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He shot her in mid-sen-ten-ce. It hap-pe-ned qu-ickly, and for a se-cond,
I didn't un-ders-tand what had just oc-cur-red. The ro-unds punc-hed thro-ugh
her bre-asts and ab-do-men, and lod-ged in the wall be-hind her. The whi-te
plas-ter tur-ned red. Las-hawn lo-oked surp-ri-sed as she slip-ped to the
flo-or. Ducky scre-amed and Taz whir-led aro-und, aiming the rif-le at his
fri-end.
I step-ped in front of Sa-rah and cal-led Taz's na-me. My ears we-re
rin-ging.
"Stay the fuck out of this, Ke-vin."
"Come on, man," Ducky ple-aded, hands held out in front of him. "Don't do
this. The bitch ain't worth it, Taz."
"You fuc-ked my girl, punk! Did you think I wo-uld just let that shit
sli-de? You we-re sup-po-sed to be my boy."
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A te-ar slid down Taz's fa-ce as he squ-e-ezed the trig-ger. Ducky
jit-te-red li-ke a ma-ri-onet-te as the bul-lets struck ho-me. He fell to the
flo-or, glassy eyes sta-ring at not-hing. I squ-e-ezed my trig-ger a se-cond
la-ter, aiming at the cen-ter of Taz's sha-ved he-ad. It blew apart li-ke a
rot-ten pump-kin, splat-te-ring the wall with bra-ins and shards of bo-ne.
"Oh God& " Sa-rah gas-ped.
I pri-ed the as-sa-ult rif-le from Taz's fin-gers, to-ok a step back-ward,
and then col-lap-sed to my kne-es. My sto-mach he-aved, and the bi-le bur-ned
my thro-at as it ro-se. I cro-uc-hed the-re, vo-mi-ting un-til the-re was
not-hing left in-si-de of me. I wi-ped my mo-uth with the back of my hand.
"You okay?" Sa-rah as-ked.
I nod-ded. "Ye-ah, I think so. I-I've ne-ver kil-led so-me-body be-fo-re."
"What now, Ke-vin? What are we go-ing to do?"
I slowly ro-se to my fe-et. "I've got to find Lo-ri."
"But she co-uld be anyw-he-re."
"I know. That's why I ha-ve to find her."
"But what abo-ut-"
Above us, the ro-of sho-ok as the thing out-si-de slam-med aga-inst it.
Cracks spi-der-web-bed ac-ross the ce-iling. My fe-et slos-hed as I to-ok
anot-her step and I lo-oked down to find myself stan-ding in a pud-dle. Wa-ter
was be-gin-ning to trick-le down the sta-irs from the ro-of.
"Shit." I clo-sed my eyes and rub-bed my temp-les. In less than an ho-ur,
our ranks had dwind-led from eigh-te-en to eight. I fi-gu-red the rest of us
wo-uld ta-ke abo-ut half that ti-me.
It tur-ned out that I was right.
I ran, de-ter-mi-ned to spend my last mo-ments with the wo-man I lo-ved.
"Kevin," Sa-rah cal-led af-ter me.
Not stop-ping, I sho-uted over my sho-ul-der, "If you're co-ming, then
mo-ve yo-ur ass."
She glan-ced back at the sta-ir-way. The trick-le had tur-ned in-to a
tor-rent and the cracks in the wall we-re wi-de-ning.
"Wait for me," she sa-id and then fol-lo-wed.
We fo-und Lo-ri in the lobby on the ni-ne-te-enth flo-or, crad-ling
An-na's he-ad in her lap. Lee, Da-ni-el-le, James, and Ma-lik lay ne-arby.
The-re was blo-od everyw-he-re- on the walls and the car-pet and even the
ce-iling. A kitc-hen kni-fe jut-ted from Lee's thro-at and his eyes sta-red
sight-les-sly. No-ne of the kids we-re mo-ving. They'd be-en stab-bed. As I
fol-lo-wed the tra-il of blo-od, I no-ti-ced that the walls and ce-iling on
this flo-or we-re be-gin-ning to crack, too. The bu-il-ding sho-ok be-ne-ath
our fe-et as we ran to-wards them. Plas-ter fell from the ce-iling.
Sarah knelt be-si-de An-na. "Anna? Can you he-ar me?"
Anna tur-ned her he-ad and co-ug-hed; blo-od le-aked out of the cor-ner of
her mo-uth.
I cro-uc-hed down be-si-de Lo-ri. "Hey, you okay?"
She lo-oked up at me, her fa-ce glis-te-ning with te-ars. "Ke-vin& "
I to-ok her hand. "What hap-pe-ned? Who did this?"
"Lee-he fo-und An-na and the kids he-re in the lobby, whi-le I was
lo-oking for mo-re we-apons. When I sho-wed up, he was ac-ting crazy, tal-king
abo-ut sac-ri-fi-ces and how the Sa-ta-nists had the right idea. He-he sa-id
we had to sac-ri-fi-ce one of the kids. That if we did, that thing out-si-de
wo-uld let the rest of us li-ve."
Anna co-ug-hed aga-in, spra-ying us with blo-od.
"Jesus Christ," Sa-rah sa-id. "He comp-le-tely lost it."
"What hap-pe-ned next?" I prod-ded Lo-ri gently.
She wi-ped her run-ning no-se with the back of her hand. "He must ha-ve
go-ne to the kitc-hen first, be-ca-use he had a kni-fe. Be-fo-re An-na or I
co-uld stop him, he& "
She bro-ke off, sob-bing. I pla-ced my hand on her sho-ul-der and
squ-e-ezed.
"He got James and Ma-lik right away. An-na tri-ed to stop him and he
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stab-bed her and then Da-ni-el-le. I was so sca-red. I had the guns in my
hands and I didn't even think to use them. I gu-ess the-re wasn't ti-me,
any-way. He was stab-bing An-na aga-in, so I drop-ped the guns and jum-ped on
his back. We wrest-led, and I got the kni-fe away from him and I-I stab-bed
him. I stab-bed him in the neck. It got stuck and I co-uldn't pull it back
out. But the-re's so much blo-od. Why is the-re so much blo-od?"
"Sarah, check the kids." I kis-sed Lo-ri's fo-re-he-ad and brus-hed the
ha-ir from her eyes. I so-ot-hed her with as-su-ran-ces that it wo-uld all be
okay, even tho-ugh I knew it wo-uldn't.
I exa-mi-ned An-na whi-le Sa-rah bent over the kids' bo-di-es. It didn't
lo-ok go-od. An-na's in-si-des pe-eked at me thro-ugh the wo-und, pink and
glis-te-ning.
"How are the kids?" I as-ked Sa-rah.
She sho-ok her he-ad, tur-ned away, and be-gan to we-ep.
Anna smi-led at me and tri-ed to spe-ak.
"We've got to put pres-su-re on this," I told her. "You just hang in
the-re, An-na."
"No," she ras-ped, "that won't do any go-od. It's too la-te, Ke-vin. Too
la-te for us all."
"Bullshit." I tri-ed to smi-le, but it felt phony. "We'll ha-ve you fi-xed
up in a jif-fy."
"He kil-led my ba-bi-es." She ra-ised one tremb-ling hand and po-in-ted at
Lee.
"He kil-led my ba-bi-es. Why? He se-emed li-ke such a ni-ce man& "
"I don't know."
Her eyes sud-denly se-emed far away.
"Look," she so-un-ded surp-ri-sed. "Is that the sun? It's so bright."
She ex-ha-led, her chest col-lap-sing. She did not bre-at-he in aga-in.
I re-ac-hed out and clo-sed her eyes with two fin-gers. Then I bent over
and kis-sed her on the he-ad. Her skin was wet.
"Good-bye, An-na."
After end-less days of ra-in, she'd se-en the sun aga-in. I fi-gu-red we'd
see it, too, be-fo-re the night was do-ne.
Taking Lo-ri by the hand, I pul-led her to her fe-et. The bu-il-ding
tremb-led aga-in and the-re was a lo-ud crash on the flo-or be-low us. The
hal-lway swa-yed un-der our fe-et. Lo-ri grab-bed on-to me to ke-ep from
top-pling over.
"What's hap-pe-ning?" she scre-amed.
"It's that thing. Le-vi-at-han. It's dest-ro-ying the bu-il-ding. Wa-ter's
co-ming in from the top."
"The lo-wer le-vels are flo-oding, too," Lo-ri sa-id. "Mindy and I saw it
when we we-re lo-oking for guns. Whe-re is she, any-way?"
I sho-ok my he-ad. "It got her. And the ot-hers, too."
"All of them?" she gas-ped.
"Except for me, you, Sa-rah, and may-be Salty. Ha-ve you se-en him
anyw-he-re?"
"Salty? No. Just& " She po-in-ted back to the bo-di-es in the lobby.
Sarah got to her fe-et. "I'm go-ing to find him. He might be hurt."
"Okay," I sa-id. "I'm go-ing to stay he-re with Lo-ri. Be ca-re-ful."
"Good luck." She star-ted down the hall.
"You too," I cal-led af-ter her. Then she was go-ne.
Another tre-mor struck, bo-un-cing me off the wall. Chunks of plas-ter
ra-ined down on us. De-ep in-si-de the walls, so-met-hing gro-aned. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]