Bug Out! Part 6: Motorhome Mayhem in the Rockies Read Free Page B

if you have to drive, and the roads around here are being watched pretty closely. We have a staging area right on the other side of I-70 in Eagle, and the Government wants to make sure it doesn’t get overrun like the Utah base did.”
    “What was that ‘as the crow flies’ number, again?” Jackson turned to Gabe. “I forgot already.”
    “Roughly 40 miles,” Gabe said, “but keep in mind - this isn’t flat desert that they could just walk across. It’s the Rocky Mountains. The 40 miles I’m talking about isn’t passable. You’d have to be repelling sheer rock walls more times than I’d like to consider, and there are plenty of rivers and creeks. And bears. And extreme cold, even this time of year, when you’re near the peaks. So they aren’t coming as the crow flies, and the 60 miles of roads they would have to take to get here aren’t easy either. They’re mostly two lane roads, going through a bunch of small towns full of rednecks. A large group would never make it here without us knowing about it. They probably wouldn’t make it here alive, period. The rednecks would just love to collect a few ears.”
    “Eewwww,” Jasmine said.
    “I’ve got to agree with Gabe on that,” the Major said. “If the bad guys get here, it’ll be because they’ve overrun Utah and Arizona, and can navigate on the big roads such as I-70 without getting blown to hell. It would be the northern faction. I think that’s unlikely.”
    “Well, we were supposed to be safe at my place,” Hilda said. “We know how that worked out.”
    The Major looked down silently for a moment.
    “You’re right, Hilda, we did think it was fairly safe there, and we were caught with our pants down. Nobody knows that better than me, and I’m really sorry. The General was my mentor and friend. I was also close to Major Hobbs, and Major Darcy. That incident keeps me up at night.”
    “We had constant problems there, and both of them warned us about it,” Jeb said. “I’m not blaming them for what happened there. No way in hell. I do blame the jerk weeds in DC for allowing all of those sleeper cells to settle here un-molested, though.”
    “Yeah,” Jerry said. “I’m not real happy about the lack of seriousness on the borders over the past thirty years, either.”
    “Well, you guys are preaching to the choir,” Major Donaldson said. “There
are
things you can do to fortify this area. I suggest you start thinking about that.”
    “What kind of things?” Jane asked.
    “Things similar to what you did in Utah,” he replied. “Set up watches on the roofs. Work on a security system. Patrol. Stay sharp, and stay ready.”
    “We want to go beyond that,” Jeb said. “We want to go after the enemy. We’re really just looking for a safe home base.”
    The Major laughed. “I’ll tell you something. A month ago I’d have laughed you guys right out of this place. No more. I’ve seen what armed civilians in large numbers can do to an enemy force. Folks like you are probably going to end up turning the tide. Just be careful, let us know what you’re planning if you can, and don’t screw up and hit any of my soldiers.”
    “That’s basically what Major Hobbs and General Walker were telling us,” Charlie said.
    “Those cretins really pissed me off,” Jeb said. “I saw what they did at Hilda’s park. I’m going to kill as many of those low-life sixth century idiots as I can…and I’m even madder at the militia traitors and the assholes in the military that turned.”
    “How come you brought so many soldiers with you?” Frank asked casually.
    “They aren’t letting officers go anywhere without a significant force,” the Major answered.
    Earl shot a glance over to Jackson. He nodded towards the window. Earl squinted as he looked out there. The soldiers from the helicopter were taking up positions around the clubhouse, getting ready for an assault. Earl glanced over at Jeb when the Major wasn’t looking and nodded over