Bug Out! Part 1: Escape in a Motorhome

by Robert Boren

  “My pleasure,” Charlie said. “It helps me out too. I need the freezer space. I shot a couple deer yesterday, and need to put a bunch of that meat in there.”

  “Food delivery is becoming a problem, I suspect,” Frank said.

  “Yes, at least fresh stuff like meat and certain vegetables. I’ve got a lot of canned food and a lot of frozen food, and a lot of dry goods. Having fresh meat right now really helps.”

  “If you don’t mind poaching, that is,” Chester said, laughing.

  “Well, true, Chester, I’m poaching. We have too many deer around here anyway, and the authorities have bigger fish to fry at this point.”

  “How has it been around here?” asked Jane.

  “Bad,” Charlie said. “All of the foreign business is gone at this point. We just have stragglers like yourselves coming in, on the way to somewhere else.”

  “Any violence happening here?” Frank asked.

  “Not at my place, but we’ve been able to scare away trouble makers, and this place isn’t out of the way far enough for the militias to be interested. We still have a functioning town, and people still live here.”

  “There has been problems at other RV parks?”

  “Not so much at RV parks, but at campgrounds. The worst are the boondocking places like the National Park campsites,” Charlie said. “These nuts want to be off the grid, for the most part, so they hang out over there. The only thing that worries me is that they might decide to make some supply raids.”

  “They’re probably well-armed,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, but so are we, and they’re stupid,” Charlie said.

  “Yup, like that idiot Dave and his buddies,” Chester said.

  “How did you guys hook up with him, anyway,” Jane asked.

  “I didn’t exactly hook up with him. I lived in Williams,” Chester said. “Dave and Ken and Lewis were deputies, but they weren’t what I would call bright. They were preppers, and bought into all of this secession nonsense. It was OK to have them in the department when the Chief was still functioning, but he could barely cope with the job and his wife’s Alzheimer’s. When things started to go sideways, he was done. It’s a shame. He was a good man. I grew up with him. And his wife was a gem.”

  “Did you follow them out into that campsite?” asked Jane.

  “No,” Chester said. “We didn’t really want anything to do with them. We had been camped out there for a couple weeks when they showed up. They convinced most of us to turn off our cell phones.”

  “We got the same story from them, but we already had ours off after an earlier experience, with some couple that was in Yuma.”

  “Yuma, huh,” Charlie said. “Heard about problems down there.”

  “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow,” Frank said. “But I think we ought to get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

  “Me too,” Jane said. “Is it safe to stay here for a few days?”

  “Depends on how the battle goes,” Charlie said. “The enemy has taken over Tucson and the southern suburbs of Phoenix. If our army can’t stop them from taking Phoenix, it will be time to get the heck out of here.”

  “That sounds scary,” Chester said.

  “Yes, old friend, it’s scary,” Charlie said. “If they take Phoenix, Flagstaff will be next.”

  “Any news from California or New Mexico?” Frank asked.

  “Southern New Mexico is gone, but the enemy got stopped at the Texas border, and now the Texans are taking that state back piece by piece. California is the interesting one. It’s not like these southwest states. It’s wall to wall citizens in that state, and there is a shocking number of guns in civilian hands. Townspeople there have been winning battles in places that the army can’t get to fast enough. The enemy got stopped in the middle of San Diego County. And then there is the naval base and Camp Pendleton right there. Southern California is being used as a staging area from which to pound the enemy as they are coming up through Mexico.”

  “Maybe we should go back there,” Jane said.

  “You won’t be able to get back in, at least for a little while,” Charlie said. “They don’t want the enemy flanking them from Arizona or Nevada, so they have the California border sealed up tight.”

  “Alright,” Frank said. “We’ll chat more tomorrow. Let’s go, honey.”

  The couple stood up, shook hands with Chester and Charlie, and headed for the door. They walked back to their coach through the cool night air. Other people were heading back too.

  Lucy heard them walking up to the door of the rig, and started barking.

  “Why don’t you take her out, Frank, while I get the rig ready for bedtime?”

  “No problem,” Frank said. He unlocked the door and opened it. Lucy came bounding out. Frank reached inside the door for the leash, hooked her up, and took her out.

  Jane got the blinds closed down, put dry food and water out for the pets, and turned down the bed. She was just getting into her nightgown when Frank came back in with Lucy.

  “Mission accomplished,” he said. “Wow, I should have come back sooner.” He watched Jane’s naked silhouette as she pulled her nightgown in place.

  “Down, boy,” Jane said. “You’re tired, remember.”

  “Not that tired,” he replied, walking back into the bedroom.

  Frank turned out the lights, and closed the bedroom door. He got ready for bed, and then got in and moved close to Jane’s soft warm form.

  “Are we going to be alright, Frank?”

  “I think so, sweetheart,” he said. Then he moved over her and kissed her. They caressed and hugged, becoming more and more urgent. They pulled their night clothes off of each other frantically and melted together.

  Chapter 11 - After A Night of Peace

  Frank woke up to the alarm on his cellphone. It was 6:00. He stretched. Mr. Wonderful heard the alarm, because he bumped the bedroom door, and started his usual feeding time meows, which were constant until food was delivered.

  “Alright, alright, Mr. Wonderful,” he said, stretching again. Jane stirred, but didn’t wake up. He got up, threw on some short pants and a shirt, and slid open the door. He tried to be quiet enough to let Jane sleep a little longer. He slipped out and closed the door behind him. Mr. Wonderful rubbed against his leg, and continued to meow. Lucy looked in Frank’s direction, but stayed on her perch, on the back of the couch.

  Frank walked over to fridge, opened the door, and pulled out the cat and dog food cans. He brought them over to the counter, and got down two bowls. He filled them, and set them down. The dog and cat scampered over and started eating.

  “Coffee,” Frank said to himself. He turned on the coffee maker and waited for it to heat up. When it was ready, he grabbed a coffee pod out of the pantry and put it in the machine. He put his cup into place and pushed the brew button. Soon the coach was filled with the smell of coffee brewing.

  “Wonder if there’s Wi-Fi here?” he asked himself. He grabbed his laptop from the closet, and took it out of the case, along with the battery charger. He set it up on the dinette table and turned it on. The login screen came up, and he input his password and hit enter. Lucy came running over, tail wagging, trying to get his attention.

  “OK, girl, I know you need to go out.” Frank got up, picked up a poop bag from the cupboard above the dinette, and then got Lucy’s leash attached. He followed Lucy down the steps with coffee cup in hand. She was in a hurry to get to the patch of grass next to the concrete slab they were parked on. The morning was crisp and clear. Frank looked around. The park was peaceful. Most people were still asleep. Lucy led him around their space, and over to the flag road. He walked her down that, looking at all of the coaches. Most were newer models, 2008 and up. About half were diesel units, and they were considerably bigger than his 34 foot rig. Some people looked like they were ready for a long stay. One place had all of their patio furniture under the awning already, plus a string of globe lights hanging down, and a couple of pink flamingos stuck in
the grass next to them.

  There was a man sitting under his awning having a cup of coffee in the last space before the main access road. He rose as he saw Frank coming, and walked out to greet him. He looked like a mountain man – a scrawny form in jeans, a flannel shirt, and boots. He had a big grey beard.

  “You’re Frank, right?” he asked, extending his hand.

  “Yes,” he replied, shaking hands.

  “I’m Jeb. Good to meet you.”

  “Where are you from, Jeb?”

  “New Mexico,” he said. “I got out of there just in time. I grew up around here, though. Where are you from?”

  “Redondo Beach, California. We got out with time to spare. I actually wish I would have stuck around there now. We would have probably been OK, and the authorities have things locked down pretty well now, according to my son.”

  “Still there, is he? I think you are gonna be glad you’re not there. Martial Law gets old really fast.”

  “Well, you have a point there, I would imagine.”

  “Hey, I look at this like snow birding,” Jeb said. “Right now things are nicer away from the areas that have Martial Law. Kinda like snow. I’ll wait till the thaw to go back.”

  Frank laughed.

  “Funny you should put it that way. I used a similar argument to talk my wife into leaving.”

  “Great minds think alike, I guess.” Both men laughed.

  “Well, from what I hear, I can’t get back into SoCal anyway. It’s bottled up to keep the enemy from crossing in and flanking the Feds.”

  “Even if they were letting people in, could you imagine how many checkpoints you’d have to go through? And most of them would want to search your rig.”

  “True enough,” Frank replied. “Well, I’d better get back. Time for a refill.”

  “Alright, Frank. Nice talkin with you.”

  Frank coaxed Lucy back in the direction of their coach. People were starting to get up, and several waved at him or said good morning as he walked by. He unlocked the door of his coach and opened the door. Lucy bounded in. She went right to her water dish and started drinking. Frank sat down in front of his laptop and moved the mouse to get the screensaver off. Then he went to the network settings and looked for Wi-Fi. He had a strong signal, so he clicked on the connect button. There was a password required.

  “Shoot,” he said. Jane came walking out of the bedroom. Her hair was disheveled and she was pulling her nightgown back on.

  Frank got a devilish grin on his face.

  “Well, don’t you look well...”

  “Shut up, Frank,” she said with an embarrassed grin. “I hope the neighbors didn’t hear us.”

  Frank laughed.

  “I don’t care if they did.”

  Jane shook her head, smirking. She pulled a coffee cup out of the cupboard and put it on the coffee maker, and then put a pod into the machine and pressed brew.

  “Ahhhhh, that smells so good,” she said. The machine finished with a sputter, and she picked up her cup and had a sip.

  “I’m going to have to go to the office. The Wi-Fi is asking for a password.”

  “Alright. You go ahead, Frank. I’m not ready to go outside yet.”

  “No problem. I have to give Charlie our space number and pay up, anyway.”

  “What space are we in? I didn’t see it posted.”

  “We’re in 216. It’s hard to see in the dark, but I saw it this morning when I was walking Lucy.”

  “You might want to put out the awning on your way out. We are going to have some heat today.”

  “I know, it’s already getting warm outside. Feel free to turn on the AC when you need to.”

  “Alright,” Jane said. “Probably better to do that before it gets too warm in here.”

  Frank got up and went for the door. Lucy jumped up, tail wagging. He pushed the button to extend the awning, and watched it moving out through the window.

  “Sorry, girl, you have to stay here this time. Daddy’s got business to do.”

  Jane laughed.

  “Better put on your hat, or you’ll burn,” she said.

  Frank nodded, and grabbed his baseball cap on the way out. He walked down to the end of the flag road, waving at Jeb as he went by, and then turned right on the main road and walked over to the office. A bell rang when he opened the door.

  Charlie was sitting at a desk, looking at a computer screen when Frank came in. He looked up and smiled at Frank, and then walked up to the counter.

  “We’re in space 216,” Frank said. “How much do we owe you?”

  “It’s $25 a night. Is that OK?” Charlie asked.

  “Sure, sounds good. You take plastic?”

  “Yes, that’s still working. How many nights do you plan on staying?”

  “Good question,” Frank said. “Why don’t I pay you for three, and we’ll go from there?” He passed his card across the counter to Charlie.

  “Alright. If things go bad down south, I’ll let all of you know. In fact, I’ll be clearing out of here too if that happens.”

  “OK. How about the Wi-Fi?”

  “The password is ‘southrimRV’…..not too hard to figure out.”

  “Any restrictions?”

  “Normally I ask that people don’t stream movies, but the system was built for 400 coaches. We’ve only got about 40 here now, so don’t worry about it.”

  “Great, thanks,” Frank said.

  “What do you folks plan to do?”

  “We just want to hang out somewhere safe until we can get back into SoCal.”

  “How about the rest of the group?”

  “I have no idea,” Frank said. “We only just met yesterday. Nice group of people, from what I can tell so far.”

  “I think they are looking at you as a leader.”

  “I got that impression, but I wasn’t planning on taking that on,” Frank said. “I just happened to be in the front of the line yesterday when we left the Williams area.”

  “Well, from what I’ve seen and heard from Chester, they could do a lot worse.”

  Frank just smiled.

  “You and Chester go back quite a ways, I take it.”

  “Yes, he’s been a friend for years. We grew up together, although he was a little older than the rest of us. He’s up here a few times a year.”

  “Nice place, by the way. I’m sure we’ll be back during happier times.”

  “I hope so, Frank. This park has been in the family for a long time. My grandpa started it in the twenties, and my dad took it over later. Now it’s mine.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll get back. Nice talking to you.”

  “Yeah, same here.”

  Frank walked out the door and headed back to his coach. Lots of people were up and around now. He got more waves and ‘Good Mornings’ as he walked down the road.

  He got back to his coach just as Jane was raising the blinds in the front of the coach. He waved to her, walked to the door, and opened it.

  “Why don’t you pull out the chairs and table before you come in?”

  “Good idea,” Frank said. He went back to the rear storage compartment and unlocked it. Then he opened it and took out four chairs and the table. He was setting them up when Jane walked out the door with Lucy on her leash.

  “Nice out here,” Jane said. She was dressed in short shorts and a sleeveless button down top.

  “Sure is. I bought us three more nights. It’s not too expensive - $25 per night. Oh, and I got the password for the Wi-Fi also.”

  “You think it’s safe for us to stay here that long?”

  “Probably, but if things go south down in Phoenix, we’ll take off. Charlie is watching the situation, and he’ll take off too if they start making their way to Flagstaff.”

  “You going to unhook the TOAD?”

  “Only if you want to go somewhere,” Frank said.

  “Alright, then let’s play that by ear. We are still in good shape for supplies.”

  Frank nodd
ed, and then went into the coach.

  “Going to get on the internet?” Jane asked.

  “Yes, I want to check out what’s going on.”

  “Alright, but don’t stay on too long. I want you to go to the pool with me in a little while.”

  Frank nodded yes, and went into the coach. He sat down in front of his laptop and went back to the login page. The password got him onto the network in seconds, and he opened his email. There was a message from Sarah asking how he and her mother were doing, and saying that things were good up in Oregon. There was an email from the storage yard, saying that they had weathered the bad times and were fully in business. The rest of the messages were just advertisements and tickler messages from news and political websites he had joined. He typed a quick reply to Sarah telling her where they were and what was going on, and copied Robbie. Then he went to the news pages. He spent the next hour looking at every one of his usual sources, soaking up the situation in the southwest, Mexico, Iraq, Venezuela, and other places. Jane came in looking for him at that point.

  “Can we go to the pool now?” Jane said.

  “Sure, sorry,” he said. He followed Jane into the bedroom, and they changed into their swimsuits. When Jane had her suit on, Frank came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. She tensed up for a second, then relaxed.

  “Down, boy,” Jane said, looking at him with a smirk.

  “Oh, alright,” Frank said. He kissed her on the forehead.

  They picked up their towels and walked towards the door.

  “Honey, let’s leave the air conditioner on for Lucy, alright?”

  “Of course, I was planning on it,” Frank said. Lucy was right at the door, wagging her tail.

  “Sorry, girl, you’ll have to wait inside for a little while,” Jane said. They left the coach and Frank locked it up.

  “Hope she doesn’t mind too much,” Frank said as they walked away.

  “She’ll be fine. Tell me what you saw on the internet.”

  “Well, good news, bad news, and scary news,” Frank said.

  “Does it look like we’re safe here?”

  “Maybe. The problem is that most of our troops are busy in Texas and along the California/Mexico border. They are slowly moving assets here, but the enemy is controlling I-10 and has blown up some sections of I-40. They are trying to move men and tanks from California via I-15 and Route 89, and also from the east down Routes 160 and 89, but it’s slow going.”