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rs.html (229 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:26 AM] Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl) "Dean has told you all?" he asked, sitting in an armchair, legs spread in front of him, wondering how long the pains in his knees were going to persist. "Yes. They have a rifle and two handblasters now. We have more weapons." Dean was at the table, his upper lip bearing a pale cream mustache from the gulped glass of buttermilk. "They'll chill them both, then come for us." "Probably," Krysty agreed. She ran her strong fingers through the curling mane of fiery hair, feeling its sentient length respond to her touch, like a thousand incandescent feathers. "Should we turn off all of the oil lamps?" Doc suggested. "We don't know how long it might be before they decide to pay us a visit." "Right." Krysty waved to Dean to turn the wicks down, plunging the house into darkness. "Now, we have to do some serious planning." KRYSTY REALIZED in the next half hour just how much she had always relied on Ryan when it came to the dealing of death. She was aware that the Slaves of Sin might take it into their crazed skulls to come after them before dawn, so the three of them sat out on the porch, with their blasters drawn, talking through a variety of schemes to rescue Mildred and Jak. But none of their ideas seemed to hold together. "They might have chilled them by now," Dean protested. "And us just talking." "You have to talk before you act," Krysty said. "You've heard your father quote Trader often enough." She hoped the eleven-year-old wouldn't spot that she'd only just made it up. Doc rubbed at the silvery stubble on his chin. "My belief is that they won't have harmed them. Not yet." file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%...%20Deathlands%2023%20-%20Road%20Wa rs.html (230 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:26 AM] Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl) "How do you figure that?" Dean stood and walked along the weathered planks of the veranda. "You saw what that triple sicko did to one of his own people!" "Right. That is precisely the point that I'm laboring to make, young man. Having had their fill of religious torture and murder for the night, I would believe that they won't want to waste two fresh victims too quickly." "Could be right." Krysty sighed. "Ryan always said that it was better to be active rather than passive. Go at your enemy before he goes at you." "Attempt to get your retaliation in first," Doc said. "Admirable in many ways. I'm sure that Marshal Ney would have approved. As would Nathan Bedford Forrest. The firstest with the mostest." "But they outnumber us four to one. The one strength we have is this building." "Can only watch three sides from four," Dean argued. "Still sneak up on us." "I know, I know. Gaia! If we go out against them, we can lose. If we stay here we can lose." "Let me go scout." Dean stood close to them, his outline just visible in the moonlight that was filtered through a bank of low clouds. "I could be there and back in no time and report what's happening." Krysty didn't answer, rocking gently back and forth. Finally she said, "No, Page 116 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Dean. That man Simon might be as crazy as a roasted scorpion, but he's not totally stupid. He'll look at it like this. They have two out of the five of us safe in the bag. We know about it pretty quickly, when Mildred and Jak don't return. What do we do? Either we go in like the cavalry and try and stage a rescue, or we hole up here." Doc coughed. "I fear that our companions will most certainly be put to the torture and then slain within the next twenty-four hours. Do we agree?" Neither of them said anything. "Ah, well, we don't disagree." file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%...%20Deathlands%2023%20-%20Road%20Wa rs.html (231 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:26 AM] Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl) "So?" Dean punched his right fist into his left palm. "So what, Doc?" "I surmise that Simon will want to know what we are doing. He has the numbers, so he could spare three or four to creepy-crawl in the darkness." Krysty stood. "I think that makes sense, Doc. Yeah. So, let's get ready for them." DEAN WAS TO REMAIN in the house, moving silently around, catfooted, never staying in one room for more than thirty seconds, checking out the windows on every side, as well as climbing up to the attic and watching from there. He was armed with his own blaster as well as one of the ranch's hunting rifles. Krysty took the outside perimeter, working on the assumption that she was actually fittest and fastest. She also probably had the best night vision of any of them. She was content to just carry her own Smith Wesson double-action 640. & "And I shall busy myself by circling the house and also keep a weather eye open for trouble in the barns and outbuildings." Doc rapped the floor with the ferrule of his sword stick. "With this and my Le Mat, I feel total confidence in my ability to rout any number of the ungodly." "At any sign of trouble, Dean, you open fire. Doc and I head straight back here. You unlock the back door, into the kitchen, so's we can get in." "Sure." AS THE NIGHT MOVED ON, Dean was aware of how much the old house settled and shifted, sun-warmed timbers still shrinking, doors and window frames contracting and creaking. Every sound brought the boy spinning around, fingers tight on the butt of his 9 mm Browning, waiting, trembling. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |