Lone Survivor (Book 3): All That Escapes

by Hunt, Jack

  Jake strolled down the hallway.

  They had planned to meet in the back, in a rectangular room with the large boardroom table. When he entered, some were seated, others standing around the walls.

  “I don’t agree with it,” Sam said from his seat as Jake shut the door. All eyes shifted to him.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said. In the room were three military officials and a tall, thin guy with a balding head wearing a FEMA label on the front of his suit. Beside them were a handful of strangers. Carl, Sam and several members of the town council were also present.

  Teresa eyeballed Jake before the FEMA rep replied. “Deputy, the needs of the country and the county outweigh the needs of the few. If all we do is look after our tiny patch of land, what happens to the young, the elderly, the sick and those who don’t have the ability to fish or hunt?”

  “We take care of them.”

  “Right, and that’s all we are asking for you to do.”

  “No, Mr. Harris, you are asking us to go above and beyond the needs of this community.”

  Harris lifted his nose. “Look, I can appreciate what you have established here. You have set a good example for other towns in Hancock County but what you have here is unique. Many of the towns we have passed through have not rallied together. People have died from starvation.”

  “Isn’t that why you’re taking them into the camps, to avoid that?”

  “Yes. But that means we have more mouths to feed. Like yourselves we have a limited crew to provide security. I’m sure you already understand that these are dangerous times, deputy. Eighty percent of our efforts go towards security, and dealing with internal issues.”

  “What, like making people work?” Sam shot back.

  “Everyone has to work, deputy. This town is no different.”

  “Residents weren’t forced to work.”

  “No one is forcing anyone,” Harris replied, narrowing his gaze.

  Sam ran a hand over his chin. “That’s not what I’m hearing. I heard the FEMA camps are no different than the ones they had in the Soviet Union. What were they called? Gulag camps. That’s right.”

  Jake listened to the conversation, intrigued. His eyes washed over the military officials who stood there like statues just waiting for the word. One of them, a large brooding man with buzzed hair, granite chin and blue eyes, leaned forward and whispered into Harris’ ear. He nodded.

  “Listen. I understand your situation. However we are in the position whereby we can enforce if need be.”

  “You mean break the Constitution?”

  “No, deputy. The Constitution exists because of government and just as it was created by our founding fathers, it can be laid aside by our present government.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Deputy, let me put this in a way that you can understand as you seem to be having trouble grasping the gravity of the situation. Castine is a coastal town, and therefore its existence directly impacts those who are inland. I saw the roadblock and Teresa has informed us that you don’t allow anyone into this area who is not from the area. So those wishing to fish. What are they meant to do? Go elsewhere?”

  “The coastline extends beyond Castine.”

  “You’re right. It does. However if everyone took the same approach, towns like yours would monopolize all of the coast. There are thousands of towns further in that are in desperate need of food. Now you can either be part of the solution or the problem. How would you like to proceed?”

  Sam stared back at him and looked at Teresa. “I’m not the one you should be having this conversation with. I don’t govern this town.”

  “No, but you have built a rapport with the people.”

  “Actually, Jake has,” Sam said, glancing over to him. “It’s because of him that we have people patrolling the area and keeping others safe. Now you want us to go out there and tell the residents they need to double the amount of time they spend fishing because FEMA wants them to contribute to the effort?”

  “In times of war, everyone must contribute.”

  “But we are not at war, are we?” He waited for a response, hoping they would shed more light on what caused the EMP. They didn’t.

  Harris ran his tongue over the front of his teeth. “Again, you have a choice to be the solution or the problem. But let me lay it out for you. Martial law is in effect. We have the right to take firearms, ammunition and supplies. It would be very difficult to protect this town if you didn’t have firearms, am I right?”

  Carl rose to his feet and stabbed his finger at Harris. “You piece of shit. Are you threatening us?”

  “Sit down,” the military official said in a booming voice, his hand on his weapon. Carl looked at him and shook his head. “So that’s how it’s gonna be? Right. I got it.”

  Harris walked over to a window with his hands clasped behind his back. “Deputies, we are not the enemy here. We want what you want. Freedom. But in order for that to happen we must work together.” He turned around and faced them. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  4

  Military? There had to be at least twenty of them. Max and Eddie watched the group stream up the dock, going back and forth from the house to boats to collect supplies. A couple of guys handed off large duffel bags, and big moving boxes. They heard them joking with one another and a couple sprinted toward the house like they were in some race. “They with you?” Eddie asked.

  “Does it look like it?” Max shot back as they crouched in a grove of trees. “What the hell is the military doing on this island?”

  Eddie fished into his bag and pulled out a pair of binoculars. He played around with the focus. “That’s not the military.”

  “How do you know?”

  He tapped his arm. “The patch. That’s Maine Militia. It’s a very distinct logo. Take a look,” he said handing over the binos. Max peered through and focused on the shoulder of one of the men. Sure enough he saw the word Militia. He lowered the binoculars.

  “How long have you been coming here?” Max asked.

  “A few weeks. At first I went to some of the other islands in the area but this one had alcohol in the house, and well, the infinity pool. Hard to pass that up,” he said with a grin.

  “And you never saw anyone else?”

  “Not until you. Which by the way, might I say you really need to get some sun. I’ve never seen an ass that white. You’re like a damn snowman.”

  Max looked at him and Eddie laughed. “Look, they would have seen my boat. Where’s yours?” Max asked.

  “On the east side of the island.” He pointed through the heavily wooded area.

  Max got up and tapped him on the shoulder. “Well come on, let’s get going.”

  Eddie shrugged. “Why? This place just got interesting.”

  “Are you kidding me? They’re armed.”

  Eddie raised one of Max’s gun magazines. “As are we, my friend.”

  “Okay, I think you’re a little demented, possibly delusional. We need to get off this island before they know we’re here. Now let’s go.”

  Eddie grumbled. “Man, you are such a buzz killer.”

  They took off jogging through the woods, putting as much distance as they could between them and the house. The east and south sides of the island were nothing but woodland. They trudged through with Eddie leading the way. “So you never told me how things have gone for you since the blackout. How is it over in Castine?”

  “You haven’t been there?” Max asked.

  “Hey, I just visit islands that look interesting. I don’t want to go where there’s people.”

  “And yet you wanted to hang with those guys back there.”

  “I wanted to observe. For all we know they might be dropping off supplies.” He stopped walking. “Hell, we might have found a gold mine. Think about it. This place is so out of the way. Perhaps they were looking for a spot to leave their firearms, and other goodies.” He turned around. “I really think we should go bac
k. Just to see.”

  “Eddie. No. I value my life a lot more.”

  “They won’t kill us. We’re just two teens out exploring.”

  “Famous last words,” Max said trudging past him. “Come on, where is this damn boat?”

  He laughed. “They really do have you spooked, don’t they? I bet you and your family have been hiding in Castine. Isn’t that right?”

  Max turned to face him. “Yeah. That’s what we do. Hide. We’ve managed to survive this long by hiding. Idiot!”

  “I bet you don’t even know how to use that gun, do you?”

  Max replied over his shoulder. “Give me one of the magazines, and I’ll show you.”

  That made Eddie snort. As they came out of the tree line, he stopped walking then burst forward looking to the left and right. “Where is it?”

  “Hilarious. Let me guess, this is where you tell me you were sure you moored the boat here.”

  He jabbed his finger towards a tree. “I did, I tied it up right…” Eddie trailed off as he approached the tree and saw the line had been cut. All that was left was a short piece of rope. He looked at the frayed end and then back at Max. Max still thought he was joking until he noticed he wasn’t laughing.

  “Well, it has to be around here. Where are those binoculars?”

  Eddie pulled them out and looked through, scanning the horizon. They wandered further east, strolling around the island. “C’mon! Come on!” he bellowed before Max told him to shut up.

  “You want to bring them over here?”

  “They can’t hear us, numbnuts. The island’s too big.”

  “Not big enough that they wouldn’t hear your big mouth!” He glared at him.

  Eddie made a gesture to the water. “The boat. It’s out there.”

  “What?” Max ripped the binos from his hand and took a look. Sure enough, his small fishing boat was between Nautilus and Holbrook Island. “Oh well that is great. Just great. Shit!” he bellowed before realizing he’d just done exactly what he’d reprimanded Eddie for. “We are so screwed.”

  He dropped to a crouch and ran his hands over his head.

  “Look, we can just wait until low tide and then make our way across to Grays Island.”

  “Eddie. I’ve lived here long enough to know the tide might get low but not low enough. The bay’s water will still be deep.”

  He waved him off. “No, it would be one or two feet at the most.”

  “Yeah, and when would that happen?”

  “Usually around midnight.”

  Max shook his head. “How do you know that?”

  “My old man is a fisherman. I’ve been out with him enough times to know.”

  Max looked at his wristwatch, it was just after eight thirty in the morning. He tapped it and showed Eddie. “Three and a half hours. First, even if you’re right, that still means we have to stay here until then. Now I don’t know about you but I figure that if those guys find my boat, and they cut yours loose, they probably know someone is on the island. In which case they’ll find us before midday.”

  “No they won’t. I know this island better than them.”

  “I thought you said you’ve only been out here a few times.”

  “Yeah. Well. You can learn a lot about an island when you don’t have someone else slowing you down.”

  Max rose. “Seriously? Let me know if I’m holding you back. I only want to survive.”

  “And we will. But you need to relax. Geesh, anyone would think you suffer from PTSD.”

  Max glared at him. “Let’s just find somewhere to hide until midday.”

  He nodded and jerked his head. “Follow me. I’ve got this.”

  They had turned to wander back up the pebbly beach toward the woodland when they found themselves looking at five guys with rifles aimed at them. Eddie dropped the magazine in his hand. “You were saying,” Max replied as his hands slowly went up.

  Ray Ferguson was just getting settled into the new digs when the double doors at the rear of the house burst open and two young guys were thrust in, almost tripping over each other. “Hey, you mind? Fuck! This jacket is worth more than your paycheck. Now can I get my sunglasses back?” the kid with an attitude and a hip-looking army jacket said.

  “Roberts. What’s this?”

  “Found them snooping around on the east side of the island.”

  “We’re weren’t snooping, we trying to get off the island,” the emo-looking kid added.

  “What’s your name, kid?” Ray asked the emo.

  “Max.”

  Ray gave a nod toward the other one. “And you?”

  “Ask your mother, I banged her last night.”

  Ray snorted finding him amusing. He was full of spit and vinegar, a lot like him when he was that age. “His name is Eddie,” Max said rolling his eyes at him.

  “Hey. Don’t tell him that,” Eddie said, scowling.

  Ray went over and walked in front of them like a drill instructor. “You know this is private property. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Neither should you,” Eddie said. He approached Eddie and stared him in the eye. Eddie snorted. “Are you meant to be intimidating?”

  Ray smiled. “Anyone else with you?”

  “No, it’s just us,” Max said, dropping his chin.

  “Where you from?”

  “Castine. And he’s…”

  “I can talk for myself,” Eddie interjected. “I’m from here. My uncle owns this place.” Max looked at him. Was this another one of his elaborate stories or was he telling the truth?

  “Really? And what’s your uncle’s name?” Ray asked.

  He was quiet then he shot out a name. “Nigel Banning.”

  “Nigel.”

  “That’s right. And he’ll be really pissed when he finds out that you and your goons have—”

  “Kid, shut the fuck up. I know the owner of this house. I rented it multiple times over the last few years.”

  “You can rent this place?” Max asked.

  “Oh yeah, it will cost you around twenty-two hundred a night, or twelve grand for a week but it’s rentable,” Eddie said. Both Max and Ray looked at him. “What? I looked into it. I was thinking of renting it.”

  “From your uncle?” Ray asked with a smirk.

  “Well yeah, him and my old man aren’t exactly on the same page. If you know what I mean.”

  “Shut up.” Ray brought a hand up and ran it over his face. “Now, what to do with you two?” He removed his handgun from its holster.

  Eddie instantly dropped to his knees with his hands together like he was praying. “Please. I’m too young to die. I’ll do anything… well, barring sexual favors, I mean if push comes to shove, I’ll go there but I’m really not into all that man sweat, if you know what I mean. Just… please don’t kill me.” He started sobbing like a small child. Ray looked at him then at Max who looked surprised, maybe even embarrassed by his friend.

  Ray chuckled, then started laughing harder. Eddie looked at him and then started laughing too. “Seriously, where did you meet this guy?” he asked Max.

  Max thumbed over his shoulder. “By the pool, he stole my clothes.”

  That only made him laugh harder. “Oh, shit, I like you two. Get up off the floor. I’m not gonna kill you. You should have seen the look on your face. What a pussy.” He strolled off. “You guys hungry?”

  “Famished,” Eddie replied.

  “Good.” He yelled over his shoulder. “Jackson. Whip us up some food.”

  “You got it!” Jackson replied from a different room.

  “Get you boys a drink?”

  “Beer, if you have it?” Max said.

  Ray wagged his finger at him. “That’s what I like, someone who knows what he wants.” He crossed the room to a small cooler on the floor and took out a beer and tossed it to Max. He caught it and looked at the label. Beads of water dripped off the red Budweiser logo. Max cracked the top and took a swig. It was cold.

  “I keep them
in bay water. My own personal refrigerator,” he said before chuckling.

  “Oh, we have actual ice,” Max said.

  Ray frowned. “Really? You got power?”

  Max swallowed a mouthful of beer. “No, Rodney Jennings. A kid on the island. He figured out a way to make ice with water and acetone. Smart as shit. You should see it.”

  “I’d like that,” he said sinking into one of the leather chairs, then pointing. “Take a seat.”

  Both of them looked at each other then dropped down.

  “You guys smoke?”

  Max shook his head. “Weed. That’s about it.”

  “Why you offering?” Eddie asked, looking at him for a handout. Ray took out a small tin of cigars and tossed him one along with a box of matches. “So what brought you two out here?”

  Max took another swig. “Exploring.”

  “By the way, did your guys cut my boat loose? On the east side,” Eddie asked.

  “Probably.”

  “What about mine?” Max asked. “Down by the dock.”

  “It’s still there. For now. Tell me more about this ice man of yours.”

  “He’s just a resident on the island in Castine. That’s where I’m from. I live in the Manor.”

  “A manor?”

  “My parents run an inn over there.”

  “And what’s the situation like? Any military presence?”

  “No. But I heard my mother saying something about FEMA coming to town or something like that.”

  Ray turned and looked at his brother. Lee raised his eyebrows.

  “Why? You work with them?” Max asked.