"Davis, Jerry - A Long Curved Blade" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Jerry)

A LONG CURVED BLADE

й 1994 by Jerry J. Davis

Previously Published in Leopards Realm Magazine

Laying in his two-person bunk with a pillow over his head,
Douglass could still hear the sounds of lovemaking drifting
through the frictionless air ducts. These air ducts were perfect
for carrying sound, and thanks to them nothing that went on in the
capsule was private. The woman who was moaning was his wife. The
man ннн well, that was no secret. It was Cromwell, the weatherman.

Doug listened, feeling sick and hopeless ннн then another
sound caught his attention. A distant warbling cry, a chorus of
voices. Then a woman's voice was sobbing over the communications
system. Her voice rang through the metal of the capsule. "It was a
skike, another damn skike," she was saying. "It killed a boy."
Doug rolled off his bunk and wriggled into his jungle gear,
stepped into his boots, and grabbed his rifle. He pushed through
his door and hurried out into the circular hall, heading for the
front door.
Leo Calderon, the expedition leader, was sealing off the
capsule as Doug came trotting up. He looked at the dirty jungle
clothes and the gun in Doug's hand and said, "No, you're not going
out there."
"Who else is out? Selene is out there!"
"Selene and Lipton are safe in the village. There's no need
for you going out."
"It killed a child."
"I don't careнннн"
"Goddamn it, it killed a little kid!" Doug shoved past the
older man and pulled the quick release lever. The doors slammed
open and he leapt out into the dirt and leaves, the million
insects.
"Douglass, come back here!"
Doug trotted down the path, flipping his rifle on and
glancing at its scanner.
"Douglass! That's an order!" Leo was shouting. "You come back
here now!" His voice grew distant, then faded out altogether. Doug
didn't notice, he just kept running. The village was right ahead,
he could see it through spiral leaves and odd horizontal limbs.
There was a wooden gate with an elaborate mechanical latch ннн
every piece meticulously carved from wood ннн he let himself in
and ran toward Lipton, who was holding a rifle but was so pressed
by the colonists that he could only point it straight up.
"Where's your wife?" Doug yelled.
"Over there by the body," Lipton yelled back. "She saw it
happen, the boy was protecting her."
Doug pushed his way through another crowd and found Selene on