Point Apocalypse by Alex Bobl Read Free Book Online

Neumann is the old egghead who went missing two years ago, but not before he talked the whole of New Pang senseless with his swamp stories and Continent mysteries. He'd researched all of Pangea by then, from top to bottom, and he had a good team to help him, too. But then-"
    A wave hit the board. The raft jerked, showering me with briny froth.
    "The wind's changing," Oakum said.
    "Easy all," the captain ordered. For a few seconds he sat still watching the sea. Then he elbowed Georgie,
    "Not good. There's a storm brewing from the Fang. It'll be here soon. The shore is a stone's throw away, but if we try to land, the waves will beat us to fuck on the rocks.”
    The crane operator didn't answer . From out of the corner of his eye he watched the Chinese who didn't avert his gaze from the cape.
    I could see the Asian's anxiety, too. Did he understand Russian or was he just second-guessing our risks? I'd have loved to have known that.
    The raft rocked harder, spattering Wladas with froth. He perked up.
    " What's up?" Blinking, he turned his head and tried to sit up. "What's going on?"
    No one answered. The Chinese turned to Georgie, feigned a smile and froze again.
    The captain sized us up, gloomy, munched on his lip and said,
    " Now, guys. It's better if you jump overboard. Off you go."
    Georgie tensed up and grasped his gun tight. The young sailor bit his lip, looking scared.
    "Don't move, Oakum! I'm talking to the deportees. We need to increase windage. This way at least some of us survive. You hear me? Jump!"
    "Did you hear?" Georgie raised his machine gun , its butt hard against his shoulder. "Out, now!"
    A shadow moved out of my field of vision. It looked as if the Chinese had simply turned, but Georgie emitted a stifled scream and dropped the machine gun. I reached out, grabbed the gun by its holed barrel shroud and pointed it at them. The Chinese was already undoing the slackened crane operator's pants belt while holding the sharp end of the paddle to the captain's throat.
    "Hey," I c alled him, "what's your name... Enough for the time being."
    The Chinese released the belt and grabbed it with his teeth. He pushed the belt's end through the buckle to make a noose and lifted his face.
    "What's your name?" I asked staring into his expressionless slanted eyes. " Do you speak a word of Russian or not?"
    He answered with a volley of gobbledygook stressing the word Wong .
    " Wong. Is this your name?"
    He picked up the noose and turned away.
    " Wong. Please don't," I poked him with the gun and commanded, "Sit back down."
    Wong turned to me and shook his head, disapproving. Still, he sat down next to the captain, barging the boy aside.
    "What now?" the captain kept squinting at the paddle in the Chinese's hands.
    I began unloading the gun.
    "We'll split into pairs. There are six of us so we can take turns rowing. You and Georgie, take the paddles."
    Wladas stirred. He apparently didn't look forward to straddling the dangerous rubber float.
    "Move it," I dropped the ammo belt onto the raft, removed the buttstock and the return spring and began to remove the bolt. "Hear me, Grunt? Bring Georgie round and get rowing."
    "Oakum," the captain rubbed his neck, "get some water out of the survival kit."
    The kid bit his lip again and stepped towa rd the captain, undecided.
    "How do you expect him to do it?" I said. "You're the one sitting on the bag. Another thing. I suggest we drop these stupid monikers, or not? What's your name, sailor?"
    "Jim," the boy said.
    "That's not a Russian name," Wladas raised his eyebrows. "What did they send you here for?"
    "He's one of the locals," the captain rose and started undoing the survival bag. "Born here. What are your names?"
    Wladas and I exchanged glances. Over the last thirty years or more, Russia had signed quite a few international agreements allowing other countries to get rid of their undesirables by sending scores of them to Pangea. About a decade ago, an epidemic had wiped out a large part of