Survivors

by Rich Goldhaber

  The Major asked the civilians for a show of hands. “How many of you want to move to the Naples community?”

  About half of the non-military adult males and all of the non-military females raised their hands. I suggested, “We can fly the children back with us today. We’ll bring more food tomorrow and begin shuttling people back to Naples.”

  Major Connors addressed the civilians. “Please get the children ready to leave and bring them to the airport. Sergeant Gomez, I want to meet with the soldiers not on guard duty in fifteen minutes in the general’s conference room.”

  Sergeant Gomez saluted and started to leave the major’s backyard along with a dozen soldiers. The civilians also began to disperse. Blaine stopped them with a question. “Are any of you aircraft certified?”

  A female soldier and a civilian raised their hands. “What do you fly?” Blaine asked.

  The woman answered, “KC-135R Stratotankers.”

  The man answered, “AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters.”

  Major Connors asked, “What are you thinking Blaine?”

  Blaine answered, “Let’s talk about it later. I’ve got some thoughts I want to run past you.”

  Chapter 25

  The conference room was the type you see in all of those war movies: seating for about three dozen people surrounding a large elegant wooden table, dozens of computer stations with huge computer screens on the wall, and a variety of hightech communications systems. Of course with no electricity, all the electronics were down. The windows were open, creating a modest amount of air circulating in the room. It was almost tolerable. I counted a total of twenty-three soldiers including the major. We were the last to arrive and the soldiers had saved three chairs at one end of the table.

  Connors said, “Sergeant Gomez can you locate one of those large maps of the area. I think we’re going to need to identify where everyone is located.”

  While the sergeant left to locate the map, Connors asked Blaine to tell us what he was thinking. Blaine said, “I haven’t thought the whole thing through yet, but it seems we both have an interest in getting these undesirables to leave the area. I’m assuming these people aren’t soldiers, and they don’t understand how the military would do things. They haven’t bothered you yet, and that means they’re afraid of you. One thing about bullies and thugs, they fear people stronger than them. So, what do you think they’ll do if they believe there’s a major buildup of military forces at your airbase?”

  Connors answered, “If they’re smart, they’d leave the area, they’d retreat.” “Exactly,” Blaine said, “and they could go in one of three directions: south toward Naples, east toward Orlando, or north toward Georgia. I think they’d go north.”

  I asked, “Why is that?” “Because Ralph told us there’s a large group similar to these guys in southern Georgia, and birds of a feather flock together.”

  Connors added, “If they were military types, they’d go north for another reason. There’s plenty of open land up there. They’d be isolated if they went south. Why would they want to get trapped in the Everglades?”

  Blaine continued, “So here’s my plan. The two pilots fly back to Naples with us. There’re at least a half dozen 737 passenger planes at the Fort Myers airport, and there’re some variable wing aircraft there as well. We’ll keep flying different planes over here each day. We’ll fly an approach to your base taking us over the bad guys’ territory, and when we take off, we’ll takeoff over the water heading west and they won’t see us. What they will see is plenty of different aircraft flying into your base, and they’ll conclude there’s a massive buildup taking place.”

  Connors laughed, “Blaine, are you sure you weren’t ever in military planning at the Pentagon?”

  Blaine smiled, “Nope, I’m just a simple economics major who managed a hedge fund.”

  Connors looked at the female pilot, “Captain Stewart, can you fly a 737?” “Sir, if it’s got an engine, I can fly it, and if Sammy flew Apaches, I’m sure he can handle any civilian chopper.”

  Sergeant Gomez returned with a large map of the area. We unrolled the huge map and held the corners down with a couple of water bottles. Connors asked, “Circle the areas where you guys are located.”

  I took a red pencil and circled the campus and Immokalee and then with Blaine’s help, we located the dairy farm. Connors asked, “Lieutenant Monroe, your assessment on the defense of the dairy farm please.”

  Vince Monroe stood over the map and studied the location of the dairy farm. “Sir, there’s no high ground, just flat terrain. There’s one main road leading to the farm. If the bad guys attack, they’ll certainly be using cars and maybe a few motorcycles. That means they’ll attack from the road. I’d set up machine guns on both sides of the dirt road leading into the farm, two soldiers at each station. I’d catch the group in a deadly crossfire and then relocate to defensive positions inside the farm. We could hold off a major attack for at least two days unless they have heavy armament. At night, I’d send out snipers with night vision equipment to create havoc.”

  “What about Immokalee?” I interrupted, “Arnie, right now we only have people there during the day. All the volunteers working the fields spend the nights at the campus. They only need protection during the days.”

  Connors turned to Lieutenant Monroe again. “Sir, I’d set up a drone team during the day. They could monitor the area around the perimeter of the fields and then if something is spotted, the farmers could hightail it back to the campus.”

  “How about the university Lieutenant?” Connors asked. Monroe answered almost immediately, “A real problem Sir. The lake just north of their apartments is a natural obstacle, but bad guys can enter the university from all other directions. I’d use drones again to get an early warning. I’d set up machine gun nests in these six positions. We don’t have enough people to man all the defensive positions, but with some training the residents could be a formidable force.”

  Major Connors thought about the lieutenant’s assessment. “Lieutenant Monroe, pick ten men and make it happen. You have permission to draw any weapons you need from the armory.”

  I asked, “Major, what could you do if we restore electricity to the airbase?” “Are you kidding Jim? With electricity, I’ve got eyes. I can use our military satellites to monitor the bad guy’s positions. We’d be able to give Lieutenant Monroe’s team a couple days’ notice of any change in disposition of the bad guys.”

  I answered, “We’re running low on solar arrays. It’s going to be several months until we can manufacture new ones from scratch, but beginning tomorrow, I’m going to send a team here to take all the solar cells we have left to get you some power.”

  “That would be great Jim. We’ll give them all the support they need.” The meeting broke up a little after three o’clock. Our trip had been a great success. Five children, ranging in age from just over a year to about fifteen were waiting next to our airplane with small military duffle bags holding their belongings.

  Major Connors asked Sergeant Gomez to locate Sammy Lafayette and explain we want him to volunteer for a new assignment. Captain Ami Stewart appeared with a small overnight bag, and she helped Blaine load the luggage in his airplane. Major Connors talked to each of the children except the one year old, and he explained they were going to a place safer than the airbase; and soon he would see them again.

  We were now waiting for Sammy Lafayette. After twenty minutes, he appeared riding in Sergeant Gomez’s jeep. He had on his flight suit, and saluted the major. “Sammy Lafayette reporting for duty, Sir.”

  We all boarded Blaine’s airplane, and the soldiers saluted us as we taxied out onto the tarmac. There was barely enough space for everyone, but at least the kids didn’t weigh very much. We took off heading west out over the Gulf of Mexico, and when we were well out of sight of land, we headed southeast toward Naples.

  Chapter 26

  Blaine crossed the Florida coastline a little north of Venice. We were flying at a
little over 2000 feet when the oldest boy, who was looking out the window, said, “I see a little boy walking on the road.”

  Sure enough, a boy, maybe seven at most, was walking south along a two-lane road. He looked up and began waving at us. Blaine said, “I guess we can squeeze in one more body.”

  Blaine pulled the throttle back and extended the plane’s flaps. We settled down on the same road the little boy was walking along and taxied up to where he was standing. He started running toward the plane until Captain Stewart yelled, “Wait there until the propellers stop.”

  The kid slammed on the brakes and waited until Captain Stewart opened the starboard side door. She jumped down onto the road, and he ran up to her crying. She put her arms around his slight body and talked to him after he stopped crying.

  “Mom and dad are dead. My mom told me to wait until someone came to get me, but that was two weeks ago. I ran out of things to eat so I started walking into town.”

  I briefly explained who we were and where we were going and invited him to join us. His name was Peter Dickens, and he squeezed into the cramped airplane clutching a picture of his family. He sat on Captain Stewart’s lap next to Blaine, and she talked to him, providing some level of comfort to the young boy.

  We landed at the Naples airport without further incidents. Ralph was waiting in the U-Haul and was shocked to see all of us pile out of Blaine’s small aircraft.

  Captain Stewart sat in the front seat holding the baby, and the rest of us settled into the back of the truck. Ralph took his time driving to the campus, not wanting to get into an accident with all of us in the back. Margaret was sitting at her small desk and smiled as we pulled into the parking lot. She said, “Well, I can always count on you guys to bring back more survivors.”

  We found Mary, and after confirming Beth was out of danger, she insisted the little one stay with Carla. As if she had planned for more arrivals in the nursery, she said there was an extra crib available. I called an emergency meeting of the leadership team and invited Sammy and Ami to attend.

  We all met inside my apartment, and I could tell both Ami and Sammy were amazed at what we had managed to accomplish in our new community. The temperature was a comfortable seventy-two degrees. Blaine and I took turns briefing everyone on our day at the airbase, and I explained MacDill soldiers would be arriving in the next few days to provide security at the dairy farm and our campus.

  Then I explained the urgent need for starting up electrical power at the airbase and Bill interrupted. “Jim that will deplete us of solar arrays. The guys are telling me it will be at least two months before we’ll be able to manufacture our own photovoltaic cells.”

  Jessie said, “I have an idea. Let’s go back to Opti-solar and find out where they’ve installed solar arrays. Then we can go there and take them down and scavenge all the parts.”

  Bill stood up from the table, walked over to Jessie, and gave her a 235 pound bear hug. She almost disappeared in his arms. Everyone laughed, and then we got down to business. Manny explained his team would drive to Immokalee early tomorrow morning and bring fresh produce to the Fort Myers airport. Captain Stewart and Sammy needed a couple of hours to check out the aircraft they would be flying, so we set the departure time for noon. Blaine was going to borrow a different airplane from the Naples airport and fly it up to the Fort Myers airport in the morning.

  After the meeting Margaret pulled me aside. “That guy Brad and his friends left last night. The people from Cape Coral say their cars are missing, and nobody knows where they went. They just up and left.”

  I felt like saying good riddance to bad rubbish, but I had this uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. If these guys headed north, they were surely going to run into the bad guys near Tampa, and that could mean bad news for us. We needed to get Lieutenant Monroe and his soldiers here tomorrow. I hoped he and his team were ready to go.

  Phyllis was pushing Beth in a wheelchair from the kitchen to the dining tent. I walked up to her and asked, “Who let you out of jail?”

  She laughed, “You can’t keep an old lady down. Mary said I could leave the operating room if I stayed in a wheel chair for the next two days. Phyllis is my body guard.”

  Phyllis said, “And you better listen to what I tell you Beth. Otherwise you’re headed back to the Science Building.”

  I called an emergency town hall meeting. Our residents deserved to understand what was going on. It took thirty minutes to assemble everyone. I stood in front of them and waited for their attention. “Good afternoon everyone, I want to spend a few minutes telling you about some of the events that have taken place over the last few days.

  “As you know, our group met some rather nasty people on the way to Orlando. They raped Debbie and beat up Bruce. Luckily, we were able to rescue them. Also, a few days ago, Rebecca’s friend Ralph, told us about how he encountered another group of thugs in southern Georgia. They were abducting women, and they killed an old man.

  “Today, Blaine and I visited the MacDill Air Force Base just outside of Tampa. There are several dozen survivors living there. We spoke with Major Connors. He’s the senior person in charge of the military installation. It seems a large group of thugs are also creating havoc in the Tampa area. Needless to say your Board of Governors is very concerned about the security of the campus and also the dairy farm and Immokalee.

  “We have a plan to deal with this security issue. First, we transferred the children who were at the airbase here. They will now be in a better environment, and I’m certain you will welcome them all.

  “Second, Captain Ami Stewart and Sammy Lafayette also returned with us from MacDill. Tomorrow we will begin daily flights of airplanes and helicopters to MacDill. This will indicate to the bad guys who are looting and killing people in Tampa that the military is building up resources at the military base. We think they will believe the increased military presence at the airbase will allow soldiers from the base to attack them. We are hoping they will leave the area and head north toward Georgia.

  “Also tomorrow, we will begin building a solar array at MacDill. Bill and his team will lead this effort. If we can provide the base with electrical power, then they will be able to access data from military satellites and follow the movements of this group in real-time.

  “Of course we can’t be sure these people will move northward. Beginning tomorrow, a few soldiers from MacDill will be arriving here to provide security for the campus, the dairy farm, and Immokalee. They will be led by Lieutenant Vince Monroe. He and his men will begin to train all ablebodied adults in the use of arms and self-defense. Please provide him all the support he and his people need.

  “Are there any questions?” Of course there were questions, dozens of questions. Between Captain Stewart and the governors, we answered everyone to the best of our ability.

  Chapter 27

  USS Jimmy Carter Captain Sanchez and his crew left the Wilson family after two days of successful hunting and fishing. Between the wild pigs and a variety of fresh fish, they had replenished the ship’s supplies. They headed north toward Portland Maine. Their plan was fairly straightforward. They would hug the eastern seaboard and try to make contact with survivors.

  Three days later the massive attack submarine passed just south of Cushing Island and slowly approached the Portland harbor area. It was midmorning. The sun had warmed the early spring morning chill, and an early morning fog had started to lift. Sanchez and four sailors were standing atop the submarine’s sail searching for any sign of civilization. Commercial Street ran along the edge of the port, and the submarine held its position a mile off shore. They couldn’t risk approaching closer due to the shallow water in the south harbor area.

  They spent almost two hours searching for any sign of survivors. Gordy Phillips stood next to Sanchez. “Captain, I’m thinking the survivors knew they couldn’t stay in the city. With all the dead bodies lying around, it wouldn’t be the ideal place to make a new life.”

  “So whe
re do you think they went?” “Captain, I’m guessing out into the countryside but close to the ocean. That way, they could still fish and use some farms to grow the rest of their food.”

  “Okay Gordy, change course and take us south along the coast. I’m going to get a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”

  “No thanks Captain; I’ve had too much already today.” Gordy Phillips gave orders to the helmsman, and the submarine slowly backed out of the Portland harbor area. After clearing Cushing Island, the submarine advanced slowly south hugging the coastline in 150 feet of water. As they moved along at a slow five knots, Captain Sanchez finally appeared on deck with his mug of hot coffee.

  An hour later, they spotted a fishing boat a few miles ahead. A few minutes later the fishing boat spotted the submarine and immediately changed course and headed toward the large submarine. As the two boats approached each other, Sanchez ordered his ship to a full-stop. It coasted another one-thousand yards before coming to rest. The submarine waited for the fishing boat to reach its port side.

  A crew of five on the fishing boat readied their lines to tie up alongside the submarine, but Sanchez was not about to risk his crew, not after all they had been through. Sanchez emerged from the sail’s hatch and talked to the crew of the fishing boat. “I’m Captain Sanchez, and this is the USS Jimmy Carter. We’ve been out to sea for five months, and I don’t want to risk exposing my crew to the virus. What’s your status?”

  A surly looking man with an unlit cigar in his mouth spoke to the Captain. “I’m Barney Fillmore; we’re some of the immune ones. Our group is living in Old Orchard Beach. There’re about fifty of us now. I was living in Portland but I had to leave; the rats and wild dogs were eating everything. It was too dangerous.”

  Sanchez asked, “Who’s in charge of your group?”

  “I guess that’s Kevin Knight.” Sanchez said, “Mr. Fillmore, I need to talk to Mr. Knight. We’ll follow you into shore but we’ll have to stop at a depth of 100 feet. Can you bring him back out here so we can talk?”