"Marc Laidlaw - The Black Bus" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laidlaw Marc)

switching back, wriggling down the slopes. They were out of the cool dark trees, the
pines and rivers and rocks. This was the arid desolate place above the foothills, the
place where nothing grew but weeds and aluminum guardrails. She had always hated
this part of the roadтАФ of any mountain road. This was where the dust beat itself
senseless, blowing in from the plains; or where the salt fell, whisked in off the sea.
Nothing moved here but headlights.

On the switchback below тАФ moving past, under them, and then in the
opposite direction тАФ she finally saw their bus. Unmistakable. And there were people
in it.

тАЬHey,тАЭ she said. тАЬDriver, I thought you said the bus was broken.тАЭ

His face darkened in a scowl. тАЬI know that bus,тАЭ he said. тАЬAnd it died
tonight.тАЭ

тАЬMaybe it hasnтАЩt, yet.тАЭ
 Sonora looked over at Neuron, but only briefly. His smile, like his words,
puzzled her. She went back to watching the bus below. Headlights vanished around
a curve, came out again, continued to weave. The air was full of dust or smoke, so
she could see the beams swinging back and forth.

Driver pushed up next to her. тАЬWhat are you looking at?тАЭ

тАЬJust what Yvette said. It looks like

тАЬIt canтАЩt be our bus.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs what it looks like, IтАЩm sorry.тАЭ

тАЬIt canтАЩt be our bus.тАЭ

He looked anyway.

Someone up front switched on a radio and music came out of the scattered
speakers. It was the Group, predictably, broadcast from the microsatellite they
owned, which all the pilgrim buses picked up with a special antenna. Sonora hardly
heard it, it had been background music for so long. But she noticed when the
broadcast cut off suddenly.

Suddenly was hardly the word for it.

The tune died with a scream, then a hysterical wailing and clamoring. Voices
in panic and terror. тАЬNo!тАЭ someone shouted. тАЬNo, my God!тАЭ

тАЬNo тАФ no!тАЭ

Screams. Then a clearer voice, only slightly stronger than the others, high and
nasal, a man: тАЬThis is a reportтАФ hello, are you there? Anyone? IтАЩm reporting live
from the airfield where the Group was just now departing. ItтАЩs hard to be sure, but