Chapter 2: Twilight's Last Gleaming

"I like the look of that one," Samantha said as we stood at the shore-end of one of the docks.

The one she nodded toward was a custom Princess Motor Yacht nearly a hundred feet long. It was not the biggest boat in the marina, but it was definitely in the top ten percent. I looked around for a minute as the ladies made appreciative sounds and then decided there was no time like the present. I walked down the quay a little way to look at the boat's name.

"Caroline II," I said out loud. "Not much of a name, but let's see if we can find some keys. Tabitha, you come with me. Cassie, please help Samantha start unloading the car."

Tabitha gave her mom a glance, who nodded and then came to my side as I turned and headed up to the offices of the marina. Cassie moved toward the Escalade with Samantha. It wasn't difficult to break a window panel and get inside the offices. My tool belt helped make short work of the security panel and disabling the klaxon. The key box safe was harder but not really intended to keep a determined man out.

By the time we got back, the car was unloaded and two large push-carts were filled with our meager supplies. I grabbed the handles of one and headed down the pier. I used the master key on the gate and propped it open before wheeling the cart down to the boat.

"Ahoy, Caroline II," I called before climbing aboard. No answer came back, as expected. The key let me unlock the sliding glass doors on the cockpit overlooking the stern deck and gain access to the lavish saloon and dining area. The ladies gawked at the leather and wood furnishings as I stepped deeper into the boat.

"Samantha," I said. "Stay here with the girls while I check everything out. Now's not the time to startle the owner if they're aboard." I pulled the PPQ from my holster to reinforce my words.

I went forward past the dining room, galley, and into the wheelhouse. It was much more richly appointed than any ship I'd been on, but the controls were understandable if you had any experience. A panel identified the model as a Princess 98. I noted the locked cabinet below the operator's console, but decided to finish looking things over before looking for more keys. I went aft and down a ladder to check out the berths. The bow stateroom was bigger than I expected, but paled in comparison to the owner's suite. I looked in the closets briefly, making sure they only held clothes. It looked like the owner was close to my size, which would be a plus.

I finished checking the forward parts of the boat and then returned to the main deck.

"What did you find?" Samantha asked.

"No one, yet. I need to check the crew quarters," I said.

"Crew?"

"This thing is big enough they probably had two or three crew on it. Their quarters are right below us," I said pointing down at the deck.

All of the women got silent as I went down to the stern and then forward to the crew quarters. My nose told me I was not alone as soon as I stepped into the small crew lounge. Unfortunately, I was the only person alive in the space. An attractive couple was in what appeared to be the captain's cabin. Both were dead.

I headed back out and up. I grabbed my small pile of belongings from the stack of clothes the ladies had made on the cockpit table and carried them forward. "Let's pick some sleeping space and get settled in."

"We're alone?" Tabitha asked.

I nodded but then gave a tiny shake of my head to Samantha. "I think you ladies should take a minute to freshen up. I need to move a few things out of the crew quarters."

"I can help," Cassie said.

"I don't think you'll want to, honey," I said softly.

She smiled at me and began to protest and then saw the look on my face.

"Oh," she said and swallowed hard. Then she straightened. "Are you sure? I mean, I may not like it, but we're going to see a lot of bodies soon, aren't we?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately, I think we are."

"Then I can help. The carts are already empty," she said, motioning to the dock.

"OK. Let's throw things in the cabins up forward."

"I'll take your things if you want," Cassie offered as she grabbed the small pile of clothing from my hands. "Then I'll come back and help you."

Before I could respond, she was moving forward with a noticeable sway in her hips. I shook my head at Samantha's arched eyebrow and turned aft.

I used the sheets from the bed to wrap the bodies. I managed to get the man over my shoulder in something close to a fireman's carry and made my way up the ladder to the deck. It felt a little sacrilegious when I bounced his shrouded head off the door jamb, but there was nothing else for it; he was a fair sized man. Cassie was on deck as I came out and helped some as I made my way to the dock. As soon as I brought the woman's body out, she darted into the crew's quarters. When I returned to make sure she was all right, she was turning on air vents and filling a bucket with hot water.

"I figured we'd want to air this place out and wipe it down with some bleach," she said as I looked at her.

"Good idea. There should be clean sheets in here somewhere as well."

I found them in the cabinet near the stacked washer and dryer.

"Let's come back and put them on in a couple of hours. I think I want to go take a shower. You probably do too," she said.

I followed her out and forward and then down the forward ladder to the lower lobby area. She motioned me aft.

"I put our stuff in the master cabin," she said matter-of-factly.

"Our stuff?" I asked.

She blushed. "I got here first. I had my bag and your pile of stuff. I can move into one of the small cabins. I just needed a place to put things."

I smiled. "We'll sort it out. Why don't you take a shower while I check some things out."

She nodded and I returned to the bridge. Samantha was in the galley looking things over so I joined her.

"Do you have plans for Cassie?" she asked with a dark look on her face.

"Do you?" I asked back. Somehow she was able to push my buttons. "I didn't tell her where to put my things."

I don't know if it was my tone of voice or glower that stopped her but at least she had the grace to blush.

"I'm sorry. Some types of stress bring out the bitch in me. I know you've been doing your best to look out for all of us."

I looked her in the eye for a minute and then nodded.

"We need to keep moving today. We've got a lot to do before I'll feel secure for the night."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Do a sweep of all the other boats here. Inventory the boat and make a list of supplies we think we need. Scout the local neighborhood for supply locations and other survivors, and then check security for the night."

"Security? Aren't we safe here?"

I gave her a tight smile. "If we were ten miles off the coast, I might think we were safe. Right now, I don't feel like we're being watched but for all we know, every corpse is going to come back to life tonight as part of the zombie apocalypse."

She paled. "You're not serious, are you?"

I shrugged. "We used to use the ZA as a threat scenario for training. I won't believe it until I see a walking corpse but the mind-set is useful. We want to make certain we're ready for the worst case."

"Okay. You're the boss then. What do you want me to do?"

"You ladies get going on the inventory of supplies on board. I'll check the rest of the marina. Once we do that, we'll split up for the next steps."

"Okay. Our cell phones still work, right?"

I looked at mine and nodded. I pulled a snub nosed 38-special out of my pocket. It had been in the drawer in the captain's cabin.

"Take this while I'm gone. If I hear it shot, I'll come running. Otherwise, use the phones."

Samantha did not look comfortable with the gun but knew how to check that it was loaded. She was definitely a woman of many talents.

I headed down the pier, checking each boat in my path while pushing the cart with two bodies along with me. Six moorings down, I saw another corpse. I decided these folks could have a common burial, and lightened the load in the cart. It was a much smaller cabin cruiser, and I made certain to lock the sliding panel door as I pulled it shut from the outside. I doubted the cruiser had a full flag bag, so did not bother looking for a quarantine flag. Soon, I was back on my way.

I was about three-quarters of the way through the marina when I saw something shift on a sailboat one pier over. I stopped behind a piling and paid careful attention. The boat that had caught my eye was a large yawl with sails neatly stowed on its rigging. I watched for a moment before seeing a blonde head shift against the cockpit combing. It dropped low once again and I raced down the pier to the quay and then started making my way carefully toward the sailboat.

I heard soft sobbing before the top of the head appeared again.

"Ahoy, sailor," I said softly when I thought I was close enough to be heard.

A small head lifted from the cockpit. It was a child, boy or girl, with a yellow life jacket on. Their eyes went wide as they saw me and crying in earnest began. I holstered my pistol and hurried aboard.

The small stinking bundle launched itself at me, grabbing my thighs as I stepped down into the cockpit.

"My dad's ... my dad's..." Sobs prevented him from finishing his sentence. It was obviously a young man, maybe five years old. I knelt down and took him by the shoulders.

"It's okay, little man. I'll take care of you." I gave him a quick visual scan. Aside from soiled pants, he looked fine. He only had on a loose pair of long pajama bottoms and his yellow life jacket.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Tommy. Tommy Bettencourt."

I smiled. "My name is Jack, Tommy. Was it just you and your dad out here?"

He nodded his head, tears filling his eyes again.

"Did you try to call anyone for help?"

He nodded. "No one came. I tried the phone to call Mom. Nobody answered. I tried the police but they didn't come either. I'm scared."

I forced a smile.

"I'm scared too, Tommy, but you know it's alright to be scared as long as you don't let that fear control you, right?"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I nodded. "I've been scared lots of times but I've always kept doing what had to be done, even in the scariest situations. Can you do that for me?" I asked.

"I can try," he said softly.

"Good. Why don't you stay right here for a few minutes and I'll go below and check a few things."

He wiped his eyes with his small hands and nodded. I headed below. It only took a few minutes to find his father, dead in bed. I found what obviously was Tommy's small cabin and gathered the duffle bag filled with his clothes. I was back beside him in a few minutes.

"Okay, Tommy, how about we go up to the marina offices and get you cleaned up?" I asked.

He looked down at himself and then blushed and nodded. "I was really scared," he said.

"I know. It will be better now. I know three nice ladies who are going to help me look after you, but I think we should get cleaned up to make a good impression, don't you?"

He nodded solemnly. "Daddy always said to treat ladies nice and with respect."

"I'm sure he did. You seem to be very well behaved."

Ten minutes later, he was alone in the shower with me standing outside. I used my phone to give Samantha a call and warning. She wanted to come check Tommy out, immediately, but I told her to stay on the boat and make sure the girls were ready to meet him as well. Ten minutes after that, Tommy was holding my hand, dressed in clean clothes, and walking rapidly beside me as we walked down the pier to Caroline II.

"Ahoy, the Caroline!" I called.

Samantha and Tabitha came out of the saloon onto the aft deck and waved.

"Samantha, Tabitha, this is Tommy," I said as we stepped aboard.

"Hi, Tommy," Tabitha said as she came down to the stern deck to grab Tommy's bag from me. "I'm Tabitha. Cassie is making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Would you like one?"

Tommy nodded. "Can you cut the crusts off for me? That's how I like it."

Tabitha smiled and took his hand. "Of course we can. Come on up and we'll let Cassie know."

Samantha and I watched them go inside. I slid the glass door shut to give us a little privacy.

"We'll need to drive over to his house and check it out," I said.

"Of course we will. Did you find anything else?"

"A dozen corpses. How about you guys?"

She shrugged. "The boat seems well stocked with staples but lacking in anything fresh. I'm guessing the crew mostly ate ashore."

"Okay, then we need to plan a run off-base," I said.

"Off-base?"

I waved a hand toward the front of the marina. "Outside the marina. We need to stock up and check out Tommy's house. He knew his home phone number and address, which surprised me."

Samantha gave me a strange look and then shook her head. "I keep forgetting you don't have kids. Around here, they don't leave the yard without knowing their phone number and address. Even then, most times, parents keep an eye on them."

I shrugged. "Okay, I'm not exactly a parent. Sam was as close as I got and I never let him out of my sight when he was with me. What sort of shopping list do you have for me and which of the girls is going with me?"

"Why not me?"

"Do you really want to leave three kids here alone?"

"Cassie and Tabitha are pretty mature," she countered.

I nodded. They were a year and two older than Sam, and under normal circumstances, I would have trusted him alone for a brief time. These were not normal times.

"That's true but we have to take the long view. Whoever goes out there may run into something less than pleasant. Do you want to run the risk of them being left alone back here?"

"You are a bleak SOB," she replied.

"Just consider me cautious."

She sighed. "Okay, take Tabitha. I'll have a chat with Cassie and keep an eye on Tommy. I wrote down a list of things we needed after we completed the inventory. It's on the table."

Twenty minutes later, Tabitha and I were headed away from the marina.

"What's the plan?" Tabitha asked as we pulled onto a major cross road.

"Tommy's house first. We'll check it out and grab clothes for him. Then an outdoor outfitter and then groceries."

"An outfitter?"

"That cruiser is a pretty plush ride but everyone needs decent rain gear and some clothes for less friendly climates. We'll get good stuff at an outfitter's like REI instead of raiding a Target or Wal-Mart."

Tabitha looked down the deserted streets.

"I'm surprised there aren't a few more survivors," she said.

I nodded, keeping my gaze shifting as I drove well below the limit. "One in a hundred isn't a lot but I agree that we should see a few more people. What would you have done if you woke up alone at home?"

She looked over at me with her eyes big. "Probably cried myself right back to sleep once I realized how many people were dead."

"Me too," I said.

"Humph. I doubt it. You were up and looking for survivors when you found me and I was the second person you saved. You were trained for this sort of mess."

"Hardly."

She gave me a small smile. "Well, maybe not exactly this but you know how to look out for people. I mean, if you didn't care about others, you wouldn't have made a career out of defusing bombs, would you?"

"I guess not," I admitted.

She nodded. "Just like Mom. She always has to look out for everyone else, if she can. Of course, when she can't, she can be a real bitch."

I shot her a look. "You shouldn't say that," I said.

She laughed. "Oh, she'll tell you the same thing. I don't know the details of what she did with Aunt Connie but I don't think it was just having a cup of tea. A couple of times, I heard Dad tell her to go get an attitude adjustment when she got really bad. She always came back more relaxed."

"About that," I said as I tried to ask the question on my mind.

"I know what you want to ask. Dad loved me. He loved Mom in his own way, too, but they both explained to me a couple of years ago that he was more physically attracted to men, in general, and Michael in particular. His parents would cut him out of their will and disown him if he ever came out, so he did his thing, and Mom did hers. A few people knew but most just thought they were a normal couple.

"Was it tough on you?" I asked softly.

"Not really," she said with a shrug. "I mean, it's not like I think about my parents having sex with each other or anyone else. That's just a little gross, you know?"

I laughed. "Yeah, we all like to think we came via immaculate conception, don't we?"

She nodded. "It did have its upside, too," she said after a minute. "I mean, we were pretty open about bodies and sex and stuff at home. You might have noticed I don't have any tan lines when I changed at home," she said slyly.

I felt my cheeks flush.

"Mom and I used to sunbathe out back all the time. The fence and shrubs gave us plenty of privacy. My girlfriends used to flip when they came over and got invited to join us the first time."

"I can imagine."

She nodded. "That's why I kept it to a select few." She got quiet for a minute. "I guess I'll have to break Cassie in to accept it."

The implication that both of them would be running around nude on the boat sent visions through my mind. I resisted the urge to adjust myself as I saw Tabitha looking sideways at me.

"Are you going to be a butt-head about it? Mom won't put up with that sort of shit, you know?"

I smiled. "You ladies can run around in as much or as little as you want, except when it's not safe."

"Are you going to look at us, or are you going to hide away?"

"Do you want me to look at you?"

Tabitha blushed this time. "Well, Cassie does and it doesn't bother me," she said. "It's kind of strange. She's a year older and I kind of think of her as a big sister since doing the play with her this fall but in other ways, I seem older than her."

I smiled to myself but kept my face neutral as I turned into another nondescript subdivision. It took ten minutes to find Tommy's house and then another twenty to confirm his status as an orphan and pack a bag for him.

I had checked out neighboring houses while Tabitha packed a bag. She found me while I looked at our first secondary victim. An elderly woman had sat herself next to her dead grandchildren and swallowed a half bottle of sleeping pills. The lightened mood of our drive over was gone by the time we were back on the road.

I had the unfortunate obligation of breaking the news to Tommy when we finally got back to the boat. Samantha took him into her arms as he began crying once again, unsure of how to process my words. Tabitha and Cassie hugged him as well. I went back to the pier to begin unloading our freshly acquired stores.

"Booze?" Samantha screeched as I carried the first two cases of liquor I had added to the car at the end of our trip.

I nodded, sat the boxes on the table and turned to face her wrath.

"Yes, booze. Do you think anyone is going to be bottling or distilling any more for a while? Quality liquor is a trade good, a disinfectant, and anesthesia all in one. It was the last thing I picked up, not the first. Any other comments?" I asked with a stern look.

Her glower remained and her eyes squinted in hostility.

"What else did you get?"

I waved at the boxes. "Bourbon, Scotch, Gin, and Vodka," I said as I intentionally misinterpreted her question. "If you want wine or beer, we can go get some tomorrow."

I was ready for her move as she stepped closer and swung her palm at me. I grabbed her arm, glanced inside and did not see the girls, and proceeded to swing her around as I sat and draped her over my knee.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

I paddled her firm posterior and was surprised to feel her relax against me.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

She shuddered against me for a minute and I stopped.

I loosed my hold on her and she got off my lap slowly, keeping her eyes down. Her neck and cheeks were flushed.

"Thank you, sir," she said almost by rote. "I'm sorry I got upset."

I lifted her chin and looked into her clear blue eyes. Her lips were held together firmly, almost as if she were hiding a smile.

"You wanted that, didn't you?" I asked after holding her gaze for a few seconds.