Sanctuary

by Courtney McPhail

  Matthew nodded his agreement. “Yeah, can we?”

  “Let’s get breakfast out of the way first and then we’ll see.”

  Mark’s bottom lip shot out in a pout and Matthew wrinkled up his face in annoyance. “You promised we could go swimming when we got here.”

  Ruthie stepped up to her and craned her neck back to look up at her with her big brown eyes. “Please Mama, I wanna be a mermaid.”

  “Well, how can I resist that?” She had always been a sucker for puppy dog eyes and her children knew it. “Alright, fine, this afternoon we’ll go swimming.”

  The boys let out a whoop. “But only if Uncle Malcolm says it’s okay.”

  “He will,” Matthew said confidently.

  “Alright, breakfast now, swimming later,” she said and began to serve up their plates.

  It didn't take long for everyone to file into the kitchen to get their breakfast. Soon the dining room was buzzing with energy, laughter and smiles served right alongside the pancakes and bacon.

  Today they would eat their fill, no need to worry about rationing. This meal was the first one they would share as they began their new lives here.

  “Uncle Malcolm,” Matthew called as he wheeled around in his chair to face his uncle. “After breakfast can we go explore?”

  “Good idea, my man,” Malcolm said. “We need to get the lay of the land in the daylight. Check things out.”

  “Then after can we go swimming?” he asked and Malcolm chuckled.

  “Tell you what, as long as we don’t run into any problems, I’ll take anybody who wants to go swimming down to the beach after we look around.”

  The kids cheered.

  “We can take you on a tour of the island,” Elaine said, “And you guys can pick out cabins to stay in so you aren’t all crammed in the lodge.”

  Malcolm hesitated and Janet knew her brother was worried by the thought of them being split up. The group had stuck close to each other for weeks now. Even when they were in separate rooms at the motel, they were still only a shout away from each other. In the cabins, they’d be spread out, vulnerable, something that would have gotten them killed on the road.

  But they weren’t on the road anymore and they had to get used to that reality.

  Malcolm was on the same wave length. “Sounds like a plan. Everybody eat up and we’ll check out our new home.”

  Home.

  She liked the sound of that.

  Subject File # 744

  Administrator: I’ve noticed that you like to sit out in the orchard sometimes. What’s special about that place?

  Subject: It was the first place on the island that I thought about the future and I actually felt optimistic.

  The group had gathered out on the lawn, milling about as they waited for the stragglers who were using the bathroom in the lodge. Elaine had handed out glossy pamphlets with a handy map of the island inside it, a relic of the old lake resort. Kim studied the map, noting that there were more cabins that she had originally thought. All of them had bird names like The Eagle and The Hawk and she noted on the back of the pamphlet they had pictures and names of all the birds that could be found on and around the island and a schedule for bird watching tours of the area.

  When the stragglers had finally joined them, Angela moved to the face the group and clapped her hands to get their attention. She seemed to be in her element, eager to show off what her uncle had built.

  “Okay, so as you’ve probably already figured out, the electricity comes from solar panels on the roofs of all the buildings. The lodge has the kitchen and pantry. There’s also a bunker underneath it that would serve as a fallout shelter if we need it. It also has more canned food and bottled water, as well as a stocked armory.”

  She pointed to the other smaller building nearby with the satellite on its peak. “When the island was a resort, this was laundry facilities and staff quarters. It’s been converted it into a medical clinic and laboratory.”

  “What about the satellite?” Craig asked. “Does it work?”

  Elaine nodded. “I broadcast every day at noon and I also check all the secure and public channels each day, to see if there is any news. We have picked up a few civilian broadcasts since we’ve been here. Apparently California is gone. Wildfires burned everything up. We heard that there are several civilian-run camps operating around the Rocky Mountains. There are regular broadcasts from Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah telling survivors the location and welcoming them.”

  Kim was bolstered to hear that there were people still out there trying to help. On the road, it had been easy to think that everyone was out for themselves. To hear that there were others offering sanctuary to desperate people gave her faith that it wasn’t going to be only their tiny colony on the island that survived this.

  “Next, we’ll show you the garden,” Angela said and led them away from the clinic and across the lawn to a line of pine trees. On the other side of the trees was a small cabin, nestled among weed filled flower beds. The sign above its red door naming it The Blue Jay. “That’s one of the cabins. There are twelve of them in total on the island. They all have power and running water from the well on the island.”

  They continued on past the cabin and followed the path that had been worn in the ground between the trees and revealed a small orchard. Fruit trees ten feet tall were planted in four straight lines, evenly spaced out to allow three of them to walk abreast between them.

  “There are apples and pears,” she said. “They were planted several years ago so we’ll be able to harvest them.”

  They walked through the trees and Kim looked up to look at the white blossoms nestled among the green leaves. A reminder that despite the chaos that had consumed the world, life still found a way to go on.

  It was a pretty thought, almost poetic. It was this place, really. Something as simple as a blossoming apple tree gave her hope that they could have a future here.

  On the other side of the orchard a wide expanse of the ground had been cleared of grass and the earth had been freshly tilled. A few feet away from the freshly turned dirt was a greenhouse, the sunlight reflecting off the glass walls and roof.

  “We started seedlings for some of the vegetables in the greenhouse,” Elaine said. “Our focus lately has been on getting the ground ready for planting. We put down fertilizer a couple days ago so the soil should be ready for us to start planting now. We’ll have a jump start on tomatoes, cabbage and cucumbers but we’ve also got seeds for corn, peas, beans, potatoes, carrots, squash and turnips that can all go in the garden soon. We should be able to start harvesting some of them within a few weeks and by the end of summer, we’ll have a steady supply of fresh food and we can even move some of the plants into the greenhouse for winter.”

  Elaine’s voice had gotten faster and more excited as she went on and Kim couldn’t help but catch her excitement too. She could see the pots and trays through the glass, tiny green shoots poking up towards the sun. Seeds of their future already sprouting.

  “This place is amazing.”

  “I don’t know why anyone is surprised,” Craig said, some of his old swagger back in his step. “The place was built as a fallback for the CIA. Of course it’s going to be amazing.”

  “Well, glad you are impressed either way,” Nas said.

  Matthew sidled up to Janet and tugged at her sleeve. “Mom, can we go swimming now, please?”

  “You heard your uncle, after we’re done seeing the island.”

  “Well, all that’s left is the boathouse, which you all saw last night when you docked and the pumphouse for the well,” Angela said, planting her hands on her hips, “And the cabins of course.”

  “We’ve set up in two of them but there are ten empty cabins,” Elaine told them. “They’ve been closed up since the Director took possession of the island to keep them from getting ruined by animals or the elements. We’ve opened up a few of them but the rest will need to be aired out and dusted.”

  “Well,”
Malcolm said, looking over everybody. “I think we should unload our supplies, merge them with what’s here and then take inventory.”

  He looked over at Matthew and winked. “After that we can go swimming.”

  “That can wait,” Angela said. “You’ve been on the road so long. Pick your cabins, take a shower or go swimming, just relax for a little bit.”

  “That’s okay,” Malcolm replied. “I think we’ll all feel better if we know that things are done.”

  Elaine and Angela exchanged a look.

  “I mean no offense,” Elaine said, “But we can smell that it’s been awhile since you’ve showered.”

  Craig was the first to start laughing and soon the others followed him, even Malcolm.

  “No offence taken,” Malcolm said. “Alright guys, let’s pick out our cabins and we can wash the stink of the road off. We’ll worry about the other stuff later.”

  “Janet, you and the kids will probably want The Eagle,” Elaine said. “It’s the biggest, with four bedrooms and a loft, which I think the kids will like. Us girls have been in The Hawk and Nas and Harold are in The Blue Jay. The rest are yours to choose from though if anybody wants The Gull, The Sparrow, The Goose or The Swan, you’ll have to clean them.”

  Janet sent the twins to grab their bags as Elaine and Angela started pointing out directions to the various cabins. Discussions started about who was going to room together, everyone excited at the prospect of having a proper shower and their own bed to sleep in that night.

  Kim walked over to Trey, who was standing with Craig and Banks.

  “She said they’re all named after birds so we need to pick an awesome sounding one,” Craig said. “Is there one called The Vulture?”

  Banks looked over one of the pamphlets. “Nope but there is The Osprey, which is a pretty badass hawk.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Craig replied. “The Osprey, aka the Bachelor Pad.”

  “More like The Lonely Boys Club,” Mendez said from behind the guys and Banks gave her the finger. “I’m rooming with Lorraine and Jenny. Lorraine wants to be close by you guys in case there’s an issue with Craig’s wound.”

  Banks laughed as he looked down at the map. “Looks like you’ll be in The Loon then. How fitting.”

  Mendez knocked him in the shoulder. “Rather be crazy than all alone.”

  “He won’t be alone,” Trey said, a mischievous smile on his face, “He’ll have Craig.”

  Mendez laughed. “Good point, Trey. We should call it The Lover’s Retreat.”

  Banks put an arm around Craig’s shoulders. “Do not mock our love.”

  They all laughed and Kim felt her heart lighten seeing her son happy and making friends. She had watched as Trey and Craig had become good friends during their time sharing a vehicle as they tracked north. With only two years separating them, they had discovered they had a lot in common, especially a love of video games and they had bonded over discussions of the games they missed.

  She was glad to see that there were others who were willing to give Trey the companionship that she knew her son wanted.

  Malcolm came out of the lodge, bounding down the steps with ease. He was smiling and he had every reason to. He’d brought them here and it was better than anything they could have imagined.

  She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I like seeing you happy.”

  “I like feeling happy,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the lips. “So, have you figured out where you want to stay?”

  “Not yet,” she said. “You?”

  He shook his head. “Janet said the twins want to share a room so there’s an empty bedroom in her cabin.”

  She could understand Janet wanting to have her brother close by in a strange place. While they had all slept in separate tents on the road, the tents had always been next to each other. It had always felt that everybody was living together. Even though the island wasn’t that large, it would be the first time they would all be separated from each other.

  She hadn’t realized until now that in the back of her head, part of the reason she had been looking forward to having a bedroom of her own was Malcolm. They hadn’t had a chance to be intimate since their first time together at the park, alternating watch shifts and her sharing a tent with Trey had made it difficult to find a moment of privacy.

  And it wasn’t only about privacy. She wanted to live with him. She wanted to see her toothbrush next to his in the bathroom, to share a bed with him, to wake up next to him every morning.

  But she also didn’t want to take him away from his family. If his sister wanted him to be with her and her children, she didn’t want to guilt him away.

  “That makes sense,” Kim said. “She’ll probably feel safer with you there.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Truth is I think it was a pity offer so I didn’t have to be by myself. We’ve never done well living together. She always hogged the bathroom.”

  “Well, I’m not much of a bathroom hog,” she said, giving him the in if he wanted to take it.

  “Really? Would you happen to be looking for a roommate?” he asked, his eyes flashing with desire.

  “I might be,” she replied but then looked over to where Trey was still talking with the others, “But I’ll have to talk to Trey first.”

  “Of course,” he said, becoming serious, “And if he’s not comfortable with it, I’m not going to be offended.”

  No, he really wouldn’t, would he? He was a good man. The best man.

  “Okay, why don’t you get our packs and I’ll talk to him,” she said but before he could agree, Trey came jogging over, one of the maps in his hand.

  “Hey guys, I think we should take The Robin,” he said, holding up the pamphlet and pointing to a glossy picture of one of the two bedroom cabins. “It’s one the west side and it’s got a view of the lake from the porch. We’ll have eyes on the water in case someone comes.”

  “Good eye,” Malcolm said, patting Trey on the shoulder.

  “Thanks,” Trey replied. “I’ll go grab our packs.”

  “I’ll help you,” Kim said, exchanging a look with Malcolm, telling him to give her a moment alone. If Trey had any objections she didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t voice them because Malcolm was standing right there.

  She followed him into the lodge and over where they had left their packs and sleeping bags. They both knelt down to roll up their sleeping bags and she waited a moment, trying to figure out exactly how best to approach the subject.

  “Trey, there’s something I want to ask you,” she started, “And I want you to be completely honest with me. I want you to tell me what you really feel, not want you think I want you to say.”

  “Is this about Malcolm?” he asked and she nodded. “He’s staying with us, right?”

  She was surprised to find him a step ahead of her. “Well, that’s what I was hoping but I wanted to make sure it’s okay with you first.”

  “Of course it’s okay with me,” Trey replied. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I don’t know, this is uncharted territory for us,” she said. “It’s always been the two of us.”

  “Mom, I want you to be happy and Malcolm makes you happy,” he said.

  “I’ve always been happy,” she said. “You’re what makes me happy.”

  He smiled at that. “Well, Malcolm is awesome and I want to live with him anyway so we all get to be happy.”

  She hugged him, proud of the mature man he had become.

  “But I was thinking that some nights I could crash with Craig and Banks,” he added.

  “Why would you need to do that?”

  “Well, it’s just that it’ll be...I know that sometimes you guys will want to be together, you know, by yourselves and I don’t really want to have to be there...or hear it.”

  “Oh dear God.” She felt her face flame with embarrassment when she realized exactly what he was talking about. “Yes, anything you want, it’s your
s as long as we don’t have to continue this conversation.”

  “Cool,” Trey replied, grabbing up their packs. “I really am glad you’re happy, Mom. It’s nice to know some good came out of all of this.”

  She didn’t know how she had managed it but she had raised a good man. She took a moment to watch him as he carried their packs outside, passing Malcolm in the doorway. The two of them exchanged a few words before they shared a laugh. Malcolm turned towards her and held out his hand.

  “You ready to see our new home?”

  Things really couldn’t get any better.

  Subject File # 750

  Administrator: How was your first night’s sleep here?

  Subject: Good. At least until I woke up.

  Administrator: Why’s that?

  Subject: Because in that split second after I woke up but before I opened my eyes, I thought it was all a dream and I was going to find myself in that damn tent out on the road. Then I opened my eyes and saw the rafters in the lodge and that fear just washed away.

  Everyone was excited as they gathered up their belongings from the lodge. Despite only being there one night, they had managed to make quite a mess and it was taking time to sort out whose pillows and sleeping bags were whose. Veronica had grabbed her own sleeping bag and the girls’ and hauled them over to a less crowded space to roll them up.

  A pair of familiar boots appeared in her line of vision and she looked up to see Quinton standing over her.

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “What do you mean?” Veronica asked, tying the strings of the sleeping bag together.

  “Where are you going to stay?” he clarified. “With me and Claudia or…”

  It struck her then that she had a choice to make. She wanted to stay close to the girls. She knew that. That wasn’t negotiable. She could move them with her and Quinton and Claudia or she could take a cabin with just the girls. But then where did Jackson fit into all of this?

  He cared for the girls just like her. He could very well be planning on taking a cabin for just him and the girls.