by Robert Boren
“Don’t worry about it if you do,” Roberto said. “How come you guys are so far from any of the waterways?”
“We were on our way to the Houston area, to become part of the Galveston operation,” Richardson said, a grim look on his face. “My commanding officer told us to lie low with the boat somewhere, and I remembered this area.”
“Shit, you were in on that battle in downtown San Antonio, weren’t you?”
“Yup,” Richardson said. “Us and two other boats.”
“Where are they?”
“Don’t know,” Richardson said. “Hopefully still alive. We were attacked on the road.”
“You were, huh,” Roberto said. “How’d you survive that?”
“My guys in the boat blasted them with the .50 cals.”
Roberto snickered. “Well, that ought to do it.”
“Yep,” Richardson said.
“Okay. Good luck to you guys. If you need anything, let us know.”
“Much obliged,” Richardson said, smiling. He and Lita got back into the truck.
“Everything’s okay?” Madison asked.
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy, but he’s cautious. Don’t blame him a bit.”
“Me neither,” Lita said.
Richardson drove down the skinny dirt road, following it as it curved into the hills. “This is gonna be fine. Can’t see it from the end of the street at all.”
“How far in do we have to go?” Hannah asked.
“Not much further,” Richardson said. “I don’t think we want to be inside the boundaries of the Purgatory Creek area. I’d rather be outside it at least a few hundred yards.”
“Look at that place there,” Lita said. “Large flat spot, mostly covered by trees. Think the boat will fit under there?”
Richardson smiled as he looked at it. “Perfect. There’s enough room to turn this thing around and get us pointed back down the road. Gonna be hard to get here from Purgatory Creek, too. Look at that little ravine.”
Lita smiled. “That’s why there’s the big turnaround. You can’t driver further than that unless you have a Jeep or something.”
“Yep,” Richardson said, making the sweeping turn. He pulled forward on the road out until the boat was fully under the trees, and shut down the engine. “Honey, we’re home.”
Madison snickered. “Oh, brother. This ain’t the Ritz.”
“It’ll do,” Hannah said. “I’m just glad we’ll get a breather.”
They got out of the truck. Juan Carlos and Brendan were climbing out of the boat as they approached.
“It’s pretty back here, dude,” Juan Carlos said, looking around at the old oak trees and brush around them. He gave Madison a hug. “How you holding up, baby?”
“I’m glad we’re finally here,” she said. “I want to stay here with you while they go to the store.”
“No problem,” Richardson said.
“Want me to stay here too, boss?” Brendan asked.
“It’ll be okay with Juan Carlos and Madison,” Richardson said. “We’ll have a lot to carry.”
“Teach her how to work the guns,” Brendan said.
“Yeah, I can do that,” Juan Carlos said. “Piece of cake.”
“I’m game,” Madison said. “Now I need to hobble off to the bushes.”
“Me too,” Brendan said.
“Yeah,” Richardson said. “Never got to at the last stop.”
“Oh, honey,” Lita said.
“No worries,” he said. “I can go a long time if I don’t have beer or coffee.”
“TMI.” Hannah laughed.
They walked off to do their business while Hannah and Lita watched the road nervously. Everybody was back in a couple minutes.
Suddenly the big dogs started barking again.
“Geez, what are those?” Lita asked. “Rottweilers?”
“Sounds like Rotts to me, dude,” Juan Carlos said. “Something’s wrong. That Mexican guy shut them up real fast last time, remember? They’re still barking.”
There was a shotgun blast.
“Shit, grab the M60s and the M-16s,” Richardson said.
“Roger that,” Brendan said.
“Lita, remember what I showed you on those guns? Get in the boat. If somebody rushes back here, light them up.”
“Got it,” she said to Richardson as he checked the magazine on his M60.
The barking of the dogs became more frenzied, and there was automatic fire from a small-caliber weapon.
“Hear that?” Juan Carlos said as they ran. “AKs. Lay you ten to one.”
They got to the back of Roberto’s property. “Look, they’re trying to surround the place.”
There was another shotgun blast, and then more automatic fire.
“Well, we know Roberto is still kicking,” Richardson whispered. “I’ll take one M-60 on the far side of the house. Brendan, take the other M60 and hit this side. Juan Carlos, come up behind the house in the middle.”
“You got it, chief,” Brendan said. Juan Carlos nodded, and they crept forward.
Richardson ran behind the house and around to the front of the other side. He had a clear shot, so he opened up with the M60, causing screams in Arabic. Several of the Islamists fell where they stood. Several others ran right into Brendan. He opened fire, killing all but two of them. Then Roberto got a clean shot and fired the shotgun, knocking one of the remaining men about four feet backwards. Richardson blasted the last guy, and then there was the roar of an engine.
“Look out!” Juan Carlos yelled, firing full auto with his M-16 at the truck rushing towards Brendan. He dived out of the way, and then the front of the truck exploded.
“What the hell?” Brendan asked, turning to see Hannah holding the SMAW.
“Yes!” Juan Carlos yelled. “Nice frigging shot!”
“Saved me,” Brendan said. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“Don’t mention it, honey,” Hannah said.
“Let’s go down the road a piece and see if there’s more,” Richardson said.
“Wait!” Roberto shouted. “I’ll let the dogs out. No need to get shot.”
“Good idea,” Richardson said.
“Get up here by me,” Roberto said. “So they don’t kill you guys.”
They all ran to the porch of the huge house. Then Roberto rushed around back and opened a gate. The dogs flew out, barking as they ran.
“Thanks, guys,” Roberto said.
“Yes, thanks so much,” Kris said. “They would’ve killed us. There were too many.”
There were screams in Arabic and the snarling of dogs, then a cracking noise.
“Ouch!” Juan Carlos said.
Somebody else yelled, running for his life.
“Look, see him?” Juan Carlos said. “Should I nail him?”
“Save your ammo,” Roberto said. “The dogs will take him.”
There were snarls again, and screams as the big dogs ripped the Islamist’s throat open.
After a few seconds the dogs trotted back over, blood around their mouths and chest.
“C’mon, let me introduce you guys,” Roberto said. He brought the dogs over to Richardson, Hannah, Juan Carlos, and Brendan, letting them sniff each of them. Then one of the dogs froze and growled.
“Honey?” Lita called.
“Over here,” Richardson said. “Madison with you?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“I’ll bring the dogs over,” Roberto said, getting off the porch and walking with them. He introduced them to the dogs, and they all went back up to the porch.
“What the hell were you guys shooting?” Roberto asked.
Richardson held up his weapon. “M60 Machine gun.”
“Wow,” he said, “Never seen one of those up close.”
“I’m sorry we brought these people at you. We’ll have the DPS pay for any damage to the house.”
“Hey, no problem,” Roberto said. “Gave me a chance to kill these heathens. Not a bad day.”
“
Roberto!” Kris said. “That sounds downright barbaric. You aren’t like that.”
“I am when somebody attacks my homeland, or my house.”
“Glad they came before we left for the Walmart,” Lita said.
“Seriously,” Juan Carlos said.
“What were you gonna get at the store?” Kris asked.
“Camping gear, so we could stay out here a few days,” Richardson said.
“This place is almost four thousand square feet, and we’ve got extra bedrooms,” Kris said. “Why don’t you guys bunk here for a few days?”
“We wouldn’t want to impose,” Lita said.
“Nonsense, you’d be doing us a favor,” Roberto said.
“Hey, if we do that, maybe we ought to pull the boat up here,” Brendan said. “It’s armored and it’s got a hell of a lot of firepower. If anybody shows up to avenge the cretins, they won’t live long.”
“That’s a good idea,” Richardson said.
“I’m game, as long as we can get it far enough out of sight,” Roberto said. “Don’t want it visible from the road.”
“How about alongside the house there?” Juan Carlos asked, pointing to a space. “Looks protected enough, but still open enough to move the turrets.”
“That’ll work,” Roberto said.
“You know there’s a good chance somebody else will show, right?” Lita said.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Richardson said. “I don’t know how they followed us. We took out the beacon.”
“Yeah, we got hack-proof cellphones too,” Madison said.
“We’ll have to keep somebody on watch all night,” Richardson said.
“No we won’t,” Roberto said. “The dogs will let us know if anybody’s around. Trust me. Especially now. Their blood will be up for days. Always like that after a kill.”
“Let’s go get the boat,” Richardson said.
Lita nodded, and they walked back.
“You folks hungry?” Kris asked.
“Just had pizza a little while ago,” Hannah said.
“What’s that thing you have there?” Roberto asked, looking at the SMAW. “Looks like a little bazooka.”
“It is,” Brendan said. “It’s called a SMAW. Handy for taking out vehicles.”
“We’ve got better than that on the boat,” Juan Carlos said. “Two .50 cal machine guns with rocket launchers, and a big grenade launcher. Top notch stuff.”
“I remember reading about those patrol boats,” Roberto said. “I thought they only used those in the Rio Grande Valley and at Falcon Lake.”
“They were,” Brendan said. “We were on Falcon Lake when that submarine weapon went off. Barely made it to shore.”
“Really?” Roberto asked. “I’ll bet you have plenty of good stories to tell.”
“Yeah, we do,” Juan Carlos said.
Madison rolled her eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Madison said. “I long for the simple, peaceful life.”
“Here comes Richardson,” Brendan said. “We’d better guide him while he backs up.”
“Yeah, I’ll help,” Roberto said.
The men left the porch and helped Richardson get the boat in the right place. Then he killed the engine and got out. “This is perfect.”
“We gonna unhook her?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Yeah, might as well,” Richardson said.
The dogs growled again. Roberto froze.
“Oh, shit,” Richardson said. “Juan Carlos and Brendan, in the boat.”
“Girls, get in the house,” Juan Carlos yelled.
“Hell no,” Hannah said, reloading the SMAW.
“Give me Brendan’s M60,” Lita said.
Richardson nodded to Brendan, and he handed it over to her. “Don’t get killed.”
“Not part of the plan,” Lita said. They all sought cover as Brendan and Juan Carlos got behind the port and starboard guns.
“What about the big gun?” Brendan asked.
“Let’s see what’s coming first,” Richardson said. “That might start a damn fire back here.”
Brendan chuckled. “Yeah, you might be right about that.”
A pickup truck drove up the road fast, men in the bed holding onto the roof of the cab until the driver saw the house. Then the truck stopped and the men opened fire with AK-47s, bullets bouncing off the armor plating of the boat. Brendan brought the big gun to bear and pulled the trigger, .50 cal bullets cutting clean through the men in the cab and hitting the legs of the men standing behind the cab.
“There’s another truck behind them,” Brendan yelled. “Get on the damn big gun.”
“Roger that,” Juan Carlos said, getting into the pilot seat and pulling down the sight. He aimed and fired, blowing the second truck sky high. Then there was a pop and a whistle, and the woods behind the house exploded in flames.
“Oh, shit, they’ve got a mortar set up!” Brendan shouted.
Chapter 30 - Accommodations
Jason got off the phone as Carrie was driving the motor home.
“Is Don’s team making progress on the folks from the Dallas area?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Jason said.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Chelsea said from her seat on the couch.
“Give her a breakfast bar, okay sweetie?” Carrie asked.
“Sure.” He got up and went to the pantry, Dingo sauntering over. “I know, boy, you’re sick of all this traveling. So am I.” He grabbed a bar and handed it to Chelsea.
“Daddy, you have to open it for me,” she said.
“Oh, yeah,” Jason said. He took it and tore it open, then handed it back to her.
“I want something to drink too,” she said.
“Your water is right next to you.”
“I don’t want water,” she said.
“Give her a box drink,” Carrie said. “In the door of the fridge.”
“Okay,” Jason said. He took off the strap so he could open the fridge door, grabbed a drink, and turned towards the front. “You want a soda or something, Carrie?”
“Sure,” she said.
He grabbed two sodas and then closed the fridge and re-strapped it.
“Finish the bar first,” Jason told Chelsea. “I don’t want this falling over on the couch. You have to hold it until it’s empty, okay?”
“Yes, daddy,” she said, mouth full of the bar. She finished it in a couple more bites, and then Jason put the straw in the box drink and handed it to her.
“Don’t make a mess, honey,” Jason said. “Don’t squeeze the box too hard.”
“Everybody knows that, daddy,” she said. Carrie snickered as Jason got into the passenger seat. He opened the soda for her and put it into the cup holder on the center console.
“She takes after her mom,” Jason quipped.
“Shut up,” Carrie said, smile on her face.
“Mommy, don’t say shut up,” Chelsea said.
Jason shot Carrie a sidelong glance.
“You’re right, sweetie,” Carrie said. “I’m sorry.”
“How’re you holding up?” Jason asked.
“Usual pregnancy soreness,” she said. “My back doesn’t do as well on these long traveling days.”
“Want me to drive?”
“No, it’s really not any easier on my back if I just sit. Maybe it’s even a little worse, because I slouch more.”
“Okay, but let me know,” he said.
“You think we’re gonna survive this?”
“What? The attack in Amarillo or the attack on the depot?”
“Which are you gonna do? We’re doing them at the same time, right?”
“We can’t send our entire core group on the raid,” Jason said. “We’ll have to split up.”
“Try to be on the team that stays where I am,” Carrie said.
“Not sure I’ll be able to do that. Hell, every couple is gonna want to do that.”
“Every couple doesn’t have a toddler and a b
un in the oven,” she said.
“Okay, you have a point there, I guess.”
“Damn right I do,” Carrie said. “What happens after this mess? We gonna have something like this to do over and over?”
“We’re at war, honey,” Jason said. “If we don’t win, it’ll be hell for our kids. You know that.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know that, I’m just tired. How far are we from Lubbock?”
“Just a sec,” he said, pulling out his phone. He brought up the GPS app. “Really close. We’re almost to Woodrow.”
“Good,” she said. “How far from Lubbock to Amarillo?”
“If we can stay on I-27, just under two hours.”
“Shit, then we’re gonna need gas again,” she said.
“Yeah, but we can get it at Kress. We won’t have to fight with the crowds in Lubbock.”
“Well, that’s something,” Carrie said. “You’re worried. What aren’t you telling me?”
“The US Airforce,” Jason said. “They can’t weed out the bad guys like we’ve been doing. I’m afraid they’re gonna hit us, either during the raid on the depot or even while we’re in Amarillo.”
“They could hit us on the road, too,” Carrie said.
“They could, but it wouldn’t be as easy. I think they’ll wait if they’re gonna do it.”
“What happened with them?” Carrie asked. “I thought they were on our side.”
“Remember what happened in the DPS? Those traitors who told the enemy where our trailers were?”
“Yeah,” Carrie said. “I understand that, but it seemed like they were okay before.”
“They might still be,” Jason said. “Some of them attacked Galveston. We know that, but we don’t know how widespread the problem is. Gallagher told Ramsey that the Airforce brass was pissed about it. They might have already locked those traitors up.”
“Hope so,” Carrie said. “We’ll see, I guess.”
Further back in the convoy, Don was driving his SUV and pulling the trailer, Sydney by his side. She was busy on social media.
“I’m surprised you still have a signal,” Don said.
“I’m surprised too, but I read they’ve been building out the infrastructure into the remaining dead spots,” she said. “At least in Texas. It’s a different story in other parts of the southwest.”