but it’s not worth the fallout,” Curt said.

  “Why do you want them shot?” Sydney asked.

  “Because there’s a good chance somebody will help them escape,” Curt said, “and even if that doesn’t happen, they’ll get let go eventually. Hopefully our government won’t be stupid enough to let them stay in this country, but remember what got us into this mess in the first place.”

  “You’ve got a point there,” Don said.

  “Maybe they can change,” Sydney said.

  “You guys need help with the still?” Don asked. “Or other stuff before we leave? Sydney and I don’t have much to do.”

  “We never unpacked things after showing up here,” Amanda said. “The still’s running. Not sure if it’s a good idea to run it while we’re towing.”

  “What can get hurt if we do?” Don asked.

  “There’s some things we can do,” Amanda said. “There’s a few things that we could strap down so we could keep the boiler running. It’d be nice to continue production if we can.”

  “We should top up propane in all the RVs,” Curt said. “Pat sells it. Saw the tanks up next to the office.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Don said. “We should get some extra bottles too.”

  “I could store some in the back of the bobtail,” Amanda said.

  “Next to all that ammo?” Sydney asked.

  Curt chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea, honey. We’ve got plenty of people with open trucks and extra space that would be safer. Let’s talk to Pat about this. For all we know she doesn’t have that much propane to sell. Re-supply has probably been an issue with this damn war going.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Don said. “To talk to Pat.”

  “Why don’t we all go?” Sydney asked.

  “Yeah, might as well,” Amanda said. They walked towards the office. Pat and Brushy were sitting on the veranda.

  “Pat’s crying,” Sydney whispered.

  “I can guess why,” Don whispered back.

  Pat saw them walking up and tried to compose herself. Brushy smiled, relieved that somebody else was coming over.

  “How are you guys doing?” Brushy asked.

  “Good,” Curt said. “How are you guys set for propane?”

  “I need to check,” Pat said, standing up. “Been hard to get deliveries.”

  “We figured,” Don said.

  “You okay, dear?” Amanda asked.

  “Oh, I’ll be okay,” Pat said. “Brushy wants me to leave the park and go with you guys to New Mexico.”

  “You should,” Curt said. “There’s bad guys on the way.”

  “This place is all I have,” she said, starting to cry again.

  “This place can be re-opened after the war is over,” Brushy said. “Even if it gets damaged. You’ve got a great location, and there’s not that much they can do to this place. Hell, some of your electrical stuff needs to be replaced anyway due to age, and if they destroy it, you can cash in on the insurance.”

  Curt cracked up. “Maybe we ought to blow it up for you on the way out.”

  “That’s not funny,” Amanda said softly.

  Curt glanced at her. “I know, sorry.” He turned back to Pat. “Please go with us. Really. We don’t want you getting killed here.”

  “Yeah, listen to him,” Brushy said. “We can rebuild this park if we need to. It might survive un-touched too, you know.”

  “Yours didn’t,” Pat said.

  “I know, but we had a battle there, and that place was in a really bad spot. I’ll still rebuild it.”

  She sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ll go with you. Can you help with the motor home? It hasn’t been run for a while.”

  “Of course,” Brushy said.

  “I can help,” Curt said. “I’m kinda in-between tasks anyway.”

  “Me too,” Don said. “I think Amanda and Sydney were gonna go work on the still setup, and I don’t have much to do before we leave.”

  “Good,” Brushy said. “See, sis, you’re part of this community. We’ll look out for you. I promise.”

  She smiled at him. “I’ll check the propane tank. If it’s almost empty, maybe I can get a delivery.”

  “It’d be nice to have a bunch of extra bottles so we can take reserves with us,” Amanda said.

  “I can get those from the same guy,” Pat said. “Good idea. Might not be much of anything available in New Mexico. I’m not expecting us to have parks with hookups.”

  “It’s not that cold out,” Sydney said. “Why is the propane so important?”

  “Most of the RVs have gas fridges,” Don said. “Our trailer, for example. It can run on either gas or electric.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Sorry, I’ve never been an RV person.”

  The group left the veranda, Pat going into the office, Amanda and Sydney going to the still toy hauler. Don and Curt watched them walk away as Brushy followed Pat to get the keys to her RV.

  “You look worried,” Don said, looking at Curt.

  “We’re going into the wild west with a bunch of fragile RVs,” Curt said. “I’m nervous as hell.”

  “It’s worse to stay here,” Don said.

  “Oh, for sure,” Curt said. “No doubt about that.”

  “Got the keys,” Brushy said, coming out of the office. “Her rig is back behind the clubhouse. Pretty nice one. I don’t think she’s taken it out since Roy passed.”

  “Her husband?” Don asked.

  “Boyfriend,” Brushy said. “He had too many bad financial issues for Pat to marry him.”

  “She gonna be okay?” Don asked. “I know it’s hard to leave your home behind.”

  Brushy sighed. “I understand what she’s going through. I was despondent for days when I had to leave my place behind. No choice, though.”

  They rounded the clubhouse.

  “Wow, can Pat drive that sucker?” Don asked, looking at the huge diesel pusher.

  “I think she’s driven it once or twice,” he s
aid. “I suspect I’ll be driving this beast on the trip most of the time, though.”

  “What about your Ranchero?” Curt asked.

  Brushy laughed. “Hell, that old piece of crap wouldn’t make the trip without me stopping and fixing something every few hundred miles. I’ll leave that here. We got a tow bar, though, so if there’s an off-roader or a Jeep that needs to be dragged, we’ve got you covered.” He unlocked the door and opened it, the steps coming down.

  “How’s the tires?” Curt asked.

  “We’d better check the dates, but I think they’re no more than a couple years old. I know the batteries are less than a year old. It was one of the last things Roy did, along with the solar panels on the roof.”

  “Oh, it’s got solar,” Curt said. “Very cool.”

  The men tinkered for a while with the coach.

  ***

  Dirk was sitting in the back of his pickup truck, thinking. Cindy saw him and walked over.

  “You okay, hon?” she asked, leaning on the side of the truck bed.

  “Sure,” Dirk said. “I was just hoping that I’d be able to spend a few more nights in the park model. Guess it’s back to sleeping bags in the back of the truck.”

  “Yeah,” she said as she climbed into the truck bed. “It’s gonna start getting cold in another month or two.”

  “Yep,” Dirk said, “and we’re going to higher elevations in New Mexico. Cold nights. I used to sleep in Francis’s trailer, but they’ve got too many people in there, and I’m a light sleeper.”

  “You ever thought about buying a rig?”

  “If we would’ve stayed in Fort Stockton longer, I probably would’ve bought one of the rigs that Moe had in his storage yard,” Dirk said.

  “I’ve been staying with Gray’s friend Tim and a couple other guys, but I need to get out of that situation.”

  “Why?” Dirk asked.

  “I’m not interested in him,” Cindy said softly. “He keeps pushing me.”

  “Physically pushing you?” Dirk asked, eyes narrowing.

  “No, it’s not like that,” she said. “I think he’s trying to guilt me into being his woman. I like him as a friend, but I have no romantic feelings for him at all.”

  “Oh,” Dirk said.

  She looked at him nervously.

  “What’s the matter?” Dirk asked.

  “I like you,” she said.

  “I like you too,” Dirk said, looking at her furrowed brow. “Oh. You mean you like me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll shut up if it makes you uncomfortable.” She pushed her blonde hair back away from her face, dark roots showing more than an inch at the part now. “It’s times like this that I wish I still smoked.”

  Dirk laughed. “I used to do that too. Definitely provides a calming effect.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I was wondering.”

  “Wondering what?” Dirk asked.

  “Maybe we should go into town and see if we can find a used trailer. You can pick them up cheap. I saw a couple for sale on the internet, right in this town.”

  Dirk shot her a surprised look. “You want us to live together in it?”

  “Does the idea of that make you sick?” She searched his eyes as he thought about it. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Hold your horses, woman,” Dirk said, staring at her, a smile washing over his face. “I like the idea.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything from you,” she said softly.

  He chuckled. “You don’t think I might be interested in you? Maybe I’ll hound you the way Tim is doing.”

  “I could only be so lucky,” she whispered, her eyes flashing embarrassment.

  “Okay, c’mon,” he said, getting up and jumping out of the truck bed.

  “You’ll do it?” she asked with a shocked face. He held his hand out to help her over the tailgate. She took it, his hand feeling warm and a little sweaty.

  “We’d best get it done now. The afternoon is approaching fast, and we’ll have a lot to do.”

  Her eyes teared up as he walked her to the passenger side door of his truck. He saw it, and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight for a few moments.

  “This is the first time you’ve ever touched me,” she said.

  “I’ve wanted to.”

  “Then why didn’t you?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

  “Gray,” Dirk said. “I didn’t know if you were ready yet. I lost my wife. Had no interest in other women for over a year.” He helped her in, and then got behind the wheel. “You got an address?”

  “Yep,” she said. “I’ve got money, too.”

  “As do I,” Dirk said. “Quite a bit, actually. We’ll be fine.”

  They drove off, heading through the front gate.

  Chance and Francis noticed them leaving.

  “Finally,” Chance said. Francis chuckled.

  “Yeah, I saw that coming,” Francis said.

  “What do you think they’re doing?” Chance asked.

  “Sherry said she was looking at used trailers on the internet earlier,” Francis said. “I almost gave him a heads up. Glad I didn’t.”

  Chance chuckled.

  “How come you haven’t shown any interest in women?” Francis asked. “There’s several more in Gray’s group that are unattached.”

  “None of them strike my fancy,” Chance said.

  “I know somebody who did,” Francis said.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “That cute chubby little waitress at the Café in Midpoint 66,” Francis said. “You were flirting with her.”

  “Kitten,” Chance said. “She wasn’t interested.”

  “Yes she was,” Francis said. “I saw it.”

  He shook his head. “Whatever. No matter. She’s miles away. We aren’t going back that way.”

  Francis smiled. “If you want her, swing by and get her.”

  “She won’t be there anyway,” Chance said. “She was scared to death. I think her pop was gonna take her and split.”

  “Oh, Alex was her dad? You must have talked to her more than I thought.”

  “We talked after the battle,” Chance said, face turning red.

  “Oh, really now?”

  “It’s no big deal,” Chance said.

  “You get her phone number?”

  “No,” Chance said. “Why would I do that? I just met her.”

  Francis chuckled. “C’mon, you’ve had girlfriends before, right?”

  “Yeah, but I always knew them for a while before things developed,” he said. “I’ve never picked up women.”

  “Well, I’m not going to bug you,” Francis said. “I can tell this makes you a little uncomfortable. I’ll just say this. You know the name of the Café. I’m sure it’s got a phone.”

  Chance nodded. “Thanks. Don’t tell Dirk and Don about this, okay?”

  Francis chuckled. “Yeah, okay, your secret is safe with me.”

  “Thanks,” Chance said.

  “Don’t wait too long,” Francis said. “I’m gonna go help Sherry.”

  Chance watched him walk away, butterflies coming at the thought of calling Kitten. He reached for his phone, but then stopped himself.

  ***

  Amanda and Sydney were almost finished tying down the main part of the still. They had to drill a few holes in the toy-hauler to do it, but it seemed sturdy enough when they were done.

  “I don’t think we’re helping the resale value of this rig very much,” Sydney said.

  Amanda snickered. “Hell, I wonder if the person who owned this is still alive.”

  “What are you gonna do if we get caught with this thing?”

  “I don’t know…probably offer to buy it. I kinda like having a mobile setup like this.”

  “It does have its advantages, I guess. You really think we’ll get enough output to put a dent in our fuel needs for those tanks?”

  “If we can keep it running enough, sure,” Ama
nda said. “The way we have this set up now, it can run 24/7. We need the extra tanks, though. We don’t have enough capacity for storage yet.”

  “I’m glad we’re going with you guys,” Sydney said.

  “You and me both, sis. What’s going on between you and Don?”

  “We’re progressing,” she said.

  “Progressing how?”

  Sydney sighed. “You’re just going to mess with me if I tell you.”

  “Probably. Tell me anyway.”

  Sydney snickered. “Oh brother. All right, we’re still waiting, but we have an understanding.”

  “What’s the understanding?”

  “We’re courting, to see if we’re really compatible, or if it’s just infatuation caused by the war and stuff,” Sydney said, shooting a sidelong glance at her.

  “You don’t need my approval, you know,” Amanda said. “I sense that you want to move quicker. You two haven’t gone all the way yet, have you?”

  “Nope,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Mutual decision. Alyssa and Chloe are part of the consideration.”

  “In what way?” Amanda asked.

  “Do we really have to go into details? We’re just going slow and trying to put on an air of respectability and stability.”

  Amanda laughed. “That’s a new one.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m just kidding. You two are waiting until you’re married, aren’t you?”

  “No, probably not that long. Maybe till we’re engaged.”

  “Is this wishful thinking on your part?” Amanda asked. “Don’t get yourself hurt.”

  “We talked. He’d marry me today if I wanted to. He knows I’m not quite ready.”

  “This guy is waiting, while he’s got you in his bed every night? He must be a saint.”

  “We cuddle and do other things,” Sydney said. “That’s enough for now.”

  “Uh huh,” Amanda said. “Well, to each their own.”

  “What about you and Curt?”

  “I’ve got him wrapped around my little finger.”

  Sydney shook her head. “Seriously?”

  “Oh, I’m kidding a little bit, I guess,” Amanda said.

  “You still love him, though, right?”

  “Yes, and I can’t get enough of him,” Amanda said. “I think he’s just about perfect for me. Funny how I found somebody like that in all this mess.”

  “Well, this is a big reason why we’re going slow,” Sydney said.