Shaun Harbinger: Lightning: Fighting the Living Dead

“Let’s go,” Tanya said, disappearing into the bridge again. The Escape ’s engines roared into life.

As I walked past him on the aft deck, Sam was grinning. “I told you, man. Next stop Apocalypse Island.”

I smiled thinly at him. Even if it was an island out there and not a ship, there was no guarantee it was the place we were looking for. I wished I had Sam’s eternal optimism but I climbed up to the bridge with no expectations. I had learned a long time ago that the only way you couldn’t be disappointed was if you expected nothing.

The sky was almost fully dark as we reached the island. Surrounded by steep cliffs and treacherous rocks jutting from the sea like claws, it wasn’t a welcoming place. Atop the cliffs, I could see what looked like a pine forest. There was no sign of life apart from those trees and a few gulls riding the chilly breeze.

The radio crackled and Tanya’s voice said, “Nothing much over here except rocks. “We should go around and take a look at the seaward side.”

I picked up the hand mic and said, “Yeah, okay.”

As we sailed around the island, staying clear of the rocks, I watched the cliffs for any sign that there might be people here. The woods up there looked dense. The cliff edges were vertical, sheer rock faces in most parts, impossible to climb up without the proper equipment.

I was beginning to think we had chanced upon a deserted piece of rock and trees when our course took us to the other end of the island. It was a very different story here; it looked like explosives and cutting tools had been used to build a road that led down from the trees to a small pebbly beach. Reaching out into the sea from the beach was a long dock. Formed of huge concrete blocks, it looked like it could withstand the roughest seas.

There were four boats moored at the dock. Two of them were large yachts, forty-two footers if my estimation was correct. Alongside them, two smaller boats with outboard motors rolled on the waves, covered with dark blue tarps.

Tanya’s voice came over the radio. “I’d say this is the place, Alex.” Her voice was calm.

Although the sight of the boats meant that this probably was Apocalypse Island, it didn’t mean we could just go strolling up those cliffs and ask for a cure for Lucy. The security for these types of places was strict even before the zombie apocalypse; now, it probably worked on a shoot first, ask questions later basis.

“Got any ideas?” Tanya asked.

I had to admit that I didn’t. I hadn’t thought ahead this far. We had no idea what we would be walking into if we went along that road into the woods. “Maybe a couple of us should check it out before we all go blundering in,” I said.

“Yeah, sounds good. Why don’t you tie up on that dock? You and Sam can take a look around. I’ll keep the Escape out at sea, just in case.”

Her plan was logical. There was no need to risk both boats. Sending The Big Easy in to the dock while the Escape held back was the safest plan for everyone. Well, it was safest for everyone except Sam and me, the sacrificial lambs.

I relayed the plan to Sam, shouting down to him from the bridge. He gave me a thumbs-up sign, said, “Cool, man,” and began to get the ropes ready for docking.

I took the Easy in nice and slow, keeping her at the end of the dock, next to one of the forty-two footers, in case we needed to escape here in a hurry. Sam sorted the ropes, and I went down the ladder to the aft deck. “What about weapons?” I asked him.

“Yeah, bring two bats,” he said, his eyes on the dark road that led up through the cliffs.

I grabbed two bats, threw him one of them, and stepped off the boat and onto the concrete dock.

He grinned at me. “Let’s go find some scientists.”

As we walked along the dock, the moon gazed down at us with an unemotional, uncaring face.

THE ROAD at the end of the dock was wide enough for vehicles and had been topped with asphalt. As we walked along it, I expected a Jeep to come barreling toward us, full of armed men shining flashlights in our faces. I had seen too many movies; this wasn’t the secret lair of a James Bond villain, it was an island that belonged to the British government. We weren’t looking for a man sitting in a chair stroking a white cat, but a team of scientists.

Sam had been quiet since we’d left the Easy , which was unlike him, but was probably the best idea in the circumstances.

“What are we going to do if we see anybody?” I whispered.

“Nothing, man. We’ll check out as much of this place as we can, then go back and tell the others what we found. Then we can make a plan.”

“But we’ll have to make ourselves known to the people here at some point,” I said. “How are we going to get them to help us if we don’t?”

He looked at me, the moonlight shining in his eyes. “Alex, you’re really naïve, man. Do you think that some government scientists are going to help us, a bunch of civilians? They only look out for their own. They only gave the vaccine to the soldiers, not the general population. They won’t give us anything. If there’s a cure here, we’re going to have to take it.”

I wondered if I’d teamed up with a group of journalists or a sleeper cell of anarchists, poised to cause trouble for the government after the apocalypse hit. Sam, Tanya, and Jax seemed more capable than most when it came to survival and they were possessed of a certain kind of courage that was usually borne of a fundamental belief in something.

I told myself that was crazy. They had worked in some of the most dangerous places in the world and it had toughened them up, that was all. Still, taking over Survivor Radio and broadcasting a message to the listeners was the kind of operation usually carried out by people who had an agenda that went way beyond investigative journalism.

I hoped that their eagerness to find Apocalypse Island wasn’t spurred on by some ulterior motive. If they did anything to jeopardize my chances of getting help for Lucy, I was going to flip my shit—and God help anyone who stood in my way.

I was out of breath by the time we reached the trees, but, looking back down the path, I realized how steep it was and how far we had climbed from the beach. I was in much better shape now than I had been when I was trudging over the Welsh mountains with Mike and Elena. If Mike could see me now, he’d be proud of how far I had come from the whiny, out of shape person I had once been. The zombie apocalypse was stripping me of pounds that I thought I was stuck with for life.

“Look at that, man,” Sam said, pointing up into the trees. “I guess staying hidden isn’t an option.”

A small silver camera with a flashing red light above its lens watched us from high up in the branches of a pine tree. I was willing to bet we had already walked past a dozen more that we hadn’t seen.

I waved at it.

Sam frowned at me. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Like you said, staying hidden isn’t an option anymore,” I said. “And we want them to know we’re friendly. If they’re going to help us…”

“Trust no one, man. I thought you said you hated the authorities?”

“I do. But what choice do I have?”

He set off into the woods, following a dirt trail that wound through the trees. “Stop waving at the cameras.”

I followed him through the dark woods. The sound of our boots crunching over dead leaves and fallen twigs on the road seemed so loud that anyone on the island must be able to hear our approach.

Sam stopped suddenly, putting a hand on my chest to halt me in my tracks. “Did you see that?” he whispered.