Chapter 7

[Preservation – Jim in New Mexico]

As I rode into town, I saw smoke start to rise in the distance at the other end of town. I drove to that point and found the RV just starting to catch fire from a service station that was burning and causing the smoke. A naked female body was in the road about thirty feet from the RV. The body wasn't moving. I checked and it was Sue's body. She had been shot and it looked like she had been raped. I moved to the RV thinking that someone might still be in it who could be helped.

I went to it and forced the door. No one was in the front of the RV. I heard a groan from the back. I went into the back and found Dot lying on the bed. She had been shot in the chest and was also naked. She looked like she had been used sexually, too. I took her hand and said her name. Her eyes opened.

"Sue, where is she?" She asked.

"She is outside, dead."

Dot choked for a brief moment. She said, "There were two of them, tall and skinny. They came over and acted friendly. Sue opened the door. They came in and brought out guns. Th-they knew about you. They said that you wouldn't be out any time soon.

"They made me raise the leveling pieces. They drove out and came here. While one drove, the other made us take our clothes off. Sue was raped and left lying at the dining table. They changed drivers and I was taken in here and raped. When the RV stopped, I shouted for Sue to run. I heard the door open and then I was shot. I hurt. They were rough. I-I feel tired." As she said that, she faded. I checked her pulse and there was none. Her blood was all over the bed. It was not a pretty picture. I could do nothing for her.

I grabbed some clothes and the pistol and exited the RV. It didn't look like any attempt had been made to loot the RV, which was curious. It had been a good vehicle. I looked around and didn't see anyone move. I went back in and pulled the extra radios and antennas. Those items also went in the jeep. I went over to the naked body that was Sue. She had bled from between her legs and from her wound in her back. I thought a moment and carried her in and lay her beside her sister.

I was scared. There were two rapists with guns who might show up and shoot at any moment. Pistols and shotguns are better at close range. But I wanted my rifle so I could reach out and touch someone. I got it out of the RV. I had everything loaded, got in the jeep, and left. I made no attempt to salvage the RV. The flames were going to get the RV in another five minutes and it would have to be the girls' funeral pyre.

I drove out of town and found a gas station and convenience store out by itself. I filled the tank on the jeep and went inside with my shotgun under my arm. The door had been forced. I looked around and found a cooler that I filled with water and grabbed some chips and candy bars that wouldn't melt. The most important things I found were two maps. One was for New Mexico where I was and one was for Texas where I was going.

Out of town, I found another spot where I could see all around me yet that wasn't too exposed. I stopped there and made plans. I decided that I-40 wasn't for me and that I would take US 180 to Snyder and US 84 and thence to I-20. I would make further plans and look for new transportation in Abilene. It looked like about three hundred miles according to the scale. I drove as fast as I dared take the jeep to the outskirts of Abilene. It was late when I got there but I found a motel and pulled in around back where I wouldn't be noticed from the interstate or the access road. I ate the junk food I had brought not wanting to cook or even find a place. I decided to study the map and the phone book for places to check for another vehicle along with food once I found one. There were a number of dealers listed and I mapped each one. I went to bed and said a prayer for the two girls and for me. Having someone with me had been good. This was now a lonely world.

I woke early, cleaned up, dressed and went outside. I heard nothing. There were no vehicle noises or any other noise that sounded of living people. I carried out my few things that I had taken from the jeep, repacked, and left the motel.

I went to the first dealer and found another RV. It was a different brand but similar to the other RV. I used the equipment there to mount the radios and generally ready it for the road. I loaded my clothes and left the jeep. My first stop was to fill the tanks with gas. Water was available at the RV dealership and I filled that tank. I was ready for the road again. I still needed a laptop and food along with linens and a few other things. I found a place to hide out as best as you can hide with a thirty-foot plus RV. I used the time to make a list for "shopping."

I slowly moved off watching for any people and looking for a shopping center. I figured a Wal-Mart or Target with food would be a single source for my needs. I found a Wal-Mart first. I pulled into the parking lot cautiously watching for any sign of people. I saw no one.

I parked the RV fairly close to the entrance. I locked the door when I left and was fully armed. I wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later but would be ready to shoot if that was indicated by the actions of someone else. I broke in and took a cart to load up. Fortunately, the power was on and I could see everywhere. I went through all the departments including food and clothes. I picked up another rifle and two boxes of bullets for it. It was a size and brand that I had shot before making it better than what I had. I went outside looking carefully for any people. I went to the door and took my possessions inside, pushed the cart out of the way, reentered the RV, and left the parking lot. I had already decided that I would find a safe place, insofar as there was any safety anywhere, before I put my new possessions away.

I drove about a mile and saw what looked like a residential street into a subdivision and turned down it. I pulled around another corner out of sight and parked. I kept the doors locked. I loaded up my new RV and pulled forward to a corner to make turning around easier. I turned around and started out to the main road. As I did a young guy ran out of a house from the driver's side waving. The window would roll down and I rolled it down. He was alone and wasn't armed.

"Hello," I said.