by Tim Moon
Kaholo piloted the Kiska out of the harbor, around the breakwater and out into the open ocean.
“You should let Charlotte take a look at your shoulder,” Anuhea said softly.
He could feel her watching him, but he just continued staring at the island as they sailed away. Ben knew he’d be fine, the bullet hadn’t gone through the joint, it had just torn through the muscle. As painful as it was, he knew Chadwick’s injury was far more serious and he figured Charlotte would be busy patching him up for a while. He didn’t want to move.
“I’ll be on the bridge if you need anything,” she said.
He didn’t respond for a long time. Ben knew she was only trying to help him. She knew how close he’d been with Ty. When he turned to thank her, she was already gone.
Ben looked around. He was alone on the deck. Everyone else was busy. For a second, he wondered where Oliver was, but he figured he was on the bridge with Kaholo and Anuhea.
Ben’s shoulder ached. He pulled back the gauze that Anuhea had wrapped around it and grimaced at the gash he saw.
Probably gonna need stitches, he thought.
Ty’s body, wrapped in a tarp, caught Ben’s eye and another wave of grief overtook him. Ty had stepped up. He’d rushed out to help Ben at great risk to his own life. He was grateful for that.
“I’ll never forget you, buddy,” Ben said.
Chapter Forty-Four
Once Vanessa sped away from the neighborhood, she glanced down at the dash. The Mustang had half a tank of gas, not bad. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed up one of her friends from Eyes of Truth.
No luck, she just got another annoying message about the overloaded network. Of course it was. From what she had already seen even little Altoona had fallen to the infection. How far would it go before the government could get a handle on it? Was it even possible at this point?
A laugh shook her shoulders, and it quickly turned to tears.
“How crazy is this?” she yelled to herself as she drove down the empty road. Although she wouldn’t admit it aloud, she was slowly coming to the realization that this was a real life apocalypse. It was too big of a problem to wrestle with, so she pushed it aside, letting the tears fall. She shook her head at the absurdity and horror of the situation.
With half a tank of gas, Vanessa could easily make it to her friend’s house. She smiled slightly. She didn’t want to stop and risk an attack. Besides, all the damn gas pumps were electronic these days. If the credit card networks were down or electricity was out there would be no way to pump gas. She sighed, a problem for later.
Right now Vanessa had to focus on finding a place to lay low. The adrenaline was wearing off. An overwhelming sense of loneliness took over. Since losing Steve, the hitmen had been the only living people she’d come across.
Steve.
“Oh, damn it,” she said. She was still carrying the phone, the same phone that had most likely drawn the Black Tide assassins to the safe house in Altoona. The phone that led to Steve’s murder.
Luckily, she uploaded video already and the cellular network was overloaded so she couldn’t call anyone. At best, it was useless and at worse… She pulled the car over because the phone was wedged into her pocket. Her eyes were overflowing, streams trickled down her face, splashing into her lap.
She reached down and pulled the phone out.
“I’m so sorry, Steve,” Vanessa whispered.
She gave it one last glance, rolled down the window, and tossed it out. The phone skittered across the pavement as she sped away.
His death was her fault she knew that. There was no denying it. If she hadn’t been so foolish, he’d be alive right now. She had to live on, spread the news, and make sure the company didn’t get away with murder again.
With no phone, Black Tide would have no way to track her.
She was free, for now.
She turned her attention to driving, which had turned into quite the safari. Cars, trucks and SUVs abandoned all over the place, bodies littered the ground, and buildings were dark and spooky looking. On numerous occasions, Vanessa drove past car wrecks and even a few vehicles that were on fire or smoldering. With so many infected people wandering around, driving required a completely new level of awareness to avoid crashing.
Sunset had come and gone. Now she was driving in the dark. Headlights were necessary, but they made her nervous. They would be like spotlights, giant invitations for the infected screaming, “Hey, look at me!” It was more attention than she wanted.
Vanessa decided that her best bet was to link up with one of her best friends and a member of Eyes of Truth. Her friend, April was one the few EoT members that she actually knew in real life. She lived in the suburbs of State College, less than fifty miles away. Meeting in person would be risky, considering Black Tide was on to her, but it would have to do. There was nowhere else to go.
It took almost two hours to drive to State College. At one point, she had to detour around a wandering mass of infected. Gunshots in the distance announced survivors. Not once did she pass a police officer or any other emergency service vehicles, which seemed odd, and scary.
Eventually though, she made it. Vanessa slowed the car to a stop in front of her friend’s house. The lights were off, but that wasn’t a surprise. All the lights were off, even the streetlights. She wondered if the power grid had failed or if it was a localized problem.
Or had the news stations told people about the infected?
Tree branches filled with dying leaves rustled in the breeze. Fallen leaves skipped along the pavement with a whooshing sound that made her feel like she was in a horror film. It set her nerves on fire.
Vanessa reached up to her throat and grasped the tiny silver cross she always wore with two fingers, rubbing it for good luck as she whispered a prayer. So far, this was the worst day of her life. She prayed for help, and pleaded that if there was time for God to watch over her, it was now when she was alone, with few options for refuge.
The last infected that Vanessa had seen wandering the barren streets was two blocks ago. She realized they were undoubtedly walking this way hoping to catch up to her. There was no time to waste standing around outside. April’s little electric car was parked in the driveway. Vanessa parked the car in the street and left the driver’s door open in case she needed a speedy retreat; it was one less thing to think about.
Walking quietly, Vanessa crossed the sloping lawn to the front door. Knocking didn’t seem like a great idea so she tried to peek through the small side windows next to the door. The hall was dark and empty.
She turned and decided to try the front windows, maybe she could see through to the kitchen. April was a smart woman and tough too. She’d been some kind of security officer in the Air Force or something like that.
Surely, Vanessa thought, if I can stay alive than someone as smart and strong as April could too.
However, when she looked through the front windows, she wasn’t able to make out anything. Not wanting to stand out front, Vanessa decided to check the back of the house. If April or her husband were home, she might see them back there. If nothing else, she had a better chance of breaking in there. As long as no infected were inside, she was staying here for the night. Driving with those things lurking in the dark was too much for her right now. She needed to rest and collect her thoughts.
Shrubs lined the front of the house, while a fence enclosed the backyard. She pulled the latch on the fence gate by reaching over the top. Thankfully, they’d built the fence low enough so that April, who was shorter than Vanessa, could reach over. Pushing the gate open, she cringed at the squeak of the hinges.
She hunched over on reflex and looked around. No movement, she was still alone.
Vanessa reached down and felt for the screwdriver but it must have fallen out of her pocket at some point.
No problem, she thought, still got the gun. She gripped it and squeezed through the gate not daring to open it further lest she attract unwan
ted attention. The infected apparently maintained their hearing ability and noise drew them in, as she had noticed earlier. Why give them an easy target?
Leaving the gate slightly ajar, she entered the backyard.
Two steps into the backyard and her feet tangled in something on the ground. Fighting the urge to scream, she tripped and dropped the gun. It landed with a dull thud in the grass. Her heart nearly leapt out of her mouth. Laying on her back she frantically tried to kick off whatever wrapped around her legs. It didn’t help. When no teeth tore into her flesh, she calmed down a little. She reached down and carefully checked what had attacked her.
Damn hose, she realized.
Vanessa sat up and pulled the hose off her legs. Her eyes were slowly becoming attuned to the darkness and it didn’t take long for her to locate the gun. Rising up to one knee, she looked around to get a sense of the yard. There was a shed in the back corner, bigger than the one she’d hid in earlier. A bird bath or something, next to a short tree and a small bench nearby, presumably a place for April to sit and read the raunchy “romance” novels she loved so much.
Vanessa smiled briefly and touched the cross around her neck again.
Please watch over my friend, Lord, she thought.
Satisfied that she was safe, alone, and knew the lay of the land, she walked around to the back door. The house looked empty.
Her disappointment quickly washed away when she tested the door handle and found it unlocked. It was a small victory, but it felt like winning the lottery. Breaking a window was the only other option and far too loud for her liking.
Easing the door open, paranoid of squeaky hinges like the gate she poked her head in and whispered loudly, “April, it’s Vanessa. Where are you?”
She froze and waited for a response.
Nothing.
She went inside. The back door opened to the space between the kitchen and the laundry room. There was also a small half bath next to the laundry room. She suddenly realized how bad she had to pee. She crossed her legs and thought maybe she should search the house first, but the urge overwhelmed her.
Leaving the door open was too weird, even though it was dark. She felt too shy. Never before had she been so aware of just how loud it was to pee. She held the gun in both hands aimed at the door. The sound seemed to echo throughout the house. Squatting in the grass outside might have been undignified but at least it was quieter.
Finished with her business Vanessa stood up, flushing the toilet behind her. The action was so automatic that it didn’t take a moment’s thought. Cursing under her breath, she left the bathroom closing the door behind her to muffle the lingering toilet noises.
A shape moved in the kitchen approaching her quickly.
“Vanessa? Is it you? Oh my God!” April ran up and threw her arms around her friend.
“You scared the shit out of me, I almost shot you,” Vanessa said, scolding her friend.
“How’d you get a gun?” April asked.
She must have seen the pain on Vanessa face because she wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward the kitchen.
“Never mind, come in,” she said. “Let’s go upstairs. It’s safer.”
“Okay,” Vanessa muttered, fighting to hold in the tears. She was relieved and so happy that her friend was still alive.
They walked upstairs not saying a word. April still had her arm around Vanessa’s waist more for emotional support than physical.
“Do you need anything to drink or food? Are you hungry?” April suddenly asked.
“I’m fine for now, thanks.”
“Just let me know when you’re hungry and we’ll get you sorted out,” she said softly. She looked around. “Can you believe this?”
Vanessa snorted. “It’s insane. I don’t understand why they would do this.”
“Yeah, I barely got home. The infected are everywhere and…” April’s voice trailed off.
Vanessa put her hand on her friend’s arm.
“I…I haven’t heard from Mike yet,” she finally finished.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” Vanessa took her hand and held it. “I’m sure he’s okay. He’s probably worried sick, fighting hard to get to you. He’s a tough man.”
April crumpled into Vanessa’s shoulder, leaning into her for support. Vanessa couldn’t hold back any longer. Her own tears flowed, dripping along with April’s tears. They held on to each other and just had a good cry.
Minutes passed as they sat on the soft king-sized bed. Vanessa realized how tired she was even though it wasn’t very late. All the stress; all the running for her life was draining.
The guilt and sadness weighed heavily in her heart, but eventually the tears stopped flowing. She stroked April’s blond hair getting drowsier by the moment.
Finally, April sat up. Her tear stained face was red and creased with worry. “Thanks Vanessa.”
She just nodded.
“So what should we do?” Vanessa asked softly, fighting the urge to just flop back and curl into a ball on the comfortable bed.
“We need to take stock of what’s happening and how we can defend ourselves,” April said. “On my drive home people were losing their minds. They were looting and running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Why are there always looters? People are coming after you trying to eat your face off. I don’t get it.” She threw her hands up. “Did you see the videos from Hawaii? My heart broke for those poor people.”
“So awful,” April said, nodding. “I’m so glad we were able to get the information out there. Black Tide is going down.” April stood up to stretch. She was petite, but muscular like a wiry little firecracker. “You have a gun, huh?”
“Yeah, uh, a little something I picked up along the way,” she said.
“Let’s have a look.”
Vanessa picked up the gun and offered it to April.
Her friend held the gun close to her face so she could see it. She flicked the safety on and pressed something releasing the magazine. It dropped into her hand.
“Be sure to put the safety on when you’re not using it, that’s a key point. It looks like you have…six…no, seven rounds left,” said April. “Not bad. It’s a .40 caliber pistol, can’t see the brand though, not that it matters really.”
“So we have seven rounds until we’re helpless again?”
“No, no. You know Mike and I have guns,” April said with a giggle. She pulled a gun from the bedside table. “We don’t have .40 caliber rounds, but we have plenty of 9mm and shells for our shotguns. We’re gonna be just fine.”
“That’s good,” Vanessa said. “I’m so glad I found you. I was terrified I’d be alone. You have no idea the horrible day I’ve had.”
April turned to face Vanessa. “Tell me what happened? Where is Steve? How’d you end up here?”
Vanessa took a deep breath and started at the beginning as they sat on the bed, cradling their guns.
Chapter Forty-Five
“Land ho!” Chadwick yelled from outside the bridge. He leaned over the railing beside the .50 cal, smiling at them.
“My God, finally,” Charlotte said.
A small cheer erupted as they all clapped and whooped. They had spent almost a week at sea with no land in sight. Ben stood and pumped his fist in the air and gave Chadwick thumbs up. He slid his pen into the rings of a small notebook he been using as a journal and then went to join Chadwick on the bridge.
Oliver jumped up and ran across the small deck to the steps that would take him up to the bridge.
“Wait for me,” Anuhea said, laughing.
Ben smiled as relief filled him. They’d survived the horrors of the island, fought a gang, and crossed the ocean. None of it had been easy, or without sacrifice, but he felt like there was little their group couldn’t do. Soon they would be beginning the next leg of their journey.
“Pack it in,” Kaholo said, his voice booming from the bridge.
“I do
n’t see anything. Where’s the land?” Oliver asked.
Ben slowly followed the others upstairs to the bridge. He was thrilled to be done with the ship, but he was worried about what they’d find.
“Use the binoculars and you’ll see land on the horizon,” Chadwick said. He was about to hand over the binoculars, but realized Oliver probably couldn’t hold onto them. So, he held them up for the boy.
“I don’t see anything. It wiggles too much,” Oliver whined. “This is boring.” He left the bridge with a disappointed look on his face.
Charlotte accepted the binoculars from Chadwick.
“So where are we?” Ben asked.
“Over here should be Oregon.” Kaholo gestured to the right, and then he gestured to the left. “And over there should be Washington.”
“All I see is a very faint patch of green.” Charlotte lowered the binoculars and handed them to Anuhea. “Thanks for sharing the news. It’ll be wonderful to get back on land.”
“We’re still a ways off. I think we’ll be in visual range in a few hours. I’ll let you guys know when we’re closer.” Kaholo smiled.
Charlotte and Chadwick left the bridge. Anuhea was still observing the horizon.
“Any contact with other ships?” Ben asked.
Kaholo shook his head. “It’s been silent. We may pick up something when we’re closer to shore, but it’s hard to say.”
“We haven’t seen anything either, right?” Anuhea said, glancing over her shoulder at Kaholo, sitting in the commander’s chair.
“Nope, no visual sightings since we approached those cargo ships the other day and no radio contact with anyone. We monitor two emergency channels, but nothing. And I have to say, it’s quite alarming that we can just show up like this and not be confronted or questioned,” Kaholo said. “It’s unnatural.”
“At least we have land in sight. You did a great job getting us here. Thank you,” Ben said.
“We still have a ways to go, but you’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.” Kaholo smiled.
Before long, they were approaching the Columbia River bar.
