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The Laughing Corpse :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 181 из 213His partner's blood was dripping out between his fingers.
Something moved, too low to the ground to be a man, but about that size. It was just a shape creeping along the back of the house in front of us. Whatever it was had found the deepest shadow and was trying to creep away.
That showed more intelligence than a zombie had. I was wrong. I was wrong. I was fucking wrong. And Roberts was dying because of it.
"Stay with her. Keep her alive."
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"After it." I climbed the fence one-handed. The adrenaline must have been pumping because I made it.
I gained the yard and it was gone. A streaking shape fast as a mouse caught in the kitchen light. A blur of speed, but big, big as a man.
It rounded the corner of the house and I lost sight of it. Dammit. I ran as far from the wall as I could, my stomach tight with anticipation of fingers ripping my throat out. I came round the house gun pointed, two-handed, ready. Nothing. I scanned the darkness, the pools of light. Nothing.
Shouts behind me. The cops had arrived. God, let Roberts live.
There, movement, creeping across the streetlight around the edge of another house. Someone shouted, "Anita!"
I was already running towards the movement. I shouted as I ran, "Bring an exterminator team!" But I didn't stop. I didn't dare stop. I was the only one in sight of it. If I lost it, it was gone.
I ran into the darkness, alone, after something that might not be a zombie at all. Not the brightest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't going to get away. It wasn't.
It was never going to hurt another family. Not if I could stop it. Now. Tonight.
I ran through a pool of light and it made the darkness heavier, blinding me temporarily. I froze in the dark, willing my eyes to adjust faster.
"Perssisstent woman," a voice hissed. It was to my right, so close the hair on my arms stood up.
I froze, straining my peripheral vision. There, a darker shape rising out of the evergreen shrubs that hugged the edge of the house. It rose to its full height, but didn't attack. If it wanted me, it could have me before I could turn and fire. I'd seen it move. I knew I was dead.
"You arrre not like the resst." The voice was sibilant, as if parts of the mouth were missing, so it put great effort into forming each word. A gentleman's voice decayed by the grave.
I turned towards it, slowly, slowly.
"Put me back."
I had turned my head enough to be able to see some of it. My night vision is better than most.
Something moved, too low to the ground to be a man, but about that size. It was just a shape creeping along the back of the house in front of us. Whatever it was had found the deepest shadow and was trying to creep away.
That showed more intelligence than a zombie had. I was wrong. I was wrong. I was fucking wrong. And Roberts was dying because of it.
"Stay with her. Keep her alive."
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"After it." I climbed the fence one-handed. The adrenaline must have been pumping because I made it.
I gained the yard and it was gone. A streaking shape fast as a mouse caught in the kitchen light. A blur of speed, but big, big as a man.
It rounded the corner of the house and I lost sight of it. Dammit. I ran as far from the wall as I could, my stomach tight with anticipation of fingers ripping my throat out. I came round the house gun pointed, two-handed, ready. Nothing. I scanned the darkness, the pools of light. Nothing.
Shouts behind me. The cops had arrived. God, let Roberts live.
There, movement, creeping across the streetlight around the edge of another house. Someone shouted, "Anita!"
I was already running towards the movement. I shouted as I ran, "Bring an exterminator team!" But I didn't stop. I didn't dare stop. I was the only one in sight of it. If I lost it, it was gone.
I ran into the darkness, alone, after something that might not be a zombie at all. Not the brightest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't going to get away. It wasn't.
It was never going to hurt another family. Not if I could stop it. Now. Tonight.
I ran through a pool of light and it made the darkness heavier, blinding me temporarily. I froze in the dark, willing my eyes to adjust faster.
"Perssisstent woman," a voice hissed. It was to my right, so close the hair on my arms stood up.
I froze, straining my peripheral vision. There, a darker shape rising out of the evergreen shrubs that hugged the edge of the house. It rose to its full height, but didn't attack. If it wanted me, it could have me before I could turn and fire. I'd seen it move. I knew I was dead.
"You arrre not like the resst." The voice was sibilant, as if parts of the mouth were missing, so it put great effort into forming each word. A gentleman's voice decayed by the grave.
I turned towards it, slowly, slowly.
"Put me back."
I had turned my head enough to be able to see some of it. My night vision is better than most.