"Gustav Hasvord. The Short-Timers " - читать интересную книгу автора

A rifle bullet snaps through Donlon's radio. The impact of the bullet
flips Donlon onto his back. Donlon struggles like an overturned turtle.
I crawl on my hands and knees. I grab Donlon's rifle belt. I drag him
behind a boulder.
Donlon swallows air. "Beaucoup thanks, bro..."
Cowboy and Doc Jay are arguing. Cowboy says, "Alice is in the open. We
can't reach him."
The New Guy says, "Is it just one enemy soldier?"
"Shut your mouth." Animal Mother sets up his M-60 machine gun on a
rotten log and adjusts a golden ammo belt over a C's can he has attached to
the gun so that the rounds feed in smoothly.
Cowboy says, "I got to send back a runner-"
Bang.
Cowboy rolls over. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
"He hit Alice again!"
Alice moves, groans. "It hurts...it hurts..."
There's a dark hole through the canvas jungle boot on Alice's left
foot. Alice laughs, grins, grits his teeth. "I'm short..."
Animal Mother kicks the rotten log and opens fire. High-velocity
machine-gun bullets clip, chop, and ricochet through the canopy, snapping
into tree trunks with rhythmic precision, cutting leaves from twigs and
killing birds.
The New Guy opens up with his M-16. Lance Corporal Stutten fires an
M-79 and the grenade bursts, invisible in the darkness. I see a strange
shadow on a limb so I throw a few rounds in there with my grease gun. But
it's Maggie's drawers. There's nothing to shoot at.
The New Guy pops a frag and lobs it in.
Cowboy screams into the jarring thud: "OKAY, OKAY, EVERYBODY FUCKING
COOL IT."
Everyone stops firing-everyone except Animal Mother. I put my hand on
Mother's shoulder but his weapon continues to spill hot brass and black
metal links until the belt runs out.
"We gotta kill that cocksucker!" says Animal Mother. "Payback is a
motherfucker!"
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"The law of the jungle, man."
Animal Mother punches the rotten log with his fist. "I'll punch his
fucking heart out!"
"Yeah."
"Kill that cocksucker!"
Alice is trying to crawl to cover. "Cowboy? Bro?" Alice extends his
gloved right hand.
Bang.
Alice's hand is knocked down. He lifts it again slowly. Ragged leather.
And Alice's right forefinger is missing. "Oh, no...not..."
Alice screams.
Doc Jay stands up. Cowboy grabs him and pulls him down. "You crazy?"
But Doc Jay wrestles free. He unhooks the Unit One medical kit from his web
belt and drops the rest of his gear.