Into the River Lands (Darkness After Series Book 2) (24 page)

But Artie knew that an illusion was all any of it was, and the advanced civilization that such distantly visible edifices should signify was in ruin. Despite the near-tropical warmth of the Gulf air, he felt a chill slide down his spine as he contemplated just how dangerous that coast and the interior beyond it really was. He was grateful for the miles of water that separated him and his loved ones from it, but he knew he would feel much better when that distance was even greater.
 

That would happen, but not before his brother was ready. Larry was working tirelessly to complete the repairs and prepare the
Casey Nicole
for a long sea voyage. Although getting out to Cat Island after being rammed by the big fishing boat in the Pearl River swamp was not a problem, the catamaran was not ready for the open ocean in that condition. They were much closer now though, Artie thought, as he looked back down at the new areas of fiberglass and plywood that were beginning to blend in seamlessly to the rest of the damaged hull and deck. Once again his brother’s experience had proven invaluable, simply by the fact that he had the foresight to include spare materials as part of the ship’s provisions.
 

The catamaran was still wearing dull gray primer as a topcoat everywhere above the waterline, since there had been no time to paint her when they launched in Culebra for their voyage to New Orleans. Appearance was the last thing on Larry's mind at the time and Artie knew it would be a long time before the
Casey Nicole
was finished to her full glory, if ever. The important thing was making ready to sail so they could get her as far away from the United States mainland as possible. Although they were relatively safe anchored at Cat Island, as compared to being right off the coast, there was still too much proximity to all that madness for anyone's comfort. Everyone in their crew had seen more than enough of the aftermath of the collapse, and no one wanted a repeat of their recent experiences.

How long had it actually been?
Artie tried to think back.
Three weeks? Almost a month?
It sure seemed a lot longer. So much had happened in such a short time, it was hard to fathom. He hoped the worst of it was over, at least for the six of them. It would be hard to imagine anything worse than the feeling of not knowing if his daughter was alive or dead. Now that he was reunited with Casey, Artie felt that no matter what happened next, it had to be better than the pain he'd gone through during those dark days of wondering if he was ever going to see her again.

Casey and her roommate Jessica were fortunate to escape the nightmare that New Orleans quickly became after the solar flares destroyed the power and communications grid and rendered most automobiles useless. Both had gotten out unscathed, at least physically, but Artie was certain that Casey's experience with the deranged kidnapper who took her captive on the Bogue Chitto River would trouble her later, especially considering how that episode ended. At least for now though, she seemed to be able to put it out of her thoughts or to hide it well if not.
 

Artie knew that if not for Grant Dyer, the young grad-student that his daughter had befriended long before all this happened, it was unlikely that either of the girls would have gotten out of the dying city before it was too late. But even if not for all the risks this young man took to get his daughter and her friend to safety, Artie would have liked Grant if he had met him before. He was an interesting person to talk to despite being so young, partly because he had already traveled far more than most men twice his age.

Artie knew he owed a lot to Grant for all he had done, but every single one of them had Larry to be thankful for most of all. If not for this 36-foot catamaran that Larry had built before he ever dreamed something like this could happen, Artie had no idea where any of them would be today or what they would do. The catamaran was a magic carpet that had brought him here, back to the U.S. after the solar flare’s devastating pulse left him stranded on his vacation in the islands. It was a rare event when Artie even got a vacation, and fortunately for him, he’d chosen to spend this one sailing with his resourceful brother in the Eastern Caribbean. He’d merely wanted to get away from his duties at the hospital for a few days to see how his carefree younger brother lived. Little did he know that while he was there, the world was about to change with a flashing of lights in the night sky.
 

Because of Larry's boat, Artie had the means to get back to New Orleans to find his daughter when otherwise he would have remained stranded in St. Thomas indefinitely. The passage from the islands had been difficult and dangerous, but with the help of Larry’s Rastafarian friend, Scully; they made it there relatively quickly, only to find that Casey and her roommate Jessica were already gone. If not for the note Casey had left for Artie in his parked car at the New Orleans airport, it would have been impossible to ever find the girls.
 

But fortunately they had, and now, because of Larry's catamaran, all of them could leave the violence that had consumed the mainland behind them for good. They could set sail and even cross entire oceans if necessary to get someplace where life might be normal again. Or even if not normal, perhaps at least someplace where they would not have to literally fight for survival every day. Artie hoped he would never have to wield a firearm against his fellow man again, but he now knew that he could and that he would if he had to.
 

Where they were going was still uncertain. They discussed the alternatives at length, but in the end Artie knew it was ultimately Larry's decision. Larry was the one with the most experience in such matters, having lived an ocean-wandering life as a professional yacht delivery skipper for the past 15 years. Larry had been just about everywhere it was possible for a sailboat to go in the Caribbean Basin and the Atlantic coast, as well as many ports on the other side of that ocean. He had some ideas where they might find safe refuge, all with trade-offs, of course, but most far better than remaining in North America and especially the United States. The problem in such highly developed nations was that the total failure of the grid led to almost immediate panic. With no trucks running to deliver food and other essentials in a complex supply chain that was only three days from failure anyway, practically everything was in short supply or gone before most citizens realized what was happening. Very few people were prepared to weather such an interruption and it was more than most could handle. When they couldn't go and buy what they needed to survive, many of them quickly began taking what they could from anyone who had it, using whatever force was necessary. It was a complete reversion to savagery unlike any Artie had ever imagined possible.
 

He didn’t want to see it again, so he reached for a fresh sheet of sandpaper to put on his block so he could get back to work. But just before he knelt on the deck to get to it, he glanced to the north one more time and was startled by what he saw. A good-sized sailboat had rounded the point on the other side of the island, and was now heeled over in the afternoon breeze as it headed straight his way on a beam reach. Artie was sure it was one of the two boats they knew were anchored around on the other side. They’d seen them when they first arrived, but had not made contact. Now, it looked as though they were about to meet the crew of at least one of them after all.
 

“Hey Larry! You’d better get up here!” Artie knew it didn’t pay to assume anything these days. Everyone they met was a threat until proven otherwise. He yelled across the anchorage as loud as he could to Casey and her friends, and then dashed below to get Larry’s portable air horn. He had to let them know to get back to the boat before the strangers arrived.

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VOYAGE AFTER THE COLLAPSE