The Safe Zone

by Ethan Chione

  “I’m glad you’re alright,” she says breathlessly. “Your friends told me what had happened. Are you in much trouble?”

  “No trouble at all surprisingly,” I say as I crawl under the covers of my bed. I don’t even bother to take my pants and shirt off this time. “Captain Barnes was angry, but he didn’t do anything other than yell at me. All I know is that we’re going to have to make do with what we have.”

  “You mean you can’t go into the Badlands anymore?” she asks sadly.

  “No, not without getting into trouble. And serious trouble this time. I’m surprised I wasn’t shot this morning.” Most people are still asleep so we are whispering. It is still dark out, but it is starting to get lighter. Before I went inside the tent the stars were beginning to fade. Lucy lies back down on her bed. I can see her outline through the gloom and she is propped up on one arm looking at me. I prop myself up the same way facing her.

  “Lucy,” I say softly.

  “Yes, Tom?” she asks in a whisper.

  “Lucy…Lucy I love you,” I say. There. I said it. I finally said it. I smile to myself. I have told Lucy that I love her. But my smile quickly fades when Lucy says nothing. I wait patiently, though I am afraid I have made her angry.

  “Tom,” she says in the same whisper after an eternity, “I love you too.” The joy that I feel at her words is too immense for me to possibly describe in words. I feel like a kid again. My smile grows bigger and I cannot stop smiling. She loves me. I love her. We love each other. And we always will.

  Chapter 6

  Lucy is beautiful. Her dark brown hair that seems to shimmer and flow like liquid in the sunlight. Her green eyes shine in the moon and stars at night. Her eyes slant ever so slightly. They slant slightly down in the most peculiar and unique fashion. This only adds to her beauty. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my whole life. I keep telling her that. She just blushes and says thank you. She tells me I am handsome. I feel like a damn kid again. She is so very beautiful.

  We are sitting on the end of the large rock formation that borders the harbor and juts out into the ocean. The sea is calm today. No waves crash against the rocks and spray us with the salty, cold water. The weather is very nice. Bright shining sun. Deep blue sky. Almost no clouds. The only ones we see are a few large cumulonimbus clouds scattered about the sky. They are white and fluffy looking. Harmless looking.

  I am sitting on a large flat rock. Lucy is beside me. She has her head resting on my shoulder. I rest my head on her head. We are holding hands. We are just talking. Talking about nothing of importance. It is much like how it was only a couple days ago. Not much has changed between us except that we openly acknowledge to each other that we are far more than just best friends. We love each other.

  We are watching the horizon. Where the vast ocean seems to simply stop. I notice something. A small speck on the horizon. A small black speck. It appears to be nothing at first so I simply dismiss it. But I cannot help but notice that it seems to be growing larger. And larger. I lift my head off Lucy’s shoulder. She looks up as well. I point. She looks.

  “What is that?” she asks.

  “I don’t know,” I reply. “Do you think that it’s a…a boat?” The possibility is exciting.

  “It could be,” she says skeptically, “but where would it have come from? As far as we know the rest of the world is unaffected. They wouldn’t send a boat here and risk spreading the virus would they?”

  “That’s a good point.” We stand up and stand watching the dot. As it gets closer, it is very apparent that it is a boat. A big boat. A cruise ship. Or a cargo boat of some sort. It is very large indeed.

  “We have to tell Captain Barnes,” I say.

  “You’re right,” she turns and starts to run back towards the beach.

  “I’ll go,” I say. I tell her to stay and watch the boat. I run to Captain Barnes’ tent and tell him. He grabs a pair of binoculars and me, Captain Barnes, Lieutenant Davis, and Sergeant Williams run to the rock formation. When we return, the ship is even closer. It appears to be slowing though. They seem to be stopping. Maybe anchoring the ship so they can come onto land. Captain Barnes looks through the binoculars. He says there are no people aboard that he can see. But he cannot see that well even with the binoculars. But someone must have been driving the boat. There must be someone on board.

  “Lieutenant Davis,” Captain Barnes says turning to Davis, “take a few soldiers to the docks and get a boat. Go out there and board the cruise ship. I want you to see what this is about. Don’t forget the radio so we can communicate.”

  “Yes sir,” Lieutenant Davis says and he leaves us.

  Twenty minutes go by, and then a boat sails out of the harbor. When it leaves the harbor is speeds up and sails to the side of the cruise ship. A few minutes go by then Captain Barnes tells us that he sees a rope ladder being dropped over the side of the cargo ship. His men are going aboard. We wait for an hour. Then for two hours. Then three. Captain Barnes cannot see his men on board. He cannot see anyone on board. Then the radio beeps. He picks it up and speaks into it.

  “Captain Barnes, this is Lieutenant Davis, do you copy? Over,” comes the voice through the receiver.

  “Roger Davis, I copy,” replies Captain Barnes. “What’s going on out there? Over.”

  “You better come out here and see for yourself Captain. Over,” says the voice.

  “Lieutenant, I want you to tell me what’s on the ship now,” Barnes says.

  “People,” is the simple reply.

  “What people?” Barnes asks. I can tell he is getting impatient. I am impatient. I want to know who is on the boat.

  “You need to come out here Captain,” comes through the radio. Barnes ponders this for a moment. He nods his head and presses the button.

  “Roger Lieutenant, we’ll be out ASAP. Over,” Captain Barnes shuts off the radio. “Tom would you like to come?”

  “Sir?” I am very surprised to be being asked this.

  “Would you like to go to the ship with me?” he asks again.

  “Yes, sir,” I say. He pulls out his .45 semi-automatic pistol and hands it to me. I take it uncertainly.

  “Be careful with that,” Barnes says, “Don’t make me regret giving it to you. You can’t go with me unarmed.”

  “I know how to use it, but what about you?” I ask seeing he now has no gun.

  “I think I can find a machine gun lying around somewhere.” He gives me a quick wink and then starts walking back towards the beach with Sergeant Williams. I look at Lucy. When Barnes and Williams get back, I ask.

  “Can Lucy come as well?” I ask Captain Barnes.

  “I don’t think so,” Captain Barnes says. “Sergeant Williams you’re in charge while I’m gone. Take care of this place will you?”

  “Yes, sir,” Sergeant Williams replies.

  Captain Barnes rounds up a half a dozen soldiers and we head towards the docks. The docks are full of Stumblers. We carefully and quietly sneak around them as best we can. The soldiers use their combat knives to take out any Stumblers we have to. Silent. Quick. Sneaky. We find a boat and get it started. We leave the harbor and speed to the other boat. We use the same rope ladder and climb onto the big ship.

  On board, it is eerie and empty. No one seems to be around. Something is not right. Captain Barnes seems to sense it as well. He motions to the soldiers and they ready their assault rifles. Captain Barnes readies his sub-machine gun and I take the safety off the pistol I have. I know this pistol well. My father had owned one exactly like it before he was taken by the virus…just like my mother…and siblings…my family…I know this gun. I know how to use it.

  We cautiously make our way around the deck. Captain Barnes takes out the radio and speaks into it again. Lieutenant Davis does not answer. Then there is the sound of guns being cocked all around us. A couple dozen masked men carrying assault rifles come out from behind the walls and crates and boxes. We are surrounded. We are in big trouble.r />
  I have a bad feeling that I won’t be living through this. I think of Lucy. I don’t want to leave her. But I am ready to die. I am ready for whatever fate gives me.

  But Lucy….I love her…

  Chapter 7

  We are surrounded by the masked men. Captain Barnes and his men are not backing down. They hold their guns up. Pointing them around at the masked men. Ready to fight. If I know Captain Barnes, he will not go down without a fight...or so I hope. He sort of seems like a coward sometimes. I don’t always know. I’ve never actually seen him in action. I hope he does not back down. I know I will not. I have the pistol ready to fire. I went shooting with my dad a lot before the Great Evacuation and so I am a good shot. He raised me shooting and hunting. I know this gun too. A pretty good shot anyway. I know I can most likely make every shot count. But that is if I was given the chance. Once the guns are fired, there is no telling how many rounds I can fire from the gun before I am shot and killed. Not to mention...

  Lucy.

  I will not go down without a fight though. If I die today, I intend to be remembered to some degree at least. I will not die without putting up a good fight. Not a coward. No sir. It seems however, that we have reached an impasse. Either we are captured or there is a big gun fight. The masked men will not fire on us first. I do not think they will anyway. If they are smart, they will not. If they do, they must know that we will deal a good amount of damage to them before we are killed. There are far more of them than us. But there are enough of us to hurt them. We will not go down without a fight. No one wants to get hurt. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to be hurt. I can’t lose her.

  Lucy.

  A masked man steps forward, lowering his gun as he does so. He speaks. Not loudly. Not softly. His voice is strange and almost foreign-sounding. But I think he is simply from another part of the country. Not from another part of the world.

  “You must be Captain Barnes?” the man asks.

  “Yes,” Captain Barnes replies. His gun is aimed at the masked man’s head.

  “We killed your Lieutenant and the men that were with him,” says the man. “You spoke with one of my men on the radio.”

  “Why did you kill them?” asks Barnes angrily.

  “Because they would have caused us too much trouble, just like you will,” the masked man says. “We are taking over this so-called Safe Zone you are running.”

  “I don’t run it,” Barnes says defiantly, “HQ runs the Safe Zone. As in the Government. You’re messing with a heap of trouble, son. I am only in charge of a particular section of the Zone. And if you honestly think you and a couple dozen men can take on the military you are sorely mistaken.”

  “Oh, this ship is holding over a thousand of my men, Captain Barnes,” the masked man says. His lips curl up into a smile.

  “Why are you taking over the Safe Zone?” asks Captain Barnes. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  “Because we need a means to live,” says the masked man. “We are from the north,” he says, “and we do not have a ‘safe zone’ where we are. We have come here to take yours by force. You see me and my men have a far better vision for the future of this nation in these dark times. We will cause a nation to rise far more powerful than any the military could create.”

  “The military is not trying to create a nation,” Captain Barnes says. “We are simply trying to keep the people who have not turned into Stumblers safe.” The masked man ignores Captain Barnes as he looks over the railing at something.

  “How did you send for reinforcements?” asks the masked man angrily.

  “I didn’t,” says Barnes. The masked man turns and lifts his gun up.

  Lucy.

  Captain Barnes and his men act fast. Gunfire flares up around me. I shoot three of the masked men then roll and get behind a large metal pipe. One of the soldiers falls beside me. He is dead. I look at his blank lifeless face. It is very surreal. He is dead. Next to me. I look at him for a moment more, and then a thought hits me. I grab the grenades from the soldier’s belt and his rifle, and make a run for it. I get half way across the deck when I feel a sharp pain in my side. A bullet has torn through my flesh. The wound is not terribly deep and is right on the side of my stomach. It has exited. Entry and exit wound. Better. I continue running. I fire off a couple of rounds behind me at some assailants until I am behind a large wooden crate. I do not know what is in the crate. Nor do I care. I don’t want to die before I complete my plan.

  Ropes are thrown over the side of the railing. Soldiers begin to climb over. Then comes my six friends. And then…

  Lucy. I wave to them and they all run over to me.

  “Tom!” Lucy exclaims when she sees I am shot. “You’re bleeding a lot. Let me take care of it.”

  “No,” I say, “I’ll be fine. How did you know we needed help?”

  “I could tell something wasn’t right,” Lucy says. There is blood dripping from my wound and I am starting to feel a little dizzy. But only a little.

  “Good, I’m glad you came,” I say. “You guys need to come with me. We need to get to the engine room. We’ll use these grenades and blow this ship to bits. The people on here are very bad. No time to explain just follow me and watch each other’s backs. Lucy, Dan, Michael, you guys need to stay with one of the boats. Guard it, be ready to get the hell out.”

  “Gotcha, mate,” said Dan with nod.

  “Hey,” I said as they make to head back for the boat. “Be careful.”

  Lucy kisses me, then she and Dan and Michael head back to the boat.

  Me and the rest of my friends run to the door that leads below deck. We make our way down to the engine room. We get there unharmed with no surprises. I am thankful for that. It is unguarded. Where the rest of these thousand men are, I have no idea. Maybe it was a bluff.

  We each take a couple of the grenades and throw them into the engines. I tell my friends to start running for the deck. We run back up and as we open the door there is gunfire that rings out. Time seems to stop. I watch as all my friends are gunned down before my eyes. I yell and open fire on the gunman. I shoot the gunman with my pistol. The bastard is dead. My six friends are dead. But Lucy is alive.

  A masked man with a machine gun comes through the door from the stairs below deck. I shoot him without hesitation. I have one shot left now. The whole ship shakes and I hear the explosion. The grenades have exploded in the engine room. With any luck, it will cause enough damage to sink the ship. The ship with blow up and begin to sink very soon I hope. Very soon. I have to get off the ship with Lucy and my other two friends.

  Lucy. She will not die. I will save her. We will both be alright. I know we will….I hope we will…

  As I make my way across the deck, the ship gives a great lurch and begins to tilt to the side. I run to the railing and grab on just in time. I am holding onto the railing with one hand as the ship begins to sink onto its side. It worked. The ship is sinking. Luck indeed. Now I must get off. But then. I see Lucy and my two friends. Lying in the boat below, shot. All three of them. Then I see Captain Barnes and two soldiers in one of the boats down below. I call to him. Captain Barnes looks at me, and he shakes his head. The soldiers start the boat, and they begin to sail back towards the beach. Towards the Safe Zone. They left us. They betrayed us. Captain Barnes is a coward. I shout in frustration. I knew it. I called it. Oh well. Current matters at hand need attention.

  Lucy.

  The ship gives another lurch and starts to tilt back the other way. Now the ship is level. I run along the deck, to the rope to get to the boat. The masked men have all gone. I find a medical kit on the wall and rip it off. In my haste I drop the gun. But I find an assault rifle with a full magazine on the deck of the ship. Wedged against a life boat and the railing. I get to the ladder and I begin to climb down. I have the med kit and the gun. I am going to get to the boat with Lucy and my friends. She can’t be dead. I have a gun and a medical kit. I hope it is all I need for now. I drop to the
boat and run to Lucy. She is alive. She is moving. She sees me. I take off my shirt and rip away the clean part from the bloody part and tie it around her gunshot wound. It is in her upper leg, and again like mine there is an exit wound. I am bleeding too. Damn I need to get it wrapped up too. Once her wound is wrapped, I check on Dan and Michael. Dead. Both of them. I take a moment, but with nothing else to do I dump the bodies over board. I go back to Lucy.

  I get Lucy below deck and put the medical kit with the gun beside her. I find a towel in the small kitchen area and tie it tightly around my wound to help stop the bleeding. I feel very dizzy. I think I’ve lost a lot of blood. But oh well. I’ll figure that out later. I hope. Then I run back onto the deck. The cargo ship gives another lurch as another explosion happens somewhere inside. It starts to tip towards us. I go to the back of the boat and turn on the motor. We do not go very fast but it is faster than getting the sail put up and all that. I am not a sailor. But I think I can figure out the basics to at least sail away from here.

  We cannot go back to the Safe Zone. I will not go back there. Would we even be allowed? Would we be shot. We were just abandoned by Captain Barnes. He could have helped us, and he left us. We cannot go back there. There are many islands off the coast. We will find one. Me and Lucy.

  Lucy.

  As the boat pushes on through the water I run below deck. Lucy is still awake. She is weak. She does not seem to be fully aware though. I hear a large crash outside signifying the ship starting to sink in the water. I do not care. I want the ship to sink. There are bad people on it. I look back at Lucy, and she is smiling at me. She seems to be very awake now, though not for long.

  “I love you,” she says in a barely audible voice. She passes out.

  “I love you too,” I say. I mean it. I know she does too. I open the medical kit and take out a pair of tweezers. They will have to do. I take out a bottle of medicinal alcohol and clean the needle with it. I have to stitch her up and then myself. Stitching myself is gonna suck. Once I finish with her wound, I begin on mine. I bite hard, trying to ignore the intense pain as I stitch the wound closed. Agony. Pure agony.