"Shadowrun - Secrets of Power 02 - Choose Your Enemies Carefully - Rober N Charrette" - читать интересную книгу автора (Charrette Robert N)

at from the effort. Unaware of how helpless she was,
flinched back. It was a small victory, but all she
likely to get. She had no strength to resist them.
|The ache in her limbs had kindled to fire and she wilted
fin the rising blaze.

When they saw that she made no further motion,
|diey resumed their approach. Just short of her out-
! stretched leg, the big one halted. The smaller one si-
dled carefully up to the other, sheltering behind his
broad back. The big one crouched. With a start, the
other followed suit to avoid being exposed. A soft
hissing came from the others gathered in the hall.

The big one reached out a tentative finger to poke
her. When she didn't respond, he ran his hand down
her calf in a caress as he spoke to his companion.
Most of his words sounded like gutter Chinese, but
some were Japanese and English. His accent and the
speed with which he spoke left her uncomprehending.
The small one straightened and took a step back.
Watching her with wary eyes, he backed away.

They remained like that for a time. She lay still, her
only action an occasional convulsion or shiver. The
big ghoul stood silently by the door, watching her and
waiting. Maybe they had to gather the rest of the pack
before they feasted. Now that they had cornered her,
she found it hard to care. If they killed her, the pain
would stop. Once she was dead, what they did to her
body wouldn't matter to her. Having surrendered to
her despair, she found it easy to contemplate surren-
dering to the insistent call of oblivion.
A commotion roused her from her drifting semicon-


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert N. Charrette

scious state. Though still racked with pain, she found
herself able to shift her head slightly. It was night\a151or
night again. She had no way of knowing. The big ghoul
was still in the room, but he had changed his position.
The small one was returning, leading a figure much
bigger than himself. She wasn't really sure who or what
the newcomer was. She couldn't seem to focus clearly
on him. One moment he seemed huge and menacing,
a lumbering furry hulk; the next, he was a slim,
strongly-built man attired in street leathers.