Seeking Safe Harbor: Suddenly Everything Changed (The Seeking Series)

by Albert Correia

  “Good,” Zach replied. “That means we can make a wide turn, and it’ll give us plenty of room to ease up to the dock.”

  With the moonlight, and the fires blazing in the town behind them, the boaters could see the buildings easily. It also made them more visible than they would like.

  Stacey relieved Denise at the wheel.

  George looked inquisitively at Zach.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Zach said, “and you’re right, Denise is a great helmsman. But, Stacey was at the wheel in three Transpac races. She can put a forty-one foot boat within an inch of any line you draw for her.”

  As they approached the dock, Zach began lowering the sail, and Stacey turned slowly to port so they could let the slight wind push them gently up to the dock. When they were twenty feet away, Zach dropped the sail all the way, and wrapped a single bungee around it. He then went to the stern and grabbed a shoreline. Glen was on another line at the bow. With the sail down, the wind pushed the boat toward the dock slowly. When they were three feet away, and Zach and Glen were ready to jump up to the dock to secure the lines. A powerful gust of wind hit the boat broadside. Stacey reacted quickly, turning the wheel hard to port. She’d done everything possible to save the situation, but it wasn’t enough.

  They slammed into the dock. She kept it from hitting hard enough to damage the boat, but it still caused the one thing they’d been trying to avoid.

  It made a loud banging noise.

  Chapter 11

  EVEN before the boat stopped rocking, Zach and Glen had the lines at its bow and its stern wrapped around cleats on the dock. The boat settled against the heavy posts that held the dock up.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from hitting,” Stacey apologized.

  “Nobody could have,” Zach reassured her. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to have a little fun at our expense, and we’re all at her mercy when she does that. It does limit our time here, though. No telling who heard it.”

  He spotted six barrels. “Are those the ones, George?”

  “Yep.”

  “We need to get them over here, fast. Rolling them will be the quickest way. Stacey and Denise, you’d better keep your weapons off safety and ready. Watch for bad guys. They could come from either side.”

  The three males rushed over to the barrels. Each knocked one over and rolled it toward the boat. Glen lost control of his, and it rolled right onto the aft deck, banging hard on the teak deck and rolling over to the far side, where it came to rest against the railing.

  “Sorry, Dad!”

  “That’s okay, Glen, that’s where we would have…” Zach started to say, but cut off his comment when the sound of gunfire interrupted him. Stacey had stepped up on the dock and opened fire at a spot near the corner of one building over from where the barrels were. He could see a few men ducking for cover, but several others were heading their way, undaunted by the risk.

  Zach rolled his barrel onto the sailboat, making no attempt to avoid chipping the teak deck or the rails. “No time to be neat,” he stated flatly, and George did the same. The barrels came to a stop near the one Glen had rolled onto the boat.

  They ran back for the other three barrels, knocking them over as Denise, still aboard, joined her mother in shooting in the direction of the advancing men.

  Both were intentionally missing, but Stacey yelled, “Stop where you are or I will aim the next rounds directly at you.”

  Most of the men slowed down, then stopped. When two didn’t, Stacey shot them in their legs.

  The other men gathered to confer. Zach, George, and Glen took advantage of the lull to roll the other three barrels onto the boat. The large barrels cluttered the aft deck, leaving little room for the crew to maneuver, but that was of no concern to them at that moment.

  “Untie the aft line,” Zach yelled at Glen as he started the engine. “Quick, Stacey, undo the bow line and get aboard.” He pushed the throttle full ahead as Stacey, her weapon still in hand, jumped up and undid the line, which was already beginning to tighten. Zach was turning the boat away from the dock when she tossed her weapon aboard and jumped, grasping a rail as the boat picked up speed.

  * * * * *

  Six of the men had regrouped. They ran to try to catch the boat, but stopped abruptly at the edge of the dock when George shot at their feet. They jumped back as the wood chips flew. By the time they regained enough courage to move ahead, the boat was out of reach.

  One of the men was armed with a rifle but saw the futility of trying to go up against five people armed with assault weapons. “Is that skiff still down by the old cannery?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah, Cody,” another said, “but there ain’t much fuel in it.”

  “All we need is enough to cut them off before they get out of the bay,” said the armed man. “I want that sailboat.”

  They all ran north, heading in the direction the sailboat would take as it sailed toward the bay’s entrance. By the time the La Sirena reached the point, the men had run over the little hill at the base of the narrow land mass that separated the two bays.

  They were sliding down the levee leading to the old cannery as the sailboat, instead of heading out of the bay, turned to head toward the anchorage near Aunt Millie’s Hotel. Though they had the fuel they wanted, there was still business they had to complete.

  The hotel was less than a half mile from the old cannery.

  Chapter 12

  WHEN he was sure there were no obstacles in the way on the course to the hotel, Zach turned and watched George help Glen stand up the barrels of diesel fuel. Stacey had gone below for some line and just returned to the aft deck to tie the barrels securely against the rail.

  “The future looks pretty bleak here, George,” Zach said after a minute. “What are your… long term plans?”

  “I’ll stay and help Millie with the hotel,” George replied without hesitation.

  Stacey looked up from the barrel she was tying down. “I think I know what Zach has in mind. You handled that weapon very well back there, George.” She looked at Zach and nodded her approval.

  “It will be months, probably years, before anyone needs a hotel around here,” Zach said. “George, you’re welcome to come with us.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t leave Millie. We’ve been working together for so long, she’s like my own mother.”

  “How are you going to live?” Stacey asked. “There can’t be any mode of transportation set up to bring goods in, and those marauders must be taking everything of any use out of the stores.”

  “Millie and I have been survivalists for years. We’ve stocked enough water, canned goods, batteries, medical equipment, and everything else we’ll need for at least six months. Now, with these weapons and ammunition to ward off thieves, we’ll be fine.”

  “As far as supplies are concerned, it sounds like you’re better off than us,” Zach admitted. “Even with what we got from the U.S. Navy added to what we had before, we’ll have to stretch it to last more than a couple of months. I’m not the best fisherman in the world, but I catch one now and then, and…”

  The sound of an explosion interrupted him. He stopped talking and looked toward a place on land where fire had broken out. “George, is that the hotel?”

  Pain was etched into the hotel man’s face. He nodded, but didn’t say anything for a few moments. Then, “Zach, I’ve got to get there, fast. Millie’s alone.”

  Zach nodded. They’d been moving at half-throttle, but he now pushed the lever forward all the way. When he was as close to shore as he felt safe with a full keel that extended at least eight feet below the water line – more with as much weight as they had aboard – he turned the boat full around so that it’s bow was pointing toward the eastern portion of the breakwater. He shifted to neutral and let the engine idle.

  Glen went forward to drop the anchor, but Zach called to him. “No. Glen, we don’t have time to anchor. With all the noise we’ve made in the last fiftee
n minutes, we’re likely to draw a crowd. We have to be prepared to get out of here without delay.”

  George was starting to climb over the port rail, but Zach grabbed his arm. “We’ll take the dinghy.”

  “You’re going with me? You don’t have to.”

  “In whatever this world is turning into, good people have to stick together,” Zach replied. “Stacey, can you keep the boat steady?”

  “Yes,” she agreed, and jumped up to the wheel. “I’ll tie down the last two barrels later.”

  “Denise, stay with your mother.” Zach said to his daughter. “But keep your eye out for unwanted company. Glen, you come with us.”

  Denise still had her automatic weapon in hand, and indicated so to her father.

  “Good! George, Glen, follow me.” He slung his automatic weapon over his shoulder and rushed aft, scooting around a barrel and climbing down the ladder they’d used earlier. He grabbed the line holding the dinghy and pulled the small boat in. When it was close enough, he stepped aboard, holding onto the ladder to steady himself. George and Glen followed him aboard, both with automatic weapons slung over their shoulders.

  George removed his rifle and looked around as Zach untied the line and shoved off from the sailboat. Clouds had begun to cover the moon every now and then, but at that moment, the moon gave them ample light to see where they were going. The dinghy headed toward shore and picked up speed as Zach took the oars and started rowing.

  Glen stepped to the bow and picked up the line that was used to tie the dingy to the sailboat, then waited in anticipation. The second they touched shore, he jumped off and pulled the dinghy onto dry land. Before he moved it three feet, Zach and George were there to help. When they had it completely out of the water, they all ran toward the hotel.

  Fire was blazing out of half the hotel’s windows on one side of the building. As they rushed toward the back door, another explosion rocked the building. That one was at the front of the hotel, but it was powerful enough to shake the ground under them, almost knocking them down.

  They regained their balance and continued toward the hotel. As they approached the door, they heard gunshots over the noise of the crackling blaze. The shots came from the second floor, where George had left Aunt Millie. There were only two shots, not the rapid-fire bursts that would indicate it was Millie using the automatic weapon George had given her.

  Chapter 13

  THE six men found the worn skiff tied to a ramshackle dock next to a cannery that had been abandoned several years earlier. They climbed aboard, and the fellow who’d known it was there flipped the outboard motor’s gas lever on and pulled on the starter cord. The motor coughed, turned over once, but didn’t start.

  “C’mon, Harley,” the one with the rifle said, “get this thing going.”

  “If you’re so smart, Cody, you do it,” Harley snapped back.

  “Will one of you do it for crissake?” another pleaded. “Look, they’re headed toward shore. If you guys quit messing around, we can get that boat while it’s right over there.”

  With two more pulls, Harley got the engine going. It sputtered, but they began moving jerkily toward a spot near Coconut Island – the spot where they were almost sure the La Sirena was headed. They watched as the sailboat made a turn and stopped with its stern toward shore. In the moonlight, they could see three men get in a dinghy and row to shore.

  “Did you see that, Cody?” asked one of the men. “Weren’t there just three guys on that boat?”

  “That’s all I saw. So that means all that’s left aboard is two gals.”

  “Gals with guns,” Harley reminded them.

  “Yeah, but they’re still just gals,” Cody scoffed. “What can they do?”

  “Didn’t you just see what they can do?” Harley shook his head “Man, they shot Gus and Arnold while we was standin’ right there.”

  “That had ta be the woman,” Cody reasoned. “The other was just a kid.”

  Harley cut the engine. “We’d better sneak up on ‘em,” he explained when the others looked at him inquisitively. “Let’s paddle.”

  “Ain’t no oars,” the fellow who’d seen the La Sirena headed toward shore said.

  “Paddle with your hands, Marty! But keep it quiet.”

  “You be quiet,” the other snapped.

  “You all be quiet,” whispered Cody. “We can’t sneak up on ‘em if you’re all beatin’ your gums at one another.”

  When they got a little closer, Harley whispered to Cody, “Hey, the boat’s kinda moving back and forth. I think someone’s at the controls.”

  “That’s gotta be the woman,” Cody whispered back. “That means all we gotta deal with first is the kid. Let’s move real slow and easy like to the back a’ the boat. I think they got a ladder there that the three guys used. Slick, you and Marty go up first. Grab the girl and keep her quiet. I’ll be right behind. If the woman is at the controls, I should be able to get hold a’ her before she can grab that automatic rifle of hers.”

  He smiled crookedly. “Capturing two gals along with a boat is like getting a big bonus. We can make good use of both of ‘em, if you know what I mean.”

  “I don’t know, Cody,” Harley said in mild protest” She looked pretty tough. What if she’s got that assault rifle right on her?”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have ta kill her and we’ll settle for just the kid.”

  * * * * *

  Stacey controlled the La Sirena, moving the sailboat forward every time the wind and current shoved it toward land. Denise kept watch. She walked slowly along the deck on the sides of the boat, stopping every few feet to scan the area. A full swing around the boat took between three and five minutes. She started her last round aft on the starboard side, and walked forward to the bow.

  It was while she was heading in the other direction that the skiff with the six men aboard snuck in toward the boat’s stern. By the time she walked back on the port side, they were hidden by the boat itself and the barrels that now blocked her view of what lay behind the boat.

  As she passed the cockpit where Stacey was at the helm, she thought she heard a noise. It sounded like something bumping into the boat’s stern. She brought her AK-47 down to waist level and hurried back.

  She was maneuvering around the barrels when an ugly, dirty man jumped up from the boarding ladder and grabbed her shoulders. There was another right behind him.

  “Ya might’s well put that gun down little girlie,” the man who held her shoulders smirked, “Cause yer mine now.”

  Chapter 14

  GEORGE didn’t bother searching for keys. Pulling his AK-47 off his shoulder, he blasted out the glass back door. The three rushed into the building through the shattered opening without stopping. Fire was already spreading to the stairs at the right of the lobby.

  “I left Millie up there!” George cried out as he rushed to the stairs, taking them two at a time on his way to the second floor.

  “Millie!” he shouted when he reached the second floor hallway.

  “Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot,” came a strong female voice from a room two doors down the hallway.

  “Millie, it’s George. Thank God you’re safe. Come on… we have to get out of here!”

  A slender, white-haired woman of about eighty years appeared in the doorway. She carried a .357 magnum in her hand. “George, some men tried to break in.”

  “Where are they?”

  “I got two of them. The others got away before I could get a shot at them. Maybe I should have used that repeater you gave me.”

  “They must have thrown some powerful Molotov cocktails into the place. It’s an inferno.”

  “That’s why I shot them.”

  “Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. Now we have to get out of here.” He took her hand and started to lead her to the stairs.

  “Wait,” she told him, breaking away from his hold. She ran back into the room and came back carrying the assault rifle in one hand and t
he .357 magnum in the other. “There are still some very bad people out there. We need all the defense we can muster.”

  “I agree. Let’s go.”

  When they got to the lobby, they saw that Zach and Glen had found fire extinguishers and were trying to put out the raging fire.

  “Aren’t those the people you were saving the herbs for?” Millie asked.

  “Yes, it’s the Arthurs.”

  Zach turned when he heard them coming. “We tried to control the fire, but it’s no use,” he called to George. “It’s spread too far. We have to get out of here. George, you’d better change your mind and come with us.”

  “I can’t leave Millie.”

  Zach looked at the old woman. She looked back defiantly. It wasn’t lost on him that she had weapons in both hands. He made a decision. “Bring her.”

  “Where are you going?” she wanted to know.

  “California,” Zach replied.

  “I can’t leave my hotel!”

  “Millie, in half an hour there won’t be a hotel,” George told her. “With the island in the hands of the kind of people who did this, it will be years before it can be rebuilt.”

  She looked around and sighed. “Okay, but we’re coming back.”

  No one doubted her resolve, but it wasn’t the time to discuss the future. “Fine,” Zach said, “but right now we have to go!”

  “We have food, water, ammunition, radios, and first aid equipment in that section over there,” George said, pointing to the left side of the building. “The fire hasn’t reached there yet.”

  The second Molotov cocktail had been thrown onto the second floor at the front of the left section of the building. The first one had hit the right side and that side was now completely engulfed in flames. Fire was working its way back on the left side. The rear hadn’t been destroyed yet, but it soon would be.