Shattered Hourglass by J. L. Bourne

Author:J. L. Bourne [Bourne, J. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Horror, Thrillers, cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
ISBN: 9781451628845
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2012-12-26T00:00:00+00:00

32

North Shore of Oahu

“COB, sun?” asked Larsen.

“Low on the horizon, sir, won’t be long now,” Master Chief Rowe replied.

“Very well, bring us up.”

The USS Virginia quickly surfaced, half a nautical mile from the beautiful Hawaiian beaches of the Oahu North Shore. There was no question about the situation on the shore from this distance.

The hatch was opened, allowing the sea air to rush in. The Hawaiian undead were now more than an image on the boat’s sensors. Their moans traveled the distance, fighting through the surf to the ears of the crew. The submarine seemed to amplify the noise like a soup can on the other end of a piece of string.

The sound was beyond unsettling.

“Shut it, shut the damn thing!” a sailor yelled, holding his hands over his ears.

“You secure that mouth!” Larsen barked.

The moans were unrelenting. Kil and the captain climbed up the ladder, through the sail, into the sea air above. They used binoculars to survey the situation, taking advantage of the last remaining rays of light shooting in from the west.

“Think they know we’re here?” asked Larsen.

“Probably. They can see—I don’t know how well, but they can. That’s probably not what gave us away though. They can hear pretty damn well, don’t ask me how I know. I imagine that we made some noise surfacing, right?” Kil said.

“Not much, but some.”

“Pass those over please,” Kil said, reaching for the binoculars.

Kil scanned the beach slowly, watching the creatures. Although not funny at the moment, if he concentrated long enough and squinted a little he thought he might be able to see a few Hawaiian shirts in the crowd. Suppressing a laugh, he passed the binoculars back to Larsen.

“Well, as a consultant I am counting on you to actually consult,” Larsen jabbed.

“Captain, I’ve expressed my position. It’s about ten miles in a straight line to the cave entrance, a few hours at the facility for setup, and ten miles back. There is no way that I can tell you that a twenty-mile round trip to secure an underground facility that may not help the mission is worth the potential loss. The Virginia has sensors that can provide what we need.”

Larsen weighed that for a moment, and said, “Wheeler Air Base and Kunia are not what I consider near the coast. You said yourself that those things might spread out away from the center of the island, with more of them congregating along the beaches.”

“Might,” said Kil. “If I’m wrong, then our SOF team might have their hands full with a few thousand radiated creatures. I have been wrong before.”

“Noted.”

“Were you briefed on exactly how many nukes slammed down here nearly a year ago?”

“The reports say one. Air burst over Honolulu. Fallout should be moderate. Because of today’s sea state we were unable to surface and launch the Scan Eagles. We’ll launch the IR-capable bird tonight when the team reaches shore.”

“I’m going out on a limb and assuming that they will be wearing suits, right?”

“Correct. They’ll also be wearing dosimeters and checking their exposure regularly.

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