Continuing down the path, they reached the waterfront.

There were some broken concrete wharves and wooden pilings jutting from the cold Pacific. Most of the shore-side buildings were all gone. Collapsed and the debris swept out to sea by storms and swallowed by the forest. Surrounding the bay were wooded hillsides.

On one remaining half of a cracked and stained concrete wharf sat a large wooden shack. A wooden dinghy and rowboat sat in the water, tied off to a giant rusted bollard.

Smoke came from the chimney. There was a distinct lack of carnage or obvious damage. Racks of fish sat under the eaves, drying.

Tim climbs down and swaps out with someone else to man the MG. Then once everyone from the dismount team had provided a cordon around the vehicle he asks "O.K myself and a couple of volunteers are going to go say hi. Everyone else keep you eyes out for visitors and long arms on your shoulders unless you see something."

"This isn't a bit suspicious, is it?  One lone untouched place?  It's like something out of a bad horror movie."

He grumbles a little under his breath.

"Need a contact man, and maybe a local?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 449):

Capt'n Kim grins. Possibly a bit to BIG of a grin.


"This must be the Monroe family house. Or at least they might be nearby. I'll do the contact"


Kim taps the handle of the machete in anticipation.

In reply to Captain Ly Cong Kim (msg # 450):

"Right, lets go say Hi. You lead us in Kim." Tim follows along behind taking the time to have a look around the surrounding terrain looking for watchers.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 45)

"Pardon me, Mr. White? Would you like me to take up rear guard?"

"Am I in Tim, or not?"

Meanwhile, Jimmy hunts out the trade pack and slips it over a shoulder.  (Or drops a few items into his pockets.)

In reply to Jenna 'Tallfeather' Bartram (msg # 452):

"Just a perimeter on the vehicles if you would not mind and yes Jimmy if you would like."?

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 454):

Capt'n bows his head sharply.

"Taking lead"

Leaving the M79 behind and just taking the AKSU.  Kim walks into the clear view of the shack. And yells out.


"AHOY,,,, MONROE FAMILY....AHOY..... IT IS CAPTAIN KIM ...WE MET AT THE MORROW PROJECT BASE....ANYBODY ABOUT?"

Jenna nodded and took up the task.  "Kit, care to join me?"

The Ranger was parked on the mossy concrete apron where it bordered on the thick evergreen forest, in an open spot near the edge of the trail. Wooded hillsides rose around them. The fisher family shack was out on the end of the concrete wharf. On the wharf between the ocean end and treeline was piled with junk salvaged from the ruins hidden under the forest. Old tires, rusted barrels and 55-gallon oil drums, plastic piping, mounds of glass bottles, tangles of wiring, old engine blocks, twisted lamp posts, etc. Years of salvage, it looked like.

The piles were not huge and there was a wide, clear path between them.

Lena, Tina and Bobby formed a perimeter. Tim, Jenna, Kim and Jimmy began their approach down the wharf to the sprawling shack at the end. Thankfully there wasn't anything obviously gruesome waiting for them like corpses strung up on gibbets, clouds of flies or circling buzzards (turkey vultures). Seagulls wheeled overhead and floated in the surf, and from where they were they could see at least a couple nesting eagles and a hawk soaring far overhead.

There was no beach here; the calm ocean waves lapped on jagged rocks, concrete and rusted metal. Barnacles coated everything below the high water line.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:29, Mon 27 Feb 2017.

Jimmy nodded to Jenna.

"I got the left."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 458):

Jenna smiled and nodded. "I'll go right then."

The small group threaded their way between the piles of salvage on the concrete wharf. There were mossy patches and cracks. The water below sloshed, full of seaweed. Birds wheeled overhead. Jimmy on the left, Jenna on the right. Tim and Kim in the centre.

Out over the grey Pacific ocean, the sun was sinking closer to the waves. Not into the ocean, but the dark landmass of Vancouver Island to the west.

They reached the fishing shack at the end. It was relatively large and sprawling. Fish were drying on the racks. Jimmy realised from the way they looked, these normal-looking salmon must have been set out to dry since the rain of earlier. (That is, they were not there for days.) Smoke drifted from a tin smokestack.

There was a door closest to them, probably the shack's main door. Or they could try and find another entrance.

"That fish is fresh, since the rain earlier I'd bet."

He shrugs and moves up to cover Kim.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:40, Mon 06 Mar 2017.

Tim will let Kim knock and make the introductions if anyone is home. "Yes looks to have been recent, lets hope they have not gone out again."

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 462):

Capt'n Kim knowing UN-announced visitors could be be greeted badly, calls out again....

"AHOY.... MONROE FAMILY.... IS ANYONE ABOUT?"

Kim will do the hand signal to halt. Waits 20 seconds for an answer and calls out again.

"AHOY... IS ANYONE HOME?"

If no reply will knock. AKSU being held in right hand.

In reply to Captain Ly Cong Kim (msg # 463):

There was some movement inside the shack.

An eyeslit that allowed vision back along the wharf opened up. A reply came from inside, "ahoy! We're home. Who is it?" It was a woman's voice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:06, Mon 06 Mar 2017.

In reply to Project Director (msg # 464):

Capt'm Kim combs his hair in a nervous fashion hurriedly.

" Hello Mrs. Monroe,,, Kellie if I remember correctly. (pause)  We met I believe at the Morrow Project Encampment in Maryville a while back. I am Captan Ly Cong Kim of Little Da Nang. A relief to see you are well.  These fine folks behind me are of that very Morrow Project. (Points to Jimmy)

Met some troubles a bit ago and wanted to check on people we knew were nearby. Have you seen some oddly dressed people on foot and horseback?"

                                   WAIT For reply

"This Honorable Sir I believe would like to ask of a little of your time as well" Gestures to Jimmy... Bows and

                                        QUE JIMMY
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:06, Mon 06 Mar 2017.

Jimmy waves and grins all friendly-like, showing off some fine 20th century dentistry to the slit.




He winks at Kim and chuckles.

"Glad to see you folks are doing OK, considering that mess shore-side.  Was hopin' you might can tell us a bit about things about."

He digs in his trade pack and fishes out a pack of 'Charms' candy.  "Got a pack of candy just for being kind to greet us."

He slowly moves the small pack of Charms to the slit, and will pass it through, giving them plenty of time to look at it.

Tim nods when Kim introduces him having turned back when the voice has spoken from the other side of the door. He waits to see if they will gain entry.

The door opened. Inside was someone that Kim recognised, a short, dark-haired woman. She was carrying a baby and a toddler. Hanging from a leather thong around her neck was a small crucifix carved from whale ivory. Kellie took the proffered gift and motioned for them to enter. "Thank you, thank you! Yes, Captain Kim, my husband Michael and I saw you at the Morrow trading post in Maryville. So glad to see you again."

Behind her was a wide open room. Plenty of windows let in light. Prominent were enormous whale jawbones and ribs, which were not uncommon for a home of those of the Fisher people, otherwise known as "Whale Worshippers".

"Are we glad to see you! Michael, Stanley and Barb (son and daughter) are out fishing with him. Our other son, Bert, he ran off with those crazies on horseback!"

Jimmy grins, fishes out another pack of candy and adds it to the first, letting Kim lead.

"Nice to meet you ma'm.  Jimmy MacGuire.  One pack of those not enough with that big family, have another."

He perks his brows at the news about Bert.

"Your Bert been with them long?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 469):

She thanked him again but shook her head at his question, distraught.

"No. He just went with them when they left. I tried to talk him out of it, but they were very persuasive and it did look like a lot of fun.

"They came a couple weeks ago. They dug around a lot in the ruins a little bit up the trail, then partied and drank and celebrated all night." This seemed accurate, there was both a dig and a mountain of discarded wine skins at their camp, now that they thought about it.

"A few of 'em wearing that metal armour armed with swords came by after they arrived. Looking for the "Devil's Work". By that I think they meant working things from before the War. One of their priests, he looked like a monk, did all the checking. Michael's father gathered all that salvage along the pier but all Michael wanted to do was fish. So we don't really have anything they thought was "impure" or "mundane" (which is an insult? Who knows!). Other than that they didn't bother us, came by and traded their fine handcrafts and cloth for food, mainly fish. One of them, "Sir Derrick" is what he called himself, he said they were going to cleanse the world of the evils of the way they thought before the Apocalypse. Try to bring back a time when things were simpler, better, when people lived with dignity and nobility. He said they were digging at the university to destroy all the books about technology, but wanted to save the books about history, specifically medieval times." She was a little puzzled at what they wanted, to tell the truth.

"I guess for Albert, well, that was a more attractive life than being a fisherman.

"Anyhow, you folks staying for dinner? Sun's almost set."

Capt'n Kim looks at Jimmy then back at Kellie Monroe. "Wouldn't want to put you out, but if not trouble."


Kim scratches his head. "Sorry to change subject, since you live here. Any news of the goings on up in Couver? (Vancouver). Just was wondering if worth fuel to take boat there. Oh don't worry about your son Albert, if he anything like my son he will be back for his Mom's cooking"