Frank awoke to a loud bang outside. It sounded like it was right down the street. Lucy was barking like crazy. He broke into a cold sweat.
“What was that?” asked Jane, trying to shake off the deep sleep she was in.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
“Don’t go outside.”
“I’ll just go out on the balcony.” He left the bedroom, grabbing the shotgun as he went. Lucy was bouncing up and down, barking and growling. Frank opened up the sliding glass door on the balcony and quietly slipped out. He heard breaking glass down the street. Then he saw several people running around in the parking lot of the apartment building two doors down. A woman screamed, and a man’s voice yelled ‘Shut up’.
Jane poked her head out onto the balcony, the dog in her arms. “What’s going on?” she whispered.
“Thugs in the parking lot behind the apartment building over there,” Frank whispered back. He pointed. Then something caught his eye. He looked down his driveway, and there were half a dozen dark figures walking past. One of them looked down the driveway, and pointed. He walked down with another person, while the rest of the group continued down the street. Frank waited until they got close, and then cocked the shotgun as loudly as he could. The two stopped and looked up at him.
“Go elsewhere,” said Frank in a gruff voice. He could see their faces now, under the glow of his porch light. They were little more than children. They both put their hands up as if to say “alright”, and they ran back down the driveway.
“What happened?” whispered Jane.
“It was a couple of kids. I let them see the shotgun, and they ran.”
“Thank God,” Jane said.
“I’m going to hang out up here for a little while. What time is it?”
“It’s 4:30 already.”
“Good, it’s going to be light pretty soon. Go try to get a little more sleep.”
“Not happening,” Jane said. “I’m going to start getting things ready.”
“Okay.”
Frank sat in the cool morning air, listening. He couldn’t hear anymore commotion outside. Probably just scouts, he thought to himself. It got light sooner than he expected.
“Frank, could you catch the cat and put him in the carrier?”
“Sure. It’s getting too light now for our guests to be around. We can take off any time.”
“Good.”
Frank went looking for the cat, finding it under the bed. He managed to get him out without too much trouble, and stuffed him into the carrier. The cat started a frequent meow, just like he always did when he was put in there.
“Got him,” said Frank as Jane was walking into the bedroom.
“Good. I’ve got everything lined up by the top of the stairs.”
Alright, I’ll put Mr. Wonderful’s carrier down in the back seat, and then I’ll come up and start getting the rest of the stuff carried down.”
It took several trips up and down the stairs to get everything. He packed it quickly into the car.
“I’m ready to open the garage door, honey,” Frank said. “Why don’t you back out the Jeep, then I’ll close the garage door and pull the electrical plug.”
Jane nodded, and opened the driver’s side door. The dog jumped in right away. She got behind the wheel and started the engine as the garage door was coming up. She backed out. When she was clear, Frank closed the garage door, and unplugged the opener when it was all the way down. He double checked the back door, and then went to the stairwell, closed the door, and locked the dead bolt. He climbed the stairs, and then went through each room in the unit, checking the security system cameras, making sure that everything was turned off, and checking all of the windows. When he was satisfied, he went to the front door. The door creaked as he opened it. He turned back to take one more look into the condo, then sighed, and stepped out, closing the door behind him. He locked the deadbolt, and went down the walkway that led to the driveway.
Jane had the car pointed at the street, ready to leave. She rolled down the window.
“Do you want to drive?” she asked.
“You can drive the first stretch, if you’d like,” he replied. He went to the passenger side and got in. Lucy jumped on his lap and licked him in the face, her tail wagging. Jane drove away.
The neighborhood on the way to the freeway onramp was littered with broken glass and trash. Police cruisers slowly crept down the streets, the officers looking around cautiously. One of them pulled up next to the Jeep and peered in. Frank looked over at the officer and waved. Satisfied that Frank and Jane weren't trouble makers, the officer waved them on. In a few minutes they were on the freeway, heading east.
“Whew, I thought that cop was going to pull us over and search,” Frank said.
“Me too. We should be alright now, though. I’m surprised how little traffic there is.”
“Nobody wants to be out on the roads," Frank said. "Something is going to break around here. We're getting out just in time, I'm afraid.”
Jane nodded. Then she pointed to westbound lanes.
“Look, military vehicles. A whole bunch of them,” she said.
“Good. Maybe the Governor is going to do the right thing.”
“Hopefully.”
The drive was uneventful after that, and Frank was getting sleepy. He dozed off and slept for a little while. He woke up with a start when he felt them rolling up the freeway off ramp.
“We’re here already?”
“Yes,” Jane said, sounding concerned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look over there, Frank. More fires. Big ones.” She pointed off to the right. Then she got to the top of the ramp and waited for the traffic light to turn green.
“Well, it doesn’t look like there are any in the direction of our storage lot,” Frank said.
Jane nodded. The light turned green, and she turned left. At the next street, she turned to the right. Their yard was only a couple of blocks down.
“There it is,” Frank said. Jane slowed down and made the right turn onto the driveway.
“Shit, look at that,” she said.
“Dammit,” said Frank. There was a large, ugly homemade trailer blocking the gate, parked across the entire span. It looked like it was made out of an old shipping container.
“What now?”
“Honk the horn,” Frank said. “Maybe the owner put that there to protect the place.”
Jane honked the horn twice. There was a metallic clank, and a man’s torso appeared on the roof of the trailer. The man was holding a gun. He cocked it, and pointed it at the Jeep. Jane and Frank looked at each other, and then back at the angry looking man.
Chapter 14 - Bug Out! - Eastbound and Down
“Whoa,” Frank said. “ Put your hands up on the inside of the windshield.”
Jane looked over at Frank, and then did as he asked. The man in the trailer still had the gun on them. Frank rolled down his window and stuck his head out.
“Our motorhome is in there. I have the code for the gate. We need to get in.”
“Come out of the car with your hands up,” shouted the man.
“Alright, don’t shoot. We don’t have weapons on us,” Frank said, and he nodded at Jane to get out of the car.
“Move away from the car, and stand next to each other over there,” said the man, pointing over to the sidewalk that led into the office.
“Call Harry, he knows us,” Frank said. “We’re legit.”
“Been trying to call Harry all morning. No answer. He lives over there.” The man pointed off to the south west, where there was a large plume of smoke.
“So what are we going to do?” asked Frank.
“You two need to go home, and come back later,” the man said.
“Not happening. We can’t go home. Things are crazy there. That’s why we're here to get the motorhome. We're going east.”
The man cocked his rifle. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
&n
bsp; Frank was getting mad now.
“You go ahead and shoot me if you want to, but I’m calling the police right now.”
The man laughed. “They're a little busy right now.”
“Yeah, well I’ll report a man holding a gun on innocent people. I know where the station is. They’ll be here in about three minutes.”
Jane looked up at Frank. She had a terrified look on her face.
“How do you know this guy works for Harry?” she whispered. He looked back at her with his ‘trust me’ look.
The man on the trailer brought his gun up to his shoulder.
“Leave now. I’m not going to tell you again.” He aimed the rifle at Frank.
Just at that moment, an SUV pulled into the driveway behind the Jeep Liberty. A man jumped out.
“Gary, put down the gun,” he shouted.
“OK, boss.” He set down the gun, and climbed off the trailer.
“Harry,” Frank said, walking over to him. “Boy are we glad to see you.”
The two men shook hands. Harry was about the same age as Frank. They went back a few years.
“Sorry about this, Frank. I hired Gary to keep people from breaking in. The only weak spot in this place is the front gate. The thugs have already hit about half of the RV lots around here.”
“You really think this guy should be pointing guns at people?” Jane asked.
“When it’s dark, yes. I was late. Didn’t figure on that. I’m sorry, Jane.”
Gary came walking over, giving Frank an embarrassed look.
“Sorry, man. No offense.”
“None taken,” Frank said. They shook hands.
“What happened, Harry?” Gary asked. Harry got a grim look on his face, and then looked like he was about to cry, his eyes becoming glassy.
“They hit our street again last night.”
“Your place OK?”
“Yeah, Gary, my place is OK. It was the neighbor’s house. Remember Kalinda?”
“She was at the BBQ you had a few months ago,” Gary said. “Pretty girl. Her dad was a riot. Can’t remember his name.”
“Luis. His name was Luis,” Harry said. He broke down crying. Jane got next to him and touched his shoulder. Frank stood there looking at Harry, not knowing what to say.
“What happened, boss?”
Harry stopped crying and got an angry look on his face.
“Kalinda was walking down the street, coming home from a friend’s house. It was only about half a block away. A truck full of gang bangers saw her. They piled out and chased her into her front lawn. Then one of them raped her.”
“That’s horrible,” Jane said. “How old is she?”
“She was only sixteen.”
“Was?”
“Yes, Jane, was. Luis saw what was happening and ran out into the front yard with a baseball bat. He brained the guy on top of Kalinda. I think the guy’s dead. Then one of the gang bangers shot Kalinda, and then Luis.”
“Shit,” Gary said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Some of us on the street saw what happened, and got our guns out. We killed three of them before they were able to drive away. They’ll be back tonight. They always get revenge.”
“Is your family still there?” asked Frank.
“No, I sent my wife and daughter to her sister’s house in Las Vegas.”
“What are you going to do, boss?” asked Gary.
“I’m going to move in here. It’s safer than home at this point. My car is full of stuff.”
“Why don’t you leave?” asked Jane. “Go be with your wife and daughter.”
“I can’t lose this place, Jane,” he said. “It’s all I’ve got.”
“Shall I let these folks in?” asked Gary.
“Of course, of course. Bring the fork lift around, and we’ll roll the trailer out of the way.”
Gary nodded, and went over to the keypad next to the gate. He entered the code, and the gate rolled open.
“Where are you guys headed?” asked Harry.
“East,” Frank replied. Jane nodded in agreement.
“Good that you guys are leaving now. I was listening to the radio on the way over here. The Governor finally called out the National Guard. I think they'll be locking down the state in the next forty-eight hours.”
“Locking down the state?” asked Jane. She had a worried look on her face.
“To round up the bad guys before they start flooding out,” Harry said. “You may run into a checkpoint even today.”
“Shoot, we need to get our butts out of here,” Frank said.
“You got gas in your rig?”
“Yep, topped her off after our trip last month.”
“Good, smart move,” Harry said. He saw the forklift rolling over. The pallet blades each had trailer balls on the end. Gary maneuvered over to the trailer hitch and lifted the blades. The trailer lurched upwards in the front. Then he started slowly pushing the trailer out of the way.
“You folks can go on in and get your rig ready. I’ll watch for you, and open the gate when you're ready.”
“Thanks, Harry. Let’s go, honey.”
They climbed back into the Jeep and drove back to their space. Lucy jumped up on Jane’s lap and licked her in the face. Frank was looking at the high wall in the back of the lot, and noticed some razor wire hanging down. He parked the jeep next to their rig, and then trotted back over to the gate as Jane got out with the dog.
“Harry, take a look back here. Somebody was trying to get in. The razor wire has been cut in one spot, and it’s dangling.”
“Oh, shit,” Harry said. “Gary, get the gate shut while I go in the back and check this out.”
Jane unlocked the door of the coach, and got in. She raised the blinds in the front to let some more light in, as Lucy scampered up the steps. Her tail was wagging like crazy as she sniffed her favorite spots in the coach.
Frank and Harry stood in front of the back fence, looking up. Harry laughed.
“Must have been a nasty surprise seeing that big drop there. It will be tough to find a ladder tall enough for that.”
“They could get in with some rope,” Frank said. Gary was walking up.
“Hey, boss, I have an idea. Why don’t I go get Hank and Crank? I’ll stay here for a while with you, and they can help us keep an eye on things at night.”
“Hank and Crank?” Frank asked.
“Those are Gary’s two Rottweilers.”
“Really, boss, I’d be glad to do it. You don’t have to pay me for extra hours or anything.”
“Alright, but I’ll cover the food,” Harry said. “Fair enough?”
“Sure. Frankly, I’d feel safer being here than at my place anyway.”
“Deal,” Harry said, shaking Gary’s hand.
“Well, I’d better go help Jane get our rig loaded,” Frank said. He walked back to the coach.
Jane saw him coming as she was unlocking the large storage bin in the rear of the coach.
“How come you went back to the gate?” she asked.
“You didn’t see that cut in the razor wire up on the back fence?”
Jane got a scared look on her face. “No. Shit, glad we are getting out of here.”
Frank smiled at her. “Me too, but I wouldn’t worry too much about this place. They are bringing in reinforcements tonight.”
“Who?”
“Hank and Crank,” Frank said, snickering. Jane gave him a puzzled look. “Dogs. Big dogs.”
“Oh, I get it. Good idea, as long as nobody shoots them.”
“Well, enough talk. I need to get busy,” Frank said. “I’ll load the outside stuff.”
“Good. I’m already working on the food. Need to do any checkouts on the rig?”
“I checked the engine fluids before we left her last month, so we should be in good shape there. I’ll check the tire pressure. We might want to think about topping off the fresh water.”
“We have half a tank,” Jane said. “I checked the levels. Hol
ding tanks are empty. The house batteries could use some charging, but the drive will take care of that.”
“Alright, let’s get busy. I’m a little worried about the roadblock situation.”
“Me too, Frank.” She picked up a box of food and carried it into the coach as Frank picked up his tool box and loaded it.
“Glad we have this covered spot,” Jane said as she came back out to grab another box. “It would be hotter than hell in there if we didn’t.”
The coach was ready to go in less than an hour.
“I’ll back out the coach and get it to the staging area,” Frank said. “Follow me out there with the Jeep, and we’ll get her hooked up.”
Jane nodded. Frank got into the coach and fired up the engine. The Georgetown’s V-10 roared to life, and then settled down into a purr. He turned on the rear view camera and checked his mirrors, then slowly backed the coach out of the slanted parking space. He cut hard as his front end cleared the post holding up the carport roof, and then straightened out and drove down the access road. He got to the staging area and straightened out as Jane pulled the Jeep up behind the coach. Frank shut down the engine and went out to do the hook up.
It only took another few minutes to get the Jeep hitched. Jane got in the passenger seat, and Lucy jumped up on her lap. Frank got into the driver’s seat.
“Which way are we going, honey?” asked Jane.
“The way I see it, we have three choices. We take I-10 over to I-15 and go north east towards Las Vegas, or we take the I-40 east towards Needles and Bullhead city.”
“I think there’s going to be a lot of riff-raff on the 15. Maybe on I-40 too,” Jane said.
“The other alternative is to take I-10 and make for Quartzsite. We could overnight there and figure out where to go next.”
“Boondock, huh? You’re brave.” Jane said.
“Gotta learn sometime. Wish we had the solar panels, though. One thing about Quartzsite is that we can probably buy solar panels there.”
“Alright,” Jane said. “I think I-10 is the safest bet. Let’s go.”
Frank nodded. He started the engine and put the coach in gear, then slowly rolled up to the gate. Harry was outside, moving supplies from his SUV to the office. He waved at Frank, and opened the gate. Frank drove through. Harry trotted over to the driver’s side window, and Frank opened it up.
The Plan: How the Bug Out! War Began Page 7