Kate nodded and slipped her small pistol into the pocket of her coat.
Carrie slipped hers into the waistband of her maternity pants and dropped her big maternity shirt over it. “Sometimes it pays to be preggers,” she whispered.
The opening and closing of doors was just a few feet away. Then the janitor closet door flew open, and two young men stared in, their AK-47s aimed at the women. The whimpering one screamed as she rushed out.
“Hand up, or we kill,” shouted the first man.
“They have guns!” the whimpering woman shouted. Both men looked at her, and by the time they looked back at Carrie, she had her gun out, shooting both of them before they could react.
Kate stepped over to the whimpering woman and hit her with a right cross, dropping her to the floor. “You stupid bitch.”
“Never mind her,” Carrie said. “Now we have machine guns. You know how to shoot these?”
“Not a clue,” Kate said.
Carrie showed it to her. “Hold it tight against your shoulder. Put you hand either on the fore-grip or the magazine, but don’t cover this port here, because shells eject there. It’ll burn your hands.”
“Okay,” Kate said.
“Safety is this big lever here. Pull it down to turn it off. Keep it off while we’re hunting out there, but keep your trigger finger here until you’re ready to fire,” she said, showing her. “Lean into your shots, because these things kick.”
“What if I run out of bullets?”
“Drop it and go to your pistol,” Carrie said. “Oh, and ditch it if you see the cops, so they don’t think you’re one of the bad guys.”
Kate looked at Carrie and giggled. “Important safety tip.”
“I’ll report you,” the whimpering woman said.
“You want some more?” Kate said, walking towards her.
“Kate, don’t, but let’s lock her sniveling ass in the closet so she doesn’t go up front and get the good guys killed.”
The two women dropped their weapons and dragged her as she kicked and screamed, tossing her into the closet and then blocking the door with a mop handle.
“Onward,” Carrie said. They picked up their weapons and snuck onto the store floor.
“Look, over there,” Kate said. “Standing on top of those shelves with the gun pointing down.”
“Yeah, see him,” Carrie whispered. They got closer and Carrie motioned for Kate to go to the right, to catch anybody coming down the aisle after them. Carrie aimed the AK-47 and pulled the trigger, hitting the man in the back, knocking him to the floor along with a bunch of cans on the shelf.
Kate opened fire at two men who came around the corner onto their aisle, hitting both of them before they knew she was there. Then there was the sound of a big handgun.
“Take that, you friggin low-life,” an old man’s voice cried. There were more shots, some frantic talking in Arabic, and more gunfire. Then there was a crashing sound at the front of the store.
“Somebody’s breaking through the glass in the front,” Carrie said. “Probably cops. Let’s ditch the AKs.”
Kate nodded and set hers down. She joined Carrie and they rushed to where the hostages were. Several of them had handguns out.
“Everybody okay here?” Carrie asked.
“We showed these creeps how we do it in Texas,” an old man said, slipping his handgun back into his concealed holster. The sound of rushing footsteps came towards them.
“This is the police. Drop your weapons.”
“The bad guys are dead, slowpokes,” the old man yelled back. “We’re on aisle six.”
There some laugher from the group, and the cops hurried over, guns drawn, looking in every direction. One of them got on his chest radio.
“The hostages are safe,” he said.
There was static, then somebody said “Nice work.”
“We didn’t do it,” the officer said. “These people saved themselves. God bless Texas.”
There was a loud crash in the back of the store. The police rushed back there as several men entered.
“Austin PD,” somebody shouted.
“That’s Jason!” Carrie yelled.
“Your hubby?” Kate asked.
Carrie shook her head yes and rushed to the back of the store, falling into an embrace with Jason. Kyle came in behind him, then some local deputy sheriffs in uniform.
“Thank God you’re okay,” Jason said. “I was so worried.”
“Kate and I turned the tables in here,” she said.
“Who’s Kate?” Jason asked.
“Me,” she said, walking up. “You’ve got quite a wife.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Jason said. Kyle looked at Kate from behind him. Their eyes locked.
“Hi there,” he said.
“Hi yourself,” Kate said. Jason and Carrie shot each other a glance.
“Hey, let’s go get our guns,” Carrie said.
“Yeah, finders’ keepers,” Kate said. They rushed back onto the floor and picked up the AK-47s.
“What the hell?” Jason asked.
“We took these away from two guys back here,” Carrie said.
“Yeah, after we shot them,” Kate said, batting her eyes at Kyle.
“I think I’m in love, Jason,” Kyle said. “You married, Kate?”
She smiled at him silently, shaking her head no.
“Good,” Kyle said.
“Blah blah blah,” Jason said. He looked over at Kate. “Better watch this guy. He thinks he’s a player.”
“Does he now?” Kate asked, looking at Carrie.
“Ah, he can be tamed,” she said. The two of them giggled.
Somebody banged on a door, causing Kyle and Jason to whirl around and pull their weapons.
“Don’t worry, that’s just the whiner,” Carrie said. “She almost got us killed.”
“I’ll let the bitch out,” Kate said. “Maybe I’ll get to pop her one again.” She pulled the mop handle out of the way and opened the door. The woman stomped out, glaring at both of them.
“You people are animals,” she said, stepping over the two bodies. “Good, police officers. Arrest these women. They assaulted me and killed these two, putting all of us in danger.”
Jason looked at the deputy standing near them, who shrugged and walked away.
“What? Come back here,” the woman demanded.
“What did you do to her, anyway?” Jason asked Carrie, ignoring the woman.
“It wasn’t me, it was Kate,” Carrie said. “This idiot told the hostage takers that we were armed. After I shot both of them, Kate hit her with a nice right cross. Laid her out.”
“Really?” Kyle said.
“I felt like I was in danger,” the woman sniffed.
“You were,” Jason said. “From yourself. Get out of here and I won’t run you in as an accessory.”
“You can’t…”
“He said scram,” Kate said, taking a step towards her. She rushed out into the store.
“What happened outside?” Carrie asked as the four of them headed towards the broken door in back.
“When we got here they were executing shoppers in the parking lot,” Jason said.
“There was a bunch of them,” Kyle said. “We were lucky. There were about twenty of them rushing towards us when the cavalry arrived. We just had bolt-action hunting rifles.”
“Cavalry?” Kate asked.
“Yeah, several truckloads of rednecks with long guns,” Kyle said. “It was a real bloodbath. They took no prisoners.”
“Neither did we,” Jason said.
The sheriff saw them as they were walking away from the building and rushed over to meet them.
“Thanks, Jason,” he said, shaking his hand. “You too, Kyle.”
“Hey, Kate and Carrie are the heroes from inside,” Kyle said.
“Seriously,” Jason said.
“There were a few more armed citizens inside that deserve credit too,” Carrie said.
> “Oh, and a bunch of rednecks out front,” Jason said.
The sheriff laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, already talked to those guys. A couple of them were in jail last week. Drunk and disorderly.”
“They sure came in handy today,” Kyle said.
“The folks in Austin aren’t gonna be thrilled about this,” the sheriff said. “Especially those idiots who want to kill concealed and open carry.”
“Screw them,” Jason said. “I got to give up my weekend to keep the citizens from punching out a bunch of those folks.”
“Oh, you got the protest detail eh?” The sheriff chuckled.
“Yeah, Kyle too,” Jason said. “At least we get OT. More money for the boat fund.”
“Yeah, right,” Carrie said. “More money for the baby fund.”
“That’s what you get for being a family man,” Kyle said.
“Yeah, says the guy who’s just about fainting over Kate here,” Carrie said. “You know, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…”
“Stop!” Kyle said, shooting a glance over at Kate. She looked embarrassed.
“I’ve got to go,” she said. “You don’t mind if I take this, do you, sheriff?”
“Afraid I do, assuming that came from a terrorist,” the sheriff said. “Hand them over you two.”
“He’s right, honey,” Jason said. “Those are evidence.”
“Ah shucks,” Carrie said, handing it over. “Can I have it back after the investigation?”
“Maybe,” he whispered. “Talk to me when it’s over, and we’ll see what we can do.”
“Hey, Kate, can I have your number?” Kyle asked as she walked away. She turned back and smiled.
“Sure,” she said, but she kept walking.
Chapter 18 – Bug Out! Texas - Austin Insanity
Kip Hendrix sat at his desk, reading the Austin Chronicle and sipping chai tea. His phone rang, and he looked at it with annoyed disgust, setting his mug down. When angry his wrinkles set in deeper, making him look like a mummy, his bald head completing the image. He pushed the lighted red button on his desk phone.
“Yeah,” he said.
“We got problems,” said a thin voice.
“Jerry Sutton. Figures. What kind of problems?”
“You hear about the incident in Dripping Springs a little while ago?”
“No, I’ve been busy with paperwork all morning,” he said, shoving his newspaper into the trash can next to his desk. “You coming over?”
“I’ll be right down.”
“Okay.” Kip pushed the button again to hang up, and shuffled papers around his desk to make himself look busy.
There was a knock at the door.
“It’s open,” Hendrix said. A middle-aged man walked in, clean-shaven and a little pudgy, wearing khaki Dockers and a button-down shirt that had come un-tucked on one side.
“Geez, Sutton, straighten yourself up, will you?” the old man said through a sneer.
He looked down, seeing his shirt hanging out, and tucked it back in. “Sorry.”
“Well, sit,” Kip said. “I don’t have all day. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“I know, sorry,” Sutton said nervously. He paused again.
“What is it, dammit?”
“Another mass shooting.”
“You know how we handle those. Never let a crisis go to waste. Pump up the anti-gun fever. What kind of shooters? Rednecks with guns, or some random nutcase again?”
Jerry paused again, loosening his tie and undoing his top button.
“C’mon, dammit!”
“It was Islamic extremists, sir,” he said.
“Shit. Who provoked them?”
“I haven’t gotten to the worst part yet,” Sutton said.
Hendrix pushed back in his chair, running his hand over his forehead and onto the top of his bald head. “Calm down. What is it?”
“You remember that Islamic Center that you spoke at two weeks ago?”
“Yeah.”
“The shooters came from there.”
“Son of a bitch,” Kip said, reaching for his phone, punching in a number.
“If you’re thinking of talking to Joram, you can forget it. He was one of the shooters. He’s on his way to a slab in the morgue.”
“Dammit. How we gonna spin this?”
“It’s gonna be tough, sir,” Jerry said. “He got it in the parking lot. The whole area is covered by surveillance cameras.”
“Where did it happen?”
“That big Superstore. The one we fought.”
“Figures it would be those assholes,” Kip said. “You know what to do next, right?”
“What?”
Hendrix sighed. “What am I paying you for? Go strong arm the store manager for the video, you idiot.”
“There were a lot of witnesses there,” Jerry said. “Some of them were stupid rednecks, and some of them were just plain folks, but two of them were off-duty Austin PD, and they saw the whole damn thing.”
“Austin PD, eh? We can lean on Austin PD.”
“Sometimes we can lean on them,” Jerry said. “Remember what happened last time?”
“That was your fault,” Kip said. “I’ll worry about the cops. You go get that frigging video. Now.”
Sutton scooted out of the office with his tail between his legs. Hendrix rested his elbows on the desk and held his head as pain throbbed. Then he picked up the phone, looked at it for a moment, and then punched in a number. There was a click, and the operator picked up.
“US Department of Justice. How may I direct your call?”
“Give me the Assistant to the Attorney General, please.”
“Who may I say is calling?”
“President Pro Tempore of the Texas State Senate.”
Chapter 19 – Bug Out! Texas - Falcon Reservoir
Juan Carlos Gonzales and Brendan Smith looked out over the wide expanse of the Falcon Reservoir in the moonlight as their 36-foot armored patrol boat cut through it, raspy snarl of the three big outboard engines behind them.
“This is boring, man,” Juan Carlos said. “Why’s it been so lately?”
“I don’t know, but if it doesn’t turn around, the Texas Highway Patrol will probably cut some boats,” he said. “These things are so overkill, anyway. Lake patrols with .50 cal machine guns? I mean, I love this sucker, but c’mon.”
“Dude, this isn’t just a lake, it’s a border,” Juan Carlos said. “If these babies are scaring away the traffickers and the cartel guys, they’re worth it.”
“Hey, what’s that?” Brendan asked.
“What, dude?”
Brendan pointed. “That, dead ahead. Looks like a barge with a bunch of people on it.”
“Holy shit,” he said. “I’ll get the light on them.”
“Yeah, you do that. I’m gonna get on the starboard gun.”
“You mean the one we don’t need, man?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Yeah,” Brendan said sheepishly.
Juan Carlos flipped on the flood light, and gasped when he saw the size of the barge. “Shit man, that thing has a few hundred people on it.”
Suddenly the air filled with machine gun fire, and bullets hit the hull of their boat, bouncing off the armor.
“What the hell, dude?” Juan Carlos cried, stopping the engine and getting behind the other .50 cal. “Let ‘em have it.”
“You got it,” Brendan said, opening up, the flame from the muzzle suppressor over a foot long in the darkness. “Shit, that sounds like sheet metal. We’re gonna sink that thing in a hurry.”
“Stay behind the shield on that gun,” Juan said. “They’re still shooting at us.” He opened fire with the second gun, chopping away at the side of the barge. It listed to one side and started to sink, cries of panic floating over the water at them.
“That’s not Spanish, dude,” Juan Carlos said.
“Some of it was,” Brendan said. “I heard it.”
They could see the dar
k forms of men running onto the beach, then turning and firing at their patrol boat.
“Watch it,” Brendan shouted, turning his gun in that direction. “Those look like AK-47s.”
“Blast them, dude,” Juan Carlos said. “I’m gonna get a little closer.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and gave the three outboards some gas, the boat jumping on a plane as Brendan fired.
There was silence after a few minutes. People were holding onto the sinking barge or treading water near it. The beach was littered with bodies.
“Quite a few of them snuck away,” Brendan said. “Too damn dark out here. Call it in.”
“On it, dude. Stay on that .50 cal.” He picked the radio mic off the dash holder and pushed the button.
“Captain, you there? Over.”
There was a short pause, and then a click.
“He’s not here right now. This is Lieutenant Frazier. Who is this? Over.”
“Gonzales and Smith, on Falcon Reservoir. You ain’t gonna believe what just happened. Over.”
“Go ahead. Over.”
“We found a big barge with several hundred people on it near Arroyo Del Burro, heading for shore. When we put the floodlight on them and approached, they opened fire. Over.”
“What happened then? Over.”
“We opened fire and sunk the barge. There are survivors in the water. A bunch of men made it to the US shore and continued to fire upon us. Over.”
“There are several ground units in the area. I’ll get them there right away. Sit tight. Over.”
“They have military weapons. Over.”
“Dammit. I’ll let the men know. Over.”
“Over and out,” Juan Carlos said.
“Nobody moving on shore now,” Brendan said. “The barge is almost under water. Should we pick up survivors?”
“Not yet, the Lieutenant said to sit tight. They’re still armed. You can count on that. These guys aren’t your normal border crossers.”
“No shit,” Brendan said.
They sat watching silently for a moment, and then fire erupted from straight off the beach, hitting them broadside, bullets bouncing off the hull.
“Turn that spotlight over there,” Brendan said, turning his .50 cal in that direction.
There was another shot and a loud cracking noise.
The Plan: How the Bug Out! War Began Page 11