Free Bug Out! Part 6: Motorhome Mayhem in the Rockies by Robert Boren

“I just wouldn’t underestimate them. They got a whole lot of troops moved into Utah without the army catching it, and that couldn’t have been easy.”
    “He’s got a point,” Jane added.
    “We shouldn’t just give up on this idea,” Charlie said.
    “Yeah, I agree,” Jeb said. “But maybe rather than sending all of us over there with rifles and mortars, it ought to be just the trackers with as much dynamite as we can carry. We can dress up like hunters so we have a cover story if we get caught. Hunting rifles only….no AKs or M-16s.”
    “And then what?” Jasmine asked.
    “Simple. If we don’t find them, or if we sense a trap, we hi-tail it in a roundabout way so we don’t get followed back home. If we find them there as the recording suggests, then we blow up as much of their stuff as they can, and make sure a real good fire gets going.”
    “How?” Frank asked.
    “Well, I’ll be taking my bow,” Jeb said. “If Kurt here could do the same, we might just give them a real bad day. Jerry and Charlie and the Sheriff could cover us with their hunting rifles.”
    “So you’re suggesting sending five?” Frank asked.
    “Well, six, actually, because I’ll need to get you guys there,” Gabe said. “I know those roads like the back of my hand.”
    “It’s enough to be successful, but not so big that we couldn’t fade into the woodwork and escape,” Jeb added.
    “If Jerry goes, I go,” Jasmine said.
    “Can you shoot a hunting rifle?” Jeb asked. “You can’t take that M-16. Hunting rifles kick a lot harder than what you’re used to.”
    “Then I’d better start practicing,” she said.
    “Wait,” Kurt said. “I think I have a solution for that. Let’s get you checked out with my varmint rifle.”
    “What’s a varmint rifle?” Jasmine asked.
    “It’s a small bore rifle that’s made to shoot small game. I have an old Winchester Model 54 that’s chambered for .220 Swift. The barrel is getting a little worn, but it still shoots well. It’s got a sweet scope on it, too.”
    “Will it take out a human?” Frank asked.
    “It’s all in the placement,” Kurt said. “At the velocity that it goes, for longer range, it can do a lot of damage. Some experts hunt deer with this round, believe it or not.”
    “I used to have one of those,” Jeb said. “Wore the barrel out. They throw a fast bullet, but they hardly kick at all.”
    “Exactly,” Kurt said.
    “Alright, so when are we going to do this?” Frank asked.
    “There’s a full moon tonight,” Gabe said. “I think we ought to go for it. There’s just enough time for me to show you guys the dynamite, and for Kurt to get Jasmine checked out on the varmint rifle.”
    “I’d have a bite to eat, too you guys,” Hilda said. “To keep your strength up. This makes me pretty nervous, though.”
    Charlie hugged her. “I know, but this is important, sweetheart. We’re in this fight.”
    She just looked up at him and nodded.
    “Alright, let’s go take a look at those explosives,” Gabe said. Frank and Jerry followed him out the door, and over to the barn. It wasn’t quite dusk yet, but it was darkening, and there was a definite chill in the air.
    “I keep this stuff in the back,” Gabe said. “Hope it’s still good.”
    “How old is it?” Jerry asked.
    “Oh, I don’t know. Seven or eight years, probably. Could be as much as ten years.”
    There was a light hanging over the back of the barn with a wide hood and a string hanging down. Gabe pulled the string and turned it on. It wasn’t quite bright enough. He walked over to a tall metal double door cabinet that was against the wall, and unlocked it. He opened both doors and pulled out a wooded box about the same size as a milk crate, bringing it over by the light and taking off the top.
    “Wow, there’s a lot in there,” Frank said. Jerry pulled out his cellphone and turned on the flashlight app. It bathed the red dynamite sticks in bright light. He carefully pulled