Bug Out! Part 10: RV Race to Battle (20 page)

“You sure you want to go in?”

“Yeah, we’re here. Let’s go,” she said.

Gabe drove through the open gates and parked just inside of the first row of buildings. They got out of the SUV, Gabe putting the rifle over his shoulder with the sling, and slipping the pistol back in the rear waistband of his pants.

“Why don’t I take a rifle?” Hilda asked. “I can shoot pretty well.”

“Good idea,” Gabe said. He went around to the back of the SUV and pulled it out, handing it to her. “No sling on this one, I’m afraid. It’s loaded, and the safety’s on.”

“Thanks,” Hilda said.

Gabe reached back into the SUV and grabbed a box of cartridges, filling his pockets, then closed the back of the SUV. They walked towards the front buildings.

“Gonna be expensive to replace all these windows,” Hilda said. “If this war gets over, I’ll have to attend to that before the winter kicks in.”

“Does it snow around here?” Gabe asked as they walked.

“Rarely, but it rains pretty hard. It’ll ruin my floors.”

Hilda tried the door. It was locked. She pulled a key ring out of her pocket and opened it. The door creaked. They walked in, looking around cautiously. Hilda went around the counter and into the office area, Gabe following her. There was a big mess under the front counter.

“Looks like somebody blew up a grenade down there,” Gabe said.

“That’s where the safe was,” she said, chuckling. “I emptied it before we left, so they got nothing for all this trouble.”

“Should have left a ham sandwich in there.”

Hilda shook her head and smiled at him. “Let’s go to the clubhouse.”

They walked back to the large building, behind the front buildings to the right.

Hilda stopped, looking to the left. There was the flag pole in the middle of the lawn, and the remains of a crudely built scaffolding. She shuddered and turned away.

“What is that?” Gabe asked. He walked closer. There were spikes sticking up in the back of the scaffolding, red with pieces of rancid tissue still stuck to them. There was a wooden platform below the spikes, blood stained, with evidence of axe bites in them. “Oh, geez, they beheaded people here.”

“Those are the spikes that had the heads on them,” Hilda said, walking away quickly, sobbing again. She headed for the veranda around the clubhouse, and sat on the steps, crying.

“You okay?” Gabe asked.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she said, looking at him through teary eyes.

“You had to see,” Gabe said. “So will I, with my park. At least the clubhouse doesn’t look that badly damaged.” He walked up the steps and went inside. Hilda got up and followed him.

“This won’t be too hard to fix,” Hilda said, looking around. “I’m surprised.”

“They were using this as a headquarters,” Gabe said, looking at maps and other documents on tables. “Looks like they had to get out of here in a hurry.”

Hilda went into the kitchen and looked around. She opened the walk in freezer and shut it quickly. “Phew!”

“What’s the matter?”

“The deer that Jeb shot is still in there, and the power’s been off for quite a while. Cleaning that isn’t going to be fun.”

“Maybe you should leave the door open.”

“No, every critter within half a mile will be trying to get in,” she said.

“Good point,” Gabe said. “We should secure this place when we leave, if we can. The gates were wide open.”

“There used to be a lot of chain and several padlocks in the workshop,” Hilda said. “Let’s check that out before we leave.”

Gabe nodded, and the two left the clubhouse, walking further back. There was litter all over the grounds, and dead grass, with weeds starting to take over.

“Nice barn,” Gabe said. “Looks like you got swamp coolers in here.”

“Yeah,” Hilda said, looking around. “This isn’t damaged much. I’m surprised. General Walker was using this as a headquarters. Those men loved the swamp coolers, that’s for sure. It gets hot here.”

“I’ll bet,” Gabe said. “The workshop in here?”

“No, it’s in a separate building, behind. Let’s go.”

They walked towards a side door and went out into a small yard. The workshop was off toward the right, door hanging open.

“Uh oh,” Gabe said.

“That’s where the video equipment was,” Hilda said. “I knew they’d be in there.” She walked cautiously up the steps, going to a cabinet in the back. She pulled open the top drawer and took out the chain and locks. “Good, still here.”

“The video stuff is still there, too,” Gabe said. “Probably be easy to get it going again.”

“Hopefully,” Hilda said, looking around. “The axe is gone.” She shot a disturbed glance at Gabe, and he put his arm around her shoulder.

“C’mon, let’s finish and get out of here,” he said.

Hilda nodded, and they walked out towards the back of the park. “Want to see the famous deer blind?” she asked, a faint grin on her face.

“Sure, why not,” Gabe said. They made the walk back to the rear of the park, through the rows of RV spaces. “Nice back here.”

“Yes. We had a lot of repeat business,” Hilda said.

“This place will live again,” Gabe said. “Just you wait.”

“There’s the back gate,” she said, pointing. It was hanging open, but the chain and padlock were still there, hanging on the fence. They walked through, into the thick woods.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” Gabe said.

“Well, it was,” she said. “Look at the bullet holes in the tree trunks.”

“I saw the fight on video,” Gabe said. “Wonder if the tank is still there?”

“Good question,” she said. “There’s the deer blind. Looks a little worse for the wear.” She pointed up in the tree. The walls were ripped apart by bullets, and the ladder was gone.

“Don’t think I’m climbing up there,” Gabe said. “Where was the tank?”

“Down here,” Hilda said, walking along a path that went downhill and crossed a small creek. About twenty yards up there was a clearing, where the parking area was. The ruined tank was right in the middle, and behind it were several ruined troop transport trucks, then another tank further back on the road, its big gun pointing right at them. The tracks were blown up, and there was black soot around the openings.

“Wonder who picked up the bodies?” Gabe asked.

“Army, probably,” Hilda said. “Seen enough?”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. I’m getting a bad vibe from this place.”

“Me too.”

They locked the back gate after they re-entered the park, and stopped by the workshop to pick up the chain and locks on the way up front. Gabe pulled his SUV through the gate and trotted back to help Hilda lock up. Then they were off.

“What are you and Charlie going to do?” Gabe asked. “After the war, that is. He’s got a park too, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, his place is by the Grand Canyon,” Hilda said. “I suppose we’ll sell one of them and work the other.”

“You look sad about that.”

“Yeah, my parents started this place, and Charlie’s parents started his place. Hard to walk away from either of them.”

“Maybe you won’t have to,” Gabe said.

“How?”

“Well, I know a young man, about to start a family, who might like a job running an RV Park,” Gabe said. “Might be a win-win situation.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Hilda said. “But there’s so much disturbing stuff here.”

“You own that land in the back?” Gabe asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“I’d leave it as is, and turn it into a tourist attraction. Same with that scaffolding.”

“Isn’t that a little grisly?” Hilda asked.

“Make it a shrine, like the Alamo,” Gabe said. “General Walker and Major Hobbs were heroes, and so were their men.”

“So was the doc,” she said. “Interesting idea.”

***

The class C rig was finally gaining speed. They had just slogged through Springfield’s rather surprising rush hour.

Howard saw the second off-ramp coming up. “That it?”

“Yeah, Howie, take that one, and follow the highway back about two miles.”

“She going to look like a full victim?”

“Yeah, Howie, she’s full,” Scott said, snickering. “Thanks mainly to Bailey’s encouragement.”

“Somebody mention my name?” Bailey asked as she walked out of the bedroom.

“Yeah, as a matter of fact. We’re about to dump the body. I’ll show you how we do our markers.”

“Good,” she said.

Kerry looked down at her from the bunk and smiled, looking relieved.

“What’s the matter?” she asked him.

“I was afraid you were dead, like the
dumb bitch
,” he said. “I was scared for you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, honey,” she said, reaching up to pet his forearm. “Thanks for being concerned.”

He smiled at her as she sat on the steps into the cab. “You guys taught him to refer to victims as
dumb bitch
?” She whispered, giggling.

“That’s my fault,” Scott said. “I used that description for the girl that stabbed me back at the farm. It kinda stuck.”

“What was her name?” Bailey asked.

“You just heard it,” Scott said.

Howard shook his head, chuckling. “Scotty, you’re a prince among men.” He looked over at Bailey. “Her name was Amanda, and I was sorry to be rid of her so soon. She was very enjoyable.”

“Yeah, well she didn’t stick a knife in
you
,” Scott said. Both men laughed.

“What happened to her?” Bailey asked.

“I strangled her and left her in a good spot, with markings, of course,” Howard said.

“Oh.”

“Wanna see pictures?” Scott asked. “They’re still on a text message that Howie sent to me.”

“You sent them in a text message?”

“It was a peace offering,” Howard said. He glanced over as Scott handed his phone to her.

“She was pretty,” Bailey said. “More pretty than me.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I think you look better,” Howard said. “At least she finally enjoyed part of our time together, in spite of herself.”

“Was she like me? Did the game excite her?”

“No, but the stress made her go kinda crazy,” Howard said. “I was going to take her back home and drop her off alive, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Yeah, you two seem to let the passion take over,” Bailey said. “I’m getting excited again.”

“Save it, we’ve got a dump to do,” Scott said. “There’s the place, Howie.”

They parked under a stand of trees, in a turnout on the two lane black-top. Scott and Howard went in the back and lifted the naked girl out, carrying her to the side of the road, hidden by underbrush. Bailey followed them over, a wicked grin on her face. She watched as they arranged her.

“Here’s the important part,” Scott said, pulling out his pocket knife. He turned back to the body and worked. Bailey looked like she was going to swoon.

Kerry walked out of the coach and approached slowly. Howard caught him out of the corner of his eye.

“Look out, here comes Kerry,” Howard said.

“Let him,” Scott said. “He’s going to have to get used to this sooner or later.”

He walked over and watched silently, then covered his mouth and ran behind the motor home, retching.

“He’s not quite ready yet,” Scott said.

“With that reaction, I doubt he will ever be ready,” Howard said. “Didn’t you notice how he was afraid to be in the basement back at the farm?”

Scott looked at him as he got up, wiping the blade of his knife on a tissue and tossing it away. He closed the knife and put it back in his pocket. “I get your point, Howie. He doesn’t have the drive. Maybe I can instill it over time.”

Howard looked over at Bailey. “How does this make you feel?”

She looked at him, her face red, fire in her eyes from watching the process, not ready to speak.

“You okay?” Scott asked her. He shot a knowing glance over at Howard, who nodded back at him. Bailey noticed, and her face changed, terror rising. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

Howard and Scott looked at each other and laughed.

“Are you kidding me?” Howard asked. “You’ve passed the final test. Sweetie, you’re one of us. Can’t fake the reaction you just had.”

“Correction,” Scott said. “You can’t fake the reaction and fool us.”

“Fair enough,” Howard said. “Now, tell us how this makes you feel.”

She got an aroused look on her face, turning red, trembling. “Lustful. Wanton. Excited.” She approached them. “Do we have to take off right away?”

“Oh, before too long,” Howard said. “Why?”

“We need to spend some time in the back together,” she said, shuddering, running her hands from her sides up to her breasts. “C’mon.”

***

The General entered the clubhouse and walked over to Frank and Jerry.

“The vaccine distribution set up?” Frank asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I had a long discussion with our scientists. Even if the enemy has an unusual strain of small pox virus, the vaccine will have an effect. Assuming it’s really related to small pox, they won’t get a pandemic going here.”

“We need to find the highest ranking people who are still alive, and try to capture them,” Jerry said. “It’s likely at least one of them will talk if they know where the stash is.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” General Hogan said. “Our people are on it now. The beauty of this is that they can’t hide themselves easily.”

Frank fired up the long-range detail app on the PC, and filtered for rank level two, then zoomed out to show the entire continental US, Canada, and Alaska. Jerry noticed what he was doing and rolled his chair next to him. General Hogan looked over their shoulders.

“Well, no level twos show up here,” Frank said. “Let’s try level three.” He made the change. Two showed up. One in Washington DC, and one at Capitol Reef.

“The one at Capitol Reef is probably dead,” General Hogan said. “We have troops going over that whole park with a fine-toothed comb. They haven’t found any survivors.”

“I’ll zero in to see exactly where this one is,” Frank said. He zoomed in as far as he could. The body was outside of the main cavern that the enemy was using.

“He’s dead,” Jerry said. “There’s a huge pile of bodies there.”

“Yeah,” General Hogan said. “Check the one in DC.”

Frank zoomed back out, and then went over to the eastern seaboard, zooming down towards the icon. He got it to a building.