Home Sweet Home

Posted on Mon Jul 14th, 2025 @ 1:52pm by Survivor Roxy Santiago & Leader Connor McLean

2,708 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Escape from the Concrete Grave
Location: Long Island, New York (Gold Coast region)
Timeline: 7 September, 1700 hours

As they slowly made their way deeper into the estate, Connor pointed out landmarks to Roxy. "That's the tennis court, over there's the swimming pool and cabana. The rear grounds utility shed is over there, behind those birch trees. Up ahead is the rear gardens and my home."

As he spoke, the large mansion started to cone into view. It was enormous, built of stone from quarries around the world. There were three floors, containing dozens of different rooms. As they approached, they saw that no lights were on, and no movement was readily apparent.

"How many people are here normally?" Roxy asked almost afraid to speak too loudly.

"When I was growing up, we had a house staff of about fifteen people. Then, there was the four of us living here as well. But, after..." he couldn't bring himself to voice the deaths of his brother and mother, "Father let go five of the staff, with full retirement pensions, stating that we didn't need that big of a staff any more." He chuckled softly. "Those that were let go? They stayed on. Working as they had before, only this time, living off of their pensions, instead of a salary. That's how much they respected and were loyal to my father."

"Did you have contact with them before...?" Roxy asked "Do you think they got out?"

He shook his head. "I was already in custody before things went to shit. I hadn't spoken to my father, or anyone here, in the past month." He paused, then added, "Though, with his boat gone, I'm hopeful that they might have made it clear. Though, to where, I don't know."

Roxy looked around as they came up to the house. "Okay so what do we do if it's locked?"

He glanced at her and grinned. "If it is, then it's a good thing that I have a key." He led her up the rear patio to the large home. He tried one of the doors, and found it locked. He then moved to one of the large planters, that was to the left of the door, and reached into the soil for a moment.

Pulling his hand back out, he was holding a small, cloth-covered box. After unwrapping the cloth and open8ng the box, he pulled out a set of house keys. He then moved back to the door and unlocked it. After opening it, he looked at Roxy, "As before, back in the City, NY home is your home." He then held the door open for her to enter first.

Roxy took a breath and stepped into the house. Much more than what she was used to. "Wow." She breathed. "Very nice."

Connor looked around and let out a quiet breath. "I know it's big, but, it is defensible. Father had the perimeter reinforced, but camouflaged to look otherwise. The fence and gate could hold back a tank driving into them. There are also pop-up barricades for the waterfront. It's all operated manually, so, even without power, they can be deployed." He started walking towards the kitchen, as he kept speaking softly.

"There are several weapon caches located around the house, mostly either a rifle or shotgun, a couple pistols and some ammo for each. The walls, windows and doors are all rated to stop .50 caliber rounds. There's also a panic room down in the basement, plus a few other odds and ends here and there." He put his pack on the counter, then moved to the large refrigerator, and pulled the door open, looking inside. "They left in a hurry." He pulled out two beers, popped off both caps and handed one to Roxy.

"Still has power.. solar?" she asked taking the beer. She placed the bags she carried down beside a wall.

Connor nodded as he took a swig of his beer. "Year, Father had a solar set installed up on the roof, back when the whole solar panel craze started. We've also got some access to a freshwater spring on the property. And, if we can find some livestock, we have enough room for a few to use as a protein source." He tilted his head back towards the hallway. "C'mon, I'll give you a tour of the place."

Roxy nodded. She waited for him to lead. She hoped the house was truly empty. "You grew up here didn't you?"

He nodded as he replied. "From the day my brother and were born. No matter where I lived in the world, this place was always home." As they spoke, he showed her the main floor, which held the kitchen, two large dining rooms, a smaller dining room used mainly for family dinners, a large living room, complete with a massive marble fireplace against the east wall. Next, he led her upstairs, to where the bedrooms and small library were.

"Aside from the death of my mother and brother, I don't remember any bad times here, even when I got in trouble with the law. My parents always had this way of turning it into a teachable moment."

She gave a slight smirk. "And how did those moments work?" she teased lightly.

He chuckled softly as he replied. "In the beginning, just them telling me that they were disappointed in me, tore my world apart." He paused, then added, "They never laid a finger on us for any of our misbehaving. Instead, they made us work off our perceived debt, depending on the offense." As they reached a closed door, he continued, "Even after I became an adult. After my jail time had been completed, my father would make me work off the debt, doing something to better myself. That's how I earned my master's degree, by paying off a debt to better myself."

Roxy nodded listening. So different from the world she had grown up in, both in truth and lie. She paused by a window. She looked out at the lawns. "So.. how secure do you think the fence is going to be in the long run? Should we reinforce it?"

He moved to stand next to her, as they both looked out the window. "For now, they should do the trick. For the long run, we can figure out how best to bolstered them." As he spoke, he gently laid his right hand on the small of her back. It was a subtle move, one that seemed natural.

She didn't flinch as she was focused on other things. "What if it is people like us? Do we... help?" as she spoke she realised his hand was where it was, but she didn't react and just kept her gaze on the fence.

"You mean, criminals?" Connor asked softly. He let out a soft sigh before replying. "If it were any of my people, probably. Though they would have to work hard to keep this place, and anywhere else we expand into, safe. Other criminals, I really don't know right now. I guess it would have e to be decided on a case by case basis. And, as you and I are the first here, the decision will be made by the both of us, together. Others might offer their thoughts on things, but only you and I will make the decisions."

"What about non criminals? Civilians? Normal folks?" Roxy asked softly. She appreciated his words though. "We may find more survivors."

He nodded as he replied. "Civilians will need to be protected. As harsh as this sounds, there will need to be a caste system set up again. Humanity, or what's left of it anyway, will need to step back a bit, in order to rebuild and survive."

“We will need doctors, fighters, people to help grow food.” Roxy whispered as she absently traced the window sil with a finger. “There is only a limit to things here. We have no cattle, or animals for food. And seedlings will only go so far.”

Connor nodded, as he moved a bit closer to Roxy, absentmindedly, as if drawn to her. "There are farms out east, in Suffolk County. Perhaps, we will use this as a rally point, build our strength, then move east." He paused then continued, "One of the benefits of living on a island, if you can secure an end of it, then you can build up your strength for future forays out into the wilderness."

Roxy nodded. "Here is hoping we can do that." She said softly. "We should unpack and check the perimeter."

He nodded. "First, let's get the rest of our gear and supplies brought up from the boat. Then we can do a perimeter check, lock the house down for the night and get comfortable."

Roxy turned and found herself looking up at him, way too close she thought. But she just nodded. "Good Idea." she agreed. And as she followed him back to the boat she considered creating a list of things to do. they were just two people. How long could they survive?

When Roxy turned into him, Connor felt an instant pull to her. For a few long beats, his one eye locked on her two beautiful eyes. Then, he cleared his throat, breaking the spell. He led her back to the boat, his mind twirling with sudden thoughts. He had thought that Roxy was very attractive when he first saw her. However, they had been fighting to survive every moment since, that he hadn't thought more about it. Now that they were relatively safe, his mind started to move into other areas.

Over the next two hours, they brought everything up from the boat, then sorted and stored everything in the proper locations.

As they were sitting at a table in the kitchen, having some food, Connor spoke up. "Not sure how you want to do the sleeping arrangements." He took a long pull of his beer, then continued. "There are plenty of bedrooms upstairs."

Roxy nodded slowly considering. "We should stay close to each other for security." She said carefully. "Would that be possible?"

He looked over at her, quiet for a few beats, then he nodded. "It's possible. We could stay in the same room, if you're comfortable with that?"

Roxy considered it. Then she slowly nodded. "Might be best for now." She agreed.

He nodded as well, as he added, "We could use my parent's room. You could take the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch by the window." He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, especially as they would probably be together for the rest of their lives.

"We are adults. We can share a bed and keep to our own sides surely." She replied calmly as she took a sip of water.

He nodded once silently, then finished his beer. He then stood and put his garbage in the receptacle, saying aloud, "I'm gonna go take a shower. Feel free to look around if you want. Mi casa, su casa." He gave her a soft grin, which seemed almost out of use on his tense face.

Roxy nodded and took her own bottle to the bin. She wandered around the house, slowly taking in the doors, windows, entry points and angles as she did so. The hidden Cop in her, was reading the building and her brain was protecting itself by showing her escape routes.

Upstairs, Connor was standing in the large walk-in shower, located in the ensuite of his parent's bedroom. The scalding hot water felt good as it flowed over his sore muscles. He took his time washing, as he didn't know how long it would be until the next shower.

Roxy looked through each room, and considered the windows that might ..no would.. require boarding up. She knew it would take time. They needed to be careful of showing their position until their position was stronger.
She left the house and went to look for a garden shed.

A short while later, Connor stepped out of the shower and dried off. Finding his father's bathrobe, he slipped it on, smiling softly at the soft scent of his father cologne wafting up from the fibers. He made is way back into the large master bedroom and looked around. He knew that he had his own clothes, down the hall in his room, but for now, he contented himself with simply enjoying the luxurious softness of the Egyptian cotton robe, as he looked a the things his father had apparently left behind during his exodus from the manor. Connor took a moment and said a silent prayer that his father, wherever he was, was safe and not one of those creatures.

Roxy found the shed and began looking through things, coming out with shovels, axes, and saws. She found bags of nails and hammers. She lugged them to the house and placed them in the foyer. She needed to consider security as it kept her going.

Hearing the ruckus downstairs, Connor grabbed his revolver and hurried to investigate. As he came down the wide staircase, he saw Roxy carrying in boards and tools. "Why did you bring all of that in here?" He asked softly, a slightly perplexed look on his face.

"A fence is all well and good" Roxy said as she placed a bag of nails beside the pile. "But internal security will be needed."
She dusted off her hands.

Chuckling softly, Connor replied. "If someone can get through the ballistic windows and reinforced walls and doors of this building, then a few two by fours aren't gonna be able to stop them." He walked over to the nearest window and showed her that it was, indeed, thick ballistic panes, instead of regular glass.

"Remember, my father was a gun runner and the head of one of the most powerful gangs in the northeast. He spent nearly ten million dollars, when I was a kid, to reinforce both the house and the property. Believe me when I tell you, if we need to lock up the house for an attack, short of major artillery or explosives, no oasis getting in."

She crossed her arms. "Well better safe than sorry." She was pouting.

Smiling warmly, Connor stepped closer, putting his hands on her hips, pulling her to him, as he replied softly, "And it find that very sexy of you." He tried to give her a flirty wink, though, with only one usable eye, if it weren't for his tone and the look on his face, it might have just looked like an odd blink.

Just then, before either had a chance to continue, the sound of a helicopter flying close over head was heard. It was clear, from the sounds of the sputtering engine, that it was coming down, and coming down hard. A few seconds later, the sound of it crashing down nearby could be heard inside where they were standing.

"Holy shit!" Connor exclaimed. "We should go check that out, see if there's any survivors!" He let go of her and hurried upstairs to get dressed. "I'll be ready in a few minutes!"

Roxy nodded and went to grab supplies and her weapons. She shrugged on her jacket, turning the collar up to protect her neck and slung the bag she had hurriedly packed across her back.

Less than ten minutes later, Connor was hurrying back down the stairs, this time dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, he was pulling on a long trench coat as he moved, his weapons already attached to his thighs. When he reached the main floor, he moved to a wall segment near the door, pressing a hidden button. The panel pivoted open, revealing three shotguns and a rifle. He grabbed one of the shotguns, a Mossberg 12 gage pump action, with ten additional shells loaded in the sling.

After grabbing the shotgun, he closed the panel and double checked that the weapon was loaded. Nodding to himself, he said to Roxy. "Yet another reason to think my father got away without issue. These weapons would've been used otherwise." He then unlocked the front door and held it open for her, locking it again once they were outside.

Roxy nodded. "Lets go" she said once they were outside.

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