Fangs In Vain by Scott Nicholson Read Free Book Online Page A

but that night it
was just a sodden black hulk a hundred yards from shore, laden with a cargo of
180 screaming, scared souls. The crew set up the Lyle gun, a little cannon that
shot a line out to the ship so a crew member on board could drag out a heavier
safety line.
    “The first two shots failed, and
our last stock of black powder was soaked by then. I volunteered to carry the
line out by hand. Our commander was reluctant, because it seemed foolhardy. Of
course, he didn’t know that it was impossible for me to drown.”
    “Vampire fringe benefits,” Sabrina
said.
    “After I talked him into it, I
tethered a line around my waist while the crew held the other end. I fought my
way through the surf and soon I was out over my head, although the ship was
resting on shoals barely fifteen feet deep. I saw someone swim past me from the
ship, evidently unwilling to wait for help or for the storm to ease. One of the
crew waded in and rescued him. I kept on, knowing most of the passengers would
be afraid to enter the water. I was more worried the crew might jump ship and
leave them all alone. Or maybe I was not worried at all. Maybe I was counting
on it.”
    Sabrina shivered again. An angel
shiver was not the same as a mortal shiver. It seemed to vibrate down into the
earth and become a measurable physical force. “I am not sure I want to hear
this.”
    “That’s why I have to tell you.
Then maybe you’ll give up your little fantasies of love and redemption.”
    She started to proclaim that they
weren’t fantasies, but he continued before she could form a convincing case.
    “I made it to the ship, and two of
its masts were shattered and slanted into the water, the weight of the sales
causing the ship to tilt. There was no hole in the hull that I could see, but
soon it would be taking on water. Some passengers, mostly men, were gripping
the rails and waving, either at me or at the shore. I reached one of the broken
masts and dragged myself aboard. The grateful men took the line from me and
began tugging, working their hands end over end to drag the heavier rescue line
from shore and tie it off. From there, the life-saving crew could come aboard
and use leather rescue breeches to carry people to safety, or the braver,
stronger passengers could follow the line themselves.
    “Leaving the men to their mission,
I made my way to the cabins and passenger area. I found families huddled
together, eyes wide with fear. They seemed little relieved at my appearance.
What was one man against the mighty wrath of your merciless God?”
    “He’s not merciless! He’s—”
    “Here’s how His mercy works. I
escorted the families to the rescue line, women and children first. The deck
was slanted and slippery and it was slow going. The ship’s crew was mostly of
good mettle, endangering themselves to help the people who’d entrusted their
lives and safe passage to their care. The exhaustion and strain showed in their
faces, and soon they were counting on me to guide the rescue operation. My
fellow crew members were occupied with helping the weaker of the victims, and
soon I found myself isolated in the deepest corner of the ship.
    “By then, the waves had breached
the deck and the ship was filling with water. Even though it had foundered and
couldn’t really sink, it was in danger of breaking apart from the stress of the
waves, so I knew we only had minutes in which to act. The last family was
huddled together on a cot, a young woman and her two boys. I don’t know whether
she was a widow, an unlucky prostitute, a lady of means taking a leisure trip,
or someone sailing to meet her husband in a new city and a fresh start to their
lives.
    “I didn’t care. The proximity of
all that warm, living flesh had aroused me into a sickening state of arousal.
The roar of blood in their veins was louder than the pounding of the surf
against the planks. Even in the gloom of that cabin, I could see the woman’s
wide eyes gleaming with hope. She held