"David Moody - Autumn 1 - Autumn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moody David)

Northwich. The streets were littered with the dead. It was bizarre - people just seemed to have fallen
where theyтАЩd been standing. Whatever theyтАЩd been doing, wherever theyтАЩd been going, theyтАЩd just
dropped.
The situation was so unexpected and inexplicable that it was only at that point that I thought about the
safety of my family. I put my foot down flat on the accelerator and was outside my house in seconds. I
jumped out of the van and ran to the door. My hands were shaking and I couldnтАЩt get the key in the lock.
Eventually I opened it and immediately wished that I hadnтАЩt. The house was silent.
I ran up to the bedroom and thatтАЩs where I found them both. Sarah and our beautiful little girl both
dead. GemmaтАЩs face was frozen in the middle of a silent scream and there was blood all around her
mouth and on SarahтАЩs white night dress and the sheets. They were both still warm and I shook them and
screamed at them to wake up and talk to me. Sarah looked terrified. I tried to close her frightened eyes
to make believe she was just sleeping but I couldnтАЩt. They wouldnтАЩt stay shut.
I couldnтАЩt stand to leave them but I couldnтАЩt stand to stay there either. I had to get out. I put Gemma
into bed with her mum, kissed them both goodbye and pulled the sheets up over their heads. I left the
house, locked the door behind me and then walked.
I spent hours stepping through the bodies just shouting out for help.



2
Michael Collins


So there I was, standing at the front of a class of thirty-three sixteen year olds, tongue-tied and terrified.
The boss had volunteered me for one of those тАШIndustry into SchoolsтАЩ days. One of those days where
instead of sitting listening to their teacher drone on for hours, children were made to listen to sacrificial
lambs like me telling them how wonderful the job they really despised was. I hated it. I hated speaking in
public. I hated compromising myself and not being honest. I hated knowing that if I didnтАЩt do this and I
didnтАЩt do it well, my end of month bonus would be reduced. My boss believed that his middle-managers
were the figureheads of his company. In reality we were just there for him to hide behind.
My talk didnтАЩt last long.
 IтАЩd made some notes which I held in front of me like a shield. I felt quite calm inside, but the way that
the end of my papers shook seemed to give the class the impression that I was paralysed with nerves.
The sadistic sixteen year olds quickly seized on my apparent weakness. When I coughed and tripped on
a word I was history.
тАШThe work we do at Caradine Computers is extremely varied and interesting,тАЩ I began, lying through
my teeth. тАШWeтАЩre responsible for...тАЩ
тАШSir,тАЩ a lad said from the middle of the room. He was waving his hand in the air.
тАШWhat?тАЩ
тАШWhy donтАЩt you just give up now,тАЩ he sighed. тАШWeтАЩre not interested.тАЩ
That stopped me dead. IтАЩd never have dared speak out like that at school. I looked to the teacher at
the back of the class for support but as soon as weтАЩd made eye contact she turned to look out of the
window.
тАШAs I was saying,тАЩ I continued, тАШwe look after a wide range of clients, from small one-man firms to
multinational corporations. We advise them on the software to use, the systems to buy and...тАЩ
Another interruption, this time more physical. A fight was breaking out in the corner of the room. One
boy had another in a headlock.
тАШJames Clyde,тАЩ the teacher yelled across the classroom, тАШcut it out. Anyone would think you didnтАЩt
want to listen to Mr Collins.тАЩ
As if the behaviour of the students wasnтАЩt bad enough, now even the teacher was being sarcastic. I