"George Zebrowski - Wound the Wind" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zebrowski George)

And then we saw them, the largest group of old humanity that I had ever spotted, moving out of the trees
and across the blazing Sunday afternoon like a single beast with a hundred heads. Their weakest were in
the middle of the body, where they could be helped along by the stronger.

тАЬIt's not like they don't know about us,тАЭ O'Connor said. тАЬThey know and don't want us.тАЭ

тАЬThey don't really know any better,тАЭ I said, remembering. тАЬThey don't really see us.тАЭ
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тАЬThink so?тАЭ he asked with a laugh. тАЬIf they did, they wouldn't want to live out here like this, would
they?тАЭ

I was thinking that hunting down these people was useless, that we had gotten hot and dusty all for
nothing, in the season when it got hot and dry and the sun hammered the land and made you sure to keep
your hat on your head.

тАЬDon't worry,тАЭ he said. тАЬI'll do my job, if only to see how it goes.тАЭ

тАЬIt's up to us how it goes,тАЭ I said as I watched the lumbering hundred-headed beast, тАЬwhether they live
or die, whether we let them live or die out. It'll be up to us. Remember that.тАЭ

тАЬSo it's about all the rest of us,тАЭ he said grimly. тАЬNot about them at all.тАЭ

тАЬSince we can choose and they can't, yes, it's about us.тАЭ

тАЬBut will they all perish if we leave them alone? Is that so sure?тАЭ

I said, тАЬThe falling numbers show itтАФso it's up to us to prevent it. If we don't, then we will let it happen.
And there's just enough of us willing to prevent it.тАЭ

The beast with two hundred legs was well out in the open now. It looked like a ship of some kind, legs
like oars rowing through a sea of dust, obscuring the long-haired heads of the passengers. Some were
dressed in scavenged shirts and pants, sandaled feet and bare. Most carried knives of one kind or
another, some a spike or spear. The wind was toward us, hitting us with the smell of sweat and hot
animal skins.

тАЬBut can we help them?тАЭ he asked. тАЬSeems that anything we do will be no good, or do harm. I don't
think many people will sit around feeling guilty when ... these are gone.тАЭ It troubled him to say it. He
could still go either way, and maybe take me with him.

I said, тАЬWe still have a voice, some of us. You and I are here, right now.тАЭ But I was a bit puzzled by
what was going on inside me.

He was silent for a moment, then said, тАЬWhat about this bunch?тАЭ

тАЬWe're going to catch up with this group,тАЭ I said, тАЬтАФand talk to them, for starters.тАЭ