Extinction Level Event (Book 1): Extinction

by Newman, AJ

  Jill yelled above the storm. “Where’s Barbara and the boat?”

  Jon replied, “Gone. I hope it didn’t turn over. Poor Bo, I hope he’s in the boat with Barbara and safely on the shore by now.”

  The storm still thundered on around them an hour later when Jon shook Jill and helped her stand upright. They held tightly to the railing as they climbed the stairs to the deck above them. Jon still had his 9mm, but Jill only had her knife. They didn’t want a fight, but neither could they stay on the ladder and be beaten to death by the waves. Jon peered above the deck and couldn’t see anyone or any lights. Jon helped Jill on to the deck but cautioned her to stay on all fours. He joined her, and they crawled across the deck to the first door they came to. Jon rose up and tried the door. It wouldn’t open, so they crawled on to the next door, and it opened.

  Jon reached into his pocket and found the small penlight flashlight. The room was a maintenance room about five feet by eight feet, and there were mop buckets, mops, and fishing supplies strewn across the floor. Jon pitched the buckets and mops out onto the deck, and they entered and closed the door behind them. Jon searched the cabinets and found stacks of shop towels, a couple of tarps, and shelf after shelf of cleaning supplies. He made two pallets out of the folded-over tarps and pillows from the shop towels. He helped Jill onto one and lay behind her with his arms wrapped around her. They slept fitfully through the storm, which finally abated before dawn.

  Jon woke battered, bruised, and dizzy from the night’s beating from the storm and the ship’s unforgiving metal floor. He reached for Bo and then remembered the night before with tears in his eyes. He noticed the boat was calm now, and there were only the expected squeaks and groans from an old fishing boat. He wanted to let Jill sleep. He started to rise, but leaned over her and kissed her on the cheek. He had been scared when he thought she’d drowned. He opened the door to the early gray dawn with the sun rising on the opposite side of the boat. The ocean air smelled clean and crisp with a hint of ozone after the storm. It was only in the low eighties that morning and felt fantastic. He walked around the deck with a gun in hand, looking for threats.

  Jon saw a dead man’s feet sticking out of a doorway. The body was covered with rats chewing on the remains. The rats looked up at Jon as if he was just a minor distraction to ignore. He waved at them and yelled. They looked up again and hissed at him. Jon stomped his feet, and all but one ran away. The big gray rat charged at Jon. Jon reacted, swung his foot back, and followed through on target. He felt the crushing bones as his foot contacted and then drove into the unlucky rodent’s body. The little monster sailed through the air and hit a window. It then flopped to the deck and wiggled for a minute before dying.

  Jon watched the rat as he walked away and whacked his head on something along the side of the bridge. He grabbed his head and looked up to see a large lifeboat. It was about twenty feet long and six feet wide. It had a fiberglass cover over the entire boat with a small cab sticking up above the boat with windows, so the pilot could see to steer the vessel. Jon found a plate on the side that gave directions on operating the craft and a list of emergency supplies stored in the boat’s locker. This was perfect, except for the color. He didn’t want people to see the boat. Jon checked the davits and was pleased to see they could be operated manually as well as electrically powered.

  He then looked through the window of the bridge and could only see the empty seats and controls. He opened the door, and the smell almost bowled him over. He remembered having the same reaction when his chemistry professor had opened a small bottle with Cadaverine in the classroom. His professor told the class that the chemical is a foul smelling compound made during the putrefaction of animal tissue. The words even sounded nasty. He’d been around the rotting bodies before, but they were mainly outside where the wind carried most of the odor away. This almost made him upchuck. He had to run outside.

  Chapter 25

  A ship off the coast of southern Florida. – August 2038

  Jon went outside, took a deep breath, and then returned to the room. He quickly went through the cabinets and drawers. He had to leave the room for clean air several times but found a short 12-gauge shotgun and a box of double aught buck shells. He also found an old loaded .38 revolver, but no extra bullets. He started back to find Jill when he heard her call out. He ran to her, and she jumped in his arms.

  Jill said, “I thought you were gone.”

  “I’m right here. I wanted you to get some rest while I searched the bridge for supplies.”

  “Don’t ever leave me again,” she pleaded as she held him close.

  Jon said, “So, the strong-willed MP does get scared and need a man to keep her safe?”

  “Nope, I was afraid a weakling like you would see a rat and pass out and hit your hard head on the steel deck. The truth is, I’m afraid of being lonely. We’re so damned close to being the last people on Earth, and I hate being alone.”

  “Crap, I thought you wanted my body and couldn’t live without me.”

  Jill chuckled, “Boy, you do have a very high opinion of yourself. You are a good man, but I think you are full of crap most of the time.”

  Jon’s face turned red when suddenly, Jill poked him in the stomach and said, “Got ya.”

  “I knew you wanted my body.”

  Jill said, “We’ll see about that.”

  “I found this shotgun and a pistol. Stick the pistol in your pocket.”

  Jill reached for Jon’s 9-mm. “You’ve got the shottie and the .38. I’d feel safer with this 9-mm. Do you have any more mags?”

  Jon reached in his back pocket and gave her another seventeen round magazine. Water dripped out of it. “We need to clean these quickly before they corrode.”

  They searched the remaining above deck rooms and found one with four more rotting bodies. They found the crew quarters and found some dry clothes, a couple of flashlights, and hygiene supplies. Jill headed straight to the head. “Excuse me. I see a toilet.”

  Jon laughed but stayed just outside the head to watch for any dangers. Jill came out several minutes later in blue jeans and a t-shirt that proudly exclaimed she was a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Jon quickly changed clothes and then found the kitchen and crew dining room. There were large cans of everything from soup to pork and beans. Bags of onions, carrots, and potatoes had been ready to peal when the shit hit the fan. The potato bag was open, and the potatoes had rolled everywhere. Jon didn’t dare open the refrigerator but did find canned hams and Spam in the pantry. The pantry also had bread, crackers, and many boxes of cereal.

  Jon said, “I’m starving, and some Spam on crackers with mustard and onion looks pretty good to me.”

  They ate their fill and then searched the below deck rooms. Most of the below deck area was devoted to cleaning and processing fish for storage until the boat returned to shore. Jon was glad the ship was abandoned before they caught any fish. They did find the ship engineer’s room, which had plenty of grease and oil. They cleaned their weapons and threw some gun cleaning supplies in a duffel bag before leaving the maintenance shop.

  Jon brought up a topic they had avoided. “Jill, we haven’t discussed finding Barbara and our boat.”

  She frowned. “I keep trying to see a scenario where Barbara survived the storm and always end up with tears in my eyes."

  Jon said, “I know. We haven’t known her long, but she kinda grows on you after you learn to ignore the scientist crap.”

  “I saw you gawking at her when we went swimming the other day. Are you two going to hook up?”

  Jon said, “No. Frankly, I like both of you. You are more like me. Kinda rough on the outside and kind on the inside. Barbara is sweet and a bit naïve, but also very hardheaded. You both are beautiful women. I don’t think she likes me.”

  Jill stammered and thought quickly. “I can’t remember being jealous before. You are becoming the closest friend I’ve ever had, and I guess I didn’t want to share you with Barbara.”

>   “So we’re best friends. Everyone needs a best friend. Both of mine died in the plane crash that left me with a bum leg. I’ve never had a female best friend. We usually end up in bed and then break up later.”

  “Yep, I guess that’s right. Is that okay?” Jill said.

  “I’m a bit confused about our situation. I’ve become very close to both of you.”

  Jill said, “Right now, I need a best friend more than a boyfriend.”

  Before she could say more, he laughed under his breath and left. Jon headed to the maintenance room. He thought all women were crazy and almost forgot why he went to the maintenance room. He found the yellow explosion proof paint locker and the gray paint in gallon cans. Several paint brushes hung from a pegboard, and he stuck them in his pocket before climbing the stairs back to the deck.

  She waited a few minutes and then followed him onto the deck and took his hand. “Jon, I owe you my life. Please don’t be mad at me. I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

  Jon thought he knew why she was still single but kept his thoughts to himself. Then Jill broke the silence, “I’m sorry if I misled you. I try to be more girly to offset my tomboy behavior. I’m really not a tease. Maybe I flirted a bit too much.”

  Jon shrugged, “Jill, I like you the way you’ve been all along. Don’t change. I’m sorry for being abrupt with you. I thought you had feelings for me. My mistake. This is hard for me because I’m attracted to you. You and Barbara made me forget about my girlfriend, who is most probably dead.”

  Jill felt relieved but upset at the same time. She wanted Jon for a dear friend, but not anything more. She’d never felt this way about a man before. Most of them either pissed her off or disappointed her. She withdrew into herself as she usually did when met with rejection.

  Jill sulked, but Jon saw the change and said, “Get your ass over here, beautiful, and help me paint. I hate to work alone.”

  Jill joined him, even though she wanted some space to clear her head. She had mixed feelings about Jon and the beautiful red-haired woman and needed to sort them out alone, but joined him anyway.

  Jon tried the hoist controls only to find them dead as expected. He read the instructions on the side of the davit. The instructions said lowering the lifeboat used the weight of the boat to take it down to the ocean. He wanted to stop the boat level with the deck, to check it out and load it with their newfound supplies. He read on to understand there was a hand crank to raise the boat when the ship’s power was disabled. He removed the safety pins and found the hand crank. He engaged it, thinking that if it could raise the boat, it could also lower it. He was wrong! It would only crank the boat up. He reread the instructions and pulled the cable to release the brake holding the lifeboat.

  “Shit! The damned boat is dropping past the deck.”

  The boat was only a few feet above the water when he remembered to pull the brake handle. Now he could crank the lifeboat back up to the deck level. The crank turned easily but took several turns to raise the craft an inch. He cranked until his muscles were sore, and then Jill took over.

  Jon watched her crank the winch and said, “Now that’s sexy. A sweaty woman who’s not afraid to work.”

  Jill flexed her muscles and kept cranking. The frown had disappeared. They changed up a couple of times, and the watercraft was finally level with the deck, supported by the cables hanging from the davits. He crawled through the top hatch into the cabin, where he found the walls were lined with places for ten people to sit per side. There was only one window in the front, and above the passengers was a seat and controls for steering the lifeboat. Jon checked the controls and noted the fuel tank was full. The lockers under the seats had several cases of bottled water, survival food, and many other items needed for twenty people to survive on the open sea. The boat was as ready as it should be.

  Jon climbed on top of the boat, and they began painting. They slopped paint on the lifeboat, and it was soon battleship gray. Jon stood back and admired their work. “Now, it will be hard to see us.”

  Jill quipped. “And it’s all fun until a big-assed ship runs over us in the dark.”

  Jon stated. “That’s why we have these light thingies. They will keep boats from hitting us in the dark and attract pirates.”

  Jill laughed and said, “You’re clouding the issue with facts.”

  Early the next morning, Jon carried several heavy bags of potatoes and carrots to their staging area by the lifeboat. They had scavenged every room and fish processing area in the nine-hundred-foot-long ship. They’d found a couple more pistols, and several boxes of ammo were hidden in the crew’s personal possessions. They took clothes, food, weapons, tarps, and several bottles of alcohol and loaded all of the supplies into the lifeboat.

  Jon said, “Jill, climb in the hatch. Then I’ll release the brake catch, so we can lower the boat from the inside. The hooks should release the boat from the davit chains when we are in the water. There is a hydrostatic valve that will automatically re …”

  Jill interrupted and wisecracked, “Let’s go, I get all mushy inside when you talk technical, and we don’t have time for that.”

  He pulled the release cable, and the boat began its steady downward motion until it rocked in the gentle waves. The hooks released, and they were ready to go. Jon looked to the east as the lifeboat bobbed in the water. Half of a glowing red rubber ball showed itself above the horizon. There weren’t any clouds to the east, and the wind was gentle from the west. He took a reading on the boat’s compass and headed to the nearest land.

  “Do you think we can find her?”

  “Do you really want to find her?” Jon asked.

  Jill looked up at Jon, sitting a few feet above her. “Jon, I’m not a bad person. I don’t wish her harm, but as I said before, I guess I was jealous of her.”

  “Don’t be so damned insecure. You are my friend. Anything that happens or doesn’t happen with Barbara has no bearing on our relationship.”

  She patted Jon on the leg and thought, Jon might not like me when he finds out what I really am. I’ll try hard not to show my jealousy of Barbara and him. Maybe he’d like a strong woman who drank and cussed a bit too much, and we could stay friends.

  Jill didn’t like herself when she tried to be a girly-girl feminine. She felt better with a badge on her chest and a gun in her hand. She just needed to find a way to deal with the Barbara situation.

  Jon woke her from her thoughts. “Hey, look! Land! It must be the barrier islands around Clearwater. I’m going back out a bit and cruise north until I match the islands to the map. I think we are in front of the opening to Tarpon Springs. If I’m right, there’s an island about four miles long, then a short one about a half-mile long and then nothing.”

  They cruised north until he saw the end of the long island, and a few minutes later, they passed the short island. He went about five more miles before heading back south.

  “We should be hard to spot from the land, and this tiny diesel doesn’t make much noise, so I’m going to cruise along while you check the shore for our boat or anything suspicious.”

  “Will do, Captain,” she said and then added, “Are you always this bossy?”

  “Maybe, but I’ll bet the real issue is you have been in charge for many years as a cop, and balk when a strange man gives orders.”

  “Maybe.”

  They cruised the length of both islands. “I have only seen a couple of derelict boats and a wrecked passenger plane. Can we go to the backside of this one? There’s something like a tower or utility pole over there.”

  “Yep, there’s some kind of animal sanctuary on this island. I think Dad told me there were some buildings and a park ranger station during the tourist season. Be ready to shoot if anyone tries to get too close. Remember, the hull is only fiberglass and will barely stop a BB.”

  “I’m a cop. I kinda already knew that, but I like it when you get protective and manly.”

  They turned the corner and saw a larg
e container ship had run aground and capsized, spilling overseas shipping containers. There were hundreds of them washed ashore or bobbing in the water. There weren’t any signs of life, but Jill saw a dock jutting out from the land into a small bay. Jill scanned the area and said. “That boat looks like ours. Over there, just past the dock by the green shipping container.”

  The boat was theirs, but it had been abandoned. It had been run up on the beach and tied to a stump. There weren’t any footprints in the sand near the boat.

  Jon looked up and down the shoreline for signs of life but didn’t see anyone or Bo. He silently prayed Bo and Barbara both had made it to shore. The boat was in good shape, but full of water. Jon dipped a finger in it and tasted the water.

  “That’s rainwater. It’s only slightly salty. That means the boat didn’t fill up out on the ocean. Barbara must have beached it in the rain, and then it filled up with rainwater.”

  Jill said, “Normally, I’d say to split up and search, but I think we need to watch each other’s back.”

  “I’m with you on that. The best I can guess is we need to search for signs of life. I hope we see some footprints we can follow to Barbara. There appear to be several buildings at the end of the path leading to the dock. This was a wildlife park and tourists used to flock here. There have to be some facilities for them. Let’s search there first.”