The Last Days Read Online Free Page A

from below.
    Davis approached the cabin door. He made eye contact with the men on both side of him.
    They all nodded at him as he reached for the door.
    Davis threw the door open. It gave off a loud banging sound as it swung open and slammed into the side of the cabin.
    In the dark cabin below, dimly lit by the light coming in through the open door, they could see a dozen dark faces in the shadows tilted up looking out at them.
    A chorus of guttural sounds started to rise up out of the cabin.
    “Jamison?” Davis shouted over his shoulder. “What the hell are these people saying?”
    “Damn if I know.” Jamison replied. “It doesn’t sound like any Chinese dialect I’ve ever heard before.”
    “Well tell them we are here to help them before they shit themselves!” Davis shouted.
    Jamison started talking.
    “I don’t think they understood a word you said.” Davis yelled. “Let’s get them out of there. Maybe they aren’t even Chinese. You know sign language Jamison?”
    Davis moved closer to the open doorway. Suddenly one of the staring dark faces jumped out at him and clamped its teeth onto his arm.
    “God damn it!” Davis yelled as he slammed his rifle barrel into the person’s head, then knocked him back down into the cabin. “That son of a bitch bit me!”
    Davis shook his arm, trying to shake away the pain.
    “What the hell are you laughing at Carlson?”
    Seaman Carlson looked at Davis. “I have spent the better part of the year watching for the Chinese to shoot at me, drop a bomb on me or fire a missile at me. It never crossed my mind I needed to worry about them biting me.” Carlson laughed.
    “If one of these bastards bites you, let’s see how funny you think it is.” Davis grumbled as he tried to stop the bleeding by pulling his sleeve over the wound.
    “Did you see what that guy looked like?” Jamison asked as the others stared at him. “The poor bastard looked half dead. His eyes looked like he was half out of his mind.”
    “I think the son of a bitch was totally out of his mind!” Davis grumbled.
    Carlson laughed again, but quickly stopped and started swearing as another person lunged out of the cabin and sunk his teeth into his shoulder.
    Davis grabbed the man, jerking him away from Carlson and pushed him back down into the cabin. He grabbed the door and slammed it shut.
    “Not so funny now is it Carlson.” Davis shouted as he watched the blood flow from Carlson’s wound, spreading across his back and down his arm.
    “What the hell is it with these people?” Carlson said as he strained to twist his body so he could get a better look at his shoulder.
     
    Davis grabbed the mic attached to his collar. “Scout to mother. Come in mother.”
    The Captain of the Cumberland lifted his mic. “This is mother. What’s your situation scout?”
    “We found ten dead on deck. There are about a dozen more below deck. They are alive but I think they are all crazy. Cap they bit me and Carlson.”
    “Say again scout. They did what?”
    “A couple of these crazy bastards bit me and Carlson. It hurts like hell Cap. Instructions?” Davis said.
    “Stand by scout.” The Captain said.
    “Will do.” Davis replied as he rolled his eyes as he looked back at Jamison.
     
    “What are you laughing at XO?” The Captain of the Cumberland said.
    “Nothing Sir!” the XO replied trying to force the smile from his face.
    A smile spread across the Captain’s face as laughter sounded from all areas of the bridge.
    The Captain picked up his secure phone line to the Ronald Regan. He waited a moment then spoke. “Captain. We boarded the first fishing boat as ordered.”
    “What did you find?” The Captain of the Ronald Regan asked.
    “Ten dead. The deck is covered in blood. I don’t know what the hell happened out there.” The Captain of the Cumberland replied.
    “Any survivors?”
    “The away team said there are about a dozen survivors below deck, but they think they have all gone crazy or