Creeping Tyranny Read online

  “That’s it, nobody here,” Robbie said. “I’ll see if I can find extra keys.”

  “Good idea,” Gil said. “This place is more defendable than your folks place in some ways.”

  “Mixed bag,” Robbie said. “There’s no sliding glass doors on the first floor. Only small windows. We could board them up. We could do the 4-by-4 routine at the back garage door and the front door. You can see up and down the street on the balcony. Decent place to shoot from.”

  “Yeah,” Gil said. “I’ll go help the guys move all the junk inside the garage. You want to handle the food?”

  “If I can find an extra key, I’ll leave the food here,” Robbie said. “We can get it later if we need it.”

  “Okay,” Gil said, rushing down the stairs.

  Robbie put the perishable food worth saving back into the fridge and shut it. Then he searched for keys, looking on the walls for key hangers. Nothing upstairs. He went downstairs and looked there too. No dice. Where would I hide them? Bedroom. He went back up the stairs and started looking. Nothing in any of the dresser drawers. Kitchen junk drawer.

  “Hey, Robbie, we got everything moved inside the garage,” Gil yelled from the foot of the stairs. “Find keys?”

  “Not yet,” Robbie said, pulling open kitchen drawers. “Bingo!” There were several sets of keys in a drawer full of small hand tools, twister seals, chip bag clamps, and other assorted junk. He grabbed them, racing down the stairs and into the garage. He went to the back door and tried them, one after another.

  “Hope one of them works,” Steve said, coming in to watch.

  “Me too,” Robbie said, trying keys and then tossing them on the shelf next to the door. “Here we go,” he said, holding up a key.

  “Yes!” Steve said.

  “Found it?” Gil asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Stand back while I close the big door, then we can go out this way and lock up.”

  Gil and Steve stepped inside and Robbie hit the garage door button. The door clattered down, and they went out the back door, walking through the wooden gate to the front yard.

  “Where’s Justin?” Robbie asked.

  “He got a phone call,” Gil said. “He’s in the driveway.”

  They circled through the front yard to the driveway. Justin walked up to join them.

  “What’s up?” Robbie asked.

  “My brother,” he said. “Taking his family up north to the cabin in Bishop.”

  “You going?”

  “Nah,” he said. “They were asking if I could take one of their dogs.”

  “Fine by me,” Robbie said. “Good early warning.”

  “What kind is it?” Gil asked.

  “Pit bull,” Justin said. “Scary dog, but a real sweetheart when you get to know him. His name’s Killer.”

  “Why didn’t they take him?” Steve asked.

  “They had three other dogs. Not enough room, and you know how people feel about pit bulls.”

  “How’s Killer gonna feel about us?” Gil asked.

  “I’ll introduce you guys. He’s actually a good guard dog.”

  “Alright, bring him over, unless you want to go with your brother,” Robbie said.

  “His wife hates me,” Justin said. “Feeling’s mutual. He asked, but I don’t want to crash their marriage.”

  “Okay, we ready to go?” Robbie asked.

  “I am,” Steve said. “I’ll back out.”

  He trotted to his car. As he was backing down, a man in his early thirties approached from across the street.

  “Who are you guys?” He eyed them, his muscles rippling under a tank top.

  “My parents own the back unit,” Robbie said.

  “You’re Frank and Jane’s son?” he asked. “Got proof?”

  “Driver’s license?” Robbie asked.

  “We don’t have to listen to this,” Justin said.

  “Knock it off,” Robbie said. “It’s not bad to have somebody around who looks out for folks.” He showed the license.

  “Same last name,” the man said. “I’m Cody. You see what happened to Rick and Diane?”

  “I shot the two gang bangers that were messing with them,” Gil said.

  “I wasn’t home last night,” Cody said. “What happened?”

  “Two gang bangers tried to rape Diane right in the driveway,” Robbie said. “Gil shot one of them. Their dog grabbed the other one, then Rick brained him with a baseball bat.”

  “You said two gang bangers got shot,” Cody said.

  “Yeah, one came over and tried to save the other two,” Gil said. “I shot him in the side, and then a car came by and picked him up. Should have shot him again. The creep probably lived.”

  “Is this the first time this street has been hit?” Robbie asked.

  “No, but it’s by far the worst, from the look of things,” Cody said. “Your folks left after the first attack, but it was minor. It wasn’t hard-core gang bangers. It was mostly kids from Lawndale. Where did your folks end up, anyway?”

  “I haven’t been able to raise them,” Robbie said. “Rick said they were going to Arizona in the motor home.”

  “Good,” Cody said. “Hope they’re okay.”

  “Me too,” Robbie said. “Where do you live?”

  “Front unit on the corner there,” he said, pointing across the street to a large condo complex on the corner. “I’m a reserve police officer. We kinda morphed into a militia. We helped with the problems at the Galleria last night. That was a mess.”

  “Yeah, saw some of that on TV,” Gil said. “How late did you get home?”

  “After five,” Cody said.

  “Oh, so you didn’t see who took the bodies.”

  “I didn’t notice any bodies when I drove up,” he said. “Just the junk in the driveway. That’s good. Means they’re only coming after dark. They’ll be back, though. You guys better either split or be armed.”

  “I’m taking off,” Steve said from his car. “See you.”

  “Later, man,” Robbie said. “I’ll be back here in about three hours.”

  “What are you guys gonna do?” Cody asked.

  “Get clothes and stuff from our apartments and come back,” Robbie said. “All of us live east. Too dangerous there.”

  “It’s not that safe here, either,” Cody said. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Got to get some shut-eye.”

  He walked back across the street.

  “Maybe he’s a good friend to have,” Gil said.

  “I don’t like him,” Justin said.

  “So what else is new?” Gil said. “I’m outta here.”

  “Me too,” Justin said. They all got to their cars and took off.

  ***

  Sam was sitting on the porch in front of the RV Park office, rifle cradled on his lap, sipping coffee in the morning sun.

  Connie came out of the office. “Honey, the CHP is out at the gate by the highway. They want you to let them in.”

  “Finally,” he said. “Called them yesterday and they don’t get here until this morning?”

  “The sheriff never came yesterday either,” Connie said. “Things must be really bad out there.”

  “I’ll go let them in. Be back in a minute.”

  “Be careful,” Connie said. “I’ll tell the others you’re going out there, just in case.”

  Sam nodded as he walked to the Jeep with his rifle in hand. He drove out onto the access road. It took nearly five minutes to wind his way to the gate by the highway. The CHP cruiser was parked, both officers standing next to it, watching him drive up.

  “You took the sign down,” the first officer said. He was middle aged with a weathered face and a crew cut. “You Sam? I’m Officer Ryan.”

  “Yeah, I’m Sam,” he said. He looked at the other officer, who looked like a rookie, lanky with short blonde hair. He was staring silently.

  “Oh, I’m Officer Patrick,” he said. “Sorry.”

  “You want to come back or talk out he
re?”

  “Come back, if that’s okay,” Officer Ryan said.

  “Okay, let me swing this gate out of the way.” Sam unlocked the massive padlock and swung the heavy gate to the side. “Drive through. I’m locking this after you.”

  “Good idea,” Officer Ryan said. He got back in the car and drove through, leaving Officer Patrick standing there.

  Sam ushered him inside and shut the gate, locking it, taking a last look up and down the road. “Okay, follow me.” He got into his Jeep, made a K-turn, and took off towards the park. Officer Patrick got into the cruiser and they followed.

  Connie, Clem, John, and Sid were all waiting at the gate for them. Harry was sitting on the porch, and a few others were milling around. Sam parked in front of the office, the CHP cruiser parking next to it.

  “Look, it’s Ponch and John,” Clem said.

  “We’re never gonna live that damn show down,” Officer Ryan said. He chuckled as he walked to the group, followed by Officer Patrick.

  Sam walked over. “That’s Connie. She’s the one you talked to on the phone. Those other reprobates are Clem, John, Sid, and Harry. Guys, this is Officer Ryan and Officer Patrick.”

  “You guys took out the bad guys?” Officer Ryan asked.

  “Yeah, we ain’t as old and feeble as we look,” John said.

  “Speak for yourself, old man,” Clem said, slapping his knee and laughing.

  “You know those weren’t Mexicans, right?” Sid asked. “They were Islamists with AK-47s.”

  “Yeah, we know,” Ryan said.

  “Damn heathens,” Harry said, spitting on the ground.

  “Okay, okay,” Sam said. “What took you guys so long to get here?”

  “You don’t know what happened yesterday, do you?” Officer Patrick asked.

  “Guess not,” Sam said.

  “The sheriff and his deputies are all dead,” Ryan said. “Ambushed on the road. They might have been on their way here.”

  “What direction were they coming from?” Sid asked.

  “Northwest, coming down highway 94,” Ryan said.

  “Dammit,” Sid said. “Sorry that happened.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Sam said. Connie began crying softly, holding onto Sam’s arm.

  “What now?” Clem asked.

  “You folks aren’t safe here, but you aren’t safe on the roads either,” Ryan said.

  “So what do we do?” Connie asked.

  “If it were me? Fortify your position here and ride it out,” Ryan said.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Sid said. “We’re working on that now. You notice the signs are gone.”

  “Yes, and that will help as long as that last convoy doesn’t pass the word to others,” Ryan said.

  “Where’s that convoy now?” Sam asked.

  “We were tracking them with those two Barrett Junction Sheriff’s cars, but they ditched them at the Jamul Indian Village,” Patrick said.

  “We’ve got units looking for them all around highway 94 and the major routes into San Diego,” Ryan said.

  “San Diego,” Clem said. “What can they do there? With the number of trucks Sid saw yesterday, they’ve got under a hundred men. The local police would make short work of them.”

  “That’s the main reason we’ve stopped by here,” Ryan said. “Some of you are gonna stay put, right?”

  Sam laughed. “Hell, all of us are gonna stay put. We’ve got too many people who can’t leave. And like you said, the roads aren’t safe.”

  “Good. You got anybody watching 94?” Ryan asked.

  “Not every minute,” Sid said. “We’ve talked about doing a rotation, though.”

  “I suggest you do that, both for your own safety, and to help us,” Ryan said.

  “So you want us to keep watch and communicate with you guys,” Sam said. “I think we could live with that, but what’s the end game?”

  “We’re trying to lock down San Diego,” Ryan said. “We’re having enough trouble taking on the enemy fighters who are coming in by sea and across the border near San Diego. If they open up a pipeline through the east here, it could be a real problem for the state. We could lose the whole damn region.”

  “Let’s make a deal,” Sid said. “We’re low on ammo. Maybe you could bring us some.”

  “What do you need?” Ryan asked.

  “We’ll give you a list,” Sam said. “Text it in to you.”

  “Okay, I’ll have to run it by the brass, but I think they’ll go for it.”

  “One other thing,” Clem said. “If we waste these guys, we aren’t going to be indicted for it, right?”

  Ryan laughed. “Now who would do that?”

  “The same creeps in the California State Government who’ve caused the problem in the first place with their loose borders and sanctuary cities,” Clem said.

  “You gonna spout off about sleeper cells again, Clem?” John asked.

  “Damn straight,” he said. “You heard about what’s happening in LA County, right?”

  Ryan sighed. “Yes, we’ve heard the rumors that outside agitators are stirring up the gangs to attack.”

  “I believe it,” Patrick said.

  “Me too,” Ryan said. “I’m just a grunt. You know that, right? I can’t tell you that no state official will ever get a wild hair up their butts and come after vigilantes like you guys. I can guarantee you that no law enforcement agency I know of would be willing to go after you guys for what you did yesterday, regardless of what the diversity-at-all-costs nutcases up in Sacramento think.”

  Sid laughed. “Well, that sounds solid.”

  “Look,” Ryan said. “It’s in your interest to watch the road, because you’ve killed four enemy fighters, and they might want revenge. You were gonna watch the road either way. All I’m asking is that you call us if you see anything.”

  “I’m just messing with you,” Sid said. “I’m all for the plan.”

  “Me too,” Sam said.

  The others nodded in agreement.

  “Thanks,” Ryan said. “Would one of you guys take us back to the gate? We need to get moving.”

  “Sure,” Sam said.

  Sid and the others watched them walk away.

  “Think we’re gonna get attacked again?” Harry asked.

  John, Sid, Harry, and Clem looked at each other. Sid shrugged. “Good question. Depends on what the first group was.”

  “What do you mean?” John asked.

  Sid shook his head. “If that was a pilot group for a new invasion route, they’ll end up killing all of us. They can’t have anybody warning the authorities.”

  “Gee, that’ll help me sleep at night,” Clem said.

  “When Sam gets back we need to have a meeting and set up that rotation,” John said. “It needs to be 24-7.”

  Chapter 5 – Police Visit

  Robbie drove slowly down Yukon Street to his apartment. The roads were filled with debris and broken glass.

  His driveway was empty. None of the usual cars in the extra spaces in front. The door of the front ground-floor unit was hanging open. The rear ground floor unit past the three garage doors looked fine. He hit his opener and waited for the middle garage door to open, then pulled inside and got out, opening the trunk. He grabbed his tools off the shelves on the left wall, pushing them to the back of the trunk, then hurried up the stairs to his unit. His next-door neighbor cracked open her door.

  “Robbie?” the young blonde woman asked. She was small and thin with a pretty face, about Robbie’s age.

  “Morgan,” he said. “You okay? How about Brianna?”

  “I’m okay, but last night was scary. Brianna’s dad came and got her early this morning. I don’t think she’ll be back.”

  “Nobody came up here?” Robbie asked, looking down the walkway to the back. There were three more units behind his.

  “No, thank God,” Morgan said, stepping out. “Where did you go last night?”

  “My folk’s house in Redondo Beach.
”

  “North Redondo or South Redondo?”

  “North,” Robbie said as he unlocked his door.

  “Bad things happened there last night,” she said.

  “I know, we were in the middle of it,” Robbie said.

  “You were at the Galleria?”

  “No,” Robbie said, walking inside his unit. Morgan followed him. “We avoided that. It was a mess.”

  “Where did you have problems?”

  “On my parent’s street,” Robbie said. He pulled a couple kitchen trash bags from under the sink and walked into the bedroom as Morgan walked in.

  “Am I bothering you?” Morgan asked.

  He stopped loading clothes into the bag and turned towards her. “No, not at all. Sorry, I can’t stick around here very long.”

  “You aren’t coming back, are you?”

  “Probably not,” he said. “You should go somewhere else. It’s not safe here.”

  She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “I don’t have anywhere to go. My parents live in Utah.”

  “You don’t have any friends who live in a better location?” he asked.

  “No, I didn’t grow up here,” she said. “I have some friends from work, but it’s closed down now. I don’t know how to get in touch with any of them.”

  “You were a bar tender, right?”

  “Cocktail waitress,” she said. “At one of the card clubs in Gardena. It’s too dangerous around there now. All of them are closing.”

  “Geez,” Robbie said, going back to packing. “This whole area is falling apart.”

  She sat on the couch and started to cry. “What am I gonna do?”

  Robbie stopped packing for a minute and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, calming down after a few minutes, then wiping her eyes and looking at him.

  “Sorry,” she said softly.

  “It’s all right,” Robbie said.

  “How come you never asked me out?” she asked. “I thought you would. You gave me the look more than once.”

  “You’re out of my league,” Robbie said. “I’m kind of a dork.”

  “No you’re not,” she said, smiling at him. “I would have gone out with you.” She paused. “I would go out with you. I make it sound like you’re dead or something.”