The Infected Dead (Book 1): Alive for Now
Page 28
I turned on the camera that faced the mainland a studied the trees near the dock. There wasn’t any movement, but I made another mental note to talk with the Chief about the guns our unwanted tenants had been carrying. I wasn’t sure because of the distance and the debris on the beach, but it looked like they were gone. Of course they could also have been covered by sand over the last few weeks.
When I switched to one of the main cameras on the ocean side of the island, I wasn’t surprised to see some whitecaps and choppy seas. The sky was overcast, and a winter storm was moving across us. It was like watching a movie because we couldn’t even hear what was happening outside.
The camera to the northern tip showed our collection tied to the dock. The boat and the seaplane were bobbing safely on the inland side of the dock, protected from the brunt of the wind by the houseboat.
I only saw it for a split second, but something moved through the air on top of the houseboat. Whatever it was, it was just there and then gone. I was ready to pass it off as just a sea gull, but there it was again. This time I was looking straight at it, but it moved so fast that I still didn’t know what it was. One thing for sure, it couldn’t be an infected dead, because they didn’t move that fast.
I was afraid to blink because that’s how fast it came and went from my field of vision. I was focusing so hard on the spot where I saw the movement that my eyes were starting to hurt. When I saw it a third time, I caught a glimpse of something that looked like an arm, but I still wasn’t sure what I was seeing.
There was a switch we had discovered by playing with the controls on the center console. It operated a microphone that could be used as an intercom system in the shelter. We hadn’t bothered to use it because there was never anything really that big to report that couldn’t be done in person, but this seemed like the appropriate time.
I flipped the switch and said, “Testing, testing. Chief, Kathy, Jean? Could you please come to the living room? There’s something on the camera view of the houseboat that I’d like for you to see.”
Kathy was the closest, but she arrived with the Chief close on her heels. He knew it had to be important for me to use the intercom.
Jean came up behind him and said, “Dammit, Eddy. I almost peed my pants when you used the intercom.”
The Chief said, “Is that all? I almost shot off my foot.”
Kathy looked at the two of them and said, “I honestly thought he was going to say something else, but I’d better just leave it at that. Why’d you call for us, Ed?”
“Watch the camera on top of the houseboat,” I said.
The three of them started watching, and of course nothing happened. Just as Kathy was starting to ask what they were watching for, there was a blur of motion.
Jean asked, “What was that I just saw?”
“I’m not sure,” said the Chief, “but putting two and two together, I think I have an idea.”
The blur of motion happened again, and the Chief said, “Yep, that was the backswing of a fishing rod. I think someone is fishing from the top of the houseboat. Ed, switch to the interior camera view.”
I reached over and flipped the switch to bring up the camera hidden in the main living area of the houseboat. There were a couple of back packs sitting on the little table that served as the social area in the middle of the main room. Open cans of food were next to the back packs.
“Someone had a little snack before going fishing,” I said.
The Chief leaned closer to the screen and said, “What does that look like behind the back packs?”
“Oh my god,” said Jean. “That looks just like the microphone cord on that old shortwave radio we have over there.” She gestured toward the table where ours was sitting, and we all looked back and forth making the comparison.
There was a collective gasp from our little group as a little girl walked past the table where the back packs were sitting. She passed out of view then returned carrying a bottle of water. She sat down at the table and picked up one of the cans.
“Is that the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen?” asked Jean.
She had jet black hair that still had plenty of curls, and she was swinging her feet while she ate a can of peaches. Her face was pink, looking like it had been recently scrubbed.
She looked up and smiled in the direction of the door to the houseboat. We had been so intent on watching her that we didn’t see the man climb down the ladder from the top of the houseboat. Now he was standing in the room with the little girl, and he held up a fish that he had caught. He held up a bucket of blue crabs in his other hand, and the little girl scrunched up her face at the sight of the crabs trying to climb out of the bucket.
Jean was the first to react, and she was at our short wave radio in a flash. She switched it on said, “Tom Bergman.”
The man in the houseboat sat down the bucket and the fish and moved the back packs out of the way. He keyed the microphone and said, “Who is this?”
The Chief had also moved quickly and stopped Jean from going on.
“Be careful what you say. There may be others listening,” he said.
Jean gave him a nod and said into the microphone, “Tom Bergman, don’t answer yet, just listen. You can’t eat what you just showed your daughter. It’s contaminated. Just throw it out and wait to hear back from me.”
The man on the screen, obviously Tom Bergman, was more than confused. His head whipped around as he tried to figure out how someone knew his every move. He raised the microphone to his mouth, but Jean stopped him before he could speak.
“No,” she said. “Don’t say anything. Wait to hear from me.”
We watched as the man looked at the crabs and the fish then walked over and picked them up. We couldn’t see what he was doing, but it sounded like the door opened and closed. He returned back to his daughter and sat down with his arm around her as protection. He looked like he was waiting for the female voice to tell him what to do next.
Jean asked, “What should we do now?”
“It was probably good that you spoke first, Jean. A man’s voice might have been more intimidating,” said the Chief. “Tell him you are coming and will be there in exactly one hour.”
The Chief turned to me and Kathy and said, “Suit up, super heroes. We’re going on a rescue mission. Jean will approach the houseboat alone, but we’ll need to check the area to be sure it’s clear.”
Jean keyed the microphone and said what the Chief told her. She added instructions not to use the radio again. Then she caught up with us as we put on our warm camouflage gear and boots. We all carried rifles and handguns because our least favorite time to be outside was after dark. The sun was low in the west, and it would be dark within the hour.
Less than ten minutes later we were outside and quietly moving on the now familiar path. Even though it was a mile from the shelter to the dock, we were all in good shape and making good time. I honestly thought we could sneak up on an infected dead before it would even hear us coming.
Forty minutes after telling the man to sit tight, we were in position to scan the area around the dock. The overcast sky was blocking out most of the light, and the wind coming over the water was covering all other sounds. We had no choice but to trust our luck.
The lights were out inside the houseboat. Whoever Tom Bergman was, he was smart enough not to advertise his presence. We approached keeping low, covering all directions of possible attack and didn’t stop until we were around the door. Jean reached up and tapped on it lightly.
“Tom Bergman, it’s me. I’m the lady who spoke to you on the radio.” She only spoke as loud as she needed to, but we could hear him move as soon as she spoke. It sounded like he crossed over to one side of the door.
He answered in a hushed voice, “How do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t, but if we had meant you harm, we wouldn’t have warned you we were coming,” she said.
“You’re not alone.” It didn’t sound like a question, but t
he man didn’t know what to do. He wanted to protect his daughter, but he was cornered. A cornered parent could be dangerous, even by accident.
Kathy moved next to Jean and said through the closed door, “Mr. Bergman. There’s no time to explain everything, so listen carefully. There are four of us, and it’s not safe out here. We have a safe place for you and your little girl. Put on your warm coats and get your backpacks. Don’t worry about anything else. When you are ready, come out and just follow us to safety.”
It was quiet for a few moments, but then he answered, “Do I have a choice?”
Kathy said, “Yes, you can stay here in the houseboat for as long as you like. We’ll even share our supplies with you, but you will never really be safe. Oh, and one other thing, don’t eat the seafood. It may look safe, but it’s not.”
The man probably had his mind made up even before Kathy answered, because the door opened a few inches before she finished talking. He peered around the corner and looked at our group. We must have looked like a SWAT team on a raid.
“Hi neighbor,” I said.
That probably confused him more than anything else, but he squeezed through the door with his back pack and reached behind him to help guide the little girl out onto the dock. She was bundled up in a coat with a big furry hood, but she looked more curious than afraid.
The Chief pointed toward the end of the dock and said, “Follow the ladies. We’ll cover the rear and our flanks. We have about a mile to go, but it will be worth your time. I promise.”
When we arrived back at the entrance to the shelter, I remembered the day I had met the three people who had become my best friends ever. I dialed in the combination to the big lock on the door, and just before I pulled it open, I turned to the man who was hugging his little girl and said, “I know you have a thousand questions, but I’ll answer one now. We have a fresh water supply.”
The others all let out a soft chorus of groans, and Jean said, “You’re gonna get it when I get you inside, Eddy.”
Table of Contents
Alive for Now
Alive for Now
Survival
Mud Island
Atlantic Spirit
Rescue
Dead World
Going Home
Guests