THE COLLAPSE: Seeking Refuge Read Online Free Page A

with a baffled look on his face as if to say, “How in the heck did you know that?”   Then he turned back to Claudine.
    Claudine smiled a bit as she looked down at the ground, saying, “Indeed.  I was the mayor of Oak Harbor.”  She glanced around at the other members of leadership and laughed, “But not anymore though, obviously!” 
    The other leaders all laughed right along with her.  The ice had been broken.  These were good people, in good spirits.  Stephen suddenly had all the courage he needed.  Once the merriment subsided, he began his argument for the leadership’s decision to allow them to remain in The Park.
    “I would like to start off with the fact that my family and I, along with Fish here, are all good people, just like you,” Stephen took in a breath and paused.  “Now, I know that being a good person, in itself, doesn’t necessarily merit any value to an organization.  But, in addition to being good people, all three of us possess skills and attributes that I believe you will find quite beneficial to the ‘scenario’ here.  If you know what I mean.” 
    When Stephen said “scenario”, he had smiled and used his fingers to make quotation marks around the word.  All of the leadership had chuckled with light-hearted understanding.  He had regained his mojo, and was on a roll.
    Stephen pointed at Fish and said, “Fish is selfless and dauntless at the same time.  He’s a fearless, well-trained combatant and possesses the unique ability to operate and think clearly under extreme circumstances.  This is evidenced by his actions during the Safeway takeover, which, from my understanding, many of you are already aware of,” Stephen had looked at Jason Oxnard (whom they apparently called “Ox”) when he said those words.  Most of the men and women were nodding in agreement, which was good.  Fish stood up straight and beamed with pride. 
    Stephen concluded Fish’s portion of the speech with, “This is the man you want…no, this is the man you need when things go south and it’s paramount that you have people around that you can trust and depend upon.  Most people will run away from a burning building, but this is the type of guy that will run toward it to make sure everyone got out safely.”
    Stephen paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
    “My wife, Tarra, is exceptionally good with children.  She’s read many books and articles on child psychology and can apply that knowledge extremely well.  Better than anyone else I know, in fact.  She has the patience of a saint, and is well-versed in first aid and CPR.  Not only that, but she is an excellent teacher, and can pass those skills along to anyone that’s willing to learn.” 
    Stephen looked at Tarra.  Her eyes looked watery, almost as if she was about to cry.  She was so proud of him.  His words were moving her.  But she wouldn’t cry.  Not there, anyway.  She adamantly refused to show emotion in public.
    “As a bonus, Tarra grew up in Alaska, and is quite familiar and proficient with firearms.  She, just like Fish, is ultra-brave, confident and quick-witted under pressure.  As a mother of two young girls, she is also extremely vigilant.  I am positive that she will amplify your security posture around the campground.”
    Once again, all of the leaders were nodding with satisfaction.  Claudine stopped nodding and said to Stephen, “You’ve made a great case for Fish and your wife.  Why don’t you go ahead and tell us about yourself now.”
    Stephen took in a deep breath and began, “Well, I guess you could say that I am very resourceful.” 
    Fish nodded vigorously in support of his best friend.
    William, who had been quiet up to that point, spoke up, “We need resourceful people.  But how knowledgeable are you about these type of resources?”
    That was exactly the type of question Stephen had been mentally preparing himself for prior to the meeting.  He grinned and said, “Just on my