Read For Those In Peril (Book 1): For Those In Peril On The Sea for Free Online Page B

going on then.’
     
    By six we could see Miami, or what was left of it. All that remained of most of the skyscrapers were stumps of crumpled steel. Dense columns of smoke rose from them, twisting upwards and drifting out to sea. The few that were still standing were ablaze, flames licking from shattered windows. As we watched, one collapsed in on itself, sending a wave of debris sweeping across the rubble that surrounded it. If anyone had still been inside, they wouldn’t have survived and I hoped everyone had already got out. We stood in silence, taking turns with the binoculars, none of us quite believing what we were seeing.
    ‘What the hell happened?’ We were all thinking it but CJ was the first to put it into words, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. Somehow hearing it said out loud made it more real.
    ‘Could have been a hurricane, or a riot ... or a terrorist attack … or an earthquake … or …’ I was clutching at straws, my mind searching for things that could consume a city so completely.
    ‘I don’t know.’ Bill’s voice wavered slightly. ’Let’s see if we can get a bit closer. God, I wish we had a working radio, even just an FM one. We could pick up a news channel, find out what’s going on.’
    I closed my eyes, screwing them tightly shut, hoping it was a hallucination, but when I opened them again the devastation was still there. For a while none of us spoke, we just didn’t have the words to talk about what we were seeing.
    ‘Hey!’ We all turned to look at CJ. ‘I just remembered. I’ve got a radio on my mobile phone.’
    ‘You’ve had a radio all this time and you didn’t tell us?’ Jon was clearly annoyed at her. Then another thought must have hit him. ‘Hang on … your cell phone still works? You didn’t think of mentioning this before now?’
    ‘Jon, leave her alone.’ The wavering had gone from Bill’s voice, ‘We couldn’t have picked up a signal much before now anyway. CJ, go get it.’
    CJ smiled at Bill and shot past Jon into the cabin, returning a few minutes later with her phone. She turned it on and we waited. After five minutes of trying every position on the boat, it was clear she couldn’t get a phone signal, and she turned to the FM radio receiver function. She scrolled through the frequencies, but there was nothing but static. She scrolled through them again with the same result.
    ‘Maybe we’re still too far out to pick up a signal.’ I could tell Bill didn’t believe what he was saying. ‘Let’s get nearer to shore.’
    We pushed on for half an hour before CJ tried again, with the same result. Another half hour and we were about a mile from the outer limits of the Port of Miami. There was still neither a phone signal nor any radio station.
    ‘What now?’ CJ looked enquiringly at Bill. As a group, we looked to Bill for reassurance and leadership, but for the first time since we left South Africa, he looked not just worried, but unsure of himself. I couldn’t help thinking that if even Bill didn’t know what to do, we were in deep trouble.
    ‘I think we need to go right inside, into the port, see what we can see, see if we can find any one.’ It was Jon rather than Bill who eventually answered CJ.
    After ten minutes, no one had come up with a better suggestion so we carried on towards the devastated city. We took it slowly, ready to turn round if it looked like there was danger ahead, but within the hour we were well inside the port. Around us, there were commercial vessels of all sizes tied up to the docks. Here and there, away from the main channel, smaller pleasure craft rode at anchor. I inspected each one as we passed but saw no one.
    Further on, a large car ferry bumped against a loading ramp, its bow doors were raised but it was only secured to the dock by a single rope. Ahead, on the quay, the burnt-out remains of cars were lined up as if they were waiting their turn to drive on. I searched the cars with the binoculars but