fast?” Gretchen softly asked anyone who would listen.
“Jay is crazy,” Freitag said, as if that was sufficient to answer the question. She started peeking through curtains.
Rachel said, “My bet is that when Jerry didn’t come back when Jay expected, he sent a boat out to see what happened.”
“And they came across Gerald and Melissa paddling back in that kayak.” Paul cast a worried look toward the windows. The sound of the motorboat engines was audible through the houseboat’s thin walls. “It was the right thing to do, but we spent too much time finding a boat for those two. We probably should have left them on the shore somewhere.”
“You survive. You help your loved ones. Fuck everybody else.” Even as I said it I knew I was being a hypocrite. I’d broken those rules and suffered the consequences too many times. “That’s just the way it is now.”
Paul looked at me and his mouth twisted as though he was chewing on a bitter grapefruit rind.
He seemed like a nice man, so I kept my “fuck you” to myself. He’d spent the whole epidemic on the island, trying to build an idealistic, mutually beneficial, post-apocalyptic utopia. The problem with any utopia is that it discounts the vile ability of humans to turn it into the same ugly world they create in every utopia. Jay and Jerry had just given Paul his first lesson in that course of study, and Paul hadn’t understood any of it yet.
“Jay is a hothead,” Gretchen said. “He will race his boats all the way to the next dam. That’s the way he thinks.”
“So we’re safe, then?” Paul asked.
The engines of the boats were louder inside than our voices, but they revved just as high. Murphy, Frietag, and Dalhover all crouched.
Dalhover, in a hushed voice said, “They’re at the end of the cove.”
Everyone froze.
“They aren’t slowing,” Murphy said.
More than one breath of relief escaped into the air.
The sound of the motors whined lower.
Dalhover changed his angle on the window. “They’re going by.”
I looked at Gretchen and said, “You were right.”
“Some people are easy to predict,” she said.
“But you didn’t predict that he’d mount a coup and try to kill us,” I said, some anger coming out in my tone. I was immediately ashamed for having said it. “That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”
Gretchen looked away.
Paul looked like he wanted to slap me. Had he been a younger man, he might have.
Freitag said, “You’ll get used to him. He’s an ass.”
Well, fuck her. I gave her the meanest look I could put on my face. “Or you can ditch me somewhere for the Whites to eat while I’m doing you a favor.”
“Kiddies.” Murphy’s sounded like a dad threatening to stop the car and spank the children in the back seat.
“I knew Jay and Jerry were—” Gretchen took a moment to look for the right word. “Unusual.”
Rachel laughed nervously as she looked at one of the windows. “They’re more than unusual.”
“Nobody could have guessed they would plot to kill us,” said Paul.
“Look,” I said, “I’m sorry about that. I’m just angry because he kidnapped the girls. I know this kind of stuff is hard to see coming.” Involuntarily, I looked at Freitag, but turned away before she saw it. For the moment, we were on the same side, even—or so she said. But I feared she might be as crazy as Jay and Jerry, and any insult might tip the scales of her stability in the wrong direction. That made me nervous.
“They’re gone,” Dalhover announced.
Everyone relaxed.
Turning back to the room, Dalhover said, “They’ll be back. They’re hauling ass up the lake trying to catch us before we get wherever they think we’re going, but they’ll be careful on the way back and search for us. They’ll come into this cove, and they might find the boat.”
After a short pause, he added,“They’ll have more guns than we’ve got.”
“Do we hide here?” Gretchen asked, “Or do we go onto shore and try
“Jay is crazy,” Freitag said, as if that was sufficient to answer the question. She started peeking through curtains.
Rachel said, “My bet is that when Jerry didn’t come back when Jay expected, he sent a boat out to see what happened.”
“And they came across Gerald and Melissa paddling back in that kayak.” Paul cast a worried look toward the windows. The sound of the motorboat engines was audible through the houseboat’s thin walls. “It was the right thing to do, but we spent too much time finding a boat for those two. We probably should have left them on the shore somewhere.”
“You survive. You help your loved ones. Fuck everybody else.” Even as I said it I knew I was being a hypocrite. I’d broken those rules and suffered the consequences too many times. “That’s just the way it is now.”
Paul looked at me and his mouth twisted as though he was chewing on a bitter grapefruit rind.
He seemed like a nice man, so I kept my “fuck you” to myself. He’d spent the whole epidemic on the island, trying to build an idealistic, mutually beneficial, post-apocalyptic utopia. The problem with any utopia is that it discounts the vile ability of humans to turn it into the same ugly world they create in every utopia. Jay and Jerry had just given Paul his first lesson in that course of study, and Paul hadn’t understood any of it yet.
“Jay is a hothead,” Gretchen said. “He will race his boats all the way to the next dam. That’s the way he thinks.”
“So we’re safe, then?” Paul asked.
The engines of the boats were louder inside than our voices, but they revved just as high. Murphy, Frietag, and Dalhover all crouched.
Dalhover, in a hushed voice said, “They’re at the end of the cove.”
Everyone froze.
“They aren’t slowing,” Murphy said.
More than one breath of relief escaped into the air.
The sound of the motors whined lower.
Dalhover changed his angle on the window. “They’re going by.”
I looked at Gretchen and said, “You were right.”
“Some people are easy to predict,” she said.
“But you didn’t predict that he’d mount a coup and try to kill us,” I said, some anger coming out in my tone. I was immediately ashamed for having said it. “That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”
Gretchen looked away.
Paul looked like he wanted to slap me. Had he been a younger man, he might have.
Freitag said, “You’ll get used to him. He’s an ass.”
Well, fuck her. I gave her the meanest look I could put on my face. “Or you can ditch me somewhere for the Whites to eat while I’m doing you a favor.”
“Kiddies.” Murphy’s sounded like a dad threatening to stop the car and spank the children in the back seat.
“I knew Jay and Jerry were—” Gretchen took a moment to look for the right word. “Unusual.”
Rachel laughed nervously as she looked at one of the windows. “They’re more than unusual.”
“Nobody could have guessed they would plot to kill us,” said Paul.
“Look,” I said, “I’m sorry about that. I’m just angry because he kidnapped the girls. I know this kind of stuff is hard to see coming.” Involuntarily, I looked at Freitag, but turned away before she saw it. For the moment, we were on the same side, even—or so she said. But I feared she might be as crazy as Jay and Jerry, and any insult might tip the scales of her stability in the wrong direction. That made me nervous.
“They’re gone,” Dalhover announced.
Everyone relaxed.
Turning back to the room, Dalhover said, “They’ll be back. They’re hauling ass up the lake trying to catch us before we get wherever they think we’re going, but they’ll be careful on the way back and search for us. They’ll come into this cove, and they might find the boat.”
After a short pause, he added,“They’ll have more guns than we’ve got.”
“Do we hide here?” Gretchen asked, “Or do we go onto shore and try
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