"Lawrence Watt-Evans - In for Pound" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

Her hands trembling again, she loaded five rounds of birdshot into the magazine. That wouldn't kill
anyone, she was pretty sure, but it should be enough to hurt and to scare away anyone who got in her
way.



Thus equipped, she marched toward the pound.



There were lights onтАФnot very many, but at least two. That was a good sign; she needed there to be
someone in there she could frighten into opening Dave's cage. She reached the main entrance without
serious incident, despite being almost blind with the helmet's visor down; she had to lift it to peek now
and again. Once she reached the entry she held the shotgun in one hand, and pounded on the door with
the other.



Nothing happened; she pounded again.



She was starting to think about what she would do if the night watchman refused to answer when a surly
voice called, "Who the hell is it at this hour?"



"It's an emergency," Jenny called. "I need to use your phone."
"Oh, Christ . . ." The door started to swing open.



Jenny thrust the barrel of the shotgun into the crack, then pushed herself after it, stepping into the building.



She found herself in a narrow hallway, on a scuffed linoleum floor between green concrete walls, lit by
bare bulbs in wire cages overhead. Backing away from her was a young man in a dirty T-shirt and torn
jeans.



The lights at least let her see through the confounded visor. "Put up your . . ." she began; then she
stopped as she realized he already had both hands raised high.



"Oh god oh god oh god," he said, stumbling backward down the hall. "Listen, there's no money here, I
swear there isn't, if there were I'd have stolen it myself."