The roads were fairly straight, due in part to the country’s flatness. That made navigating very easy, although it made for really boring driving. Tanith talked about their past for no other reason than to make sure Walt stayed awake. If he got tired, she had two thermoses of coffee, just to make sure.
Within an hour, they’d made it to the junction with highway 15 near the town of Ashley, a small farming town in the literal middle of nowhere, yet the people didn’t seem to mind or notice. Norm had told then that the town held around 500 people, so the decision to stay away unless they needed to enter it, was made without voicing.
Somewhere, outside the village of Woodlawn, a woman came into the headlight beam of Norm’s truck. She had been walking away from them, but turned to face them when she heard them. Norm instinctually began slowing the truck, so as not to hit her.
“Something’s not right.” Dolores said, reaching for the shotgun. Just as she was bringing it up, a dull pop sounded behind her and the woman started to topple.
“It was one of them!” Tim shouted through the open window. To Norm, she almost looked normal, but when Dolores called it, he noticed that the woman grinned and not in a normal way.
“Jesus, what did we get ourselves into?” he asked aloud.
“Nothing we can’t work out.” Dolores smiled and patted his leg. “Imagine if we’d have been stuck at home, not knowing what was going on. I daresay we wouldn’t have lasted long.” She turned to him and smiled. He relaxed, knowing that she was right. It was the first of them that they had seen and the older couple found it unnerving.
It took a little over four hours to make it to the outskirts of Paducah. Norm guided them flawlessly to the damn, having been there on many fishing trips. He found an old backroad and drove towards what turned out to be a marina. Pulling into the parking lot, he stopped, got out of the truck and went to the marina office. He turned the doorknob and found it unlocked, thought the smell that hit him when he opened the door drove him backwards, gagging.
“Yeah, um Norm. I hate to get onto you and all, but listen; we’re a team now and you and Delores are an important part of that. Things have changed now, so you can’t just go wandering around alone, because that’s a good way to get yourself killed. Wait for us next time, we’ll go as a group.” Walt said as Norm finally managed to get control of his heaving stomach.
“Point taken.” The old guy heaved.
“What were you going for in there?” Paul asked.
“Keys. They’ve got a set of keys for every boat docked at the marina.” He explained, “But something died in there and it ain’t getting any better, from the smell of it.”
“Well, before we get the keys, why don’t we find a decent boat first?” Walt said.
“I’ve been thinking about that. We’re going to need something big enough for all of us to at least sleep in comfortably, with more than one bathroom, and a kitchen.” Norm said and Walt nodded in agreement.
“So, let’s go shopping.” Tanith smiled. As they started to go to the docks a loud cry echoed in the distance. It was immediately answered by several more.
“Holy shit! That was eerie.” Tim said.
“Tim!” his mother admonished.
“Well, it was.” He replied in full teenage mode.
“Was that them?” Norm asked, slipping an arm around Delores’ waist to protect her.
“I’m guessing. We never really heard them earlier. Let’s find what we need and get the hell away from here.” Tanith said.
Making their way to the docks with the aid of flashlights, Walt was amazed at the size and variety of boats that were docked there. Everything from seventeen-foot fishing boats to the larger ones that often professed them to be a yacht of one type or another. Near the end of the first-row Norm’s light splashed upon a Bayliner 4788.
“This is perfect. It’s got a pair a of diesels, three feet of draft, a galley, two heads, a washer and dryer, and especially air conditioning.” Norm said.
“How do you know so much about it?” Paul asked.
“Are you kidding? I always wanted one. Damned things cost as much as a new combine, so guess which one always won out? And there’s enough fuel for about 1400 nautical miles, not that we’ll be in it that long. We’ll be changing boats once we get to Pickwick Dam. Hopefully we can find something close enough to it at that marina.” Norm answered, “Now we’ve got to go back into the marina office and get the keys to slip #42.”
“I hate to admit it, but it sounds like you were right the first time, Norm.” Walt said. Norm chuckled.
“Old don’t mean senile, it means more life experience.” He chuckled again and was elbowed by his wife.
“Lexi and I have this.” Tim proclaimed and Tanith tensed up.
“No way in hell, mister. I totally forbid it.”
“Mom, listen; no offense, but we’re quicker than you guys. We can be up there and back in a flash. We’ll be fine. We’ve been trained. Trust us.” Tim said and Walt could find no fault in that.
“They keys should be kept on a lock box hanging on the wall, probably in the manager’s office.” Norm said and Lexi nodded.
“If anything comes at you, run, we’ll go back as a group and get the keys that way.” Walt said and Tim nodded, tapping Lexi on the arm and jogging back to the marina office. Walt led the rest of them onto the boat and up into the pilothouse, where there was ample seating for them.
Tim and Lexi made an easy jog back to the office, both being very aware of their surroundings. When they reached the office, they both took a knee and listened for a moment.
“You want the honors?” Tim asked his sister.
“Not after what happened to Norm. I’ll keep watch out here.” She replied. He nodded and put a hand on the door knob. Inhaling deeply, he yanked the door open and darted in. Fortunately, his flashlight worked and he spotted the lockbox on a wall just inside the door that had a manager sign on it. Hoping his luck held, he darted in. The body on the small couch against the far wall scared the shit out of him, causing him to exhale as he brought his rifle to bear on it. He relaxed, realizing it was the cause of the smell that threatened to make him puke.
He spotted the small t-handle on the outside of the lockbox and gave it a turn. It was locked. He cursed and started breathing through his mouth, but he could swear that he could taste the smell. He searched the desk top, then the desk and found nothing. Realizing that the keys were probably on the bloating body, he steeled himself for what he had to do.
He made his way to the body, again holding his breath, and felt around the dead man’s right front pocket, hoping he’d find nothing and muttering a “Shit.” When he felt the key ring. He closed his eyes and hoped the body wouldn’t suddenly rise up and grab his hand when he sent it down the pocket, or worse, bursting from the pressure of his hand, snatching the keyring out and holding it aloft like it was infested with something.
Making his way to the lockbox, he had to draw another breath, almost gagging as he did it, and start going through the twenty something keys on it. Fortunately, it was the third one in and he twisted the t-handle again and sung the door open. Slip # 42 was on the backside of the first page of what looked like at least five pages of key rings. He snatched the keys off the hook and ran for the door.
Lexi was nervous while Tim was in the office. What if something tried to get him? What if something tried to get her? Either way, she wanted to be gone from this place as soon as possible. She wondered what was taking so long, and was just about to make her way into the small building when Tim came bursting through it, coughing and hacking like a three-day-a-pack old man.
“Did you get them?” she asked and Tim held the prize aloft while catching his breath.
“Dude, that was nasty! Had to dig in a dead guy’s pocket for these!” he said and hocked up a something and spat it into the hedges, “I’ll never get that smell out of my mouth!” he complained.
Lexi grinned at her brother’s displeasure thankful he�
��d been the one to go in and led them back down to the piers.
The Bayliner 4788 has a door on the aft deck that led out to the dive platform, but it also had port and starboard doors that led to the main pilothouse. Even though the big boat had been backed into her moorings, the easiest and quickest way to board her was through the pilothouse doors. Tim fumbled with the keys. Hoping like hell that he wouldn’t drop them and found the right key. Then it was the matter of making a right turn, up the stairs and unlocking the door on the open flybridge.
Walt was the first one through the door, followed quickly by everyone else as Walt went about clearing the boat, despite the fact that the doors had been locked. Better safe than sorry, he thought. Within two minutes he emerged to proclaim the boat clear.
“Now all we’ve got to do is get our stuff onboard.” Paul said. Norm took the keys from Tim, finding the switch to go from shore power to ship’s and flipping it. Bringing everything online, he went to the bridge and smiled broadly.
“Looks like it’s full of diesel and water. All we have to do is start the engines and be on our way.” He said.
“I’m not that good with boats.” Walt said.
“It’s okay, I am. I did a stint in the Navy as a boatswain’s mate and learned how to maneuver all kinds of watercraft. A friend of mine, the only dentist in Richview, had one of these, so I learned everything I could about them. Let’s get our shit aboard and get the hell outta here.” He grinned.
Walt and Tim backed the two trucks as far as they could and it was an all-hands effort to quickly load up. Norm had cranked on the generator to make sure the batteries were charged and to get the air-conditioner going. Fifteen minutes later, they were loaded up and ready to go.
“I don’t understand how this thing is able to go after the emp’s?” Paul asked.
“Well, from the looks of it, the roof is tin and the supports are aluminum, looks like we’re in a giant Farady cage. I’d bet all these boats start.” Walt noted. It was as good an answer as any. They were all sitting in the parlor, taking a minute to rest when Norm fired up the starboard, or right, engine. It never even hesitated. The port one started the same way.
“Well, we gonna sit on out thumbs all day or get moving? Me, I kinda want to go because once those things hear the engines. They’re gonna head this way. Need two people to cast off when I say so.” Norm called back from the bridge. Tim and Lexi volunteered. “Okay, Lexi, you go to the head line at the front of the boat and Tim to the stern line. Undo the line when I call it and jump back aboard.” Norm instructed and the teens nodded and got into position.
“Cast off head line!” Norm yelled and Lexi took the loop off of the cleat, tossed it onboard and jumped on after it, making her way back to the bridge. Norm fed a little power in and the bow started to swing outward. “Cast off stern line!” he yelled and Tim did the same thing, jumping aboard just as the boat started to move forward.
Once they were out of the marina, Norm headed upriver, keeping as close to the middle of the channel as he could. The boat only drew three feet of water, but he didn’t want to take the chance of getting hung up on an unknown sandbar. Walt made his way to the bridge and took a seat to the left of the captain’s chair.
“So, how do you want to do this?” he asked as Norm brought the radar and depth finder online.
“Well, I figure that we should have three people on watch at all times.” He flipped the boat’s spotlight on and brought it to where it acted like a headlight and continued,” That way we can have someone keep a visual on both sides as well as forward, in case the radar misses something.” He explained.
“You’re the skipper.” Walt said and when Norm went to protest, he held up his hand, “You know more about boats than the rest of us, so, you’re the skipper. Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it.”
“Could you get a pot of coffee going? It’s been a long night today.” Norm smiled.
“Aye Aye, skipper!” Walt said and went to get that going. Tanith had claimed the master stateroom for themselves, since there was another stateroom next to it for Nate and Everett. Curtis would sleep with them. There was a midship’s stateroom with twin beds, that one would be the Phillips’ room. The salon had a couple of couches that made into sleeping spaces for Tim, Lexi, and Paul.
Half an hour later, Norm brought the power back and headed towards the shore. When the boat had twenty feet of water beneath her, he brought her to a stop and dropped anchor, shutting the engines down and leaving the steady thrum of the generator.
“We stopping for a while?” Walt asked and Norm nodded.
“I’m beat. We’re all beat. We need to set up some kinda watch while the rest of us get some sleep. At least it’ll be in air-conditioning.” Norm said.
“Okay, I’ll take first watch.” Walt said and Norm held up a hand.
“I think we need at least two people on until we see where this is going. We’ll forego the three until we start making some progress.” He said, finding a grease pencil and marking their position on the GPS screen, “Someone needs to be at the helm and make sure the boat stays put and someone else needs to watch the shoreline making sure nothing tries to get at us.” He said.
“I’ll take first watch with him.” Paul said.
“I’ll leave you guys to figure out who to wake next, but I’d go for four-hour watches.” Norm said and went below decks to get some sleep.
Walt took the first watch as well and told everyone else to get some sleep because he was pretty sure that he could handle it. Marking down the boats position so that he wouldn’t forget it, he chanced a walk up to the fly bridge and sat in the captain’s chair. The occasional scream was heard in the distance, usually answered by one some distance and direction away. He sighed heavily, more worried than every about his family.
Rodney
Lamplighter Apartments
Cleveland, TN
Rodney looked at the sleeping girl and licked his lips. If Annalise was anything, it was fine. There was little he could compare her to. He heard a racket out front and went to peek out the window. Outside he saw a young kid being pulled by his arms and legs with a separate group on each. The word ‘quartering’ came to mind and it was exactly what it looked like. The kid was screaming in one non-stop high-pitched wail as the people that had him either grunted from the effort or laughed hysterically. Rodney was appalled and really wanted to turn his head, but curiosity help his attention. Someone in the group roared and the kid came apart like a rag doll in a hound’s mouth.
Rodney hissed in disgust and dropped the drape back in place. He need a drink and hoped the queasiness from what he’d just seen left him before he found it. He checked on Annalise, more to make sure that she wouldn’t suddenly surprise him when his back was turned. He rummaged the kitchen, finally finding a bottle of Cutty Sark that was obviously a gift because it hadn’t even been opened yet. He broke the seal and chugged some, grimacing at both the taste and the burn. Somehow, he held it down and took another just to make sure it was solidly bolted to his stomach.
He sat on the couch next to Annalise and fished a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, chuckling because he was pretty sure that she didn’t smoke. Just one more way to be the one in charge, he sZackered and took another big pull from the Scotch. He preferred a Tennessee whiskey, but this would do, he decided. The booze started kicking in about the time he started getting hungry again, so he went and raided Annalise’s fridge. Fuck it, he thought, she was asleep and he really didn’t care if she minded anyway.
He managed to make himself another bologna sandwich and stumbled his way back to the couch, collapsing in a heap. Annalise took a deep breath, exhaled it, and returned to a normal rhythm of breathing. He relaxed a little and ate his sandwich, chasing it with more booze. There was another ruckus outside the window, but he honestly didn’t give two shits what it was; he was in his happy place. He’d just finished the sandwich when he felt his eyes involuntarily begin to close and he just wasn’t
strong enough to fight it off, as the blackness took control.
The noise from the pistol firing was deafening, it was followed immediately with a burning that stretched up into his abdomen. Rodney screamed even before he opened his eyes from the immense pain. When he did open his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing; Annalise was between his legs and she was laughing, it was only then that he noticed the pistol in her hand. She’d shot him in the perineum, an area commonly called the taint, which on a man was the area between the scrotum and the anus. The pain went all the way up to just below his ribs.
She laughed again and he looked to see that she’d taken his manhood in her hand and he’d never even felt his pants being undone.
“No, please!” he moaned, making her laugh even harder as she moved he mouth over his penis and he screamed at the unbelievable pain as she bit down hard and started shaking her head like a dog tearing up a toy. The blood that flowed when it severed amazed him as he faded into the blackness thinking “I should’ve been nicer.”
Julie
McDonald, TN
“Oh holy Fuck!!” Donna said over the radio.
‘What?! What is it?!” Julie asked as her pulse bumped up a notch.
“Dead horses. Everywhere. It looks like the crazies had a field day.” Donna said and Julie relaxed a little.
“Don’t do that! You scared the shit outta me!” Julie complained.
“Sorry. It was just shocking, that’s all.” Donna said, “We’re going to check out the house. The front door looks like it was torn off. Just wait there.”
“Copy, wait here.” Julie transmitted and went over to pet Gus, hoping it would have a calming effect on her. It didn’t.
Three Days From Home Page 17