"Tilley, Patrick - The Amtrack Wars 06 - Earth-Thunder" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tilley Patrick)

Armed with a stolen carbine, Cadillac marched slowly through the
drifting plumes of smoke that rose from the charred remains of the huts
which- just one brief day ago - had been the home of the Clan m'call.

Roz - clutching another carbine with the awkwardness of someone trained
to save lives not terminate them followed him as he scoured the
settlement from end to end. The soldiers had done their work with the
thoroughness that was the mark of the Federation.

Goods and chattels had been put to the torch, every living soul
regardless of age had been killed.

The decapitated bodies of the den mothers, their children, and the
She-Wolves who had stayed to defend them were scattered everywhere.

Some, burnt beyond recognition, lay smouldering in the glowing rings of
ashes that had once been huts of skin and wood; others, partially
stripped, their naked bodies ripped by bayonet thrusts, lay sprawled
awkwardly where they had been gunned down - either running away from,
or towards the enemy: the tall faceless figures in their blood-red and
flame-orange uniforms who showed no mercy and expected none.

When the last hope of finding any survivors finally expired, Cadillac
turned to Roz, his eyes brimming with bitter tears. His lips moved but
no words came. He had come down from the hills fearing the worst, but
the shock of discovering this scene of sensaless slaughter had driven
the breath from his body.

Roz threw aside her carbine and supported him as he lurched towards
her. She knew what he was thinking.

He was the last of the M'Calls; the only one still alive.

The remainder of his clanfolk - every man, woman and child of fighting
age - had gone forth to do battle with one of the dreaded iron-snakes,
the Mute name for the wagon-trains of the Amtrak Federation.

And despite falling into a trap, they had confounded their enemy,
capturing and destroying The Lady from Louisiana before being
surrounded by four more of the giant land-cruisers - each one carrying
a thousand TrailBlazers.

When Cadillac had flown west, taking Roz with him on the orders of Mr
Snow, the M'Call Bears and She-Wolves, bloodied but triumphant from
their victory over The Lady, were preparing to make a last stand as the
circle of fire closed in remorselessly around them.

Roz and Cadillac had escaped in the last aircraft to leave the
flight-deck of The Lady and they had not been fired upon because no one
on the advancing wagon-trains had suspected that the Skyhawk was being