Aftermath 4: A Nuclear War Survival Thriller by Bobby Akart

Author:Bobby Akart [Akart, Bobby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crown Publishers Inc.
Published: 2024-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Five

DAY FOURTEEN

November 8

After Midnight

Aboard the Dixie Bull

Off the North Carolina Coast

Atlantic Ocean

THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE rose nearly two hundred feet above the bottom of its foundation. The tallest brick house in America had acted as a beacon of hope for sailors, who’d allowed its shining light to guide them to shore or to warn travelers up and down the coast not to sail too close to its shallow waters.

Josie had slipped away from the kids, who were fast asleep in the captain’s quarters. She and Mickey had been like two ships passing in the night as he continued to pilot the Dixie Bull during the dark evening hours despite Billy’s suggestion otherwise. When Josie stirred awake that night, she decided to sit beside her husband at the helm of the ship to help him watch for debris or listless vessels.

“So much for stopping overnight for safety’s sake,” she quipped as she strained her eyes to observe the water in front of them. Mickey mostly left the spotlight facing forward as he relied upon his navigational electronics to keep his course directly above the edge of the Continental Shelf.

“Well, yeah. I guess it does look like we decided yesterday’s great idea didn’t apply to today. Dad and I talked about it, and it made sense. The navy had a huge presence at Virginia Beach. We suspect it got hit by a nuke two weeks ago, but we’re not sure. If it wasn’t, there would be more ships coming our way like that big destroyer yesterday.”

Josie managed a laugh. “Tammy and I had our noses pressed against the porthole window, waiting to see if they were gonna fire some kind of rocket at us. You know, just because. Thankfully, they didn’t have a nervous trigger finger.”

“I had the same thought. I’d like to get us around Nags Head and away from the bases at Norfolk. I’m taking it slow, so I’m comfortable we won’t hit anything.”

Josie pointed through the wheelhouse’s windshield. “How do they have power?” The beacon at Cape Hatteras was rotating with a constant rotation.

“I’m thinking a generator of some kind. It’s pretty important as a navigational tool. My guess is the navy found a way to get it operable. If I remember correctly, it can be seen for fifty miles under normal conditions. In this smoky air, I’m thinking twenty miles at best.”

Josie looked at the digital clock, which was part of their marine radio’s display. “Okay, let’s see if I still know how to do the math. How fast are we going?”

“Fifteen knots.”

“Just over seventeen miles an hour, right?” she asked.

“Yup.”

“So in a little over an hour, we’ll reach the lighthouse twenty miles away.”

Mickey laughed and took his wife by the hand. “Very good. Maybe I should let you take over, and I’ll go get some sleep.”

“Maybe you should give me a kiss goodnight so I can join the kids before they wake up.”

Josie presented her cheek to her husband, who promptly planted a kiss on it. “I think I’m gonna keep going.

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