Lincoln's Wizard Read Free Page B

fabric to grab the wrench.
    As he turned back to the gun, the boarding hatch burst open and a horror tried to climb in.
    Braxton had never seen a Gray soldier up close before. Its skin, as its name implied, was gray, with white eyes that seemed to leak some foul fluid. Its hair stuck up from beneath its kepi, like the straw of a broom, and a great scar ran across its face still showing the X pattern of stitches where it had been closed. In the center of its forehead the word “Antietam” had been tattooed in scrolling letters.
    The Gray reached inside the cabin to pull itself up.
    Braxton’s breath squeezed from his body as if a great pressure were bearing down on him. The rushing of his blood sounded in his ears and every nerve screamed at him to flee. But there was nowhere to go.
    He let out an incoherent yell and charged the lifeless soldier. Wielding the hot wrench like a club, he slammed it down into the nightmare’s face.
    The Gray blinked and it fell back against the far side of the hatch, but it seemed not to have felt the blow. Without a groan or sound of protest, it reached into the cabin and clawed at the floor, trying to find enough purchase to pull itself inside.
    Braxton’s skin crawled and he had to force himself to swing again. This time he put all his force into it and he heard the Gray’s skull crack with the blow. Whether the damage incapacitated the Gray or it simply lost its grip, he didn’t know, but it dropped out of sight, followed by a thud as it hit the boat, and a splash as it flopped into the water.
    Trembling, Braxton forced himself around the now open hatch. He had to get the gun free.
    Before he reached the gun, something latched on to his trouser leg and jerked. Braxton cried out and fell, slamming down hard on the deck and losing his grip on the wrench. A gray arm in a gray coat reached through the hatch and had him by the leg. As it pulled, Braxton slid toward the hatch and another pallid, dead face rose up as from the depths of hell itself.
    Braxton yelled in terror and lashed out, kicking the Gray in the face. The thing lost its grip on his trouser leg, but had gained enough ground to begin pulling itself inside with its other hand.
    “What’s going on down there?” Laurie yelled.
    Braxton ignored him. Seizing the discarded wrench, he smashed the Gray in the chin with all his force. He heard the neck break with a sickening snap and the second Gray followed the first down into the cold waters of the Ohio.
    Before another Gray could take its place, Braxton slammed the boarding hatch closed and wedged the wrench through the bolt cleat, securing the door, at least for the moment. Almost immediately, something heavy banged into the hatch and Braxton moved on top of it, adding his weight to help keep it closed.
    “What happened?” Laurie called from the turret, poking his head down from the opening above the ladder.
    Braxton opened his mouth to answer, but an unearthly scream cut him off. Something hit the top of the Monitor and the river was bathed in light. Fire erupted through the view ports and Laurie cried out, scrambling down the ladder amid a shower of curses.
    “What was that?” Laurie demanded.
    Braxton felt the hair on his neck rise.
    “Quiet,” he said, waving Laurie silent. “Listen.”
    After a moment of stillness, where the only sound was the chugging of the tall gun’s engine, Laurie shook his head.
    “What am I listening for?”
    “Mortars,” Braxton said. “Did you hear any mortars fire?”
    “No,” Laurie said. “It sounds like all the guns have stopped.”
    “Get out,” Braxton yelled, grabbing Laurie by the arm and dragging him toward the boarding hatch. “We have to get out now.”
    “What—”
    Laurie never finished the question. The shriek turned into a roar that shook the Monitor , and a moment later something slammed into it with the force of a hundred cannons. Braxton and Laurie were thrown to the floor as the tall gun tipped sideways. The