"Mel Odom - Apocalypse Dawn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Odom Mel)

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Covered in three days' worth of perspiration, filth, and fine yellow dust,First SergeantSamuelAdams
"Goose"Gander knelt beside the river that cut through the harsh land of southernTurkey . The stream was
muddy brown, low for the season. Fish nearly as long as his arm swam slowly through the water.

Goose leaned forward and filled his canteen, wishing for cooler weather. He popped two water
purification tabs into the canteen and shook it.

Then one of the fish he'd been watching jerked violently. Blood sprayed from a huge wound that ran
through the creature's side. Wa-ter jumped from the river only a few inches from the dying fish, seeming
to hang frozen in the air for a split second. A rainbow flashed through the spray and Goose knew a bullet
had caused the splash.

"Sniper!" Goose yelled to his squad as he dove for cover. A sec-ond bullet slammed the metal canteen
from his hand, leaving his fingers numb from the impact. Goose landed behind a shelf of bro-ken rock.

The Rangers working the water supply detail flattened out against the harsh terrain immediately. Some of
them ducked in behind the Hummers and cargo trucks and the big water-pumping unit.

Then the sound of three rifle reports rolled over their position.

"Anybody see anything?" Goose yelled.

"Nothing, Sarge."

"Thomas?" Goose asked over the headset.CliffThomas was the team scout.

"I don't see anything, Sarge."

"That's a heavy-caliber rifle," another Ranger said. "The sniper could be set up as much as a mile away."

Goose scanned the broken mountains in the distance to the south. "Anybody hit?"

A chorus ofnos followed.

Goose breathed a sigh of relief. Syrian snipers had been some-thing of a problem, but so far he hadn't
lost any of his men. More shots ripped into the river. Two dead fish floated up in response.

Goose didn't think the shooter was actually aiming for the fish. The creatures were unexpected
casualties. But the effect was a sober-ing one. It was a message of sorts, warning shots fired across the
bow of the United States Rangers assigned to the area.

Switching frequencies on the headset, Goose said, "Base."

"Go,Phoenix Leader. You have Base."