Dead Sea

    "I know you can, but we need you here, Malik. We need somebody that we can count on to stay behind and keep everyone on the ship safe. Can you do that for us? Protect everyone?"

    He nodded. "You can count on me."

    "Okay." I gave them one more squeeze and they hugged me back.

    Eventually, we passed beyond Virginia Beach.

    The hotels and developments vanished, replaced by trees and dunes. Within a few more miles, the forest grew thicker. Tall pine trees towered over the shoreline. The only sign of civilization was a cell phone tower sticking up above the treetops. Then the rescue station came into sight. It wasn't much- just a small cove with a single dock, and a few white, cement block buildings and a long, tin-roofed warehouse. There was also a tiny chapel. Someone had mounted a basketball hoop in the parking lot. A single vehicle, a dark green Ford Explorer, sat beneath it. A tattered American flag fluttered in the breeze at the top of a pole in the compound's center.

    The Spratling slowed to a halt and Chief Maxey dropped the anchor. Turn, Mitch, Tony, Runkle, Hooper, and I boarded the lifeboat and took our seats. Chuck and Chief Maxey lowered us down to the surface and then we cast off. Turn started the motor and we cruised toward the cove. While en route, he turned on his battery-operated radio and checked communications with the ship. Chief Maxey answered him, his voice loud and clear.

    The shoreline was deserted. The flag slapped against the pole. A few birds perched on the roof of the warehouse, but there was no other movement. I sniffed the salty breeze but smelled no sign of zombies. Turn pulled alongside the dock and shut off the motor. Hooper stood up carefully and tied us off. He glanced around, nervous. After confirming the coast was clear, the rest of us climbed up onto the dock. We agreed that Turn would stay with the boat just in case we had to make a quick getaway.

    "Mitch," Runkle said, "you take point. Hooper, you bring up the rear. The rest of us will move spaced ten feet apart. Everybody with me?"

    We nodded.

    "Good. We'll start with the closest building. Once it's clear, we'll move on to the next. We do this as a group. I don't want anybody going off by themselves. And if we do get into some shit, watch your shots. Last thing we need is to catch each other in a fucking crossfire. Understood?"

    We nodded again. In the trees, a flock of crows suddenly took flight, startling us all. I nearly squeezed my trigger.

    "Weapons check," Runkle said. "Everybody make sure you're locked and loaded."

    Once that was completed, we moved forward. Mitch approached the Explorer first and peered inside while the rest of us hung back. He opened the door and checked the interior. Then he popped his head back up.

    "Empty."

    "Anything we can use?" Runkle asked.

    "Not unless you guys are into Fallout Boy, John Tesh, or gospel music. There's a bunch of CDs in the console, but they're all shit. End of the fucking world and Fallout Boy is all that's left for our descendants to find."

    Tony and 1 snickered. Runkle motioned toward the first cement block building. Mitch crept toward it, weapon at the ready. We followed. My palms were sweaty, and I had to keep switching the pistol from hand to hand so that I could wipe them on my shirt. My armpits grew damp. My ears felt hot and my pulse pounded in my temples. A headache started to bloom behind my eyes.

    Mitch flattened himself against the wall of the first building and listened at the door. He looked back at us, nodded, and then reached out and tried the handle. It was unlocked. Taking a deep breath, he lunged forward and threw the door open. Runkle and Tony ran through it, their pistols extended. Hooper and I followed. Mitch came in behind us. The room, some type of communications center, was deserted. A massive, dust-covered two-way radio sat on a shelf behind the front desk. A microphone dangled from it, swinging by the cord. There were two telephones, a box of what looked like replacement parts for the radio, and several maps and charts. Taped to the wall were a list of maritime distress signals and important emergency phone numbers. There was a single closed door at the back of the room.

    Hooper picked up one of the phones and held it to his ear. The rest of us looked at him hopefully.

    "Dead," he told us. "Didn't figure it would be working, but it never hurts to check."

    Mitch inched to the second door, listened carefully, and then tried the handle. The door swung open, hinges creaking. Mitch reached inside, found the light switch and turned it on. Then he whistled.

    "Got some stuff we can use here, I think."