by Tony Baker
“This is Angel Island San Francisco Bay, located at 37.86N 122.43W. We are a group of civilians that have secured the island and are accepting survivors. For those on land in this area, your best hope is to secure some type of boat and get onto the Bay; we have learned the infected fear water. We are sending out daily patrols as far ranging as possible so we will find you. Ships entering the Bay from the Golden Gate entrance are required to drop anchor, contact us on this frequency, and wait for instructions before proceeding. There are safe docks and anchorages in the Bay, and you will be escorted to one of those locations for intake.
What remains of the Coast Guard and other military assets are spread thin, and so is their patience. If you encounter them, use caution when making initial contact. Yield to their directions precisely. However, do not expect direct assistance of any kind for the time being. You must help yourselves!
Do not, we repeat, DO NOT approach any mainland docks. This includes the San Francisco Marina, Embarcadero Piers, Sausalito, and Tiburon. These areas have not been secured and are infested with the infected. Wait for our patrols to escort you to secure areas.
Survivors are reporting marauders on the Marin County side of the Bay. Additional caution is strongly advised if you are traveling overland in that area. We have not heard anything from the South Bay approach. You should assume all land routes are unsecure. Do not enter San Francisco for any reason. It is completely overrun.
Avoid all contact with the infected by any means possible. Once they have seen you they will pursue relentlessly. We are all fighters, but for now we must survive.
This is Angel Island. You are not alone."
39
In the end, it took another day to get everything prepared for their departure but the time had finally arrived. Most of the survivors on Angel Island came to the beach to see Harry and his team off. It took another forty-five minutes to get through the throng of well-wishers. Cecil knew that Harry was very anxious to get started, so he interceded and got everyone back to work.
Wanda had stood with Nevaeh out of sight from those on the beach. She’d already said her goodbyes to the group. She had the very distinct feeling she would never see Harry, Derrick, Frank, or the others again. This saddened her greatly and she offered a silent prayer for them. She then turned and headed back to the clinic where she had been assigned, thankful that she and her granddaughter, along with so many others, had been given a chance to live by those men.
Cecil walked the short distance to the waiting helicopter with Harry, chatting as they went. “You be careful, Harry. I know that sounds silly and I should be giving you a more rousing speech, but that’s really all I can come up with at the moment. Other than to thank you for helping give us a chance here.” Cecil hesitated for a moment. “You come back here if things don’t work out, okay?”
Harry considered what Cecil said for a moment. “I don’t know why I feel this way, but I don’t think I will be returning, my friend. I am at peace with that, funny as that may sound. I had a dream last night and I can’t tell you the last time I had one of those,” he said chuckling. “I dreamt that I found my family but then, like an out-of-body experience, I saw them all in great sorrow as they looked at a closed casket.” Kicking at a rock he saw on the sandy beach, he then said as he looked into Cecil’s eyes, “I wasn’t with them as they mourned. At least not standing with them. Anyway, I really have no idea what that means, but when I woke I had the feeling this would be the last time I would see this area.”
Cecil had nothing to offer the man in the way of comforting words. He extended his hand and, as Harry grasped it, Cecil pulled him into a hug. “You watch your six. We’ll keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. People will never forget now, or in the future, what you and the others have done here, Harry. That I can promise you!”
Harry disengaged himself from Cecil’s hug and put a hand on the older man’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly. There was just nothing left to say.
Cecil turned on his heel and walked a short distance away from the copter. Harry watched as Derrick and James climbed on board the bird and began to strap themselves in. Derrick looked extremely nervous about being in the helicopter but was maintaining a brave front. Harry and Frank had been kidding him all morning about the pitfalls of flying in a copter.
Just as Harry was climbing in, he heard something in the distance. A sound he had not heard since the attack, causing him to immediately take several steps back away from the helicopter and look skyward. Harry heard the sound of a small airplane approaching!
Frank and Derrick joined Harry and, as they shielded their eyes against the bright sun which warmed the island, they watched as a small single-engine plane made a low pass over them and banked around to circle the island. Harry had never seen a plane like this one. It was white with a small cockpit that looked only big enough to seat a couple of people. The engine and propeller was attached to the rear tail section above the plane and to the rear of the wings.
“That’s a Seawind,” Frank said admiringly as the small plane passed overhead. “That thing is a beauty!” He went on to explain what he knew about the plane, but all Harry could understand was that it landed on water and had a fairly long-distance flying capability; and that Frank held the opinion that it was ‘sweet’.
“Who the hell is that?” Derrick asked, not expecting an answer.
“No idea,” Harry replied.
It sounded as if the plane was returning, and as Harry was attempting to figure out how they could contact the pilot, the Guardsman who was remaining on the island and maintaining the radio equipment came running onto the beach.
“We just made contact with that plane, sir,” the young soldier said excitedly as he caught his breath. “That’s Scott Allen and he claims to be part of a flotilla of survivors in Southern California. He is requesting permission to land and come ashore.”
Cecil had rejoined Harry just as the plane passed overhead. This time Harry was able to see that two people were in the cockpit, albeit not clearly. “Cecil, if this is who he claims to be, your day just became a lot more interesting,” Harry remarked as he watched the plane bank around the island once again. “Scott Allen is the guy who gave that interview on GNN. I would suggest that you at least make contact with him. I have no idea why he would be up here, but you should probably find out. I can’t delay any longer and need to take off.”
“We’ll take care of it, Harry,” Cecil replied.
Turning to the Guardsman, Harry said, “Please pass on my regards to Mr. Allen. Explain the circumstances and that I can’t wait for him. Tell him what he had to say in that interview he did with GNN is why, in part, this island is secure, and that there are survivors here. Hell, just tell him I said thank you!”
The Guardsman immediately took off at a run toward the building which now housed the radio equipment. Derrick and Frank climbed back into the helicopter as Harry said a final goodbye to Cecil. Harry heard the small plane approaching again but this time it was much lower. As it approached Harry’s position he watched the wings begin to wag back and forth.
“Guess he got my message,” Harry said as he raised an arm and returned the wave as the plane flew overhead. “Good luck, Mr. Allen,” Harry said to himself. “Good luck to us all.”
Harry got on board and sat across from James and Phil. Derrick was in the seat beside him, and Frank was acting as co-pilot with Allison flying the bird. After the helicopter warmed up for a few minutes, Allison lifted them off the ground. The rotor wash created a small sand storm on the beach as she increased power to the engines. They gained altitude quickly, then turned east, gaining speed as they flew.
“So what now, sir?” James asked
“We continue to survive, Corporal,” Harry said through the boom mic attached to the headphones which each man wore. “We continue to fight and do what we can. We rise from the ashes. There are no other options.”
Harry looked out the side window at the San Francisco skyline. There was smoke risin
g slowly from several locations, but the City he had served for so many years was gone. He knew that he would never see it again but was, as he had told Cecil, at peace with that. He had longed for his roots in Indiana and now he was finally on his way. His thoughts turned to Eric and the other kids. “Stay strong, kiddo, we’re on the way.”
“Did you say something, Harry?” Derrick asked through the headset.
Harry simply nodded his head in response. He refocused on the overwhelming task that lay before this small band. They had miles to travel and he knew untold horrors awaited them. Harold Lancaster had no idea what they would face, but he did know that he would do everything in his power to keep these people among the survivors of the dead.
EPILOGUE
Indiana
“What do you mean you got through, Eric?” Tyler asked as he stared at his best friend in complete surprise while the other kids crowded around.
“I talked to some guy who claimed to be in the National Guard!” Eric replied excitedly. “He said they were on Treasure Island!”
“Isn’t that the place you told me about that used to be some sort of military base?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Eric replied. “I’ve been there a few times with my uncle, but the military has been gone for a long time.” Eric remembered fondly the trips he and his Uncle Harry had made to the island.
“Then how can you be talking to some military dude?” Tyler retorted, somewhat confused.
Eric could only look at his longtime friend and shake his head a bit. Tyler was a very smart fifteen-year-old, but sometimes he needed to be refocused a bit. Especially when he was under stress. “I said I talked to some guy that was in the National Guard, Tyler. Forget the island, okay!”
“Okay,” Tyler replied, looking a bit embarrassed. “Anyway, can he get a message out to your uncle?”
“I’ve no idea. I explained what happened here and where we were. I told him who Uncle Harry is and he said he’d try to relay a message, but that seem like a stretch to me. I got the feeling he was in trouble there. The guy didn’t say anything but I could hear those things in the background pretty clearly. I did get a lot of information about the equipment and guns we collected.” Eric sighed as he looked at each of the other kids. “The battery in the phone died before I got much more, though.”
“What do we do now?” Tyler asked, looking around the room and seeing the same utter fear on each of the other kids’ faces.
“The same thing we have been doing!” Eric said, standing up from behind the desk that had been set up as a makeshift command center. “Look guys, we’ve made it this far! We’re safe, we have supplies, and now that we can figure out how to use those guns we can at least take those things out if we have to.” Eric let that sink in, knowing the group had been on the verge of panic for the past few days. Panic that could get them all killed. Many of the kids had been talking about leaving the school to search for their parents. He had even considered it a few times himself. But he knew if someone opened the doors the school would be flooded with those zombie things outside.
Tyler had stood with Eric since they’d become separated from their parents and the other adults after the attack at the Monon Center. Stood with him as he always had. Eric had been able to get them this far, and now everyone looked to him for answers. Looked to him as the leader of this band of eleven teenagers.
“We can’t stay here forever, Eric! Nobody knows where we are and sooner or later the food and water we have is going to run out,” Tyler said with a slight whine in his voice.
“I know, I know,” Eric replied as he began to pace, trying to figure out what he could offer the group. He was trying to formulate into words a way to ease the tensions that were building. He was only fifteen, and would gladly run into the arms of his mom and dad, his Uncle Harry. But that was not an option for now.
After a few moments of consideration, he stopped pacing and said, “Right now we are okay. We have more information than we had a few days ago, and at least we know what we’re facing.” Eric considered his next words carefully. “If we stick together we have a chance. Those things out there can’t get in, so we have time to get things together more and plan out what we do next.”
“Hey Eric,” Joey Benson, the computer whiz in the group, called out from another desk that had been set up. It was piled high with all manner of computer parts he had collected. “I think I can modify this satellite phone and connect it directly to a computer. We would just need to get an antenna on the roof.”
Eric and the other kids rushed over to Joey. Looking at the mess atop the desk, Eric said, “Are you sure, Joey? Can you bypass the battery?”
“I sure can!” Joey replied, looking pleased with himself. “There’s enough juice left in some of these other batteries that if I connect them together we should be good!” He was referring to the stacks of loose batteries that had been collected in a cardboard box next to the desk. “We may only get a few uses out of the phone but it should work!”
“That’s great, Joey!” Eric said, then turned to the others. “This changes everything, guys! If we can get that thing working again we can send out messages! Somebody will hear those and help will come!” Although he was smiling broadly, he knew having the sat phone working really meant nothing. It took days to reach the Guardsman on the West Coast, but he had to offer his friends something to pull them out of their morose mood.
This small glimmer of hope worked almost immediately. “This is great!” Tyler said. “Okay, Eric, what should we do now?”
Eric, Tyler, and the other kids spent the next few hours continuing to fortify their stronghold at Carmel High School. Eric relayed what he had been told by the Guardsman about the weapons, and they soon were able to at least load the magazines into wells and dry fire the M16s. The next step would be live round practice, but they had no idea where to do that just yet.
The kids were exhausted, both mentally and physically, after surviving another day. They all ate together in relative silence that evening before bedding down for the night. Muffled crying was heard after some of the battery-powered lights were turned out, but nobody said anything about that. Eric was still wide awake as he made the rounds, checking the doors of the gym they had secured. He had already done that at least four other times earlier that evening, but he was going to make certain everyone was as safe as possible.
He quietly made his way up one set of open bleachers to reach the windows. The kids had covered them with black plastic sheeting they’d found in a storage room. Pulling back a section he had cut when the plastic was first put up, he gazed out into the parking lot that teemed with the infected. They were just milling around and Eric was thankful they were no longer attempting to get through the school’s heavy steel doors. Looking out at the mass, he suddenly felt overwhelming hopelessness.
“Hey man, you okay?” Tyler asked as he suddenly appeared next to Eric, startling him.
“Damn, you scared the crap out of me!” Eric said as he glanced at Tyler for a moment before returning his gaze through the window.
“Sorry. I saw you come up here. You looked kind of bummed and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Tyler said while looking out at the horde as well. “Doesn’t look like there are as many of them now.” Turning from the window, he sat down heavily on the bleacher with his back resting against the wall. “This all seems so hopeless. What are we really going to do?”
“It’s not hopeless, Tyler,” Eric replied as he glanced down at his best friend. A calmness had suddenly replaced the despair that threatened to overcome him just moments ago. “What we are going to do is survive! I don’t know how I know this but my uncle is on the way! I can feel it. So until he gets here, we are going to keep those guys down there safe, and we are going to make it.” Eric reached his hand toward his friend as he had many times. “You and me are going to stay strong for them and wait.”
Tyler looked up to Eric, considering his words, then grasped the outstretched h
and and allowed himself to be helped up. Once on his feet he simply nodded once in agreement. Eric returned his attention to the window which faced west, looking past the horror that surrounded the school.
“We’re going to survive and we’re going to wait,” Eric repeated more to himself than to Tyler. “We’re here, Uncle Harry. Please hurry.”
# # #
Thank you for reading the first installment of the series, SURVIVORS OF THE DEAD! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! The saga continues in Book Two, THE ROAD UNKNOWN, following Harry and his team as they cross a devastated country while Eric and his friends struggle to survive against nearly impossible odds! Coming to Amazon Kindle and in paperback in 2014.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally from Indiana, Tony Baker moved to San Francisco in the early 1980's, where he spent the next thirty years garnering a great deal of insight into human nature – experience which created a perfect understanding of the possibilities that await should an apocalyptic event befall society. Being an avid reader of the horror genre for years, Tony developed a deep-seated desire to write, often jokingly saying, "I think I could write as well as the worst I have read." After years of contemplating that desire, he took the first step on that journey in September of 2012 and began writing From the Ashes, the first book in his Survivors of the Dead series.