The giant roared. It had not toppled, and was in no way beaten.
“Fire again, sailor.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Bentley let off another shot.
Another direct hit.
Once again, the shell struck the giant squarely in the centre of its chest. This time, it dropped to one knee, but it was straight back up again, glancing around until it spotted the Hatchet and understood from where the shell had fired. It pointed its massive hand and bellowed.
“Sir, I think we pissed the target off,” came Bentley. “Permission to shit my pants?”
“Permission granted.”
The giant stomped towards the docks; as it picked up speed, it glared across the sea at the Hatchet.
“It’ll never reach us,” Frank muttered. “We’re a half-mile out.”
Guy grunted into his radio. “Tosco, open up the MGs.”
“Roger that.”
There was an almighty rat-a-tat-tat as the Hatchet’s two side-mounted machine guns unleashed on their target. The giant roared and swiped at the air as if surrounded by flies. It staggered again, but still did not go down, nor did it even bleed.
Frank had grown pale. “Its flesh must be made of iron.”
Guy crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes. “Fire again, Bentley. Take its goddamn head off.”
Bentley loaded up another shell and let rip. The impact knocked the target’s head back with such force that Guy actually winced. The giant toppled backwards and fell to the ground, crushing its own minions beneath it.
The Hatchet’s crew cheered and whooped.
“Eat that!” Bentley shouted in victory.
“Good work,” said Guy, patting her on the back.
Then the giant leapt back up to its feet, so angry that it kicked a group of its own creatures up into the air like a petulant child kicking toy soldiers.
Guy swallowed a mouthful of dread. “We can’t kill this thing.”
“It can’t reach us,” Frank said again.
Silence descended over the pilothouse.
The giant sprinted for the edge of the docks. There was nowhere to go as the ground ahead disappeared and the water neared, but it did not slow down. When it reached the end of the dock, it launched itself into the air and came down right on top of the damaged runway of the USS New Hampshire. It sprinted down the entire length, knocking aside wounded sailors and stomping on inert aircraft. Then it leapt onto a nearby frigate. The smaller ship lurched, tilted, but stayed afloat. The giant kept on running.
“Get us out of here,” Guy barked. “Full-turn-one-eighty, now!”
Frank took the controls, hustling men out the way. The ship vibrated as the engines went to max output. Everyone on board held on to whatever was bolted down.
The giant leapt from the frigate to a smaller patrol boat that couldn’t bear its weight, so it leapt to another frigate. It would be right on top of the Hatchet soon, a clear causeway of Navy vessels all the way.
The horizon panned through the pilothouse window as the Hatchet turned to port full speed. No large ship could quickly perform a one-eighty, but Guy was satisfied that his crew was doing it as fast as possible.
But they were not going to make it.
The giant continued leaping from ship to ship, getting closer and closer. It would be on them any second, landing right on their decks and sinking them.
Guy had to do something. “Bentley, load another shell.”
“And fire?”
“Not until I give the command. Just keep a lock on the target.”
“Aye, Captain.”
The Hatchet carried on turning.
The giant kept on getting closer.
They were sitting ducks.
“Sir, if we don’t fire soon, the ship will be pointing in the wrong direction, and I won’t be able to hit the target.”
“Just hold, Bentley.”
“But sir…”
“Hold!”
Several ships sank as they bore the giant’s weight. Another ten seconds and the son-of-a-bitch would reach the Hatchet and sink it just the same.
“Sir, I must fire now.”
“No, Bentley, hold.”
There was a tense silence. The men in the pilothouse clenched their fists and waited for the captain’s orders.
The giant let out an almighty roar as it launched itself from the final stepping-stone, aiming itself right at the Hatchet’s launch deck.
Guy threw out his fist. “Fire!”
Bentley launched the shell.
It hit the target in the middle of its chest and spun it in mid-air. The force of the blow had altered the giant’s trajectory and sent it tumbling into the ocean instead of onto the rear deck of the Hatchet.
Guy turned to Frank. “Cease turn, full engines fore.”
The Hatchet sped away.
The giant broke the surface of the water and roared, but it would never swim fast enough to catch them now, they were headed in a straight line. They left Norfolk Naval Station ablaze behind them, a hundred ships sinking to their doom.
“Where to next?” Frank asked once they had some breathing room. The crow’s feet at the edge of his eyes had extended.
“How are we doing for fuel?” Guy asked.
“Almost empty. We can go about another six-hundred miles.”
“We need to fill her up. Whatever happens we’ll need to be on the move. I won’t risk a situation where we need to get somewhere in a hurry and can’t.”
“There’re refuelling facilities at Norfolk, Captain, but I guess that’s out.”
“Head down to Cape Fear, Frank. We’ll refuel there.”
“Aye. It’ll take a few hours.”
“Good, it’ll give us all time to come to terms with what’s happening, and for Tosco to make a start on that list. Time to find out the state of our beloved country.”
“Should we contact Command?”
Guy considered his last orders from Command, to head to Norfolk, and decided his men’s welfare was better left to him. “No, Frank. Let them contact us.”
As Frank had predicted, it took a few hours to reach Cape Fear, but the region on the eastern coast of North Carolina was as green and pleasant as ever. The civilian refugees took to the ship’s railings to look out at the beauty, and it was obvious that for some, their worries were momentarily forgotten.
The Hatchet hugged the shore on its way down to the Coast Guard station, and during that time, it became clear that a great fear had fallen over the various towns and villages. People here were not under attack, but the country they loved was.
Tosco had compiled a list of confirmed attack sites, and it made for grim reading: Jacksonville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaconda, Memphis, San Diego, Clearwater, Billings, Pittsburgh, Fresno, Atlanta, Omaha, Tulsa, Newport, Wichita, Seattle, Minneapolis, Honolulu, Riverside, Newark, Toledo, Irving, Richmond, Sacramento, San Jose, Norfolk, New York, Des Moines, Brownsville, Peoria, and Elgin. And the two that were likely the reason the residents of Cape Fear were so worried: Charlotte and Raleigh.
There appeared to be no discernible pattern to the attack locations. Some states had relatively few gates, such as Illinois, where neither Chicago nor Springfield had been hit. The Prairie State’s biggest disaster site was Carbondale. California, on the other hand, was staging its own Armageddon with nearly every major city hit.
Although every bone in his body begged him not to do it, Guy had allowed his men free access to the radio, telephones, and internet. All the services were spotty, but it had soon become clear that mankind was at war. Every radio and television station had devoted itself to news coverage, but none could seem to agree on what was happening, or what to do about it. The theory that had the most supporters was that the gates to Hell had opened up and demons now walked the Earth seeking to destroy humanity. The second most popular opinion was that aliens were responsible.
It was difficult to draw any conclusions.
The giant the Hatchet
had encountered was no anomaly. There had been sightings of similar winged creatures all over the world—including one in London where Kyle and Alice were hopefully still alive. Guy prayed they were. The general assumption was that the giants were Angels of Death come to smite mankind, but that was adamantly hand-waved by the religious-right who would hear nothing of it.
Guy hadn’t made up his mind about the truth, but he decided it would be best to refer to the enemy as demons from now on, for efficiency’s sake, if nothing else. If the men knew what they were fighting, they would be less afraid and more focused than if they were battling shadows and monsters. The fear on board the Hatchet was enough to incite desertion, and that was something that would need addressing soon. The crew could not be relied upon if their minds were set on leaving.
“We’re coming up on the base now,” said Frank. “I radioed in, and they’re ready to receive us.”
Guy blinked. “The Coast Guard is still functioning?”
“There’s a skeleton crew apparently.”
“Good, take us in.”
“Aye, Captain.”
The Hatchet pulled up alongside the deserted docks, and a grey-haired old man in a navy blue Coast Guard jumper met them. The weather was scorching, but he hadn’t seemed to have noticed. He saluted Guy as he appeared on deck and descended the gangway.
“Retired Captain Lund,” the old man said. “Caretaker of the station here.”
Guy shook his hand gladly. “Captain Granger. Thank you for receiving me, Captain Lund. How have you fared here?”
“Not bad, considering. Nearest attack is Charlotte, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening for us here. Watching the news is like watching a horror movie. Command won’t return my calls, and I just got word we lost a third of our domestic Navy in Norfolk.”
Guy sighed. “We were there. It was bad.”
“Well, I’m glad someone made it at least. All the Coast Guard vessels headed there last night to support the military. Some were friends of mine.”
“I’m sorry. Some ships got out, but more were lost.”
The old man took a long breath and let it out loudly. “You need fuel, I hear? Well, since I have no ships, you can have all the fuel you want. Heading anywhere in particular?”
“I have some ideas, but nothing set in stone yet. We’ll head wherever we can find that’s safe; unless we’re needed somewhere else. From what I saw at Norfolk though, there’s not a lot my crew can do but keep care of themselves.”
“There’re a couple young guys back at base,” said Lund. “I’ll radio ‘em to come fuel you boys up in a jiffy. You wanna come inside a spell and have a cup of Joe?”
“I wish I could,” said Guy, “but right now, I need to keep a tight leash on my crew. If I go wandering off inland, they might do the same.”
“I understand, Captain. Let me know if I can make myself useful.”
“You can count on it. Thank you, Captain Lund.”
“You can call me Skip. Everyone else does.”
“Thank you, Skip.”
Frank came down the gangway. His expression was urgent, and in his hand, he held a cell phone—Guy’s cell phone. “You left it in the pilothouse,” he explained. “You will want to take this call.”
There was a knot in Guy’s stomach, but he reached out and took the phone and placed it against his ear. “Hello?”
“Dad, is that you?”
“Kyle! Are you and Alice okay?”
“Yeah, dad, we’re fine.”
“Where are you? How did you get in touch with me?”
“We’re with some soldiers in London. I gave them our address back home and they got a call to mom. She gave me your number and said I had to call you too.”
Guy tried not to dwell on the fact that his son had not chosen to call of his own free will. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Kyle. I’ve been worried. Are they looking after you?”
“Yeah. Things were pretty bad for a while, but then a couple of reporters found me and Alice hiding in a bus. They took us to an army camp in the park. The soldiers are going to put us in a helicopter and take us somewhere safe. I think they said it was some place named Kane Bridge.”
Guy thanked God for the British Army. “I want to speak to one of the soldiers before you go.”
“Yeah, okay. There’s one here with us now—Corporal Martin. He’s waiting outside the tent. He’ll give you the details of where we’re going.”
“Good. You look after your sister, Kyle. No matter what, okay? Can I speak with her?”
“Sure.”
There was a pause, then Alice’s sweet little voice came down the line. “Daddy?”
“Hi, princess. I’m so proud of you for staying safe.”
“It was really scary, daddy. There were monsters, but Kyle looked after me.”
“I’m proud of him too. The nice soldiers will look after you now until you get home to mommy. Do exactly as they tell you, okay, and keep close to your brother.”
“Mommy says there are monsters at home, too.”
“Mommy is safe,” Guy assured her. “You spoke to her earlier and so did I.”
“Is Clark looking after her?”
Guy cleared his throat. “Yes, honey. Clark is looking after her.”
“When can me and Kyle go home?”
“Soon, I promise.”
“Will you come get us in your boat?”
“Daddy can’t do that, honey. Daddy has a job to do.”
“But the soldiers said that’s over now. Corporal Martin said that we have to fight. If you come and get us, you can teach me and Kyle how to fight. Please, come get me.”
“What? No, Alice, I don’t want you to fight. What else did this Corporal Martin say?”
“I heard him say we’re going to lose. That there are too many monsters.”
“Let me speak to him.”
“What?”
“Honey, let me speak to Corporal Martin.”
Alice sounded sad, like she knew she’d just caused trouble. “Okay, daddy. I’ll go and get him.”
There was a clonking sound as Alice placed the receiver down, and then Guy could hear Kyle speaking, asking his sister what was wrong.
Then there was the sound of gunfire.
Guy shouted down the phone. “Alice? Kyle?”
There was a man’s voice in the background. Guy could just about hear it. “Come on, kids. We have to get somewhere safe, right now. We’re under attack.”
“But I was talking to my da—”
The line went dead.
The cell phone fell from Guy’s grasp and shattered at his feet. Frank caught him just as he was about to fall.
“Guy, what is it?”
“Alice and Kyle. They’re in danger. Something is attacking them.”
Frank didn’t speak.
Guy wrung his hands together and started pacing like a caged cat. “I should be with them, Frank. I should be protecting them. Damn it.”
Frank looked him in the eye and held him steady. “You told the men we’re all just going to have to pray our families are okay. Kyle and Alice have survived so far. You have to hope they can make it through. They will make it, Guy. We all will.”
Captain Lund’s boys arrived around the coast, piloting a fuel barge up alongside the Hatchet. The putt-putt of the engine echoed across the water.
Guy wiped the tears from his eyes and straightened up. “Get the men to refuel, Chief Petty, and then assemble everybody on launch deck—the civilians too. I have something to say.”
Frank nodded. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
The Hatchet’s crew assembled alongside the civilian refugees on the launch deck, awaiting an address from the Captain. Captain Lund and his boys were also present as Guy had requested them.
Guy stood on top of the ship’s main gun emplacement so he was high enough to see the far edges of the crowd. The Hatchet wasn’t a huge ship, and the massed gathering made it seem cramped. The civilians looked nauseous and
afraid, unused to the sea and even less used to the fighting.
“Thank you for gathering,” Guy began. “Some of you have served with me for a long time, some of you not so long, some of you are only catching a ride. Regardless of your position on this ship, we have all survived a terrible tragedy together, and for that, we are brothers and sisters—bonded through adversity and strengthened by courage. I am proud to captain this crew. Things are bad, we all know it. The Navy is in disarray—if it even exists at all—and reports are that the Army are faring little better. Things as we know them have fallen apart, and there is nothing I can do to fix that. All civilians are now free to go, and I hope that Captain Lund will assist you in whatever way he can. New York is no longer safe, but there are still areas yet to be attacked. Cape Fear is one of those areas, so I suggest that you remain here for the time being.
“I also offer release to my crew. Many of you still have time left to serve, but I have come to realise that a man must protect his family first, his country second. In fact, by doing the first, we often serve the second; so go, if you must, and find your families. There will be no repercussions, you have my word. Humanity is at war, and none of us can escape the days ahead, but I will hold no one on board my ship if they do not wish to be here. I, myself, will be crossing the Atlantic to find my own family. Some may call it desertion, but I see no Coast Guard left to desert. Some may call me a traitor, but I would rather betray my country than my children. What I am is a father, and that is how I intend to proceed.”
There was a collective gasp from those who understood the magnitude of what he was suggesting. The Atlantic was a big ocean to cross in a ship not made for comfort.
Guy gave the crowd no time to settle and continued earnestly. “The Hatchet is just about fit to do the journey with a full tank of fuel, and it’s the right time of year, so I’m going to London to find my children. I’ll pilot the ship alone if I have to, but if anyone wishes to join me, I will welcome their company, not as enlisted men, but as volunteers. Once I have my children, I will return to my duty and do what I can to help my country.”
“I’ve always fancied seeing Wembley Stadium,” said Frank. “You think it’ll still be there?”
Guy looked at his oldest friend warmly. “Only one way to find out.”
Hell on Earth Trilogy: The Complete Apocalyptic Saga Page 12