by Tim Moon
“Do you need anything to drink or food? Are you hungry?” April suddenly asked.
“I’m fine for now, thanks.”
“Just let me know when you’re hungry and we’ll get you sorted out,” she said softly. She looked around. “Can you believe this?”
Vanessa snorted. “It’s insane. I don’t understand why they would do this.”
“Yeah, I barely got home. The infected are everywhere and…” April’s voice trailed off.
Vanessa put her hand on her friend’s arm.
“I…I haven’t heard from Mike yet,” she finally finished.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” Vanessa took her hand and held it. “I’m sure he’s okay. He’s probably worried sick, fighting hard to get to you. He’s a tough man.”
April crumpled into Vanessa’s shoulder, leaning into her for support. Vanessa couldn’t hold back any longer. Her own tears flowed, dripping along with April’s tears. They held on to each other and just had a good cry.
Minutes passed as they sat on the soft king-sized bed. Vanessa realized how tired she was even though it wasn’t very late. All the stress; all the running for her life was draining.
The guilt and sadness weighed heavily in her heart, but eventually the tears stopped flowing. She stroked April’s blond hair getting drowsier by the moment.
Finally, April sat up. Her tear stained face was red and creased with worry. “Thanks Vanessa.”
She just nodded.
“So what should we do?” Vanessa asked softly, fighting the urge to just flop back and curl into a ball on the comfortable bed.
“We need to take stock of what’s happening and how we can defend ourselves,” April said. “On my drive home people were losing their minds. They were looting and running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Why are there always looters? People are coming after you trying to eat your face off. I don’t get it.” She threw her hands up. “Did you see the videos from Hawaii? My heart broke for those poor people.”
“So awful,” April said, nodding. “I’m so glad we were able to get the information out there. Black Tide is going down.” April stood up to stretch. She was petite, but muscular like a wiry little firecracker. “You have a gun, huh?”
“Yeah, uh, a little something I picked up along the way,” she said.
“Let’s have a look.”
Vanessa picked up the gun and offered it to April.
Her friend held the gun close to her face so she could see it. She flicked the safety on and pressed something releasing the magazine. It dropped into her hand.
“Be sure to put the safety on when you’re not using it, that’s a key point. It looks like you have…six…no, seven rounds left,” said April. “Not bad. It’s a .40 caliber pistol, can’t see the brand though, not that it matters really.”
“So we have seven rounds until we’re helpless again?”
“No, no. You know Mike and I have guns,” April said with a giggle. She pulled a gun from the bedside table. “We don’t have .40 caliber rounds, but we have plenty of 9mm and shells for our shotguns. We’re gonna be just fine.”
“That’s good,” Vanessa said. “I’m so glad I found you. I was terrified I’d be alone. You have no idea the horrible day I’ve had.”
April turned to face Vanessa. “Tell me what happened? Where is Steve? How’d you end up here?”
Vanessa took a deep breath and started at the beginning as they sat on the bed, cradling their guns.
62
“Land ho!” Chadwick yelled from outside the bridge. He leaned over the railing beside the .50 cal, smiling at them.
“My God, finally,” Charlotte said.
A small cheer erupted as they all clapped and whooped. They had spent almost a week at sea with no land in sight. Ben stood and pumped his fist in the air and gave Chadwick thumbs up. He slid his pen into the rings of a small notebook he been using as a journal and then went to join Chadwick on the bridge.
Oliver jumped up and ran across the small deck to the steps that would take him up to the bridge.
“Wait for me,” Anuhea said, laughing.
Ben smiled as relief filled him. They’d survived the horrors of the island, fought a gang, and crossed the ocean. None of it had been easy, or without sacrifice, but he felt like there was little their group couldn’t do. Soon they would be beginning the next leg of their journey.
“Pack it in,” Kaholo said, his voice booming from the bridge.
“I don’t see anything. Where’s the land?” Oliver asked.
Ben slowly followed the others upstairs to the bridge. He was thrilled to be done with the ship, but he was worried about what they’d find.
“Use the binoculars and you’ll see land on the horizon,” Chadwick said. He was about to hand over the binoculars, but realized Oliver probably couldn’t hold onto them. So, he held them up for the boy.
“I don’t see anything. It wiggles too much,” Oliver whined. “This is boring.” He left the bridge with a disappointed look on his face.
Charlotte accepted the binoculars from Chadwick.
“So where are we?” Ben asked.
“Over here should be Oregon.” Kaholo gestured to the right, and then he gestured to the left. “And over there should be Washington.”
“All I see is a very faint patch of green.” Charlotte lowered the binoculars and handed them to Anuhea. “Thanks for sharing the news. It’ll be wonderful to get back on land.”
“We’re still a ways off. I think we’ll be in visual range in a few hours. I’ll let you guys know when we’re closer.” Kaholo smiled.
Charlotte and Chadwick left the bridge. Anuhea was still observing the horizon.
“Any contact with other ships?” Ben asked.
Kaholo shook his head. “It’s been silent. We may pick up something when we’re closer to shore, but it’s hard to say.”
“We haven’t seen anything either, right?” Anuhea said, glancing over her shoulder at Kaholo, sitting in the commander’s chair.
“Nope, no visual sightings since we approached those cargo ships the other day and no radio contact with anyone. We monitor two emergency channels, but nothing. And I have to say, it’s quite alarming that we can just show up like this and not be confronted or questioned,” Kaholo said. “It’s unnatural.”
“At least we have land in sight. You did a great job getting us here. Thank you,” Ben said.
“We still have a ways to go, but you’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.” Kaholo smiled.
Before long, they were approaching the Columbia River bar.
“Okay, this bit is serious business. You’re all going to want to get below deck and hold on. The bar is dangerous, but don’t worry, we’ll get through it,” Kaholo said. Everyone stared at him wide-eyed. “That means now, people.”
They filed out of the bridge, made their way downstairs, and sat down on the bunks in the cabins below deck. Ben tucked his journal underneath the mattress so that his hands were free. Kaholo said hold on and he wasn’t going to disobey their captain.
“Do you know what the hell he’s talking about?” Charlotte asked him.
“Not really, but I’m guessing he’s never done this before.” Ben sat down on one of the bunks and held onto the edge.
A few minutes later the boat began to buck and sway like an angry bull. Chadwick grimaced as he rocked with the waves in the bunk across from Ben. Oliver was the only one who seemed to think it was a carnival ride. Ben waited for the ship to shatter into pieces at any moment.
Even though it wasn’t more than a few minutes of massive waves and a big drop as they crossed the bar, it felt longer and more terrifying than the previous three days combined. The Kiska seemed to let out a sigh of relief as the rapids ended and they began cruising up the river itself.
“My God, I’m never doing that again,” Anuhea said.
“I second that.” Chadwick sat up, lowering his leg gingerly
to the floor.
Ben stayed on the bunk for a while. His heart was still pounding.
When he emerged onto the deck, the Kiska was approaching the bridge connecting Astoria, Oregon to Washington State.
Ben knew the bridge well. His family had driven over it during summer vacations when he was young. The last time he’d seen the bridge was just over a year ago, when he took a trip with some high school friends along the Washington and Oregon coast.
“It’s so tall,” Oliver said. “Why is it so tall?”
“Because it looks cool,” Ben said. His shoulders bounced with a non-committal shrug. The movement sent a spike of pain from his injury up his neck.
Oliver seemed to consider what he said. After a second, he laughed and said, “It is cool. Can we drive over it? Then I can look down and see the boat.”
“Ship,” Keanu corrected him. “You could look down and see the ship.”
Oliver looked at Ben who made a face. The boy giggled and ran to the side of the ship, forgetting his question. He leaned against the flimsy looking railing and watched the bridge recede in the distance.
“I don’t see any people in town. Nothing has moved other than some birds since we were in sight of town,” Anuhea said. She lowered the binoculars and looked curiously at Ben and Keanu.
“It’s not a big town, but someone should still be here,” Ben said, scowling at the buildings and streets that they passed. Astoria did have a quiet feel to it. No cars drove around, no tourists walked the streets downtown, and no other ships sailed by.
“Any infected?” Keanu asked.
Anuhea shook her head. “I haven’t seen anything moving at all.”
“You would think smaller towns like this would have fared better. If Astoria is infected, or abandoned, what does that say for our chances once we get to Portland?” Charlotte asked.
Chadwick sat on the ground, leaning against a blue plastic barrel. His shorts were stained with blood and his calf was wrapped in thick bandages. “Hopefully, it means we can get to Ben’s house without a problem. Does your mum know we’re coming?”
Ben shook his head. “I wasn’t able to get her on the phone. As far as she knows, I’m still in Hawaii.”
“Anyone have cell signal?” Keanu asked.
“My battery’s dead.” Ben shook his head again. “It’s been dead for days now.”
“Mine broke during the mess at the triathlon. Damn thing slipped out of my pocket and was trampled by the crowd. I’ve been without it ever since,” Chadwick said. “Kind of freeing, really. I can’t say that I miss it.”
“Have you guys tried to call out on the radio?” Anuhea asked.
“Oh yeah, of course. I’ve repeated the call so many times that I was saying it in my dreams last night.” Keanu held his hand to his mouth, made a radio noise and said, “Where the fuck is everyone? Over.”
“I believe you’re supposed to say mayday,” Chadwick said.
Keanu rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, mate. I made a proper radio call.”
“Not if you said it like that,” Chadwick muttered.
63
The scenery was beautiful. There were mountains everywhere, rolling green hills, and a sea of green trees replaced the endless blue of the ocean. Slowly everyone dispersed and went back to whatever they found to occupy their time. Ben sat near Chadwick and waited. It would still take quite some time to get to Portland.
“Have you ever been here before?” Ben asked.
“Not here. I’ve been to California though and we took a family trip to Washington, D.C. a few years ago.” Chadwick sat up a little. “A place like D.C., or New York City, must be a real mess. I’m hoping Portland isn’t too worse for wear, I’d like to catch a train down to California to meet my parents.”
“What did you say they’re doing?”
“They are consulting at Google about a space project they are running. Actually, I don’t know much because they had to keep it all hush-hush.” He chuckled a little. Shifting his position, he winced and rubbed his leg.
“Feeling any better?” Ben asked, eying the bandage.
“A bit, I suppose. Charlotte was a real champ cleaning it up.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Ben said, glancing down at his shoulder. It had felt like she was scrubbing it out with a toilet brush. He had almost passed out. Just the memory gave him chills.
“Another bridge!” Oliver said above them. He liked to hang out with Kaholo.
“We must be coming up on Longview.” Ben stood up to look.
“What’s that mean?” Chadwick asked.
“Means we’re close.”
“How close do you think?” Chadwick watched the silver bridge pass by overhead.
“I’m not sure about our speed, but around two or three hours. That’s just a guess though,” Ben said.
Anuhea appeared on the rear deck where Ben and Chadwick were talking.
“Close. Kaholo said it should be just less than two hours.” Anuhea smiled seductively at Ben.
He felt heat rise up his neck, he wasn’t sure what to do or say, so he glanced away. Anuhea was Ty’s friend…or whatever they were. Ben wasn’t sure. In any case, the look made him uncomfortable. Still, he couldn’t ignore the tiny voice in his head that cheered him on.
“So, what are you guys doing up there? It’s gotta get boring since there’s nothing out here,” Ben said.
“Just talking and sometimes trying the radio, although that’s been useless.” She shook her head.
“I’d kill for a deck of cards,” Chadwick said, looking at them hopefully.
“You and I both, and I’m not even a gambler.” Ben sighed and stretched his arms and legs.
“Have you guys looked around below deck? There might be something to do to pass the time down there,” Anuhea suggested.
Chadwick sat there with a “you must be joking” look on his face. Ben laughed at him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go check. You hang out here okay. Don’t go anywhere.” Ben stood up and went downstairs.
After a bit of rummaging around in various drawers, nooks, and crannies, he found not one, but two decks of cards and a couple of books that might be good for passing the time. Ben went back up to Chadwick and lost several rounds of poker. Anuhea joined them for a game of war, but Ben lost that too. He bowed out and set about reading one of the books.
About ninety minutes later, deep into a space battle scene, Ben nearly pissed his pants and choked on his beef jerky at the same time.
A roaring blast echoed down the river valley. It was so loud that it reverberated in his chest as if he was dancing in front of the speakers at a rave.
“Whoa!” Chadwick shouted in surprise.
Startled and coughing up bits of meat, Ben accidentally spilled his package of beef jerky on the deck. “What the hell was that?”
He hopped up and ran up the steps to the bridge.
Kaholo and Anuhea were staring out of the windshield with their mouths hanging open.
“What the shit was that?” Ben asked.
“It’s…we…” Anuhea shook her head and pointed.
At first, he wasn’t sure what she was pointing toward. The river looked empty; there was no smoke nearby, and no other ships. He looked along the shoreline, but didn’t see anything. Then he looked further up river and gasped when he saw it.
A massive mushroom cloud rose above the hills between them and Portland, Oregon. It had already risen quite high and since sound moved relatively slow, they’d only just heard the blast. Ben almost didn’t believe it even though he saw it with his own eyes. Everyone knew what that kind of cloud meant, but who…why…what the fuck?!
Someone had nuked Portland.
His stomach dropped. What could they do now? Was it safe to keep going to the Port of Vancouver? Did Vancouver, Washington even exist anymore? Did Portland?
“What…” Ben started, but stopped.
“A nuke,” Kaholo said softly. “A fuckin’ nuke, man!”
He roared and yelled, cursing.
Ben looked at him like he was crazy. To his knowledge, Kaholo didn’t know anyone there.
Kaholo slammed his fists on the console. He gasped in pain and clutched his injured hand to his massive chest.
“What do we do?” Ben asked, finally finding his voice.
“Avoid the fallout. We can’t go any closer, there’s no telling how safe it would be.” Kaholo scowled hard.
“Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry,” Anuhea said, covering her mouth and looking at him with tear filled eyes.
His mom. Ben looked back up river at the cloud. Could it reach far enough to destroy his mom’s house? He wasn’t sure. She lived just on the edge of town to the northeast. He bit his lip as he considered the question.
“No, no, no, she’s…she’s far enough away. I don’t think it could…reach that far north,” Ben said, gaining confidence as he spoke. “I think she’s at a safe distance. But Kaholo’s right, we can’t go much closer. We need to find a place to get to shore.”
He looked at Kaholo. Fresh blood was soaking through his friend’s bandage.
“Want me to get Charlotte?” Ben asked.
They heard a thumping on the stairs. It was Chadwick; they’d heard him hop up the narrow staircase plenty of times over the last few days.
“What was that noise?” Chadwick asked, gasping for breath from coming up the stairs so quickly.
“A nuclear bomb blast.” Ben pointed at the mushroom cloud.
Chadwick’s eyes bulged. “Bollocks! That’s mental,” Chadwick said.
“Yeah.” Ben nodded his head. It was unbelievable.
The ship slowed down but continued up the river. They were in no immediate danger. A new plan had yet to be agreed on. All of them were still reeling from the shock of it.
Kaholo sat back down in his chair and held his head in his hand. “Who could have done this?”
No one answered.
Ben thought for a moment. “There are only a few countries that have the ability as far as I know. That would be Russia, China and possibly North Korea, although I doubt they would.”