Tallos - Episode One (Season One) Page 7

“They don’t need the right,” Jim countered sternly. “They just need the will. And if you’d seen what they did to Spanish Grove, you’d already be packed.”

  “But why would they come here?”

  “Because the man who helped me was not who he claimed to be,” Jim explained. “He’s with the Army. And now he knows about this place.”

  Will folded his arms. “But you’re not sure they’ll come, are you?”

  “No,” Jim admitted. “Not one-hundred percent. But I’m not willing to risk it. If they do come, believe me, everyone here is as good as dead.” He locked eyes with Will. “I mean everyone.”

  “What aren’t you telling us?” asked Mr. Baldwin. He had always been a perceptive man. “And who’s this fellow you brought back with you?”

  “This is Peter Saldanski,” Jim replied. “He used to be a State Trooper. He was the one who exposed Mark as a fraud. He’s seen for himself what the Army is doing.”

  “But why would they be doing this?” asked Bill. “Killing Americans I mean.”

  “I don’t think this is the same Army we once knew,” Jim replied. That was as close to the truth as he could get. “Whoever is leading them now doesn’t give two shits about Americans.”

  “So where do you think we should go?” asked Mr. Baldwin.

  Jim shrugged. “I was hoping some of you might have a few ideas about that. I was thinking somewhere in the Keys or maybe the Virgin Islands. Somewhere no one would bother us.”

  At this point, Peter stood up. “Wherever you go, you need to decide fast. If they know you’re here, they could arrive at any time.”

  Jim shot him a furious glance. He didn’t need the fear in people being stirred up any more than it already was. However…Peter was right. “I say we should start packing immediately,” he told the crowd. “We can decide where to go once we’re safely out of here.”

  His suggestion had a mixed reception - a wide ranging combination of agreement, reservation, and outright refusal. Some of them would never go. Jim knew that. They hadn't left the first time, and they sure wouldn’t leave now. Still, most would.

  The debate on whether to stay or go raged on for another hour. In the end, just four people decided to remain with the platform. The rest hurried about the many tasks of packing what they needed, distributing food and water, and organizing the 'fleet' as they'd already begun to call it. The most difficult job was assigning experienced sailors to each boat. With no engines, they would be entirely dependent on the wind.

  Jim did his best to help, but it soon became obvious to the others that he was neglecting to pack any supplies for himself. Red was the first to notice this and pulled Jim off to the side while they were harvesting what they could from the garden.

  “You have to come with us,” Red urged him. “You can’t stay here.”

  This was the time to be honest with his friend, Jim realized. He called to Peter, who was doing his best to be useful, and together all three of them walked to a nearby bench. Once seated, Jim had Peter tell Red everything.

  “I have to find them,” Jim said after he was done. “I have to know if they’re still alive.”

  Red looked to Peter. “What do you think? Could they really have survived?”

  “It’s possible,” he replied. “But if you’d seen what I’ve seen…I'm not sure how.”

  Red turned back to Jim. A long sigh of resignation slipped out. “Yeah. I get it. I just wish I could go with you.”

  Jim smiled. “No you don’t. You have a life now. Something to protect. The last thing you should want is to go with me on some damn fool suicide mission.”

  “Do you think that’s what this is?” Red's face was a mask of concern.

  Jim leaned down on his elbows. “Probably. But I have to try all the same. I could never leave. Not while there's a chance that Laura and Meagan might still be out there somewhere.”

  “What’s your plan once you get to Atlanta?” Red asked.

  Jim cocked his head. “Don’t have one. I’ll figure it out when I get there. Peter knows the layout, so I’m hoping I'll at least be able to sneak in without getting caught.” The look on Peter’s face suggested that this was a long shot at best. “Just do me a favor and keep this to yourself. No need to cause a panic.”

  Red nodded somberly. “I will. Believe me. If it’s even half true, it scares the hell out of me.”

  Jim almost regretted telling him everything. But he needed him to understand why he was not going with them. Red had been a good friend, and once the 'fleet' departed he knew it would likely be the last time they saw each other.

  When they returned to the garden, their dour expressions did not go unnoticed. Mrs. Baldwin tried to draw some information by offering him some fresh squash and homemade wine. But Jim politely refused, saying it would be better to save such things for when they were needed.

  He was amazed at how quickly everyone was able to organize. By sundown, nearly all of the supplies had been distributed – leaving enough for the few who were staying behind of course. The more experienced sailors were now busy making sure that all the boats were fully seaworthy and ready. It had been decided that they would need one more day to complete these precautions. Though the delay was causing Jim no small measure of anxiety, he understood the reasoning. No one would be served well if after a few miles one of the boats started to sink.

  But the delay was also giving those who had figured out Jim was staying behind more time to convince him otherwise. As expected, by nightfall, everyone knew. This sent a renewed anxiety throughout the platform. Several people actually broke down in tears while begging him to go with them. Even Henry set aside their differences.

  “You’re a fool if you stay,” he said.

  “At least I won’t bring any more trouble around,” Jim quipped. “That should make you happy.”

  Henry frowned heavily. “They’re not coming back, you know.”

  Jim furled his brow.

  “You’re wife and child,” Henry expanded. “They're not coming back. I know that’s why you won’t leave. Everyone knows.”

  Jim tried to suppress his irritation. “I’m not going, and that’s that. Leave it alone.”

  “Yeah, well…there’s a lot of good people here who depend on you. I’m not saying I’m one of them. But a lot do. If you ask me, your obligation is to them. Not to people who've been dead for these past two years.”

  This was about as much a compliment as Henry had ever given him. But the man's cold-hearted reference to his wife and child still caused his anger to surface. “Just get the hell out of here,” he growled. “I’m done talking.”

  Henry stalked away, a sneer on his face. “Selfish bastard,” he muttered in a voice that easily carried

  Even though the callous way Henry had spoken of his family had upset Jim, of all the people who had come to him that day, his long standing antagonist's words had struck closest to home. For a short time, he actually found himself considering fleeing with the others.

  Am I being selfish, he wondered? He had been an essential part of the platform from the first moment it was built. Now, when they needed him the most, he was abandoning them. But then he thought about the scene in Spanish Grove. No. Whatever it was that Mark wanted from him, he wasn't going to give up until he'd got it. In a way, it would be better for everyone if he stayed behind and settled things here.

  That night his muscles were aching from the hard day's work. Red stopped in for a short while, making Jim promise to say goodbye to Liam before they set sail. Peter decided to take watch at the end of the pier, which was fine by Jim. He was still uncomfortable in the man’s company. Every time he looked at him, he couldn't help but imagine him killing innocent people.

  After crawling wearily into bed, he lay there for a while trying to put himself in Peter’s place. How far would he have gone to stay alive? He’d like to think he would have chosen death. But that was easy to say when you were not actually faced with the situation. Several times he’d se
en braggarts showing themselves to be cowards, and the weak miraculously finding unyielding courage from deep inside. He had never considered himself to be a coward, and had certainly faced danger on numerous occasions. But this time it felt different. Whenever he thought about what he was intending to do, it was always accompanied by a feeling of finality.

  Soon fatigue and mental exhaustion had him drifting off. He dreamed of Laura. She was in her yellow summer dress: her hair blowing loosely in the warm breeze coming off the bay. In her arms she held Meagan. His daughter’s blond locks were pinned back by tiny ladybugs and she was dressed in a pink onesie. Laura was pointing to the horizon, smiling lovingly and whispering into Meagan’s ear. Jim tried to reach out to them, but his arms were heavy and his feet felt as if they were fastened to the ground. As Laura turned her head to look at him, her smile vanished. Slowly she backed away, tears welling in her eyes. Jim tried to call out, but could not utter even the smallest sound. Helpless, he watched her moving further and further away. Just before she was completely out of sight, he heard a soft feminine voice floating on the wind.

  “Save us,” it called out.

  And then his voice was suddenly restored. “Laura!” he cried.

  It was too late. With a shock, he realized that he was now sitting upright in bed, sweat covering his body and heart pounding like a wild animal.

  But even after all this, there was still more to come. He suddenly realized that a silhouetted figure was standing just inside his cabin door. At first he didn’t recognize who it was. Then, as his eyes adjusted, he realized…it was Anne. She was wearing a white cotton bathrobe and her hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. He tried to ask her to leave, but his tongue felt swollen and his throat dry.

  Silently, the robe fell from her shoulders onto the floor. Before Jim could object, she had crawled onto the bed and was slipping beneath the covers.

  “Anne, no!” he finally managed to blurt out.

  His words did nothing to stop her. Nor did he find himself putting up much physical resistance as she pushed him down flat on his back. The softness of her breasts pressing against him was making his flesh tingle with erotic pleasure. It had been two years since he'd touched a woman. And though his heart belonged to Laura, his body was another matter entirely.

  “I mean it, Anne,” he murmured while making a weak attempt to sit back up, but she quickly straddled him. He could feel the heat coming from between her legs. Instantly, he felt himself getting hard. Anne felt it too.

  She gave a seductive giggle. “It doesn’t look to me like you mean it,” she said, reaching back to stroke his penis with the tips of her fingers.

  He was throbbing almost to the point of pain. He tried yet again to sit up, but she placed her free hand in the center of his chest.

  “Stay still,” she said. “I’ll take good care of you.”

  His resistance was now little more than token. She was beautiful. Breathtaking in fact. And the dim moonlight through the window was giving her skin a faint, almost mystical glow. Her breasts heaved tantalizingly as her breathing quickened. She moaned softly while raising her hips and gyrating them in perfect time with the pulsing of his engorged member. A moment later her hand wrapped completely around it. He could feel her wetness dripping onto his stomach. Then her grip moved over the head and tightened, squeezing with just enough pressure to force a groan of pleasure from him.

  Eyes burning with anticipation, she lowered her body little by little, until Jim could feel his manhood brushing against the wetness of her vulva. Its lips wrapped themselves around the tip of his penis eagerly, urging him to come completely inside. He reached up to run his fingers over the hardness of her erect nipples. There was now not a trace of willpower remaining. He could no longer stop himself. He was slipping further and further inside her.

  “Save us!”

  It was the voice from his dream. Though still seeming to come to him from a long way off, in his mind the brief sound reverberated like a clap of thunder. He jerked in instinctive reaction to its force, grabbing Anne roughly by the shoulders and pushing her off. For a moment she simply sat on the bed stunned, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

  Guilt was now engulfing Jim like a vast tidal wave. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought…don’t you want me?” Her voice was pleading. Her expression pained.

  Her hurt and embarrassment only served to increase Jim's feelings of guilt. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re beautiful. You really are. But I just can’t.”

  She reached out to touch his arm, but when he didn’t respond to this she got slowly out of the bed. “Laura’s dead,” she said, her voice quivering with the sting of rejection. “She’s dead and you’ll never see her again.”

  In a flurry of movement, she snatched up her robe and threw it back on. “I’m alive. And I love you, you bastard. Not that you care.”

  Jim was too ashamed to even look at her. Anne didn’t deserve to be hurt. This was his fault. He had let things go too far.

  “I’m not a slut, you know,” she said through stifled sobs, pausing by the cabin door. “No matter what you and the others might think, I’ve never been with anyone else on the platform. Not once. So you can all go to hell.”

  Jim sat there, for a moment speechless. He had always assumed the rumors about Anne to be true. In fact, he had seen her coming and going from many a boat in the middle of the night and had automatically put two and two together. But the tone of her voice told him she was not lying. The rumors had been wrong. He had been wrong. Cruelly so.

  “Anne, wait,” he called, just as she was about to close the door behind her. She stopped and turned. “Don’t go,” he said.

  She stared angrily at him for several seconds before responding. “Why? You don’t want me. You’ve been very clear about that.”

  “No, you're wrong,” he told her. “You have no idea how much I do want you. But I just can’t. I don’t expect you to understand. And I know I’m an idiot. But as much as I want to, it would tear me up inside. I can’t let go of the hope that my family is alive somewhere. I wish I could. And if I was to be with you…” He swallowed hard. “I…I can’t betray Laura like that.”

  Anne wiped a tear brusquely away. “Then why do you want me to stay?”

  “Because right now I’m terrified, and I don’t want to be alone.”

  Her face gradually softened. “It’s hard to imagine you being terrified of anything.”

  “Well, I am,” he admitted. “But I understand if you won’t stay.”

  “I should leave. You know that, don’t you?” In spite of these words, she took a step back inside and cracked a fragile smile. “But I won’t. Not with you sitting there all pathetic and lonely.”

  Jim smiled in return. “Thank you.”

  She slipped off her robe once again and climbed into bed beside him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be good this time.”

  He kissed the top of her head and allowed her to drape her arm over his chest. It felt nice. Comforting. Safe. He could feel her lips kissing him gently.

  “I do love you,” she whispered.

  Jim continued stroking her hair until her breathing became deep and regular. “I wish I could love you back. I really do,” he whispered softly.

  While drifting off himself, he wondered what he would have done if he'd known for sure that Laura was dead. The warmth of Anne’s flesh pressed against his quickly told him the answer. It had been so long since he'd felt a loving touch. He had almost forgotten how wonderful it was. More than ever he envied couples like Liam and Red or the Baldwin’s: people who had the privilege to take solace in a simple caress or a tender kiss.

  The next day Jim did his best to say his goodbyes, making a point of visiting Liam just before dusk. He was on the deck of their boat, sitting in a wicker lounge chair Red had set up for him. His face was still badly bruised and his arm remained in the homemade splint, but all in all he looked to be in decent s
pirits.

  “There’s my hero,” he cried on seeing Jim approaching. “For a minute I thought you wouldn’t come.”

  “Are you kidding?” Jim laughed. “After all the trouble you put me through?”

  Red was sitting at the stern chewing his tobacco. “I need to tell you; I told Liam everything,” he whispered. “Sorry about that.”

  Jim nodded. “It’s fine. I thought you would. I don’t mind.”

  Red removed the tobacco from his mouth and placed it on a nearby stool. “Can’t waste it,” he said. “No telling when I’ll get more.”

  They joined Liam on the main deck. He scrutinized Jim for a moment, then shook his head. “Off to get yourself killed, I hear.”

  “I hope not.”

  “You’re a damn fool,” Liam continued. “A Goddamn fool.” He beckoned Jim closer and gave him a one armed hug. “You get them back. You hear me? Get them back, then come find us.”

  “And try to stay alive,” added Red. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and spread it out on the deck; it was a map of the Florida Keys. A small island south of Miami had been heavily circled. “When we figure out where we’re going, I’ll leave you directions here. Got it?” He pointed to the island several times, as if to be sure that Jim understood how serious he was.

  Jim took the map and folded it into his pocket and grinned. “I've got it.”

  They talked for a while longer until Liam began to look drowsy. At this point, Jim excused himself, promising to see them both again in the morning before they set sail. He could see the pained look on Red’s face as he hugged him goodnight. He would certainly miss his friend. But he was also happy that Red would not be coming to Atlanta. He had lost too many who were close to him and the thought of Red being safe gave him courage.

  Anne joined him not long after he began to settle down for the evening. They talked for a time, then spent the night in each other’s arms. This time, however, Anne made no advances. To Jim’s surprise, this weakened him to the point where he very nearly made the first move himself. But he resisted the temptation. Not only would he be betraying Laura, in a way he would be betraying Anne as well. She slept completely wrapped around him - a tiny contented smile on her face. Not only did she love him, she trusted him too. And to break that trust by not giving himself both body and heart, was more than he was willing to do.