JК
Desperation :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 387 из 422Then, faintly, Cynthia Smith’s voice, full of horror: “Oh jeez, look at her!”
Steve: “Be quiet, stupid, they’ll hear you.”
Cynthia: “Oh sugar. Sorry.”
Steve: “Come on. Help me.”
Ralph took his hands away from his face, wiped a sleeve across his eyes, then came across to Mary’s side of the truck and put his arm around David. David groped for his father’s hand and took it. Ralph’s stricken, streaming eyes met Mary’s, and she began to cry herself.
She could now hear shuffling steps from outside as Steve and Cynthia carried Ellen out of the road. There was a pause, a little grunt of effort from the girl, and then the footsteps came back to the truck. Mary was suddenly sure that Steve would walk around to the back and tell the boy and his father some outrageous lie-foolishness about how Ellen looked peaceful, like she was maybe just taking a nap out here in the middle of nowhere.
She tried to send him a message: Don’t do it, don’t come back here and tell well-meaning lies, you can only make things worse. They ‘ye been in Desperation, they’ve seen what’s there, don’t try to kid them about what’s out here.
The steps paused. Cynthia murmured. Steve said some-thing in return. Then they got back into the truck, the doors slammed, the engine revved, and they started off again.
David kept his face pressed against her a moment or two longer, then raised his head.
“Thanks.”
She smiled, but the truck’s rear door was still up and she supposed enough light was getting in for David to see that she had also wept. “Any time,” she said. She kissed his cheek. “Really.”
She clasped her arms around her knees and looked out the back of the truck, watching the dust spume up. She could still see the blinker-light, a yellow spark in the wide sweep of the dark, but now it was going in the wrong direction, drawing away from them.
The world-the one she had always thought to be the only world-also seemed to be drawing away from her now. Malls, restau-rants, MTV, Gold’s Gym workouts, and occasional hot sex in the afternoon, all drawing away.
And it’s all so easy, she thought. As easy as a penny slipping through a hole in your pocket.
“David.” Johnny asked. “Do you know how Tak got into Ripton in the first place.”
David shook his head.
Johnny nodded as if that was what he had expected and sat back, resting his head against the side of the truck. Mary realized that, as exasperating as Marinville could be, she sort of liked him. And not just because he had come back with David; she had sort of liked him ever since… well, since they were looking for guns, she guessed.
Steve: “Be quiet, stupid, they’ll hear you.”
Cynthia: “Oh sugar. Sorry.”
Steve: “Come on. Help me.”
Ralph took his hands away from his face, wiped a sleeve across his eyes, then came across to Mary’s side of the truck and put his arm around David. David groped for his father’s hand and took it. Ralph’s stricken, streaming eyes met Mary’s, and she began to cry herself.
She could now hear shuffling steps from outside as Steve and Cynthia carried Ellen out of the road. There was a pause, a little grunt of effort from the girl, and then the footsteps came back to the truck. Mary was suddenly sure that Steve would walk around to the back and tell the boy and his father some outrageous lie-foolishness about how Ellen looked peaceful, like she was maybe just taking a nap out here in the middle of nowhere.
She tried to send him a message: Don’t do it, don’t come back here and tell well-meaning lies, you can only make things worse. They ‘ye been in Desperation, they’ve seen what’s there, don’t try to kid them about what’s out here.
The steps paused. Cynthia murmured. Steve said some-thing in return. Then they got back into the truck, the doors slammed, the engine revved, and they started off again.
David kept his face pressed against her a moment or two longer, then raised his head.
“Thanks.”
She smiled, but the truck’s rear door was still up and she supposed enough light was getting in for David to see that she had also wept. “Any time,” she said. She kissed his cheek. “Really.”
She clasped her arms around her knees and looked out the back of the truck, watching the dust spume up. She could still see the blinker-light, a yellow spark in the wide sweep of the dark, but now it was going in the wrong direction, drawing away from them.
The world-the one she had always thought to be the only world-also seemed to be drawing away from her now. Malls, restau-rants, MTV, Gold’s Gym workouts, and occasional hot sex in the afternoon, all drawing away.
And it’s all so easy, she thought. As easy as a penny slipping through a hole in your pocket.
“David.” Johnny asked. “Do you know how Tak got into Ripton in the first place.”
David shook his head.
Johnny nodded as if that was what he had expected and sat back, resting his head against the side of the truck. Mary realized that, as exasperating as Marinville could be, she sort of liked him. And not just because he had come back with David; she had sort of liked him ever since… well, since they were looking for guns, she guessed.