Refuge: After the Collapse

by Scott B. Williams

  “We can’t do it with brute strength alone, that’s for sure. We sure don’t want to risk dropping him and hurting him more. But I think the solution is on board, if they didn’t take it.”

  Casey and Jessica waited in the canoe with Larry while her dad pulled himself out of the water onto the stern nets and boarded the boat to search the storage lockers. She could see that Larry was breathing steadily, but he was still unconscious.

  “I found it! Now we can get him up here.”

  Casey and Jessica both looked up and saw the familiar Lifesling rescue device that Uncle Larry had shown them when they’d gone to visit him on the islands during their summer break the year before. As part of their safety drill before they set sail, he had explained how it worked and that it was the only way to safely retrieve someone who had fallen overboard, especially if they were injured and the seas were rough. A combination flotation device and harness, the Lifesling could be connected to a halyard, and with the big two-speed winch mounted in the center of the cockpit, anyone on board could lift an unconscious person from the water and move them safely back on deck. But what good would it do them with the mast down and no halyard to attach it to, she wondered?

  Her dad had an idea. Even though the mast wasn’t standing, Larry had blocked it up using two-by-fours to store it horizontally so that it ran down the centerline of the boat, parallel to the hulls. The blocking held it some three feet above the main crossbeams, so, he said, by using the mainsheet tackle attached to a strop around it, they should still be able to lift Larry high enough to get him over the aft beam and into the cockpit. It was tricky getting the Lifesling in position around Larry’s chest without tipping the canoe, but with her dad lying flat on deck and reaching down to help, the three of them managed to do it. Then they lined the canoe around the hull and Casey and Jessica each took a line from it, one on the starboard stern deck and one on the port, so that they could hold the canoe steady while her dad went to the winch in the center of the main cockpit to begin cranking the handle, lifting Larry’s dead weight inch by inch until his torso was high enough that they could pull him onto the deck. Casey and Jessica guided him down gently while her dad eased the tension, and finally Larry was resting firmly on the deck.

  With Larry stretched on his back out on the smooth surface, her dad gave him a more thorough examination to check for further injuries. The most noticeable was a bruise on the side of his right cheek that was swollen and dark, and the lump on the top of his head where he had been hit by whatever hard object had rendered him unconscious.

  “Of course it’s impossible to say for sure without X-rays, but I’m satisfied he doesn’t have any internal injuries or fractures. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of nerve damage or paralysis, but it’s possible he could have a severe concussion, and could remain unconscious for a while.”

  “He seems to be breathing okay,” Jessica said. “And he’s not coughing up blood or anything like that.”

  “That’s right. That’s always a good sign, Jessica. I think we’re just going to have to wait, but we’ve got to keep a close eye on him to make sure his airway stays open and keep a check on his pulse. Why don’t you do that while Casey and I look around the boat to see what else is missing? We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”

  Casey followed her dad into the main cockpit area and they began opening the gear lockers on deck. The men from the fishing boat had been through every part of the boat, that was obvious, but it also appeared they’d been in a hurry and had not taken everything. What they did take, though, was enough to change the whole picture. Instead of a well-stocked, ocean-ready sailing vessel, Casey realized the catamaran now looked like a vessel that had been looted for valuables after a hurricane. Gone were all the ship’s navigation instruments and electronics, as well as the extra gasoline tanks and fuel lines for the outboard motor that was now on the Johnboat Grant and Scully had taken upriver. Her dad said there had also been two extra anchors in one of the lockers, but those were missing, too, leaving only the main bow anchor that was still holding the boat to the muddy bottom of the oxbow lake. The looters had also taken Larry’s expensive binoculars, the spearfishing gear, spare batteries and flashlights, as well as the kayak, its paddles, and practically all the food stores that had been aboard.

  “They didn’t leave us much, Casey, but at least they didn’t take the sails or any of the rigging, as near as I can tell.”

  “Could we even sail, though, with that damage they did to the side of the hull?”

  “I don’t know. Larry will have to answer that, and he will know how to fix it when he comes to. The boat is not taking on water, that I can see, so I don’t think it would be a problem just floating down the river, but I’m sure it’s got to be fixed before we put to sea. We’d better hope Grant and Scully bring some extra gasoline from that cabin though. I don’t know how we’ll get down the river without it. And we’d better hope the food he said was there was still there. But at least we have a little, thanks to you for having the presence of mind to gather up everything that guy had in the camp before you left.”

  “It was the logical thing to do.”

  “Most people couldn’t have survived what you went through, Casey. You’re a brave young woman. I’m really proud of you.”

  While Jessica kept a close watch on Larry, Casey and her dad sorted through the mess in the cabins, reorganizing the galley so that they could cook a hot meal from those food items she’d brought. It was nearly dark by the time they had eaten and she was washing up the dishes down below when she was startled by an excited cry from Jessica: “I think he’s coming to!”

  Casey was on deck in an instant. When she looked at Larry she saw that he had moved one knee to a bent position, and was rolling his head back and forth. Her dad was already at his side, and Casey knelt there with him, reaching down to touch the side of her uncle’s head that was not swollen and bruised. As soon as she did, Larry half-opened his eyes, squinting against the light of a battery-powered LED lamp her dad was holding on him.

  “Uncle Larry! It’s me, Casey! It’s okay; you’re going to be okay. I’m here with you, and Dad and Jessica are, too!”

  Larry’s pupils moved slowly beneath his half-closed lids, searching back and forth between the three faces hovering over him. He was clearly disoriented and confused, and she wasn’t sure if he understood what she had said or recognized any of them. She took one of his hands in hers as her dad gently lifted his head.

  “Larry, it looks like you took a pretty hard lick to the head. Just try to relax and don’t move too much. We’re here with you now and everything’s going to be all right. Casey, why don’t you or Jessica try and find a cup or something in the galley and get him some water? There should be water in the tank, just use the foot pump under the sink.”

  Jessica left to get the water. Before she returned with it, Larry was fully awake, but clearly dazed and disoriented.

  “Where’s Scully? What are you doing here, Doc? What’s Casey doing here?”

  “Scully will be back soon, Larry. We came here to find Casey, remember? And find her we did! Isn’t that amazing? Casey’s right here, see her? And I know you haven’t forgotten her gorgeous friend, Jessica! Their friend Grant, who helped them get out of New Orleans, will be here, too, when he and Scully get back.”

  Casey saw the confusion in her Uncle Larry’s eyes. It was as if he wasn’t sure of what his brother was telling him, or maybe the blow to the head had caused him to forget her and Jessica. But he remembered Scully and he remembered her dad. He had always called her dad “Doc” since before she was born, according to him. Her dad was the older of the two brothers, and had always been the “normal” one who had cared about his grades, gone on to graduate from university, and later completed medical school to become a doctor. Uncle Larry had been a free spirit his entire adult life, running off to the Caribbean to crew on boats after a Spring Break trip to Florida during his first and only year of colleg
e. He had quickly learned to sail and became a delivery skipper, moving other people’s boats all over the world, but also managing to take long voyages on his own boats in between jobs, due to the low cost of living on a boat with no mortgage, no wife and no children.

  “We’ve gotta get out of here, Doc. Tell Scully to help you. He’ll know what to do.”

  “Larry, Scully’s not here yet. He’ll be back tomorrow or the day after. When he comes, hopefully he and Grant will have more gas and food. Those men who did this to you took all our supplies.”

  “They were in a trawler. There were four of them, I think, and they were armed. There was nothing I could do.” Larry pulled himself up to a half-lying, half-sitting position, resting on one elbow. He touched the bruise on the side of his face with his other hand, wincing in pain as he did so.

  “I know, Larry. We saw them when we were on our way here. We heard a boat coming and we hid the canoe and watched them go by. They were heading upriver. I know it was the same boat, because they had your kayak on the deck. If I had known they had done this to you, I would have stopped them. But they’re long gone now.”

  “No, they’re coming back. They said they were. I thought one of them was going to shoot me. He fired a 12-gauge right over my head, and then one of them kicked me in the face. There was nothing I could do but lie there while they were going through all our stuff. I heard them talking and arguing about what to do. One of them wanted to shoot me right then. But the captain or whoever he was said no. They were arguing about what to do with the boat, too. They decided to leave it here while they went to some hideout they’ve got in the swamp, but they’re coming back soon, Doc. They’re coming back, and they plan to take the boat with them when they go back downriver to the coast. That’s why we’ve got to get out of here. We’ve got to get going right now.”

  “We can’t, Larry. Scully and Grant aren’t here yet and they have the motor. They won’t be back until, at the earliest, late tomorrow, or maybe the day after.”

  “What are you talking about, Doc? What do you mean they won’t be back until tomorrow? Why aren’t they with you? You found Casey and Jessica? Why didn’t you all come back together?”

  “I wanted us to,” Jessica said, “but Grant wanted to try and go to that cabin of his and get his stuff.”

  “And it’s a good thing they did, too,” Casey said. “Without the supplies they’re bringing, we would have nothing now that the boat has been ransacked.”

  “But we can’t wait until tomorrow. When those men come back, they’re coming to get this boat, and if they find us here, they’ll kill us all. Do you even have my shotgun, or does Scully still have it?”

  “Scully has it, Larry. But we’ve got something even better. It’s a long story, but you’ll see. First, we’ve got to make sure you’re okay. I’m pretty sure you’ve got a concussion. Are you feeling dizzy or nauseated? Do you even know what they hit you with?”

  “I don’t remember anything about that, Doc. I was just lying on the deck, listening to them talk while they tore through the boat taking all our stuff. I figured they were going to shoot me anyway when they were done. The last thing I remember was hearing them having a disagreement about that, and one of them saying the alligators would take care of me. They must have hit me upside the head after that.”

  “Yep, and I guess that’s what they had in mind. They left you for dead, tied hands and feet and lying in the mud over there on the bank. I guess the gators would have gotten you eventually if we hadn’t come along.”

  “It must be my lucky day, then,” Larry smiled, still grimacing in pain as he did so.

  Casey bent down and gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the forehead, and Jessica did the same. “I’m sorry they hurt you, Uncle Larry, but I’m so glad you’re alive!”

  “It seems like pain has been my middle name ever since the lights went out,” Larry said, looking at the slowly healing wound in his forearm where a machete had slashed it to the bone.

  “Dad told me about that. You’ve had a rough time but maybe all that’s over now. Soon we will be sailing! This boat is amazing, Uncle Larry!”

  “It was a lot nicer before those bastards came aboard.” Larry suddenly remembered the impact from the fishing boat and strained to see the damage from where he was lying. “How bad is it, Doc?”

  “It’s not good, but I know you can fix it, Larry.”

  “If they didn’t take my damned epoxy, too.”

  “I’ll look and see.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. It can be fixed. The main thing we need to worry about is getting out of here before they come back. If we lose this boat, we lose our only hope of survival.”

  “But we just told you, Grant and Scully are not back yet. We can’t leave without them!” Jessica said.

  “Of course not. Larry wouldn’t think of that.”

  “Actually, I would, Doc. Scully would understand, and he would want us to get out of here before those men come back. We could rendezvous later.”

  “How, Larry? How would Grant and Scully ever find us?”

  “We could hang around somewhere just off the coast. Scully would know to look for me there. He would know we would have had to go downriver. There’s no other way we could go in this boat.”

  “But they’ve ransacked the boat, Larry. They took all the food, the navigation instruments, and who knows what else, and we don’t even have the outboard, even if they hadn’t taken the rest of the gas. How would we even leave if we wanted to?”

  “We’re not,” Jessica said. “I’m not leaving without Grant!”

  Jessica’s crush on Grant was clearly at least as strong as her own had ever been, Casey now realized. She began to wonder just how close they’d actually gotten during the many days they’d spent alone together while searching for her. She figured she would find out how Grant felt soon enough, once they were all together again on the boat. She didn’t want to leave without Grant either, or without Scully, for that matter. She wasn’t surprised her Uncle Larry had suggested it, though, at least as a temporary dodge to get the boat to safety. She understood how important it was that they not lose the boat; if they did, they would lose everything. But it occurred to her that there was another way:

  “Why do we have to run from them?” she asked. “Why should we just let four bad men determine what we do? There are four of us, too, even without Grant and Scully.”

  Larry just laughed at this. “Casey, you have no idea what you’re saying. These men will kill us if they come back here and we’re still on this boat. Yeah, there are four of us, but I’ve got a bad arm, not to mention a headache. Your dad used to be a pretty good shot when we went bird hunting with your grandpa, but as he just said, Scully has my shotgun, and I’m sorry, but even if he didn’t, I just don’t think you realize what kind of men we’re dealing with.”

  “You’re wrong on the last part, little brother,” her dad said, and filled him in on just what she and Jessica had been through since leaving New Orleans. Uncle Larry was dumbfounded upon hearing the full story, especially the details of her ordeal with Derek and what she had to do to escape. But his face lit up when he learned of the weaponry she had liberated from her dead abductor’s camp.

  “We can set up an ambush,” Casey said. “You know we’ll hear them coming with that loud old motor a long time before they get here. They’ll be expecting to come back to an empty catamaran, thinking you are already dead. We have all these woods surrounding the boat to hide in and they’ll never dream what they’re about to run into. With the AK-47 and Derek’s other hunting rifle, we’ll have the advantage of both firepower and range, as well as the element of surprise. They’ll never even know what hit them!”

  “Damn, Casey! I know you did what you had to do to escape that Derek guy, but when did you become so eager for a fight? It doesn’t bother you to murder these guys in cold blood?”

  “It’s not murder, Uncle Larry. The way they beat you and left you for the alliga
tors would have been murder—if we hadn’t come along when we did. Taking all our supplies and then planning to come back to take the whole boat is as bad as murder, and would effectively seal our fate if they got away with it. I’m not wanting a fight at all, just being realistic about what it takes to survive the way things are now.”

  “You’ve got a point, I’ll give you that, but even so, if we go through with this, it’s not going to be without risks. Ambush or not, there’s a lot of potential for something to go wrong. You all need to understand that going into it.”

  “Well, little brother, if we don’t do it, we’re liable to have to fight them anyway, and on less advantageous terms. You know yourself that without that motor, it will be hell getting this boat back down the river, and they’ll surely catch up to us.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking that. We don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for Scully and Grant to get here. Even if they were here now and we had the motor, I’m not sure we’d make the coast before those guys get back here and find the boat missing. Without open water and wind to fill the sails, we don’t stand a chance.”

  Casey and her dad helped Uncle Larry to his feet. She noticed that both of the brothers looked much older and more weary than she’d ever seen them. Her dad looked up the river in the direction from which they’d come and swore. “If only I had known. I practically had them in my sights when they went by. I could have wasted them all before they even knew what hit them.”

  “Well, I guess you’ll get a second chance at that, Doc. Now, if we’re going to do this, we need to make a plan quickly. By the time we hear the boat coming, it’ll be too late, so we’d better all know what we’re going to do and be prepared to do it immediately.”

  SEVEN

  Sitting in the Johnboat, the bow tied loosely to an overhanging branch to keep it from being swept back downriver in the current, Scully waited while contemplating the surprising diversity of life surrounding him in this riverine forest. It simply amazed him that there was so much bush in this country that he had always pictured as an endless landscape of rich capitalist development and urban sprawl. Until he saw it for himself, no one could have convinced him that a person could travel here for days by boat and see only trees. It was as if the Americans had overlooked this low-lying, swampy forest, or maybe they simply hadn’t gotten around to leveling it yet; Scully didn’t know. It was also surprising to him that there were no villages of poor people living in simple huts along the river’s banks, as there certainly would have been in any such place in the island nations where he had spent his life. Larry and Artie had said there would be many desperate refugees fleeing to places like this from the cities, but if there were, they had not made it here yet. Maybe most of them were dead already. Scully would not be surprised. From what he had seen when they sailed to New Orleans, these people had no idea what to do when their electricity stopped working and their cars stopped going. All that money they worshiped and spent their lives pursuing could do nothing for them now. Instead of returning to the land where simple people could eke out a living from the earth and water, they robbed and killed each other in their desperation to continue living an unsustainable lifestyle they were not willing to give up. Scully just shook his head at the thought, especially as he sat there in the boat surrounded by so much life.