Optron #01 03 октября 1997

Lit. Page - Night Watch.

               Night watch



(C) Stephen King

    Scored Infarh


  2 am Friday.

  Hall with delight dragged on a cigarette, lounging on a small 
bench near the elevator. It was the only place on the third 
floor, where they could quiet a smoke and briefly escape

from work, without fearing the appearance of his superiors. It 
was at this time and appeared malicious Warwick. Hall never 
expected to see the boss and was, naturally, was not pleased by 
this unexpected meeting, hoping that Warwick may appear

there is not before the three. And anyway, he
rarely show up at work in
the night shift. Especially in the third
floor. At this time, he preferred, usually
sit in his office and drink coffee
of his favorite Electric coffee pot, which stood him right on 
the table. In addition, in recent years was a terrible heat 
and, therefore, higher the first floor of Warwick is usually 
not raised. 

  This June was generally the hottest month in the history of 
Gates Falls. I have already three o'clock in the morning the 
column the thermometer rose to 35C! You can imagine the hellish 
inferno stood there in the day shift.


  Hall worked on the lift in the old
long ripe for adaptation of the landfill,
fabricated a Cleveland firm
in 1934. He got a job at the plant recently, in April, which 
meant that he got to 1 dollar and 78 cents per hour. While it 
is quite suit - no wife, no permanent friends. Over the past 
three years, he, like a vagabond, wandering from city to city, 
never staying longer than a few months.

Here he was going to spend at least
before the first snow. Man Hall was a quiet, retiring and loved
so those rare hours of plant operation, when mad rhythm of 
production subsided a bit, giving him the opportunity to relax 
and uliznuv on the third floor, devoted to its

thoughts. New job it is, in principle, while happy with.

  The only thing he is not liked, were a rat.

  The third floor was a long and desolate. Lit it was only the 
reflection of light lower floors of the plant and was, unlike

are relatively quiet and almost deserted,
since it is not occupied by any
production capacity. Another thing
- Rats. They have been here a lot. The only existing mechanism 
on the third floor was a freight elevator. And more here, in 
overall it was nothing except huge Number of boxes with some 
sort of fiber production, long awaiting sorting for fitness. 
These boxes were a perfect haven for rats - and the huge ugly 
creatures with the potbellied wildly bulging black eyes 
sparkling. These heinous a brazen scurrying almost anywhere 
around, fearing to approach only to the person. But even with 
such distances in their hair is clearly visible large and no 
less heinous lice or some other parasites, which

Hall versed worse.

  For the little time that Hall had
worked at the factory, he had
a bit strange habit - he had collected all
beer cans that came across him
eyes and folded into a pile near the spot where he liked to 
relax. These cans had been there for a whole bunch. Not even a 
lot, but rather a kind of arsenal - as sometimes, to entertain 
or simply to dispel sadness, he threw them on the scurrying 
back and forth in rats, causing them to this rather small, 
however, unrest. 

  Doing this it a few days ago, he found the plant manager, Mr. 
Foren, gently rising for some reason the third floor by the 
stairs instead of the elevator. 

  - What is it you do here, Holly? -
he asked, puzzled.

  - Rats - calmly replied Hall, realizing how ridiculous sound 
of his words. 

  - I deal with them with cans
from the beer.

  Rats in the general fact, and almost nebylo - almost
they all hid from the heat.

  Exactly the same, word for word, the question
Ask now, and Warwick. Having such a-well
as well as a few lines above, the answer he
mechanically nodded and was silent on
a few seconds, trying to comprehend the sudden, Hall said. 
Warwick held Chief of the site and was a big, stocky, but 
slightly dull man. Realizing, finally, that they laugh at him, 
he flashed his eyes wildly, and yelled to calmly lolling on the 
bench, and pays almost no attention to him Hall: 

  - We pay you not for the fact that you tossed the banks of 
the rats in the workplace, mister!


  - Harry does not send a request for twenty
minutes - otbrehivayas lazy, sluggish snapped Hall. - I can not 
include a lift, not having received the request. 

  For myself, though, is also pretty cool, he
thought that: "What the hell, lousy
you ass, you can not stay in his stupid office? Drank, would 
your stupid coffee and shook his nerves would be people stupid

questions and screaming. "

  Warwick abruptly jerked his head, giving it
understand what the conversation was over and stamped
down the stairs, hurt and indignant
Diamonds under his breath:

  - The gang of slackers! Now look in more
to Viskonski. I'll bet five to one
he novernyaka pochityvaet now some magazine! And we pay him for 
it money.


  Hall had not told him any more words
in his own defense, reasonably decided that it
completely bezsmyslenno.

  Warwick suddenly stopped and re-
stamped up. He was going to say something
yet, but suddenly he saw a rat, abruptly cried out:

  - Another one! Come quickly!

  Hall lightning threw cans
"Nehi", which was already in his hand. Bank
was put aptly and fat rat, pop-eyed staring at them with a
top boxes, disgusting and squeaked with a dull sound crashed to 
the floor. Warwick threw his head back and laughed joyfully, 
When Hall stood up for what-would bring Bank ago.


  - Actually, I was looking for you specifically for
that-to speak, - he said - to
This time, more friendly.

  - Really?

  - Next Week - Fourth Week
July - began to Warwick. - This means that
for workers that we have more than one year
Monday to Saturday will be the weekend.
For the rest - short day
cleaning departments and territories. At this time
I have a suggestion for you. I dialed
one special command. Want a little
earn?

  - It depends on what you need to do - almost
showing interest shrugged
Hall.

  - We must clean out all the basement. Nobody is doing for 12 
years. Rabotenka, of course, hellish, but we're going to use 
Guns and suction pumps. 

  - So why would you-along with the Board of Directors of 
Activities is not this just so simple? 

  Warwick evil eyes flashed:

  - Agree or not? Two dollars per hour
addition to the regular fee. And the double payment for
overtime.

  Hall quickly figured that he could quickly
thus earn $ 75, so
he needed.

  - I agree.

  - Work will be at night. Because of the heat. K
Monday, be ready. I look forward to you.

  With these words, again stamped Warwick
down the stairs. After a few steps
He stopped and turned back to Holly:

  - You're in college, not so right?

  Hall nodded.

  - Okay, a student. I will keep in mind.

  Warwick finally gone. Hall lit another
one cigarette, and, clenching his hand in cans
Mineral water, waited for the appearance of the next rat. He 
tried to imagine what constitutes a basement and in the 
imagination in it appears impenetrable darkness and damp, fetid 
smell of rotten and ... rats. A huge, unimaginable Number of 
rats. Maybe there is even bats. What gnustnost!


  Hall in disgust threw the bank against the wall
and sadly smiled to himself. Somewhere
came a voice from a distance of Warwick, which is
Power scolding poor Viskonski.

  "Okay, student. I should be borne in mind."

  Remembering this phrase, Hall immediately stopped smiling and 
took a deep puff. After a few seconds of the request from 
Viskonski of hoisting nylon fibers and Hall went to his 
workplace. Rats immediately povylazili of their crates and sat 
on their caps, seeing him with unblinking black eyes.

They looked like the jury in court.


          To be continued ...