Bug Out! Part 7: Mile High Motorhomes (6 page)

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Jeb said.

“Me neither,” Jerry said.

“Here comes Dobie with the last of the dogs,” Jane said. He made the rounds through the room with Duchess, and then took her outside. He was back in the clubhouse in a few minutes.

“Dogs are on patrol, Gabe,” he said. “How about some coffee?”

“In the kitchen…help yourself. Then we need to talk.”

“About Denver?”

“No, Dobie. About Eagle and the electronics store.”

“Oh, gotcha,” he said, as he walked to the kitchen. He was back in a moment with his cup of coffee.

“Frank! Jerry!” Gabe shouted. “Let’s go in the office. Bring Terry and the Sheriff.”

The men all went into the office.

“What’s up?” Terry asked.

“We need to make a trip into town,” Frank said.

“Where?” asked the Sheriff.

“The electronics store. We need a signal generator,” Jerry said. “It’s for Frank’s work with those chips.”

“You want to take Terry?” he asked.

“If you guys are good with it,” Frank said.

“Why me?” asked Terry.

“You are the only member of the core group that didn’t make it onto that video display that was up on the system in Hilda’s park.”

“Oh, I get it,” he said. “I won’t be recognized.”

“Right, and either will Gabe or Dobie. Dobie and Gabe are friends with the guy who owns the store, too, which ought to be helpful.”

“You alright with going?” the Sheriff asked Terry.

“Sure, why not,” he said. “I’ve seen quite a bit of action, and I don’t freeze up any more like I did that first time.”

“Good,” the Sheriff said. “I’m fine with you going, as long as you feel comfortable.”

“I’d love to help, uncle,” he said.

“You think this is going to be dangerous?” the Sheriff asked.

“Shouldn’t be,” Gabe said, “but having Dobie with us will provide pretty good security just in case.”

“Why?” Terry asked. “Taking one of the dogs along?”

“Not a bad idea, I guess, but no, that wasn’t what I was talking about,” Gabe said. “Dobie here is a combat pistol shooter. A champion, as a matter of fact.”

“Gabe!” Dobie said. “Don’t make me sound like superman to these folks.”

“Really? Combat pistol?” Terry asked. “I spent a lot of time on IDPA myself, before the crap hit the fan. Still learning, but my instructors told me that I showed a lot of promise.”

“What’s IDPA?” asked Frank.

“International Defensive Pistol Association,” Dobie said. “Good organization. How long were you involved?”

“About eight months,” Terry said. “I miss it.”

“Have you been in a handgun battle yet?”

“No, Dobie, not really, but I’ve had to fight with rifles and shotguns with this group. I choked the first time, but after that I’ve been fine.”

“Killed anybody, Terry?”

He looked down.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Back by the blinds, during one of the firefights. Two.”

“Hard to stomach, I know,” Dobie said. “I’ll work with you if you want to practice.”

“That would be great…got to watch the ammo, through,” the Sheriff said.

“I brought my reloading stuff,” Dobie said,” so don’t toss any of your brass.”

“Well, enough of this,” Frank said. “It’ll be Terry, Dobie, and Gabe. You got that shopping list ready, Jerry?”

“Sure do,” he said. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Gabe. “Most desirable brands on top, but any of them would do. What about money? This stuff can be a little pricey.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Dobie said. “Jake’s my buddy. Hell, if I thought I could talk him into it, I’d have him load up a bobtail truck with his best stuff and come live with us.”

“I’d like that,” Gabe said. “We go way back. Had a lot of fun over the years.”

“Ask him,” Frank said. “You never know. See if he wants to get into the fight…but don’t tell him much about the chips. We don’t want that info to get into the wrong hands. We don’t want the enemy to know we’re trying to crack them.”

“Okay,” Gabe said. Dobie nodded in agreement.

“When should we leave?” Gabe asked.

“The sooner the better,” Jerry said. “If those cretins start losing in Denver, they’re liable to start flooding back down I-70 in this direction. It’d be better to be safely back here before that happens.”

“Alright, then lets’ go,” Dobie said. “Got your combat pistol on you, Terry?”

“No, but I’ll go get it,” he said. He left the office.

“You take care of that kid,” the Sheriff said. “He’s the only kin I’ve got left.”

“I understand,” Gabe said. “Dobie’s the only kin I have left.”

The men left the office, and Gabe locked it behind them.

“Well?” Jane asked as Frank walked up with Jerry.

“They’re going now,” Frank said. He looked over at Jackson.

“What, Frank?” Jackson asked.

“Gabe’s going to need you to man the backhoe in a few minutes. They’ll need the bridge put over the moat.”

“Alright, I’ll get on it,” he said, getting up to leave.

“I’ll help,” Earl said, standing up and following him out the door.

“Did we miss anything on the news?” Jerry asked.

“No, not much,” Jasmine said. “After the napalm and missile attacks, the enemy stopped their advance, and are laying low.”

“The other choppers show up?” Frank asked.

“They haven’t said anything about them yet,” Jane said. “I still hear sporadic gunfire, but it’s not in the foreground of the video they’re taking.”

“The announcer hasn’t said anything lately?”

“No, and that’s kind of weird,” Jasmine said.

“Speak of the devil!” Jane said. “Look.”

The screen moved to a room, where a bunch of men in suits were lined up along a wall. The announcer was in the middle, looking at the camera with a terrified expression.

Gabe walked back over, looking at the screen, worried. “I know that place,” he said. “That’s the pressroom at City Hall.”

“Saladin,” Jeb said. “Son of a bitch.”

Saladin stepped up to the podium.

“We have the mayor captive, along with many other city and state officials,” he said with a clipped, vaguely British accent.

“That guy lived in the west for a long time,” Jerry said. “Listen to that accent. I’m thinking England.”

“Shsssss,” Jasmine said.

“The infidel will surrender the city of Denver, or we will start executions. We start with the news readers.”

“Turn that off, unless you want to see heads coming off,” Frank said.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Gabe said. He grabbed the TV remote and switched it off. “I’ll turn on the radio for you folks. I think we’d better get going on our shopping run. You know the army isn’t going to pull out of Denver, even if the mayor and those other folks get a trim. It’s going to get hot around there, and we’re liable to have some things to deal with here.”

He left the room in a hurry.

“He forgot the radio,” Jerry said.

“Who cares,” Frank said. “I think we ought to man the sniper posts while they’re gone. If the enemy has enough people here to have a realistic chance of taking Denver, then you know they’ve got people all over this end of Colorado.”

“How far away is Denver?” Jasmine asked.

“I’d guestimate about two hundred miles,” Kurt said.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Mary said. “I think it’s closer to one hundred miles from here.”

“I’ll tell you in a minute,” Jane said, looking at her iPhone. “Crap. It’s only a hundred and twenty six miles away. A little over two hours via I-70. That’s too close.”

“Sheriff. Kurt. Let’s get back on the roofs with our rifles,” Jeb said.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Kurt said. He reached over and kissed Mary, then picked up his rifle and headed to the door, following the Sheriff and Jeb.

Frank and Jerry walked out onto the veranda, just in time to see Jackson push the bridge into place over the moat. Gabe’s SUV drove over the bridge slowly. They could see one of the dogs in the back as they drove out on the highway.

“Which one did he take, Frank?” Jerry asked.

“Looked like Duchess.”

“Wonder why he didn’t take Princess?”

“She keeps the other dogs in line,” Frank said. “He probably had to leave her behind with Simon and Peabody.”

Jackson pulled the bridge away from the moat, and then drove the backhoe to the barn. Earl followed him on foot.

Gabe was at the wheel of the Suburban.
Dobie sat in the passenger seat, and Terry was in back.

“Keep your long guns out of sight when we get close to town,” Dobie said. “Somebody might mistake us for militia folks.”

“This dog is beautiful,” Terry said, petting her on the head.

“Yeah, Duchess is a charmer. She’s not as affectionate as Princess, but a lot more than Simon and Peabody.”

Gabe laughed. “Those names.” Dobie cracked up too.

“What’s so funny?” Terry asked.

“You don’t know who Simon and Peabody are?” Gabe asked.

“He’s probably too young. How old are you, Terry?”

“Twenty four,” he said.

“You don’t remember Rocky and Bullwinkle? The moose and the flying squirrel?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen clips of them, and pictures. What does Simon and Peabody have to do with them?”

“They were a part of the old TV show,” Dobie said. “They were my favorite part growing up, actually.”

“You’re pretty young to be hanging around all of these geezers,” Gabe said. “Aren’t you going stir crazy with no young women around?”

“Yeah, that is a little tough,” he admitted.

“Have a girlfriend, Terry?” asked Gabe.

“I did. Her family moved away when things started getting a little dicey in town. They went up to be with her uncle in Wisconsin.”

“Was she serious?” Dobie asked.

“No, not really,” Terry said. “She was only eighteen, too. High maintenance, and pretty helpless. She’d have it tough in this world.”

“You never know about that,” Gabe said. “I’ve known Hilda from way back. She used to be a princess. I would have figured she’d just be looking for a place to hide. Nope. Now she’s strong and practical.”

“Well, in any case, this war won’t last forever,” Dobie said. “Things’ll get back to normal eventually. All we have to do is stay alive.”

“This road is really dead,” Gabe said. “I’ve only seen one car. Usually there’s quite a bit of traffic.”

“The city was pretty sparse too, before I left,” Dobie said. “Hope Jake is still running his store.”

“You gonna ask him to come back with us?” Gabe asked.

“Yeah. I’m going to press on it pretty hard with him,” Dobie replied. “By the way, he has a daughter. In her early twenties. He might want to get her out to your place. We might be able to use her to convince him.”

Terry’s eyes lit up. “Twenties, huh. She cute?”

“I think she is,” Dobie said. “She’s a little on the heavy side.”

“How heavy?”

“She’s just a little round,” Gabe said. “I remember her. Trish. Nice girl. Good hunter, too. Kind of a tomboy, but she cleans up well. So sad about her mom.”

“Kate. She’s been gone several years already,” Dobie said. “Damn cancer.”

“I know. Shame. I liked her a lot,” Gabe said.

“This the town?” Terry asked. There was a grid of streets coming up. Houses on each side, and they could see storefronts down the road a ways.

“Yes, quite a metropolis,” Dobie said, chuckling. “It was nice to get back here from Salt Lake City, though. Wish I could have made a go of it here with my K-9 Security business.”

“You may be able to yet,” Gabe said. “After we get past this mess.”

“Where is everybody?” Terry asked.

“Oh, they’re around,” Dobie said. “I’ll bet most of them are watching TV, like we were back at the park.”

“Are those barricades I see over there?” Gabe asked.

“They have the I-70 off-ramps bottled up,” Dobie said. “Good. I don’t blame them.”

Gabe drove over closer and slowed down.

“What are you doing, Gabe?” Dobie asked.

“That’s a friend of mine over there. Bob Smith. I just wanted to say hi.”

“Better stick your head out the window. They might not know it’s you,” Terry said. “He might think this is a militia vehicle.”

“Good point,” Gabe said. He rolled down the window and stuck his head out. “Hey, Bob!”

The man standing behind the barricade got a big grin on his face, and set down his rifle. Gabe rolled slowly over to him, and got out of the car.

“Gabe, how the hell are ya?” Bob asked, walking up and shaking his hand. He was in his mid-40s, with a shaved head and sunglasses. He was wearing a police reserve uniform.

“I’m great, Bob. How are you?”

“Alright, considering,” he said. “The Sheriff called up reserves. I was glad. Everybody’s hiding out here now, if they can. I was getting cabin fever.”

“You know what’s going on in Denver right now?”

“Yeah,” he said. “My wife’s beside herself. Her sister and brother still live in Denver.”

“Oh, no. Tanya and Jamie? Heard from them?”

“Yeah, this morning. They’re in a suburb on the east side of town. They can flee the area if they need to, so I’m not so worried about them. I’m more worried about us.”

“Just what we’re thinking,” Gabe said.

Dobie came out of the car.

“Dobie, you hanging out with this old coot?” Bob asked.

“Well, he is my uncle, you know,” Dobie said, walking up and shaking hands.

“We’d better get a move on, Gabe,” Dobie said. “We’ve got things to do.”

“What are you guys doing?” Bob asked.

“Supply run,” Dobie said. “We wanted to get that done before things got any worse out here. When the cretins start taking heavy losses in Denver, they’re liable to escape this way.”

“Yeah, that’s why we put up the barricades. If it looks like that’s going to happen, we’ll have twenty men on each of the off-ramps.”

“Prudent,” Gabe said. “Alright, Bob, we probably better get going. Take care of yourself and your family.”

“Will do, you too,” he said. Gabe and Dobie got back in the SUV and drove off.

“How far is the electronics store?” Terry asked.

“Way on the far side of town,” Dobie said. He laughed. “About 800 feet straight ahead.”