Planning and the future

Posted on Tue Apr 22nd, 2025 @ 10:39pm by New York Survivor Amythyst & New York Survivor John ("Dodger") Smith & New York Survivor George Brooks

4,266 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Escape from the Concrete Grave
Location: Various in New York
Timeline: September 12th to September 13th 2010

Amy led the two boys into a small office in 16 A. She checked and closed the door behind them. "We need to discuss what has happened and plan ahead." she said briskly.

"Dante is missing and that isn't normal." Dodger replied, "And it looks like he isn't coming back. The longer this goes on." He finished. His voice even and calm. "So, we need to decide to stay or move and if we move, where do we go?" He asked Amy and George.

Amy took a breath "we don't know. He could be laying a false trail and be back by tomorrow morning."

"That is true Amy." Dodger agreed, "However we need to make contingency plans if Dante isn't back." It hurt Dodger terribly to say that as Dante was his friend and in a way his mentor. Now that he wasn't here, He and George along with Amy had the Infernals to look after.

"So... we give it what? 24 hours?" Amy asked. "Pack up everything we can?"

"Yes." Dodger replied, "That is plenty of time for Dante to get back here." He replied leaving unsaid * If he can. * "Now we need a destination we can all move to and be safe."

As Amy and Dodger spoke, George glanced around the home office that they were in. His eyes caught sight of something that he knew very well. "A boat?" He asked aloud, to no one in particular. He moved over to the desk in the room and picked up a set of keys, which had a small floater on the ring. Holding them up, he looked to the other two. "These are boat ignition keys." He then looked at and showed them the floater. "This is the pier that, hopefully, the boat is moored. It's only a few blocks away!" He glanced around the room, then saw several pictures on the wall, all showing different scenes of a family on what seemed to be the same boat. "They had a boat!"

Looking back at the pair, he continued. "My parents had a fourth footer. They taught me everything I know about seamanship and operating their boat. My mom even taught me about how to work on the engines!"

"A boat?" Dodger repeated. Then brightened up. "That would be perfect for us. We can use the sewer system to get to the pier and find this boat. Hopefully it is in good shape to take us all away from here." He looked at Amy," If the boat is seaworthy, we'll need to make several trips back and forth from the dock to here to take supplies with us. We can get more from the shops at the pier."

Amy was thinking. "If we can block off the entries to the pathway to it, we might be able to make many trips and take as much as we can from these apartments."

Dodger nodded in agreement. "I agree and we should get started on that, not wait. Plus it will keep the Infernals busy. You know what you have and what you want to bring, so that is up to you Amy."

Amy nodded, her face shifting as she considered. "I think I have a way to allow us to take as much as we can and more than we normally would be able to. I can get them gathering things from each apartment and start prepping them for transport while the two of you get started on scouting that boat and sealing of the tunnels."

"Sounds like a plan a good one." Dodger agreed. The tunnels won't be so hard to seal. The boat will be, rather the area around the boat. it will be in a dry dock or slip and lots of places for the alive and undead to hide."

Amy nodded. "I will start the gathering..." she paused. "I hate saying this, but I killed one of the chickens yesterday before I went to the Bookshop. Followed instructions in a book from one of the other apartments - he was a hunter, and I am going to cook it before we leave so we will have some proper meat before we go."

Dodger nodded, "I'm, sorry you had to kill a chicken Amy but the meat will do us all good." Dodger replied.

George nodded then replied, "if the boat is the one in the pictures, we should be able to jury rig a small coop on its deck plating. We won't be able to take all of the chickens, though. And the greenhouse will be small. However, if we can store the rest, we should be good for a bit." He thought about it for a couple beats, then added, "we should find a couple small boats, that we can tow behind the bigger boat. That way, we can also alternate between using the bigger boats engine and fuel, or towing the larger boat from the smaller boats, as we row along "

"Yeah! That's a good idea. We should also get a couple of inflatable rafts to store on the boat just in case we need them. We'll also need tools just a few to start with and get more later but that can wait until we get to somewhere safer." Dodger answered.

"I will leave that up to you both. I will start on the gathering here. And I will cook the chicken. There is a ton of wood in the alley near the entrance you can use to seal the pathway." Amy said already writing a list.

"Okay." Dodger answered, "Come on George, let's get the pathway sealed and then we can make a list of what else we need to bring or get for the boat."

George nodded, casting a quick glance back to Amy, as he followed Dodger out of the apartment.

===

Amy chose the biggest apartment, A5 West, to be their gathering point. She had found several printers and such throughout the floor so had used the paper from them and a marker and wrote on the paper to help with gathering.

One paper said, “Blankets and Pillows”, Another said “Clothes, Children.” And another “Clothes Adult.” She also had papers for other items like shoes, food, and toiletries.

She had brought from the 1st apartment a trolley. She had a plan for it. She gathered her troops, the younger children. “Scavenger hunt time.” Amy said brightly. “Let’s go into the other apartments and find things that fit these areas. Bring them back here. Quickly and quietly

Grins spread and off they went. She had also found what she knew as space bags and had found a handheld vacuum cleaner which still had a full battery.  So, she was going to shrink what she could to help with transport.

As each item was brought in, she folded clothes as small as she could and put socks and underwear into shoes and pockets where she could.

For food and kitchen supplies she packed two large boxes full and used every last piece of space she could find. Then she spent time shrinking down the blankets and pillows in their spacebags and then the clothes.

===

A few hours later, both teens returned, having blocked the entrance to the building as best that they could, given the lack of tools, and needing to stay quiet.

"How's things here progressing?" He asked Amy as he and Dodger rejoined the group.

Amy pointed to where she had with help, complied several piles of supplies. Clothes in all sizes, blankets, Pillows, sheets, and then three boxes filled with cooking supplies, boxed food and plates and such.

"We are almost there. I have two boxes of plants outside, and the chicken tavel boxes are prepped for them. I would suggest we let the young ones sleep tonight, we move everything as best we can, then the chickens and then the Infernals. What was the boat? Is it big enough?"

Dodger looked at what Amy had accomplished and was impressed with the result. "That sounds like a good idea Amy. We're all going to need to be well rested for this next trip."

"Dinner will be ready before sunset." She said softly. "I am going to shrink these down" She picked up a small hand held Vacuum that still had power. "Space bags" she explained as she moved to the first pile of clothes and began stuffing them into the bags.

Dodger nodded in approval at Amy's comment. "That is really good thinking Amy. Is there anything else we can do to help you?"

She considered it. "I need to know how much space we have. Because the more we take the better. Have a look at this, the plants etc and if you think we can take more bring it here. Then we can start moving stuff down the fire escape in preparation."

Dodger looked at the plants and the rest of the supplies they had gathered for their journey. "The upper deck is open so we can put the plants and chickens up there. Other supplies, like clothes and food, fishing supplies and tools can go below deck."

George spoke up. "While the boat will work for us now, it is only a temporary fix. We will need to find another location, to build a camp on, before the boat runs out of fuel. Once it does. It will be practically useless to us, other than a floating roof over our heads."

"Don't disagree with that at all," Dodger responded. "Do we know how much fuel is in the boat's tanks? If none, we need to fill them and perhaps find a way to carry some more with us. Until we find another location. One other thing, If the tanks are full are far can go on them?" He asked looking to George for an answer.

George thought about it for a couple beats, then replied. "Well, I saw that the gauges read full, so..we'd have about three hundred to three-hundre-fifty gallons. As for how long it would last, that depends on many factors. One," he started counting off on his right hand. "How fast we push the engines. Two, how long we run the engines. Three, how much weight we put into her. And four, how rough the weather and water is as we travel." He looked at both Amythyst and Dodger as he spoke.

"I understand all that but how about a rough estimate? Dodger replied. "Just wondering how much distance we can put between us and here. I mean we can figure we're adding a few thousand pounds to the boat with just all of us, along with the supplies we're bringing. Along with what we may add at the dock."

George paused, then replied. "Hopefully...one-fifty to two hundred nautical miles?" He looked at both Amythyst and Dodger as he spoke.

"One fifty to two hundred nautical miles. Okay that gets us out of the immediate danger zone. We need to look at a map to see what towns or villages are in that range that we could settle in." Dodger addressed Amy and George.

Amy nodded. "Maps over there" She pointed to a pile she had gathered. "Might be able to find fuel depots and such." She added. She lowered her voice. "Still no sign of Dante. I will start dinner if you want to get the Children ready for eating."

Dodger nodded and walked over to where the maps were to take a look. He nodded at Amy's comment about still no Dante and he couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible had happened to his friend. "Okay Amy, prepare dinner." he replied softly.

George was already looking through the maps, doing some calculations, both in his head and using a actuator that was nearby. "I'm figuring out our best course, once we get on the water. There won't be any Coast Guard weather radio forecasts anymore, so we will have to rely on what the sea and the sky is telling us."

As dusk fell, the Infernals ate the meal Amy prepared and when they had finished and washing up was done, the group formed a chain and passed the items down the fire escape to the small sealed alley where they stored it all. Then Amy sent the younger children to bed and boxed the Chickens and roosters in their traveling crates. She lowered them down to the alley and covered them with blankets to get them to go to sleep. Then she finished dismantling the greenhouse and the chicken coop, she was determined to take everything they could. She bundled up the poles in the materials and tied them into bundles tightly with rope.

She did a calculated guess that between the three of them, they would get all the items to the boat before dawn. Then leaving one to guard, the other two could come back, bundle up the remaining bedding and clothes and the Infernals and take them to the boat.

As dawn started to just barely start to break the horizon, they had finished transferring the food and animals to the boat. Thankfully, their trips had been quiet and uncomplicated. When they were finished, George looked at the both of them. "As I'm the only one who knows how to pilot a boat like this, I'll stay and get her ready for departure. This way, should someone, anyone other than our group come close, I can get the boat out of the marina." He pulled out a map that he had worked on, before they had started packing. He handed it to Dodger, as he was closer.

"I've marked a spot on there, where the backup lo action will be." He lifted a flare gun. "If I have to move before you get back, I'll fire this off. Until the sun comes up, you should see it in between the buildings. If I fire, then head to the backup location, and find a place to hide. I'll pull in two hours after I fire the flare."

Dodger took the map and looked at the spot George had indicated. "The Intrepid Museum?" Dodger questioned before moving on. "Alright, sounds good. You take care of you. We shouldn't be long. We'll be here as quick as we can." He looked to Amy, "You ready to get everyone and blow this place?"

Amy nodded. They were all tired. "We need to move quickly. I can carry the youngest on my back if needed" She added as she and Dodger headed for the tunnel entry point.

"Agreed on moving quickly." Dodger replied as he rubbed his eyes. They all needed a rest, but they could rest later. Right now, they needed to get the others and get back to the boat.

Amy nodded. Entering the tunnel they moved silently along, pausing when noises reached their ears and moving when they could so not to attract attention to their sealed off area.

When they reached the exit, Amy climbed out first did a quick check and then they were moving up the fire escape to the top.

Dodger followed, moving stealthily he and Amy went up the fire escape to collect the younger Infernals and begin the trip back to the boat and George.

Amy did the head count once everyone was up and packed. Each child had their belongings in their bags. "Michael. Collin, Lincoln, Meredith, Henry, Phoebe, Paulina, Andrew, Patrick, Austin." She nodded as she checked each one. "Follow Dodger" she said as she grabbed her own bag and followed them to the fire escape.

Dodger turned to the younger Infernals and gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile. " Okay, everyone stays together, no dragging of feet. We're going to take a short trip through the tunnels. So, we all need to be very quiet, if you have to talk, whisper and listen to Amy and myself. Okay? Nods from all assured him that they were ready. He headed down the escape with the rest of the group following.

Amy closed the hatch behind them, and made sure she stayed close to the last of the group and kept an eye behind them.

When they reached the hatch to the exit she watched behind them as Dodger helped the younger ones up the ladder and to the boat and George.

Once everyone was out of the tunnel, The group moved steadily and silently towards where the boat and George waited for them. Dodger constantly checking their surroundings for anything amiss and silently relieved to find nothing.

The boat was still tied up at the dock where Amy and Dodger had left it. As the group approached, George came topside and grinned, waving them aboard. He helped the younger Infernals climb aboard, then directed everyone but Dodger and Amythyst down below. As the last of the supplies were being brought aboard, a truck screeched to a halt on the street end of the long pier.

"Time to go!" George shouted. "Dodger, untie to fore line, Amy, you get the aft! Then get under cover!" He hurried up into the bridge and fired up the powerful Merlin marine diesel engines.

Back up the pier, four adults, three men and a woman, were starting to run for them, but they were at least fifty yards away. Their shouts to stop could be heard as they ran.

Suddenly, from another part of the parking lot, nearly two dozen of the undead came into view, heading for the adults. Seeing the danger, the adults turned their attention from the escaping boat and started to shoot the undead.

Dodger quickly moved to untie the bow line, he had no trouble thinking what would happen to them if the adults were able to get on to the boat and seize control. Once he got the bow line untied, he dove for cover. For once he was glad to see an appearance of the undead.

Amy just moved as swiftly as she could and once the ropes were untied she chambered into the boat. "Go!"

Disregarding the no wake rule, George turned the powerful boat away from the dock and pushed the throttles to full ahead, causing the cruisers bow to lift slightly out of the water as the twin screws chewed up the river, pushing them away from the dock at ten knots and accelerating.

In moments, they were in the middle of the East River, moving south towards the harbor. If they kept up their current speed, they would enter the Atlantic in less than an hour.

Amy headed to the upper deck where the cockpit was. She looked at George. "Which way do we go?" she asked.

Once the boat had moved away from the dock and into the river away from the dock, Dodger went to check on the younger Infernals. Once he had assured himself they were all fine, he went back above deck to find Amy and George. Finding them in the cockpit, he stated, "Younger ones are fine. So, what's next?"

As Dodger joined them in the bridge, George activated the navigation system, and pulled up the chart showing the waters around them. "We'll take the Anchorage Channel south, through The Narrows, then Ambrose Channel for a few miles, until we turn south, and sail past Sandy Hook. Once we get past there, we start looking g for a quiet cove to anchor for the night." He looked at the two of them levelly. "Now. While on land, we can work as a team, on the sea, there can only be one leader. For now, aa I'm the only one who knows how to operate the boat, I'll be in charge. Agreed?"

"Sure." Dodger agreed easily. "But perhaps you should start showing us at least the basics in case something happens to you. You know, like the Boy Scouts, be prepared."

Amy was not really paying attention. She was never really an Infernal but she would do what was needed. "Find us a sheltered cove." She said as she studied the chart. "Maybe an island?"

"One with a dock." Dodger added, "So going and coming is easier especially for the younger ones. Also if we find we aren't staying we can grab some more supplies."

George nodded in agreement. "And if we can find an island with none of those creatures on it, so much the better. Why don't you two look over the charts, while I pilot us out of here?"

Amy shook her head. "You both do it. I am going to check on the Sun Deck then head below to check on the kids."

Dodger nodded and looked at the charts, trying to ascertain where a suitable landing spot for all of them would be. One where they could get supplies and hopefully fuel for the boat. As he looked at the charts, he asked George. "We'll need fuel eventually, how long to fill the tanks on this bad boy?" He sighed, "I wish the charts showed if these places had a dock and fuel."

George glanced at the chart as he steered their course down-river. "While fuel depots are constantly changing, there is always one near a marina. So, best to look for a small, to medium-sized marina. As for filling this up, with electric pumps, only a few moments. However, if we need to pump by hand, it could take nearly an hour. It all depends on the situation at the marina."

Dodger nodded as George spoke of what to look for in refilling the boat. "Okay, that makes sense. I think we should be prepared to pump by hand and not assume the electric pumps will be working."

Behind them they heard Amy climbing up the stairs to the sundeck. She glanced around as the boat crusied away from New York. She looked out at the horizon. Then she called down. "George! Get us out of sight! Military boats!!"

George looked forward and saw the boats, partially blocking the entrance to the harbor. He quickly steered them into the shadow of the nearest vessel, one of the numerous ferries that used to move back and forth from the City to New Jersey. Once they were out of sight, he cut the engines, both to save fuel and go quiet. He quickly moved to put bumpers over the side nearest the ferry, so that the two vessels would not collide when their boat drifted against it. "Dodger, stay here at the controls." He then grabbed a set of binoculars from below the control board and hurried forward.

He laid down on the bow of the boat and carefully leaned our to try and get a look at the military boats.

There was a large Coast Guard cruiser in the harbor, and several smaller boats moving back and forth, clearly on some kind of patrol. So far, they didn't seem to have been noticed.

Crawling back from the edge, George sat up, deep in thought.

Dodger had remained at the controls as George had asked. His mind was racing; military boats were not a good sign as they, would undoubtedly stop them from leaving, thinking they were all infected or at least some of them were.

Amy climbed back down hurriedly to Dodger's side. "Not good" She said softly.

Dodger nodded at Amy's comment. "We can't outrun them, and they have guns. maybe we can misdirect them. Get them looking away long enough for us to make a break." he looked at her, "Just a thought."

Amy nodded. "Or we wait until dark or head back the other way..."

"I think whatever we do, we wait until dark. Going back the other way may be a better option." Dodger added.

George nodded to them as he added his own thoughts. "Even if they don't see us with their eyes, their surface radar will pick us up easily." He glanced back the up river. "I think heading north will be our only move to get out of here." He paused a beat or two, then added, "We will head up river after night fall. I'll stay up here, keep an eye out. Why don't you two see about keeping the other kids quiet while we wait?"

Amy nodded. "The chickens might be harder to keep quiet. Can we pull back further?" she asked nervously.

"If we put a tarp over the chicken cages would that keep them quiet?" Dodger asked.

Amy gave it a thought. "Yes but eventually they will need fresh air and such. Can we hide in amongst the boats here?"

"I was thinking we cover them when we get ready to do whatever it is were going to do." He looked to George, "Can we hide among the other boats?"

George glanced around quickly, then indicated a grou0 of barges further upriver. "If we can get up to those, we should be okay till night. Go ahead and get the chickens covered, while I move us over." He then started the smaller trolling motor and gently moved the craft a h8ndred meters upriver, until they were nestled between two large scrap barges. Once in position he shut of the engine, then hurried to tie off to the nearest barge. Then, he grabbed the binoculars and moved up onto the barge and looked around the area.

"Come on Amy, let's get the chickens covered and let George do his thing in getting us out of sight. We can check on the others as well." Dodger remarked.

Amy nodded and they went to get it done.

TBC

 

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