New safe place

Posted on Thu May 8th, 2025 @ 4:03am by New York Survivor Amythyst & New York Survivor Briar Maddox & New York Survivor John ("Dodger") Smith & New York Survivor George Brooks

4,431 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Winter's hope
Location: Uncertain
Timeline: September 14th Early Morning

As George slowly piloted their yacht up to the long dock with attached boathouse on the island they had selected, Amythyst stood at the bow her machete in hand letting her gaze sweep the island. No movement. None at all.

As the boat bumped against the dock, she jumped.off the bow into the wooden boards and crouched.

Amy left the others to stay on the boat, using the argument that George was needed to pilot the boat, Dodger was the main protector and she was the only one able to be risked. She moved slowly in the dawn light up the dock to the boat house which was built against the dock, meaning that if it was empty they would be able to hide the boats within it.

Slowly she moved and opened the door and slipped inside. Empty. Dust motes floated in the air as she looked around. The sea doors were adjar but she could see that they were able to be opened from the wooden interior dock. After a moment to let any noise die away Amythyst moved to the wheel that was to be used to open the doors and began to crank it.

The noise seemed loud to her ears but after a bit the doors opened and she could see that both the yacht and the fishing boat would fit within the sea dock.

Leaving the doors open she went back out and looked towards the hill where a large house could be seen. Slowly, Amythyst headed to the end of the dock and up the hill, looking around slowly and carefully.

Briar watched from the boat. "Sea doors are open" she told the two older boys.

Dodger looked over to George, "Last little bit of this particular journey. This is good the boats will be hidden from sight and protected from the elements. We should check out the fishing nets on Briar's boat as well." He looked out at Briar, "Briar does your boat have any fishing nets?"

George was exhausted. Leaning against the console, he started to move the two boats around to the open boat slips. Looking over at Dodger and Briar. "Once I pull this boat into the first slip, I need you two to untie the other boat from us. Then, you should be able to move about the inside and pull it inside."

Briar nodded. "Two and several hand nets and rods." she said as she heard the younger children move below decks.

"That's great!" Dodger exclaimed. "We can use the rods and the hand nets to catch fish once we get this place checked out and make sure it's secure."

George nodded to the two of them. "We will need to start fishing soon. The food we have will only last a little while longer." He then lined up their boat with the first slip. "Get ready." He watched both sides of their boat as he slowly piloted it inside the open doors. As soon as it was inside, he quickly shut off the engine, then moved to tie off, while Dodger and Briar worked on the other boat.

Dodger worked quickly to tie off the smaller fishing boat once it came to rest in the second slip. "Briar, see if you can close the sea doors. It will help protect the boats and keep them from being seen as well."

Briar nodded and jumped to the smaller dock and began to close the sea doors. "If we stay here we may need to camouflage this dock." She called back.

George looked around the inside of the boat house. "Not sure there's anything we can do. And besides, if someone does come along, and sees it deliberately covered, it would stick out like a sore thumb." He yawned suddenly. "C'mon, let's start getting everyone unloaded and ready to move." He turned towards the interior door, and opened it up. "We're safe for now. Everyone, let's start unloading stuff and carrying it outside the boar house." He then shuffled over to where the chickens were covered and pulled the tarp back, giving them some fresh air.

"Everyone takes something so we can do this fairly quickly." Dodger told the little ones. "But not so big or heavy you can't handle it."

==

Amythyst adjusted the strap of her backpack — lighter than she'd like it to be — and scanned the dense tree line ahead. The air smelled like wet pine, salt, and old smoke — not from fire, but from long-cold wood stoves. She ducked under a low-hanging branch and entered the treeline, machete in hand. Her fingers gripped the wrapped hilt tightly, but she kept the blade low. Just in case.

She moved uphill first, toward a rise that overlooked the dock. Good vantage point. A place to see without being seen. The trail was faint but real — deer or someone before them had walked it. As she climbed, she saw the solar array tucked into a southern clearing, panels angled like metal flowers toward the sun. Some were dusty, a few cracked. But they were there. Someone had planned for survival.

Amythyst crouched behind a stump and took out her notepad — just a torn book stuffed with scribbles and charcoal marks. She drew a rough shape of the shoreline and marked the dock, the trail, and the solar field. “So far so good,” she muttered.

Then she saw the house.

It sat in a gentle dip past the crest — weathered but standing strong. A log-style farmhouse with a wraparound porch, the kind that made you think of lemonade and dogs, not survival. But it was smartly built. Reinforced windows. Chimney intact. Doors closed but not locked. She circled it wide. No tracks. No smell of death. A porch swing hung crookedly, creaking in the breeze like something out of a ghost story.

“Too quiet.”

She approached the barn next — big, red, classic — its loft doors open to the wind. Inside, the scent of old hay and motor oil clung to the walls. Empty stalls. A few rusted tools. But no walkers. No corpses. Just absence. A chicken coop was attached to the back of it, which made her smile. It would house their chickens easily.

She found the garden last.

Past a squeaky gate and beside the house, the raised beds had gone wild — kale bolting, tomatoes splitting on the vine, onions flowering like explosions of white fluff. Someone had once cared. Someone had planted food, not flowers.

Amythyst knelt beside the rows and ran her fingers through the dirt.

“Still good,” she whispered.

She looked up at the house again. The curtains didn’t move. The wind blew steady. The silence wasn’t threatening… just heavy. Waiting.

She explored the northern treeline next — more overgrown paths, a crumbled hunting blind, even the remnants of a fire pit near the creek that ran behind the house. There were signs of old life… and no fresh danger. She headed back to the house now.

The front steps groaned under Amythyst’s weight as she climbed onto the porch, machete still in hand. The wraparound deck circled the house like a protective arm, its railings silvered with time. The front door hung slightly ajar — not broken, just... abandoned.

She pushed it open with her shoulder.

The air inside was cool, stale but clean. No rot. No blood. Just dust and echoes.

“Someone walked out of here… and never came back,” she thought.

The first room was the living room — wide open with sagging couches, a cold stone fireplace, and shelves half-full of books and board games. A child's drawing hung crookedly on the wall: stick figures and a bright yellow sun.

To the left, she found the kitchen — industrial-sized, like someone once planned to feed a dozen mouths. The counters were clear. The cabinets were mostly closed, a few empty cans in the sink. She opened the pantry and found a single jar of pickled carrots still sealed on the shelf. She pocketed it silently.

The dining room adjoined the kitchen, a huge wooden table stretching beneath a dusty chandelier. Plates still sat at two places, covered in time, not mold.

Down the hallway, she checked the master bedroom — bed unmade, closet half-open. A pair of boots still sat by the door. The adjacent bathroom had a composting toilet, clean and dry. The water system was turned off, but she noted the solar hookup on the wall panel.

The mudroom at the rear of the house was half-storage, half-laundry. A rack of coats still hung there. She ran her fingers across the collar of one and then moved on.

The stairs creaked but held as she climbed.

Upstairs, the hallway opened to two double bedrooms, both simple, clean — abandoned mid-use. The beds were made.

One room had a crumpled note stuck under a lamp: “If we don’t make it back, take what you need. We tried.”

Amythyst folded it and pocketed it next to the pickled carrots.

She found the bunk room last — four sets of bunks and a loft bed. Enough to sleep nine. Names had been scratched into the bedposts: “Sky,” “Max,” “Teeny.” Dusty, but intact.

Across the hall, the office had a pull-out couch, a rusted typewriter, and a hand-cranked radio. She turned the knob. Static. But power flickered.

“This place is better than we hoped.”

The basement door stuck, then gave with a heavy thunk.

Cool air and stone walls greeted her as she descended slowly, flashlight bobbing.

The first room was a cold cellar — root vegetables long gone soft in bins, but jars of canned fruit and sealed bags of rice were still salvageable.

In the second room: shelves of supplies, boxes of old blankets, and stacks of firewood. A sealed mechanical room hummed faintly — the solar battery bank was intact, and the backup generator sat in standby mode.

Two more doors:
• A double bedroom, no windows, dark and quiet.
• A bunk room with two sturdy bunks — the emergency beds, likely. Still neat. Ready.
•
“Good fallback spot,” she thought. “Stays cool. Quiet.”

A narrow ladder near the stairwell pulled down with a grunt. She climbed carefully.

The attic smelled of dust and old cedar. It wasn’t finished, but it was insulated. Boxes stacked to the side, forgotten toys, tarps, and a small broken telescope pointed at a shuttered window.

She crossed the beam floor and found a small hatch in the roof.

She opened it — and the wind rushed in, cold and sharp.

From up here, she could see the tree line, the dock, and the others below still unloading supplies.

For the first time in days, Amythyst exhaled slowly.

“We could make it work here.”

She climbed down, the weight of the house behind her — solid, full of stories, and waiting

With the scouting done she made her way back down to the dock where the others were, waiting after securing the two boats in the sea dock. “It’s safe,” she said aloud as she reached the group. “For now.” She didn’t say it with hope. Just truth. But maybe — just maybe — it could be enough. She didn’t waste time. “House is clear.”

Everyone seemed to breathe a little easier at once — the kind of relief that made your shoulders drop before you even realized they were clenched.

She knelt next to the upturned crate they were using as a makeshift table and set down a dusty mason jar.

“Pickled carrots. Still sealed. Pantry’s got some stuff, not much. But the cold cellar’s intact. There’s rice. Jars. Some root veg gone bad, but the rest’s salvageable.”

She paused and reached into her jacket pocket again, pulling out a folded scrap of paper. She handed it to whoever was closest — didn’t matter who. It ended up being George.

“Found this in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Looks like the people who lived here knew they weren’t coming back. Left it behind… maybe for someone like us.”

Her voice stayed even, but her eyes flicked upward toward the treeline, the porch roof just visible above the ridge.

“House is solid. Two double bedrooms upstairs. Big bunk room — sleeps nine, easy. There's an office with a pull-out couch. Downstairs has another double, plus a smaller bunk room. Cool and dry. Good for storage or keeping someone sick apart from the rest.”

She tapped her fingers on the mason jar before continuing.

“Kitchen’s huge. Looks like it was meant for feeding a crowd. Propane stove, solar panel hookup. Mudroom’s got a line-dry setup. Bathrooms use composting toilets. No smell. Well-kept.”

She hesitated, then added quietly: “No signs of walkers. No blood. No bodies. No fresh tracks either. Place has been empty a long time, but it doesn’t feel wrong. Doesn’t feel... abandoned, if that makes sense. Just... waiting.”

She finally looked up at them, eyes scanning from face to face. “We’ve slept in worse. A lot worse.” Then, softer — almost too quiet to hear: “This could be it.”

The silence was deafening until Dodger broke the spell and spoke. "Sounds like a dream come true. We'll need to clear out the cold cellar and start moving our supplies in. Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Briar's boat has some hand nets and fishing poles so we may be able to catch some fish to help with our food supply." He looked back to Amy, "Did you see any signs of bigger animals, like deer?"

Amythyst looked up. "Small animals, no deer but there were birds, rabbits and such."

Briar considered the words. "Do you think there would be traps we can make?"

Looking at the note that Amythyst handed him, George looked up at the group. "Okay, first things first. Let's get everything up to the house and settle in, try to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we can start working on our new home."

"We'll have to see what items are available, but I think simple traps can be made to catch rabbits." Dodger spoke up.

"Get everything and everyone into the house first." Amy said softly. "The barn has a chicken coop and feed so I can settle them in as well."

Dodger nodded in agreement. "Okay everyone, you heard Amy, let's get moving."

The group moved up the hill with their belongings. Several trips would be taken to get everything up.

Amythyst took her time moving the chickens and the two roosters to their new home. She would let them breed for a bit before starting egg collection and .. other things.

Once everything had been brought up, and both boats were fully secured, George shut the door to the boathouse and carried the last bag of things up to the house. After that was done, he picked up his bag of gear and made his way down to the bunkroom in the basement. Once inside, he collapsed onto one of the mattresses and was instantly fast asleep.

Briar found herself helping to unpack food and other items. Clothes were sorted, stored, blankets and pillows pulled from the space bags were shared around the children, and children claimed their beds.

Rowan moved off on his own slowly, joining the other boys his age, but keeping Briar in sight.

When Amy came back from the Barn, she was dusting her hands off. "I will plant the plants tomorrow." she said. "I have stored them in the barn for now. I think tonight, we will need to have a proper meal. And we should make sure we have firewood. There is an axe around back and a pile already there but it wont get us through winter. Even with the stack in the basement storage."

Andrew volunteered to start collecting kindling. He took others with him. "Stay in sight of the house!" Amy called after them.

Briar smiled. "I will start chopping wood. I think there are some trees near by we can cut down."

Amythyst nodded. "And there are some islands near by. I think we might want to look at scouting them eventually, preferably before Winter."

Dodger spoke up, " Are you sure Briar? I can cut the trees down and you can clean out the cold cellar if you prefer?" Offering to change tasks with her.

Briar shook her head. "No I am good with it. I will start with smaller trees. We need it to be dry so the more we cut now.."

Amy nodded. "We can hold it in the barn while it dries"

Austin, aged 11 ran in. "Boats!" He called out.

Amy spun. "Get everyone inside!" He nodded and ran out.

Dodger started to reply to Briar when Austin ran in shouting about boats. "Boats?" He questioned. "We need more information to know exactly what we may be dealing with." He told Amy and Briar. "Everyone needs to stay quiet as well."

Amy considered. "If we lay down on the ridge we might be able to see. Briar, stay here with the others, if you hear us screaming, wake George."

Briar nodded and when the others were back in, led them down to the basement level.

Amy looked at Dodger "Let's go."

Dodger nodded a serious expression on his face. He and Amy would go and scout and see exactly what they were dealing with and what plans may need to be made. "Right." He simply as he headed for the door, grabbing his baseball bat as he went.

Amy grabbed her machete and followed him out. They made their way to the rise above the docks and crawled the last few feet on their stomachs. They looked out. Military boats. They were a fair distance out and not looking at the small islands. Amy looked at Dodger "Wonder if they have already looked here and deemed it not needed." But any response was stopped by the sound of an explosion. One of the boats had fired on another. And it was all out battle.

"They may well have. I mean what is here works perfect for us but not for them. Those boats may not be able to get close to the island." He stopped at the sound of an explosion. "Well, that is interesting. Why would one boat fire on another? This more than just a simple argument." He finished as he kept his eyes on the boats as the battle intensified.

"Maybe they are arguing about orders... or... infected..." she shuddered. They watched as the group of boats seemed to just target each other. It took half an hour, before all four boats were burning hulks and there was no more screams. They watched and waited but no small boats escaped and no one was seen swimming towards the islands.

"Good point. They must be mad though. I mean why not work together? Adults are weird and do stupid stuff. case in point what we just saw." Dodger agreed as he kept his eyes on the burning hulks. There was no movement. "Let's wait just a little longer, don't want to leave and then find the undead coming up the path."

Amy looked at him. "What happens when we become adults?" She asked curiously. "Did Dante ever explain that?"

Dodger met her gaze and spoke with a quiet intensity. "We won't act like that because we've been through so much together and we have people depending on us." He was quiet for a few seconds as Amy mentioned his friend and leader of the Infernals. Then he spoke, "You leave the Infernals, No adults. That's what Dante said but no one ever had. But that was back in the city, I think we may have to rethink that"

"Do you think that is why he left? He was 18 already?" She wondered. "And frankly I will admit it was why I didn't really want to join."

"I don't know, possibly. He said he was going to look for a new site for us to move to but that could such been an excuse for him to leave." He nodded at her statement. "I am glad you are here with us now and thank you for all the help you've given us. You have been a huge help." He paused for a moment before going on, " And I am sorry for the way I acted when we first met."

"bygones" Amythyst said with a smile. "And understandable." She nodded towards the now sinking ships. "Must be a reef near there, they are not going down very far..."

"Thanks." Dodger replied with a smile of his own. He looked out at the ships that were still burning. "If there is a reef it would be a natural barrier for us. It would keep bigger ships out to sea. " He looked back to her, "Too bad we can't salvage anything from them. They all went down at bad angles."

"True but it will all help in the end." She shifted and looked at the small grove of trees to their left. "We should build a lookout post here. Its the highest point on the island and if we get it high enough to be in the treetops... we might be able to see the whole Island and beyond."

"It will help. It will make approaching the island more difficult." He looked to where she suggested they build a lookout post. "That would be good and as you said if we can get it high enough, we will have a clear view of the island and surrounding area."

"Its a plan." Amy said. "We should look to head back and calm the others. Poor George sleeping through this fun."

"It is a good plan. He deserves it after piloting us out of the city and getting us here. I'm sure there will be more fun that he will be awake for." Dodger replied with a grin.

"Agreed" Amy said as she began crawling back down the rise. "Lets get this day underway. We have a lot to do before night fall. I want to check the Solar panels and the connections. If we can have electricity then we are better than we were in the city."

Dodger followed her back down the rise. "Right with you on getting things done. I'll clear out the cold cellar than help Briar with getting wood chopped, dried and stack. Having electricity would be amazing and we are already better off than we were in the city."

"Warm showers, hot food. I am thinking eventually we may need a fence or such but for now.." She finally climbed to her feet and headed for the house at a slow jog. "A few more animals would be great, we will need milk and chickens will only go so far."

"Sounds like a dream come true." He replied falling into a jog beside her. "More animals would be great." He agreed. "We have the fishing boat and it has hand nets and rods. So, if we can catch some fish, that will add to what we have. We can smoke them to preserve them. They will last longer."

"Agreed." Amy said. As they approached the house, they saw Briar standing by the main door, her spear in hand. "All clear!" Amy called out to her.

Briar nodded and spoke inside the house. Soon the younger children were out and moving back to their tasks.

"You know we're going to need more tools, saws. another axe or two, nails. We need to make a list. I wish we had bows and arrows; they would be a tremendous help if there is big game here."

"The Barn still has tools so we can look there. And we might more on the other islands." Amy replied as she dodged one of the younger ones who was running to pick up kindling for the fireplace. "Winter here is going to be hard I am glad I brought all the cold weather gear I could find in the apartments."

"We can look in the barn and make an inventory was what is there, and the other islands offer opportunities to add to what we have. Winter will be hard, but we'll make it. We have a good solid house to protect us, and we'll stock up on firewood as well as kindling. The cold weather gear will certainly help as well."

Amy nodded.

Briar came up to them. "What happened?"

Amy explained it and Briar sighed. "The Military is probably split. Power struggles and such."

Amy nodded. "I am going to check on the solar." she said "I found a book about it in the kitchen so... hoping we can have lights and hot water tonight." She smiled and headed off, leaving the two of them behind.

"You are probably right Briar." Dodger answered "Holler if you need help?" He said to Amy as she went off to check the solar panels. He turned his attention back to Briar. "You sure you don't want me to chop wood and you take the cold cellar?"

"The younger children will respond better to you," Briar said "You can ask them to help with the cellar. We should stock take it. I think I saw Amy starting a list in the kitchen earlier. Once i have a few trees down we can drag them to the barn together."

"If I need them I will. For now, let them continue with their tasks and collecting kindling wood. We definitely need to stock the cellar and okay on dragging the trees to the barn."

Briar nodded and grabbed the Axe she had kept near the door and headed for another area of trees.

The infernals worked hard through the coming hours and soon had a great pile of kindling and Amy was happy to announce that the Solar was connected and had a working battery storage. Briar had felled four trees and they had as a group dragged them to the barn to be allowed to dry. Amy had found tarps in the barn which she was happy to use over the chicken coop. As the afternoon moved on she finished covering the coop as there were clouds on the horizon.

Dodger worked in the cold cellar. he cleared out all the old and rotten vegetables, He kept the rice that the veggies that were still good. It was a dirty job and slow but when he was done, he was pleased with how well it went. Now, they just needed to restock it.

TBC

 

RSS Feed