Free The Island - Part 2 (Fallen Earth) by Michael Stark

agreement.
    When he did, I looked across the table at the others. “Keith, Devon, you guys look around and see if you can find something we can use to dig a grave. There’s a cemetery over near the house closest to the dock. Pick out a spot and start digging.”
    Joshua leaned back in his chair, his face thoughtful. Denise sat near him. Anger still played across her features, along with what might have been a sense of justification.
    “You two come with me. I have a jug of bleach on Angel . You can use it to purify the water in the cistern. If I remember right, the ratio for clear water is about a teaspoon per gallon. Elsie can help. She can probably tell you by looking at the tank how many gallons are in it. Just work out the math. “
    Kelly sat at the end of the table.
    “I’d like to come with you and Tyler in the morning.”
    I had no idea how Tyler would react when he saw Zachary’s body. Having his sister along might prove to the best decision of the evening.
    “That’ll be fine. I’ll come get you both when it’s time.”
    I pointed to the two remaining girls, the blonde and Jessie, the one who had taken up with Elsie and Daniel so easily at the campfire meeting.
    “You two, check out the rest of the houses. The Park Service probably has some equipment stored around here for maintenance. See if you can find anything like that. Take note of anything that might be useful. This place is a museum. We might be desecrating it to put things back into use, but the items on display are the same ones that helped people live here for 200 years.”
    I fought back a yawn and ran a hand through my hair.
    “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll take a couple of you to help ferry supplies from the boat to the station. We need to know what we have and how much.”
    I ran a hand across my face. It felt stubbly and dirty. I wanted to go to bed. Instead I ticked items off on the fingers of one hand.
    “The rest of you can go through the stuff you brought. Let’s lay it all out and take stock. Call your families too. Keep them in the loop. With the disease, the travel ban, and all the weird shit going down, they’re bound to be worried sick.”
    Joshua looked up. “We haven’t had a working cell phone in two days.”
    “Ours are dead too,” Kelly agreed.
    “Elsie has one.” I said.
    She grimaced. “It’s on the boat.”
    I sighed. “I can charge your phones off Angel’s batteries if you have a charger. If not, I have one in the boat.  Use it if you can.  Either way, Elsie has a working phone. I have one. There’s no reason everyone here can’t call home tomorrow. As for me, I’m going to find a place to bed down for the night. We have a big day tomorrow.”
    Voices broke out behind me. I left them to hash out the days events, and headed out onto the porch. The truth was, I had no place to bed down or bedding for that matter. Nor did I want to sprawl out with them in the big room. The duffel bag I’d packed so hastily that morning lay near the door. I sorted through the odds and ends and pulled out a jacket.
    After a miserable day, the night felt warmer and somehow comforting. Rain fell soft and steady with the runoff trickling down the gutters in a quiet little sigh. Across the dunes, the surf still pounded the beach, the waves roaring in, and then hissing when they retreated. The wind had died away to a gentle whisper. What little light existed, spilled out of the windows, and sliced through darkness so deep and profound it felt as if someone had walked through the heavens and bent down to pinch out the stars one by one. Beyond the edge of the porch, I could see nothing, not even the dunes I knew lay less than fifty yards away.
    I could hear them through the door, talking, arguing, and their voices rising and falling. I didn’t want to go back inside. Whatever else the night held, it possessed two things the station lacked, silence and solitude. The urge to sleep on the porch hit me so strongly that I reached down and