by Newman, AJ
Jon said, “Nothing changed. You’re still my best friend and the wonderful person you were. I’ll just have to drop my thoughts about sharing.”
Jill laughed aloud, and Barbara pinched his side. They had lunch together, and then Jill made up a lame excuse to leave. Jon caught her while Barbara cleaned up.
Jon said, “You know, Gina sure is an attractive woman.”
Jill laughed. “You saw us kissing, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and I was shocked for a minute because it never dawned on me. I hope you find someone you really love. Please stay with us and bring the others. You mean a lot to me.”
“We’ll see.”
“What about our plans to make our loved ones immune. You can’t make Gina immune by yourself. Get her to come with us, and we’ll pass on the immunity to her before starting on my folks. Then we can drop you two off on the island on the way back. Shit, I just remembered. What about your parents?”
Tears formed in the corner of Jill’s eyes. “Damn, I’m letting my lust for Gina outweigh my brain.”
Jon hugged her, laughed, and said, “Why should men be the only ones who let their little head think for their big head? You women should have the same issues except for the little head …err …well, whatever starts thinking for your brain.”
“Jon, this is complicated. I really like Gina and the sex …”
“Whoa, girl. TMI!”
“You mean best friends can’t swap sexy stories about our women? Like you, men do all the time.”
Jon snickered and made the time out sign. “Look, girl. I just found out that my best friend, a woman, likes women as much as I do. That’s just about all I can handle for now.”
“And to think, just a few days ago, you wanted to get Barbara and me in bed together. Don’t give me bullshit about being embarrassed.”
Jon said, “See what happens when a guy’s little head does all the thinking. And please never tell Barbara about that.”
“You owe me big time!”
Chapter 27
Anclote Keys, off the Florida coast – September 2038
Jon and Jill were searching a medium-sized sailboat when Jon asked, “Have you told anyone about our immunity?”
Jill looked surprised he would ask the question. “No, we said we wouldn’t, and I’m abiding by the group’s decision.”
Jon said, “Good. Now, if we asked Gina to keep it secret, would she?”
Jill said, “Yes if we can make her believe it also means immunity for the group.”
“Okay, give me today to discuss it with Barbara, and then we’ll need to get Gina off to the side. Perhaps we’ll have her over to our place for a fish fry.”
They chowed down on some roasted Amberjack and sat around the fire. It was still daylight, and they couldn’t chance someone seeing their fire at night. Barbara slipped away and prepared the equipment while Jon and Jill explained about the transfusions.
Jill asked, “Hon, did you ever wonder why Jon and I volunteered to handle the rotting bodies and search the abandoned boats when all of you refused to do it for fear of infection?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you were making us nervous. Several in the group are worried you’ll bring the infection to the rest of us.”
Jill said, “Barbara will have to give you all of the details, but she worked for the CDC in Atlanta, working on creating a vaccine to stop the virus and make people immune. Their studies found there are thousands of people in the USA that are already immune. Jon and I are immune to the disease. We only wear the masks to keep the group from finding out about the immunity. We also decontaminate before being around any of the ladies.”
“Why keep it a secret? We would be happy for you.”
Jon replied, “We found out most of the immune people were being hunted down by a rogue group of CDC people, and their blood was drained to use to make our politicians and rich people immune. See, our blood can make you immune. If we do the transfusions slowly, our bodies can provide enough blood for one person to become immune, but it takes a month to six weeks for two of us to give enough blood safely to make a person immune. If our secret gets out, it could tempt someone to kill us for our blood.”
Gina shook her head in disbelief. “That’s great, but it would take years to make all of us immune.”
“No, we have been giving transfusions to Barbara. She can now give blood. Every time we make a person immune, we gain more ability to make others immune. This will only work if we keep it a secret as long as possible.”
Gina’s head swam with all of the new information swirling around in her head but agreed to talk with Barbara. Barbara sat down with her and gave her the entire story. An hour later, it was Jill’s turn.
Jill said, “I am immune and want you and the others to become immune. I can’t give you enough blood to make you immune and stay alive. The transfusions have to be done by at least two people and be completed in less than six weeks. Of course, the more people giving immune blood, the faster the recipient becomes immune. We want to start your transfusions and take all of you with us so we can make all of you immune, and then you can start passing immunity on to others.”
Gina was obviously torn between her old friends and her new lover. “Why can’t you all stay here and give us immunity? Jill, I thought we’d stay together.”
“Jon has relatives a few hundred miles south of here, and Barbara and I have relatives back on the mainland in Mississippi and Texas that we have to help. If everyone goes with us, we can spread immunity while staying safe.”
Gina said, “I’m sure the group won’t go with us. Will you promise to come back here if I go with you? We could come back through here and give them immunity before heading to Mississippi and Texas.”
Jill looked over at Jon and Barbara. Both nodded their heads, and Barbara started the transfusion from Jill to Gina. Jill held Gina’s hand, and they discussed how they’d handle telling everyone that Gina had changed her mind but would be back in a few months. They all agreed they couldn’t tell the others about the potential for immunity until they were ready to begin transfusions.
That evening after supper, Gina told everyone that she was going to leave with Jill and go on down to the Key West area. She promised them she’d be back in a couple of months. Jon told them they would work every day to make sure the ladies had plenty of supplies, and Jill would give them some training to improve their security. The ladies weren’t happy about their leader abandoning them, and a couple of them were vocal about their dissatisfaction with Gina’s decision.
Gina said, “Ladies, you have several capable leaders in the group, and as long as you keep a low key presence here, there shouldn’t be any problems. Keep on guard for raiders from the mainland, and never let any of them see you. They will come back to take slaves and rob you of the supplies you have worked so hard to scavenge. You can still go with us. We can find a larger ship and cruise down to the Keys with our new friends.”
They started Gina’s transfusions that day, and the time passed quickly. They worked hard to make sure the ladies had adequate supplies and a plan to keep their small island secure. Jill and Jon led a team scavenging the shipping containers. The women already had a large garden, and fishing to help sustain them. Jill and Gina were still working on the ladies to come with them to where Jon’s parents were located but weren’t making much headway. The women were also fearful of going to the mainland for at least a year. They thought the virus would have run its course by then.
The powerboat hadn’t been damaged by the storm and was in daily use by the group. They’d actually towed several floating shipping containers to the shore to be opened. There were several ATVs already on the island, and they put them to use pulling wagonloads of the supplies they found up to the buildings for safe storage. The overseas shipping containers and boats that washed up on the island contained a bounty of useful items and food.
Some of the boats had decaying bodies, and they were buried where there were found. Jo
n wanted to burn the bodies to ensure the virus was killed, but they couldn’t risk someone seeing the smoke. Jon was surprised at how many small and medium-sized boats washed up against their shore. They had people on the constant lookout for the boats, so they could hide or sink them to keep others from landing to check out the abandoned boats.
Jon always siphoned the gas or diesel from the boats that washed up on their shore. He had to stop for a while because he’d filled all of their tanks and gas cans. Jill and he made a run over to the mainland to a marina and brought several fifty-five-gallon drums back to the island. The ladies had now built up enough food to last over a year and had plenty of fuel if they had to escape suddenly. Jon and Jill found an abandoned sailboat that was more than large enough to carry all of them if they had time to flee. They also outfitted a large offshore powerboat that could be used to escape quickly. It would be crowded but could get up to over forty miles an hour loaded down with all of the women and their supplies.
Three weeks passed, and Gina received her last transfusion. They all tried once again to talk the women into coming with them to no avail. The women didn’t want to leave the safety of their small island, so Jill gave up trying to convince them. On the third day after Gina’s last transfusion, they said goodbye, and Jon steered the boat out to sea so no one on land could see the large bower boat leave the island. Jon set the GPS to take them to the Dry Tortugas National Park, where he felt his dad might be. Key West was his dad’s favorite place, but there were too many people there. His dad would seek an isolated place to hide with his mom and Cindy.
The Gulf was calm, the skies were clear, and the sun beat down on them. They had to slather sunblock on any exposed skin, or they’d risk a severe burn from the relentless sun. Jon chose to cruise at forty-five miles per hour, and it was only a bit less than two hundred and fifty miles to their destination. They would arrive in six hours at that speed. Jon worried that the boat made too much noise, and it would be difficult to get close to the island without being spotted. To solve this dilemma, he’d lashed a small twelve-foot sailboat across the back of the powerboat. With the sail stowed, the little boat only stuck over about two feet per side.
The Dry Tortugas – west of Key West, Florida
They took turns operating the controls, but the boat’s autopilot and navigation system steered the craft straight toward the Dry Tortugas. Jon took the last leg of the trip when the GPS showed them to be about ten miles east of the islands that made up the Dry Tortugas. Jon drove on for another seven miles through the slot between the National park and the two Keys north of it. The slot was only a little over a mile wide, so Jon cut the engines down to a fast idle to take them to a point about a mile off the western shore.
They scanned the island with binoculars, but could only verify there weren’t any larger ships or boats speeding around the island. Jon thought he spotted a large sailboat that could be his dad’s, but was too far away to be sure. He killed the engine and launched the small sailboat. After he raised the sail, Barbara lowered their backpacks, rifles, and a few supplies. They only planned to be away from the powerboat for several hours, but Jon had learned to be prepared for anything.
Jon told the others about the island while he prepared the small sailboat for their trip. “The National Park is almost seventy miles west of Key West, and the Dry Tortugas is composed of coral reefs and sand. An old 1800’s coastal defense fort, Fort Jefferson, was used to house the visitor’s center. There isn’t any natural water supply but the government added a desalinization plant back in the twenties. I hope Dad brought plenty of supplies, or they’ve been eating turtles and seabirds.”
Jon held the boat steady while Barbara joined him. Jon said, “If anyone tries to approach or attack, haul ass out of here. When we find my family or find they’re not here, we’ll come back out. If you’re not here, we’ll head to the Hospital Key to hide and wait for you to return. Be careful.”
They sailed south, and Jon was able to see the sailboat wasn’t his dad’s, and it had run aground. They then sailed east around the bottom of Key Garden, the small island containing the National Park and old Fort Jefferson. Barbara continued to scan the shore but saw no signs of life. Then when they cleared the bottom of the island, Barbara called out. “There is a large sailboat about a quarter-mile ahead.”
“Let me take a look,” said Jon, who then said, “It’s my dad’s boat. They made it here.”
They continued until they were due south of the island and only a hundred yards from his dad’s boat. They saw a small ship that was used to ferry tourists to the National Park and several small powerboats and sailboats, but no people.
Barbara caught some movement on the dock beside the tourist boat. “Jon, I just saw two people leave the tourist ship heading to the shore. I think they spotted us. Wait, a woman is running down to the shore. Crap, she stopped and took her bikini off. Now the man is running toward her. Shit, he’s naked.”
Jon raised his binoculars. “Holy shit. That’s my old girlfriend, who’s naked on the beach.”
Barbara saw the man throw a blanket on the beach, and the two of them went into the water. Barbara said, “Oh, my God, they’re all tangled up in each other’s arms. Hey, are you getting an eyeful? Ewwww. That’s gross.”
Jon was speechless since he’d just recognized the man. He finally dropped the binoculars and turned to Barbara. “That’s my dad with my old girlfriend, Cindy. Mom will cut his nuts off.”
Barbara tried to hold back her reaction to the look on Jon’s face but had to gulp several times. Jon saw her and said, “This ain’t funny. That’s my dad screwing my girlfriend.”
Barbara was still holding back from giggling. “Ex …girlfriend. Jon, she’s your ex …girlfriend. I’m your girlfriend.”
Jon caught her meaning. “Babe, I’m not jealous. I’m just shocked that he would do this to my mom. Where the hell is Mom?”
They scanned the docks and beaches. They were surprised there were no rotting bodies or skeletons.
Chapter 28
The Dry Tortugas – west of Key West, Florida - September 2038
Jon steered the sailboat toward the two who were oblivious to their surroundings. Jon started yelling when they were only a hundred yards away, but the two lovebirds didn’t hear him until they were much closer. Jon yelled, “Dad, Dad, what the hell are you doing? Put some damned clothes on and take your hands off that woman.”
His dad heard the yelling, and the two of them ran to the shore, grabbed their clothes, and scampered up to the tourist boat. A minute later, there was the crack of a rifle shot, and a bullet splashed water ahead of them. Jon stood up and waved at his dad. They were only about a hundred feet apart now; Jon heard his dad yell, “Is that you Jon?”
Jon struck the sails and rowed the boat up to the narrow beach. “Dad, what the hell is going on? Where’s Mom? She’ll kill you for messing around with Cindy.”
His dad and Cindy walked down to the beach. His dad said, “Son, calm down. I have bad news for you. Your mom was killed during our escape from Dauphin Island, months ago. A motorboat tried to stop us, and she was killed during the brief fight. I killed the three on the boat with a lucky shot that caused their gas tank to blow.”
Cindy interrupted, “Jon, I thought you were dead. Your dad and I were alone, and when we got here, everyone was dead. We figured we were the last people alive in the area, and you know … oh hell, we got lonely.”
Jon replied, “I don’t care who you’re screwing. I love Barbara. I’m pissed because I saw you two in the water having too much fun, and then my old man tells me my mom is dead. Isn’t Dad way too old for you?”
Cindy stammered, and Jon walked away in a huff. Jon was suffering from too much information and went down the beach to be alone. Barbara said, “Cindy, Jon doesn’t give a shit about you and his dad hooking up. He just heard his mom is dead. Give him time to process the news. Mr. Stone, Jon and I were in a similar situation and are now a couple. He’s not mad
about your relationship with Cindy. He told me he was very close to his mom and dad. He just can’t deal with her death right now. Give him a day or two and keep your clothes on out in public. He’ll be okay.”
Barbara left them to go to Jon’s side. He sat on a rock, looking out into the ocean. “Jon, are you okay? I know it was a shock to see them together, but you have to understand their situation.”
“Babe, I’m not mad at them. Even though my mind told me all three of them were probably dead, my heart held out for their survival. Yes, at first, I thought Dad betrayed Mom, but I get it. I need some time to think by myself. We need to go get the others and bring them down here. Please go tell Dad we’ll be back in a few hours with another two friends.”
Jon introduced Jill and Gina upon their return, and then Jon and his dad, Jack, went off to the side to have a private conversation. He understood why Cindy and his dad were together, but he still couldn’t believe his mom was dead. He could tell Cindy and his dad cared for each other, and he swallowed his anger and put a smile on his face for his dad’s sake.
“Dad, isn’t she too young for you? Do you love her?”
“Son, she makes me happy, and your mom was gone. I loved your mom for thirty years. I could never love anyone as much as your mom, but I do love Cindy. Seeing you with Barbara, I guess you’re not too mad at me for stealing your girlfriend.”
“No, I’m not mad. I went to Oregon to clear my head and to figure out how to break it off with her. Mom loved Cindy more than I did. They both plotted to get us married and have five kids. Frankly, it scared me off.” Jon said.
Jack poured a stiff drink for himself and offered a whiskey and coke to Jon, who said, “I’ll sip on a beer, but I don’t drink whiskey anymore. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”