by Robert Boren
“No problem,” Frank said. He looked over at Jane.
“Charlie says his friend at the Park in Green River is married to the town doctor.”
“Good, that’ll help.”
Frank dialed Jeb, repeating the news.
“Great,” Jeb said. “Glad the Sheriff found them. Same bunch of creeps hit them?”
“Yep, more of our friends.”
“Which flavor?”
“Islamists. Earl and Jackson won, but their coach is sitting on its side back there, and they’re a little messed up.”
“Well, hope they took some of them out.”
“They did,” Frank said. “Talk to you later.”
“Maybe you should try to doze off for a little while?” Jane said.
“No, I think I ought to keep an eye out. If Earl got hit, who’s to say we don’t run into somebody here.”
“Thanks for making me feel at ease,” Jane said.
“Just trying to use my head,” Frank said. “I’m more worried about the Sheriff. Hope none of the bad guys got away. They might be telling their friends to get on the road and do something.”
“You think that’s likely?” Jane asked.
“Maybe.”
They settled down into the drive, silent for close to an hour. Jane looked into the rear view mirrors often. Lucy got on Frank’s lap after a while and settled in. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky.
“Soft drink?” Frank asked.
“Yes, that sounds good, honey,” Jane said.
Frank got up. Lucy jumped to the floor and went into her bed. He got to the back, and heard Mr. Wonderful meow. “Don’t worry, old boy, it won’t be too much longer,” Frank said as he opened the fridge, pulling out a couple of soft drinks.
“Bring some apples up here, will you?” Jane asked.
“Sure,” Frank said. He opened one of the bins in the fridge and pulled two of them out. Then he closed the fridge doors and put the bungee cord back on. He walked up to the front and sat back down.
“Mr. Wonderful doing okay back there?” Jane asked.
Frank opened a soft drink and gave it to her.
“Well, he meowed at me. Sounded kind of like a protest. He doesn’t look happy.”
“He’ll live,” Jane said. She took a big drink of her soft drink, and put it in the drink holder. Frank handed her an apple. She smiled at him and took a bite.
“Think we should listen to the radio?” Frank asked.
“You can try to find something, but we’re pretty far away from the nearest town. I’d be surprised if you get much of anything.”
Frank leaned over to the radio and switched it on, then hit the seek button. Nothing but a real scratchy country western music station.
“So much for that,” Frank said. He turned off the radio.
“Why don’t you check the GPS on my phone and see how much farther we have to go?”
Frank picked it up off of the dash. “No dice, no bars. We really are in deadsville.”
“I think we’re in in Goblin Valley,” Jane said, snickering. “Reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.”
Frank laughed. He opened his soft drink, and took a big gulp. Then he set it in the drink holder and took a bite out of his apple. “These apples are right on the verge,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s why I’ve been telling you to eat them for the last few days. They’re still alright, though.”
“Barely.” They were silent for another stretch, watching the scenery go by, and the shadows get longer.
“There’s a sign for I-70,” Frank said, pointing.
“We must be getting close, then. Look, Charlie’s got his turn signal on. Next off ramp.”
Charlie made the turn off of route 24, followed by Jerry. Jane followed them down. Frank moved around so he could see backwards from the passenger side mirror, and saw the line of coaches following.
“Good, here before dark,” Frank said. “Perfect.”
The RV Park was down the road about five miles, and off to the left about three blocks. The town was a little larger than Frank expected, but this park was definitely on the outskirts. Charlie got into the staging lane in front of the park and pulled all the way forward. There was only room for about five rigs, but the road leading up to the driveway was long and empty, so all of the coaches in the group could pull up and wait. Charlie and Hilda got out of their car and went into the office. Jerry and Jasmine followed them.
“Let’s go,” Frank said. Jane shut off the engine, and they both got out the door, pushing Lucy back before they shut it. They walked to the office and went in the door.
“Ah, here’s Frank and Jane,” Charlie said, smiling. “Folks, this is Kurt. His wife’s still at the clinic. She’ll be along in a while.”
Kurt was a trim, fit looking man in his late sixties, with hair dyed back to the blonde of his youth. It looked a little comical on top of his craggy face. He had a warm smile.
“What’s your wife’s name?” Jane asked.
“Mary,” Kurt said. “Nice to meet you folks. Any friend of Charlie and Hilda’s……and all that.”
“You guys have room for twenty five rigs?” Frank asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Kurt said. “This hasn’t exactly been a sell-out season.”
“Running into any trouble here yet?” Jerry asked.
“Not so far, thank God,” Kurt said. “We have a good Sheriff’s department. Lots of ex-military folks on the force…and of course we also have a well-armed group of citizens here.”
“This town looks bigger than I expected,” Frank said.
“It’s because of I-70,” Kurt said. “This is the last decent sized town before you get to Colorado. This place is a zoo during ski season.”
“I could image,” Jane said. “You really haven’t had any enemy fighters here?”
“Not so far. They might be a little nervous about coming here, because the Army is using this stretch of I-70 a lot. It’s really well guarded. The only down side is a lot of chopper traffic. Gets a little noisy sometimes.”
“Sounds like we might have found a place we can stay for a few days,” Jeb said as he walked in the door.”
“Jeb, is that really you?” Kurt said with a big grin.
“Yeah, how are you, old man? Been a lot of years.”
“I’ll say. How come you never get north anymore?”
“Oh, you know,” Jeb said. “Lazy, I guess. Getting old.”
“Wait a minute, you guys know each other too?” Jerry said, laughing.
“Charlie’s pop and my dad were friends. They both started their RV Parks at about the same time. They sent a lot of customers to each other, and shared a lot of knowhow and such. I used to play with Charlie when they would get together, and Jeb was with him pretty often.”
“That reminds me,” Charlie said. He had a somber look on his face. “We lost Chester a few days ago.”
“No!” Kurt said. “How?”
“He died in a fight. He saved us,” Jerry said.
“God, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Kurt said. “When I saw your group coming in, I was hoping he might be with you. Mary is going to be really upset about this.”
“There is other news too, on a little happier note,” Hilda said.
“What’s that?” Kurt asked.
“Charlie and I got hitched.”
“You’re kidding,” Kurt said. “You didn’t learn your lesson when you two dated all those years ago?”
“Guess we didn’t,” Charlie said, grinning.
“Well, I’m happy for both of you. Tell your party to go ahead in. They can get settled and come back tomorrow morning to settle up. You guys are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks, Kurt,” Charlie said. They all went back outside. Most of the group was standing out of the covered porch next to the office.
“The owner said we can all go in and find a spot. We can come back and settle up in the morning.”
“Does it sound l
ike its safe here?” one woman asked.
“So far,” Jerry said. “Lots of Army activity here, and lots of air patrols.”
Everybody got into their coaches, ready to stream into the park.
Chapter 07 – Carnage at Camp
“Good,” Frank said. “We have just enough light left to get setup.”
“Are you going to put out all of the slides and unhook the toad?” Jane asked. “Maybe we should stay ready to go, just in case.”
“I’ll just hook up the electrical. That only takes a second.”
“I like that idea, Frank.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Frank said. He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine back up. The gate opened, and Charlie drove through, followed by Jerry. Frank got behind them.
“Wonder if they have pull-through sites?” Jane asked.
“I’ll look for one. That way we won’t have to back up.”
“Good,” Jane said. Lucy looked up at Jane, wagging her tail. “Oh, all right, come on up.”
“Look,” Frank said, “that row that Charlie and Jerry are pulling into are all pull through.”
“Perfect.”
Frank turned onto the row, and slowly pulled into the site next to Jerry and Jasmine’s rig. He pulled forward enough for the toad to be out of the roadway, and then shut off the engine. Jeb pulled his rig into the next spot.
“I think we better get Lucy out,” Jane said.
“Yes, let’s do that, and then we can chat with our friends.”
“Are you going to level out?” Jane asked as she got up.
“I can,” Frank said. “Maybe I should, just in case you decide to attack me tonight.” He grinned.
“Oh, that again?” she said. “Suit yourself. I’m not making any promises.” There was enough of a smile on her face to prompt Frank to turn on the leveling system.
“C’mon, Lucy,” Jane said. Lucy jumped up and down with excitement, as the coach lurched. It found level in just a few seconds.
“Wow, nice level site,” Frank said. He shut off the engine and pulled the keys out. “Why don’t you get started with Lucy while I hook up the electrical? I’ll catch up with you.”
“Alright. You don’t have to catch up if you’re too tired.”
“I want to take a short spin around the park,” Frank said. “You know…..look for alternate exits, see where things are.”
“Got it,” Jane said. She opened the coach door and waited for the steps to come out. Then she stepped out, behind Lucy. Frank followed her and went around to the back of the coach. He plugged in the electrical, and then met Jane and Lucy around by the entrance to the site.
“Done,” Frank said. He looked around. “Nice Park, but Charlie was right. No cover…it’s flat as a pool table.
“There’s a clubhouse over in the middle,” Jane said, pointing, “and a little store, and a pool next to it.”
The coaches in their group were still streaming in and parking. A couple who were setting up waved at Frank and Jane as they walked by.
“I’m hoping we see the Sheriff in about 45 minutes,” Frank said.
“You sure he knows which park we’re in?”
“Well, I suspect he knows Kurt, since he goes back so far with Hilda and Charlie. I could call him, though.”
“Why don’t you do that…just in case.”
Frank nodded, and pulled out his phone. He dialed the Sheriff and put the phone to his ear.
“Crap, no answer,” Frank said.
“Maybe he’s in a dead zone,” Jane said. “We know they’re out there.”
“I hope so,” Frank said. “Now I’m going to worry until he gets here.”
“Wonder if that’s Kurt’s wife?” Jane asked, pointing at the car driving in. “That’s a nice BMW.”
“Maybe these parks are a pretty good business,” Frank said.
“She is a doctor, you know,” Jane said. “And this isn’t a two-bit town, so I bet she pulls down some nice money.”
Looks like our friends are gathering next to Charlie’s coach. Maybe we should get back,” Frank said. Jane nodded, and they started walking in that direction, coaxing Lucy to hurry up.
“How are you guys?” Frank asked. The group turned towards them and smiled.
“I’m glad to have a little bit of rest,” Charlie said.
“Me too,” Hilda said, her arm around Charlie’s waist.
Jasmine came walking up with Rosie. She was carrying a folding chair. She opened it and Rosie sat down.
“Nice place,” Jasmine said, looking around. “You comfortable, Mom?”
“Yes, I fine, thanks,” she said. “Nice to see all.”
“Nice to see you too, beautiful,” Jeb said. Rosie grinned at him.
“I tried to call the Sheriff a few minutes ago. No answer,” Frank said.
“Uh oh,” Jerry said. “Hope he was just in a dead zone.”
“I wouldn’t start worrying too much yet,” Charlie said. “The last stretch before you hit this town is notorious for bad cell coverage. He’s probably right in the middle of that country now.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jeb said. “How long are we staying here?”
“Good question,” Jerry said. “I see none of us have moved out our slides or unhooked our toads.”
“After all that’s happened, I want to be able to get out of dodge fast,” Jeb said. The others nodded.
“Here come’s Kurt and his wife,” Charlie said, looking over.
Kurt was walking over arm and arm with his wife. She was a very attractive black woman, in her mid-50s.
“Hi, Mary,” Hilda said. She walked over and gave her a hug. “So nice to see you. How are the kids?”
“Both in school back east, thank God,” she said. “I can’t believe how things have been going over the past few weeks.”
“Hi, Mary,” Charlie said. “Everybody, this is Kurt’s wife Mary. Mary, this is Jerry and Jasmine, Rosie, and Frank and Jane. I’m sure you already know Jeb.”
“Sure, I know Jeb,” she said. “It’s so nice to meet all of you. Have you been traveling together for long?”
“Not really,” Jasmine said. “But we’ve gotten really close.”
“Yes, we’ve had some pretty crazy times,” Jerry said. Everybody nodded in agreement.
“You’ll have to tell us all about it,” Mary said. “We haven’t seen action here, except for all these damn helicopters buzzing around, waking us up.”
“I’m glad they’re here,” Kurt said.
“Kurt said you may need my help with somebody who’s coming,” Mary said.
“Yes, a couple of our people got wounded on the road,” Frank said. “We expect them to show up sometime in the next half hour or so.”
“Anybody I know?” Mary asked.
“The man driving the rig is the Sheriff of Hilda’s town,” Jerry said.
“Sheriff Brown?” Mary asked.
“Yes,” Charlie said. “Know him?”
“Of course,” she said. “He used to be a ski fanatic until he got too old. He stayed here every season, on his way up to Colorado. He’s quite a flirt, that one.”
“That’s for sure,” Frank said. “He was in the hospital last week, and he flirted with the nurses a lot, according to the Doc.”
“Which Doc?” Mary asked.
“You know, I don’t know anything but his first name…George,” Frank said.
“His name is George Zenker,” Hilda said.
“Oh, yeah, I know him well,” Mary said. “Did he get out of town? The hospital was destroyed, according to the reports on the radio. Lots of people were killed.”
“We don’t know,” Frank said. “The Sheriff said the town got overrun. He told us about the hospital. He didn’t know what happened to the Doc.”
“Oh, no,” Mary said. “I hope he made it. He’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is,” Hilda said.
“What’re your plans?” Kurt asked.
“W
e don’t know for sure yet,” Charlie said. “The military folks at Hilda’s park told us to get as far east as Colorado, at least.”
“Why? Things aren’t bad here.” Mary said.
“There are a lot of enemy fighters in southwestern Utah, and they’re giving our military and the citizens a real run for their money,” Jeb said.
“What’s a lot?” asked Kurt.
Jeb looked at the others.
“We were sworn to secrecy, but you two are friends. Can you keep a secret?” Jeb asked.
“Yes, of course,” Mary said.
“About two hundred thousand,” Jeb said. Mary got a horrified look on her face, and she looked at Kurt. “Maybe it’s a good time to go visit the kids.”
“Don’t be too hasty,” Kurt said. “The town needs both of us here.”
“That’s a lot of enemy fighters,” Mary said. “More than we can handle here.”
“They’re still quite a ways south,” Charlie said. “We just drove the whole way through. The furthest out that we saw problems was in Boulder.”
“Okay, Charlie, then tell me why you guys haven’t put out your slides and unhooked your toads,” Mary asked.
“We’re all a little shell shocked,” Jasmine said. “We’ve had a rough time down south. A real rough time. We just barely got out of Hilda’s park in time.”
“How come we aren’t hearing those kind of numbers for the enemy on the media?” asked Mary, looking from one of the new visitors to the other.
“Maybe the authorities don’t want people to panic,” Charlie said. “Although I must admit that I don’t trust what we’re being told lately. Not one bit. The official word has been all over the place.”
“I still want to know how the hell all of those cretins got here,” Jerry said.
“I think a lot of them have been here for a long time,” Jeb said. “Sleepers, just waiting.”
“I agree with that,” Frank said. “The enemies have coordinated this well. They have us all tied up in Mexico. We ought to be bringing all of our troop’s home from South Korea and the Middle East and Europe. Yesterday.”
“Damn straight,” Jeb said.
Everybody was silent for a few moments.
“Maybe I should try the Sheriff again,” Frank said. He pulled out his phone and hit the number. He waited silently for a few seconds. “Nothing, damn it.”