Point Apocalypse by Alex Bobl Read Free Book Online Page B

to assemble it. The bolt didn't want to go into the breech; the belt feed pin wouldn't go into its locator. I grazed my fingers on some lugs inside the breech frame but finally managed to drive the bolt back into its carriage. It clicked along the runners locking into place. Next: the spring, the stock, the ammo belt...
    "Step aside!" I laid the gun onto the float.
    The barrel went up and down as the raft jerked. No way I could take aim, especially considering the distance.
    "Give me the fucking glasses!" Grunt yelled.
    The Chinese turned to me. I nod ded. The captain grabbed the glasses from him and stumbled, face down, onto the float.
    "Oh fuck!" Grunt's voice reached me between the claps of thunder. "Dropped 'em!"
    He slapped the float with both hands.
    " I've dropped the fucking glasses!"
    It was getting dark as we spoke. Squinting, I wiped the brine from my face. The men on the shore raised the barrel higher as they aimed. Another flare lit up in the hands of a man who reached out to place it on top of the barrel.
    "What are they doing?" the captain shouted in my ear.
    "Trying to set off some fireworks!" I said as I tried to train the sights of my gun on the tripod and the people next to it.
    " It's a rescue rope!" Georgie yelled. "Don't shoot, you clone's ass! They're not trying to kill us!"
    I turned to him .
    "They're loading a harpoon ," Georgie went on. "They've attached a flare to it so that we can see it!"
    The ir gun went off spewing the light high into the sky. It seemed as if it would get lost in the dark clouds, but the next moment, the bright dot reappeared and started to descend. The illuminated harpoon fell a couple dozen feet away from the raft.
    " Shortfall!" Georgie groaned.
    "All they're going to do is make a hole in the raft!" Wladas said. "What's in it for us, anyway?"
    The crane operator turned to him,
    "The harpoon has a container attached to it, a cylinder with harnesses for all of us. That's how raiders rescue prospectors from the quick sands."
    The men on the shore didn't bother to retrieve the harpoon but cut it and loaded their gun with a new one. It took them some time to start a new flare - apparently, their observer was making a windage adjustment. The growing twilight had all but swallowed the shore when a splash of light pierced the blanketing rain illuminating the tripod on the cliff, the men and their truck nearby.
    Another shot. We looked up. This time the harpoon didn't disappear into the clouds but followed a low trajectory and hit the waves just to the right of the raft.
    "Come on, Jim!" I handed my gun to the Chinese and jumped overboard.
    We had to find the harpoon while the flare was still burning. The waves carried me off but Jim, born by the sea, proved to be an excellent swimmer. He grabbed my hand and chopped the air pointing where to go. Holding onto each other, we swam toward the blurred spot of light.
    I dreaded it would go out before we reached it , but that didn't happen. Jim grabbed the container and turned on his back, clutching it to his chest. I caught hold of the collar of his vest and pulled him along.
    The raft rode high on a tall wave. Wong and Georgie worked their paddles trying to bring it as close to us as possible. The flare went out while the raft dived deep into an eddy. I struck out with my legs steering with my free arm.
    "Mark, Oakum! Y ou there?" Grunt's voice came from my right.
    "Over here!" I yelled and got a mouthful of water.
    Another wave rolled on to us. A paddle hit my shoulder. I stuck out my arm, but my fingers grabbed at nothing and we were dragged under the raft. I prayed the kid didn't let go of the container. For a moment, all sounds disappeared - no ocean, no waves and no thunder. Then the top of my head scraped the bottom of the raft, again and again. Once we resurfaced, I grabbed at the rope strung along the floats and yelled,
    "Get us out!"
    Strong hands grasped my shoulders and dragged me out of the water. I didn't let go of the collar