We need to talk

Posted on Wed Apr 8th, 2026 @ 9:40am by New York Survivor Amythyst & New York Survivor Briar Maddox & New York Survivor John ("Dodger") Smith & New York Survivor George Brooks & New York Survivor Jordana Venturi & Survivor Elena Marwick

3,560 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Safe Harbor
Timeline: Thursday, 30 September 2010 Time: about 8pm

Amy waited until the younger children were asleep. It was two days since Fort Mason. She gathered the four other older children in the kitchen.

She poured cups of tea and sat down at the table where they all ate.

George took the mug of warm tea with a nod and a soft smile. "Thsnks," he said gently. After looking at the rest of the group, he turned his attention back to Amythyst. "What did you want to talk about?"

Dodger took a sip of the tea and then placed it to one side waiting to hear what Amy had to say,

Jordanna sat down at the table with them. Freshly showered, her long, raven hair felt slightly damp but flowed over her shoulder. She listened.

Amy took a breath. "We need to leave this Island. Take everything that shows we were here. The animals, everything, tools, supplies." She stated it firmly and let it hang.

Dodger spoke up, "We can move everything. It will take all of us to do so and leave no trace. It will be a hard and long job but it can be done. Next question where are we moving to?"

JV spoke, offering her thoughts to Dodger’s question, “Where would we go? Are there anywhere safe enough?”

Amy took a breath. "Elena gave me Co-ordinates. Its more than big enough for all of us. And all our animals. However it is far inland, hidden."

"Does this island have a name? Dodger pressed. Wanting to know what there proposed new home name was.

"Its called Pine Hollow. And from what Elena has told me, its a place well hidden in the mountains of Western Maine. 3 weeks walk at most. Quicker if we find things to transport the supplies. She has given me a hidden inlet on the coast. To use as a staging area."

JV nodded, adding her part, “It’s a good start.”

Amy nodded. "We were always planning on leaving but finding out about that group taking people.. it changes things. I want to tell everyone tomorrow, and we pack tomorrow and leave the next morning, early. Animals will be loaded last but we take what we can, and I want to make sure we leave very little to direct people to where we are going. The boats need to be fueled. Lucky Break we can tow behind the barge. The inlet is a few hours up the coast."

Dodger slapped his hands together, "Sounds good, You should each take a pistol from the collection we just came back with. If for no other reason to alert others if there is trouble,"

Amy didn’t like the idea of carrying a gun. “Its an idea. But I want everyone to be trained who carries one. If we can get off this island by morning light day after tomorrow then it will be great. We will also need to make sure we have things so we can fence in the goats and cows. I have already built extra chicken travel boxes so they should be okay. The bees we should take as much honey out of the hives so they are lighter to transport and the Cats can travel in one of the small wagons, I will make a cover for them. The dogs will keep by us anyway though the puppies will need to be watched.”

Dodger didn't reply, he just nodded at Amy's suggestions. He knew how to carry and use a gun responsibly. "Well Fisher stays with me, so that's no problem." He replied quietly.

Briar had been listening and considered things. “We can divide everyone into teams. One for Animals, one for food, one for general supplies and still keep a look out. We might need to go sooner then we want, if they track us down.”

Amythyst nodded. “Hopefully we have a few days. It is my hope that the man you spoke of thinks his people betrayed him and looks south towards New York.”

George has been listening to everything that was said during the quick conversation. Finally, he spoke up. "While I could figure out how we move to the mainland with the goats and chickens...there is no way we can transport the cows and bulls at the same time. They are several tons of weight by themselves alone! It would take our little barge several trips to do it, and, even if we siphon the fuel from the rest of the boats once we get to were we are staging before the march inland...there's no guarantee that it will be enough fuel to get everything out of here."

"They wont go on the barge. They go on the boat that Briar, Dodger and JV brought here." Amy said softly. "It can hold the weight."

George considered this information for a moment, then responded. "It will still be a dangerous operation. While the boat ride itself will be dangerous enough, the three weeks hike through unknown territory, carrying all of our equipment, supplies, and animals, without proper wagons, will be even more dangerous. At least here, we have already secured the island, and are prepared should some threat wash ashore." Ge paused a beat, then asked, "Why do you feel we need to move? You haven't given us a reason yet."

Briar was about to comment but Amy held up a hand. "George... JV was rescued from traffickers around the Islands. its only a matter of time before they find us."

Dodger listened to the back and forth between Amy and George before speaking up. "I understand Amy's reasons but George makes good points as well. Let's nor forget winter is fast approaching and do we want to be on the road without proper shelter? Here, we can defend ourselves and have proper shelter and can also have heat. I think we should wait until spring at the earliest before we move,"

Briar stared at him. "And what if they come here? We cannot protect this place for long."

"Maybe, maybe not." Dodger replied, "But here is better than being caught out in the open. I suggest we shore up our defenses build traps in case we are visited by the traffickers,"

Elena stepped into the room, she had been listening. "You would risk your life when leaving would save it?" She asked him softly.

George shook his head as he spoke up. "Don't get me wrong. If we can find a more secure location, I'm all for it. However.... aside from our boats, we don't have any vehicles to transport our animals and gear, we don't know what we will find once we leave here, we don't know how much this proposed location will remain secure in the three to four weeks it would take to get there, winter is already starting to kick up. That water is only going to get worse as the temp drops. We know this island. We can defend it through winter at least. Also, at the end of the day, we are a group of kids. Kids who are still learning how to survive in this insane world." He shook his head slightly. "We would be putting the younger ones in unnecessary danger, if we pull up stakes now and attempt to race winter to the new location."

"I would defend this group with my last breath," Dodger told Elena. "They are my family." He nodded as George spoke and when he had finished, he added, "We stay through the winter. it is the correct and safest thing to do."

Amy looked at Elena. Who nodded. "Very well I will tell you it all."

Elena walked to the cabinet beside the table and pulled out the map she had placed there. She rolled it out on the table before the group. "Its a self sufficient place. When I spoke with Amy, I suggested you first head to a place called Gulls Refuge. Its a former fishing Cove. It was built to last. And it is half a mile from an Amish township. They would have large cargo wagons, which your cows could pull. The Amish there would not be there now I feel. But if they are, they can be battered with. There maybe even animals you can use to help carry supplies. And if there are no wagons, i can help you build large carryingdevices for the cows to use." She took a shallow breath. " From there, you will need to travel carefully to Pine Hollow Valley. In stages. But Pine Hollow Valley has been set up and secured for survival. There was a caretaker in June. They may still be there, with the fields, and animals. I don't believe they would abandon their post easily. So you will find it in good stead." Elena looked at Dodger now. "Now to your point about staying here. While I agree you have the high ground here. But as we do not know the numbers of the group that JV was rescued from. Yes you have boats but what happens if they destroy them to keep you where they can find you? The cove hides you for now, but eventually they will find this island. Fort Mason was not far from here really."

She swayed and Amy helped her sit.

"Gulls Refuge is 6 hours up the coast by boat at a steady speed. Based on your supplies you will make it with fuel to spare. Gulls is often hidden by fog and as the weather moves towards winter the fog will give you cover there." She stopped there. "Now you know. What are your thoughts?"

Dodger was silent for a moment as he looked at the others before speaking up. "Personally, for me tis is a bad idea, to move everything we have with coming coming. However I'll go along with whatever the majority decides."

JV sat back in her chair, one arm folded as she listened to the arguments bounce around the table. Her jaw tightened at the mention of traffickers, but her expression stayed steady, eyes sharp. When she finally spoke, her voice was low but firm. “How many people are we talking about? If they’re bigger than us, we can defend ourselves for a while, but eventually we’re still outnumbered. Even if we move, we’re always going to be hunted. And I’m not exactly trained for this — I know some cardio kickboxing from my sister, but that’s it.”

Briar nodded. "I agree about the fact that we are sitting ducks. Maybe we should vote?"

"We may be sitting ducks but we can take steps to correct that here and then move in the spring when the weather us better." Dodger argued. "But yes as Briar said let's vote."

George was silent as he thought hard about the logistics of either decision. While yes, they did know every inch of this island, they were exposed...one the other side of the coin, if they got to the mainland unseen, and if they were able to find proper modes of transportation for their animals and supplies, if they were able to get to the refuge unmolested, and if they were able to claim it without any trouble...then it might be a good idea to move now. In the end, he had said his piece, and they had agreed to govern their group as a republic, where the majority ruled. So, he responded somberly, "I've stated my feelings and thoughts on the matter. However, I will go with whatever the majority decides."

"That's not a vote" Amy said softly. "Stay or Go"

Dodger spoke up. "I vote we stay." He said evenly.

George looked into Amythyst's beautiful eyes, the eyes that caught his heart the first day they had met. He realized that, when it came down to it, he would go along with her plan in the end. However, it was just his and her lives that were in the mix here, it was the rest of the younger kids. They, as the elders, had a responsibility to protect the little ones until they could fend for themselves. They had to do things correctly here.

Finally, he spoke, his tone calm and level. "If you really think that the only way to survive is to move to this compound that we don't know the status of...then okay. While I still think its a bad idea, you haven't led us wrong yet. In fact, most of us wouldn't be here without you and your leadership." He paused to take a breath, then continued. "However....before we evacuate our hone here, we need to send a scouting party to this harbor, ensure that area is secure and safe for our arrival, stage the appropriate modes of transportation of our supplies and animals, and ensure the area will remain unmolested while we wait for the rest of us to arrive."

Elana nodded. "One to leave, One to stay. Briar? JV?"

Jordanna had been quietly listening and nodded, "I vote to go."

Elana spoke softly "Two to leave, One to stay."

Briar watched everyone closely. "Go" She said.

Amy nodded. "Go"

Elana stood. "Then you have made the choice." She looked at Amy. "Your council voted. Go."

Amy took a breath. "We tell them tomorrow early, Pack all day and get going at first light the next day."

There was the sound of running feet. Austin, who had been on watch in the attic came down into the Kitchen. "George! Dodger! Come quick!" He waved at them to follow.

Dodger wasn't surprised by the vote. He was disappointed in it but not surprised but he didn't get mad, didn't scream or yell. Instead he gave a nod of his accepting the results. He just hoped they didn't all regret what he considered an ill fated decision.

He was roused from his thoughts by Austin's harried voice. He was up in an instant and at the younger boys side. "What is it?" He demanded.

=5 minutes earlier=

The attic was always the quietest place in the house.

The younger ones hated it — too hot in the day, too dark at night, the wind whispering through the gaps like someone breathing. But from up here, you could see everything. The water stretched out in all directions, broken only by the jagged silhouettes of the other islands.

That’s why they kept a watch.

At first, he thought it was lightning.

A flicker on the horizon — too steady, too bright.

He wiped the lens of the telescope with the edge of his sleeve and leaned in again, squinting.

Not lightning.

Lights.

Too many lights.

His breath hitched as the shape slowly pulled itself out of the darkness — massive, wrong against the quiet sea. A ship. Bigger than anything that should have been out here anymore.

A yacht… no—

Too big for that.

It loomed, multi-decked, every level lit up like a floating city. Harsh white floodlights cut across the water, sweeping back and forth in slow, deliberate arcs.

Searching.

He adjusted the focus, hands starting to shake.

Figures moved along the decks.

Not wandering. Not panicked.

Patrolling.

He could see them clearly now — silhouettes of adults with rifles slung over shoulders, some holding them ready, others scanning the water through binoculars. They moved with purpose. With control.

This wasn’t a group surviving.

This was a group hunting.

A smaller boat peeled away from the ship’s side, its engine whining faintly even across the distance. Then another. And another.

He counted—one, two… five… no—more.

They circled the larger vessel like angry wasps, darting out in widening loops before curving back in, never straying too far. Fast. Agile.

Coordinated.

The big ship didn’t slow.

It cut through the water steadily, heading south.

Toward the city.

Toward them.

One of the smaller boats suddenly veered, its spotlight snapping on — a blinding beam that raked across the dark water, pausing, then moving again. Another light joined it. Then another.

They weren’t just travelling.

They were sweeping.

Looking.

His stomach dropped.

They weren’t lost.

They were searching for someone.

For something.

For them.

The boy jerked back from the telescope like it had burned him, heart hammering so loud it filled his ears. For a second, he just stood there in the dark attic, frozen.

Then instinct kicked in.

He stumbled over the loose floorboard, caught himself, and bolted for the stairs.

“George—! Dodger—!”

His voice cracked as he tore down into the house.

And when Dodger demanded to know what was happening he gasped out.

“There’s a boat—!”

Not just a boat.

“They’re looking."

"How close?" Amy asked urgently.

Austin was still trying to catch his breath, one hand braced on the doorframe, the other clutching at his shirt like he could steady his heart with it.
“Far…” he managed at first, shaking his head hard, then correcting himself as the image burned behind his eyes. “Not far enough.”

He swallowed, forcing the words out faster now, urgency breaking through the panic.

“They’re out past the outer islands—maybe… maybe a couple miles? I could see them clear with the scope. Big boat. Huge. Bigger than ours—bigger than anything.”

His eyes flicked to Amy, then to George and Dodger.
“All lit up. Like—like it wants to be seen.”A beat.
“And there’s people on it. Not like us. Not scared. They’ve got guns. Rifles. Walking the decks like… like guards.”

The room went very still.

Austin took a shaky breath and pushed on.
“And there’s smaller boats. A lot of them. Six—maybe more. They’re moving around it, fast. Spreading out, coming back… like they’re searching grids.” He made a vague motion with his hands, like drawing lines over water. “They’ve got spotlights. Sweeping the water, the islands—everything.”

“We thought we had time,” Amy said quietly. “We don’t. They’re already here. This isn’t a warning… this is the window closing.”

Dodger along with the others listened to Austin's rushed report. His blood ran cold at what he was hearing. "We need to move, get the bags of weapons we brought back. They aren't much but they are better than harsh language." He looked at the others. "If we run, they would see our boats on the open water and overpower us. We hide and use hit and run to take them out. We know this island, they don't. Plus there is a chance, a small one they don't come here."

Amy didn’t answer Dodger straight away. She was already moving. Not fast. Not panicked. Deciding. Her eyes flicked to the window, then back to Austin, then across the table — counting, measuring, placing every piece where it needed to be in her head.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet. Final. “No.”

The single word cut clean through the room. She stepped forward, one hand bracing on the table. “If we stay, we give them time.” Her eyes moved to Dodger — steady, not arguing, just certain.

“You’re right. We know this island.”

A beat.

“They don’t.”

Another.

“But they don’t need to.”

She gestured toward the dark outside. “They’ve got lights. Boats. More people than us. All it takes is one sweep. One landing party. One mistake.”

Her jaw tightened.

“And then we’re trapped.”

That word landed heavier than anything else.

She looked at George now.

“They don’t have to beat us in a fight. They just have to take the boats.” A breath.“Or burn them.” Silence. Amy straightened slightly. “If we stay, we fight on ground we know.”

Another beat. “But we fight on their timeline.”

Now she shook her head. “I’m not giving them that.”

She turned, already shifting gears — leader, not debater.

“We don’t run blind,” she said. “We move smart.”

Her gaze snapped back to Dodger. “We leave before they tighten their search.”

To Briar: “No lights. No noise. We load in stages.”

To George: “We keep the boats low in the water and stagger departures. Stay as close to the islands as cover as we move north. If one gets spotted, the others keep moving.”

Then, to all of them: “They’re sweeping wide right now. That’s our window.”A breath. “Two hours, maybe less before they start checking closer islands.” That hung there. Measured.

Real. She softened just slightly — not uncertainty, just honesty. “If we wait until morning… we won’t be leaving.” That was the truth of it. No drama. No fear in her voice. Just fact. Amy stepped back, meeting each of their eyes in turn.“We already made the call.”

A small pause. “Now we survive it.”Then, quieter — but somehow stronger:“We move tonight.”

Briar moved quickly to the stairs. "I'll wake the others and get Andrew to listen to the two way radio to see if there is a safe channel we can use or to hear if they are on the bands."

"Amy..." Dodger started then stopped. Debating would only cost them time and increase their risk of someone being hurt or killed not to mention the group being caught. They could debate later when they were off the island and clear.

They all began to move.


TBC

 

RSS Feed