Aetherial Annihilation by John Corwin Read Free Book Online Page A

groaned.
    She jumped back. "Oh, god, I'm sorry." Her lips quirked. "Sort of." She suddenly noticed the man trailing behind me. "Who—what?"
    "He was on another boat caught in the whirlpool." I shrugged and instantly regretted it as aches lanced into my shoulders. I motioned toward the space-age console. "Got that figured out?"
    She shook her head. "Just the basics." Elyssa's eyes flared and she went over to the unconscious ship captain. "He's still out."
    Despite his slumbering state, the man moaned and groaned like someone trapped in a nightmare. "Maybe the doctor can patch him up."
    "I hope so. I'm afraid to take the boat too close to shore." She went to the throttle and eased back the lever as we neared the clods of floating debris a few hundred yards off the island. "I don't even know how to drop the anchor on this thing."
    The man I'd rescued stepped to the console and regarded the buttons and switches for a moment before pointing to a button that plainly said "Anchor" on it. "This is it."
    "Pardon my manners," I said. "I'm Justin, and this is Elyssa."
    "Alon," he replied. He touched his dislocated shoulder and winced. "The wave hit my boat last night." Tears gathered in his eyes. "My wife was lost. Somehow, I survived."
    "I'm so sorry, Alon." Elyssa placed an arm on his good shoulder. "We're trying to get back to the mainland, but we have a group of people to rescue from the island first. We have a doctor who can probably reset that arm for you."
    Tears rolled down his cheeks. He nodded. "I am grateful."
    I noticed a small refrigerator tucked into the back corner of the cabin and opened it to find bottled water and soft drinks. "Maybe you should have some water." I handed one to him, and then gulped one down myself.
    He sat cross-legged on the floor and forlornly drank his water. "Why did this have to happen here?"
    "If you're talking about the meteors, they hit all over the world." I didn't want to dampen his mood further, but I had the feeling he was blaming bad luck or god for killing his wife.
    The news obviously surprised him, because his head rocked back as if I'd struck it. "All over the world?"
    Elyssa slowed the ship and released the anchor. "Hope it holds."
    "What's the best way to get everyone onboard?" I asked.
    "There should be inflatable dinghies," Alon said quietly. "Look for the pods on the sides of the yacht."
    "You seem pretty experienced." Elyssa knelt next to him. "Can you pilot this boat?"
    He nodded slowly. "If I must, though I have never piloted such a large craft."
    "That makes you a gazillion times more qualified than us." I rolled my head to ease some of the muscle spasms gripping my neck. "I'll go look for the dinghies."
    "I'm coming with you." Elyssa regarded Alon, sympathy softening her eyes. "Will you be okay alone?"
    He nodded and leaned against bottom of the console. "I will rest."
    We found several rafts and paddles located in compartments all along the length of the ship. We inflated one and put the others inside it. Elyssa grabbed a paddle and pushed us toward shore. Harley stood atop a giant mound of debris and waved when we he spotted us. He carefully made his way down and met us.
    "I thought you were dead for sure." He whistled and showed me a video of the yacht on his phone. "This is definitely something you can tell your kids about."
    Elyssa grinned. "They'll have no shortage of stories to keep them entertained."
    I noticed a crowd of people streaming down the street from the direction of the hotel with the big man in the lead.
    Harley whooped and waved at them. "Looks like Reese took care of business."
    "Is Reese the big man?" I asked.
    He nodded. "Yep. Former special forces, if I had to guess. I see a lot of those types in these parts. I think they figure Thailand is a good place to lose themselves and forget the past."
    Elyssa gave me a knowing look. I knew she didn't mean anything by it, but guilt used my guts as a hammock. I'd left behind plenty of loose ends when I ran away