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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 229 из 236Lucy screamed again, "Officer down, officer down, hit by friendly fire, repeat, hit by friendly fire!"
The shooting slowed, then stopped altogether. We all stayed plastered to the ground for a few moments, waiting. It seemed very important to breathe, as if I'd never done it quite right before. Or maybe it was the bleeding body of the dead policeman that made breathing such a treat, as if we all had to make up for him being dead somehow.
When everything stayed quiet, Lucy carefully got to her knees. The rest of the police began to get to their knees, until finally one of the younger uniforms stood up. He didn't fall back down dead, so the rest of us stood up cautiously.
"Look," one of the policemen said.
We looked. The Nameless was bleeding. Blood trickled like crimson string down its "head."
"Shit," Lucy said. "We're going to need antitank weapons to blow that thing up."
I agreed with her. "How long will it take to get some sort of National Guard stuff here?"
"Too long," she said. Her radio squawked again. She listened to the unintelligible talk, then said, "Helicopter's en route. We need to find Ms. Reed and get her over the wall."
We didn't have to find Ms. Reed; she found us. She and Gordon Reed came running around the edge of the house at as fast a pace as he could manage. Julian was behind them. The greatest danger in that first second was shooting each other out of sheer nerves. We all managed not to be that stupid, but my pulse was thudding in my throat, and everyone looked big-eyed, like they were ready to get back over the wall.
Maeve Reed grabbed my hand in both of hers. "Is it Taranis? Does he know?"
"He doesn't know about the baby."
She frowned. "Then …"
"He found out we saw you."
"Ms. Reed — " An officer was holding out his hand." — we need to get you over the wall."
She kissed me on the cheek and let the nice officer hand her to another nice officer waiting on top of the wall.
Gordon Reed was next. He didn't say anything. He seemed to be struggling just to breathe and stay upright between Julian and the same nice officer who had helped Maeve over the wall.
When they were safely over, I asked Julian, "Where are your other people?"
He shook his head. "Everyone but Max is dead. He's too hurt to walk. I made him hide in the house so I could get the Reeds out."
I didn't know what to say, but a policeman said, "You're next" to Julian, and I didn't have to say anything, just watch him climb to safety.
The shooting slowed, then stopped altogether. We all stayed plastered to the ground for a few moments, waiting. It seemed very important to breathe, as if I'd never done it quite right before. Or maybe it was the bleeding body of the dead policeman that made breathing such a treat, as if we all had to make up for him being dead somehow.
When everything stayed quiet, Lucy carefully got to her knees. The rest of the police began to get to their knees, until finally one of the younger uniforms stood up. He didn't fall back down dead, so the rest of us stood up cautiously.
"Look," one of the policemen said.
We looked. The Nameless was bleeding. Blood trickled like crimson string down its "head."
"Shit," Lucy said. "We're going to need antitank weapons to blow that thing up."
I agreed with her. "How long will it take to get some sort of National Guard stuff here?"
"Too long," she said. Her radio squawked again. She listened to the unintelligible talk, then said, "Helicopter's en route. We need to find Ms. Reed and get her over the wall."
We didn't have to find Ms. Reed; she found us. She and Gordon Reed came running around the edge of the house at as fast a pace as he could manage. Julian was behind them. The greatest danger in that first second was shooting each other out of sheer nerves. We all managed not to be that stupid, but my pulse was thudding in my throat, and everyone looked big-eyed, like they were ready to get back over the wall.
Maeve Reed grabbed my hand in both of hers. "Is it Taranis? Does he know?"
"He doesn't know about the baby."
She frowned. "Then …"
"He found out we saw you."
"Ms. Reed — " An officer was holding out his hand." — we need to get you over the wall."
She kissed me on the cheek and let the nice officer hand her to another nice officer waiting on top of the wall.
Gordon Reed was next. He didn't say anything. He seemed to be struggling just to breathe and stay upright between Julian and the same nice officer who had helped Maeve over the wall.
When they were safely over, I asked Julian, "Where are your other people?"
He shook his head. "Everyone but Max is dead. He's too hurt to walk. I made him hide in the house so I could get the Reeds out."
I didn't know what to say, but a policeman said, "You're next" to Julian, and I didn't have to say anything, just watch him climb to safety.