WALL
The George Collins
Experience
Thomas G. Baker
WALL
The George Collins Experience
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or localities is entirely coincidental.
WALL The George Collins Experience
Copyright © 2012 by Thomas G. Baker
Smashword Edition
Produced in the USA
License Notes
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Table of Contents
Chapter Two Exile and Cannibals
Chapter Three Silver Glen Springs
Chapter Six Mayport and the Pirates
Chapter Eight Voyage into the Unknown
Chapter Nine Visions of Empire
Chapter Ten The Three Hour Tour
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those few among us many who diligently strive in the quest to unlock and understand the human experience, to unearth mans past and chart his course into future. Too many times they are the voices in the wilderness their cries drown out by the herd of humanity as it thunders along headed toward the wall, the ultimate wall. To Sue who painstakingly edited my chicken scratchings into a book. Thank You, Sue.
Preface
Like the main character, over my lifetime I have become increasingly alarmed about the growth in world population. I see it as the greatest threat faced by mankind. By our failure to recognize and to act we may be condemning future generations to a life of abject poverty in a world unfit to live in, or worse. I have attempted to present the reader with one possible scenario.
Introduction
We live in the age of information and the global economy. We have within the last two century's advanced the development of mankind farther and faster than it has traveled in all of previous human existence. We have used our technology to populate the planet with more humans alive today than have existed throughout the entire species history. We must stop and ask ourselves if we using this technology wisely or simply squandering it for profit and short term gain? So far we seem to be bent on overcoming and circumventing the walls, which have kept all of natures creatures in balance and harmony. It is maybe time for us as Gods chosen species to shed our innate drives and replace them with the precious gift bestowed on us by Nature: Reason and Cognizance.
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Chapter One The Collapse
The sun's lower limb descended behind the old cypress, its diminished rays cast a white sheen across the quiet water. I sat in the cockpit of Surreal cradling a mug of coffee watching a blue heron on the far bank stalking its evening meal. Settling back against the cushions I reflected on my situation, thinking as I had done on so many such evenings and wishing once again I had been better prepared. Hell I wish everyone had been better prepared, I wish we had been smart enough to have avoided the whole damn thing to begin with, but it's a moot point now as there's no one left to blame.
As I sat in the fading twilight I couldn't help but wonder what their last thoughts had been. I had done my best to postulate all the possible scenarios yet even my fervent imagination hadn't prepared me for the reality of the nightmare in which I found myself. Yeah looking back hindsights twenty-twenty I sure wish I had been better prepared but in all honesty can you really ever be prepared for the end of the world.
I had spent my working career as an archeologist digging up lost civilizations, searching for the cause of their demises. It had left me with a somewhat pessimistic view of humanity as repeatedly civilizations reached their zenith and subsequently collapsed many through conquest yet even the majority of these had in some respect been weakened by an act of nature. It was a trend which appeared to reoccur throughout human existence, civilizations rose then perished falling victim to their own relative success.
The forces responsible for bringing down these former civilizations were still present today and it was only by liberal use of our technology that we were able to keep them a bay. As the years passed I began to notice cracks developing in this defense, which did nothing to mollify my negative views. I became concerned, for with our growing interdependence on a global economy any catastrophic event would with some certainly effect all of civilization.
Humans are reactionary creatures by nature, myself included, although the signs of a distressed planet were everywhere around me I chose to dismiss them, and like the rest was for the most part content to pass along any problems to the next generation. Besides I was getting along in years, and figured by the time conditions really went to hell I'd be pushing up daisies. I projected that if the wheels did come off the wagon it wouldn't happen before 2030, which gave me a comfortable margin.
Then came several events that over night changed the equation. The rapidity at which these unfolded were truly alarming and I was under no illusion as to what the worst-case scenario might be. I won't say that panic overtook me, just that with all creatures the innate sense of self-preservation kicked in.
There seemed to be two choices open to me, that of going with the flow or bucking the tide. I had ample experience with both and after weighting my options decided to go this time with the latter. It wasn't an easy decision to make but I saw it as the only viable alternative to what could ultimately result in a horrible way to die. Once the decision was reached there was no turning back.
Though I never considered myself a survivalist as such I retained enough of my red neck upbringing that I could easily buy into the rifle, dog, and four-wheel philosophy, though at present I possessed none of the three necessary items. However what I did have in abundance were my childhood memories of roaming the Kentucky woods emulating the skills of my pioneer forbearers, also I credited the many years of experience spent camping in out-of-the-way places for months on end living in primitive conditions at archeological digs.
Over my lifetime I had watched and listened to enough newspeak that I had acquired the knack to sift through all the rubbish for the few gems it contained. These gems when strung together began to paint a bleak picture. In short that civilization was beginning to show the stress cracks wherein lay the seeds of its destruction. They were simple, primarily food and fuel lumped together with a little known fact I had come across in my research which stated, "The planet could only support approximately ten million humans living as pure hunter-gatherers."
I began to theorize that as there was such an enormous gap between ten million and seven billion given the right set of circumstances we could find ourselves caught up for the first time in global famine. If so just the weight of a starving human population could conceivably set up a chain reaction not unlike the World Trade Center collapse where the weight of the floors set up a cascading effect. Famine would act in a similar fashion as billions of starving humans ate there way down the food chain causing the collapse of humanity and the extinction of almost all major food species as well. It would happen abruptly so that once it had begun there would be nothing that could slow or arrest it. It was hard to contemplate yet as an archeologist I had come across it many times on a much smaller scale.
Overpopulation had been a much-debated subject and even gained international prominence in the sixties, I guess it became too much of a political liability for it was suddenly dropped. I found out just how much of a liability when a trusted graduate student of mine came across a couple of drafts I had written in moments of frustration and put them on the web. I was ridiculed, berated, and told that I should stick to digging up pots and bones, students began referring to me as "Dr. Doom" behind my back, finally under growing pressure I relinquished my tenure and went into retirement at fifty-six.
Retirement had put me in a quandary sorta too old to work and too young to die. Sitting on the porch rocking away my life didn't present an appealing option and I began to search for something a bit more challenging.
I had always owned power boats and enjoyed being on the water, I thought maybe it might be interesting to sail through the Caribbean visiting each island then for an encore the places where I had worked in Central America. With a plan in place I sold my house and 32-foot express cruiser and purchased an old 30-foot Hunter sloop, then on a whim went ahead and obtained my hundred ton captains license.
I envisioned the perfect picture of retirement, persuading a life of debauchery cruising the Caribbean islands, laying around drunk, chasing women maybe I'd even do a little chartering, and if time permitted I could publish a few papers from all the research I had accumulated over the years.
I happened to be in the tiny town of Astor Florida on the St. Johns River outfitting the Hunter for my coming adventure when world events suddenly took a turn for the worst. Overnight my planes drastically changed and like a ship in distress I franticly began searching for a safe port in which to ride out the coming storm.
As said previously I had no illusions as to the worst-case scenario yet there was no certainty of just how fast or when circumstances would overtake me. I began to feel like the unfortunate folks who believed in the rapture as I sold off those worldly possessions I felt would no longer be of need. I traded one car for a twenty-one foot center console Wellcraft with a Honda four-stroke and begun my search of the St. Johns intent on finding a safe refuge.
I explored the river south of Astor in hopes of finding some place well off the beaten track. It took about a week before I came to settle on Alexander Creek, it was the only place deep enough that I could worm the Hunter in about a quarter of a mile from the river.
I then set my sights on exploring farther up the creek in the canoe as it was going to be essential to find a clean source of drinking water. I made several excursions before coming upon a small spring that fit the bill, it was close enough that by taking a drum in the canoe and using a small battery operated pump I could keep the sail boats water tank topped off.
With the basic scouting out-of-the-way it was time to begin shopping, this needed to be done with some urgency and I spared no expense for I believed money would become worthless in the not to distant future also it was necessary to procure supplies while the stores were still relatively full and prices were just beginning to rise.
Food was going to be the most essential item on my list, where I intended to go it was not in abundance therefore what I didn't take with me I was going to have to do without.
I spent much time in an attempt to work out what would be needed to sustain me for a period of a year or better. It was no easy task to project menus and needs months in advance but eventually I worked out a list I hoped would suffice.
I began buying by the case all manner of canned goods as they were likely to keep. Such things as corn, green beans, spinach, beets, spaghetti sauce, soup… when I had satisfied the list down to rolled anchovies with capers I started on the other goods. Such as flour though it was already scarce, spaghetti, macaroni, salt, sugar, powered milk and lots and lots of coffee. Collecting enough cigarettes for a lifetime wasn't an option I was going to have to quit cold turkey but I damn sure wasn't going to do without coffee, I procured what I considered better than a two-year supply.
To store everything I rounded up a dozen blue plastic drums these I fitted with round marine inspection ports. I calked and bolted the flanges and as each was done filled it with a selection of canned goods and staples then sealed the lids. The contents of each drum I conservatively estimated contained enough provisions to last over a month, I carefully planned so the loss of an individual drum wouldn't necessarily effect things overall. I was hoping to supplement the food in the drums with whatever fish and game I would be able to come by.
In total I filled nine drums with the essentials. The last drum was reserved for diesel fuel by this time it was over ten dollars a gallon. There would be great difficulty in manhandling a full drum of diesel by myself, this was circumvented by taking the empty to the creek and over time filling it from five-gallon jugs, and then it was also hidden.
So far I had been lucky for only a couple of fishermen ventured into the creek none had caught me red-handed in the act of hiding my booty and I had always been in a position to grab a pole and pretend, these days everyone fished so it had raised no one's suspicions.
With my precious food stores carefully hidden it was time to gather hardware and drygoods. First on the list came fishing tackle it would be necessary to catch as much fish as possible, hooks of all sizes and line up to two hundred pound test, more materials to make trot lines along with wire to fashion fish and crab traps.
I purchased a couple dozen leg-hold traps on line, PETA be damned, I had run trap lines as a kid and sold the fur, later I came to see them as cruel but these would be used strictly for food gathering and if things got as bad as suspected I would gladly eat about anything that stepped in one.
Though I had never used one I bought a compound bow along with a goodly number of arrows, I figured arrows would be quiet and I'd have plenty of time to practice with hunger providing added incentive. I also bought a couple of good machetes. Fire was another matter matches would become damp and useless so Instead I bought a couple of cartons of Bic lighters and for backup three kits with the nifty magnesium blocks.
I already had one canoe that I had used for exploring but decided to acquire a spare, this I took and carefully hid in the swamp it would be insurance providing me with the means to escape in the event I was over run or suffered some other major emergency.
Solar panels were going to be essential at least enough to manufacture electricity for charging the boats batteries. These I had trouble obtaining but in the end managed to find enough with sufficient capacity to charge both large AGM (absorbed glass mat) house Batteries, my calculations if correct would allow for the running of everything electric in the boat while the sun shined.
Armament was high on the list, in truth I would have liked to have mounted a fifty cal. machine gun on the Hunter but settled for a 22 pistol and semi automatic rifle with plenty of ammo, from long rifles to shorts, the shorts would be effective at close range and the sound wouldn't carry. I looked for a varmint gun like a 222 Swift or 22-250 Remington but gave up and settled for a 12 gauge automatic and a dozen boxes of double-00 buck along with a couple of boxes of deer slugs.
As I toiled away the news continued growing worse it was as if a curtain was slowly being raised to reveal mankind at his rankest. I grew more resolute and packed the two remaining drums with those things I had earlier neglected to think of. Now it was down to living day-to-day racking my brain for anything essential I had overlooked.
I sold the center console as it had served it's purpose and soon there wouldn't be any gasoline to run it for there were already acute shortages and rationing was just weeks away.
Like everyone, I grumbled and griped about the deteriorating situation, everyone blamed the Government for it's inaction and though Washington and Tallahassee tried nothing they could do had a favorable impact on the problems facing us.
Unemployment passed thirty percent those who still had jobs found themselves without transportation as gas was rationed and if found averaged well over twelve dollars a gallon. Things continued on a steady decline the news services were hard pressed to keep up and there were constant interruptions of programming for special reports, the major networks went to hour broadcasts in the evening.
What had been fluff and human interest gave way to hard news, the anchors now wore tight-lipped expressions as they too grew alarmed. The Government was as usual behind the curve both parties deadlocked reduced to playing the blame game with endless rounds of argument, each pointing fingers at the other. Panels and commissions sprang up everywhere searching for solutions and assigning blame. This only added to the frustration as Americans slowly came to the realization that Government wasn't in a position to arrest the decline.
Hunger is a primal force that drives every species, man is no exception, and famine had always created a need for food somewhere in the world. I had never known a period in my life when there wasn't a disaster somewhere along with pictures filling the TV screen of starving children covered in flies. Once or twice in my travels I had come face to face with these unfortunate victims of famine and had gone back to my comfortable camp or hotel leaving them to their plight.
This time there was a significant difference. What had started as the usual droughts and in other cases floods had grown to encompass many of the major food producing regions of the world. The effects were being felt by those nations who historically had the ability not only to feed their populations but to export excesses.
Overnight grain futures skyrocketed forcing closure of the markets, the United States suffering the worst droughts in history tried for a bit but couldn't fill the gap. To exacerbate an already bad situation there emerged a new strain of airborne wheat rust when combined with the drought reduced yields by eighty percent. The US suddenly found itself down to less than a sixty day supply of grain, alarmed to find she would be unable to meet domestic demands quickly moved to cut off all exports even for humanitarian purposes.
Prices and shortages became critical; Governments in the worst affected countries could no longer cope and began to fail. Chaos replaced what little civility had existed within these fragile societies and food riots broke out as starving populations desperately sought anything to fill empty bellies.
Africa was the first and hardest hit Somalia, Southern Sudan; Kenya found they were cut off from international aid. People in their search for food began to migrate, they poured over the borders of their neighbors causing the famine to perniciously spread across Sub-Saharan Africa slowly at first then like wildfire. Governments disintegrated overwhelmed by the famished masses leaving Africans to split along tribal allegiances soon one began battling another for survival engulfing the whole of the continent into a frenzy of ethnic cleansing driven on by starvation.
This in turn put enormous pressure on the North African states along the Mediterranean leading to the largest exodus in history as all manner of Africans attempted to flee into Europe. So overwhelming was this tide of starving humanity that the European Union was forced to take the unprecedented step of issuing orders to sink refugee boats at sea in an attempt to stem the flood. The hungry still came and thousands died at sea, the incidents inflamed the Muslim world and passions flared on both sides of the Mediterranean. It was the beginning of a domino effect as ill will and food shortages crept around the planet. People everywhere began bowing under rising food prices and shortages.
Nations met to deal with the growing crisis, as they grappled with the intractable problems facing humanity over the horizon like a dark cloud came the events which led to the ultimate wall, the blow which would forever change the course of humankind.
Iran suffering under sanctions and also facing famine saw advantage in manipulating the ill will which had arisen between Europe and the North African Muslim states. She found in it an opportunity to allay the unrest of her own people and to broaden her sphere of influence. The supreme Leader issued a fatwa announcing the time had come for world wide Jihad, to once and all rid the world of all unbelievers as they were deemed as being responsible for the crisis.
An attack was promptly launched by Arab nations on Israel. Hungry bellies and religious fervor prevailed as war erupted in the Middle East. In an instant Israel found herself battling for her very existence as her Muslim neighbors flung themselves upon her in mass. This viscous attack from all sides without hope of outside intervention placed her back to the sea with the certainty of annihilation.
She did the unthinkable launching unrestricted attacks against Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, then even Saudi Arabia, and especially her arch nemesis Iran. The ayatollahs had their wish to acquire nuclear weapons fulfilled; they received an ample supply delivered personally by Israeli submarines and air force. Overnight Tehran along with most of the major oil ports on the gulf was literally wiped off the map. The Arabian Gulf turned into a radioactive inferno which brought an immediate halt of all petroleum shipments from the region.
Once the nuclear Jennie had been unleashed it mixed with religious fervor and all constraint evaporated. Pakistan quickly joined in the fray declaring war with India who responded in kind throwing all her might against her troublesome Muslim neighbor, vowing to settle the dispute for the last time. It quickly escalated into a nuclear conflagration throwing the whole of the Muslim world into war from the Philippines and Indonesia to Morocco.
Religious wars have a tendency to open long healed wounds leaving moderates little choice but to choose sides, it became a live or die struggle of Muslim against non Muslim. The developed nations worldwide found themselves caught up in the turmoil as their citizens also turned on the Muslims communities among them.
Europe, the United States, Great Britain, Russia, and China were all rendered impotent and could do little but go on the defensive. The Balkans were again torn asunder by ethnic conflict. Fighting erupted along the southern borders of Russia and though she tried to remain neutral found herself embroiled in the struggle.
With all going on little North Korea was shoved into the background and all but forgotten, cut off from all aid including that of China. Feeling isolated with a starving population she was left with no alternative but to join in the chaos spreading around the globe. Thus she unleashed her famished armies in a massive attack on the South overrunning Soul and much of the country. America and the UN could only manage a token response; the North countered with nuclear strikes on Japan. Within the space of a few months the globe was in the throws of famine and its intricate infrastructure torn asunder by war.
Ham strung by the worsening food shortages, and now the lack of oil the super powers met searching in a vain attempt to salvage what they could of the human race. They too were helpless to arrest the spiral and could only agree in the end not to widen the conflict and to use their nuclear arsenals only for defense.
Financial markets and global commerce ceased to exist, soon there were critical shortages of essential parts then of almost everything. Energy rationing went into effect, Americans and Europeans found themselves out of work as the crisis deepened, imports of oil dwindled to a trickle. Transportation of all but essential goods was curtailed and bread lines became the norm, unfortunately the wheat rust outbreak had left little grain for the making of bread.
It was around this time I made my move, a little after three in the morning I undid the lines and left my slip, lights along the river were burning brightly and there was still the occasional car or truck to be heard crossing the drawbridge on SR40. I had chosen this hour so as to depart unobserved and hoped I could be up the river and into the mouth of Alexander Creek before sunrise.
The night was cold as it was February and even though I was dressed warmly I shivered as the little diesel chugged along in the dark. I saw no one stirring along the bank as I took my last looks at civilization, soon I was out-of-town and past the islands. It was so dark that I could hardly make out the banks along the river and had to rely on my GPS to keep me in the channel. In about an hour I had covered the short distance to lake Dexter, still trusting the GPS I turned into the St. Johns and wound my way to the mouth of the Alexander. I waited and as daylight broke I steered the boat into the creek to the spot I had previously picked out, tied off and went inside to rest and warm up in my sleeping bag.
Alexander Creek wasn't my ideal choice but it was the only place that I could get far enough off the river with the Hunter, and it's four foot draft yet still be reasonably out of sight. The creek ran through the forest to Alexander Springs State Park, people canoeing frequented it but I was laying my hopes that recreational canoeing was a thing of the past though it was logical to assume that there might still be fishermen wondering in or maybe a hunting party canoeing down from upstream.
The first day I labored taking down the mast and placing it on the supports I had rigged on the bow and stern for the purpose high enough that I could walk underneath, I won't elaborate just to say that I would never attempt anything of the sort by myself again. It left me cut, bruised, and completely worn out so I was glad to call it a day.
The morning of the second day I moved the boat back to its permanent location and began to rig the saran shade cloth I had procured from one of the fern nursery's into an awning, draping it fore and aft with enough room beneath to walk the entire length of the deck. I wished I could have camouflaged the whole boat but it couldn't be done with any effect in the narrow creek, at least it would hide some of the white hull and deck and would go a long way in keeping out most of the nasty critters.
When I had finished I took the canoe and paddled a distance away to view my handiwork and see if there were any improvements which would make the whole thing less conspicuous. After looking at it from different angles I concluded outside of covering a little of the bow that was showing it was as good as it was going to get, there was just no way to make the boat disappear, anyone that came by was going to recognize it for what it was.
I spent the third morning hunting up the half buried drums of provisions checking to see if they had remained watertight, I was relieved to find them all in good condition, I heard a couple of boats on the river but they had gone on by. I hadn't made up my mind in the event of discovery whether it was going to be fight of flight I had planned for what I considered the worst case scenario, that of the boat being taken over or ransacked and even the loss of one canoe. I had planned to slip into the marsh and hide out, this would leave me with only the hidden canoe, and the stash of provisions, I saw this as the most likely event to befall me yet I couldn't come to grips with just running away and losing the boat without a fight.
I remained somewhat in touch with the outside world through TV, smart phone, and a wireless card for the laptop. I watched the news, which grow grimmer by the day. International air travel was halted to all but military flights, people could no longer move from country to country or from State to State.
There were non stop pictures of empty grocery store shelves and long lines which formed for what little food could be found. The United States Government could do little with three hundred million mouths to feed, it too became overwhelmed and went into survival mode, feeding and protecting those it deemed necessary to preserve law and order. As more and more people began to starve it was only natural for them to turn on those who they perceived had an ample supply of nourishment, and the Government soon found itself coming under attack.
American began to kill American, city dwellers being the hardest hit as millions of refrigerators and cupboards became empty they were forced to endure long lines for dwindling rations. For a while there was a supply of meat as the herds of cattle and hogs were slaughtered in an attempt to save grain but soon the livestock population was nearing exhaustion and then even horses were butchered for meat.
Priority had immediately been given to agriculture but the increasing shortages of fuel, fertilizer, transportation, and even seed had made planting haphazard those who managed to plant found no fuel available to harvest. The great industrial agriculture system ground to a halt its machinery idle and fields fallow.
Cries rang out over the airways for people to raise victory gardens but for those in the cities it wasn't much of an option by this time winter was approaching there was no time as gardens and people would soon begin freezing.
Unlike the great depression where most of the American population led an agrarian life and those in the city knew the basics of raising a crop along with how to can and preserve food. Most city dwellers then had been fortunate having relatives or friends who lived in the country and willingly provided them with foodstuffs grown on the family farm to help tied them over. Now only a tiny percent were engaged in farming and this avenue of subsistence no longer existed.
Thus began the downward spiral as increasingly hungry mouths turned to anything they could find eatable soon pets and even rodents were on the menu as people began to kill any and all manner of creature that could be consumed. None were spared as even zoos were raided and their collections butchered and eaten.
Riots turned into gangs, wars were fought in the streets it became survival of the fittest, yet within a short time even the fittest found themselves starving and all too soon it degenerated into cannibalism as one group of humans actively hunted another in the game of survival.
The availability of fossil fuels no longer existed what refineries had remained in operation were soon overwhelmed and ceased production, as the last gallons were scavenged and consumed all transportation came to a stop, horses which could have been ridden or worked had been killed for food and the only transportation was soon bicycle or foot. All that was left were savage gangs bent on surviving for one more day even if it meant eating their best friend. If this was taking place in the United States one could but imagine what must be taking place in the rest the world.
One by one the networks disappeared from the air regular programming suspended, replaced by experts giving their desperate listeners tips on how to survive. No more Julia Child whipping up a delicious decadent dish, these recipes were tailored to the basics like how best to prepare a rat or the family pet, what insects, leaves, berries and roots were eatable. Tips on where and how to forage finally even these disappeared, the phone system and internet ceased to work, only one or two emergency radio stations remained on the air.
The era of the internal combustion engine had ground to a halt, transportation was back to where it had been before the industrial revolution, worse for then there had been beasts of burden horses, mules, donkeys and oxen they were now all but extinct reduced to just bones laying besides those of the humans who had consumed them.
Homo sapiens that king of the natural world that had ridden so high on the waves of technology and hubris plummeted almost into extinction taking with him all the major species on which he had come to depend.
The airways that had been choked with human generated signals along with the electronic gadgets which the species had come to so highly covet were rendered useless. No cell phones, no internet, television or radio, all gone, there were of course those few things which were self powered and had been programmed to send information such as satellites, probes and the Mars rovers they were still attempting to expand mans horizons but their creators were no longer in a position to benefit from them.
Eventually there came to fall upon the country an easy quiet broken only by the sounds of nature and of those creatures that had been spared. The grand experiment with a species expressly designed to expand knowledge and to save the planet had ended like so many other experiments in the process of evolution as a failure, or had it?
I hadn't felt alone those first few months as I had been able to connect to the Internet it had been a lifeline keeping me abreast of the happenings. I had been able to make contact with a few other people who like me were hunkered down, none of us willing to divulge our exact whereabouts for fear we would be found and over run. As the weeks went by our little group grew smaller as more fell by the wayside. The answer to one question we all discussed eluded us, when it would be safe to venture from our hiding places. Then one day the Internet too was no more. This was the sorry state of affairs In which I found myself after almost a year of living in isolation.
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Chapter Two Exile and Cannibals
Over the months I reached the conclusion that anyone I encountered was probably not going to be friendly and developed the attitude if given the chance I would shoot first and ask questions later. If we were to be reduced to the level of animals so be it, if I were to survive I had to become as vile and cruel as those I was likely to meet.
It wasn't hard to get into this frame of mind for by now I had became the favorite snack bar for all manner of noxious insects they kept me constantly itching and scratching. The thought that I was forced to stay here day after day and endure being eaten alive kept me pissed off and ready to take out my wrath and misery on anything that happened along.
It wasn't entirely all bad I had cleared a spot in the marsh a short distance from the boat and set up the solar panels they usually provided an ample supply of electricity that at times allowed me to run the air-conditioner through the inverter. I could watch a movie, play games or write in my journal or on the laptop.
Living with only nature for a companion had slowly turned me into a swamp rat. I had a couple of trot lines out along with a fish trap or two, and had used an old trick from back in my younger days and did some jug fishing for turtles which also seemed to work well on Gators, I had so far managed to catch a few of each.
I had hoped to bag a deer or two by now but hadn't seen one I paddled up the creek several times in hopes of seeing some along the bank but with no success. I did manage to bag a turkey who wandered out of the bush it was a lucky shot with the 22 as it was loaded with shorts, I had practiced enough plinking with the little gun that I managed to shoot it in the neck though I was aiming for the head, still one shot one kill. It was the first meat I'd had in months besides fish, turtle, and gator I took my time cooking it and started the boats refrigerator so the ample leftovers wouldn't spoil.
Many days were spent busily writing in my journal which was a salvation for there were times that I felt utterly alone and wished I had someone to talk to, this feeling came like a wave and washed over me and I would fall into mild despair, luckily it lasted only a day or two then subsided. Still I longed to be rid of this place I had no idea what was happening out in the world and even if there was a world. I used to see the glow reflected in the clouds from the direction of Daytona and Sanford but now all artificial light was gone the power plants shut down the nights blacker than I had ever seen them and rich with stars.
The end of August approached, I could tell from the sky that something big was afoot, the sky was filling with wispy white bands there was a certain quietness like Nature herself knew something out of the ordinary was about to happen. Always before there had been weather people to tell me what was coming but there were no more radar screens with the forecaster pointing to the tropical depression or giving tips on preparedness, I was on my own. Every morning it was wake-up and lookout to see what the days weather held.
Having ridden out three or four hurricanes in my lifetime I had an uneasy feeling the sky I was looking at portended a major storm. I had been stupid not to procure a good barometer for it would have given me some indication of the weather trends. If there was a storm brewing I had better get prepared just in case, if it didn't materialize at least it would give me something to do.
My first priority was the boat; it wasn't going to be beat up by the surge sitting back in the creek, my main concern was the possibility that the surrounding trees would damage it. I satisfied myself that all the trees were young and strong and had no large branches that could pierce the hull, I needed to get the saran off and rolled up, and especially protect the solar panels for they had become absolutely crucial to my lifestyle, I unhooked them and brought them inside the boat. The hidden canoe would be all right as would the remaining plastic drums even if the river rose, which I figured it, would. The other canoe was tied behind the boat filled with water and the big CQR anchor used to weight it down on the bottom. I had finished most of my preparations when the rains started it was in the evening about an hour before sunset when the wind began to pick up in earnest.
I battened down the hatches and kicked back, the wind increased and by three in the morning it was shirking through the trees I lay in my blackened cocoon listening to the small branches peppering the boat once in a while something large would hit making me jump.
Throughout the next day the winds howled but by late afternoon they began to subside I peeked out of the hatch, the boat was covered in small branches and leaves but otherwise unscathed. No doubt it had been a major storm but there was no one to give the particulars or even name it.
It was December-second almost ten months into my exile it had been ages since I had heard a motor of any kind and that had been a small aircraft way off in the distance.
In the last couple of months I had become bolder and began setting trotlines in the river, checking them every couple of days. I was just about to leave the creek and paddle out to run them when I heard the unmistakable sound of an airboat coming from the North. I quickly turned tail and headed back to the boat grabbed the 22 rifle and shotgun then waited in the cockpit.
The noise grew louder I felt my heart pounding, by the sound I judged they were just at the creek mouth then the noise of the engine died down. Whoever it was had turned into the creek. I quickly jumped into the canoe and paddled the few feet to the bank. I crept into the bushes to the spot I had picked out for just such an occasion. It had been contrived so to conceal me from anyone who came poking around the boat yet was close enough that I could monitor everything going on.
Sure enough in about five minutes the airboat came in sight, it looked for a moment as if they were going to turn around and go back out but then one of them spotted the Hunter and pointed. In another minute they were beside the sailboat the smaller one standing with a rifle at the ready.
He said to the big guy driving, "What you reckon this is?"
The driver said, "Lookies like somebody got them a little hidy hole don't it to you?"
"I told you we shoulda come this way a month ago, hell there's no telling who alls hole up on this stretch of river."
The airboat swung alongside the Hunter both men trained guns on the sailboat the skinny one took out a knife and cut through the saran while the other stood guard.
The big guy said, "Reckon anybody's home?"
"We'll find out soon enough, hell I'm hoping there's some good looking pussy, ya never know, if it's pretty, we'll fuck it, if it ain't we'll just eat it."
The big guy said, "shit, I couldn't eat that other old bitch you butchered, no matter which a way she was cooked."
Skinny handed the other his rifle pulled out a pistol and with it in hand boarded the boat. He carefully slid back the hatch then cautiously peered in the cabin and said, "Keep an eye out, I don't think there's nobody home but they're sure as hell living here, they probably run like rabbits when they heard us comin."
He gingerly made his way down into the cabin then emerged a few seconds later holding a can of corn and said to the big guy, "Hell there's enough food down here to feed a fuckin army."
The other one said, "Bring it on and anything else you see we kin use. Hurry up I gotta bad feelin lets burn this bitch and get the hell out of here, I wanna get back for that damn whore gets loose and takes off again."
"Don't you be worrying about that bitch, she ain't going nowhere, I got her trussed like a fucking hog. Time you got over that cunt anyway. Shit I could hear her bones rattlin last time you was fucking her. She ain't got enough meat left to make her worth butcherin."
The big guy said, "Shut your fuckin mouth, jus cause we ate your bitch…. Grab the god damn food, and lets get the fuck out of here."
Skinny returned to the cabin and after a bit came up the companion way with a pillowcase full of can goods and said, "There must be three or four more of these suckers down there."
"See any guns or anything?"
"Just a bow and some little 22s layin around, looks like jus one guy."
I had seen and heard all I needed to know it was time for action, these scumbags were going to strip and burn my boat and I wasn't going to let them not without a fight. It was going to be necessary to time it just right and pick a moment when their guard was down. Skinny went for another load I waited hoping the sound of my heart wouldn't give me away. He popped up with another full pillowcase and said, "I think we ought to stick around for awhile, see if we can't get us some fresh meat to go with these tators."
The big guy said, "Com on hurry up, I don't like this one little bit knowin some mother fucker's out there."
The bushes and saran were between us, trembling I waited for just the right moment; it came as he reached across to hand the pillowcase to the big guy. I raised the shotgun squeezed the trigger the blast shattered the silence, the buckshot caught skinny full in the back the force taking him over the side, In rapid secession the sound of two more rounds rang out this time catching the driver in the face and chest as he reached for the rifle.
I raced from my hiding place jumped in the canoe pushed off and shot around the sailboats stern bumping into Skinny who was floating face down, the big guy still had some life in him and was fumbling for the rifle. I was only a few feet away and fired two more rounds almost point-blank; both hit the mark the second nearly taking his right arm off at the shoulder. The airboat began to drift, I shoved the canoe forward grabbed a line paddled back and tied it off to the Hunter.
I had never pointed a gun at anybody in my life yet in the space of just over a minute had brutally killed two human beings.
I felt sickened not necessarily by what I had done but for the fact that I had silenced the only human voices I had heard in months. Was this indeed the new reality of life, kill or be killed. I had overheard enough to believe that they would have killed me if given the chance and from the banter I wasn't so sure I wouldn't have been butchered and eaten as well. It was hard to believe that people who functioned as members of society only months before had descended to cannibalism.
The rush of adrenalin had left me weak. I surveyed the scene the big man was laying on the airboat, the little guy was floating beside the Hunter, I managed to get a line around Skinny's neck before he sank and tied him off.
I went onto the airboat and found the big guys bill fold it was empty except for a couple of dollars and a Florida drivers license which I guess he was carrying out of habit, the license read William Combs and gave a Clay county address, from the DOB I calculated he was 36. So they were from up north it got me wondering if they were by themselves or were part of a larger group, if so was it based close by, would they be missed and somebody come looking for them?
I went through all the compartments on the airboat trying to piece things together. There were four sleeping bags along with miscellaneous camping equipment and clothes including some woman's, I found an AK47 and assorted ammunition for pistols and rifles. Tied along the front of the airboat were ten plastic gas jugs all of which were full and a big orange thermos of water.
This didn't tell me much as I didn't know where they had come by the gas or how far they had run. My first thought was to take them and the airboat out to the river and sink the lot but then I decided it would be advantageous to keep it and it's precious cargo of gas.
I sat in the cockpit almost in a daze and went over everything they had said for clues. There weren't many except they had talked about a woman, from the gist of the conversation I had gathered enough to reach the conclusion that she wasn't a willing partner in this adventure as the big one had been worried about her escaping again which also indicated she was being held against her will. Where was she? Someplace down river probably around Astor.
What should I do? I had hidden out successfully for almost a year there was part of me that wanted to keep it that way and stay put but on the other hand I was going to have to make a move sometime. I reasoned that they must be alone if they were part of a larger group they wouldn't have been as worried about losing a captive.
They obviously enjoyed free movement on the river and if they had found food in Astor it was doubtful that they would be searching every nook and cranny along the river for holdouts like me. They had also said enough to indicate that they weren't above cannibalism, which could only mean that pickings were pretty slim, and if they'd found anyone in Astor to eat they wouldn't be down here hunting my bony old ass.
I weighed my options; my movements up to now had been restricted by the slow canoe and fear of being caught in the open on the river. The airboat on the other hand was fast, it gave me a means to flee in the event of trouble. It had been the only engine I had heard in months, so it was likely that there wasn't anybody left with the means to pursue me.
I went back to the airboat and began checking it over, it was a high end deck-over red with gold lightning bolts emblazoned on the rudders and powered by a big block Chevy. The carbon fiber fan was in good condition as was the boat in general with the exception of where the buckshot had splattered the aluminum and severed some of the wiring, I noticed to that the boat had been hot-wired.
I set about patching up the wiring, having to work around the gruesome remains of the big man laying on the deck, I checked the oil and fuel it had almost a full tank, which led me to believe they had topped off before they left. I put in less than three gallons so wherever it was must have been close. I took all but one of the gasoline jugs and hid them in the marsh having to make two trips in the canoe, I wasn't going to need them for my recon, and gas was too valuable to lose if something happened to the airboat.
I examined the guns I had collected, there was a pair of 30-30 deer rifles one with a nice scope and a 357-magnum Smith Wesson along the AK47 much heavier firepower than I had. There were three and a half boxes of shells for the deer rifles and two for the pistol but none for the assault rifle.
It was two in the afternoon I needed to get rid of the bodies and thought while I was at it to make a trip down river and attempt to find the woman they had talked about. I decided to take the rifle with the scope, the shotgun, and the semi automatic 22 pistol.
I tied skinny to the airboat pushed it around facing the river and fired it up. I found it was difficult to steer with skinny dragging like an anchor but made it out to the river and cut him loose, then with some difficulty rolled the big guy over the side after which I washed off the blood and gore that covered the deck.
I fired up the airboat and headed North, one thing I didn't like was the noise, anything within a mile, or two was going to know I was coming. I didn't know where to start, finding someone tied up along the river was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack in fact I didn't know what was waiting for me and my heart was in my throat as I left Dexter and headed down river.
I kept to the right staying as far as possible from the docks on the opposite side using binoculars to scan the bank. Everything looked abandoned here and there were boats sunk or in various stages of decay.
There had been fires as houses and even some of the docks were partially burnt with only charred pilings remaining, there was no movement of man along the banks just an alligator and assorted water fowl going about there daily business of earning a living. The whole river had an air of serenity about it broken only by the sound and movement of the airboat as I slipped along just fast enough to give decent steerage.
Airboats weren't my forte, my only experience had been running a friend's for about fifteen minutes, and it was taking some time to get the hang of it.
I didn't hold out much hope of finding anybody as there wasn't anyway I would be able to search every house along the river and for all I knew they could have been holed up back in one of the canals. More than once it crossed my mind that I might be making a mistake, I had gone all these months avoiding people now I was risking everything trying to find someone I didn't even know, why?
The events of the morning had turned my little world topsy-turvy I couldn't help thinking about their captive and was pretty sure that if there was someone tied up they would likely die if not found, besides there had already been too much death and maybe it was time to start living again.
Much of what had been Astor lay in rubble; neglect, fires, and the big storm had changed the landscape. Many of the houses along the river were in ruins, now and then a stark concrete block wall stood as a monument. There seemed to be no pattern as I saw houses completely trashed yet strangely others seemed untouched except for being over grown, I rounded the bend and the bridge came into view it was still there in closed position looking none the worse for wear except for a broken window in the control cab. Everywhere were signs that the August Hurricane had played no small part in the general destruction as windows were blown out trees lay helter-skelter and roofs were damaged or partially torn off, I passed a half dozen boats sunk along the banks which I assumed had been blown adrift by the storm.
My plan called for making a pass through town as far as the Jetties at the entrance to Lake George then work back but as I approached the bridge I noticed a line of gas jugs and a pile of other stuff along the motel seawall next to the bridge. I trained the glasses on the pile, there was clothing lying on top of the jugs it had to be after the hurricane for sure and by the looks of it very recent.
I made a sweep with the glasses until I was satisfied there wasn't anyone around then headed for the dock and cut the power. I misjudged and hit hard enough that I was almost thrown out of the seat, as the boat bounced off the sea wall I scrambled to get a line on the small dock. I looked around sheepishly sorta glad there wasn't anyone to critique my air boatman-ship. I drew the 22 and with it in hand stepped onto the dock hoping like hell I wasn't going to meet with the same reception I had just given those two reptiles, I felt conspicuous and vulnerable moving around in the open.
Surveying the situation, the motel restaurant was gone, obviously burnt as only charred pilings remained, the motel had fared a little better just missing part of the roof. I made my way over to the jugs checked and found most were full, this stockpile alone was over fifty gallons. There was a pile of miscellaneous clothing and cooking utensils from it I deduced that this must have been where the duo had their base.