Read Online The Left Series (Book 6): Left On An Island by Christian Fletcher - Free Book Online Page A

me.
    “Come on, kid.” He waved me forward.
    I felt my non-flippered foot scrape the sandy bottom. Then my foot scuffed across sand again. I’d reached the shore. My relief was brief. I tried walking through the shallow waves and fell on my face. Smith was too far away to pick me up again. I tasted the saltiness of the sea and hauled myself up. I waded, almost running through the shallows. Smith had already reached the golden sand beyond the waves.
    I kicked off my remaining flipper and felt spongy wet sand between my toes as I paddled through the receding tide. For the first time, I closely studied the beach area spreading in a semi circle around one-hundred feet each side of me. The beach was nothing more than a small cove and the sand at the water’s edge soon yielded to thick woodlands beyond.
    I glanced to my left and saw we were completely shielded from the castle now. The dense trees and rocks covered us from any sniper’s sights, no matter how good a shot he was. Momentarily, we were safe.
    Smith sat on a large gray rock to my left, ripping off his air tank, flippers and face mask. I trudged slowly towards him and stopped a little way from the rock, breathing heavily and aching all over.
    “I don’t suppose you thought to bring some smokes with you?” Smith asked.
    “Where the hell would I carry a pack of cigarettes, inside my damn undercrackers?”
    Smith shrugged. “Only asking.”
    I glanced over the thick, bushy green plants and cluster of tall trees directly inland, around twenty yards behind the bay.
    “So, what do we do now?” I asked.
    Smith pulled the rubber hood from his head and ruffled his hair. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply facing the sea, taking in the warm coastal breeze.
    “Mac and his boys will have their work cut out repairing that sea boat and they won’t be able to move inland because that damn sniper up there will pick them off when they get in range,” Smith said. “They’re stuck aboard that warship and we’re stuck on the island. Only one thing we can do.” He opened his eyes and stared directly at me. “We’re going to have to go right on up to that castle and take out the sniper.”
    I felt hot and sweat trickled down the side of my head. I pulled off my own rubber hood and let the breeze cool my face.
    “Why is that damn guy shooting at us?” I asked again. “What is he going to achieve by killing us all?”
    Smith sighed. “Beats me, kid. Whoever it is could have been through a bad experience with the remaining survivors and doesn’t want anybody else on their patch. You know how it is. We’ve run into some badass characters ourselves.”
    “How far out do you think his range is?” I asked, staring at the warship stranded out at sea. “Can he hit anybody onboard the ship from where he is?”
    Smith shook his head. “I doubt it. Those were two good shots he hit McPherson with. A range of around two hundred yards. That’s some damn fine shooting. Hannigen is a lucky guy he managed to get away before he got tagged.”
    “So, that also means McElroy and his guys won’t be capable of shooting back with their weapons and hit the castle,” I said.
    “Correct,” Smith grunted. “Coastal winds, angle of elevation, fall of shot, you’d have to be the best marksman in the world to hit the target from that ship. Plus, whoever it is up in the castle is obviously an experienced combatant. They won’t stay in one vantage point too long. That warship carries some series firepower.”
    I remembered the missiles tubes and heavy guns onboard. “Can’t they just blast that damn castle to dust using those missiles on the ship?”
    “Already thought about that,” Smith huffed. “I asked Chernakov about using the heavy duty weapons some weeks ago, in case another one of those Russian warships popped up on the horizon and we had to defend ourselves.” He turned his head to look back out to sea.
    “And?” I was impatient for him to continue.
    “And…because