Verge of Extinction (Apex Predator Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

completely silent, but it did become quite a bit quieter.
    The end of the pier was about a half mile away.  “Two bobbers off the port, two-hundred yards,” called one of men. He was taller and he had a deep brown tan.  SSgt Brown thought his name was Jimmy G or something like that.  He could tell the man had worked outside most of his young life.  He wore a black concert tee-shirt for a band that SSgt Brown was convinced did not exist any longer. “I got ‘em,” the captain acknowledged quickly.
    SSgt Brown leaned in close to the captain’s ear.  “What the hell is a bobber?”
    “A bobber is a floating zombie,” he replied, never taking his eye off of the sea in front of him.  “You see, them zombies get all full of gas in the belly.  Just like real dead things do.  So, when they chase after us and fall in the ocean, they bob around like a bobber on a fishing line.  Gotta be careful with ‘em.  Sometimes they ain’t all the way dead. They can still bite.  They got sinkers too.  Them’s the ones who ain’t got no air in their bellies no more.  They just sink.  Water’s about twenty-five foot deep at the end of the pier, so they ain’t no worry.”
    The thought of a bunch of zombies bobbing around in the water just waiting to bite a passing sailor sent a shiver down SSgt Brown’s spine.  He wondered how long the bobbers bobbed.  He was going to ask, but they were approaching the end of the pier.  No more chit-chat.
    He moved next to one of the boatmen.  It was the one who called out the bobbers.  “How many times have you guys been to this pier?” he asked quietly.  “Three times,” the man replied.  “We usually ground the boat on the beach, or ‘Bamma here keeps circling out past the surf.  Pier is a mighty bad place be.  We try to avoid it.”
    SSgt Brown realized that these men had a system worked out for raiding the mainland.  He mentally kicked himself for not talking to them earlier about tactics and procedures.  He made a mental note to get his boat captains together tonight and get his people up to speed.
    ‘Bamma quietly slid the boat alongside the pier.  The two boatmen with him, SSgt Brown couldn’t help but think of them as a shore party, soundlessly crossed to the wooden pier.  Each man grabbed a line and tied a quick figure eight to a cleat secured to the pier.
    The man with the concert tee-shirt waved the others out of the boat and pointed at the deck next to his right foot.  SSgt Brown leaned in so the man could whisper.  “This is as far as we go.  The first four boats on both sides are either busted or we couldn’t find keys.  I can’t tell you anything about the boats closer to the beach.”
    He motioned to the far end of the pier with his rifle.  “There’s usually a few Zeke’s that hang out down there.  So, keep it quiet.”  The soldier nodded.
    Waving to the others, he moved down the pier slow and low.  He didn’t have to look back, he knew they would be following him.  As they reached the fifth boat on the right side, he motioned for Jackson and Theresa to take the one to the left, the sixth boat.  He, Mike, and Kerry would take the right boat.
    The boat he climbed onto was about 20 feet in length.  The side was painted yellow and the bridge was protected only with a Plexiglas screen.  The bow of the boat was anchored firmly to the pier with a single rope.  The forward portion of the boat was open in the center with padded bench seats all around.  The aft part of the boat was the same.
    They quickly searched the boat.  To their dismay they did not find any keys.  SSgt Brown was just climbing back onto the pier when he heard the engine in front of him fire up.   Jackson turned and gave his boss a thumbs-up.  The look on SSgt Brown’s face caused his smile to quickly vanish as he realized what he’d done.
    A quick glance down the pier told SSgt Brown that they were on borrowed time.  The locals were aware of their