TYBEE ISLAND
By By Paul Paul Cales Cales & Becca
Continued from the Nov. 2019 Beachcomber.
Catch up @ http://tybeebeachcomber.com/magazine
CHAPTER 30
WINKY MAKES A FLAG
DAY 10
“EVERYONE GET DOWN!” Eric shouts. All thirteen people in Huc A Poos
hit the floor.
“See?” Brian sneers. “I told you there’s a tank out there.”
“I think it’s stopped,” Paxton says, alert. “It sounds like it’s sitting on
Highway 80.”
“Probably about to open fire on us,” Brian says. “I freaking told you.”
“Everyone stay calm,” Eric says.
“Stay calm?” Paxton exclaims from the floor. “Did you hear what Brian
said? They shot at him while he was on Little Tybee.”
“What the hell are they doing out there?” Katherine interrupts.
Eric looks at her. “Let’s keep our heads here, guys. They could be
assessing the situation. They have thermal sights; they could be seeing
how many of us are in here. This is still Tybee, we’re all neighbors.”
“I don’t think thermal sights can see through walls,” Brian says.
“You think we should make ourselves known to them?” Paxton asks the
group.
“Not yet,” Eric says. “Let’s see what they do first. It’s not like we have
an easy exit. The ramp is blocked off by zeeks and the parking lot is full of
them. Unless we’re jumping into the bus and trying to outrun a tank, we’re
stuck here. We’re at the mercy of the folks in the tank.”
“Bullshit!” Brian says and stands up. The others begin to do the same.
“I’ll shoot whoever is poking their head out of the top of that tank!”
“With what?” Paxton says, emotions running high in the whole group.
“The pistol?” He points toward the .38 sitting on the bar in front of Eric.
“There’s no way you’re going to be able to hit someone out on the highway
from here.”
“NO?” Brian snaps pridefully. “I’ll sneak around to the top of the stairs
and pick them off from there.”
“No one. Is shooting. Anyone,” Eric says sternly, trying to retake the
conversation and calm the group down.
Katherine puts her hand on Brian’s shoulder. “I’m sure you could shoot
someone from here… but think about the rest of us. If you shoot at them,
they’ll think we’re the bad guys and shoot back. They’ve got the bigger
guns. Shooting at a tank is just plain stupid.” The rest of the group nods, all
keeping quiet to avoid making the situation more heated than it already is.
28 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | DEC 2019
ISLAN
“Shut up, Bunger,” Brian says, losing his cool. “You guys don’t
understand. You haven’t been out there. You’ve been hiding in here, singing
Kumbaya with Eric and ignoring the truth of the situation. The world has
gone to shit. You have no clue how to handle it.”
“Excuse me, Mister Rambo,” Bunger scoffs. “I think we know exactly
what is going on out there and I think you’re part of the problem. We invited
you in and you’re causing trouble already. It’s time for you to be quiet.”
“That sure is a lot of tough talk from a ‘Breeder,’” Brian sneers. “Are you
going to make me shut up?”
“Excuse me?” Katherine retorts. “What the hell is that supposed to
mean?”
“There are two types of people after the apocalypse,” Brian snaps,
pointing in Katherine’s face. “Shooters… and people who are primarily used
to cook, clean, and repopulate the planet.”
Katherine takes a step forward and slaps Brian square in the cheek. “I
know you’re not saying…” She begins, before Eric raises his voice for the
first time.
“Stop it right now you two!” He snaps.
Paxton, who has been listening to the tank and not the argument, speaks
up. “What the hell is that tank doing out there? It hasn’t moved in ages.”
“I don’t know,” Eric says. “But we should get back down.”
“What about the ramp?” Paxton asks and moves his attention to Eric. “No
one is guarding it.”
“If something does get through, I’ll give it the business,” Bunger says,
trying to break the tension with confidence and humor.
“Shut up, Breeder,” Brian sneers at her. “You’re not giving anyone the
business.”
“I swear to God, Crabber. If this goes to hell, I’m shooting you first.”
“I WISH you had the balls to point a gun at me,” Brian says.
Eric loses his cool. “STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” He takes a breath. “The gun
is staying right here on the bar. If anyone shoots anything it is going to be a
zeek. We. Do. Not. Shoot. At. People.”
“You say that now. Wait until the tank starts shooting at you and your
own.”
“You don’t know that they’re going to start shooting at us,” Katherine
says, and throws up her hands in frustration. “We don’t pose a threat to
them.”
“What about that gun?” Paxton says, and points to the gun hanging on
the ceiling that they’ve all been looking at for years but never paid any mind
to.
“What?” Eric says. “The machine gun? That thing doesn’t have any guts
in it.”
“That’s a shame,” Bunger sighs.
“And I don’t see anyone with any .50 caliber ammo, do you?” Eric takes a
breath. “Winky, go grab a clean apron and a broom out of the kitchen. We’re
going to make a white flag.”
“You’re seriously going to surrender to them?” Brian asks, animated.
“We don’t know that they’re even a threat!” Bunger shouts at him,
exasperated.
“We’re not surrendering,” Eric says. “The white flag will let them know
two things. One, that we’re in here and alive. Two, that we pose no threat to
them. Win, win.”
“Like they think we’re a threat,” Paxton laughs. “They have a damn
tank.”
“You people really don’t have a clue,” Crabber Brian says, eerily calm.
“You being an ass isn’t helping the situation,” Bunger responds.
/magazine
