by A. R. Wise
Billy didn't answer so Jacob continued to badger him. "The best thing for all of us to do right now is head out into the bay and wait for the military to get here. I understand you want to go help your mom, I get that, but that's just not the smartest thing to do right now. You know? Billy?"
"Huh?" asked Billy. He had ignored most of what Jacob said. "No. I'm going to the city. Only question is whose boat I'm taking. Yours or mine?"
"Well, pardon my language, but that's pretty fucking stupid," said Jacob.
Billy shrugged and walked back into the cabin at the front of the boat. "Figure out the plan. I'm steering north," he said before he closed the door behind him. I was furious with him for leaving me alone to fight this argument.
"Well that's just fucking great," said Jacob. He kicked a plastic tackle box over and the lures spilled out across the floor.
"Honey, calm down." Gwen turned to me and apologized, "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."
"No, it's okay," I said. "I understand. You're just trying to do the right thing, and so are we. Let's all calm down. There's probably a good solution that we just haven't thought of yet."
"You've got to agree with me though." Jacob was far from calm. "Heading back to the city is suicide. If you get in sight of shore you're going to have people, tons of them, swimming out to you. Not to mention the whole place is crawling with zombies, for fuck's sake."
"Well, Billy just watched his Dad get eaten by those, those things," I said. "I can understand that he wants to do everything he can to save his mom. I understand that completely."
"So you're willing to risk your kid's life because he needs his mommy?" asked Jacob.
"Watch it." I looked to the back of the boat where my girls and Toby sat. "They're all I've got."
"He didn't mean it," said Gwen.
"Oh I meant it. Taking this boat back to the city is going to get you and those girls killed. Plain and simple."
"That's enough," I said.
"Look, you stupid bitch, if you and your boy toy can't think straight then I'll be happy to do the thinking for you. We need to take this boat out into the bay and wait for this to sort itself out." He gesticulated madly and shouted at the top of his cracking voice. The veins in his neck stood out as he lost his temper. "Let that dumb fuck in there take the small boat and head back to the city if he wants to, but taking this whole thing out there is just plain dumb."
"Then get off our boat," I said, but he didn't hear me.
"You're going to use up a ton of gas too. Why take this whole ship all the way there when you could just take our boat. We could even wait here for him for a day or two. But sending us off in that tin can is bullshit and you know it. You can't be dumb enough not to see that I'm right."
"Please stop," said Gwen.
"I said, get off our boat. If you can't calm down and talk about this like an adult then you need to leave."
"I'm the only one acting like an adult here." He pointed at the cabin where Billy had retreated, "I'm telling you, that kid's idea is shit. Everyone in the city is dead or dying, and taking this perfectly good, big boat up there is a waste. It's a waste of lives and resources. Plain and simple."
"It's his boat," I said. "He gets to make the decisions." I picked up the tackle box he had kicked over and started to put lures back in. Then I grabbed the baseball bat in a motion that looked as if I were still cleaning up. The dead girl's black blood still wet the tip.
"Bullshit," said Jacob. "It's as much our boat as it is his now. I'm in it to survive, little lady, and I'll do it anyway I have to. If that means chucking the lot of you overboard and stealing the boat then fine, I'll do it. But there's no way this boat's going back to the city as long as I'm here."
I raised the bat. "Then get off our boat." The adrenaline shot through my veins as I found myself in another fight. I didn't have as much trouble with the thought of hitting Jacob as I did the dead girl though.
"Are you serious?" Jacob laughed at me. "Get the fuck out of here. Is that what we've resorted to now? You're going to hit me because I'm telling you the truth, you stupid cunt. Go ahead and hit me then. Go ahead."
He asked for it.
I swung really, really hard. He didn't think I would do it, so when the bat came at him he squealed and held his arms up just in time to catch the brunt of my strike. He toppled to the ground and wailed in agony as he grabbed his wrist.
"You bitch!" said Jacob. "Are you just going to beat up anyone that disagrees with you? Is that how you do things?"
"Today it is."
The Casper started to move again and we stumbled as the engines kicked us forward. Jacob took advantage of my imbalance and lunged at my legs. I fell back and my head smacked against the cabin door, which got Billy's attention. Jacob tried to wrestle the bat out of my hands and we rolled to the side of the boat where he slammed my head against the metal edge. Stars burst to life as my world turned black for a moment. I heard the cabin door crash open as Billy joined the fight.
"Mother fucker!" Billy grabbed Jacob by the collar and picked him up easily. I didn't realize just how strong this kid was. He lifted the two hundred pound man as if hoisting a bag of laundry. Jacob tried to fight back, but nothing he did fazed Billy in the slightest. "Get off my fucking boat," said Billy as he tossed the bastard overboard.
"No!" said Gwen as she watched her husband disappear in the murky water.
"Sorry," said Billy. "But that cunt had to go."
Jacob emerged behind us in the wake of The Casper's motor.
I started to laugh. It was inappropriate, and I felt terrible for doing it, but I laughed hard. The sight of Jake sputtering behind us was the best thing that happened all day. I cackled and tried to apologize to Gwen for it.
"What's wrong with you people?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," I said. "You're husband." I had trouble speaking as I laughed. "He's a piece of shit."
"Jake," Gwen yelled to her husband as we pulled away from him. "Just keep swimming, honey. I'll come get you."
Billy grabbed a life preserver and tossed it like a Frisbee through the air. It landed in the water a few feet away from Jacob. "I'll circle back for him," he said to Gwen. "We're not going to leave him out there."
"Just let me get our boat and we'll leave. We don't need your help." Gwen was furious and I felt bad for what had happened. I looked back at Toby, whose face had turned pale as he watched his father struggle to float behind us. That's when I finally stopped laughing. The petrified look on that boy's face made my heart sink.
"We'll give you some food to take with you," I said.
"We don't need any help from you."
"Yes you do," said Billy. "I've got some extra fuel too. I'll fill you up before you head out."
"Thanks, I guess," said Gwen. She looked at me and her grimace slowly changed to a smirk. "You didn’t have to hit him." Then she chuckled.
"Yeah, but I really wanted to," I said.
Gwen turned to look at her husband in the distance and then started to laugh. Her reaction caught me off guard and I wondered how long she'd been waiting for a chance like this.
"He can be, um, difficult sometimes," said Gwen.
"You sure you want to go get him?" asked Billy.
Gwen glanced up and tilted her head to the side as if thinking it over. "Yes, of course. He's got a temper on him, but I still love him. He was just trying to do what's best for us. He wanted to protect us. That's what Dads are for."
CHAPTER THREE - POLICE AND THIEVES
We sent the family off with a full tank and some supplies. Gwen and I spent some time splitting up several bags of dry food that we then poured into a satchel for them. She thanked us as her husband continued to berate our decision.
After they left, we settled in and tried to get some information about what had happened in the city. The television proved futile. No one knew what happened, but it was happening everywhere. Reports came in from countries across the world of similar events. Most of the attacks wer
e concentrated around large cities, but it spread into rural areas fast. Reporters argued with scientists about what these things were, and no one wanted to be the first to say the dreaded 'Z' word. They started to refer to the creatures as 'Infected.'
They also mentioned something about a doctor that claimed to know of a cure, but no one had been able to locate him for hours. The newscasters were convinced it was a baseless, conspiracy theorist out to make a name for himself. Then they went back to footage of the streets of New York as military vehicles moved in.
"What about here, God damn it," said Billy. We had watched the news for fifteen minutes and they hadn't switched to a local report yet.
"Does this work?" I asked about the CB radio.
Billy looked as if he'd forgotten all about it. "Yeah, that's a good idea." He turned off the television and flipped on the CB. It crackled to life and he started to fiddle with one of the knobs until a voice broke through the static.
"…twelve more," said a man's gruff voice. "Fuck 'em. I ain't going near it."
Then a different voice was caught in the middle of a sentence, "…tanks and shit. All over the place. I've never seen nothing like it. Hope you've got a gun. Fuck that. Get a rocket launcher."
And another voice, "Stay off I-30. No one's moving. Even the cop cars are stuck."
Every time one person stopped talking, the radio switched to another person in mid sentence. It was maddening to try and make sense of.
"…evacuation."
Billy turned it off. "No one knows what the fuck they're talking about." I could tell he was just trying to ignore the inevitable fact that the city, where we were headed, was in chaos.
We sat in silence. I wanted to reason with him about not going back, but I didn't know what to say. He stared ahead with steadfast determination.
"Billy, are you sure about this?"
"Yes."
"I'm just worried about you. And about us."
"There's a salvage yard up on the north side we used to do business with. Owners name is Terrance. He and his brother own the yard and they've got a secured dock. I bet it's safe. It's in the middle of a couple acres of industrial zone. The dock's covered and should be easy enough to lock up tight. We'll pull the boat in there, and then we can spend some time making it safe for you." He looked at me and smiled. "You didn't think I was just going to abandon you guys, did you?"
Relief washed over me. "Yeah, I kinda did."
"Don't worry girl. I've got your back." He punched me in the arm as if I were a schoolyard pal. "Besides, I don’t want to risk pissing you off. You're liable to knock me upside the head with my bat."
I relaxed against the side of the cabin and looked out the window at my daughters. Kim gathered the lures that Jacob spilled and carefully organized them back in the box. I'd already picked up the hooks to keep Annie from getting them and then asked the girls for help cleaning the rest. Kim took the job very seriously while Annie snuck lures back out of the box when her sister's back was turned. I smiled as I watched.
"You want something to eat?" I asked. We hadn't eaten since breakfast. The girls were probably starved.
"Shit yeah," said Billy. "What do we have?"
"It's school lunch food, so probably nothing good."
"I'm not picky. There's a portable burner and a few pots and pans in that crate."
"Okay, I'll see what I can whip up. Don't expect a miracle though."
"Gave up on those this morning," he said as I left.
Kim and Annie helped me get something together to eat. Actually, Kim helped while Annie tried to rip open a package of chocolate covered, dried apricots. It kept her occupied while we cooked stuffing and searched for dried vegetables to add to the bland concoction.
Annie became impatient with her package and started to smack it against the side of a bench. I gave in and took it from her to tear it open. They were sticky and I dreaded the mess she would make with them, but she tugged at my pants and demanded I give her one. "Mommy, please. I'm hungry," she said as she reached up for them.
"Okay, fine. Just a couple though. Dinner will be ready in a minute."
She grabbed them from me and shoved them both in her mouth. Then she smiled and taunted her sister with her chocolate covered teeth.
"I want some," said Kim.
"After dinner," I said. She stirred the pot and scowled at me as I folded the package of apricots back up and set them aside.
"That's not fair," she said in a huff.
"I know. Get over it." I took over with the stuffing. "Check to see if there're any bowls in the crate."
Kim grabbed a few metal bowls and we scooped the dressing into them. It was a gooey mess and tasted like paste, but it was good enough to fill us up. Billy couldn't find forks so we sat in the back of the boat and ate with our hands. We drank tiny juice boxes, which looked hilarious when gingerly sipped through a straw. We all laughed as Billy puckered his lips and sucked all the air out of the miniature box to get every last drop.
Annie took a liking to Billy immediately and sat up against him as we ate. Kim was more reserved, but his kindness broke down her defenses before we'd finished dinner. By the time our bowls were clean, she was laughing hysterically as Billy let her win thumb wars over and over.
If I closed my eyes I could imagine it was David playing with her.
The sun set over the water of Hailey Bay and the cool night air rushed in. Billy set up a portable heater for us to keep warm as I washed out the pot and bowls with water I scooped up from over the side.
"What about dessert?" asked Kim.
"Oh yeah," I said. "We've got those chocolate apricots." I got up to get them but they were gone. "Where'd they go?"
"I didn't touch them," said Kim as she held up her hands as proof.
"Annie?"
She smiled up at me with chocolate stained teeth.
"You little devil," I laughed. "Where'd you put them?"
"Did she eat them all?" asked Kim in disappointment.
"No, she couldn't have," I said. "There were a bunch of them. She probably hid them somewhere."
"A thief?" asked Billy with wide mouthed horror as he grabbed Annie's waist and started to tickle her. "Do we have a thief on this boat?"
Annie guffawed and rolled around on the floor as Billy tickled her. "Do you know what we do with thieves on this here boat, little girl?"
"Stop it," begged Annie through her laughter.
"Make her walk the plank," said Kim.
"Walk the plank!" We all started to chant as Billy picked Annie up. He held her high in the air as she cackled in delight.
A beam of light struck us from somewhere out in the murky darkness of the bay and blinded me as I held my arm up to block it. There was a boat, smaller than ours, about forty feet away.
"Hey there," said a booming voice through a bullhorn.
Billy set Annie down and waved at the approaching boat. "Turn the light off." He screamed to them. Either they didn't hear or didn't care as the light continued to blind us.
"We're going to throw you a rope," said the man with the bullhorn. "Pull us over."
"Turn off the fucking light," said Billy. This time they did as asked and the halogen light's shutter flipped closed. The sudden darkness left me blinder than before as the phantom of the spotlight blazed in my vision.
I blinked away the ghost and stared out at the approaching vessel. It was a pontoon boat, quite a bit smaller than The Casper, and two men stood at the front. I was relieved to see that they were police officers.
Billy helped the cops pull along side and secured them with the rope. There were three of them, two at the front and one steering the pontoon. They had their guns drawn and my momentary relief turned to dread as the one with the shotgun jumped aboard.
"How're you folks doing?" asked the stranger.
"Pretty shitty," said Billy.
"Tell me about it," he said as he helped one of the other officers, a black man with a pistol, onto the boat as well.<
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"I don't think you need your guns," I said. I motioned toward Kim and Annie. "We don't pose much of a threat."
"We'll see," said the one with the shotgun. He smiled at me to reveal a set of putrid, yellow teeth. His lower lip jutted out from a packet of chewing tobacco that licked at. He stared at Kim and said, "She's a cutie."
"What are you doing?" asked Billy. "What's this about?"
"Calm down," said the black officer. He held his hand out at Billy as if trying to quell an uprising. It was a dramatic reaction to a reasonable question.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"How come you're not out with the rest of the boats?" asked the one with the yellow teeth.
"I don’t know what you're talking about," I said. "What other boats?"
"Out in the middle of the bay, over by Hailey's End. We're all gathering there to help each other out." He continued to hold his shotgun as if ready to use it.
"We're doing just fine," said Billy.
"So I see." The officer pushed the toe of his boot into one of our pilfered bags of food.
"You can't just go out on your own," said the black officer. "We've got to work together. For the common good."
"Can you please put your guns away?" I asked. "You're scaring my girls." Kim and Annie cowered behind me.
"Can you keep your wife's mouth shut, please?" asked the one with the shotgun.
"She's not my wife," said Billy. "And you should start being respectful."
The yellow-toothed officer spit out a stream of black juice from the tobacco tucked in his cheek. "Or what?" He cocked the shotgun.
"Calm down," I said before Billy could respond. "Everyone just calm down. What do you guys want?"
"We've got a lot of hungry folks out there," said the black cop as he pointed to the center of Hailey Bay. "If you're hording food, you're going to have to share."
"We've just got enough for ourselves," I said.
"Ain't what we heard," said the one with the shotgun.
"What did you hear, and where did you hear it?" asked Billy.
"A couple showed up about an hour ago," said the black cop. "Said you roughed them up and threw them overboard. Said you had plenty of food and that you weren't sharing."