Pit Bulls vs Aliens Read Online Free Page B

body over the transom. It hit the deck with a thud as water and blood flooded the floor. As his father lifted one leg over, he screamed out in pain. Emmanuel looked over and couldn’t believe his eyes. A dolphin had come out of the water and was biting his father, its jaws clamped tight to Erique’s ankle. Emmanuel looked around for a weapon but saw nothing, so he leaned over and began punching the dolphin with his fist. He could see more approaching. He punched harder as his father held on to the back of the boat and began kicking at the dolphin with his free foot. Finally it released its grip and slid back into the murky water.
    They both collapsed beside the diver’s body. Erique ignored his own wounds to check the diver’s condition. It seemed pretty obvious that he was dead. He looked over to the wife but she was still in shock, her eyes staring into a void where reality wasn’t invited.
    How was he going to explain this to the authorities? Would they even believe him? He looked to his son for strength, but what he saw was pure fear. Emmanuel’s eyes were staring out over the water. It caused a sensation like needle pricks igniting and cascading down his spine in a chain reaction. He jumped to his feet and looked out over the water to where his son was staring. He saw them—two large whales coming directly toward them. They were huge, humpbacks maybe.
    He ran to the controls and started the boat and gave it full throttle. He headed due east back toward home as fast as the boat would go. Dolphins followed and swam alongside for a while. Finally they disappeared, and there was nothing but water as far as the eye could see. He scanned the boat and saw the woman still staring straight ahead as if in a trance, her breathing fast but consistent. He saw the diver in the back still lying in a pool of blood. He saw his son sitting in one of the folding chairs, his bare feet resting in the bloody water, his face buried in his hands and crying uncontrollably.
    What just happened? He grabbed the transmitter from its holder beside the steering wheel. “Mayday! Mayday! We have an emergency.”
    The radio buzzed and crackled. “This is the coast guard. What is the nature of your emergency?”
    “This is Erique Sarpong of The Blue Horizon . I have two divers that have been attacked. Need emergency assistance.”
    “What is the nature of the attacks?”
    Erique looked back at the divers. He couldn’t bring himself to say. “Unknown. One diver is unconscious and the other is losing blood. Can you send a helicopter?”
    “Negative,” came the reply. “It’s on another rescue mission. What is your destination and ETA? We will have medics waiting for you there.”
    Erique squeezed the transmitter handle. “We are headed back to Nouakchott. Should be there in just over an hour.”
    “Affirmative.”
    The radio went silent. Erique stood there holding the transmitter, afraid to let go of the one link to the rest of the world. Finally he placed it back in its holder and called out to his son. “Emmanuel! Emmanuel!”
    His son slowly looked up.
    “Come and take the wheel, son.”
    He did as he was instructed, and Erique went back to check the bandages of the female diver. The male diver lay facedown in six inches of water, so there was no doubt of his condition. Still, Erique sat him up in a less obvious position and went back to the controls.
    It was the longest hour of his life. At last he saw the beach and the flashing lights of the emergency vehicle at the beach end of the public pier. It would have been much easier to use the fishing docks, and less crowded, but he was just glad to see the paramedics. He made a beeline for them and pulled his boat up as quickly as he dared to the end of the pier.
    The paramedics hurried and climbed down the ladder into his boat and checked both divers. A man with dark-brown slacks and a light-brown shirt came aboard also. He wore a badge on his chest. He was tall and slim with very dark