Judy was at the helm, while Brandon hung on their jib sail. Between their main and the newly hung jib, they would be leaving the marina area quickly. Judy was trying to steer and yelling at Ellen all at the same time. Ellen couldn’t hear what she was saying, but wherever they were going they were clearly in a hurry.

  Normally they would have taken the time to chat with another sailor and for them to be leaving the docks in such a hurry, something indeed was up.

  She had spoken with them, and had considered going to Gulf Port with a group of boats the last time she had filled the diesel and water tanks. However, she didn’t think that this was the week they were going.

  Ellen had been standing on the dock lost in her own thoughts when it dawned on her that no one from the store had come to see what she wanted. Under normal circumstances someone would be there to grab a dock line. Looking around, she realized that several of the long term boats were not in their slips. She thought this was strange but maybe they were the boats she had seen earlier. It appeared as if everyone was bugging out. For some of these long term live-a-boards to be leaving the marina spoke louder than words. She realized she really didn’t want to be there either. However, she did need water and fuel if she could get it.

  Ellen would have boarded her boat and beat feet too but first she had to know what had happened. Call it her inquisitive nature or just being nosey, but she wanted to know firsthand what was going on.

  The distant sounds of gun shots filled the air and like an idiot she was just standing there, lost in thought. Smoke drifting on the afternoon breeze caught her attention. She scanned the marina looking for the source. No visible smoke there. But from behind the tree line, black oily smoke rose high into the sky. Something in Palmetto was on fire. Strangely, she heard no responding fire trucks or the wail of sirens, indicating help was on the way.

  From where she was standing she could see the bridge across the water. Not one car crossed the green bridge that joined Palmetto to Bradenton; that in itself was remarkable. In the past there had always been a never ending stream of traffic going in both directions. Now the few cars on the bridge were stopped with their doors hanging open as if their owners had just shut them down and walked away. However, there were plenty of people riding bikes and even more on foot. On her end of the bridge, she thought she saw a man fall off of his bike, directly after she heard more shots fired. Another person ran up and grabbed the fallen man’s bike, righted it and helped a woman on to the handle bars and rode off as if his tail was on fire.

  “Oh crap…this can’t be happening. Aw crap, oh man this is not good.” She was talking to herself again. She wondered how people could be acting this stupid no matter what the emergency. Ellen still hadn’t moved although she still heard the gunshots. Screams intermingled with the gunshots was a kick-start in the ass for her. She ran around to the front door and felt momentarily relieved when it opened.

  “Hello,” she called, wondering too late if this was a wise move. No one was behind the counter. “Anyone here?” she tried again. No one answered again. Then it struck her that the shelves were almost bare and in disarray. The coffee pot lay on its side and a trail of brown had run across the counter down to the floor and pooled there. Closer inspection proved it to be almost dry.

  There was no real point in hanging around but she wanted to see if anyone she knew was on the docks. As much as her instinct screamed for her to get back on the Annie-C and leave, she had to know what was going on.

  Too late to go back now, she wondered if it would have been prudent to grab one of her pistols but dropped that idea as soon as she thought it. Unless she was prepared to shoot someone, there was no point in carrying it. Shooting someone was not an idea she could live with. At least not yet and besides, she it would be just her luck to get shot by her own gun.

  Walking past the restaurant that sat at the junction of two joining docks, she noticed there were people inside. When she tried the door it was locked. Ellen rattled the handle and then flat handed banged on the glass. It turned out she did recognize one of the men inside. It was Mike, the guy that usually looked after the marine store in the afternoons. He was the person who usually grabbed dock lines and helped with the fuel.

  “Hey,” Ellen yelled as a greeting, relieved when he began walking to the door. He didn’t act like he wanted to open it but very reluctantly he did.

  “Hey yourself Ellen,” he said, but his voice held no joy at seeing her there.

  Ellen crowded past Mike into the interior of the foyer. “What’s going on? People out there are going crazy; I saw someone shoot a guy.”

  She belatedly wished she had known Mike better then she could have been able to read his dour expression. Before she could ask what his problem was, she saw it for herself. A guy she had seen on the dock a time or two when she had come in for the night was holding a handgun on the restaurant help, as well as keeping his eyes on Mike and now Ellen. With the use of the hand that held the gun, he waved them over to where he was. He never said a word, just gestured them over.

  Before anyone could say anything else, the kid who did the boat pump outs stepped out from behind the bar, drew back his arm and threw a heavy weight highball glass at the guy. With a sickening splat it hit right on target. Blood sprayed from the back of his head, his eyes rolled up and he dropped. Mike, the store manager jumped on the guy as if to hold him down. He needn’t have bothered. A pool of blood was spreading quickly around the head of the gunman. The back of his head had a crater, much like the size and shape of the glass. He wouldn’t be going anywhere soon.

  Mike felt the guy’s neck, probably checking for a pulse. In disbelief, he looked at each of them in turn. “He’s dead,” he managed to squeak out. “Someone call the cops.” He turned accusing eyes at Alan, “You’ve killed him!”

  “I only wanted to stop him. You all saw what he did to Jessica. No one should treat a lady like that.”

  About that time Jessica came around the bar. She must have been sitting, because Ellen had not seen her until right then. Her face was swollen, one eye closed and purple. She was holding her blouse together with one hand. Tears leaked down her face. No one could foresee her intentions as she walked up to the gunman and slammed her foot into the side of his head. Her other foot, as the direct result of her kick, slipped in the pooling blood and down she went.

  Another woman slowly crawled out from behind the bar. Ellen didn’t know her, but assumed she worked here and she did wear a Riverside uniform.

  “We can’t call anyone,” the woman reminded them, “No phones work.” She crawled to the younger waitress and pulled her into her arms trying to comfort her.

  “We can’t just let him lie there,” Mike whined, “What should we do with him?”

  “Dump him off the dock, no one even has to know,” Alan suggested, “Besides he didn’t come in here last night planning on being nice to us. Look what he did to Jess. I’m just sorry I didn’t give him my fast ball last night.”

  “Last night? You’ve all been here since last night?” Ellen flopped on the closest chair. It was obvious to everyone, that she was having a hard time digesting everything that had happened since she walked through the door.

  “I’m really wishing I’d headed out to the gulf and kept on going.” She said softly, adding “I can’t believe this, whatever this is, it is really happening.”

  “He came into the store just when I was ready to close last night. The power had gone out already so Alan and I were closing up. He was waving that gun around saying the world was coming to an end. After the lights in the sky, I wasn’t so sure he was wrong. Right after the power and phones went out, Billy went up to the parking lot to see what was up. We thought someone took out a transformer, but he never came back.” Mike was wringing his hands, and pacing around the body as he spoke. “We really need to get this guy out of here now.”

  His face had slowly lost all color and Ellen wondered if he was going to be sick. Jessica and the older woman; her name badge said “Susan” had gotten their purses and jackets and it looked like they were leaving.

  “I’ll take Jess with me. We live in the same building, just across the street. Neither of us wants to go home alone.” Susan said; her arm was planted firmly around the younger girl’s shoulder, as she guided her around the still form on the floor.

  Jessica, looked like she was doing better emotionally. Her face looked like crap, but she had a spark in her good eye. She looked like she wanted to plant her foot somewhere in the dead guy again. Susan tugged her to the door.

  “Be careful,” Ellen cautioned. “Things are not safe right now”

  “Don’t worry about us. We have protection at my home. I wish I had bothered to put my Glock in my bag. After being mugged two years ago I took the time to get trained and licensed to carry and I did for a long time, but it became too much trouble.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe her bad luck.

  “Keep an eye out for Billy, would you Sue? Tell him to get his butt back here…if you see him.” Mike said, but his voice was filled with doubt.

  “Well shoot, I hope he headed straight for home,” Ellen said, while watching Susan and Jessica leave through the front door. Billy was one of the few people in Palmetto that Ellen actually liked and cared about. He was enrolled in a special needs program. Helping Hands provided on the job training for higher functioning individuals with disabilities. A month before, Ellen had taken several of the young adults sailing and had a ball. Each of the young people was given a task they were capable of doing. Billy had picked up on sailing fast and by the end of the first day, she trusted him at the helm. Never had she laughed so much at the antics on board that day.

  Looking again at the dead guy on the floor reminded her of the grim reality this day had brought them. She didn’t hold much hope for the special people like Billy and his friends. She thought they were incapable of defending themselves as much mentally as morally. They saw good and kindness in everyone, trusting anyone and everyone. If shit had really hit the fan, as she was beginning to suspect they were all in trouble. Ellen chewed on the edge of her lip to keep from crying, and she hoped Billy was okay and in a safe place. To think otherwise was too hard to contemplate.

  “Well you guys sure can’t stay here. If what I saw on the bridge is any indication of what is going on, pretty soon people will be headed this way.”

  “My Dad never showed up to pick me up last night,” Alan said. “I think he’s drinking again. I had to call a friend to drive me home night before last too. What should I do? It’s too far to walk,” he asked, looking at Mike for guidance.

  “Well, I say we wait for the cops to show up. They’ll come looking for lunch soon,” he said, “They don’t ever miss their free coffee.”

  The Mike Ellen knew from past experiences was running true to form as always. He is the butt of many jokes on the dock, because he does as little as possible for as long as possible. He is one of those guys you expect to hide behind a woman if trouble comes knocking. Well it looks like trouble is breaking down the door and he was still waiting for the cops to show.

  “Yeah,” Ellen said, her voice filled with sarcasm. “You can bet that’s going to happen. You need to re-think that idea and get a plan, because no one is coming to help.” She couldn’t believe what Mike was saying. Did he really believe his own words? The cops were going to stroll down the dock any minute just to have lunch? She saw from his actions that he did.

  “Mike, did you even see what is going on out there?” She was practically screaming at him. She shook her head in disgust.

  “No he didn’t see it himself. We heard the gunshots and he sent Billy out. Then just after Billy left this guy showed up.” He shook his head in disgust with himself. “I only wish I had done something sooner.”

  She stared at Mike, revulsion curdling the acid in her stomach. “Are you kidding me? You sent Billy out into who knows what? Why didn’t you go, why send a boy…hell a child out there?” She turned away, repulsed by him.

  Alan had grabbed the guy by his ankles and started to drag him to the side door. The guy outweighed Alan by a good 100 pounds and he was hardly able to move him on the parquet floor. Mike stood watching, his eyes glued to the smears of the blood trail. Now he really did look like he was going to be sick. With a garbled belch he turned and ran, apparently heading to the restroom.

  Unable to stand and watch Alan struggle alone, she took one ankle put all of her weight into it. Between the two of them they soon had him on the dock. She couldn’t see what else they could do, but roll him off. She was sure there would be no law enforcement showing up and with the heat they couldn’t leave him lying there. With one last push, into the water he went. The outgoing tide would soon take him away.

  “Are you okay?” Ellen asked. Alan stood staring at the horizon, and she could only imagine how he was feeling. He had just killed a man and it had to be weighing heavily on his mind. When he didn’t answer she asked, “Are you going to try and go home?”

  Not knowing anything about his family life, other than what he had divulged about his father, she was sure someone, somewhere must be worried about him.

  “Alan?”

  “Um…no.” His voice was filled with uncertainty as if he really wasn’t sure what to do. “I don’t think going home is a good idea. For one thing it’s too far, and for another, we live in a real crappy neighborhood. If people are getting this crazy here, I can imagine what home is like.”

  “Do you have somewhere else you can go?” Ellen couldn’t go off and leave him with Mike. “A friend’s maybe?”

  He seemed to change right before her eyes. His shoulders straightened and he turned to face her, grim determination all over his face. “I can go with you. I know how to sail and I could be lots of help to you.”

  She saw from his expression, that this idea held some appeal for him. But what the heck would she do with a kid on board. Granted, the way he threw that glass he may be an asset. But a kid? On her boat? Her thoughts ran nonstop trying to come up with an answer.

  “Hell Alan, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I could get us both killed. Are you sure you have nowhere else to go?”

  “I can shoot. I know celestial navigation…well, sort of, but I can fish. I would be a really big help to you Ellen,” his words were picking up speed as they came out. “I can be a big help to you. I know medicine a little and I…” he finally ran out of words. “Please?”

  His eyes were pleading and she really wondered what kind of home life this kid had, to be wanting to run off with a person he barely knew and to who-knew where. She just didn’t know if she was capable of looking after another person. On the other hand, how could she just leave him with Mike? If things were as bad as she thought they were and they would only get worse, how could she leave him behind.

  “Well crap…” She said, as if the decision she came to couldn’t be any other. She knew before she said it what her answer had to be. She had to make sure before she answered him.

  Alan was staring at her, anticipating her answer. His expression was that of a puppy dog sitting locked in a kennel.

  Chapter five

  “Alan, what about your family? There has to be someone who worries about you. Your Mom, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins…Anyone?” He had to have someone out there somewhere, and she thought about staying long enough to see he got to them if that was an option. Everybody has someone who cares what happens to them.

  “But you don’t,” she silently reminded herself, “and you like it that way.”

  “I never knew my Mom; she died when I was born. Both my parents were only children and I don’t even know the rest of the family. I haven’t had a real conversation with my Dad in…” He stopped as if thinking. With a huge sigh he continued, “In forever. He doesn’t really talk to me anymore. He didn’t even come to my graduation, and I don’t expect he will make college graduation either”

  “What? Wait…college? How old are you?” He didn’t look old enough to be out of high school. She thought that she had heard somewhere that he was making school money working at the marina?

  “I just turned 22. I am going to be a junior next year; Florida State, or I was. Now, who knows?”

  Dang, it is true. The older I get the younger they look, she thought. She had thought he was 16 or 17, and never would have believed he was this old. This did put taking him with her in a whole new light. I’m going to let him come with me, she decided. Now what about Mike? I didn’t see him as the type to bug out on a sailboat, and the thought of taking him anywhere made her insides cringe.

  “Okay, you can come with me, but here is how it’s going to work. You do what I say, when I say it. No questioning about anything. My boat, my rules. At this point I don’t know where we are going or for how long. If you can live with that, then welcome aboard.”

  He was practically beaming, and she could see he was going to start throwing questions. She raised her hand up, palm out to stop him, “Not now, no questions remember? Now, we gather up everything we can find. Any water, sodas, chips, whatever is left in the store. Aspirin, Band-Aids, whatever. If you think we can use it, take it.”

  With a huge sigh of relief, he turned towards the store to do what she had asked. The dock under them suddenly lifted enough to throw him to the deck at the same time as an explosion came from the other end of the dock. Pieces of wood and debris fell from the sky. Black smoke rose above the restaurant on the street end of the dock. The dock was built in the shape of a capital “T” with two restaurants sitting across from each other. The dock separating them was maybe a five-minute walk. Someone was screaming, and gunshots rang out again.

  “Let’s move.” She said as she headed back into the restaurant. Alan headed for the store.

  “Mike,” she shouted, “Mike, where are you?” He didn’t answer. Could he still be in the bathroom? Well shit, they didn’t have time for this. She grabbed a dish tote full of clean glasses and dumped them into the bar sink. Quickly, she grabbed all the full bottles of alcohol.