Stranded Box Set

by Theresa Shaver

  Lisa added her own yawn. Emily realized that the medication was taking effect and they were feeling the side effects.

  “So the upside is we won’t be throwing up constantly but the downside is all we’ll want to do is sleep. Can’t seem to win this one,” she told Lisa.

  “I can live with that. I have no problem napping while working on my tan. It’s not like we have a lot to do for the next couple of weeks. It’s probably a good thing if you think about it. You said when we land that we’ll have to walk the rest of the way home, so we should rest up while we can, right?” Lisa asked.

  “That is true. We are so lucky Tim’s helping us. Where do you think Alex and others are? I can’t even imagine how bad it must be for them right now. I wonder if they found bikes or a ride. It’s been what? Five days since it happened. How far do you think they’ve gotten?” Emily wondered with a frown.

  Tim sat down at the table with them and started to fix his pancakes. “Who are you talking about, Emily?” he asked while rolling up his jam-filled pancake.

  “There were ten of us that decided to get out of the city that day. Our teacher told us what she thought had happened and encouraged us to try and get out of the city. My best friend Alex and some of the others wanted to go overland. But Mason convinced us that finding a boat out would be a better idea. We split up and went our different ways,” she told him sadly.

  Tim seemed to consider this. “Well, if they made it out of the city, they would have a very hard road ahead of them. They would have to get over the mountains first and then they’d have to cross the desert.” He shook his head. “I don’t think anyone could make that trip on foot. Even if they had bikes it would be next to impossible. Sorry, Emily.”

  David had come down from the deck while Tim was talking. He was shaking his head with a fierce expression. “You don’t know my friends. Quinn and Josh will make it happen and Alex doesn’t know the meaning of quit. I believe a hundred percent that they will make it. I have no doubt,” he said with confidence.

  Tim waved David towards the stack of waiting pancakes and waited while he fixed his plate before speaking. “You’re right. I don’t know your friends and if they’re as smart as you guys, they probably have a pretty good shot. I mean, look what your group did. You guys walked over twenty miles through a burning city filled with gunshots and mayhem. You found transportation and managed to fill them with a huge amount of supplies and made it to the marina. So you’re right, David, they have a good chance.” He smiled reassuringly at Alex and continued, “It’s good in a way that it will take us a few more weeks to get back to land. I know this is going to sound harsh but we have to be prepared. The first week will be bad with all the confusion but most people will have had some food and water on hand. The second week people will start getting really desperate and that’s when things will get the ugliest. Massive amounts of people will start leaving the cities and larger towns. They’ll head out to the country looking for food and water. There will be a huge die off as people who haven’t walked further than from their cars to their offices start making extreme physical demands on their bodies. People will die from exhaustion, exposure, and dehydration. Violence will take out a lot of people as they fight over dwindling resources. Anyone who is dependent on modern medicine and drugs will die as well. In the third week, disease will start to crop up. All those bodies lying around will be rotting. When we hit land, it will be important to stay away from any population centers. Stick to fields and forested areas. You’ll have to watch out for survivors who are going to be ready to shoot first to try and protect any supplies they have left. My family has a cabin up in the Cascades that I’m going to head for. You guys will have a much longer hike to get up into B.C. David, we’ll take a look at those maps you have later and try to plot a route. Anyway, there will be a lot fewer people around by the time we have to start walking.”

  The table was filled with silence as they all digested the gruesome picture that Tim had painted. Emily thought about her family and felt tears welling in her eyes. She ruthlessly pushed those thoughts back. She couldn’t let herself speculate on their well-being or she would dissolve in grief.

  One of the bedroom doors crashed open and Mark stumbled out. He staggered over to the table and dropped heavily down onto the bench. Tim asked him how he felt but all he got in return was a grunt as Mark started to shove food into his mouth. He had had the worst time of the sickness, and he looked horrible. His face was haggard, and it was plain to see he had lost weight. Mark’s red hair was greasy and matted and the smell coming off of him was rank. Emily was more than ready to escape up onto the deck into the fresh air. Thoughts of being on deck made Emily’s head whip towards Tim.

  “Tim, shouldn’t you be sailing the boat?” she asked with wide eyes.

  He laughed, “Don’t worry, Mason’s got it. While you guys were out of it, I’ve been teaching him as much as I can. He’s a fast learner and right now there are clear skies and good wind so all he really needs to do is stay on course and keep an eye out. You’re right, though, I should head on up and take over so he can have something to eat.”

  With a brief frown towards Mark, he jumped up and put his plate in the sink and disappeared up the stairs. Emily, Lisa, and David were quick to follow him. Mark didn’t even seem to notice he had been left alone as he stuffed another pancake into his mouth.

  It was another brilliantly clear day on the water. Emily loved the feel of the fresh wind blowing through her hair. Mason’s face broke into a huge smile when he saw her come up the stairs. She went to him and he pulled her close to his side.

  “You feel better! I was really starting to worry about you, Em. This is amazing. I love being out here on the water. We can just relax and forget about all the crap that’s happening on land.”

  Emily frowned at that. It was easier being out on the ocean but she couldn’t forget about the pain and suffering happening especially not knowing if her family and friends were okay.

  “It is nice, Mason but this isn’t a vacation. Aren’t you worried about your family?”

  He laughed. “Oh, I’m sure they’re fine. My dad will just bully his way through anything. You know what he’s like. He probably bullied someone to get the house stocked on the first day. He’s got his hunting rifles and I’m sure Brett’s made it home by now. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about in central Alberta, lots of farms and cattle to feed everyone. Don’t worry so much. Just relax and get a tan.” He bent down to kiss her head and made a face. “You should get cleaned up, wash your hair. You’ve been sick for days and you would feel much better if you did.” He let go of her and put his hand back on the wheel.

  Emily stepped away from him in embarrassment. She knew she wasn’t looking or smelling her best but that wasn’t exactly her fault. Maybe she should ask Tim to stop the boat so she could take a dip in the ocean and scrub off. The salt water would be better than being stinky. Tim noticed Emily’s embarrassment and intervened.

  “Hey Emily, we’re looking pretty good for water in the tank. You can have a fast shower if you want. Just get in and get wet, turn the water off and soap up and then rinse. If you do it that way, it doesn’t actually use that much water.”

  Emily looked at Tim with excitement, “Really? Oh, wow, that would be great! I was contemplating going for a swim to clean off.”

  He laughed “We might have to resort to that but not yet. I know you’ll be conservative with the water so go ahead.”

  Lisa was just as excited about the prospects of a shower and she started to follow Emily down into the cabin until Tim called her back. “Lisa, we need to go over some shower rules first, please.”

  Emily heard Lisa groan as she left her there on deck. She quickly gathered up her cleanest clothes and a towel and headed to the tiny bathroom. Mason had followed her down and intercepted her at the door.

  “Hey, why don’t we really conserve water and I’ll join you in there. I could scrub your back,” he offered.


  Emily just stared at him with a bland expression until he backed away. “Okay, okay, just thought we could have some fun,” he muttered.

  She watched him sit at the table and grab some food before closing herself into the bathroom. Emily shook her head at her reflection. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to be Mason’s girlfriend anymore let alone have some “fun” with him. She turned away from her hollow-looking eyes and stripped off her clothes.

  Mason was eating moodily. He thought about how distant Emily had been with him and tried to think of how he could bring her around. Mark snorted in laughter bringing Mason’s head up to meet his friend’s eyes.

  “You’re never going to crack that safe, man. You’re going to have to tap the reserves,” he said with a smirk. Mason looked around quickly to make sure no one was around.

  “Give it time. We’re going to be out here for a couple more weeks. It’ll happen,” he said confidently. Looking his friend over, Mason made a face. “Man, you’re rank. Tim says we can have showers if we do the stop and start method. You could really use one. I could smell you up on deck.”

  Mark laughed “It’s seasoning, man, but yeah, I’ll get cleaned up. So how have things been while I was in pukeland? How’s the Boy Scout?”

  Mason shook his head, “David’s not bad. He’s actually a pretty good guy. He’s always up for helping out. He doesn’t talk much but he’s okay. Tim’s been teaching me a lot. The more I learn the better. I’m thinking after we land in Washington, we stick around until he’s gone and “borrow” the boat to take us up into B.C. It will save us weeks of walking,” he told Mark quietly.

  Mark nodded thoughtfully, “Let’s keep that on the down-low for now. We don’t need the Boy Scout knowing our plans.”

  Mason agreed, David seemed like an okay guy but he was a little too nice for this new world and he’d have to toughen up if he wanted a ride up into Canada. He dumped his plate into the full sink and headed back up on deck passing Lisa as she came down for her turn in the shower.

  Mark looked her up and down and smirked. “Hey there, princess, it looks like you’ve lost some of the shine from your crown.”

  Lisa glared at him. “Could you be any more disgusting, Mark? Really, you should grab the next shower. I just stopped puking and the smell coming off of you is about to start me heaving again,” she said with disgust and quickly went into the bedroom and slammed the door.

  Mark stared at the closed door and brooded. Lisa had always treated him like crap and he’d taken it, but this was a brand-new world they were in and the rules had changed. He had always been in Mason’s shadow, the popular quarterback’s sidekick. Mark knew he wasn’t good looking or talented enough to be popular so sticking close to Mason in school was a no-brainer. He got all the benefits of being in the popular crowd without having to do any work, but all that was over now. It no longer mattered what crowd you were in. All that mattered was being strong and smart and ruthless. He planned on being all those things and more. He would deal with Mason as long as they needed this boat but after that, Mason was going to learn that he wasn’t number one anymore. As for Lisa, if she wanted to live, she would need to prove her worth to him. A small satisfied smile spread across Mark’s face as he thought about his future.

  Chapter Seven

  The next two days were uneventful. They played cards to pass the time or stayed on deck in the sun relaxing. Emily, Tim, and David took turns making meals in the small galley. It was no surprise to find out that none of the others could cook. She found herself organizing and inventorying the supplies again and again. She couldn’t stop thinking about what was to come once they docked. Knowing that they couldn’t just go get food in a store made her nervous and she knew that all the stores would be picked clean by the time they got back to land. David and Tim poured over the maps that he had gotten at the gas station plotting the best routes through Washington State to the Canadian border. Mason didn’t seem to be all that interested in the maps, and Emily thought he was trusting David with it. Mark did nothing. He hardly talked to anyone, but Emily could see him watching everything. It gave her the creeps every time she felt his eyes on her. She used to think Mark was just a mean bully but lately, she felt something more menacing coming from him. She tried to stay away from him and she noticed Lisa did as well.

  Lisa had reverted back to her sarcastic attitude and the common ground between the two girls seemed to be lost. She spent most of her time on deck working on her tan, wearing a bikini she had found in Tim’s closet. When she had emerged on deck in the small white suit two days ago, all the guys had stared at her, making Lisa toss her hair and pose like a model.

  “I hope you don’t mind, Tim, I found this in the back of your closet and since I didn’t bring my own I borrowed it,” she said with a flirty smile.

  “Um, yeah…ok, sure. I mean, no problem. It was probably left by one of my exes.” He shook his head in amusement.

  David looked at Emily and just shrugged before turning back to the wide expanse of ocean ahead of them. Mason was openly staring at her and Mark had a creepy leer on his face. Emily shook her head in disgust at the boys and went and sat with David.

  She hadn’t really talked to him since they had set sail. She shoulder bumped him and he gave her a smile.

  With a sad sigh, she asked him, “What do you think is happening at home?”

  He turned his gaze back out to the ocean and frowned. “I don’t know but I’m sure all of our families are okay. They would be looking out for each other and banding together to get things done. They’re in a really good location. There are lots of farms and the forest for hunting and all the lakes for fishing. They’re far enough from the cities that they shouldn’t get too many people walking in. I just wish I was there to help. More than anything, though, I’m mad.”

  Emily waited patiently for him to explain. Without taking his eyes off the view ahead he continued. “I’m stuck hundreds of miles from home; Mom and Emma are alone and where the hell is my dad? Who knows where! He should be home taking care of them right now. Sometimes I hate him,” he finished in a small sad voice.

  There was nothing Emily could say to make him feel better about his dad so she just took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She had never met David’s father and from what she had heard over the years, David barely knew him either. His father was a soldier and was away for most of David’s younger years. He had been in Bosnia and Sarajevo where he had seen some horrifying things. When he had finally come home for good, he had tried to be a family man and a good father to David and his sister Emma but it was a struggle. David had told of screaming nightmares and violent mood swings that scared his mom. After he had been home for a year, she couldn’t take it anymore and asked him to either get help or leave. David’s dad had chosen to leave his family.

  “I don’t know why it even bothers me,” David stated. “He was never really there for us ever. Mom’s so strong and she’s always done everything herself but it just isn’t fair! He should be there!” he said in frustration.

  “I’m sorry, David. I wish things were different for you guys,” Emily said with compassion.

  “Yeah, me too.” David turned and looked at her. “What about you? How are you holding up?”

  “Truth? I’m scared. I mean, this is beautiful, and it’s great that we aren’t walking, but I can’t stop thinking about what comes next. I’m really worried and the others don’t seem to even care. It’s like they are on some great holiday. I tried to talk to Mason about home and he just brushed it off like it’s no big deal! Lisa’s great one minute and then the next she’s back to being a diva. Mark…he scares me a little bit,” she confided.

  David nodded. “I know what you mean. I tried to go over the maps with Mason and he wasn’t even interested. It’s like he plans on sailing all the way home. I don’t know what to tell you about Lisa. It’s almost like she doesn’t know who she is. Sometimes she’s funny and easy to talk to and then it’s like she puts on this shallow g
irl act. I mainly just try and stay out of her way. I don’t get Mark at all. He doesn’t even talk to me except to make nasty comments but he’s always watching us. It’s almost like he’s got some secret agenda and he’s just waiting for the right time. I think you should stay away from him.” He was quiet for a while and then tentatively asked, “What about you and Mason, are you guys still together?”

  Emily looked down at her hands. “I just…I guess… I mean…I’m so confused! All the reasons that I liked him seem to have disappeared. He’s not who I thought he was. I don’t really believe that he loves me but I don’t know what to do! This is a pretty small boat to have to deal with the fallout of a breakup. I guess I’ll just keep things the same for now and hope for the best.” She laughed ruefully. “We have so much to worry about like what’s going on at home and how we’ll get there once we land, that breaking up with my boyfriend seems pretty petty in comparison.”

  David smiled, “Yeah, I guess normal teenage stuff’s going to have to take a backseat for a while. I don’t think we should talk about it right now but I think we should consider splitting up when we do hit land. I’m just not sure we can count on those guys and we can’t afford to make stupid mistakes. Think about it, okay?”

  Emily nodded, just one more thing to worry about.

  ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  They had been on the boat for seven days and Emily was in the main bedroom reading one of Tim’s paperback books. It was a very boring mystery but she was desperate for something to take her mind off of her worries as well as find a little bit of privacy. It was hard to be alone with six people onboard and they had all tried to get away from each other at some point. Tim seemed the least bothered and he was very good natured. He always seemed to find humor and was never testy with them. He was such a great guy and Emily was grateful to him for all he had done for them. She just wished that there was something she could do to keep busy. Emily had just reread the same page three times when she heard yelling coming from on deck. She threw the book aside and rushed out of the room and up the stairs to the deck to see what the commotion was all about.