Read Online The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) by Anthony J Melchiorri - Free Book Online
Authors: Anthony J Melchiorri
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possible. Night’s falling. You don’t have any air transport, and you’re not making it to our location on foot. Sit tight and help the doctor find a cure.”
Thomas audibly exhaled. “Dom, you remember what I told you before you left the ship?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Dom said.
“Well, I have no intention of becoming captain of the Huntress , and I will get the hell out there myself and haul your ass back if I have to.”
“Duly noted,” Dom said. “Likewise, I don’t want to have to drag your ass back to the ship, so save me the work and keep it there.”
The readout from the chopper’s instrument panel displayed on the bottom of Chao’s computer monitor. Chao pointed to the altitude. He put a hand over his microphone and spoke to Lauren. “They’re in a controlled descent. All Frank’s got is their forward momentum and autorotation of the blades to glide the chopper to a landing.”
“Where’s he going to put it down without landing in a nest of Skulls?”
Chao pointed to a spot on the map south of Baltimore. “Right about here.”
Lauren squinted at the area. “Patapsco State Park.” She saw the open parking lot leading to hiking trails through the surrounding forest. How many Skulls were lurking under those trees? She dropped the notebook on Chao’s desk. It wouldn’t matter if there were any scientists out there waiting for them if they didn’t save Dom first.
***
N avid tiptoed down the stairs. Flashes of red emergency lights illuminated the stairs enough to guide him and Abby down toward the first floor of the hospital building. He nudged open a door with his right hand while holding Abby’s hand with his left.
No shadows danced across the walls, but the sterile smell of the hospital had been replaced by one of musty neglect and rot. He strained his ears. No footsteps. No yells. Only the sound of water dripping somewhere unseen.
He nudged the door open wider to reveal a broad hall. An empty gurney speckled with stains lay against one wall. Pieces of crumpled paper and shredded bed sheets lay strewn over the tiled floor.
At the end of the hallway was a set of doors. Splatters of something dark mottled the letters CAFETERIA on the placard above the door. Navid shuddered as the emergency lights flashing in the hallway revealed the same stains all over the floors and wall. He led Abby into the hall, and his suspicions were confirmed when the coppery scent of blood overwhelmed the mustiness he’d smelled from the stairwell.
Navid turned to Abby. He raised his eyebrows and mouthed, You okay? With her nose scrunched, she nodded back. Neither said a word while they crept toward the cafeteria’s entrance. It struck him as odd that no one else was there. Maybe it was easier for the other survivors to loot the smaller conveniences stores and restaurants lining the streets. Or maybe the cafeteria had already been ransacked. Navid hoped not. It had been frightening enough creeping through the halls between the laboratories and hospital corridors—he didn’t want to have to search somewhere else.
He took another step forward. Abby squeezed his hand and pulled him backward. He almost lost his balance, and his heart thudded against ribcage. Abby caught him and pointed at the floor where he had been about to step.
Shards of glass glinted red in the flashing emergency lights. He nodded to her before picking a path around the debris. Even if they hadn’t seen anyone or anything yet, crunching that glass would’ve pierced the silence, attracting any of the crazies within earshot.
He felt almost exhausted from the tension of their slow progress to the cafeteria entrance. By the time they finally made it, sweat trickled down his back. He sucked in a breath of the humid, fetid air. He steeled himself, preparing for whatever lay before them, and nudged the cafeteria door open slightly.
More emergency lights blinked over the tables and toppled chairs. Navid’s heart felt like it was
Thomas audibly exhaled. “Dom, you remember what I told you before you left the ship?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Dom said.
“Well, I have no intention of becoming captain of the Huntress , and I will get the hell out there myself and haul your ass back if I have to.”
“Duly noted,” Dom said. “Likewise, I don’t want to have to drag your ass back to the ship, so save me the work and keep it there.”
The readout from the chopper’s instrument panel displayed on the bottom of Chao’s computer monitor. Chao pointed to the altitude. He put a hand over his microphone and spoke to Lauren. “They’re in a controlled descent. All Frank’s got is their forward momentum and autorotation of the blades to glide the chopper to a landing.”
“Where’s he going to put it down without landing in a nest of Skulls?”
Chao pointed to a spot on the map south of Baltimore. “Right about here.”
Lauren squinted at the area. “Patapsco State Park.” She saw the open parking lot leading to hiking trails through the surrounding forest. How many Skulls were lurking under those trees? She dropped the notebook on Chao’s desk. It wouldn’t matter if there were any scientists out there waiting for them if they didn’t save Dom first.
***
N avid tiptoed down the stairs. Flashes of red emergency lights illuminated the stairs enough to guide him and Abby down toward the first floor of the hospital building. He nudged open a door with his right hand while holding Abby’s hand with his left.
No shadows danced across the walls, but the sterile smell of the hospital had been replaced by one of musty neglect and rot. He strained his ears. No footsteps. No yells. Only the sound of water dripping somewhere unseen.
He nudged the door open wider to reveal a broad hall. An empty gurney speckled with stains lay against one wall. Pieces of crumpled paper and shredded bed sheets lay strewn over the tiled floor.
At the end of the hallway was a set of doors. Splatters of something dark mottled the letters CAFETERIA on the placard above the door. Navid shuddered as the emergency lights flashing in the hallway revealed the same stains all over the floors and wall. He led Abby into the hall, and his suspicions were confirmed when the coppery scent of blood overwhelmed the mustiness he’d smelled from the stairwell.
Navid turned to Abby. He raised his eyebrows and mouthed, You okay? With her nose scrunched, she nodded back. Neither said a word while they crept toward the cafeteria’s entrance. It struck him as odd that no one else was there. Maybe it was easier for the other survivors to loot the smaller conveniences stores and restaurants lining the streets. Or maybe the cafeteria had already been ransacked. Navid hoped not. It had been frightening enough creeping through the halls between the laboratories and hospital corridors—he didn’t want to have to search somewhere else.
He took another step forward. Abby squeezed his hand and pulled him backward. He almost lost his balance, and his heart thudded against ribcage. Abby caught him and pointed at the floor where he had been about to step.
Shards of glass glinted red in the flashing emergency lights. He nodded to her before picking a path around the debris. Even if they hadn’t seen anyone or anything yet, crunching that glass would’ve pierced the silence, attracting any of the crazies within earshot.
He felt almost exhausted from the tension of their slow progress to the cafeteria entrance. By the time they finally made it, sweat trickled down his back. He sucked in a breath of the humid, fetid air. He steeled himself, preparing for whatever lay before them, and nudged the cafeteria door open slightly.
More emergency lights blinked over the tables and toppled chairs. Navid’s heart felt like it was
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