by Howard, Bob
“It was video games,” I said. “My uncle put TV’s in every room with a great video library, but he knew I was into video games and didn’t think to leave me an X-Box, a Playstation, or a Nintendo.”
My friends were all grinning around their forks as they continued to eat, and I could tell they were just yanking my chain. Tom was clearly enjoying the way we all got along with each other, because he was grinning as he ate, too.
“Anyway,” I said, “there wasn’t anything happening yet, and I had rented a Jeep to make the drive down to Mud Island. When I found all the money Uncle Titus left me, I decided to return the Jeep and get some videos games at the same time. That’s when it all began.”
“I made it back to the shelter and closed myself in. I just holed up and watched the world go to hell and back in a handcart until the rest of this group showed up.”
“So, the rest of you weren’t friends of Ed’s before the apocalypse? He didn’t invite you guys down for a visit, and you got lucky, too?”
“Oh, we got lucky all right, but that came later,” said Kathy. “Did you get to see any of the early news reports on TV about what was happening in other cities?”
Tom thought back and realized how little he had thought about what was happening elsewhere. He had been so concerned about keeping Molly safe that he had changed the channels looking for FEMA and South Carolina Emergency Management broadcasts. When he passed by the local channels, he wouldn’t pay as much attention to the broadcasts as he did the red and white ticker running across the bottom of the screen.
Sometimes there were FEMA messages, but mostly he felt like the stations were just going for better ratings by being the first to report who had just gotten their throats ripped out. He remembered thinking there was probably at least one idiot reporter who had tried to get an interview with a zombie.
Tom’s cynical attitude was really not his normal character. He was just frustrated and scared for his little girl, and all he wanted to know was how to keep her safe.
He said, “It all happened so fast. I turned on the TV, and I caught bits and pieces of what was happening, but I missed a lot of the real stories. At first FEMA said to go to shelters, hospitals, and schools. Then they said to stay where we were. I started to pack, then I started to unpack. Sometimes I turned off the TV when I got mad enough at it, but then I would turn it back on thinking I might miss something important.”
“Did you catch any bits and pieces about a cruise ship named the Atlantic Spirit trying to get out of Charleston harbor?” asked Kathy.
Tom thought for minute and remembered seeing something about the cruise ship. There was something about the people barricading themselves into the terminal long enough to get everyone on the ship. He also remembered thinking he wished he was escaping with Molly on the big ship. There would be food, shelter, water, and people wouldn’t be tipping over the vending machines.
“Yes, I saw something about that,” he said. “Why?”
“Because that’s where we come in,” said Kathy. “We were on that cruise ship. Jean and the Chief were members of the crew. I was a Charleston City Police Officer. Jean was a Registered Nurse on the medical crew, and the Chief was in charge of ship operations. As I understand it, that means the Chief was the senior non-commissioned officer on the crew, and he was responsible for just about everything that happened on the ship.”
Tom said, “So you three met each other on the ship before you met Ed. I didn’t see everything that was reported about the ship, but I knew it was a safe place to be. I mean, you guys are living proof of that. You wouldn’t be here right now if not for the cruise ship.”
Tom looked from one face to the other and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t seeing something that confirmed his feelings about wishing he had been able to get Molly onto a cruise ship. All he was seeing was long faces.
The Chief said in a sober voice, “There were about five thousand souls on that ship, and you’re looking at the only survivors. Jean almost didn’t make it when we were trying to deal with the infected passengers who had boarded.”
“Others may have made it to rafts, but we didn’t see them,” Jean added.
Tom’s expression said he understood something better than he had before.
“That’s why we had the business about inspecting us for bites when we came in last night,” he said.
“People on your ship did the same thing I’ve seen since this all started. Families protecting bitten loved ones until it’s too late. Then they turn on each other until they wind up killing other people along with their whole family.”
“Exactly,” said Jean. “One of them almost got me when we were trying to move his body to a better place after he died from the infection.”
She didn’t think she needed to tell him that they were trying to toss his body overboard. “We were trying to identify bitten people when the whole thing fell apart, and the ship was overrun by the infected. I think we were close to getting it under control at the start, but now I wonder if it’s even possible. People just aren’t willing to admit when they’ve been bitten.”
“What happened to the ship?” asked Tom.
The Chief said, “As far as we know, the Navy sank it after it became a floating cemetery. We made it to a raft, and the only movement we could see was infected dead wandering around looking for more victims.”
“The Navy? We still have a Navy? I got firsthand experience with what was left of our Army, but I didn’t think about the Navy,” said Tom.
“They’re having their own problems,” said the Chief. “On our first trip away from Mud Island, their base at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek was getting overrun. They told us by radio it was the same at other bases up and down the coast. There were some Navy ships still doing rescue operations out of that base, but only Navy personnel and their families. The infection had gotten behind their lines because of civilians looking for help.”
“And some were infected,” added Tom.
I said, “On our second trip out, we encountered a Navy warship that looked dead in the water, but it looked like a Navy SEAL team was trying to board it. Our guess is that it was overrun, and the Navy was taking it back. As long as they’re busy saving themselves, we can’t expect them to do much for us.”
Jean brought the story back around to their escape and said, “We found our hero when our raft got close enough to shore, and Eddy was out in the Boston Whaler getting in some target practice. If you think we were rough on you last night, you should have seen how bad he was. He ordered us to strip right there on the spot.”
The Chief saw that I was about to object to what Jean was saying, so he came to my defense, or at least that was what I had thought he was going to do.
“Now, you know that’s not true,” he said. “He ordered the women to get into his boat and strip, and he told me to start paddling.”
I turned beet red, but I knew better than to try to defend myself. The Chief was a straight-faced comedian when he wanted to be, so people who didn’t really know him could never be sure when he was kidding.
Instead of denying what he told Tom, I said, “That’s close but not exactly true. He got naked as soon as I asked how I could be sure none of them had been bitten. It was not the high point of my day.”
After sharing a good laugh with us, Tom said, “I could tell from the moment I met your group that you guys are very close. You’re lucky to have each other.”
We acknowledged his sentiments all around the table, but my eyes lingered on Jean’s, and hers did the same. It was Jean who had started whipping off her clothes as soon as I had asked them how I could be sure none of them had been bitten. I had stopped her before she had gone too far, and that moment of trust had allowed her to immediately see me for the kind of guy I am……an idiot with the chance to see two good looking women get naked, but a gentleman who would rather believe a stranger.
It was sort of sad that we reached a point where I couldn’t be that trusting
again. Back then it was just me, but now I would be placing others at risk by being so trusting.
Kathy said, “Tom, we trusted a couple of people on our first trip out of here. It was a married couple. They had a chance to join our group and come back with us, but the first chance they got they tried to take what we had and leave us stranded. We need to know that you’re not like that.”
“Did the other people have a nine year old daughter with them?” asked Tom. “It’s not hard for me to tell that we’re safer with you than without you, and if something happens to me, I don’t think you guys would turn your back on Molly.”
Jean said, “I think you hit the nail on the head, Tom. So now that you know how we ended up here, the boys can give you a tour of the rest of the shelter while we get Molly up and make her some breakfast. We still have a lot we want to know, but you need to see the rest of what we have here.”
We all agreed it was time to give Tom a tour. The Chief led the way while Kathy and Jean went to get Molly. Tom was all smiles as he watched them go down the hall that led to the individual rooms.
The Chief couldn’t wait to show Tom the armory, and he was like a proud father himself as he showed off the wide variety of hand guns and rifles. Tom wasn’t a stranger to weapons, first because he had grown up around them, but second because he had spent time in the company of heavily armed soldiers and police. Even though he was a civilian, they had appropriately armed him as if he was one of them, and there had been no shortage of target practice.
Tom didn’t have the same interest in the power plant as he did the armory, but he was definitely impressed. He listened as we explained the details to him, understanding that this was a tour, but it was also instruction that could save their lives.
We showed him the expansive storage areas and how well stocked they were. It was hard to put ourselves in his shoes since none of us were parents, but he said more than once how grateful he was that we had brought them in.
Tom said, “You mentioned something last night about the fish being contaminated. What was that all about?”
I asked him if he had seen many of the infected dead that had been in the water or out in the surf, and he said that he hadn’t, but that he had seen plenty of them stuck in the mud along the Waccamaw River.
“Have you eaten any of the blue crabs or fish that you caught?” I asked.
“I didn’t get a chance to before you showed up,” he answered. “I was looking forward to frying the fish when you stopped me.”
“How about before we came along?” asked the Chief.
“No,” he said, “I found the fishing gear in the houseboat. The first thing I thought of was fresh fish. You guys left a few cans of food in the houseboat, but the thought of cooked seafood was making my mouth water.”
“It won’t anymore,” I said. “When you see one of those infected dead standing on the beach with six or eight blue crabs hanging from it, you’ll lose your taste for seafood.”
“I don’t think I need to see that to lose my taste for it, Ed. Just hearing you describe it is enough for me,” he answered. “You think the fish are contaminated too?”
The Chief winced a bit and said, “It’s the food chain, Tom. The crabs, the fish, the infected dead, and even living people are all in the food chain. I don’t know if it’s safe or not, but I don’t want to find out.”
“Come on, Tom,” said the Chief. “Ed and I are going to show you something that will help take your mind off of the seafood for now. We’re just glad you didn’t eat any of it. We don’t really know if it’s bad for you, but we don’t want to find out the hard way.”
We took him to the workout room, and the Chief was right again. Being a professional athlete, Tom had a real appreciation for the variety of equipment.
“There’s no excuse for not staying in shape with this stuff in here, and look at all the entertainment equipment to give you something to watch while you do the really boring stuff,” he said.
I told him that Jean had gotten me to spend a little more time in the gym and a little less time on the video games. I had managed to gain a few pounds in the right places while losing a few around the waistline. I wasn’t quite buff yet, but I liked the way I looked and felt.
We eventually made our way back to the dining room where Molly was digging into a stack of pancakes soaked in maple syrup. She couldn’t have looked like she was enjoying herself more.
“Hi Daddy,” she said with a big smile.
Tom circled the table and gave her a big hug, but on the way by he gave Kathy and Jean an appreciative look. The way to Tom’s heart was definitely through that child.
After Tom was done talking with Molly for a few minutes, he came with us to the living area so we could talk about the question that was burning a hole through our brains. How did they get here? Not just their escape from Conway, but literally how did they get to Mud Island? Molly would be content with her food for a bit, and we could get some information.
The ladies followed us to the living room, and we all got comfortable with fresh cups of coffee. Tom looked around the room and realized he was still the center of attention, but he couldn’t know that it was more than just his journey we needed to know about. It was our long term safety.
Since Molly was eating at the dining room table, the Chief just handed a sketch pad to Tom and said, “Take a look at this, Tom. This is Mud Island.” He pointed at the northern tip and said, “Here’s where the dock would be, and the houseboat would be right about here.” He drew a rectangle next to a straight line.
“This is the moat, and this would be the mainland. Did you cross from the mainland to Mud Island from somewhere around this area?” asked the Chief.
Tom studied the rough drawing for a moment to get his bearings and said, “Yes, this spot right here wasn’t more than knee deep at low tide. When I saw the houseboat the tide was going out, but the water was too deep for us to cross, and the current was so strong we couldn't make it two feet without it starting to pull me along with it. Molly and I sat on the rocks and watched the tide go out, and gradually the bottom appeared all the way across. I carried her over and I lifted her onto the deck of the houseboat, then I climbed up after her.”
Tom saw our concerned looks and easily guessed what the problem was. “There was a man-made jetty extending outward from the mainland. The rocks we were sitting on were part of the jetty. There was a big gap in the jetty about twenty yards out, and a sandbar was forming from the gap all the way to your island.”
The Chief said, “The good news is that the infected aren’t problem solvers. They aren’t going to wait for low tide. The bad news is that some will stumble out of the woods at low tide. Jean was right when she said we need to move the houseboat so our camera will have a clear view to the other side of the moat where the jetty begins. That won’t be so hard to do.”
“What about the seaplane and the boat?” I asked. “Are we in danger of the southern exit of the moat being closed, too?”
The Chief drew the southern tip of Mud Island and showed them how the sand would be deposited over a long period of time. “As long as the sand keeps building up in this area,” he shaded in the drawing with his pencil at the place where the southern jetty touched the beach, “Mud Island will just grow a larger beach. Eventually, the sand will start going around the tip of the jetty, and a sandbar will form.”
“How long will that take?” asked Kathy.
“Maybe years,” said the Chief, “but we should start a regular program of monitoring the depth of the water. Years may seem like a long time, but since we’re likely to be here for years, we need to be thinking about what we’re going to do then.”
“When do we move the houseboat?” I asked.
The Chief switched on the TV screen and brought up the camera view of the dock. It was a clear day, but we could tell it was windy. That might mean there was a storm offshore.
“I don’t see any reason to wait,” said the Chief. “The tide is comin
g in, and the wind is from the East. That should help us move the houseboat once it clears the end of the dock. Let’s park facing to sea in the channel right along the L shaped part of the dock. We won’t have protection for the plane and the boat during bad weather, but they should be okay. We’ll also have a new blind spot, but the water is deep at the end of the dock. Nothing can cross there.”
Kathy looked around and said, “Looks like a nice day for some fresh air. Anyone care to join me for a stroll?”
Jean said, “Count me in. I could use some fresh air, and I think it will do the baby some good, too.”
One thing I had learned about our group that was really fun was that each of us was capable of saying totally absurd things while keeping a straight face. Then we would all exchange looks with each other like we were in a movie and looking right at the camera.
This was one of those times, but instead of the usual fits of laughing that would follow whatever absurd comment had been made, this moment went on for a few more heartbeats. I don’t know if we were waiting for a punchline or what, but Kathy was the first one to make everyone snap out of suspended animation.
“Oh, my God, Jean,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Jean and pulled her into a really sweet hug. “You aren’t, I mean really?”
Jean hugged her back and said, “Yes, really.”
I was still standing there looking like I didn’t have a clue about how to react. I looked at the Chief and Tom, who were both looking at me, waiting for me to do something. The Chief had his tongue in his cheek, probably to keep from swallowing it, and Tom had a neutral expression. Since Jean had just said what she had so naturally, Tom wasn’t really picking up on the fact that this was news to me.
If I had been a cartoon character, a lightbulb would have appeared over my head. I looked at Jean, first at her face and then lower. I didn’t know you could be paralyzed by hearing such things, but apparently you can.
Kathy let go of Jean and turned to me next. When she put her arms around me, I was still looking at Jean. She had a big smile on her face, and then I finally understood that glow I had been seeing every time she looked at Molly. She really had been seeing what a little Jean would look like.