Chapter 13 – No Question.
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Note from the author:
This is the final chapter of the Huddled Together series.
It is with great sadness that it comes to an end...
I would really appreciate feedback if you have enjoyed this story.
A huge thank you to all the editors that worked with me.
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Damian had waited until Mira went to the bathroom during the night to sneak into their room, and attacked her as she came back in. After everyone had recovered from the ordeal, they pulled the mattress from Damian's room and put on the floor in John and Anny's room against the door. The three women slept together on the main bed to comfort each other, while John slept with his gun at the ready on the mattress on the floor.
They needed to get what sleep they could; it was too dangerous to leave the house before sunrise. John had no qualms about what he had done to Damian; he slept well for the rest of the night.
At daybreak they looked out the windows for Walker activity, but it seemed that the gunshot had rung out through the valley enough that they hadn't honed in on where it came from. Gathering their belongings, the group began the next stage of their journey.
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The scorching sun was heading into the cloudless afternoon sky as the group reached the outskirts of Laurieton; it made John wonder if this summer would ever end. They had left Kendall at sun up, killed a few Walkers here and there, and managed to sneak around the small town of Kew uneventfully. It was only the beginning of the afternoon, so they had made Laurieton in good time.
They had decided that they would take a vessel and aim to sail to Lord Howe Island, an Australian island about 600km directly to the east of the mainland. It would be a dangerous journey; none of them had tried to sail and navigate open water like that before, but they lived in hope that if they made it, the island hadn't been touched by the zombie plague.
As the women drank and freshened up by the river in the shade, John laid in a ditch on the side the road that led into town. He was scouting Laurieton's main street where there were a lot of Walkers meandering around freely, eventually he backed down off the road to join the others down by the river.
"Well, there are far too many of them to try and sneak through town." He informed the group.
They sat in silence as they rested from their morning walk, contemplating how they could get to the marina on the other side of town. John's gaze followed Anny's fingers in his hand, up her arm, and was caught by the droopy leaves of a nearby gum tree. The leaves were gently dipping in and out of the river, pushed by a gentle breeze. His gaze continued up along the grey bark branches, and down the trunk into the yard of a house that backed onto the river. It was there that he noticed a small tinny sitting in the backyard. He looked back to the river, registering that it was on its way out to the ocean, flowing straight past town...
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Hiding under blankets and tarps, the group floated gently down the river in their commandeered vessel. John was steering at the back of the boat with one of the paddles, while Mira was at the front peering out to see where they were heading. Mira would whisper needed changes in direction to Skye, who would pass the message to Anny, who would pass it to John. It was a quiet and effective Chinese whispers way of getting past the town without attracting the attention of the Walkers.
The marina was 100 meters down the hill below the main street, so they decided to try and land between some of the boats that were moored there to help disguise their presence. As they approached the cover of the boats, John stuck his head out just far enough so that he could navigate their vessel to a safe spot. The tide quickly pushed them too far to the left for John to correct in time, and they landed beside a large fishing trawler with a loud 'bang' resounding from its metal hull. Everyone held their breath. John popped his head up to see if any Walkers had noticed their loud landing.
He couldn't see any, and after a few minutes he whispered towards the front of the boat, "Ok Mira, you're up."
He pulled his gun out to cover Mira as she climbed out of the front of the boat and pulled herself up onto the dock. After a minute, she whispered back down to them that the coast was clear. They all climbed out of the boat and crouched down behind some dumpsters for cover.
John looked over the boats that were still in the marina. Only one would be suitable for a voyage out for them all. It was a white yacht about 40 feet long with a large sail; the others were too small to live on for any length of time.
"Does anyone have any experience with boats like this?" John whispered out to the group, pointing to his selection.
"I do," nodded Skye. "My parents used to take us sailing on smaller ones on the lakes when we were kids. I should be able to get us going at least."
John took another look around for Walkers, and then motioned for everyone to follow him to the boat. They climbed aboard and headed down below to check it over and decide what to do next. They checked the cabinets for supplies. The cupboards were bare, but the gas tank was half full (John was forever the optimist).
"We definitely need more supplies before heading out to sea, some fishing gear, and some more food if we want to live out there for any length of time." Mira announced.
"There's a supermarket in the middle of town." Skye said, "And a fishing supply shop at this end."
It sounded like a good plan, but with daylight heading on they would need to split up into two groups to get the supplies fast enough. They needed the light to navigate out of the river and into the sea safely. John reluctantly divided the group up for their tasks.
Skye would stay with the boat to recover as much fuel as possible from the other vessels and prepare their boat for travel. Anny had spent her childhood learning to fish from her dad, so she and Mira would head to the fishing store to get what they needed. John would check out the supermarket in hopes of gathering up as many supplies as he could carry out.
They all had their missions. They all dropped their backpacks in the galley; John emptied his so that he could bring more goods back. Then they all prepared their weapons. It tore at John's heart to separate from Anny, but it was for the good of the group; they needed to move quickly at their tasks.
As they headed for the door, John pulled Anny towards him by her arm. Their arms wrapped around each other with urgency; their eyes locked as John looked down deeply into his love's soul. He moved his hand up and caressed the side of her face; his other moved to the small of her back, bringing her body closer. They kissed, softly at first, then passionately, a declaration of their love for one another.
