Soldier Dogs 2 by Marcus Sutter

Author:Marcus Sutter [Sutter, Marcus]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062844057
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

Skipper led him down the corridor, deeper into the ship. They had other masters and pups to save, including Joe. But maybe—just maybe—they had a chance of doing it, so long as they did it together.

Chapter 11

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1941

8:16 A.M.

“No!” cried Joe as Danny pulled him away. His feet splashed in the water on the floor as he tried to get back to the door, but it was no use.

“We’ve got to get to those pumps, Joe,” said Danny. “She’ll be fine on her own. There’s no time to waste.”

“Get off of me!” yelled Joe. He turned his anger on Danny and began swatting at the hand that held onto his shirt and dragged him away from Skipper. “We can’t just leave her! She needs me!”

Danny held Joe steady and looked into his eyes. “Look, Joe, Skipper is a smart dog, right?” he said. “She lived on the street for years. She’ll be fine on her own, like she was before you found her. And if this ship capsizes, she’s in just as much trouble as we are.”

Through the fear and anger, Joe heard the reason behind Danny’s words. Skipper was tough—she could make it on her own.

Maybe, Joe thought, he wasn’t scared of her being alone, but of having to go it alone himself. He had to prove that he could be brave—for Pop, for Skipper, but most of all for himself. He clamped his mouth shut and ran with Danny and the rest of the crew.

Making their way to the valves was especially difficult with the way the ship was leaning and the water that welled up around their ankles. Pretty soon, Joe’s ankles and calves burned with the effort of a steady uphill climb.

All around them, Joe heard the muffled sounds of battle through the walls: the chug of machine gun fire, the whoop of the air-raid siren, the occasional scream. Behind all of this was the rush of water and the loud, metallic groaning of the West Virginia.

Joe wondered what the attack meant. Up until now, the war had been something scary outside America. Pop talked about getting into the war, but Mama had mentioned that she heard newscasters on the radio saying it would never happen. Hitler and his allies in Italy and Japan would never think to attack America or any of its territories. What was going to happen now? Did this mean they were at war?

They turned a corner and nearly ran into an officer making his way down the corridor. When the man turned around, Joe saw that it was Lieutenant Commander Harper, the cigar-chewing officer who had led them to Captain Bennion!

Harper was propping himself up against an iron hold in the wall. His face was pale and beaded with sweat. Joe noticed the dark-red stain on the right shoulder of his uniform and could see that he was struggling to stay standing. He must have gotten injured in the attack.

“Commander Harper,” said Danny, going to the man’s side and putting an arm under him to help steady him.

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