Deathlands 39 Watersleep by James Axler

Author:James Axler [Axler, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-03-28T20:22:17+00:00

LATE IN THE SECOND DAY, as Ryan drifted in and out of a dehydrated haze, he thought he saw movement on the horizon. Not wanting to raise false hopes in the others, he kept quiet and rubbed his good eye, trying to keep what he thought he saw into focus. Salt from the dried seawater on the back of his hand stung when he wiped it across his line of vision, and his eyesight momentarily clouded up, but Ryan kept his gaze on the dot.

Dean noticed his father staring and decided to see if his young eyes could help identify whatever had captured his father's rapt attention.

The boy saw the dot, too, and realized it was moving toward them.

"Hot pipe, Dad! You see what I see?"

"Yes, son, I believe I do," Ryan murmured.

"Looks likepeople," Dean said. "They're swimming over here."

"What's swimming?" J.B. asked, taking a look. All of the group was now staring at the approaching sight. The one absentee was Doc, who snored on, oblivious to the mounting excitement

"Shit," J.B. said. "More shipwreck victims? No room in the raft."

"Relax, John," Mildred said to him. "As fast as that pair seem to be moving, I doubt they're interested in setting up quarters with us."

The couple stopped, then paddled easily in the salt water, peering at the group from a distance of about thirty feet.

"Now what?" Dean asked

"Up to them," Ryan replied. "Guess we wait."

The manlike creature that Ryan had seen over the side of the life raft had returned with another of his kind. His companion was smaller. Once or twice, she flashed the group in the raft with an impressive set of breasts that were dotted with the fibrous scales that also covered the male creature's chest, so they all felt comfortable terming her as female.

A long hour passed and started to spread into a second, yet the creatures wouldn't go any closer to the raft.

"Muties," J.B. said.

"Eh? What? No, no, Nanette, not the bailing twine," Doc cried out as he awakened from his slumber.

"Shh! Don't go insulting our rescuers, John," Mildred admonished. "Just because they're choosing not to swim over closer and talk doesn't mean they're deaf."

"Rescuers? I think you're giving those two credit they don't deserve," the Armorer replied. "They don't look like they have half a brain between them."

"They can communicate," Ryan said.

"How do you know?"

"I heard one speak to me, J.B." Ryan said. "I was half out of it at the time, but the big one said 'Help' as plain as day. But that doesn't mean much if they just want to stay where they are and watch us like some kind of free peep show. Hell, they may be waiting for this sun to cook us into big slaps of jerky so they can have a snack."

"Is that what you make of them, Dad?" Dean asked. "Think they're waiting for all of us to die?"

"No. My gut says that's not the case. He came back," Ryan mused, rubbing the beard stubble on his chin. "Came back and brought a friend.

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