TYBEE ISLAND
By By Paul Paul Cales Cales & Becca
Continued from the Sept. 2019 Beachcomber.
Catch up @ http://tybeebeachcomber.com/magazine
CHAPTER 28
WELCOME TO HUC A POOS: YOUR DEAD WILL LIVE; THEIR BODIES WILL RISE.
DAY 10
The 4H bus is parked in front of the steps leading up to Huc A Poo’s
entrance and dining deck. The words “University of Georgia” are no longer
legible under the stains of blood streaks along its side. It is strategically
parked so none of the infected can get to the survivors on the deck and
inside the bar. The door is open to the deck, a precaution decided upon
in the hopes that, if the Poo Castle should fall, a large number of the
inhabitants have a chance to hop in and escape. The back stairs are
similarly blocked with two mini vans. One parked with its door open along
the stairs to allow an easy escape, and the other to its rear, ready to be
pulled ahead to take its place. The building is elevated twelve feet above
the ground and the three vehicles have blocked all but one point of entry
for the infected to take advantage of. The last, a ramp that leads to the
deck from around the back of Tybean, is barricaded with large folding
tables nailed into place. The ramp is full of infected. This has been the set
up since Mike Henderson was bitten and his wife Sara was carted off to jail
for stabbing his assailant in the eye with a fork.
Eric is standing behind the bar with a concerned look on his face and
hands on his hips. With his signature bandana on his head, sleeveless
muscle shirt, and a red stained apron, he addresses the group of survivors
on the deck. “Listen up people! Over here ya’ll. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
Twelve people gather around the bar to listen to what Eric has to say.
Most employees and locals that were at Huc A Poos the night of what
they’re referring to as ‘The Great Hender-Spice Debacle,’ remained there
after the incident occurred.
“It’s been a long ten days and a lot has happened,” Eric begins once he
has everyone’s attention. “We’re all exhausted and most of us are still in
shock from the things we’ve seen since this all started. We have a lot of
tough decisions to make as a group. Do we stay here and try to survive? Do
we go our separate ways?”
A murmured chorus of ‘no’s’ can be heard throughout the crowd when
this is said.
“We’ve lost loved ones. We are all wondering if there is anything else
out there besides what we can see from here, which is not heartening.
One thing is for sure… our lives have been forever changed. The world we
knew is gone, but we do have each other. I can’t promise that this isn’t the
28 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | OCT 2019
ISLAN
end of days…”
The crowd once again begins a murmured chorus before another voice
distinguishes itself.
“So what do you suggest we do now?” It’s Paxton. “I mean, I’m sure
we’re not the only people that are still alive.”
“A smart man once said, if you want to see where to go, look to the past
to avoid the mistakes of our fathers. So I did some reading last night,” Eric
says in answer. “I remember stories about the end of the world and the
dead rising that I heard when I was a child. The Bible says, ‘And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to
their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death.’ Revelation Ch. 20.”
Katherine Bunger speaks up, “That’s pretty damn dark, Eric.”
“It doesn’t end there Katherine. ‘And the LORD will send a plague on all
the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like
walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets,
and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day they will be terrified,
stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will fight their neighbors hand
to hand.’ Zechariah Ch. 14.”
“This can’t be literal, can it?” Katherine asks.
“No,” Eric answers. “It’s a lesson about behavior, I believe. It’s about
being kind to one another or you’ll feel the vengeance of God. Look… I
know a lot of you don’t believe in God or a supreme being, but that doesn’t
mean there is nothing to gain from studying ancient scripture. The quote I
feel most resembles our situation is Isaiah Ch. 26. ‘But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will
give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms, and shut the doors
behind you; hide yourselves for a little while… until his wrath has passed
by’.”
“So we should hunker down in the bar, have a cold pint, and wait for all
this to blow over then?” Paxton asks, almost hopeful.
“That’s why we’re having this discussion,” Eric says. “I don’t know.
Crabber Brian stands up. “This is all a bunch of horse shit. There are
people out there. I told you about them and they’re bad people. They tried
to kill me and Doug. They have a camp in the trees on Little Tybee Island.
We should go and take them down. They have a lot of food and supplies.
You guys can’t stay here forever.”
“We have a lot of supplies as well, Brian,” Eric says. “If we’re to learn
anything from this experience, it should be that we should treat our fellow
brothers and sisters with kindness and respect. We should take care of
each other just as we’ve been doing on this island for years. If someone
needs or asks for help, we help them. We don’t attack people who are not
threatening us.”
“Oh, they will threaten you, you can trust me on that!” Brian says.
Katherine ignores him. “Maybe we should look for the others out there.
Build a new community, ya know?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Says Eric.
“I think y’all are full of crap,” Brian begins. “You don’t have any guns
besides a .38 special you found in a car in the parking lot. You only have
thirty bullets for it and you kill the zeeks with baseball bats and knives from
the kitchen. You’ll never survive out there with…”
Paxton cuts him off. “Oh, really? You know what Brian? You’ve always
been a little rough around the edges, but since we let you in last night you
have contradicted everything anyone here has said. We’re a democracy
here. The loudest voice doesn’t automatically win.”
/magazine