Storm Surge, page 26
part #1 of Storm Surge Series
Maxine lifted her head. She continued her patrol through the shelves, finding the canned soups and dried seasoning she needed. She headed to the stove and began to prepare. After finishing everything, she kept the stew hot and headed to the shower. She cleaned herself and fixed her hair, using small scissors to trim her bangs. None of the girls had make-up. She’d have to rely on her natural beauty. She looked herself in the mirror one last time. Sickened by her actions, she walked into the kitchen, moved the stew into the pot, put it into a basket, and climbed the ladder. She headed to the second-story balcony and set the stew on a small table between the two chairs.
Maxine brought out spools, bowls, and a ladle. They’d serve themselves right from the same pot as a way to show their intimacy. Learn where he put the boats. That’s it. She did not need to go any further than that. Once she knew how to escape, she could go early in the morning.
With everything set, she wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs and walked to the top of the stairs. “Jacob.”
He walked in through the back door, holding his rifle in hand. There was a tense look on his face.
Maxine asked, “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” Jacob said. “I just have this feeling.”
“I’m sure it will go away once you eat something.” Maxine gestured for him to follow.
Jacob slung the rifle strap over his shoulder and hiked the steps. He stepped through the open bedroom door, noticing the made bed and fluffed pillows. He eyed them as he walked out of the French doors.
Maxine held her hands on the railing and looked up at the hazy room. Like pinholes, starlight sparkled through the thin clouds.
“Just us?” Jacob asked.
“As promised,” Maxine replied.
Jacob joined her by the railing. “Full moon.”
“It’s the first one I’ve seen since Miami. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a month,” Maxine said.
“Time moves slower out here.” Jacob glanced over to her. “You look nice.”
Maxine tucked her hair behind her air. “Thanks. I wanted to feel like a woman again.”
“Woman are meant to be strong. They have been for thousands of years. There’s no shame in getting your hands a little dirty,” Jacob said.
“What’s your type of woman?” Maxine asked.
Jacob groaned. “I don’t like that question.”
“Come on. I won’t tell,” Maxine teased.
Jacob lifted the lid off the pot of stew. Steam busted over his long beard. Like marble, grey streaked his facial hair.
Maxine put a hand on her lip, waiting for his reply.
“A partner,” Jacob finally answered. “I’m not a godly man, but something about having a helpmate like Eve always appealed to me. She was a woman that could look after her own, tend to animals, and ruled the garden beside Adam, not below him.”
“Eve was easily deceived,” Maxine said.
“She was just curious. It got the best of her.”
Jacob lifted the ladle and filled his soup bowl. Maxine got a bowl of her own. They slouched back in their chairs. Jacob took a deep breath and smelled the hardy aroma of the soup. “That’s better.”
Maxine blew on a spoonful and ate it. She cursed.
“What?” Jacob asked.
“I forgot to grab drinks for us.”
Jacob pushed against the handrails, lifting out of the chair.
“No, you stay put,” Maxine said. “I’ll get them.”
“There are some in the cooling unit in the bunker!” Jacob shouted to her as she hurried into the house. Maxine hurried into the bunker. Sarah and Lily were there.
Maxine quickly commanded them. “Find me scotch or whiskey. Anything strong.”
They rummaged through the storage.
“There’s wine over here!” Sarah exclaimed.
Maxine took it from her. “Perfect. Listen up, if I learn about the canoes tonight, I need all of you to be ready to leave the moment I get you.”
“We will be,” Lily said firmly. She winced.
“What?” Maxine asked.
“Just a cramp. It’s nothing,” Lily replied. She waddled back to her room.
Wine bottle in hand, Maxine returned upstairs. She snatched glasses from the kitchen cupboard and returned to Jacob.
“Sorry about the wait,” Maxine said, hurrying outside.
Jacob’s soup bowl sat untouched in his lap.
“Everything okay?” Maxine asked.
“Just waiting for you,” Jacob replied.
“Oh,” Maxine said, surprised. “Thank you.”
She took a seat. “I hope you don’t mind if I open this. I’ve always been more of a wine drinker.”
“It that’s what you, go right ahead. You got a corkscrew.”
Maxine rubbed her brow. “No, I…”
Jacob pulled out his multi-tool and used the corkscrew on there.
“Handy,” Maxine remarked.
“It’s always good to be prepared.” Jacob filled the glasses halfway, handing one to Maxine.
She savored the smell for a moment before taking a sip. Though cheaper than the brand Owen used to buy, the rich flavor overwhelmed Maxine’s expectations. She imagined it would be the first of many glasses this evening.
The gentle night breeze brushed over them. Maxine crossed her arms, keeping herself warm. They were in the autumn months now, and things would start to get pretty nippy, even down in South Florida.
The warm stew went down like fire in her belly. The red wine accented the hardy taste. Maxine drank down her glass quickly and poured another, keeping her mind fixed on the goal.
Jacob remarked, “You keep drinking like that, and we’ll run about of supplies.”
Maxine’s eye twinkled. “I just wanted to live a little.”
“Understandable, but be smart about it,” Jacob lectured, not rudely, but with the tone of a mentor.
“Sorry,” Maxine said, feigning embarrassment.
“It's okay. You’re learning.”
Jacob chugged down his wine.
Maxine chuckled. “Is this where you say, do as I say, not as I do?”
Jacob poured another glass. “No, but I agree we need to let loose. Stress is high. When the baby comes, it's only going to get worse. I want to make sure everyone’s happy and productive.”
“Which is more important to you?” Maxine asked.
“Happiness.”
Maxine failed to hide her surprise.
A small grin teased Jacob’s mustache. “Life without it is hardly a life.”
“You’re happy like this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? No taxes. That’s a big one. No dead-end job. Complete freedom to become someone.”
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Maxine replied.
“Conveniences and easy pleasures have made us ungrateful.” Jacob sipped his wine. He looked at the glass. The candle’s amber glow reflected in the deep crimson. “True contentment comes from responsibly and conquest.”
“I don’t know if I agree with you,” Maxine challenged him. “I miss my cool house and dishwasher.”
“That’s because you’ve conditioned yourself to find happiness in those things. Assess and realign your expectations, and you’ll find greater joy. Like out here, the birds and fish aren’t unhappy with the little they have. I believe they enjoy every moment.”
“Even when they’re being hunted?” Maxine asked.
“The hunt reminds them to enjoy the moment even more. Knowing any day could be your last, you want to make the most of it,” Jacob replied.
Maxine pondered his words, seeing some truth in them.
“My life is simple,” Jacob said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy myself. I thought the hippies down below would have the same outlook, but they are too disturbed by reality to enjoy their freedom.”
Maxine replied, “In their defense, you did do some pretty ballsy things none of us were expecting.”
Jacob shook his head. “It all comes down to expectation. They thought we’d all be kumbaya-ing around the fire the moment that hatch opened. In reality, it only painted a huge target on our heads. People want in. They need to know it will cost them. If they persist, they’ll learn it will cost them everything.”
Maxine chewed on her lip.
“Does that scare you?” Jacob asked.
“Yeah,” Maxine admitted.
Jacob patted her on the shoulder. “Good. You’ll learn to enjoy the thrill. Like a panther on the tree, you’ll live for the hunt.”
“That’s not who I am,” Maxine said.
“You’re wrong,” Jacob replied seriously. “When you were with Roy, I didn’t see it in you, but I do now. You’re a true survivor, and as you hone that skill, you will fall in love it. I have.”
Maxine shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She sipped her wine with a frown plastered on her face. She remembered shooting the insurgent in Miami and again killing the stranger in the house. These things would haunt her, possibly for the rest of her days. How can any happiness come from it? How can anything good come at all? It depends on your expectation of good, an internal voice told her, sounding like Jacob. A pit formed in her stomach.
“You finished?” Jacob asked.
Too caught up in her thoughts, Maxine didn’t reply.
Jacob forced himself to stand. He grabbed his and her bowls and started to head inside.
Maxine quickly twisted back. “Hey.”
He stopped in the threshold of the balcony. “Hmm?”
“Thank you,” Maxine said, “For everything you do. The others may not acknowledge you, but I do, and I know you’ve sacrificed a lot to keep us safe. So, yeah. Thank you. Gosh, I’m awkward.”
Jacob smiled slightly. He glanced up at the stars. He looked back at her and said, “It's endearing.”
Max took the wine bottle and rose from her chair. She followed him inside.
Before Jacob reached the end of the room, Maxine called out. “Oh, could you get me jacket before you go?”
Jacob placed the bowls on the nightstand and opened the closet door. He sifted through a few blazers and sports coats before getting a thin hoodie. “Will this work?”
He turned back.
Maxine stood inches from him, her face red and tipsy.
Jacob stumbled back, almost falling into the closet. He wore an awkward smile. “Excuse me,” he said, looking for a way past her.
Maxine stepped in close. She smelled the wine on his breath.
Jacob moved back, his back knocking against the coats. “Max.”
“I want to thank you,” Maxine said softly. “Will you let me?”
Jacob tensed up. He boxed his shoulders and struggled to find a response.
Maxine took his hand in her own. She brushed her thumb over the top of his hand. “I’ve been lonely for a long time, Jacob.”
Jacob stared wide-eyed.
Maxine pressed her torso against his and spoke to him from inches apart. “Let’s throw aside our expectations and live a little.”
Maxine went in for a kiss.
Jacob said softly. “You’re not getting a canoe.”
As if pulling a needle from a record disk, Maxine asked, “What?”
“Doing this.” He bounced his gaze up and down her. “It won’t get you what you want. I’m the only one allowed out. I’m the only one capable of surviving alone. In a few years, you will be too.”
Red with rage, Maxine backed away from him. She twisted around and rubbed her hand up her scalp. Her pulse pounded with anger and rage and fear. The wine bottle flipped from her hand and thumped on the ground. Wine sloshed out across the floor.
Behind her, Jacob said, “Divorced or not, I’m not going to sleep with my brother’s wife. I’m not an animal.”
Maxine grabbed a fist full of her hair. She wanted to yank it out. Instead, she chose to sink to the couch. Her mind, her emotions, and her anger all turned into numbness.
“Good effort,” Jacob said. “It takes bold choices like that to overcome your enemies. Too bad I’m not one of them.”
Maxine buried her face in her palms.
She sensed Jacob standing in front of her. “One day, I’ll let you have boating privilege. It was going to be in two weeks. I’m going to have to extend that until I can trust you. Trust is not easily mended, but I’ll always have a soft spot for you.”
Maxine lifted her head out of her palms. Her face was dreadful and mad. “Then let me leave.”
“Ike is gone, Maxine,” Jacob said plainly. “It's about time you accepted that truth and focus on what you have in front of you. At least you got a chance to tell him goodbye. Not everyone is that lucky.”
Maxine’s heart sank, and all her hope with it.
She noticed something flicker through the open balcony door.
Jacob saw it too.
Perhaps some god answered her silent prayer. Perhaps it was Ike’s lantern coming.
Jacob rushed to the balcony.
Maxine interrupted her sulking to run after him.
They stopped at the railing.
Jacob’s jaw fell open. The blazing inferno reflected his mossy green eyes.
Like a wall of fire from the deepest hell, a crescent-shaped flame burned across the front of the end of the swamp. Birds and bats scattered across the sky. The fire billowed and puffed with blooms of smoke.
Maxine listened to the woods snap and crackle before splashing into the black water. Fear gripped her heart. Her hands squeezed the railing. “What the hell is happening?”
“Natural fires don’t spread that fast,” Jacob replied.
It seemed like the fire was crawling towards them.
Jacob picked up his rifle. He popped the cap off the scope and rested the barrel of the gun on the railing. He aimed, keeping one eye shut. The rifle moved side to side as he observed the flame. “There.” He pointed, still aiming.
Maxine tracked his finger to a small breach where the fire ran between two burning islands.
“There’s another one,” Jacob said.
Maxine glanced over, finding a second riverway opposite the first. One was northwest, and the other was northeast.
“They’ll come through that way.” Jacob set his jaw. “We should’ve been on the lookout.”
Maxine backed away from the railing. She twisted around and ran for the stairs. Her shoes clacked on the steps as she hurried to the first floor. On her way to the bunker, she noticed more flickering lights through the boarded back windows. She slowed down and headed to them. Peeking through an inch-wide gap between two wooden slats, she noticed a second towering flame roughly three hundred feet from Jacob’s island.
“Jacob!” she called out.
Not getting a quick reply, Maxine double-checked the lock on the back door. She shoved a chair underneath the handle and did the same for the front door. Looking at the upstairs and the hatch, she shouted. “Jacob!”
His boots thumped above her. He appeared at the top of the steps, shrouded in shadow.
Maxine pointed to the back door. “There’s another fire.”
Jacob growled. “My swamp.”
Tension raised Maxine’s voice. “We need to get into the bunker.”
“We take a stand here,” Jacob commanded. “Tell those wussies downstairs to get up here. Now!”
Shaking by Jacob’s command, Maxine rushed to the bunker ladder. She moved down quickly and saw Francis, Lily, and Sarah chatting on the couch.
Maxine hiked her thumb to the ladder. “Up now.”
“Did you get the boats?”
“Forget the boats!” Maxine roared. “Go up! Now!”
Sarah headed for the hall. “I’ll get the bag.”
“No, you won’t!” Maxine command. “Up, up, up!”
Confused and scared, Francis led Lily to the ladder. He stayed behind her, helping her slowly climb. Her belly brushed against the rung, making it a slow journey. Maxine ran by her daughter. She pushed into their bedroom. Illuminated by the lanterns in the hall, she popped open a lockbox and pulled out her pistol. She headed to the duffel the vegans hid behind one of the beds and removed the ammo magazines.
Holding them in the bottom of her shirt and keeping that up with her teeth, she rushed up the ladder. She found everyone in the living room. Francis and Sarah watched the fire burning through the windows. Lily sat on the recliner, taking deep breaths. A dot of sweat spotted her forehead and upper lip. She held her belly.
Jacob stood by the stairs, rifle in hand. Fear in his eyes, he watched the pregnant woman.
Maxine let go of her shirt on top of the coffee table. Bullets and magazines clacked on the wooden top and rolled off on the floor. Maxine pulled the pistol out of the back lip of her pants and cocked it.
“Now what?” she asked Jacob.
Francis shouted, “We leave, man!”
“Shut up,” Jacob said.
Francis replied. “Screw you. I’m not fighting your battles.”
Jacob replied. “I will shoot you if you run.” He scanned the rest of them. “This is war now. Any deserters will be shot.”
Lily winced. “Ow.”
“Sarah, look after her,” Maxine commanded.
Terrified, the pretty fourteen-year-old went to the woman’s aid. She knelt down in front of her. “It's okay. You’re okay.”
“I’m not,” Lily said and cried out in pain. “Gawd, I’m sick of these cramps.”
“What’s the play, Jacob?” Maxine asked.
“They’ll come by boat,” Jacob replied. “We’ll have to stop them before they reach land.”
Francis twisted back, opening and closing his bandaged fingers, “They?”
“Homesteaders,” Jacob rushed down into the bunker.
A look of confusion overtook Francis’s face.
Maxine replied. “Sergeant Granger from the Homestead police department runs the town. It was because of her I was locked up for a few days.”
“We’re killing cops now? What’s next? Nuns?” Francis complained.
