"Gardner Dozois - Down Among the Dead Men" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dozois Gardner)

He walked over to the gully and, seeing Wernecke and the Musselmann, said, тАЬAha, so your friend is
taking care of the sick.тАЭ He motioned Bruckman to follow him into the gully.

Bruckman had done the unpardonableтАФhe had brought it on Wernecke. He swore at himself. He had
been in this camp long enough to know to keep his mouth shut.

The guard kicked Wernecke sharply in the ribs. тАЬI want you to put the Musselmann in the cart. Now!тАЭ
He kicked Wernecke again, as if as an afterthought. Wernecke groaned, but got to his feet. тАЬHelp him
put the Musselmann in the cart,тАЭ the guard said to Bruckman; then he smiled and drew a circle in the air
тАФthe sign of smoke, the smoke which rose from the tall gray chimneys behind them. This Musselmann
would be in the oven within an hour, his ashes soon to be floating in the hot, stale air, as if they were the
very particles of his soul.

Wernecke kicked the Musselmann, and the guard chuckled, waved to another guard who had been
watching, and stepped back a few feet. He stood with his hands on his hips. тАЬCome on, dead man, get up
or youтАЩre going to die in the oven,тАЭ Wernecke whispered as he tried to pull the man to his feet.
Bruckman supported the unsteady Musselmann, who began to wail softly. Wernecke slapped him hard.
тАЬDo you want to live, Musselmann? Do you want to see your family again, feel the touch of a woman,
smell grass after itтАЩs been mowed? Then move.тАЭ The Musselmann shambled forward between Wernecke
and Bruckman. тАЬYouтАЩre dead, arenтАЩt you Musselmann,тАЭ goaded Wernecke. тАЬAs dead as your father and
mother, as dead as your sweet wife, if you ever had one, arenтАЩt you? Dead!тАЭ

The Musselmann groaned, shook his head, and whispered, тАЬNot dead, my wifeтАжтАЭ

тАЬAh, it talks,тАЭ Wernecke said, loud enough so the guard walking a step behind them could hear. тАЬDo you
have a name, corpse?тАЭ

тАЬJosef, and IтАЩm not a Musselmann.тАЭтАШ

тАЬThe corpse says heтАЩs alive,тАЭ Wernecke said, again loud enough for the SS guard to hear. Then in a
whisper, he said, тАЬJosef, if youтАЩre not a Musselmann, then you must work now, do you understand?тАЭ
Josef tripped, and Bruckman caught him. тАЬLet him be,тАЭ said Wernecke. тАЬLet him walk to the cart
himself.тАЭ

тАЬNot the cart,тАЭ Josef mumbled. тАЬNot to die, notтАФтАЭ

тАЬThen get down and pick up stones, show the fart-eating guard you can work.тАЭ

тАЬCanтАЩt. IтАЩm sick, IтАЩmтАжтАЭ

тАЬMusselmann!тАЭ

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 Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann - Down Among the Dead Men



Josef bent down, fell to his knees, but took hold of a stone and stood up.

тАЬYou see,тАЭ Wernecke said to the guard, тАЬitтАЩs not dead yet. It can still work.тАЭ