by J. B. Craig
“I know you won’t. Tenga cuidado y esté seguro, hijo.”
As they walked back into the woods, Maria said, “So, your Dad is the Chief, huh?”
Jonah nodded. “Chief Santos and Sons,” he said. After a minute, he added, “Two sons, now.”
Maria looked over at the dejected tone in his voice, and saw him wiping his eyes. “Sorry,” he said, voice gravelly. “It’s - it hasn’t been very long.”
“Jonah,” Maria said softly. “I - do you want to...talk about it? I’ll understand if you don’t.”
“No,” he said. “No. I -” His voice broke, and he wiped his eyes. “We were trying to help the refugees coming down the road. Dad was able to re-outfit the pump on the pumper truck, and we were using it to empty wells so we could make sure everyone had water. We didn’t have any food to spare, but we knew people can go without food for a little bit as long as they have water, so.
“Almost everyone was grateful,” Jonah continued. “But people got more and more desperate, the hungrier they got. One guy stabbed my big brother - water wasn’t good enough. He wanted food. They killed my brother on day three of this shit-storm for his turkey sandwich.” Jonah spit angrily on the ground. “Dad hasn’t been the same since then. Now he’s in charge of interrogation. He and Mom haven’t even talked about it together yet.”
“Jonah,” Maria said sadly. “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to my baby brother, my Manito. ‘None shall pass’. It’s one of the few things Reid and I agree on these days,” Jonah finished. “Reid was just as tight with my older brother, a senior linebacker, as he is with me. I worry about Reid. He’s not the same kid he was two weeks ago, and I’m worried. But nobody is better in these woods than he is. We have to hold here this land here so that what happened to my brother doesn’t happen to everyone else.”
Maria stretched up on her toes to put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve seen some nasty things since the lights went out, but nothing like that,” she admitted. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through - and you’re training me anyway.”
“It’s the shit sandwich we’ve been fed,” he said with a sigh. “That’s why you have to listen to everything I say, little Dragon.” He scraped together a smile and patted her shoulder. “Come on, let’s see what else might be lurking in the woods.”
“Whoever sent that guy out isn’t going to be happy that their scout went AWOL,” Maria said.
“That’s how we stay ahead of them – psychological warfare,” Jonah said. “We’ll scout any large parties of people. Every day they seem better-armed; I think it’s because the wolves are eating each other, and the strongest survive and team up.”
“Dad talked about the wolves and the sheepdogs,” added Maria.
“Yeah, we aren’t sheepdogs,” Jonah said. “We’re Dragons! It was our high school mascot, but it fits. We protect our own and burn everyone else.”
“Pete told me. You guys are badass,” Maria said. “I’m glad I get to be on your side of it.”
“I bet you are, hermana.” Jonah patted the top of her head. “Yes, you’re in the family, and yes, you should be glad you’re one of us. People out here die all the time trying to get in.”
“I’m glad I’m here to support my cousins, and my uncle,” she said. “Especially with my aunt still missing.”
“Me too. Reid seemed calmer when I saw him at shift change.”
“Calmer, huh? I heard he killed about ten guys last night.” Maria looked at Jonah for a reaction - she hadn’t been able to tell from the boys how much it had become their ‘new normal,’ but Jonah seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve a bit more.
“Slow night for him, hermana,” Jonah said. “Think about how many people from the cities want to find someplace safe. Give Reid a break, okay?”
“He’s my favorite cousin,” Maria admitted. “I’d do anything for him and Bannon.”
“Then we are going to get along just fine, hermana,” Jonah said. “Now, let’s go see what they have planned for us tonight.”
16. Decisive Action
Maria followed Jonah through the woods again, following in his footsteps when possible. They walked past where they had captured the scout. When they reached the edge of the woods on Mountain Road, the main road headed into the peninsula, Jonah crouched and motioned to Maria to get down.
A loud woman was whipping a crowd of about fifty people into a frenzy. She could just hear what she was saying at their distance. “There’s lots of land and stuff to steal out there on the island. All we have to do is break through that gate and it’s ours! We know they have food, and they want to keep it for themselves. All this talk of Dragons is bullshit. If they won’t share, we take what we need!”
While several voices cheered, others looked at the metal-reinforced schoolbus barrier and looked back at the leader cautiously. Maria could sense that the leader didn’t have the crowd behind her, and looked at the people in the crowd. There were women and men, a mix of races and genders, and she knew that the folks in the mob would die if they attacked. Then Maria made a decision. She took both guns from her holsters and set them down carefully. “Watch my guns,” she murmured to Jonah, and then walked out of the woods.
Maria used her small size and less-than-intimidating stature to make her way to the fringe of the group as darkness was falling. “I heard that those guys in there are like, practically invisible trained soldiers,” she said. “Look at that truck. What if they have guns behind it? And I don’t even think there are any farms on the island. Is that really worth dying for?”
The leader assumed she was part of the crowd that came from the city. “Well, north and west are options that were taken from us, and my babies are hungry. We have to go east, and the rich pricks from that island out there have to have food stashed. Who are you, anyway?”
Maria looked at her from the edge of the crowd and called, “I’m one of the Dragons, and I’m the only nice one. I’m telling you right now that you have no chance. Leave, now. Go south and you might live until tomorrow. It’s better to be hungry than dead. Too many people died in these woods just last night. You all seem like reasonable people. I don’t want you to die too.”
The leader took a few aggressive steps towards her, and then her head exploded. Her brain matter splattered all over the folks next to her, who screamed. Most of them ran away then. The few who came at her went down with various center-of-mass wounds. Greg taught Maria to shoot at the middle of the torso, and it seemed that maybe the Chief had taught Jonah the same thing. The resistance quickly folded, and those who could quickly scattered. Maria stood in shock in the circle of dead and dying.
Jonah walked out of the woods with a pistol in each hand. Maria slowly closed her eyes. She’d just been trying to help - after his brother had done the same, and found an early grave for his trouble. Why hadn’t she listened?
“Jonah,” she said, “I’m sorry. I - they had children in their group. I thought - I had to do something. If I could stop them, you and Bannon and Reid wouldn’t have to -”
“They already do, hermana. So do I,” Jonah said, face stern. “Maybe you saved a few dozen lives, maybe you scared them off. But what if you didn’t? Maybe the only thing you accomplished was to let them know how far out we scout. Reid is going to be pissed.”
“I’m sorry,” Maria said, wrapping her arms around herself. “It was a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Jonah sighed. “For what it’s worth, I know you were trying to do the right thing. I might’ve done the same, before my brother. And if you ever do that again, I’ll shoot you myself.” He handed her guns back to her. “I hate this damn Glock. Holster it. I reloaded the magazine and it’s still got one in the chamber.”
Maria followed Jonah back to the station with a guilty conscience. When they arrived, the Chief was covering the plan for the shift change. Bannon, Reid, Pete, and Uncle Timmy were standing next to each other as
they and the other neighbors listened.
“...captured scout. His information tells us the there are about fifty people -”
“Gathering to take the gate?” Jonah jumped in. “Yeah, Padre. They’re not there anymore. Maria scared them all off.”
“She did what?!” Reid shouted.
“You heard me,” Jonah said. “Reid, she walked out into that crowd and scared them away. They won’t be back, unless they want to end up like the half-dozen dead that she left around her.”
“I didn’t…” Maria began, and then stopped. Jonah was giving her the ‘shut up, be cool’ eyes.
“Don’t bother denying it,” he said. “You were afraid for your cousins, and tried to play the hero. With your gun.”
“That’s -” Maria stopped, considering as she realized what Jonah was trying to do. She’d be dead if it hadn’t been for Jonah’s timely intervention, and she got the feeling that neither her family nor the Chief would be any happier if they learned that she’d left her gun behind to prioritize civilians’ safety over their own.
Reid ran up to Jonah with his hand at the sheath at his back. “Slow down, shorty,” Jonah said. “Neither of us were hurt, but she knew the rules and she broke them! If you have a problem, hermano, you need to talk to her.”
Maria stepped between the two football players. “Reid Beretta,” she said sternly. “Stop it, now. Jonah is right. I acted like a terrified idiot. This is my fault, not Jonah’s.”
Something her tone stopped Reid in his tracks. He looked at Maria with tears of anger in his eyes. “You could have died,” he said. “We are not losing you. We already lost Mom!”
Maria stepped forward and hugged her cousin. Despite his combat skills, speed and strength, he was still just sixteen years old. “She’s not dead, Reid,” Maria said softly. “I know things seem bad. But you have to hold onto that.”
Jonah walked over and joined them both in the hug. “Reid, she was trying to do the right thing. And she did good, hermano. We’re both fine, and a whole lotta people didn’t have to die tonight.” He raised his voice to the benefit of the community members. "It’s over; they’re gone. I watched them run. We’ll keep people on watch, but I think we’re safe tonight.”
Bannon walked over and kissed Maria on the side of her head. He whispered “Thank you, Cuz – and don’t do it again!” He gripped her shoulders and leaned his forehead against hers. Afterwards, he looked into her eyes and nodded, then walked into the woods flanking the road, taking his place high up in the trees for another night.
Uncle Timmy walked over to her with the Chief. You just earned six hour off-shifts in the kitchen, young lady. I hope you do OK on five hours of sleep and change. Do NOT do that again… Ever!”
“I’m sorry, Unc. Chief. I couldn’t watch those kids get killed, but I accept the KP duty.”
The Chief put his hand on her shoulder. “We can’t have our folks going rogue like that. I understand your motivations, though. You’ll do three hours or so of clean-up after your shift, and three hours of food prep before your shift, starting today. We’ll let you know when you’ve had enough.”
17. America’s Navy
A few weeks went by relatively uneventfully, except for a lack of sleep for the first week or so. Lone travelers came and were suitably scared off, but the community was able to rest, recover, and grieve their missing loved ones with minimal interruptions. The sounds from the bridge seemed to be quieter, but binoculars and rifle scopes weren’t good enough to see the activity.
As the May weather brought warm sunny days and calm skies, the Miss Behavin’ had begun to tempt Maria to go for a sail. She and the boys had been too busy and tired to sail for their first few weeks adjusting to their new routines. Her punishment took all of her off-duty time, but once freed by the Chief, she was eager to take the sailboat for a spin and get used to how it sailed. She also wanted to check out the damage to the bridge, and start planning for their eventual trip home to Rock Harbor, her Dad, and hopefully the rest of their family.
Maria asked Uncle Timmy to free up one of Maria and Pete’s day shifts so they could go sailing with Bannon. They worked a little extra duty to earn it, then woke up to a beautiful day. After casting off, they caught a gentle breeze, perfect for practicing in the sheltered harbor behind Gibson Island.
Once Maria got her ‘sea legs’ back, they sailed cautiously into the channel heading to the Bay Bridge and finally saw the damage from dropping a span. Poles, support wires, and large sections of steel and concrete stuck up out of the water behind the remaining large supports, making it difficult to navigate even for her small sloop. Maria thought she saw a way through in the main channel, marked by large channel markers. This channel was one of the largest in the country, used by supertankers to get into the Baltimore Harbor.
She wanted to get a closer look, so she sailed them into the bay. The wind picked up significantly - not dangerously so, but it gave Maria a chance to test out some of the trickier sailing. While she tacked back and forth near the wreckage, Bannon looked up and saw that foot traffic on the remaining span was still moving east, presumably travelers from the larger cities.
Maria headed upstream to a large lighthouse built on the water. From far away it was difficult to get a sense of its scale, but as they approached, they could see that the concrete piling that it was built on was at least thirty feet across, and three sail-lengths above her own mast. She tacked and sailed a neat circle around it, deciding that it was a good marker to end their practice section on.
As they were returning to the bay, they saw a military ship approaching, heading towards the bridge. “The military is coming!” she shouted below-decks, where Pete and Bannon were stowing some gear and staying out of the sun. “You guys think we should hang out and see what’s up?”
“Maybe we should head back to the harbor,” Pete called instead. “What if they want to take instead of give? Wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think they might demand supplies, or try to conscript.”
Maria decided to take his advice, sailing back home as fast as the winds would take her. As they started to round the point, they saw the ship come to a stop. It dropped anchor on the other side of the bridge, and its bow was slowly lowered to become a ramp. As the ship receded from sight, Maria could barely see a smaller, boxy boat slide down the ramp and into the water.
On the way back to the dock, Maria said “They must be using older ships since the new ones have so many electronic components. I’ve never seen a ship that looks like that before.”
“At least we didn’t get hailed,” Bannon said.
“Or shot at,” Pete agreed. “A good day in my book.”
Once back at the boat ramp, Bannon jumped off and ran for the leadership. By the time Uncle Timmy arrived, the boxy landing craft they’d seen was turning the point, headed for the boat ramp one marina south of their own. Maria followed Bannon, telling the Chief to pull their army over to the next boatyard, since it was the largest of the island’s boat ramps. Timmy gathered up the citizens, and they all approached the boat ramp, armed but with weapons holstered. The big gun on the landing craft was pointed up, and they all figured it was better to approach cautiously in hopes that it’d stay that way.
The gate dropped down onto the boat ramp with a clang, and the first person off was a stocky, flat-topped man who walked with swagger. “Good morning, everyone, at ease. We come to you from the Naval Academy, and we’re here to offer you some supplies, and a little assistance. We understand that you all have rallied around each other to create a small bastion of freedom here.” He turned and waved a few enlisted men on the boat out, who promptly started unloading supplies. “This here is your basic beans, bullets and bandages, plus some surplus M16’s. Sorry we can’t swing the M4’s.”
Chief spoke up. “That is most certainly okay, Gunny Sergeant! I trained on one of those.”
“You a Marine?” asked the Gunny.
“Army Ranger,” Chief replied.
�
��Not bad for a second best,” the Marine said.
“I’d say the same thing about you guys,” Chief said, and both laughed at the age-old interservice rivalry. “So,” he said. “What brings you out this way? I would think you boys didn’t come all the way out here just to bring us supplies the Academy likely still needs and pat us on the back.”
The Gunny sobered quickly. “You’re correct. This - gentleman - is Captain Hardy,” Gunny said, raising his eyebrows as he pointed to a man in what looked like a blue TSA uniform, “And he’s got something to say to the community.”
“Thank you, Gunny. Dismissed.” Hardy stepped in front of the working Marines, who were now unloading boxes of MREs. Gunny stared daggers into the back of his head and didn’t move from his position.
“As you all know, one duty of being an American is to protect our great nation,” Hardy said. “In times of national emergency, we recruit for the selective service draft. That’s what this is. I’m here to draft men between the ages of 18 and 25 to help us take back Baltimore and our nation's capital.”
