The Last Layover (13 page)

“Oh thanks,” Evan said. “I'd guess fifteen or twenty minutes at the most. When we get close to shore, we need to be ready to defend ourselves if need be, but not too obvious in case there is some sort of law enforcement presence.”

“We can just put some life jackets or something over our ARs next to us. Not sure we would need the Garands at that point,” said Jason.

“I agree. Can you go ahead and get all that setup?” Evan asked.

“Roger that,” replied Jason.

With that being decided, Jason got all of their defensive measures in place and went below to the salon to check on the others. He also let them know that they were getting close to the bay and to stay inside until they figure out a safe place to port. Jason then re-joined Evan at the bridge and said, “I guess I'm riding shotgun, or rather, assault rifle.”

Evan looked at him and said, “Oh c'mon, don't call an AR that. When a soldier has one it's a service rifle, when a cop has one it's a patrol rifle, but if a citizen has one it's an assault rifle? What the heck? Citizens do a lot less assaulting than the other two aforementioned groups.”

“Yeah, Yeah, I know, I know,” Jason said. “I just wanted to push your buttons.”

As they entered the Delaware Bay, Jason took the chart and said, “It looks like most of the coast on both sides is wildlife management area and the like, probably mostly marshy, otherwise they would have built on it. Damon's brother Jim lives in Delaware City right?”

“Yep,” Evan replied.

“Well, considering that, I think we should just press on to Delaware City. It's the first real populated area where we may find Bill some help and we don't have time to waste chasing maybes,” said Jason.

“Sounds like a plan. You just use those binoculars to scan both sides of the bay as best you can and I will keep us as far from the shore as possible,” replied Evan.

“Will do, brother,” affirmed Jason.

As they continued into the bay towards the Delaware River, they saw a few small boats which were mostly staying close to shore, almost seeming to intentionally avoid the
Mother Washington
.

“Maybe they think we are pirates,” Jason said.

“Huh?” shrugged Evan.

“Well, we are towing another boat. They may think we plundered it,” Jason said attempting to keep a straight face.

“Well, you may be joking but that probably wouldn't be too crazy of an assumption right now,” replied Evan.

Just then, a center console boat of about twenty-five feet in length left an isolated spot along the shore and began to motor towards the
Mother Washington
. “Well, what do we have here?” asked Evan. “We can't take any evasive action or outrun that thing pulling the
Little Angel
along behind, so you're just gonna have to deal with them with your so called assault rifle there,” said Evan.

“You know it!” said Jason as he uncovered his AR-15 and pulled it into view. He stood up and held the rifle at the ready in the direction of the approaching boat. Upon seeing him standing there meaning business, the boat changed course and headed on out of the Bay.

“Funny how that works,” said Jason.

“Yep,” replied Evan. “Everybody is tough until they realize they may die for what they intend to do.”

They kept to the center of the bay and reached the confluence of the Delaware River and the Bay. Looking at the chart again, Jason said, “As we go up the river, both sides are mostly parks and wildlife refuge. You will see an island in the middle of the river.  That will be the Fort Delaware State Park. Delaware City is directly to the left of that. It's a smaller town, so hopefully there won't be as much mayhem going on there.”

As they continued up the river, they both wondered what kind of reception they would receive. They were, after all, strangers driving a boat that belongs to a local, and to add to that they have his dead brother on board with only their word as to what had happened.

“Well, there is the island up ahead,” said Jason as he pointed.

Evan pulled the power back and brought the
Mother Washington
to a fast idle and asked, “Where is the marina?”

“It's actually inland a bit, up a small channel. We will be in tight and not defendable at all if we get jumped. We will be at close range from both sides and won't be able to turn around with the
Little Angel
in tow,” Jason pointed out.

“Oh well, gotta risk it for Bill,” replied Evan.

“Yep,” affirmed Jason. “I'm gonna put this back under my coat for now,” He opened his rain coat and hid the AR-15 from plain view.

As they approached the channel that led to the marina, a large plywood sign was erected that said, “Go Away! No Moorage! No Fuel! No Services! You Loot We Shoot!” Evan and Jason both read the sign, looked at each other, smiled, and simultaneously said, “Sounds like our kind of people.”

They laughed and Evan said, “Oh well, here goes.”

He pulled the left engine's transmission into neutral in order to bring the idle speed down a bit. If they had to come to a stop in a hurry, he didn't want the momentum of the
Little Angel
to cause it to collide violently with them. “There we go,” Evan said as he pointed to the pier. “Lots of pier space off to the right.”

Several men began to gather on the pier. One had what looked like a pump shotgun, another had a bolt action hunting rifle, and a few others could be seen with bats and other makeshift weapons. “No services! Go away!” yelled one of the men. When Jason stood up to explain, the same man raised the shotgun, pointed it squarely at Jason, and repeated his demand.

Jason yelled, “Do you know Jim Rutherford? We have his brother and a very sick man who needs help.”

Meanwhile, Evan was trying to negotiate the big
Mother Washington
up alongside the pier with the
Little Angel
in tow, hoping he wouldn't feel Jason's blood splatter all over him at any second.

The men turned and talked amongst themselves for a moment and one yelled back to them, “Who is his brother?”

“Damon Rutherford,” Jason responded.

One of the men then took off running up the pier and into town. Another of the men walked down the pier to get a view of the
Mother Washington's
name art.

“I think they are beginning to put things together,” said Jason.

“I hope so. I don't want your blood splattered on my jacket today,” Evan remarked with a grin.

A long section of empty pier was available, enabling Evan to pull the length of the
Mother Washington
alongside with the
Little Angel
in tow. He got within a few feet and shut the engines off and glided silently up against the bumpers on the pier. Two of the other men on the pier then threw mooring lines around the cleats on the
Mother Washington
and tied it to the pier, while another man went back to do the same with the
Little Angel
as it bumped the pier and came to a stop.

With a suspicious and inquisitive tone, the man with the shotgun said, “Who are you and why are you on Jim's boat?”

“I'm Evan Baird and this is Jason Jones,” Evan said. “Down below is Peggy Marshal, and the couple that own the sail boat are Bill and Judith Hoskins. Bill is in really bad shape and needs to see a Doctor ASAP. He may be having a heart attack. We met them a few miles out at sea in distress and pulled them here for help. We were on our way to bring Damon to Jim and to bring Jim his boat back.”

“What the hell do you mean
bring Damon to Jim
? Where is Damon?” the man said, seeming to get concerned and tense.

“He was shot while sitting on the bridge by a boat that attempted to hijack us out at sea,” Evan said as he pointed to the bullet holes on the flybridge. “He didn't make it, and we wanted to get him back to his family, where he belongs.”

The man lowered the shotgun and silently said a prayer to himself. He cleared his throat, wiped a tear from his eye, and said in a somber voice, “Where is he?”

“He's in the stateroom, but let's get Bill taken care of first.”

“Right, of course,” said the man. He turned and yelled to another man, “Get the cart and get it now!”

The man ran off and came back just a few minutes later, driving a propane-powered golf cart style utility vehicle with a small dump bed on the back. The men all hurried down into the salon, picked Bill up, and rushed him onto the pier and into the cart.

“Ma'am, they are going to take your husband to my sister's house just up the street. She's an ER nurse and she will do everything she can to help. She brought a bunch of emergency supplies home when everything started to go down. You can ride with them.” Judith hurried onto the back of the cart and the men sped away to get Bill to the nurse. “You three come with me. Jim just lives a few blocks up the street. He's gonna want to hear everything you can tell him.”

Later that evening, they arrived at Jim Rutherford's home. They exchanged pleasantries and Evan and Jason sat down with him in the living room and broke the news to him about his brother Damon. He was silent as they explained in detail their perilous trip from the hotel, out of the city, and to the
Mother Washington
. Jim's eyes welled up with tears as he listened. They explained every instance of Damon's heroism in detail: how, without him, they wouldn't have made it out of the city and Bill and Judith would probably still be floating helplessly out at sea because they would have never been there to find them.

They accompanied Jim to the
Mother Washington
and helped him remove Damon's remains. Jim told them that they would have a ceremony for him and get him a buried within a day or two, and asked Evan, Jason, and Peggy if they could please stay for the service.

“Of course, we wouldn't dream of missing our chance to pay our respects to our friend and hero,” Evan said with a tear in his eyes. They then gathered their things from the
Mother Washington
and accompanied Jim back to his home, where they were offered a place to stay.

“The power has been out all week so all of the fresh food is gone,” Jim said. “We will probably have to eat what's in the pantry on the boat very soon. Luckily, I kept it fairly well-stocked with emergency items. Please forgive us for the lack of a decent meal tonight.”

“Oh, don't worry about feeding us,” Jason said. “We've got some tuna and stuff we can eat; we don't want to take your food.”

“Nonsense!” replied Jim. “You risked your necks to bring my brother and my boat back. You didn't have to do that so you are welcome to dinner and I insist.”

Chapter 12: Friendship through Fate

That night, they had a simple but filling meal of rice that was boiled in a pot on a propane-powered grill in addition to some canned ham. After they all ate, Jim took Evan and Jason into the garage while Peggy helped Jim's wife, Lori, clean up after dinner. “So what do you know about what has happened?” Jim asked.

“All we know is that there were some terrorist attacks scattered throughout New York City that pretty much collapsed the city’s infrastructure. Manhattan Island seemed to have nearly been burned to the ground from what we saw on our way out.” He then went on to explain what Judith had told them about Norfolk and what they had seen of Atlantic City from the boat.

“Well, guys,” Jim said, “it's actually a lot worse than just what you saw. I'm with the Civil Air Patrol and we've got a pretty extensive radio network.”

“HAM?” Jason interrupted.

“No, not HAM. HAM is governed by the FCC, but Civil Air Patrol radios are governed by the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA). CAP uses private DOD frequencies which can only be used by CAP members. Our radios have a range of one hundred fifty to two hundred and fifty miles and that is multiplied by a large network of repeaters. We are basically capable of relaying messages coast to coast.”

“Anyway, our guys were reporting what they were seeing all across the country. Several major metropolitan areas such as LA, Dallas, Detroit, and Boston, as well as some smaller areas in the Midwest, have had their water supplies poisoned. There have been thousands of people killed and sickened from drinking tap water. Of course that now means bottled water and water purification supplies are life and death issues and are being fought over. Bottled or purified water is the new money in a lot of the country, as people are afraid to drink from the tap.

“Also, nearly every major city has had numerous transportation system bombings, like the subways in NYC and the train lines in Chicago. There have even been Grey Hound buses explode while carrying passengers. There have been mass shootings, by what was described as jihadist type individuals, in schools and shopping malls and other crowded public places. Police departments, fire departments, and hospitals have been bombed or set on fire. Several large airplanes were stolen and used as flying bombs. A Boeing 737 was intentionally crashed into the terminal at the JFK airport, shutting it down. Power plants have been attacked and at a minimum taken offline, however, several major power plants were completely destroyed.

“The coal-fired plants had their coal stores ignited, creating outrageous fires that took the plants down for the long haul. Nearly every oil refinery in the U.S. was hit as well, ranging from harassing attacks to keep employees away, to all-out assaults. Some received only small scale damage, but others were completely destroyed. Basically, every facet of our infrastructure has been hit, and every safety net that we have had in place was damaged. The transportation, energy, fuel, food distribution, financial system... everything… everything has been hit. Gas stations that do still have gas, don't have electricity to pump it, and the ones that have generators are already out from the panic buying and there won't be any resupply any time soon. On top of that, the government is reported to have seized a majority of the remaining food and fuel stores to distribute as it sees fit, which will probably just be to itself and its supporters.

“Just think about how bad Katrina was, yet people in nearby cities and states were able to come and help. In this situation, whoever is behind this has made sure that virtually every populated area in the nation has been hit in one way or another, which means that wherever you are, no one is coming to help because they are dealing with their own problems.

“By the second day, the President basically suspended the constitution and declared martial law, which you guys witnessed. Even our CAP radio network was ordered off the air in the name of national security. Our fleet is also grounded, as the entire national airspace system has been considered a no fly zone. This is bad guys… really bad. Our financial system, which was already teetering on the edge, is simply no more. It's not that the stock market has collapsed; based on what you’re saying, you saw in New York, the stock market was destroyed. As wide spread as this is, I just don't see how we can bounce back. Some of the final chatter on the CAP radios before we were shut down was that the government was rounding up opposition groups and labeling them terrorist groups. They were ignoring the fact that most of the reports that came back were that the attacks, at least the ones that were witnessed, were jihadist or military in nature.”

Just then, Peggy burst into the garage with tears in her eyes, reflecting the light from the candle she was carrying to light her way in the dark house. “Bill didn't make it,” she said. “He was pretty much dead by the time they got to the nurse. Judith is a mess. She's having a nervous breakdown. I'm going to stay with her tonight at the nurse’s house because she refuses to leave Bill's side. I will meet you guys back down here in the morning.”

“Okay, Peggy, thank you so much for helping her,” Evan said. He and Jason both gave Peggy a hug and Evan said, “Be careful tonight, we will see you two in the morning.”

“So where is Judith going to go now?” asked Jim. “And what about you guys?”

“Well, our plan is to head west to Ohio to collect Jason's family and bug out vehicle, and then head south to my family's property in Tennessee to weather out the storm,” Evan explained. 

“Bug out vehicle? Were you guys into that Doomsday show or something?” Jim jokingly asked. 

“No, no, we were a little more subdued than that, but now I'm glad we were crazy preppers. Anyway, I don't know what Judith will do. Both of her children are thousands of miles away, and Bill was all she had. That sailboat was basically their retirement plan. Without him, she really has nothing to fall back on that I know of,” said Evan.

“Well, guys, we don't have enough food for ourselves as it is here, or we would love to take her in, but trust me, it's going to get dire around here really soon. I suggest you take her with you,” Jim said with a serious look on his face.

“Absolutely!” Jason replied. “She's part of the group now, if she wants to be, as far as we are concerned. Whether or not she follows us all the way to Tennessee is up to her, but she has a place to go if she wants it.”

“So, you say you guys are pilots?” asked Jim with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes sir, why?” responded Evan.

“Well, I may have a proposition for you. Are you familiar with a Maule?”

“The four seat bush planes? Those things are pretty cool. Quick off the ground, too, if I remember correctly,” replied Evan with a peaked interest. 

Jim replied, “Well, I have a 1980 Maule M-5. It's out of annual and, technically, the engine is a tad over its recommended time before overhaul, but now that the world has fallen apart around us, that doesn't seem to be much of an issue. It's got a strong running engine with an automotive gasoline supplemental type certification. Being able to run pump gas will help a lot, with the scarcity of av-gas being what it was, even when things were good. I also had oil samples done on a regular basis, right up to the point where the annual inspection expired. There were no metal deposits or anything indicating an imminent failure. It's got a simple panel, but it all works.”

“Anyway, if Judith has no need for that boat without Bill, and if she wants to go with you, I'll trade her the boat for the plane. You guys can fit all four of you and your bags inside and low-level yourselves all the way to Ohio.”

“But didn't you say the entire airspace system was a no fly zone now?” questioned Jason.

“Well yes, technically, but if you fly at the tree tops, stay over the corn fields, and follow the terrain along the way, you should have a fairly radar-free route from here to there. Besides, I've heard of other guys going up in rural areas to survey the place and they haven't had a problem. The Feds just don't have the manpower right now to chase every little gnat in the sky. And face it, people are getting pretty darn desperate out there right now. I don't think you'd do very well traveling by land,” Jim answered.

“Well, that actually might not be a bad way to go. We have to give her a chance to get over this big change in her life, though, before we offer to trade her out of her retirement dream,” Evan said.

“What are you going to do with her boat if she says yes?” asked Jason.

“We will load it up with friends and supplies and the
Mother Washington
and
Little Angel
will be our little bug out armada. We are getting the hell out of here and heading for the islands down south. We are way too close to Philadelphia; if we stick around much longer, the people there will be spreading out in desperation and we will be right in their path. This little town will overrun by next week at the latest.”

“Well, this might just be win-win then,” said Evan.

“Oh, and one more thing— we desperately need to get to a HAM radio. Jason and I both have HAM setups at home and our wives have always known that if something were to happen while we were away, the plan is for them to listen every morning at nine o’clock and every night at nine o’clock until we make contact.”

“Oh,” Jim said, “so that's why Jason asked if our radios were HAMs. Our official CAP radios aren't, but we have a HAM guy in the group. He lives just two streets over. I'll take you there in the morning. There is no power on his street, but he can fire up his generator for a few minutes. We will try and have you set up before 9am.”

That night, Evan and Jason stayed with the Rutherford's in their extra room. They tossed and turned all night, both excited and fearful about what they may or may not find out on the radio the next morning. Their exhaustion eventually overpowered their nerves, and they were able to get some much needed rest. When morning finally came, they were awakened to the smell of Cream of Wheat and coffee. They gathered themselves, got dressed, and proceeded to the kitchen, assuming where the food can be found, the people can be as well. As they walked into the kitchen, the found Jim’s wife, Lori, cooking breakfast and coffee on an old Coleman camp stove.

Jim saw them enter the room and stood up. “Good morning, gentlemen. The coffee is ready and the food is simple, but it’s hot.”

“Sorry, guys,” Lori said. “It's just Cream of Wheat, no toast or anything; all of the fresh stuff is already gone.”

“Oh, don't worry, ma'am. These days any morning you wake up alive to eat breakfast at all makes it a good breakfast,” Jason said with a smile.

After they ate, Jim said, “Well, gentlemen, I’m sure you want to get a move on so we are at Bruce’s place before 9 am. Lori will be here while we are gone, just in case Peggy and Judith come by. We had better get a move on.”

Evan and Jason were both anxious to get going, so the three men set out on foot to Bruce Thomas's place to see about using the HAM radio. “We pretty much walk everywhere right now,” Jim said as they walked down the main road in town. “Gas is too hard to come by to burn up going somewhere you can get for free. Most people around here only have what’s in their tank, and when it’s gone, who knows when there will be a chance to get more.”

“I guess America is about to lose a lot of weight then,” chuckled Jason.

“And a lot of the population,” replied Jim in a somber manner.

A few minutes later, they reached the home of Bruce Thomas and his family. Bruce was a retired school teacher who became interested in the Civil Air Patrol from his HAM radio usage. He wasn't a pilot, but figured he could help out with the CAP in the communications field. He had been a loyal CAP member for over eleven years and grew to become a good and trusted friend of Jim Rutherford.

Once inside the home, Jim introduced everyone, and they quickly got down to business. Bruce had heard about them and was excited to be able to help. “Come on in. Please make yourselves at home,” Bruce said as he ushered them in the door. “We don't usually have the lights on, but I fired the generator up to get the radio all warmed up for you. It’s this way, just down this hall.”

As they entered the room, they were impressed by Bruce’s radio station as well as the military memorabilia that he had displayed all over the room. “Now, who are we calling first?” asked Bruce.

Jason pulled his small notebook out of his pocket and flipped through the pages to find the frequency he needed in order to contact his wife in Zanesville. “Do you mind if I go first?” Jason said, looking at Evan.

“No man, of course not. Go for it,” Evan replied.

Jason sat down at the radio and watched the clock tick by. It was currently 8:55am. It seemed like the next five minutes lasted an eternity. At exactly 9:00am, just as he was about to key up the microphone, he heard, “JJ220… are you there?” It was his wife, Sarah.

Jason stood up from the seat in excitement and grabbed the microphone as he broke down in tears. “Yes baby, yes, I'm here, oh thank God you’re there! How are you how are the kids?”

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” came across the radio next.

Bruce, Jim, and Evan stepped out of the room for a moment to give him some time to talk to his family in private. When they came back in, Jason was all smiles. He said, “Have you heard from Molly?”

“Yes,” Sarah said. “We talk every day on here. She contacted me shortly after it all started and we have been keeping each other up-to-date ever since. She said that Griff and his family have joined up with them on the Homefront, and that with the extra security they are providing, everything is secure.”