Lee and Jake finished their second scrumptious meal of the day, consisting of barbecue chicken, potato salad, and some canned tomatoes from storage, plus fresh cucumbers that one of the local farmers had brought over. They ate while discussing their next step. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. and would be getting dark soon. They discussed and weighed the choices. They could wait until morning and continue in daylight. That probably made sense as tired as both men were. Lee pointed out how exhausted he was. With little sleep, a long walk out of Vegas, two separate deadly encounters, and the long bike ride here, both men were wearing down. On the other hand, they realized being on the roads tomorrow in daylight posed more danger. As each hour and day passed, stranded, desperate people on the roads would become more of a threat. Their supply of food and water was a valuable target. Some people may feel the men should share. Others may try forcibly to take what they wanted. Neither man wanted another battle. It was going to be dark soon, but maybe they could get down the paved road to the dirt power line turnoff and move inland a ways and camp. They knew leaving now was the safer bet, but both men were exhausted.
Finally, reaching a compromise, they decided to take a five-hour break, get some sleep, and when the nearly full moon was out, they would take off.
The next part of the route would be to take Kingston Road southwest from Sandy Valley. The road was paved and straight for the first five miles as it passed through rural desert farmland. After five miles, it changed to a maintained gravel road and worked its way up over a mountain range. After crossing the mountain range, the road turned south and intersected the power line road that would lead the men to the south of Fort Irwin. They would try to get at least down past the paved portion tonight and then find a safe place to camp out.
With the decision made, Lee and Jake found Johnnie, told him their plan, and asked if they could sleep here for a few hours. Johnnie not only agreed but also took them into the church and found two military cots for them to use. With the plan of leaving later in the night, Lee and Jake decided to move the cots outside. They did not want to disturb sleeping people when getting up to leave.
“If you are going to leave in the middle of the night, allow us to say a blessing now,” Johnnie asked the two men.
“We would appreciate that,” Lee answered, with Jake nodding his approval.
Johnnie then gathered several of the Mormons and about two dozen of the refugees, and they all gathered in a large circle and grasped hands.
Johnnie recited the blessing, “Oh, Father in heaven. Bless these brave men, Jake and Lee, as they continue their long journey to reunite with their families. Make their journey safe and quick. Provide them with shelter when needed and food to nourish and strengthen their bodies. Also, Lord, please provide for all of your children who have gathered at your house here in this beautiful valley. Please provide for those who need your help in this terrible time. Please help those faced with desperation and need throughout our great country. We ask this in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.”
“Amen” sang out from the entire group.
Lee and Jake placed two cots next to their bikes and bags, and they both collapsed onto the cots. Lee was fast asleep in little time. The prayer got Jake thinking and kept him awake for a time. He thought about this situation and his new friend Lee. He also thought about his family and what he had done that had brought him here to this place during this tough time.
Chapter 14
0300, Day 2, Sandy Valley, Nevada
Lee had set an alarm on his watch to wake him and Jake up at 0300 hours. It felt to Lee like they had just lain down, but the two got up reluctantly. Lee shared baby wipes with Jake, which they used to clean up. They also brushed their teeth using some bottled water, gathered their stuff, and readied the bikes. They put the backpacks in the cart with some loose water bottles, tools, and other heavy items. Lee tied his chest rig on the handlebars of his bike with some wire ties and put on the fanny pack. Jake said he would pedal the bike with the cart for now and they could trade off later.
The two men quietly pushed the bikes out of the parking lot, mounted them at the road, and headed out. The moon was high in the sky and providing acceptable light for riding on the paved roads. Lee and Jake moved along at a slow pace, not wanting to exhaust themselves any further. The ride was easy on the paved parts of Sandy Valley Road, but soon it gave way to graded gravel road where it met Kingston road. The loose gravel made riding a lot more difficult. Both Lee and Jake were improving their skill at navigating loose dirt and gravel. Neither man crashed as they had done many times the day before.
The road up out of Goodsprings was good, but started climbing steeply. Both men had to dismount the bikes often and push them up steep climbs. It was grueling work. They would continue to ponder dumping the bikes but knew the road would be flat and downhill after they got up and over this pass, so they just kept pushing and moving, resting often.
The setting moon decreased the light and made navigating more difficult. Lee put on his headlamp and rode in front to mark the way. Jake followed along closely behind him.
Around 5:00 a.m., Lee and Jake both felt they were far enough up in the mountains and felt secure. They decided to rest for a bit and wait for daylight. Lee got out his tablet stove and heated some water for coffee. They shared the hot drink. Both men ate a sandwich received from Carl, plus a couple of the remaining snacks from the convince store in Vegas. Wanting to hydrate, both men finished off a bottle of water with added energy-drink powder. They discussed various things while they were eating and drinking. Lee told Jake about his involvement at the training facilities known as “MOUTs” at Irwin. He explained how he had worked with the General’s Chief of Staff, a civilian named Steven Rollinson. Jake knew Steven, and he was still at the base. The talk soon waned as Lee and Jake both relaxed and fell asleep.
Chapter 15
0330, Day 2, Sylmar, California
Dayyan sat with Naseem, Uday, and a new soldier, Arman, who had brought his own small army to join with Dayyan’s force earlier that evening. They sat on the 210 freeway behind a dead flatbed truck. Their position provided them a vantage point overseeing the new Sylmar National Guard base that lie below them. It was just off foothill Boulevard near the Hanson Dam Recreational Area. The base had just opened in spring.
A new target was provided to Dayyan after the successful mission at the armored car factory. The new target was astonishing to him. His handlers were expecting his small force to take on a real military base, which likely would have superior forces equipped with superior weapons. Such a bold attack could result in annihilation of his small force. But as the plan was revealed, he could see potential for a huge victory. A successful mission could strengthen his army and deliver a terrific blow to the infidels and nonbelievers.
Dayyan had kept the force at the armored truck factory until just after sundown. He then split up the convoy, including the new heavy armored Homeland Security and Brinks trucks, into three groups, and they all made their way to the North San Fernando Valley. After getting nine of the Brinks trucks running plus the four Homeland Security trucks, they now had the same number of cars and trucks as men. This meant each man would need to drive alone. His handler had told him there would be more men at the new target to strengthen the army.
One of the three groups of trucks ran into trouble heading to the rendezvous location. There assigned route was up Wentworth Street toward Foothill Boulevard to the north. The lead truck was one of the DHS trucks taken from the Brinks shop. Near Foothill, they met a large group of police and firefighters at a large relief center set up at fire station #24 on the left side of the road. Many civilians most likely rescued from the 210 freeway were milling about. There were also police in the mix of people, who instantly turned toward the large impressive convoy of trucks, probably assuming they were coming to help.