Bug Out! Part 4: Mortars and Motorhomes

by Robert Boren

  “So you are telling me that this war is close to over,” Jane said.

  “Yes, we are getting there, but it’s going to be a long bloody process to get everything cleaned up in this corridor, and there’s very intense fighting still going on down in Mexico. I need to focus on this area and make sure that enemy strength doesn’t grow, and that the enemy can’t freely escape into the rest of the country, even in small groups.”

  “There’s something hanging out there that you really don’t want to bring up,” Jerry said.

  “Yes. There is a rallying cry that the southern forces are using to help hold themselves together, and it’s the reason this particular area continues to get hit. I need to remove that rallying cry.”

  “What is it?” asked Jeb.

  “You, Frank and Jane, Jerry and Jasmine, Charley, Earl, and Jackson. They have made you all out to be the devil incarnate, and as long as you are around here, there will be problems around the RV Park and the town too.”

  “So what are you proposing?” asked Frank

  Chapter 10 – A Wedding and a Funeral

  Frank looked the General in the eye, waiting for a response. Jane put her hand over his on the conference room table. The others were all sitting around the conference table, looking at General Walker. You could hear a pin drop.

  “Do you want to relocate us or protect us?” Jane asked.

  “I want to relocate you guys, and then spread the news around,” the General said. “It won’t get rid of the enemy here…..but it will move the focus away from the town and surrounding area. Without you guys as the big villains, there are some people in the local militia that will probably just sink back into the woodwork and give up. It may break the alliance between the southern militia and the Islamists.”

  “You’re thinking that a lot of these militia kooks are only staying in the fight to get revenge on us?” Jeb asked. “Sounds a little thin to me.”

  “Believe it or not, that’s what our sources are telling us,” the General said. “The good news, though, is that the southern militia is holding on by a thread, and you guys have just taken out their two strongest leaders.”

  “Lewis and Officer Simmons?” Jackson asked.

  “Yes,” General Walker said. “If we can get you out of the picture, they lose the most important propaganda tool they have left. They are teetering over the edge now, and that might just push them over.”

  “Who’s running that group now?” Jerry asked

  “We aren’t sure. It’s either somebody from the Yuma core, or somebody from the Williams core. We do know one thing, though.”

  “What’s that?” Earl asked.

  “The militia members are a big help to the Islamists, because they know the territory and the people. If we can break that alliance, it’s going to leave the Islamists adrift, and we will be able to mop them up much easier.”

  “Why the heck are the militia folks helping these guys, anyway?” Jackson asked. “I knew some of these folks. They hate people from the Middle East. Frankly, they hate anybody that isn’t like them.”

  “The militia leaders have been successful at duping their membership into thinking that the U.S. government is the biggest danger. They thought that the Islamists would help them overthrow the government, and then they would simply take control and squash them.”

  “That sounds pretty stupid to me,” Jasmine said.

  “Well, yes and no,” Jerry said. “These Islamists are true believers, and that keeps them from being rational. The militia probably thinks they will start pissing off the citizens after the U.S. government is gone. You know, the old ‘convert or die’ routine that backfired on them in California. The militia probably thinks that they can turn the people against them at that point, lead the fight to take them out, and look like heroes.”

  “That’s as stupid as the BS that Manson was trying to sell to the hippies,” Jeb said.

  Jerry looked at Jeb and grinned.

  “You know it and I know it, Jeb. But these folks aren’t exactly mental giants.”

  “Probably why our little rag-tag outfit has been able to beat them back every time they’ve come against us,” Frank said. “Alright, General, we know what you would like. What are the details?”

  “I can’t force you folks to go along with this, so let’s start with that,” he said.

  “Sure about that?” asked Jerry.

  “Yes, we are not under martial law in this territory.”

  “So are you thinking you could caravan with us to someplace else?” asked Charlie. “A long line of slow-moving motor homes is going to be an easy target.”

  “I wouldn’t advise that,” General Walker said.

  “What would you advise, General?” asked Jeb.

  “I want to airlift all of you out. I’d suggest someplace to the east….perhaps Texas, but any of the lower Midwest states or the southern states would do, as long as they aren’t right on the coast.”

  “What about our rigs?” asked Charlie. “And the RV Park?”

  “I suggest you leave your rigs sitting where they are.”

  “But those are our homes,” Jerry said. “A lot of us are full timers. Everything we own is in these rigs.”

  “We can’t do a lot about the contents in your rigs. You can take what you can carry in a few boxes. As for the rigs themselves, Uncle Sam will take care of that. If you help the government out with this, you will be provided with brand new rigs when you get to your destination. And you can pick up your old rigs here after the war is over, assuming they are still intact.”

  “Crap,” Jeb said. “I was just about through the shakedown on my rig. Not sure I want to go through that again.” Earl and Jerry shook their heads in agreement.

  “I know it’s an inconvenience for some of you,” General Walker said. “Staying at the RV Park might result in you not living through this war, though. You might want to consider that in your thinking. Not all of you have new rigs, either, from what I’ve heard. Some of you could use an upgrade.”

  “That’s true, but not all rigs are created equal,” Jeb said. “Are you going to stick somebody who has invested in a DP with some el cheapo entry level gasser?”

  “What’s a DP?” asked the General.

  “Diesel Pusher,” Frank said. “Big bucks. Some of them cost several hundred grand. Entry level gassers start at about 70 grand.”

  “Oh,” the General said. “I can’t guarantee exactly what you’ll get, folks. Sorry. I doubt that we’ll be giving you pieces of crap, though. They will be new serviceable units, good enough to live in. And don’t forget, you will still own your original rigs. They have as much of a chance of surviving with you gone as they would if you stayed around here. Probably more, since you won’t be drawing the bad guys over anymore. Most of you have insurance too, right?”

  “Well, maybe so, maybe not,” Jeb said. “But I ain’t stupid. This is probably going to be our best choice. Every time we kill off a bunch of these cretins, they just send more. We won’t keep winning forever. We’ve been lucky so far.”

  “What’s the strength of the enemy in this corridor, General?” asked Jerry.

  “That’s classified,” the General said.

  “Bullshit,” Jerry said. “We are leveling with you. Now you level with us. We’re on the same side. We need the info to make our decision.”

  General Walker looked down, thinking. Then he looked out at the group.

  “OK, I’ll tell you what I know, but if this gets out of the room, I’ll be coming after all of you folks, and you’ll land in the brig.” He had a stern look on his face. Everybody in the room nodded yes, looking at each other. There was a hush in the room.

  “We agree,” Charlie said.

  “Alright. There are over two hundred thousand Islamist fighters between the Canadian and Mexican borders in this corridor. There are also about three thousand in the militia.”

  “Holy shit,” Frank said. “How did so many get here?”

 
“A lot snuck over the northern and southern borders before we locked it down…..before the war started, even,” the General said. “There are also a huge number that fled from the west and the east, after they were defeated in California and Texas.”

  “I hope the jerks in Washington are proud of themselves,” Jerry said.

  “Let’s just say that this debacle has ended a few careers,” the General said.

  Jane looked up at Frank, and then over at the General.

  “Would it be possible for us to go home to California?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry, but we aren’t letting anybody back into California at this time,” the General said.

  “Why not?” Jane asked.

  “It’s stable, and a base of operation for this half of the country. Since there’s not a good enough way to tell the good guys from the bad guys right now, the folks in DC have just sealed it up for everybody. Nobody gets in.”

  “Our son is in there,” Jane said. There were tears in her eyes.

  “Remember, he enlisted,” Frank said softly. “He isn’t just hanging around there. I’m more worried about our daughter.”

  “Sarah,” Jane said. “General, our daughter is in Boise, we think. What is going on there now? Is it safe?”

  “Yes, we stopped the flow into that area,” the General said. “Nowhere is completely safe, but Boise is a whole lot safer than here.”

  “We need to get her on the phone,” Frank said. “She might have gone back to Portland by now.”

  “Portland is pretty safe, too,” the General said. “I’d rather be in Boise, though. There’s no harbor nearby. If you can get ahold of your daughter and she’s still in Boise, tell her to stay there.”

  “Well, folks, we’ve got some thinking to do,” Charlie said. “Why don’t we all go back to the park and discuss it?”

  “Yes, do that, folks. I’ll give you a couple of days to think about it,” the General said. “And remember that the info I gave you guys about the strength of the enemy is classified.”

  “We can say that the strength is such that it makes it unsafe to stay, correct?” asked Jasmine.

  “Yes, just don’t say the actual numbers,” the General said. He rose to leave. “Thanks for your time, folks. I’m going to go get the detachment over here to pick up our prisoner. I’ll be at the RV Park this evening.” He put down his empty coffee cup and left the conference room.

  There was silence for a few moments. Everybody just looked at each other.

  “What are we going to do about Chester?” asked Jane.

  “The coroner should have picked up his body by now,” Charlie said. “I called him on the way over here.”

  “Are we going to have a memorial?” asked Jasmine.

  “I think we should,” Jeb said.

  “I agree,” Charlie said. “Let’s talk about it when we get back. I’m not looking forward to telling Hilda.”

  “Yeah, I could imagine,” Jeb said. “You aren’t going to leave without her, are you?”

  “No,” Charlie said. “I’ll have to convince her to go too. I can’t leave her behind. I’d stay rather than do that.”

  Jeb walked over and patted him on the back.

  “You’re a good man, old friend,” he said.

  “Let’s go,” Frank said.

  The group got up, and walked out of the conference room.

  “Bye, Doc,” Charlie said. “Thanks for everything.”

  “See you soon,” he said. “I want to take a look at Hilda before you guys fly the coop.”

  Charlie nodded.

  The caravan back to the RV Park was uneventful. They got to the gate, with the squad car in front. Charlie tooted the horn, and Hilda came out. She opened the gate, and the squad car rolled in, followed by the SUV. They pulled both vehicles back behind the clubhouse, and the dispersed.

  “Let’s go to the clubhouse before we go back to the rig,” Jane said. “I want to be there if Hilda needs us. This is going to be hard for her.”

  Frank nodded, and they walked over in that direction. They came in through the door just as Charlie and Hilda got together. Hilda threw her arms around Charlie. She was happy to see him, but then got a concerned look on her face when Charlie started to cry.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, pulling back and looking him in the face.

  “We lost Chester, Hilda,” he said.

  “Oh, no,” Hilda said. She started crying too, and the held each other for a few moments.

  Frank and Jane watched silently, fighting back their tears.

  “How about the Sheriff and the Deputy?” she asked.

  “They’re both going to make it,” Charlie said. He smiled through his tears. “Doc said that the Sheriff was already flirting with the nurses.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Hilda said. “What else happened? How did Chester die?”

  “I’ll go over all of that with you, but I want to get you thinking about something.”

  “What?” she asked. There was a concerned look on her face.

  “The General sat us down and talked to us when we were over at the hospital. He wants to move us somewhere else.”

  “Everybody?” Hilda asked.

  “No, just the core group of people,” Charley said. “Jeb, Earl, Frank, Jane, Jerry, Jasmine, Jackson, and me.”

  “You’re leaving?” Hilda said. She started crying again.

  “I’m not going anywhere without you,” he said. “I want you to leave with me.”

  “What about the park?” she asked.

  “The Army would like to stay here,” Charlie said. “Make this their base of operations. You would be able to come back after this is over.”

  “So what are they going to do? Protect a caravan of RVs?”

  “No, their proposal is to fly us out with as much stuff as we can carry, and we’ll be provided with new RVs courtesy of Uncle Sam at our destination.”

  “Are you alright with that?” asked Hilda.

  “I don’t want to give up my rig,” Charlie said. “It’s only a couple of years old, but we can have them back if they survive the war.”

  Hilda thought for a few minutes. Then she looked back at Charlie.

  “So you want me to tear off into the sunset with you,” she asked. “I’ll do it, but I have one condition.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Marry me,” she said. She had a scared look on her face as she watched for his reaction.

  Charlie started laughing.

  “Sweetie, I was going to ask you anyway,” Charlie said. “Couldn’t you tell?” He pulled her over to him and kissed her. When they broke the kiss, she looked up at him.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Well, we’d better make this official,” Charlie said. He got down on one knee and took her hand.

  “Will you marry me, Hilda?” he asked.

  “Yes, Charlie,” she said. “Now get up here before you get stuck down there.”

  They got up and hugged again. Frank and Jane clapped, and they turned around, embarrassed.

  “I forgot you two were in here,” Charlie said.

  “There a preacher around here?” asked Frank, grinning.

  “I know one, and we need him here anyway,” Charlie said. “For Chester’s memorial.”

  Frank nodded. He looked down at Jane.

  “Should we go back to our rig and leave these two love birds alone?”

  “Yes,” Jane said. They walked out the door and headed to their space.

  “We have a lot to do,” Frank said as they walked.

  “Packing up?” she asked.

  “Well, yes, and winterizing the coach. It freezes here.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “You know how?”

  “Yes, I’ve read about it. Doesn’t sound too hard.”

  “Wonder how Mr. Wonderful is going to enjoy the flight?” Jane asked, smirking.

  “We might want to put in earplugs, because he’s going to yowl. I’m sure Lucy wil
l be alright with it, though.”

  As they approached the rig, Lucy started to bark. Frank unlocked the door and opened it. She bounded out, jumping up at both of them and wagging her tail furiously. Frank and Jane climbed up into the rig, and Lucy followed them.

  “I’d better take her out for a quick walk,” Frank said.

  “Alright, go ahead. I’ll make us something to eat.”

  “Walk?” Frank said to Lucy, as he picked up her leash. She jumped up and down with excitement. Frank hooked her up and grabbed the poop bags. They went out.

  Lucy went from place to place, sniffing and doing her business. Frank looked out over the park. What would happen to the folks who weren’t part of the core group?” Would they stay? Would General Walker agree to relocate them too if they wanted to leave? There were about another twenty rigs there, over and above the core group. Frank saw Jerry get out of his rig. He walked over.

  “What do you think?” Jerry asked, as he joined them walking down the road.

  “We haven’t finished discussing it yet, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be going.”

  “Us too,” Jerry said. “Hate to leave the rig behind. I still owe a lot of money on it.”

  “How did Rosie take the news about Chester?”

  “Hard,” Jerry said. “That’s why I left the rig. When that old girl starts crying it makes me cry too, and I’ve done enough of that lately.”

  “Wonder if Charlie is going to convince Hilda to go? She’s pretty strong willed.”

  “She already agreed,” Frank said. He laughed.

  “What?”

  “She told Charlie she would go with him if he married her.”

  Jerry stopped in his tracks and started cracking up.

  “I should have seen that one coming,” he said. “How did he react?”

  “He said he was going to ask her anyway, and then he got down on one knee and did a formal proposal. It was quite touching, actually.”