"Chalker, Jack L. - Dancing Gods 01 - The River of the Dancing Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

its empty, vacant walker, then was just as suddenly gone, a
mass of diminishing red lights in the distance behind her. But
in the few seconds that those gaping headlights had shone on
the scene, they had illuminated her form against that desperate
Page 1
Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods
dark, illuminated her and, in the cab behind those lights, gave
her notice and recognition.
She paid this truck no more attention than any of the others
and just kept walking onward into the unseen distance.
The driver had been going much too fast for a practical stop,
a pace that would have upset the highway patrol but was required
to make his employer's deadline. Besides, he was on
Х the wrong side of the median to be of any practical help himselfЧ
but there were other ways, ways that didn't even involve slowing
down.
"Break one-nine, break, break. How 'bout a westbound?
Anybody in this here Lone Star truckin' west on this one dark
night?" His accent was Texarkana, but he could have been
from Maine or Miami or San Francisco or Minneapolis just as
well. Something in the CB radio seemed automatically to add
the standard accent, even in Brooklyn.
"You got a westbound. Go," came a reply, only very slightly
different in sound or tone from the caller's.
"What's your twenty?" Eastbound asked.
"Three-thirty was the last I saw," Westbound responded.
"Clean and green back to the truck-'em-up. Even the bears go
to sleep this time o' night in these parts."
Eastbound chuckled. "Yeah, you got that right. I got to keep
pushin' it, though. They want me in Shreveport by tonight."
JACK L. CHALKER 3
"Shreveport! You got some haul yet!"
"Yeah, but that's home sweet home, baby. Get in, get it
off, stick this thing in the junkyard, and I'm in bed with the
old lady. I'll make it."
"All I got is El Paso by ten."
"Aw, shit, you'll make that easy. SayЧcaught something
your side in my lights about three-two-seven or so you might
check out. Looked like a beaver just walkin' by the side of the
road. Maybe a breakdown, though I ain't seen no cars on your
side and I'm just on you now. Probably nothin', but you might
want to check her out just in case. Ain't nobody lives within
miles o' here, I don't think."
"P 11 back off a little and see if I can eyeball her," Westbound
assured him. "Won't hurt much. That your Kenworthjust passed
me?"
"Yeah. Who else? All best to ya, and check on that little
gal. Don't wanna hear she got found dead by the side of the
road or something. Spoil my whole day."
"That's a four," Westbound came back with a slight chuckle.