Enduring the Crisis (8 page)

“I don’t know that. He was a jerk, that’s for sure. Whatever they did to him, perhaps he had it coming. I don’t know. But I don’t think he’s the last jerk we will see during all this.” It was getting more and more evident what she needed to do and that the safe room wasn’t going to be enough to protect them all.

The rest of the trip was nerve-wracking as they made their way across the choppy sea to Dutch Harbor. The engines were stalling out from too much water in the diesel fuel and the pump was still picking and choosing when it wanted to work.

The sun had set when Ben went to see Randall. He had not left the wheelhouse while his boat was in crisis.

“Thanks for your help, Ben. I need to find a few crew members that can do more than run pulleys and do grunt work.” He shook his head, obviously frustrated. “Your boss was going to pay me to get you Anchorage. If you want to get there anytime soon, you’ll have to find another way there. This boat isn’t leaving the harbor until it’s repaired. With ships shooting at fishing trawlers, I don’t know if there is going to be much heading anywhere.”

Ben clenched his jaw. “What’s in Dutch Harbor?”

“There’s lots of fishing industry there. Lots of boats, some ferries. The harbor is connected to the town Unalaska. There isn’t a hell of a lot there. A lot more than the villages you two were stuck in. Once you get there, you’ll have to see if anyone plans on leaving. I mean, that was some craziness back there and they could halt all watercraft travel the same way they halted all flights. If all else fails, perhaps the Coast Guard will step in and help you out. Or you may just be out of luck being a civilian and all.”

Ben gripped the railing where he stood and squinted at the map on the back wall. “So where is Dutch Harbor?” He walked over to it searching for the tiny speck Togiak to see if he could figure out where they were headed.

“Where the islands start on the Aleutian chain just off the peninsula.” He pointed in the general direction which wasn’t helpful. All the names of tiny places were specks on the map. It was hard to locate where all the villages and small towns were on the massive state map. Randall’s map was more about ocean currents, though. After a long time reading every village name from the peninsula to the islands, he found what he was looking for. Dutch Harbor and Unalaska were on Amaknak, the last big island down the Aleutian chain which meant it was farther away from Anchorage than how he pictured it.

“We’ll be there within the hour so you can gather your things if you want. There are some places where you can stay once we get there. I’m sure you’ll appreciate them over spending any more time on this boat.”

Ben nodded as he struggled with the frustration building up inside him. It wasn’t Randall’s fault they were hit when they were attacked. There was so much happening that was out of his control, he couldn’t call Dave to arrange for different transportation until they hit land. He had to draw in a deep breath so he didn’t have a screaming fit at some undeserving soul. Instead, he went to the crew’s quarters to collect his things.

Over an hour had passed when they finally arrived in Dutch Harbor. It wasn’t that late but it was very dark already. However, when Ben and Nate disembarked the ship they could tell by the number of streetlights on the island that they weren’t in a small village.

“Civilization perhaps?” Nate scanned the buildings around them. “This area is very industrial.” He shifted his bag on his back before forging ahead of Ben. “A restaurant would be wonderful.”

“How about we find a place to stay first.” Ben headed in the direction that Randall had pointed for them to go. It was a bit of a hike with all their suitcases. As they walked, Ben read the signs in front of each dock hoping something would be a promising potential ride to Anchorage. When they paused to read the ferry schedule, they were both disappointed. Ferries didn’t come as often as he thought.

For Dutch Harbor being as big as it was, the lodging opportunities were not impressive. Once Nate convinced Ben they should go to the nicer place out of the two they could find, they went inside and it was dated as if it was built in the early 90’s and run down. Ben didn’t care though. All he wanted was a shower to rinse off the salt water, a bed, and to get out of there first thing in the morning to continue their journey home.

“Sorry, fellas. We don’t have much. There were quite a few stranded travelers when they grounded air travel. Booked us up pretty good. The same with the other lodge.”

“What other choices do we have? Or are we going to have to sleep out on the road?” Nate’s eyes were wide.

“There isn’t much.” The desk clerk, a skinny young man, obviously one of the natives. Ben didn’t want to assume he was an Aleut just because that’s where they were and the guy obviously wasn’t going to volunteer them any help.

“Come on, can you help us out? Is there anyone you can call? We don’t know where else to go. Can we borrow someone’s shower and sleep in a closet? Actually, I don’t have to have a shower either. I would prefer to not sleep outside with how much it rains out here.” Ben was so tired, it was taking everything he had left to not lose his temper at the oblivious young man.

“Well, let me see.” He picked up the phone and dialed.

Nate and Ben looked at each other while they contained their irritation, communicating with head nods and gestures over the frustrating situation.

After he made a few calls, perhaps one was to his boss, he led them to the back of the hotel. It must have been really nice when they built it a few decades ago. It had sort of a spa look when spas were the rage. However, the carpet was worn and dingy. When they were taken to the end of the hall, almost to the stairs, he walked past a massive window and opened the door to a rundown exercise room. Several pieces of equipment were actually in pieces on the floor. Only a treadmill and an exercise bike looked as if they might be usable.

“If you come back here, there’s a big changing room and restroom. It doesn’t have a shower that works anymore but I can give you washrags and towels. Most of my roll-aways are in use but we do have a couple that are broken. If you want to come with me, you can bring the mattresses in here and I’ll give you some bedding.”

“Sounds perfect.” Ben nodded eagerly. Nate was not impressed though. “This is better than sleeping outside, isn’t it?”

Nate dropped his things on the ground and resigned himself. “At least it’s not a fishy smelling boat or a street.”

The desk clerk made sure they had all the things they needed before he left. They were setting up their beds in the back of the room as guests walked past the room on their way to the ice machine.

“I feel like we’re the polar bears at the zoo,” Nate complained.

“It is what it is, my friend.” Ben sat down on the worn mattress and called Dave.

“Hello! Where are you right now?” Dave answered.

“We made it to Dutch Harbor. It was rather eventful and it was almost iffy we’d get here. Our boat is not leaving anytime soon so we need a new ride out of here.”

“You’re kidding me? That was not easy to get as it was.” Dave was silent for a long time.

“So… do you have any ideas? Randall said there were ferries out of here but from the schedule I saw, they don’t come very often.”

“No, they don’t. In fact, their season is almost over. We did look into that. I’m thinking. Of course, I can’t do anything tonight. It’s too late.”

“Yeah, and there aren’t many places to stay here and they’re all booked. We’re sleeping in an exercise room and are taking sponge baths tonight. They said a bunch of people are stranded here when they grounded the planes.”

“Yeah, I heard on the news that they are going to place restrictions on boat travel too. Something about activity out there?”

“Oh, yes. That’s what we encountered. A missile cruiser was shooting at us, or maybe it was the sub nearby and we were in the crossfire. Some crazy stuff.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. I just want to get out of here though. They can’t keep us stuck here.” Ben closed his eyes and pictured the map. There wasn’t even a way to get home by land where he was now.

“If there are people stranded there, they might be planning something to get them out. Maybe. First thing in the morning, I’ll see what I can find out. Because you’re there, you might have better luck with the locals finding a way out. If you can get on something, do it. Give them my number and we’ll make sure it happens.”

“All right.” Ben nodded for a long time. He wasn’t going to give up hope.

He lay on the pathetic excuse of a mattress and couldn’t get his mind to calm down. The harder it was to get home, the more he ached to be there. His girls would be Tammy’s strength. She would pull through for them. It wasn’t like they weren’t capable either. Usually when they went camping, they were eager to learn how to start fires, and how to navigate in the forest. At the cabin, he could always count on Amanda to help him first. She was as physically strong as her mom, which had always blown his mind how strong they were. However, Charlie was the grief-giver at first, but she would always stick with a project until the end. She was tough, would stick up for those she loved, and was as feisty as her bright red hair. He missed having their war with words sessions even though she quite often claimed she hated him for giving her grief.

Zoe and Holly were quite the pair. He missed Zoe’s silent presence. She sometimes was so quiet and agreeable that he and Tammy worried she’d be lost while Charlie and Holly competed for attention. He took great effort to make sure that didn’t happen when he was home. Holly, when she wasn’t striving for all the attention, was full of curiosity about space once she got a good look at the stars at the cabin.

Mae was definitely the Daddy’s girl. She cried for days after he left and Tammy let him know. She didn’t want him to go either so she made sure he knew how broken hearted she was for weeks after he left. He would get calls late at night  from his youngest just wanting to hear he was okay. He wondered how she was faring so far.

He rested his arm over his eyes as he thought about the grief at home. They didn’t know he was coming so what did they think? He couldn’t imagine never hearing the girls giggle and laugh in unison as they made fun of each other, or spoke in funny accents to each other. He would miss hearing them play instruments and sing together. He needed to stop thinking in terms of never hearing or seeing them again. The one thing he did know was when he did make it home, none of them would be the same. They’d see things they wished they hadn’t. And that made him want to get home even sooner. If only it were possible.

“When I wake up tomorrow, I will find a way,” he whispered. “I’m leaving this place and won’t be wasting any more time.” He closed his eyes and all he could see was Tammy looking at him the way she did when she really needed him close. “I’m coming.” He muttered as sleep finally took over.

Ben woke up when his body alarm usually woke him. He didn’t have to look at his phone to know it had to be six am. He washed up, hoping that Nate was an early riser too. No such luck. He wandered the halls to find food. After the rough boat ride the night before, Nate and Ben hadn’t been all that hungry. So he was ravenous with his stomach leading him to where he smelled coffee. He didn’t drink coffee at all but hopefully there would be food nearby.

He was right. They had a breakfast buffet and there were a few people already starting their day. He said hello to a couple of rough looking men at the buffet. Perhaps fisherman? He spotted another man across the room. The man was even bigger and scruffier than the two that were filling their plates at the counter.

Ben felt impressed that he was the man he needed to speak to that morning. Ignoring the protests from his stomach as he passed by all the food waiting for him, he crossed the room to the table where the man was reading a magazine. Usually Ben didn’t have much trouble starting conversations but he had no idea how to lead into what he wanted to ask the guy. ‘You gotta boat?’ seemed rather pretentious.

When the man looked up, it seemed as if he knew why Ben was there. “I ain’t got any need for anyone else on my crew.”

“I’m actually looking for a way to Anchorage more than I’m looking for a job. My company will pay to get me and my friend back there.”

“Hmph.” He adjusted the way he was sitting to get a good look at Ben. “Why you look so desperate? Why the rush? A boat is comin’ for all the stranded.”

“I need to get to the lower forty-eight, back to my family.”

“You know, there ain’t no use in that. You get to Anchorage and your best bet is to stay put. Nothin’ is leavin’ the state. It is anarchy and mayhem down there already. Just a couple days in and the word on the radio comin’ from there is all bad.”

“There’s radio transmissions coming from there?”

“Of course. There’s some smart ones down there that have been preparing for somethin’ like this to happen.”

“We’re just so far away.” Ben rubbed the whiskers on his chin that he forgot to shave. He should have gotten his HAM radio license years ago. However, he did know someone he went to church with that had one. “You know any locals that could help me send a message to someone I know?”

“Maybe.” He squinted at Ben. “Who you got back there?”

“My wife and five daughters.”

“Damn.” He shook his head. Pausing for a moment before he shook it again. “That’s a shame.”

“Yeah, well, they’re prepared. I’m sure they’re fine.” He knew he was nodding excessively, as if he was trying to convince himself more than the guy sitting in front of him.

“Name’s Trav. I know most of the boats ain’t leavin’ soon. We got word there’s some action out there and everyone’s scared. I think that rescue boat has to wait for a Coast Guard escort so it’s slow comin’. I’ll tell ya where to go to find a radio and your best bet is to go to the Coast Guard to get outta here. They’re making the arrangements to get all these stranded people off the island and it sounds like you are now one of them. They know they need to make sure some food supplies are comin’ in for the rest of us so somethin’ has to be comin’ soon.”

“I’m Ben.” He stuck out his hand and Trav’s greasy hand engulfed his as they shook. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“Get you some food and come sit here. I’ll make some calls.”

Trav made a few calls, chatted easily with whomever he had on the phone while Ben ate his fill. He closed his eyes as he took great pleasure in food that he didn’t have to make himself and was actually good. He hadn’t had fast food in months and he’d tried a lot of the Yupik’s traditional food and he was not a fan. Restaurant food was by far a step above fast food. When other people came in to eat breakfast, he stopped reveling in the flavors of scrambled eggs and bacon mingling in his mouth and realized he probably shouldn’t have eaten so much if the island was about to have to deal with a food shortage. Nate finally arrived and nodded at Ben when he spotted him.

Trav finally set his phone down and turned his attention to Ben. “Gotcha a radio guy. He knows his stuff. Not sure about the ride. They wouldn’t give me info on the phone. Coast Guard wants you fellas to check in and they will tell ya what’s comin. They were worried I was a terrorist or somethin’ trying to get information from them.” He leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. “They’ve shut most of us fishing boats down for the time being. But with what I’ve heard, I’m fine sitting tight for right now.”

Nate set his plate down on the table beside Ben. “So what have you heard?”

Ben resisted the urge to head back for more food as he watched the other hotel guests fill their plates.

“There’s action out at sea. Most of it is close to us. They haven’t said if it’s Russia or Korea yet. But it’s tense for sure. They are calling all our troops in from the bases around the world to come home to guard our shorelines and maybe bring in help to rebuild the grid. Sounds like an impossible task with everything gone to hell down there. Makes me happy I’m up here.” He rubbed his chin. “That is until we’re hit as hard as the rest of the states.”

“Alaska has a good defense system in place if it took out the E.M.P. headed here. Doesn’t it?” Ben had seen it with his own eyes and it was obvious that the rest of the nation’s defense system totally failed.

“We were just lucky, I think. The state is massive with less resources than you all have down south. I don’t understand it.” Trav shook his head.

“Perhaps you all have more guts up here. Someone saw what was really happening and took care of business. There’s been a lot of pansy talk going on for some time now back home, obviously just ignoring the threats until it’s too late.” Ben clenched his fists at the ridiculousness of it all.

“I ain’t going to politic with you. Alaska is in trouble anyway so it’s not like we won the grand prize over here.” Trav shook his head. “Guys, you gotta get outta here as soon as you can scrounge a spot on a boat.”

“We will.” Ben nodded. He knew he could make something happen.