San Diego Slaughter

by Robert Boren

  “Yeeehaww!” shouted Jax. Then there was the sound of metal hitting metal, broken vans screeching along the pavement, pushed by semi trucks.

  “Damn, sucks to be them,” Tex said. “All of those Peacekeepers trying to get out of their vehicles were using them for cover, and most of them just got crushed to death. It’s gonna be a bloody mess.”

  “My men are here, getting out now,” Jesse said. “Don’t shoot us!”

  “I see you partner,” Tex said. “Welcome to the party.”

  “Wonder how many Peacekeepers are still in the country club?” Angel asked.

  “Not many, judging by what we see here,” Sparky said.

  “Watch it, guys running towards Tex’s rig with an RPG,” Robbie shouted.

  “Got them,” Trevor said, the sound of his mini gun going on in the background.

  “Nice shooting, honey,” Kaylee said.

  “There’s the special forces guys,” Cody said. “They’re fast.”

  The men rushed into the battle, going from broken van to broken van, looking for live Peacekeepers to kill. Gunfire came at them from the east, so they turned and headed in that direction.

  “That the guys on foot coming from the country club?” Ted asked.

  “Yep,” Tex said. “They’re about to have a very bad day. These creeps are no match for Jesse’s guys.”

  “They’re good, huh?”

  Tex laughed. “Imagine about two hundred of Ted, Sam, Erica, Sparky, Kaitlyn, Jules, Cody, and me.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Jesse said.

  ***

  Doug and Jorge were chatting with Sessions and Jenkins when Gonzalez rushed over.

  “We got orders,” he said, trying to catch his breath.

  “What are they?” Sessions asked.

  “Go north, and get on Highway 2D heading west.”

  “What’s going on?” Jenkins asked.

  “That armada is looking for somewhere to land, and it’s likely to be near Rosarito Beach.”

  Jenkins cracked up. “They’ve heard what’s going on in National City right now.”

  Jorge smiled. “Oh, that battle finally started, huh? Where’d you hear that?”

  “It’s all over social media,” Jenkins said.

  “We need to go now,” Gonzalez said.

  “I’m ready,” Jorge said, climbing into the driver’s seat.

  “Remember there are still IEDs all over the place,” Gonzalez said. “Re-trace your path as best you can.”

  “That’ll be a cake walk now,” Jorge said.

  “Why?” Doug asked.

  “Because it’s not dark anymore.”

  Doug chuckled. “Sorry, stupid question.”

  “Get in here, men,” Gonzalez shouted to the Marines still outside. “We’re leaving.”

  The sound of engines starting filled the air as the rest of the Marines got into the BFV.

  “What about the infantry?” Jenkins asked.

  “They’re marching north. It’s not that far to Highway 2D. They’ll get picked up by trucks when they get there.”

  “Won’t the enemy see us heading in this direction and divert the boats?” Doug asked.

  Gonzalez laughed. “There’s nowhere else for them to go. We wiped out the port at Ensenada, so they can’t go back where they came from, and there’s nothing south of there in range.”

  “They’re probably afraid to go north of the border,” Jenkins said. “Our guys are spanking those UN Peacekeepers big time up there.”

  “Maybe this war is gonna end soon,” Jorge said. “Hope so.”

  “I’m worried about the EU,” Gonzalez said, “in the longer term, that is.”

  “They’ve got a real crisis going over there, from what I was reading last night,” Doug said.

  “Yes, but that night lead to a power vacuum. We could have bad leadership take advantage. As we all know, it happened before.”

  “Sounds like you’ve studied history, Gonzalez,” Doug said.

  “It was my favorite subject in school. Especially anything about World War One and World War Two.”

  “I’d rather study the late 60s,” Jenkins cracked. “You know, free love and all that. As long as there are pictures.”

  Sessions cracked up. “Listen to meathead here.”

  Gonzalez joined in the laughter. “That was harsh, dude.”

  “So sue me,” Sessions cracked. “How long is it gonna take us to get to the coast?”

  “I don’t even want to guess,” Gonzalez said. “Highway 2D isn’t a large road, and it was full of supplies and troops last time I heard about it. Liable to be bumper to bumper.”

  “What if we’re late getting there?” Jorge asked.

  “Then we don’t have to get our feet wet, man,” Jenkins said. “We can shoot them on dirt.”

  The massive convoy was moving along well now, just a few miles from the highway. The BFV crew settled into the journey.

  ***

  The intel room was quiet now, everybody watching their screens. Ivan and Jules walked in.

  “How go?” Jules asked.

  “The UN Peacekeepers in National City are done,” Seth said, turning towards them. “The battle wagons moved over to the Bonita Country Club. They’re watching out for any surprises as Jesse’s team is searching the facility. They’ve found booby traps, as usual.”

  “Some things never change,” Ivan said. “Not that I can complain. I did it myself, that time that I faked my death.”

  Jules laughed. “That was hilarious.”

  “What’s left?” Morgan asked.

  “That armada is still on the way, believe it or not,” Robbie said. “Maybe it would’ve been better to leave Ensenada Harbor alone until they went back down there. Then we could’ve blown it up with them there.”

  “Fortunes of war,” Jules said. “How far north now?”

  “Just a sec,” Robbie said, changing the window on his screen. “They’re between Primo Tapia and Puerto Nuevo.”

  “They’ve slowed down,” Ivan said.

  “Yeah, some,” Robbie said. “If I were them I wouldn’t be in a hurry. They’re cruising towards their deaths.”

  “Yes, and at least their leadership knows it,” Ivan said. “As soon as the country club is cleared, let’s get our battle wagons back here.”

  “We have little choice now,” Jules said. “Too low on ammo to get into another battle.”

  “I don’t see anybody for them to fight,” Seth said.

  “Yeah, me neither,” Kaitlyn said.

  “What about that armada?” Morgan asked.

  “You know how many Marines are on way to the Baja coast now?” Jules asked. “Plus civilians. Entire force that won battle in Mexico are on Highway 2D right now.”

  “Oh,” Morgan said. “We don’t have a drone over that. All we get is satellite pictures, and they’re behind a few hours.”

  “That battle is no longer our concern, unless something unexpected happens,” Ivan said.

  The intel team’s phones all dinged with a text. A moment later Ivan and Jules’s phones did the same.

  “Ted,” Robbie said. “The country club is cleared out. There were only a couple hundred men left there, and they were support staff, not fighters.”

  “What’d we do with them?” Morgan asked.

  “I’ll have to ask,” Robbie said. “I suspect they didn’t have a pleasant time.”

  Jules chuckled. “Understatement. Tell Ted to bring team home.”

  Jules and Ivan left the room.

  “I don’t get the impression those two think the war is over,” Kaitlyn said.

  “Something else is going on,” Robbie said.

  “Why do you say that?” Seth asked.

  “Mr. White and Mr. Black had to take their commando team up to Sacramento.”

  ***

  “I’ve got to get into the fresh air for a while,” Elmer said, shutting down the bulldozer. He got off, and walked outside with Ed, Tyler
, and Clem.

  “Well, it could be worse,” Ed said. “Could’ve been a diesel bulldozer.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be usable in there,” Tyler said. “Those fans almost keep it clear enough.”

  They stepped out of the mine shaft, all of them taking a big breath of fresh air.

  “We could use a few more fans,” Elmer said. “Probably could get some from the rental yard, but who wants to drive all the way back to El Cajon?”

  “Not I,” Clem said. “How much further do we have to dig?”

  “I’m not sure,” Tyler said.

  “We’ve got another four or five hours, at the pace we were at so far today,” Elmer said.

  “That’s a lot,” Clem said. “Maybe we can find some more fans in Dulzura. I’ll check out the local businesses, see if anybody has some.”

  “Good idea,” Elmer said.

  “Elmer, you done for a while?” Susanne asked as she walked up. “Geez, you’re a mess.”

  “You play in the dirt, you get dirty, sweet pea.”

  She got closer to him. “Geez, you smell too. All of you do.”

  “You could always bathe me.”

  Ed and Clem burst out laughing.

  “Don’t be lewd, you old fool,” Susanne said. “You done for the day or what?”

  “There’s still some hours left.”

  Clem shook his head. “At our age, breathing in that exhaust is a bad idea. I say we knock it off for today.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Tyler said. “I’ll run that thing tomorrow, and bring in some warriors to help. We’re a lot younger. Won’t bother us so much.”

  “There, see?” Susanne asked, staring Elmer in the face. “You’re done for today. I’ll run a bath for you, but I’m not scrubbing your back, or anywhere else.”

  “Okay, honey,” Elmer said.

  “Stop with the honey. People will get the wrong idea.”

  “Everybody knows, baby, so get used to it.”

  Susanne shook her head, trying to suppress her smile. “Oh, come on. Let’s go.”

  Ed snickered as they walked away. “That is the most interesting couple I’ve ever met.”

  “You can say that again,” Clem said. “You really think it’ll take five more hours with that dozer to finish?”

  “If Elmer is saying that, I believe him,” Tyler said. “He knows that mine a lot better than I do. He knows exactly where the inner edge of the cave-in is. I don’t have a good feel for that.”

  Willard saw the men trudging up the street and stuck his head out the Saloon window. “Hey, guys, want a snort or two?”

  Ed smiled. “Yeah, but we smell kinda bad, according to Susanne.”

  “I still smell like black powder. Who cares? Get your asses in here.”

  “How can we resist an invitation like that?” Clem said. They filed into the saloon.

  ***

  It was near dark when the battle wagons arrived back at Dodge City. Three parked in their positions in front of Dodge City, going into siege mode. The rest cruised down the main street, squeezing by the three rigs in front of the mine. Ji-Ho saw them and left his coach, walking towards the area next to the livery stable where the hook-ups were.

  Kaylee saw him and rushed out of the rig, giving him a hug, Trevor joining them.

  “So glad all back unharmed,” Ji-Ho said as the others walked over.

  “Glad you guys made it through the attack here,” Ted said, his arm around Haley.

  “Yeah,” Tex said. Karen rushed over to his side.

  “We didn’t get our rig home,” Justin said.

  “We tow to shop,” Ji-Ho said. “Very fixable. Mainly front windshield replacement, few odds and ends. Which rigs parked in pasture?”

  “Sparky and Dana, Cody and Allison, and Angel and Megan,” Karen said.

  Willard came trotting over. “Who’s ready for a drink? The mine crew is already there.”

  Tex got a big grin on his face. “What do you think, honey?”

  Karen looked up at him. “Sure, why not, but not too late, okay? We’re behind on sleep.”

  The others nodded in agreement, and they started down to the saloon.

  { 13 }

  Road Crater

  J orge was driving the BFV on Highway 2D, heading for the Baja coast. It was still dark, but he was feeling energized. It felt like the war was nearly done. A sign was coming up-a Y in the road. Highway 2D or Highway 2.

  “Hey Doug, you awake?”

  “Yeah,” Doug replied. “Snoring is too loud down in the back. I slept some, though. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m good, but we got a choice coming up. Continue on Highway 2D or take Highway 2. Check it out, okay?

  “What’s everybody else taking?”

  “Can’t see yet,” Jorge said, “but I’d rather be right than follow everybody else.”

  “On it.” Doug held his phone in front of his face, the light of the screen glowing in the dark vehicle. “2D goes closer to the border eventually. Doesn’t tell me which is right, though.”

  “I heard that,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll check with central command. They set up a page for us to use.”

  “Sorry if we woke you,” Doug said.

  “I slept as much as I was going to. Stay on 2D. We’re stopping in southern Tecate to pick up more ammo and food. On the west side of that city we’ll get on Highway 2 and take it to Highway 201, which will take us to the coast.”

  “Cool,” Jorge said. “Any word on the Armada?”

  “Still coming,” Gonzalez said.

  “Where are they gonna land?” Doug asked.

  Gonzalez chuckled. “You’re guess is as good as mine, dude. They don’t have that many options now, so my money is still on Rosarito Beach or the areas to the north or south of that.”

  “What about TJ?” Jorge asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier for them to find cover there?”

  “Yeah, human shields,” Doug quipped.

  “Nah, the residents of TJ will tear them apart. They’re armed, and the Mexican citizens have had their fill of the enemy. They’ve done even more damage in Mexico than they’ve done in the states.”

  “True, they overthrew their government, for one thing,” Jorge said. “My relatives here are totally on our side in this war.”

  There were flashes of light ahead, and the rumble of explosives.

  “Dammit,” Jenkins said. “That was a good dream.”

  Gonzalez looked in his CIV, trying to see what happened. “Son of a bitch, that’s artillery again. They’re shelling the highway ahead.”

  “So it’s back on the dirt, then?” Jorge asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Gonzalez replied.

  Several more flashes followed the first, the ground rumbling under the BFV, the column squeaking to a halt. Gonzalez’s phone dinged with a text.

  “Shit,” he said. “We might have to get off this road. The enemy artillery is zeroed in pretty well, apparently.”

  “We can handle the dirt with this thing,” Jorge said. “Probably won’t even slow us down much.”

  “Yeah, but we’ve got a few hundred semi-trucks carrying infantry, and they can’t make it without the road,” Gonzalez said.

  “Sounds like another job for our aircraft,” Doug said. “Hope they’re watching.”

  “They are, trust me,” Gonzalez said.

  “What now, chief?” Sessions asked, sitting up straight. “We don’t want an artillery shell falling on us.”

  “The CO contacted the Navy. There are still jets on patrol. Shouldn’t take too long to take care of this.”

  “Maybe we should get out of this tin can,” Jenkins said.

  “Negative,” Gonzalez said as another round fell in the distance. “They’re hitting the road in the same spot every time, over a mile ahead of us. Judging by the speed of fire, they’ve only got one gun this time.”

  “Listen,” Jorge said. “Jets.”

  “Hear them,” Gonzalez said, turning the CIV towards the
south. “Whoa, several missiles just flew.”

  The sound of muffled explosions filled the air.

  “Boom,” Jenkins said.

  Sessions chuckled. “Can we go now?”

  All of their phones dinged with a broadcast text. Doug’s phone was still in his hand. He read the message. “Got them. We’ll be taking off again soon.”

  “We will, but I’ll bet there’s enough damage to the damn road to slow the infantry trucks way down.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Gonzalez said. “Jorge, you may proceed when the column starts moving again.”

  “Got it,” Jorge said.

  “Now maybe I can get back into that dream,” Jenkins said.

  ***

  Sam woke up as the light shined into the guest room at Garrett’s ranch house. He stretched, Erica stirring next to him. Mia was still asleep on the twin bed, against the wall on the far side of the room.

  “Waking up, huh?” Erica asked.

  “Working on it,” Sam said. “You?”

  “I’ve just been dozing for the past hour. Mia’s still fast asleep.”

  “Wonder if Ted’s team got back here last night?”

  “Probably,” she said. “Text one of them.”

  “They might be asleep. I can wait.”

  Erica stretched. “I could use some coffee. Maybe we ought to sneak downstairs.”

  “I’m game.”

  They slipped out of bed and dressed as quietly as they could. Mia stirred, opening her eyes.

  “You aren’t leaving again, are you?” she asked.

  “No, sweetie, we’re just going downstairs for coffee.”

  “I’m still tired,” she said.

  Sam walked to her bedside and kissed her cheek. “Sleep some more, honey. We’ll see you when you wake up. We’ll just be downstairs.”

  “Okay, daddy,” she said, her eyelids heavy. Sam and Erica slipped out the door. They could hear Anna singing to herself down in the kitchen.

  “Good, somebody’s up,” Erica said.

  They went into the kitchen. Anna turned towards them, smiling. “Good morning, you two. Sleep well?”