"Robert McCammon - Doom City" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCammon Robert R)

walkinтАЩ. Lot of pokinтАЩ around.тАЭ His gaze rested on the little girl, then back
to Brad. The payphone was still ringing, and Brad felt the scream kicking
behind his teeth. тАЬYouтАЩre the first two IтАЩve seen with skin,тАЭ Spence said.
тАЬIтАЩve been sittinтАЩ over there for the last twenty minutes or so. Just waitinтАЩ
for the world to end, I guess.тАЭ
тАЬWhat ... happened?тАЭ Brad asked. Tears burned his eyes. тАЬMy God ... my
God ... what happened?тАЭ
тАЬSomethinтАЩ tore,тАЭ Spence said tonelessly. тАЬRipped open. SomethinтАЩ won
the fight, and I donтАЩt think it was who the preachers said was gonna win. I
donтАЩt know ... maybe Death got tired of waitinтАЩ. Same thing happened to
the dinosaurs. Maybe itтАЩs happeninтАЩ to people now.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs got to be other people somewhere!тАЭ Brad shouted. тАЬWe canтАЩt be
the only ones!тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt know about that.тАЭ Spence drew on his cigarette one last time
and flicked the butt into the street. тАЬAll I know is, somethinтАЩ came in the
night and had a feast, and when it was done it licked the plate clean. Only
itтАЩs still hungry.тАЭ He nodded towards the ringing phone. тАЬWants to suck on
a few more bones. Like I said, man ... Doom City. Doom City here, there
and everywhere.тАЭ
The phone gave a final, shrilling shriek and went silent.
Brad heard the child crying again, and he put his hand on her head,
stroked her hair to calm her. He realised he was doing it with his bloody
hand. тАЬWeтАЩve ... weтАЩve got to go somewhere ... got to do something ...тАЭ
тАЬDo what?тАЭ Spence asked laconically. тАЬGo where? IтАЩm open to
suggestions, man.тАЭ
From the next block came the distant sound of a telephone ringing.
Brad stood with his bloody hand on KellyтАЩs head, and he didnтАЩt know what
to say.
тАЬI want to take you somewhere, my friend,тАЭ Spence told him. тАЬWant to
show you something real interestinтАЩ. Okay?тАЭ
Brad nodded, and he and the little girl followed Neil Spencer north
along Dayton Street, past more silent houses and buildings.
Spence led them about four blocks to a Seven-Eleven store, where a
skeleton in a yellow dress splotched with blue and purple flowers lolled
behind the cash register with a National Enquirer open on its jutting
knees. тАЬThere you go,тАЭ Spence said softly. He plucked a pack of Luckies off
the display of cigarettes and nodded towards the small TV set on the
counter. тАЬTake a look at that, and tell me what we ought to do.тАЭ
The TV set was on. It was a colour set, and Brad realised after a long,
silent moment that the channel was tuned to one of those
twenty-four-hour news networks. The picture showed two skeletons тАУ one
in a grey suit and the other in a wine-red dress тАУ leaning crookedly over a
newsdesk at centre camera; the woman had placed her hand on the manтАЩs
shoulder, and yellow sheets of the nightтАЩs news were scattered all over the
desktop. Behind the two figures were three or four out-of-focus skeletons,
frozen forever at their desks as well.
Spence lit another cigarette. An occasional spark of static shot across
the unmoving TV picture. тАЬDoom City,тАЭ Spence said. тАЬNot only here, man.
ItтАЩs everywhere. See?тАЭ
The telephone behind the counter suddenly started ringing, and Brad