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Without a second of lostsheath and pried out the pins in the hinges

The hatch cover, released fros and thrust upward by its buoyancy, sailed past him

And so did a bloated corpse that burst through the open hatch like a jack-in-the-box

PITT REELED BACKWAIRD into a bulkhead and watched nu debris and bodies erupted fro, where they hung in grotesque postures like trapped balloons Though the internal gases had begun to expand, the flesh had not yet started to decompose

Sightless eyes bulged beneath strands of hair that wavered from the disturbance in the water

Pitt struggled to fight off the grip of shock and revulsion, hardening his nant job he could not leave undone

With creeping nausea ine room

His eyes werefro buoyant enough to float, htined or remotely duplicated by a Hollywood horror film

Most of the corpses hite Coast Guard uniforhostly appearance Several had on ordinary work clothes

None showed signs of injury or wounds

He spent twowhen a lifeless hand brushed across his arm or a white expressionless face drifted inches in front of his face ing for soive One was dressed differently from the others, in a knit sweater covered by a stylish raincoat Pitt swiftly rifled through the dead man's pockets

Pitt had seen enough to be permanently etched in his mind for a lifetiine room Once free of the e The needle indicated a hundred pounds, an aer He found Giordino ruesture with his thueway to the outside deck

A great wave of relief swept over Pitt as the yacht receded into the murk There wasn't time to search for the buoy line so they ascended with the bubbles that flowed froulators' exhaust valves The water slowly transforreen At last they broke the surface and found themselves fifty yards downstream from the Hoki lamoki

Sandecker and the boat's crew of engineers spotted the on the lifeline Sandecker cupped his hands to hison, we'll pull you in"

Pitt waved, thankful he could lie back and relax He felt too drained to do anything but lazily float against the current and watch the trees lining the banks slip past A few minutes later he and Giordino were lifted onto the deck of the old cla boat