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Paul was sitting on the main deck with his sister on each arm, enjoying the daylight after the long dark night. He was tired from moving around everywhere, while Andrea and now recovered Amy were on the seats beside them. A table with a few cups of hot coffee was in front of them, with an M4A1 loaded nearby in case of accidents.
"This is life," Paul said, "for this is worth living—a nice morning on the sea, the nice sea breeze, a group of beauties around to make life more colorful, a good cup of coffee. What more can a man ask? It's like a vacation if it wasn't that it's the end of the world." He put his face on Alicia's neck, smelling her nice aroma and kissing it.
"Well, at least some of us are enjoying his time around here," Strand appeared, wearing sunglasses and smiling while also checking around the sea. "As I have said to your brother, the only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness. And that doesn't seem difficult for you, right, Paul?"
"Hey, it's that or being gloomy all day long," Paul snickered, bringing his sisters even closer, "and I don't want to be a depressed guy all my life from now on. That's not living." He wandered his hands to cup each of their pretty buttocks while looking at Strand's sunglasses, wanting one of those too.
"Heh," Strand smiled, showing his white teeth as he observed Paul's hands on his sisters' backs as they descended until he cupped their backside.
"Once the winch is set, there's a switch inside the trunk," Strand told Nick, who was securing the Zodiac boat, as he removed his sight from the trio.
"Shouldn't you be on the bridge?" Daniel asks him while sipping his morning coffee.
"The boat will tell me if there's an obstacle," Strand shrugged, answering.
"How far can it take us?" Madison asks as she appears and goes to kiss his son's head while he is with her sisters.
"3,000 miles, more if we don't stress the engines," Strand thought for a moment before answering.
"That'll give us options," Daniel said thoughtfully.
"Sure, we can make it all the way to El Salvador. We can survive on the Abigail for quite some time," Strand said, smugly about his yacht.
"We need to install the .50 cal machine gun on that bridge deck Daniel, anytime soon to be safe in case we need to fight while we are on the water, can you do it? I don't want to die on the water in case we lose this boat, there is not space for everyone on that Zodiac or fuel to get us anywhere" Paul asked him not wanting to move, enjoying the warmth and softness of his sister's bodies.
"You are a lazy one kid, I will do it later," Daniel says to him seeing that he doesn't even want to move from where he is, comfy playing with her sister's ass while they rest their bodies on him.
"That's what I am, thanks," Paul smiled, then looked to the pair of sisters. "Andrea, Amy, how are you doing?"
"Tired," Andrea said while reclining slightly on Amy body. "We haven't slept yet—well, none of us have slept yet."
"Yes, a good sleep would be much appreciated," Amy smiled at what she said also embracing Andrea.
"Yeah, I too could do with a little couple hours of rest," Paul said. "I don't know if they introduced themselves, but the beautiful woman there is my mother Madison, the guy trying to secure the boat is my big brother Nick, and these are my sisters, Claire my older sister, and Alicia, my fraternal twin sister. The three are also my lovers. Just letting you know in case that bothers you." Strand also heard that.
"Wow, how did you get to be together with three girls, even more, them being your own sisters and mother?" Amy got really interested in their uncommon relationship, her eyes truly curious.
"Amy, be tactful," Andrea said apologetically.
"It's okay," Paul said. "Well, it was after a lot of things happened to be told now, but if the journey is long, you will get to know the history behind it." Paul smiled and said to both the sisters, and then his sisters and Madison chit-chatted with Amy and Andrea getting to know each other better.
After a while of sailing, they started to hear screams in the distance and stood to see what it was—a bunch of people piled on a boat floating to nowhere.
"Mayday!" A man opened his hands and started waving as high as he could.
"Oh, God," Madison said, shocked at seeing those people like that in the open sea.
"Mayday!" The man screamed like crazy with other people from their boat to them.
"What are we gonna do?" Alicia asked, preoccupied with them.
"What happened to them?" Amy too got worried.
"Mom? Paul?" Alicia looked uncertainly at Madison and then her brother.
"Paul, what do you think?" Madison asked her lover, a little worried about the situation.
"Paul?" Claire also looked at him. "Paul... can't we do something for them?"
"Yes, we can't let them just die there" Andrea also didn't have a hard heart to see them die in there.
"Well, if I say the truth, I will look like a cruel person," Paul looked at them and then sighed, looking at those people in the boat drifting in the sea. "But if I lie to give you all an answer you would like to hear, I would appear like a good Samaritan looking for troubles for all of us. So, I can't give you all a correct answer, loves."
"So, you are just stalling, Paul, for somebody else to take the infamy," Daniel said.
"That's pretty much the case, Daniel," Paul smirked at the old man who knew what he thought. "Better for the other person to take the blame and be in charge of the situation. But if no one acts, well, it would be for the best."
"So, we leave them to their luck?" Nick asked.
Paul didn't answer, his silence an agreement.
Madison still wanted to do a last try in helping them, so she left to tell Strand about those people.
"We need a doctor!" A man shouted at the top of his lungs from the boat.
"We got company," Daniel said as a boat appeared, passing pretty close to the yacht, seeing what he would do.
Just then, Chris and Liza appeared on the deck. "Oh my god, who are those people?" Liza said, shocked at the sight but with a tired and sad look on her.
"They were drifting in the sea," Ofelia answered, also worried.
At this moment, the yacht started accelerating, gaining distance from the few boats with those people. It should be Strand's doing.
"We can't just leave them, they are asking for a doctor, someone in there must be in danger," Liza says while observing the boat. "We're gonna help them, right?"
"If you want to jump and go into their boat to help them, be my guest," Paul only said that and then kept observing if the boat passing closer to them tried to do anything funny.
"Mom, we can't help them, don't you see it?" Chris took his mother into his embrace, fearing her leaving him. Not long ago, Liza shot Travis to death, and now all he has is his mother, and he doesn't care about those strangers.
"There isn't space in here for all of them," Strand appeared with Madison and commented to all of us, with finality.
After a moment of silence on the deck, they observed the boat pass by as they moved through the waves. No one commented again about helping them; they also understood that helping them was harming themselves.
"We're heading to San Diego, in case anyone was wondering," Strand said, removing the tense atmosphere.
"Let's hope the situation in there is different from LA," Madison said.
At some point, Ofelia left the deck and appeared again with a radio. "Papa, this thing may work and we could hear notices of what's happening," she said.
Daniel took hold of it and started the thing while changing channels.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is the Summer Wind, we're taking on water," a man on the radio said.
"There's another boat; they're boarding, and I don't know what they're gonna do," a woman on radio #1 said.
"...people on the cliff, people are jumping," a man on radio #2 said.
"They got hurt and won't wake up," a woman on radio #2 said.
"I saw his head go away; it just went away," a woman on radio #3 said.
All of us listened attentively to the radio, but all of the communications were somber with tragic news all over the different places.
"This is Coast Guard Station LALB, we have no assistance to provide, I repeat, there is no rescue by sea, land, or by air. There's nothing. Forgive us," a man on radio #3 said.
The few transmissions made them see the gravity of the situation they were in now, killing any illusion they could have.
Paul just embraced his sisters to comfort them. "Old man, help me put that machine gun now, to be safe that nothing happens."
After a while, Paul and Daniel set the M2 in position on the bridge deck, covering the flanks and the back of the boat, with more or less 250 rounds for shooting until they had no more.
"Ahoy," Strand appeared with a drink in hand and a captain hat, as if this was some kind of movie.
"I see the machine gun is ready to defend us," Strand smiled contentedly.
"Yeah, it's ready and loaded," Paul said as he finished checking that it was all good., "but it could be better if we don't have to shoot. We don't have unlimited ammo for it."
"I think you should have stopped," Nick appeared beside Strand.
"We had this conversation in the pens," Strand said looking at him and taking a sip of his drink. "Was I not clear?"
"This was different," Nick said, still not convinced enough.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Strand said firmly in his decision. "And you, Paul, what do you think about it?"
"There isn't a correct answer from me," Paul said. "Whatever I say can cause different reactions from different people here, and in this situation, I have nothing to win to garner free infamy, anyway, I already knew you all would make the wisest decision."
"Between us," Paul added, "if those people in the boat even tried to board, I would have fucked them up."
"Wise, being at the side, waiting for others to do it for you," Strand commented while finishing his drink.
"So, what if San Diego doesn't work?" Nick asked, taking a cigarette, and Paul tapped him for one.
"I don't know," Strand said while he relaxed as he drank. "The whole world is I don't know right now. You should be used to that."
"So, we are going south, huh? That's near the Mexican border," Paul said, taking a puff from the cigarette.
Strand paused for a moment. "Yes, it is."
"Alright," Paul answered, noting the pause in Strand's voice but not saying anything and just relaxing on one of the sunloungers in there while smoking.
A few hours later, after sleeping for a while, Claire woke Paul, saying that Liza and Chris were going to say their last goodbye to Travis before sending him to the sea.
"Um... you all knew Travis long enough to see what kind of person he was, how devoted he was to his family," Liza said.
"He loved to help people, he would help anyone, and he did," she said. "He was selfless, you know? He just would give from his heart and he could be fierce."
"Oh, my God, he was so strong, and... it was painful sometimes," Liza laughed a little forcedly.
"And the best thing that we ever did together was our son... who he loved more than anything or anyone," she finished, waiting for Chris to say a few words.
Chris got near his father's body. "He... was the best dad I could have asked for. He was there all the times I needed him most," he said, covering his face before sending him to the sea with a sad face, wanting to end this fast but also shocking the people at his abrupt ending.
Paul and the others went inside the saloon, preparing to eat. Looking for a drink, Paul got to see a bottle of champagne and picked up a few cups at the same time.
"Who wants to drink? This is good, extra sweet," Paul said, opening the bottle and smelling the sparkling wine.
All the girls and Nick wanted it, so Paul opened another bottle so there was enough for everyone. Daniel preferred bourbon. "Damn, it's good and sweet, as I like them," he said.
"Yes, it is," Claire agreed, resting her body on Paul.
Then Liza and Chris appeared after they chatted alone for a while.
"Do you want something to drink?" Madison asked Liza, shaking the champagne.
"Oh, yeah, great," Liza agreed.
Then the radio started transmitting as Alicia, along with the other girls, played with it. "Somebody there? The hull got dinged up when we were leaving the marina. We thought we patched it up, but we're taking on water," a man on the radio said.
"Who the fuck is that? Is he talking to us or to anyone who could receive the transmission?" Paul asked, looking around at the people present.
"He is Jake or so he said; we talked with him all day long with the girls," Amy answered.
"Yes, he spoke like a nice guy to talk to pass the time," Andrea nodded.
"He sounded lonely, so we talked with him," Alicia said, a little thoughtful after seeing the displeased look on Paul.
"Also, we were bored just seeing the sea," Ofelia added from the side.
"What have you guys talked to him about?" Paul thought for a moment and asked.
"I don't know—a little about everything, like they don't have food, little water, and they would like to go to Hawaii, but their fishing boat wouldn't be able to get there," Claire said as she roamed her hand playfully on Paul chest through his shirt.
"Alright, so you didn't tell him anything about where we are going or about this ship, right?" Paul asked just to know they were good.
"Well, we spoke about the water system, and he deduced that it must be a big boat, a yacht," Claire told him after thinking for a moment.
"Anything more I should need to know?" Paul asked, raising his brow.
"That's all. Can I speak to him?" Alicia asked after confirming him.
"It's not a good idea, Paul. Don't let her speak anymore to him," Daniel said from the side.
"I know that. That guy must be fishing info for our coordinates to pinpoint where we are," Paul tells them all, about the danger. "We could be in danger, what if they have a naval ship with big weapons, I mean, turrets with cannons, or maybe it is a boat or yacht like us with machine guns."
"Look, I am pretty sure it is as I say," Paul said, separating from his sister and picking up the microphone. "Are you gonna sink?"
"The bilge pump is working, which is a miracle itself. We're gonna try and make land. Who is speaking? Is Ofelia, Alicia, Claire, Amy, or Andrea over there?" the man on the radio asked.
"The man knows what he is doing, give a pitiful situation to the girls to get what he needs" Daniel seriously, as he analyzed what the guy said.
"There is no one here with that name," Paul answered like he didn't know what he was talking about.
"Then... could your boat provide assistance? Because we really need it. I can see the fire in the Santa Monica Mountains. That smoke plume, is that to your north or your south?"
"Don't answer anymore. His intentions are clear," Daniel tells him. "It's a robbery, and maybe they have already locked our approximate position all day when they were chatting, using a radar or sonar, and they were just getting data to classify us to see if it's worth coming to us."
"Yeah, I too think the same," Paul said. "Almost sure they already know our general direction, but they don't know how far away they are from us. That's why he asked if we could see the fire in Santa Monica mountains from the north or south to get an approximate distance."
Paul went and turned off the radio. "From now on, no one uses that radio," he said to the girls.
"It's too late. They are showing now on the radar. They are already going up in our direction, but not fast enough," Strand told them as he descended from the cockpit.
"Everyone here needs to contribute or at the very least not compromise," Strand said angrily at the situation.
"Be calm," Paul said, trying to calm the fuming Strand. "We still have enough firepower to put down easily a ship of this size and more."
Strand didn't say anything more, knowing Paul was right.
"Let's eat and make this little problem not a problem anymore," Paul said, relaxing the tension. "Look at that, we have eel, fish, and salad, along with a good drink to go with it."
While they were talking and enjoying each other's company, doing cheers, and preparing to eat, Paul didn't get to finish his first bite of the fish when they started to sense an awful rotten smell from outside, making him gag.
"What was that?" Nick asked uncertainly.
"It appears to come from outside," Daniel said, also confused by the smell.
"Strand, it isn't the drain system malfunctioning, right?" Paul asked, thinking maybe it's the shit from all the people here blocking the system.
"It should not be the case," Strand answered, thinking he must be mad but also unsure about it.
"Guys... Maybe we have a problem here," Nick said as he looked from the window, seeing all around them bodies floating in the water.
All the group exited the saloon to look from the lounge in the stern. "Paul, look, do you see something in there?" Andrea shook him, asking.
"Where?" Paul asked, trying to find something, only finding more bodies.
"There," Andrea said, pointing in a direction.
"There is something, but I can't see clearly," Claire said, looking in there.
"Yeah, me too, wait, let me look for the binoculars," Paul went inside and picked them up from a spot with the weapons and gear for fast action.
Going out, Paul began to check where Andrea was pointing and there he saw a rather large boat destroyed and overturned, part of its hull floating and the rest down in the sea. And now, seeing more clearly, all the water around was infested with walkers.
"Shit, there is an overturned boat, and only a part is floating full of holes over there," Paul said, passing the binoculars to his mother to see.
"I will get us out of here," Strand said as he left to move the yacht from the place.
"What could have happened to them?" Amy asked as she looked a few walkers pass by in the water.
"They were attacked. It seems," Daniel said as he looked through the binoculars. "Why? maybe to rob them and kill them after."
"At times like this, there are still people making it worse for others," Claire said angrily.
"That's right, that's why we have it," Paul said pointing at the machine gun. "To give them a hard time in case they have wrong ideas with us, not ending up like them."
"We should be leaving now, someone's joining us," Strand says as he appears on top of them in the sun deck. "The guys before that were slow, well now they are much faster than us"
"They could be the ones who did that or maybe not." Strand points to the overturned boat. "They're doing a good 25 knots. They're flying, while we working the engines too hard full out at most 20, we need a head start."
"You think that's the boat that killed those people?" Madison asked worried that they were followed by the people who did this.
"You want to wait and ask them?" Strand said sarcastically. "In any case, we are leaving this place already."