by L. T. Ryan
Leo grabbed Sean by the shoulders and squared up to him. He looked past Sean, though, toward the window, toward the sound of Marley’s incessant barking.
“You stay here with her,” Leo said. “I’ll go investigate this.”
“Let me,” Sean said. “It’s better that I—”
“No.” His gaze shifted to the pistol. “I’m guessing by now you know how to use that thing. So, keep a watch over her should whatever’s out there get past me.”
Sean tried to argue again, but Leo was at the front door with a knife in one hand, and the towel in the other. What was his plan for the towel? Who knew why anyone did the things they did these days.
A cold blast of air whipped through the room. Leo struggled with the door. The wind wanted to smash it into the wall. He dipped his shoulder into it, opening it wide enough to slip out. Then he dropped the towel and wrapped his hand around the knob and fought against the wind to close it. The room went quiet after an audible hushing sound. Sounded that way, at least.
Sean watched through the fogging window until Leo was lost in the whiteout. He waited there for a few extra moments and realized that Marley’s barking had subsided. Was it because Leo was out there? Or had the threat abated?
The final thought that ran through Sean’s mind was one he didn’t want to face. What if something had happened to the dog?
He turned away from the window and gave his attention back to Beth.
“How’re you holding up, hon?” he asked.
“What’s going on out there? Where’s Leo?”
“He’s getting some more ice.”
She licked her cracked, dry lips, and a smile spread. He hadn’t noticed how perfect her teeth looked until that moment. Like bright white chiclets. How had she managed to keep them so clean looking all these months? Perhaps she packed a year’s supply of whitening strips. But would that matter anymore?
“I know that’s not true,” she said.
“How so?” Sean said.
“Because you wouldn’t have stood there at the window watching him.”
Sean shrugged and said nothing.
“And he would’ve taken that pot I knocked over out there with him.”
“Guess you got me.”
“I heard the dog barking.” She lifted her head and looked Sean in the eye. She grimaced and sucked in a quick breath. “What’s his name?”
“Marley.”
“Seems like a good dog.”
“He is. Saved my ass more than once, that’s for sure.”
“He yours?”
“Belonged to a friend.” He tried to keep his gaze focused on her and not let it drift while he thought about Barbara and ultimately, his wife Kathy.
“Well, you’re a good friend keeping him around for her.”
“How’d you know she’s a her?”
Beth shrugged and smiled, though it looked more like an attempt trying to work a hunk of meat free from her teeth. “Just a hunch.” She lowered her head back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “Anyway, what do you say we get this baby out of me?”
Sean glanced back at the door, then the window, which had fogged over again. What he wouldn’t give for a bark or a yell or a bang against the door at that moment. Something to let him know Leo was holding his ground out there. He was hesitant to begin the final push without the other man present. What if something happened outside in the middle of it all? He couldn’t leave the woman alone in that position. Once it started, there was no turning back.
“Let’s wait for Leo,” he said, looking back at the door. “I’ll feel better when he’s back.”
“Sure,” Beth said. “Because this is all about how you feel, right?”
Sean swung his head around and saw that same pained smile flashing at him. He chuckled softly, mostly to himself, lowered his nodding head. When he glanced up again, she was still staring at him. The grin had faded somewhat.
“Another one’s coming,” she said.
Sean’s first instinct was to ready for an afflicted, but the reality of the present situation set in and he understood her words to mean another contraction. How long was it since the last? He’d lost track, not that it was easy to keep up with the exact timing. But he had a general idea.
He lifted the sheet and saw the top of the baby’s head. It might only take one more good round of pushing to get the baby out.
“Ready?” she asked.
He held up a finger. “I need to check.”
She rolled her eyes and let her head drop back to the pillow and her feet to the floor. Didn’t bother with the sheet, leaving everything below the waist exposed.
Sean went to the window, wiped it with the rag, leaving swirling condensation streaks. The visibility was maybe ten feet past the porch. Not enough. So he grabbed his coat and armed himself with his pistol and opened the front door. A swift wind penetrated. Beth called out something about freezing her lady parts off. Sean ignored her and slipped through the opening, pulling the door shut behind him.
“This is crazy,” he muttered to himself. What was he doing? A woman lay inside, a baby ready to exit her body. And here he was, wandering around in a snowstorm trying to get himself killed.
Leo’s tracks stood out in the deep powder. Sean followed them away from the porch. They went out straight for thirty feet, then cut to the right. He peered off in that direction looking for any trace of the guy.
Over the howling whistle of the wind through the barren trees, he heard Beth’s muffled screams span a solid fifteen seconds before tapering off. She couldn’t remain alone much longer.
Sean followed the tracks another fifty yards. He glanced back often, but by this point, the small cabin had retreated from view behind the snowy veil. Not even three minutes had past. But anything could happen in a hundred and eighty seconds.
He butted up to a thick tree and covered his eyes with both hands after tucking the pistol in his coat pocket. It didn’t help. He could see no further. Only thing it did was keep a few flakes from hitting his face. He was ready to return. And as he started to do so, he caught sight of a faint outline approaching from the direction of Leo’s tracks.
Sean took cover behind the tree, pistol in hand, peeking out a few times until he had a better view of the incoming being. Chances were it was Leo. But it could be an afflicted. If so, he’d have to begin a retreat careful to remain out of sight of the dead.
He eased out again. The person heading toward him stopped. Sean got a good look at the guy who was still blurred by the snowfall. The height and frame appeared right.
“Hey-o,” the guy called out while waving his hand.
Sean shook his head, stepped out from the tree. He waited there for Leo to meet him.
“Any sign of Marley?” Sean asked.
The guy swung his head side to side. “Not a damn thing out there right now. Guess whatever it was, your boy’s still giving chase.” He smiled and gave Sean a pat on the shoulder. “Maybe he’ll bring us back a deer.”
“That’d be—”
A shrill scream from the direction of the cabin stopped him short.
“That’s not Beth.” Leo burst past Sean. He kicked up snow as he raced toward the cabin.
“Leo!” Sean said, but it was too late. The man wasn’t stopping. In his mind, he was the last line of defense for the woman and his unborn niece or nephew.
Leo disappeared from sight. Another shrill yell rang out. It was coming from beyond the cabin. Sean took off, sticking to the path Leo had carved out for him.
When he reached the cabin, the other man had an afflicted pinned to the ground, face-first in the snow. Leo was pulling his knife free from the back of the dead’s head. He wiped the blade in the snow. Long red tracks stood out. By the time Sean reached them, fresh powder had dulled it to a soft pink.
“Ready to deliver a baby?” Sean asked.
Leo looked up, laughed a soundless laugh, and nodded.
Five minutes later they were on the floor prepa
ring for Beth’s final push. Leo knelt at her side, offering his hand as a crushing pad. Sean had his right hand underneath the crown of the baby’s head. Held his left over top. He looked like Carlton Fisk waiting for the first pitch in the final game of the World Series.
“All right, Beth,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
The dreaded silence after the baby was born sucked whatever heat there was out of the room. The umbilical cord was wound and knotted around the infant’s neck. Sean worked to free it. Seconds were precious. The little one could only last so long without air. It was a boy, and he moved his arms and legs like he was trying to swim to freedom.
Sean unknotted and unwound the umbilical cord from around the infant’s neck, then sucked the warm, salty fluid from its mouth and nose. He leaned over to spit it out, still holding the baby over his mother. He hadn’t righted himself when the little guy’s first choppy cries escaped his little mouth.
Leo was the first to start crying, followed by Beth, who held the baby tight to her chest and kissed the top of his head repeatedly. Sean couldn’t help but join in. The moment was powerful, but so were the memories of Emma’s birth. And they raced through his mind.
The moment lasted several minutes. The baby’s cries faded as he found his mother’s breasts and the food supply contained within. Leo curled up next to mother and child. And Sean washed his hands in the pot that was half snow, half water.
Everything was fine. For now.
But now didn’t last long.
And everyone’s face drained as they looked up at the door after a loud series of knocks.
Six
Turk awoke to a slice of light that knifed across his face. He opened his eyes and blinked Elana’s silhouette into focus. She slipped into the room and closed the door behind her after flicking on the light. Turk pulled himself into a sitting position, hunched over his knees. He rubbed his eyes and then stretched.
“Time is it?” he asked.
“Almost eight,” she said.
“Shit.”
“Well, you didn’t come to bed until almost five.” She sat on the edge of the bed, right knee drawn up, facing him. She reached for his hand and squeezed. “You okay?”
“Just couldn’t stop thinking of how I failed Sean.” He wouldn’t look at her. Didn’t want her to see the misting on his eyes.
Elana leaned forward and dipped her head so he couldn’t avoid her stare. “She made a decision, Turk.”
“She’s a kid. It wasn’t her decision to make. I was in charge…I mean, I was responsible for her. If something happens, what am I supposed to say?” He looked up. “If Sean shows up on the island, looking for his little girl, what am I supposed to tell him?”
“That she left. She did it on her own accord. You couldn’t stop her because she didn’t give you a chance to stop her. Whatever the reason, she decided to get back to shore. Maybe she’s got a fantasy that she can find her dad? Frankly, who do you think you are to stop her from doing so?”
“Who am I?” Turk thudded his sternum with the tip of his index finger. “Christ, I’m the guy tasked with taking care of all these folks.”
“You’re not responsible for saving the world anymore, babe.”
“Like hell I’m not.”
She nudged his chin toward her with her fingers. “Layla, me, hell, even Sarah and those other girls on this boat. That’s who you gotta watch out for now. We’re the whole world to you. Got it?”
He inhaled a deep breath of stale air and nodded. Dwelling on what had happened, and what events might transpire, proved a waste of energy. What point was there? He’d face Sean when he faced him. Would living the event a hundred times in his mind help? Hell no. It only served to keep him from preparing for events that would certainly happen. Facing the afflicted again, for one. And the ever-present threat of humans not known to him. No one could be trusted.
No one.
“I’ll make you some coffee,” Elana said, and she kissed him on the forehead and left the room.
He watched her leave and waited until the door clicked shut before throwing back the sheets covering his legs. The room was warm and still. He threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and exited into the galley.
Paige and his daughter Layla sat at one end of the table with a coloring book and crayons spread out in front of them. They’d lucked out in that the boat was stocked with things to keep children busy.
Sarah and Jenny watched him as he crossed to the counter where his wife stood with his coffee in hand. Elana handed him the mug, then lifted her eyebrows and jutted her chin to the young women.
“What?” Turk asked.
“Looks like they have some questions,” she said.
Turk lowered his chin to his chest, inhaled the steam from his drink, and sighed. He could put off having the talk, but that would only make it more difficult. He grabbed a stool and dragged it across the room so he could sit in front of them.
“No point in beating around the bush,” he said. “Addy wanted a chance to find her grandparents, and I didn’t feel right standing in her way.”
Sarah said, “But what about Emma?”
Turk nodded and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “She must have overheard Addy’s plan—”
“Addy told us all she was going,” Sarah said. “Before she told you. Emma was there, heard it all.”
“So that’s how she knew,” he said, more to himself than the women. “And I left the damn raft unwatched long enough for her to get on and hide herself under the blankets.”
Turk laced his fingers behind his head. The stubble scratched his palms.
“You can’t blame yourself,” Jenny said. “She wanted her dad to find her. She was scared she’d never see him again.”
Turk thought of Becky, the daughter he knew he’d never see again, and stifled back tears that desperately wanted to escape.
“Are you gonna tell the little ones?” Sarah asked. “‘Cause I’ll do it. I think I can break it pretty gently to them. They both looked up to Emma, her smarts and toughness.”
The first tear slipped past Turk’s defenses and down his cheek. He spun on the stool and hopped off. He turned the dry side of his face toward Sarah and Jennie. “That’d be helpful.”
On deck he found Jerry at the wheel staring steadfast over the expansive Atlantic. The man jumped when Turk came up behind him and placed his hand on Jerry’s shoulder.
“Christ Almighty,” Jerry said.
“C’mon,” Turk said. “Former Marine? Shouldn’t have scared you.”
“Once a Marine, always a Marine. And you did scare me.” He looked over his shoulder, past Turk, and the spreading wake behind them. “I’ve spotted another vessel back there.”
Turk followed the man’s gaze and stared off at the horizon, but there was no ship there. “When’s the last time you saw them?”
“‘Bout twenty minutes, I guess. Was easier to see them before the sun came up.”
Turk reached across Jerry and slowed the engine down. By his calculations, the fuel Jerry and his family had provided was enough to reach the Bahamas. Once in the calmer waters surrounding the islands, it’d be easier to travel by sail.
It wasn’t long before the other boat appeared. Turk looked through a pair of binoculars and didn’t care for what he saw.
“What is it?” Jerry asked.
Turk handed him the binoculars. “Take a look for yourself.”
Jerry put them up to his face and dialed them into focus. “Those dudes don’t look too friendly.”
The two men on the bow were armed with assault rifles.
“Pirates?” Jerry asked.
“Hard to say,” Turk said. “But I doubt they’re part of the welcoming committee.” He switched positions with the man and took over the controls. “Get Alec and Rhea, and ready yourselves for a fight.”
“You got it.” Jerry started for the stairs.
“Jer—wait a sec.” Turk waited for the man to return. “Have them come up
here first.”
Jerry disappeared below deck and returned a minute later with Alec and Rhea. The woman shielded her eyes against the sun peeking out from behind dark, racing clouds.
“Take a look behind us,” Turk said before pausing a beat. “I don’t think those dudes are cruising back there with good intentions. Pretty sure they see another boat, and their only thought is to loot it and kill the passengers. Jerry, how long ago did you first notice them?”
Jerry shook his head and scrunched up his shoulders, which had a similar effect on his face. “You know, I’d like to say about four hours ago. Like I said, before the sun came up, they were easier to spot. At first, I didn’t pay it no mind. But they kept showing up regularly.”
Alec the cop said, “Must’ve wanted to see if we were situationally aware. Maybe they figure a lax target is an easier one.”
“Something tells me those guys don’t care either way,” Turk said. “Anyone think they can hit them a thousand meters out in these conditions?”
Jerry half-raised his hand. “I’d be willing to attempt it.”
“I don’t know if attempting is our best bet. We fire first, we better feel damn confident we’re gonna hit something because they’ll come at us full force after that.”
Rhea asked, “What’s the fuel situation like?”
“At the pace we’ve been running, we can get past Grand Bahama before needing to switch to sail.”
“And if we open it up to get away from these guys?” she asked.
Turk stared past her at the boat in the distance. “Hard to say.” Then he looked ahead, in the direction they traveled. “If it gets us out of their range and off their radar, then it’s worth it. I can get this boat into calmer waters by sail alone. I’d prefer to be there already, but it’s not exactly the worst-case scenario.”
“Looks like quite a storm brewing,” Rhea said.
“It does,” Turk said. “Might work to our benefit.”
“You’re not thinking…?”