I kept my thoughts to myself. I wasn’t about to complain out loud about the lack of zombies. If it meant we could get to The Big Easy without much trouble, that suited me just fine.
I didn’t want to look into a pair of yellow eyes again for as long as I lived.
thirteen
We packed up our stuff and hoisted the rucksacks onto our backs. Lucy had the gun in case we met anyone along the beach but the area looked deserted. Mike led the way, striding along the wet sand as if he were out for a pleasant walk along the seashore. Elena kept up with him while Lucy and I trailed behind. This was now the accepted formation of our group and one that we fell into easily. I liked it for two reasons. One: I didn’t have to keep up with Mike and Elena, and two: I could talk with Lucy.
“Where do you think the U.N. are going to take the survivors?” she said as we walked beneath the cliffs.
“I don’t know. America maybe. We don’t know which countries have been affected and which ones are virus-free. If the U.S. closed down their borders as soon as they heard about the outbreak in India and Britain, it’s possible they could be uncontaminated. Or maybe somewhere in Europe like France or Spain.”
“If those places are clean, we could just sail there ourselves on the boat,” she said.
“We could but if the U.N. has sanctioned a rescue operation, I would say only their ships would be allowed to dock anywhere. A small boat trying to do the same would probably get shot out of the water by the coastguard of whatever country it tried to dock in. If some countries are uninfected, they’ll be doing everything in their power to stay that way.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“So unless we get on board one of the U.N. ships, we’re stuck.” The problem with getting onto one of the rescue ships, we knew, was that we hadn’t been part of the military ‘cleansing’ operation. We hadn’t been certified virus-free in the Survivors Camps. We were going to have to try and sneak on board a U.N. ship.
“Do you really think they’ll nuke Britain?” Lucy asked.
“I don’t know. The soldier said that was just a rumour but it makes sense. Once they’ve saved everyone they’re going to save, why not just nuke the rest? They’re dead anyway. The survivors still left in the country won’t last all that long.”
“It seems extreme. The nuclear fallout will cause problems to the uninfected countries as well as Britain.”
“They’re trying to eradicate the virus from the planet. They’ll have to pay a price to do that. They’re probably willing to pay that price if it means future generations can live in a world without the zombie virus.”
It did seem extreme but the countries that were zombie-free wanted to remain that way. If that meant a final solution involving nuclear warheads, then so be it. The future of the world was at stake here. Nobody cared about the individuals fighting to survive the Armageddon on a day by day basis. The politicians and the military would look at this situation on a worldwide scale. Even killing a million innocent citizens could be justified if it meant the survival of the planet.
Mike and Elena stopped up ahead. Lying on the sand was an upturned rowboat, its mooring rope tied around a large rock to keep it from drifting out to sea. Mike flipped it over and stood by it, grinning. “We can get out of here, man.”
The little boat looked like it was used for fishing. Nets and lobster traps lay in the sand next to where it was tied. The oars were inside, attached by hooks to the wooden slats.
This little wooden craft had once been someone’s livelihood. That person was probably dead now but his boat was going to give us a slim chance to live.
We reached The Big Easy half an hour later, approaching the large yacht from the stern. Mike was on the oars. Elena sat at the back of the rowboat while Lucy and I sat at the front. Lucy had the gun ready in her hand in case the boat was occupied.
We weren’t going to kill anyone on board if they were living people. In that case, we would leave them be and row away to find another boat. If the occupants of The Big Easy were undead, though, we needed to be prepared.
Mike guided to rowboat to the rear of the yacht where a metal-runged ladder was affixed. I grabbed the cold metal to hold us steady while Lucy and Mike climbed up to the deck. I waited nervously, expecting to hear a gunshot or a scream but everything was quiet. Mike’s head appeared, a grin on his face.
“It’s all clear.”
Elena climbed up and I followed after throwing up the rowboat’s mooring line for Mike to tie it to a cleat on the yacht’s stern.
The Big Easy was large enough to live on. We stood on the aft deck that had a small cockpit and cushioned seats. A wooden door opened into a living area, which contained a small kitchen complete with refrigerator and a dining table. A door to the bow opened onto a sunbathing deck.
“The bedrooms and toilet are below,” Mike said. “Everything we need.”
I went back outside to the cockpit and looked at the wheel and throttle. “We have a problem,” I said.
Mike poked his head through the door. “What is it, man?”
“No keys to start the engine.”
He pointed up a ladder. “The bridge is up there. I’m betting there’s a spare pair of keys hidden away somewhere.” He climbed the ladder and a few minutes later I heard the engine turn over then kick into life. Mike shouted down, “Got it!”
I climbed up to the bridge. Mike was inspecting the dials and gauges on the instrument panel. “Looks like this boat was used for cruising and fishing. There’s a FishFinder on here. And there’s fishing gear in the hold. We can fish for our food, man.”
It sounded perfect. That was what worried me. My motto had always been that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.
“How are we for fuel?”
He looked at the gauges. “Low. Very low.”
My motto proved itself correct yet again.
I looked out through the window and along the coast. What I was about to suggest filled me with dread. “I suppose we’ll have to go to the marina and fill the tank.”
He looked at me and the smile that had been on his face a second ago vanished. “I suppose we will.”
“I don’t like the idea any more than you do,” I said, “but we need the fuel. Otherwise we’re stuck here floating near the shore. We’d be much safer if we sailed out into deeper waters.”
He nodded, looking through the rain-streaked window at the shoreline. We were too visible here. The army could see us easily, might even be able to hit us with mortars fired from the cliffs. We weren’t out of danger yet. But with a single run to the marina, we could set ourselves up for a long time, at least for as long as we had to wait for the U.N. rescue ships to arrive. There would be stores there. A moment of risk now would take away such risk in the near future. Once we were refuelled and stocked with supplies, we could sail out into open water.
We had nothing to lose. If we arrived at the marina and found it overrun with zombies, we could move on and come back later. From The Big Easy, we could check the place out from the safety of the sea.
Mike found a map of the coastline and located the marina. While he learned the yacht controls, I went back down to the aft deck and made sure the rowboat was securely tied. A clanking, winding sound told me Mike had found the controls to pull up the anchor. The engine revved a little and we moved forward slowly, our nose pointing up along the shoreline.
As we made our way past the beach, I unhooked a hand axe from where it hung next to a fire extinguisher and I swung it in the air a few times, as if attacking an imaginary opponent.