Life Goes On by Tayell, Frank (large ebook reader txt) 📗

“So maybe a bit older than fifteen,” Tess said. “Did she escape Louisiana alone?”

“No, she was with her dad. No mention of a mum. She started writing after they found this boat, but they first went to Atlanta.”

“That’s in Georgia,” Tess said. “The city has one of the world’s largest airports.”

“Does it? Okay, so here, near the beginning, she writes: Savannah was barricaded. Wouldn’t let us in. Told us about Toronto and Ottawa and Boston. Met Santiago at Blackbeard Creek. He’d been hiding. Waiting for things to calm until he went north. We told him about the northeast, how there’s nowhere left. We’ll have to go south with him.”

“So was this Santiago’s boat?” Tess asked.

“Think so,” Zach said. “The next bit is about her old life. Her friends. How they must be dead. So I guess she wasn’t in immediate danger when she wrote that. Must have been at sea.”

“Could be,” Tess said. “Savannah and Atlanta are both in Georgia, but I’d have to look at a map to know how far from Louisiana they are. People in Savannah warned them about Toronto, Ottawa, and Boston, and they warned Santiago about the northeast. Let’s assume it was the same warning that they were passing on.”

“Does that mean nukes?” Zach asked.

“You’ve got the book, mate, you tell me,” she said.

He skimmed ahead. “Havana was nuked. That’s in Cuba, isn’t it?”

“It is. Did they go there?”

“No. She says: We picked up radio reports from Miami. So many people ashore need help. Dad says we can’t help them all. We’d be swamped. Lose the ship. A Cuban ship came alongside. A navy ship. I thought we were dead, but they gave us food and fuel, and told us to avoid Havana. It was bombed. They were going north, to Greenland. There’s supposed to be a refuge there. We told them how Canada was nuked. They still went north. We went south.”

“Havana, too?” Tess asked.

“Was there a refuge in Greenland?” Zach asked.

“I don’t think so,” Tess said. “General Yoon was setting up a redoubt in the northeast of Canada. Sounds like it was targeted. The other Canadian refuge was in Vancouver, and we know that was bombed.”

“Deliberately, right?” Zach said. “Like South Africa and Brazil, to stop us rebuilding?”

“I expect so,” Tess said. “Go on, what else does she say?”

“It’s a bit… well, personal,” he said.

“Skip ahead,” she said. “How did they end up here?”

“Well, first…” He turned a page, and then turned back. “Yeah, first they went to Mexico. A place called Puerto Morelos. Santiago went ashore and bought more fuel with gold.”

“He paid with gold?” Tess asked.

“That’s what it says,” Zach said. “They found it in the safe.”

“What safe?”

“Oh, that was at the beginning. There’s a safe somewhere on the ship. They spent days figuring out how to get it open. But it was just full of gold.”

“Right, so this wasn’t Santiago’s boat originally?” Tess said.

“Guess not,” Zach said. “Does it matter?”

“Guess not,” Tess said. “What happened in… where was the place they bought fuel?”

“Puerto Morelos,” Zach said. “All it says is they traded gold for diesel. She was surprised people were still accepting gold as money. The next day, it says Santiago took their boat ashore. He came back with a woman called Maria. I think that’s where she joined the ship. There was no mention of her before, but the next day it says she made corn pancakes.”

“Why did they go ashore when they found Maria? Was it to look for food, or because the woman was signalling?”

“Doesn’t say,” Zach said. “Next day they found food on a small freighter. Lots of zoms aboard. Her dad got bit and… no! He survived!”

“Cool. So where are they now?”

“Um…” He skimmed a page, and another. “Dunno. It says they’re out of ammo. The engine’s broken. Only got the junk food left. Hang on.” He turned back to the beginning. “But they have a small boat. Dunno how small, but they tied it up on the deck. It was the same boat they used right at the beginning to come aboard in Blackbeard Creek. Bet that’s why they’re not here. They took their small boat ashore.”

“But where, Zach?” Tess asked. “It can’t have been long ago or far away. Keep reading. See if there’s any more clues.”

But he’d found no answers before Captain Adams and Lieutenant Kane came aboard.

“Mr Dickenson has repaired the engine,” Adams said. “Mr Kane has volunteered to take the ship back to the Pacific as a prize.”

“This ship?” Tess asked. “Can you make it?”

“Aye, ma’am,” Kane said with a grin. “Been sailing boats since before I could walk.”

“Let me rephrase that, is it wise?” Tess asked.

“The Pacific needs ships,” Adams said. “Vessels independent of fuel will be vital in the months ahead. Mr Kane will make for Dégrad des Cannes, and can wait for us. We’ll only be two or three days behind.”

“We’re not going south, too?” Tess asked.

“I’d like to scout some of the islands first,” Adams said. “We’re more likely to find survivors, and more likely to find food.”

“Captain, I should get my people aboard,” Kane said.

“Thank you, Captain Kane,” Adams said.

Tess watched the young man jog back to the small group of sailors who’d come aboard with him. “Taking prize ships at sea?” Tess asked. “It sounds like something from a different era.”

“I know,” Adams said. “But we do need ships like this. There is little chance its like will be built again.”

“Isn’t there a danger he might sail into the sisters?” Tess asked. “We know they have a ship, and someone sank those vessels northwest of French Guiana.”

“Yes, it’s a risk,” Adams said. “But oceans are vast, and the sisters have now lost their fuel reserve.