THE COLLAPSE: Seeking Refuge (3 page)

“No prob, dad,” Meghan replied and disappeared back toward Forest Loop.  Two men around Stephen and Fish’s age stood up out of their chairs and offered them to the Kays, who very courteously sat down in them.  Tarra, Stephen and Fish remained standing to address the leaders.

A woman got up from the picnic table and moved next to Meghan’s dad.  She was close to his age, and also very attractive for her years.  She announced, “Welcome to The Park, everyone.  My name is Claudine Probst.” She then put her hand on Meghan’s dad’s arm and said, “This is my husband, William.” 

William nodded to them in acknowledgement.

Stephen knew that name - Claudine Probst.  Where did he know that name from?  He couldn’t remember.  His mind was struggling with bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Claudine continued, “You have already been informed by Ox that we are very cautious and skeptical about newcomers, especially military ones like yourselves.  With that being said, we would like for you to make a case on your own behalf at this time.” 

Stephen, Tarra and Fish all looked at each other at the same time.  Who should speak first?  All three of them were speechless.  Tarra nudged Stephen with her elbow as if to say,
“Go ahead, baby.  Speak for us!” 

But…Stephen just gulped once again and looked at Claudine with deer-in-the-headlight eyes.

Fish couldn’t speak either.  He was still dumbfounded at the fact that nobody at the leadership gathering had run up to him to shake his hand yet.  He was supposed to be their hero, damnit!

Katrina spoke from her chair at the fire, breaking the silence, “My daddy is really smart!”

Kyla added, “Yup, he’s the smartest man on the planet!  That’s what my mommy says.”

Claudine smiled down at the Kays in an awe-isn’t-that-cute sort of way, and said, “Thank you for your input, young ladies, but we’ll be the judge of that.”

Wow, Stephen was really put on the spot now.  He still couldn’t get his mind off that name.  Claudine Probst.  Who the hell was Claudine Probst?  It was bothering him.  He was positive he had heard that name before.  And recently.

Tarra nervously scanned the faces of all the men and women at site 137.  They were waiting for someone, anyone, to speak up.  Were they staring at her?  Or Stephen?  None of them seemed to be the least bit concerned with anything that Fish might have to say.  She nudged Stephen again, who was still staring off into space.  What the hell could possibly be going through his mind at that moment?  He needed to start talking, fast.  But he continued his glassy stare, even after Tarra nudged him a third time.  “
Enough is enough, talk already!” 
Tarra thought.  She almost began speaking for them instead, when Stephen abruptly snapped out of his trance and grinned.  He had figured something out.

“You’re the mayor of Oak Harbor, Mrs. Probst,” Stephen respectfully declared in realization.  Fish glanced at Stephen with a baffled look on his face as if to say,
“How in the heck did you know that?”
  Then he turned back to Claudine.

Claudine smiled a bit as she looked down at the ground, saying, “Indeed.  I
was
the mayor of Oak Harbor.”  She glanced around at the other members of leadership and laughed, “But not anymore though, obviously!” 

The other leaders all laughed right along with her.  The ice had been broken.  These were good people, in good spirits.  Stephen suddenly had all the courage he needed.  Once the merriment subsided, he began his argument for the leadership’s decision to allow them to remain in The Park.

“I would like to start off with the fact that my family and I, along with Fish here, are all good people, just like you,” Stephen took in a breath and paused.  “Now, I know that being a good person, in itself, doesn’t necessarily merit any value to an organization.  But, in addition to being good people, all three of us possess skills and attributes that I believe you will find quite beneficial to the ‘scenario’ here.  If you know what I mean.” 

When Stephen said “scenario”, he had smiled and used his fingers to make quotation marks around the word.  All of the leadership had chuckled with light-hearted understanding.  He had regained his mojo, and was on a roll.

Stephen pointed at Fish and said, “Fish is selfless and dauntless at the same time.  He’s a fearless, well-trained combatant and possesses the unique ability to operate and think clearly under extreme circumstances.  This is evidenced by his actions during the Safeway takeover, which, from my understanding, many of you are already aware of,” Stephen had looked at Jason Oxnard (whom they apparently called “Ox”) when he said those words.  Most of the men and women were nodding in agreement, which was good.  Fish stood up straight and beamed with pride. 

Stephen concluded Fish’s portion of the speech with, “This is the man you want…no, this is the man you
need
when things go south and it’s paramount that you have people around that you can trust and depend upon.  Most people will run away from a burning building, but this is the type of guy that will run
toward
it to make sure everyone got out safely.”

Stephen paused for dramatic effect before continuing.

“My wife, Tarra, is exceptionally good with children.  She’s read many books and articles on child psychology and can apply that knowledge extremely well.  Better than anyone else I know, in fact.  She has the patience of a saint, and is well-versed in first aid and CPR.  Not only that, but she is an excellent teacher, and can pass those skills along to anyone that’s willing to learn.” 

Stephen looked at Tarra.  Her eyes looked watery, almost as if she was about to cry.  She was so proud of him.  His words were moving her.  But she wouldn’t cry.  Not there, anyway.  She adamantly refused to show emotion in public.

“As a bonus, Tarra grew up in Alaska, and is quite familiar and proficient with firearms.  She, just like Fish, is ultra-brave, confident and quick-witted under pressure.  As a mother of two young girls, she is also extremely vigilant.  I am positive that she will amplify your security posture around the campground.”

Once again, all of the leaders were nodding with satisfaction.  Claudine stopped nodding and said to Stephen, “You’ve made a great case for Fish and your wife.  Why don’t you go ahead and tell us about yourself now.”

Stephen took in a deep breath and began, “Well, I guess you could say that I am very resourceful.” 

Fish nodded vigorously in support of his best friend.

William, who had been quiet up to that point, spoke up, “We need resourceful people.  But how knowledgeable are you about these type of resources?”

That was exactly the type of question Stephen had been mentally preparing himself for prior to the meeting.  He grinned and said, “Just on my short drive through The Park, I noticed a few things.  I have some suggestions, if you’d like to hear them.”

“Yes, we would.  Please do tell,” Claudine expressed.

“First of all, I noticed a lot of people fishing in the lake.  If it’s food you need, which I am certain you do, then that’s not the wisest place to be directing your time and energy.”

A man near the fire crossed his arms grumpily and said, “Oh really?  There’s trout in there.  They’re not that hard to catch and most people like the taste of ‘em.  So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that the WDFW stocks Cranberry Lake with fish every year, but usually in April.  It’s not April yet, so it hasn’t been stocked.  You’re catching what’s left of last year’s trout.”

The grumpy man huffed and said, “We’re still having luck with the trout.”  The man shook his head with severe disagreement, then barked, “I don’t see the problem.”

Stephen countered, “Here’s the problem.  The resources in the lake are finite.  Eventually it will be fished-out.  Why not focus your efforts toward an
infinite
wellspring of resources?  The ocean.”

Mr. Grumpy huffed once again and spouted, “Oh, that’s real smart.  You do realize that the salmon aren’t running this time of year, right?”

“To hell with salmon,” Stephen said and waved away the salmon comment with a flap of his hand.  “There are plenty of bottomfish like flounder, sculpin and rockfish that can be caught.  And easily, too!  Earthworms are all you need for bait.  Yeah, they’re not as tasty and easy to clean as salmon, but it’s food in the mouth.”

Stephen looked at Mr. Grumpy, awaiting a response.

Mr. Grumpy frowned before declaring, “Harvesting rockfish is illegal in this part of Washington State.”

“That’s correct, they are illegal to harvest here.  But you know what else is illegal?  Setting up roadblocks and demanding payment at gunpoint to cross a bridge.”

Many of the leaders chuckled at Stephen’s comment.  Some shrugged their shoulders and others whispered to each other.

Mr. Grumpy had no counter to what Stephen had said.  He just continued to shake his head and stare at the fire with his arms still crossed in disgust.

Stephen wasn’t finished with the Puget Sound supporting argument yet, “Even more plentiful are herring.  I saw that you have boats, right?  There are tons upon tons of herring in the Puget Sound.  Fish and I both have herring rigs in our tackle boxes.  Hell, the two of us could fill a five-gallon bucket in a half an hour or less.  We used to catch them all the time as bait for bigger fish, but they are quite edible by themselves.”

Most of the leaders were nodding and smiling at the same time.  Stephen was proving himself to be quite a knowledgeable asset.

Stephen wanted to further impress the group, so he joyfully continued, “Oh, and on top of all that, you’ve got a virtually endless supply of crab just north of here at Bowman Bay!  I’m sure that a few of these outdoorsmen must have some crab pots or cages hidden away in their RV’s or-”

Claudine interrupted Stephen by putting her hand up.  She shook her head and said, “No, absolutely not.  Bowman Bay is not an option at this time.”

Stephen was stunned.  Claudine had thrown him a curveball.  He asked, “What do you mean it’s not an option?”

“The campground at Bowman Bay and the area around it has developed into a breeding ground for criminals,” Claudine stated.  Stephen, Tarra and Fish looked confused, so she elaborated by saying, “Agitators, thugs, delinquents, outlaws, pieces of shit, or whatever else you want to call them. 
Not very nice
people.”

She allowed the three adults a second or two to absorb the revelation.  Claudine’s face went solemn before she said, “There have been some….incidents, recently.  Do you think that we secured the bridge simply as a measure to obtain resources from people passing through?”

“No,” Stephen said. “I’m guessing that there are other reasons.  I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“It’s alright, we understand.  Continue with your suggestions, please,” Claudine requested.

Stephen took a quick moment to process the news. 
Bowman Bay is now a haven for outlaws?
  Stephen wondered if Bowman Bay had turned into something similar to the AWOL compound in Oak Harbor.  If so, that would mean that there are now
two
dangerous mobster outfits within miles of each other.  Both of which will eventually run out of resources and will need to expand their territory to survive.  The Park was in the middle of both groups!

“Stephen?  Please continue,” Claudine said.  Stephen shook off the news and refocused.

“Another suggestion I would like to make is in regards to the woodcutting and harvesting inside The Park,” Stephen said.

Mr. Grumpy was back at it again, voicing his opinion, “Really?  What now?  Do you think we should stop or something?  Yeah, that’s a
great
idea!”  He laughed loudly, almost too loudly, and looked at the other leaders, assuming they would laugh at Stephen’s ridiculousness as well.

They didn’t.

Stephen glared at Mr. Grumpy’s and continued with, “No, wood is necessary.  Everyone needs wood for one reason or another.  What I am suggesting is an organized harvesting effort.  Set up two wood stations.  One between Quarry Pond and Forest Loop, and the other between Forest Loop and Lower Loop.  Only trees outside the actual campsite areas will be harvested.  All of the wood will be separated by type.  Alder and maple will be reserved strictly for cooking and smoking meats.  Cedar and pine can be used as regular firewood.  I am also recommending that some type of rationing system be established so that people aren’t burning out of control for no reason.”

Mr. Grumpy laughed again, “Ha!  Good luck with that!  You’re gonna piss everyone off!”

Claudine put up her hand again and said, “Larry, that’s enough.  In fact, I think we’ve heard enough from you as well, Stephen.  Thank you for your suggestions.”  She and her husband William glanced around at the other leaders, who were also nodding in agreement.  They looked as though they were waiting for something to happen next.

Claudine and William turned around and whispered something to each other, then resumed their standing positions next to each other in the middle of the group.

“I believe that we’re ready for a vote,” Claudine stated.  “All in favor of Fish and the Alexander family remaining with us in The Park, raise your hand and say ‘aye’.”

“Aye,” was spoken by almost all the leaders.  All of them except Larry, of course, who was still angrily cursing to himself with his arms crossed over his sizeable pot belly.