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after all. I couldn't take it any more. Our last conversation turned out to
chiseled profile, the clear skin of his cheek, and the determined set of his
faces crawled across his consciousness again like pictures on a screen.
Redrick looked straight ahead and saw nothing. He remembered. It was at
Arthur stretched his arms, straightened his shoulders, grimaced, and
"Sit down," Redrick said to him, indicating the chair opposite the oldthis! He had a fleeting thought: who do I mean? I don't know. But somebody
more, and Throaty's unblinking angelic eyes stared at Redrick, a porcelain
Zone." He took a bite out of his sandwich and spoke dreamily with his mouth
something in that. It would hurt. But what do I care? In the end, they'll Arthur propped himself up, stuck his arm under the truck, and pulled
dirt!"
promises--I've had enough, you've led me by the nose long enough. All my
everything that had seemed like nonsense and the delirious ravings of a
see either of the two hills. All he could see was Arthur's head sticky with
his free arm, crawled forward, never taking his eyes off the line where the
around the hill from the right, along the depression between it and the nextmaybe that was Whip himself?
Right at their feet the road into the quarry began, torn up many years
Yes. Harmless.there had never been anything good at all, only ugly, vicious faces.
Getting dumber. But what am I saying, I've been dealing with fools all my
Redrick looked at it, the clearer it became that it was pleasant to look at
Arthur's profile, and he saw his terror-stricken eyes bulging out and his
"That's not what I wanted it for," he said sadly. "There's only one
all of you, buzzards, toads, Visitors, Boneses, Quarterblads, bloodsuckers,throat, and he realized that they had to hurry and get out from under the
Noonan put on a wide-eyed look of surprise, raised his finger to his
over a pile of old planks--it was quiet, exhausted, and so the hell with it;
All this talk had left a residue, he was not sure of what. And it wasmore, and Throaty's unblinking angelic eyes stared at Redrick, a porcelain
winking among yourselves, and leading me by the nose, dragging me, hauling
from one edge of the burnt-out grass to the other, but in his blindness and
voice, which promised unheard-of marvelous places and times, and Kirill
the ball. Carefully. With caution. With a hidden fear that it would turn out
the cotton out of his nose and discovered that the reek was gone, that the
know better than to believe Father about you being friends. Andthey all drawn to this quarry? Why hadn't I heard anything about it? Damn
He wants his legs back, the bastard.
in place. And the skin on his hands remained intact, but red.Burbridge, maybe I'll figure something out.
thought. Maybe, somehow, it will work out. After all, I'm not Buzzard
together hair, the face smeared with drying slime with finger marks in it,
up. Maybe we'll have to shoot it out with the patrol guards. However,
mother nor her father. And that spot there was Arthur Burbridge, unlike his
"So, that's it." Redrick stared at him. "Well, you don't have to worrylately he's stopped. And he has been talking about you. And
stretchers and overpowering hysterical patients. One of the lab assistants
staring at the wall. And he did not react when Noonan moved his glass closer
I remember that I was drunk then, I had been drinking all week, I feltheard the familiar rumble from both sides. There was nothing on the left
gasped, grabbed his head, crouched, and fell into the dry grass. Redrick
stopped with one foot in the air, and he lowered it slowly and carefully.
dirt!"
hill, which he could also see, completely bare, its slope covered with brown
They were up to their waists in fog, and then up to their necks. A few
to take somebody with you. I can give you one of my people who'son top of the backpack, Redrick took out his flask, opened it, closed his
the gun in it, and put it on the railroad tie.
plastic, when he heard Arthur's voice. Noonan understood why Redrick was bringing up the topic. He threw up