Knockdown

by Brenda Beem

  The sailboat rocked as it floated just outside a debris field. Cole was the only one watching as we paddled back. He took our line and we tied up the raft.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked as I handed up the bins.

  “Listening to the President,” Cole said.

  We left the net in the cockpit and hurried below.

  “What’s going on?” I asked and then saw Zoë’s tear-streaked face.

  “What took you so long?” Dylan glared at me.

  “We were untangling the net.”

  The radio softly buzzed. Someone on it was speaking, but I couldn’t make out the words. Makala tossed a rolled up sock across Jervis’s bed and the dog chased it. The rest of the crew fiddled with their cell phones. Zoë was staring at a picture. Nick had a pad of paper and was copying from his cell onto it.

  “Is that the President? I can’t hear,” I said.

  Cole turned up the radio. “It’s starting again.”

  “This is the Emergency Broadcast System. Stay tuned for a message from the President of the United States.” Everyone but Makala stopped what they were doing and stared at the radio.

  “Fellow Americans, if you are listening to my message, you have survived. I cannot begin to imagine the terrors you have experienced.” The President sounded weary.

  Takumi wrapped his arm around me. Dylan’s eyebrows knitted together.

  She continued, “We have suffered losses beyond anything we anticipated. The East and West Coasts have been devastated by earthquakes, flooding, and multiple tsunamis.”

  The radio became static.

  Angelina adjusted the frequency and the President was back. “Around the world, coastal cities in every country have suffered the same fate. Island nations have been destroyed. The Hawaiian Islands, the Caribbean Islands, and most of Japan are in ruins.”

  Takumi bit his bottom lip. I took his hand. Tears flowed down Zoë’s cheeks.

  “Since the time of the dinosaurs, nothing has decimated the earth as the Indonesian volcanoes have. But we are Americans. We are survivors. While we will never forget what we have lost, we will rebuild.”

  She cleared her throat. “All military are ordered to bring their families and report to the nearest surviving bases immediately. My first goal is to reestablish the electrical grid and communications. I want cell towers across the nation back up and functioning. If you have skills that can help in this goal, please find the nearest operation. As of this moment, I am nationalizing all cell phone and electric companies.”

  Takumi began shaking. I walked him to his end of the bed and sat with him.

  The President went on. “Scientists fear our skies will remain dark for an undetermined amount of time due to the ash and sulfur absorbed in our atmosphere. The Earth will experience increasingly low temperatures. We may experience a prolonged Ice Age.”

  She paused, and sniffed.

  “Everyone must prepare. The northern states will be affected the most. I am asking Southern residents to welcome refugees from the north. This includes our neighbors from Canada. Mexico has opened its borders. For this we are grateful.

  “Citizens of the United States, you are not alone. Your government is determined to do all that it can to help in this recovery. I ask for your patience and your prayers. Please continue to check this broadcast for further updates and share my message with those who cannot hear it. God be with you.”

  Dylan dialed the volume down.

  Takumi chewed on his lip. I didn’t know how to help him. I wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and his shivering lessened.

  Almost everyone began checking their cells.

  “The President just said she was going to start getting cell towers back up. Why are you looking at them now?” I asked.

  “No one brought their chargers. We’re copying phone numbers so we’ll have them later.” Cole lowered his phone. “You didn’t think to pack yours, did you?”

  “No, but Mom did. She even packed her universal charger. It has lots of different attachments. We can share.”

  Nick and Jervis closed their eyes and sighed with relief.

  Cole smiled at me. “Great. Okay, everyone. Every time we turn on the engine, we need to charge as many phones as we can. We’ll take turns with the chargers we have. But we will only have enough time to charge them all a little. We’ll need to keep them off most of the time.”

  Dylan dropped his cell on the desk. “And since we’re all here, I think we should have a meeting.”

  Makala giggled, climbed off Jervis, and scampered after the dog. This time it had her sock in its mouth.

  Angelina snatched up both the dog and her sister and cuddled with them on Nick and Takumi’s bed. Takumi still sat unmoving, staring at the floor. My heart ached for him.

  Dylan waited until the girls were settled, then began. “You heard the President. It is going to get real cold and Seattle has been wiped out.”

  “She didn’t say Seattle was wiped out.” Zoë whined. “She just said Hawaii.”

  “Zoë! She said all the coastal cities. Seattle is a coastal city.”

  “But it’s in a bay, not open ocean. Maybe it did survive. What if my parents got a plane back? I didn’t even leave a message. They might be waiting.”

  Cole put his hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “You’re right, Zoë. They might be. And as soon as the cell towers are up, they will call you.”

  She shook her head.

  Cole sighed. “The big problem will be surviving the next month or so. We always planned on sailing south. I’m sorry if you didn’t understand that.”

  Dylan crossed his arms. “We spent a lot of time thinking about this. Dad said our best chance of surviving would be to sail to warmer waters. Now the President is saying the same thing. If we go home, we’ll be on foot. We can travel faster and safer on this boat. We have food and shelter. Most of all, we have each other.”

  Zoë sniffled. Angelina hugged Makala. Jervis flipped through pictures on his cell. Nick paced back and forth across the cabin. Takumi wiped his eyes.

  “What are you asking?” I handed Takumi a tissue.

  “Our plan is to sail this boat south.” Dylan picked up the note Dad left. “Dad wrote about an island he found that he thinks we should head to. We will be sailing night and day and need all your help. Without cell service, you won’t be able to find your families for a while anyway. When you do hear from them, we can take you ashore. Most likely they are traveling south too.”

  Takumi looked up at my brothers and wiped his eyes. “I’m in.” He held out his hand. My brothers, one by one, shook it.

  The rest were silent.

  “Maybe we should take a vote,” I whispered.

  “What’s the point,” Zoë said. “You’ve already made up your mind.”

  I ignored her. “Raise your hand if you want to help us sail south.”

  Angelina was the first to raise her hand. She whispered to Makala. The little girl raised her hand and the puppy’s paw.

  Jervis stood. “I’ll go as far as the southern coast of California. Then I’m getting off and searching for my mom and sisters. They went to Disneyland and probably stayed somewhere down there.”

  Dylan and Cole nodded. We stared at Nick.

  He stopped pacing and faced my brothers. “I’m with you until I hear from my family. They’re visiting relatives in Idaho. I hate that I’m getting farther and farther away from them, but there’s no pointing in trying to make it to Idaho on foot.”

  This time we all nodded.

  Last was Zoë. She sniffed. “I want to go back!”

  We all groaned.

  Cole walked over and knelt in front of her. “Zoë, we are not going to sail back. But we aren’t going to keep you captive either. We’ll have to go ashore soon and find fresh water. We can give you what supplies we can spare and a pack. You can try to make it back to Seattle on foot. It will be dangerous, and if you find a destroyed Seattle and no family, you will be stuck. But, it’s your
choice.”

  “I’m not going to let her go off…” Dylan huffed.

  “Then that’s your choice too.” Cole grabbed his head. “I’m going to go lie down for a while. We should set sail as soon as possible. I’ll take the late watch.”

  Dylan avoided looking at Zoë. “Okay, let’s get those sails up. South it is. I need some help. And if you’re going up top, grab a coat. It’s getting cold.”

  Nick, Takumi and Jervis followed Dylan up on deck. I stood, trying to decide if I should try to talk sense to Zoë or not. Before I’d taken a step toward her, Takumi leapt down the steps and into the cabin.

  “What the…” I said as he pushed me out of his way.

  “We got company. Move Cole!” He pulled up the mattress in the v-berth and opened the hidden storage area.

  Cole scooted off the bed and leaned against the closet, cradling his head.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Sailors.” Takumi stood holding two spear guns in the air.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Eleven Days to Go

  Zoë leapt to her feet and headed for the stairs. “We’re saved. I can go home."

  Takumi shook his head. I grabbed a handful of spear shafts and followed him up top. ‘Good people do bad things when they get desperate,’ Dad always said. How desperate were these sailor guys? He paused halfway up the steps and turned to Angelina. “You and Makala stay down here until we know it’s safe.”

  A large inflatable raft with the words ‘USCGC MIDGET’ on the side floated about fifty feet off our starboard. I gasped. That was the name the helicopter guys called out on their radio just before the tsunamis.

  The raft’s canvas cover was ripped and flapping in the breeze. I counted eight sailors. They all wore red survivor suits. Two men were rowing and three had their arms in make-shift slings.

  Zoë jumped up and down and waved. “Over here, over here!”

  “Knock it off,” Dylan snarled.

  Zoë’s face fell. “What?”

  Takumi handed a spear gun to Nick. Nick started to protest. I nudged him from behind and handed him an arrow.

  “Where’s Makala?” Jervis whispered.

  “I told them to stay below.” I stepped to the rail.

  Jervis picked up the boat hook and moved to guard the cabin stairs.

  “That’s far enough,” Dylan shouted. He nodded at Takumi and Nick. They inched to the rail with their spear guns ready.

  “What are you doing?” Zoë punched Dylan’s shoulder.

  A sailor stood up in the life raft. He held onto his bandaged arm. His hair was gray and he was clearly older than the rest of the crew. “We thought your boat was deserted,” he called out.

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” Dylan yelled back.

  The older sailor shook his head. “You misunderstand, son. I’m happy to find survivors. It’s a miracle.”

  Dylan nodded. “Yeah. Rough night.”

  The older man grimaced and took a deep breath. “We have wounded men and need to get back to base. We’re out of gas. Any chance you have some to spare?”

  “Sorry,” Dylan said. “You need regular gas. The sailboat’s diesel.”

  The gray-haired man rubbed his arm. He twisted round and spoke to his crew in a voice too soft for us to hear. The raft continued to move closer.

  Takumi and Nick loaded arrows into their spear guns.

  Zoë ran to the rail. “Wait. I want to get back to Seattle. Will you take me?”

  Dylan grabbed her arm. “Are you out of your mind? You’d actually climb into that raft with guys you don’t even know?”

  “Let the girl go.” A young officer stood. He aimed a flare-gun at Whistler.

  Takumi notched an arrow into his spear gun. “Back off or I’ll put a serious hole in your raft.”

  “Take your hand off the girl,” the older man commanded. “Let her go, or Seaman Derrick will shoot at your sails.”

  Dylan let go of Zoë’s arm.

  I stood paralyzed, glancing from my brother to the raft.

  The older man stared at Zoë. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Wilson. Are you being held against your will, miss?”

  Zoë looked confused. “Against my will?” She moved beside Dylan. “No…nothing like that. I came out here with my boyfriend.” She touched Dylan’s shoulder. “But I thought it was just until after the tsunami. He wants to head south and not back home.” She started to cry. “I want to go home.”

  Dylan glared at Zoë and stepped away. He faced Cole, who stood at the wheel, and nodded.

  Cole reached for the ignition switch.

  “You touch that starter button and I shoot,” the sailor with the flare gun called out.

  Zoë screeched and hid behind Dylan. Cole flipped the engine on.

  A blast exploded from the raft. A ball of fire sped toward us. It landed on the fiberglass deck. Jervis kicked the flare overboard and splashed sea water on the spot where it had landed.

  Nick shot a spear at the raft. It warbled in the air and landed twenty feet short of its target.

  “Start rowing, seamen,” the commander ordered as he watched Cole. “Touch the throttle, young man, and we fire again. Unlike you, we are close enough to hit our targets. Next time it will be you.”

  The life raft grew closer.

  Takumi aimed his spear gun at the raft. “Stop. Stop now. My friend never shot a spear gun before. I have.”

  The rowers waited for their commander. He held his hand up for the rowers to stop.

  “What are you doing, Commander?” The flare gun sailor pointed his gun at us. “They can’t hit us from this distance. We need that boat. Our base is gone. The government’s in ruins. There ain’t no more Coast Guard.”

  The oarsmen avoided the commander’s gaze and continued rowing. They were fifty feet away.

  “You’re wrong.” Dylan gestured wildly. “The President was just on the radio. The U.S. Government is intact. She ordered all military back to base.”

  “You have a working radio?” The commander squared his shoulders. “Son, we need that radio.”

  Dylan shook his head. Three more sailors in the raft stood up. They were only forty feet away. Still the seamen rowed.

  “Don’t let them get any closer,” Jervis mumbled loud enough for the raft to hear. “They’ll take over our boat.”

  “We are your United States Coast Guard. Our country needs us. It’s your duty to help,” one of the newly standing seamen shouted.

  A large swell rocked the raft and then our sailboat. The men in the lifeboat sat or fell down and held on until the swell passed under them.

  I gripped the handrail and waited for the seas to settle. “We can’t let you on board. You told the rowers to stop, but still they row. You don’t have control of your men.”

  The commander glared at the sailor with the flare gun. “Lower the flare, seaman. Oar men, I ordered you to stop.”

  Finally the life-raft stopped. It was thirty feet away. The seaman with the flare gun still pointed the gun at us.

  “Son, where are your folks?” the commander asked Dylan.

  “I’m not your son,” Dylan replied.

  The commander sighed. “If you heard our President, you know we need to get back. As far as we know, we are the only survivors of our Coast Guard vessel MIDGET. It had one hundred fifty sailors on board. We owe it to their families to report what happened. We need that radio to report our location. If we have to row back, it will take days. We have some provisions, but our water supply was lost in the tsunami.”

  “Not my problem. We can’t let you on board,” Dylan said.

  The commander glared at Dylan, then made a hand signal. The rowers picked up the oars.

  Takumi shouted, “One stroke and I fire.”

  The oars hit the water. Takumi watched Dylan. Dylan bobbed his head. Takumi took aim and fired. This time the spear landed only a couple of feet short of the raft.

  “Row hard,” the Commander shouted.


  Takumi hurried to notch another arrow into the spear gun.

  Cole started the engine and ducked. A flare flew toward our boat, bounced off the decking, and landed in the cockpit. Jervis dove out of the way, but his jacket caught fire. I ran with a damp towel and smothered the flames. Another flare was in the sky. It hit the mast and bounced into the water.

  Angelina climbed up into the cockpit. “Stop!”

  “Get down.” Nick ran toward her from the bow.

  Another flare flew in the air and landed on a coil of lines. They began to burn. Cole used his bottle of water to douse the fire. I threw the damp towel on top of it.

  Jervis, who had been guarding the stairs, grabbed Angelina around the waist and shielded her with his massive body.

  “Let go of me.” Angelina struggled against Jervis.

  A loud blast shook the boat. I cowered and covered my ears.

  “Get out of my way, Jervis.” Angelina held a hand smoking gun. It was pointed at the sky. She ran to the rail. Jervis followed at a distance, his eyes wide.

  “Stop rowing. Now!” She aimed the handgun at the commander.

  I grinned from ear to ear.

  The seaman with the flare laughed. “She’s just a kid. They’re all kids. Keep rowing.”

  Angelina shook her head. “Think so? See that garbage can?” She quickly fired at an aluminum can a little ways to the right of the raft. The can bounced with the impact. She brought the gun back and pointed it at the seaman. “My daddy was a police officer and taught me how to shoot. Stop rowing now, or the next bullet has the bully with the flare gun written on it.”

  I wanted to jump up and down and cheer.

  “All stop,” the commander ordered. “Young lady, if your daddy was a police officer, you should have respect for authority.”

  The rowers stopped. They were only twenty feet away. We could see their faces clearly. All eyes were glued on Angelina.

  “You’re right. I do,” she said. “But these are my friends and this is their boat. I can’t let you take it.” She glanced at Dylan and then back to the raft. “However, give me a call number. I’ll radio a message out for you.”

  The commander sat down with a groan. “Just a bunch of kids…” he muttered. “Fine. Try channel forty-six or forty-eight. They aren’t secure, but someone should be monitoring them. Tell the operator that Lt. Commander Wilson and seven seamen from the MIDGET are headed twenty degrees due east. We’re not sure how many miles from shore we are, but we will stay on that heading.”