Energy #04 03 мая 1997

HORROR - Corn children.

                 HORROR



               Stephen King


             CORN CHILDREN



     Burt deliberately turned on the radio loudly:
brewing another quarrel, and he hoped
way to avoid it. High hopes.

     Vicki said something.

     - What? - He shouted.

     - You can do quiet? You want
I have to burst the eardrums?

     He was ready to break out
decent answer, but he bit his time
language. And he made quieter.

     Vicki fanning cravats,
while in the car air conditioner worked.

     - Where are we even now?

     - In Nebraska.

     She measured him with a cold, as if
do not express the views.

     - Thank you. I know that we are in Nebraska.
Is it possible to more precisely?

     - On your knees road atlas
you can see. You do know how to
read?

     - Oh, how clever. Here,
is why we turned to
freeway. To over three hundred
miles looking at corn on the cob. AND
enjoy the wit Bertha Robson.

     He clenched his steering wheel so that the whitened
knuckles. Even a little bit, and he would
went in the face of the former Queen
Student of the ball. We save our marriage
he thought to himself, like rescuing a pig
vetkongovskie village.

     - Vicki, I drove down the highway fifteen
thousands of miles. From the Boston - he
carefully chosen words. - You have refused to
drive. Well, I got behind the wheel.
Then ...

     - I can not refuse! - Passionate
said Vicky. - I do not blame that
I have a migraine starts, if I
only ...

     - Then, - he continued with the same
measured, - I asked you: "And on
less busy roads you could keep
a car? "You replied to me:" No problem ".
Your words: "No problem". Then ...

     - You know, sometimes I ask: how
ugorazdilo me to marry you?

     - You asked me a question of two
short words.

     She measured him with eyes, biting her lip.
Then picked up a road atlas and
began furiously flipping pages.

     I pulled the same features to turn off the highway,
thought Bert, mrachneya. That's really beside the point. Until
that moment they both behaved very
decent, never potsapalis. He has
began to feel that their journey from this
on the coast will sense: the trip was
ventured like to see family
Vika's brother, but in fact to
try to glue the pieces of their own
family.

     Cost him, however, turn off the highway,
as between them, rose again the wall
alienation. Deaf, impenetrable wall.

     - You turned after Gimburga, right?

     - So.

     - Now up to Gatlin no
settlement - announced it. -
Twenty miles - nothing but asphalt.
May, at least in Gatlin to eat? Or you
everything is so wonderfully planned, that
We, like yesterday, two hours would not be in
mouth poppy dew?

     He tore his eyes from the road to
look into her eyes.

     - Well here that, Vicki, I've had enough.
Let's turn back. You seem to be
wanted to talk to his lawyer.
In my opinion, it's time ...

     - Bert, be careful! .. - Her eyes suddenly
widened in fright, although a second ago
She sat stone-faced, staring straight
front of him.

     He turned his eyes on the road and only
time to see that something has disappeared under
bumper of his T-Bird ". He abruptly dropped
speed with a sickening feeling that
rode on ... then he was thrown on the wheel, and
machine, leaving traces of protectors on
asphalt, stopped in the middle of the road.

     - Dog? Well, tell me what it was
dog.

     - Guy. - Vicki was as white as
peasant cheese. - A young guy. He
out of the bushes of corn, and you're it ...
congratulations.

     She opened the door, and threw up.

     Bert was sitting right by continuing to compress
wheel. He did not feel anything, except
heavy heady smell of manure.

     He did not immediately notice that the Wiki
disappeared. In the rearview mirror, he
I saw her leaning in an awkward position over
the fact that the car seemed a bunch of rags.

     I killed a man. So it
qualifies. Tore his eyes from the road
here is the result.

     He turned off the ignition and climbed out of
machine. On high, in human growth
corn ran breeze - just someone
huge lungs exhaled air. Wiki
cried, leaning over the body.

     He managed to walk a few meters,
when the left, among the green masses
corn stalks and leaves, gleamed
bright-red smear, as if from a bucket
spilled paint.

     He stopped and began to stare.
Stare and talk (now all
facilities were good, if only to distract
from piles of rags, which on closer
consideration would be something terrible)
that the season for corn turned out to be extremely
successful. Stems grow one by one,
cops already poured ripeness. Man
nyrnuvshy the twilight thickets, could
wander on these uniformly-regular,
lame-nowhere series a single day,
before you get out. At one point
perfect order has been violated: a few
broken stalks fell, and behind them ... that
it turns black, would he know?

     - Bert! - Voice breaking
Vicky screamed. - Can you still
you approach, take a look? Then to a
poker tells his friends, who
you are so cleverly knocked down in Nebraska? Maybe
you ... - The rest was drowned in a stream
sobs. Vika sharp shadow seemed
a puddle in which she stood. Howled
Noon.

     He dived into the thicket. The fact that he
taken from a distance for the paint, it was
blood. With sleepy low hum sat
flies on plants, taking samples and flew
- Notify the other, not otherwise.
Revealed fresh blood and
corn leaves. Could not have a spray in
Indeed, fly away so far? He
bent down and picked up the object, since
way to attract his attention.

     Someone recently wade here:
trodden ground, the stems are broken. And everywhere
blood. He shivered his shoulders and got
on the road.

     Vika became hysterical - with
tears, laughter, inarticulate
screams at him. Who would have
to think that everything will end well
melodramatic? It has long been accustomed to
thought that his wife - not the one for whom he did
accepted. He hated her. He walked over and
hit her in the face backhand.

     She immediately stopped and closed her hand
red imprint of his palm.

     - Sit you, Bert, behind bars -
she said with emotion.

     - I do not think - with these words he
put her feet suitcase, which
found in the bush.

     - Whose? ..

     - I do not know. Him, probably - he
pointed at the body lying face down in the dust.
Lad of seventeen.

     Old-style suitcase, leather,
heavily worn, wrapped clothesline
rope, the ends tied knot sea.
Vicki was about to unleash it, but
the sight of blood recoiled.

     Bert leaned over and gently flipped
body.

     - Do not want to see -
Vicki muttered and immediately met
look with unseeing eyes dead. But
no eyes made her cry, and even
not a person, soiled with mud and distorted
grimace of horror: the guy had been slit
throat.

     Bert had time to catch her.

     - Only without fainting, "he said
soothingly. - Can you hear me,
Wiki? Please, no fainting.

     He repeated this several times. In
Eventually she recovered herself,
clung to him all over. From the
might seem that the two are dancing on the
sun-drenched road, and under the feet of them
lying dead.

     - Vicky?

     - Yes? - She replied, burying
his shirt.

     - Go into the car for the keys. Grab
from the back seat covers and a gun.

     - The gun? Why?

     - The boy cut his throat. Who
this is done, can now watch
us.

     She lifted her head and a jerk
expanded from fright eyes took in
corn rows who went up to the waves
horizon.

     - Most likely this person already
gone, but better safe than sorry. Go
same.

     She walked unsteadily to the
machine - and the shadow of her as a mascot.
When her head disappeared into the cabin
T-Bird ", he squatted near
corpse. There are no distinguishing marks. Victim
road accident, yes, but not T-Bird "
his throat cut. Made of tough,
mismanaged killer obviously did not consult with
sergeant at the front of a "cultural"
how the massacre with his victim, but
outcome nevertheless proved fatal.
The last thirty feet of the guy either
held himself or his mortally wounded
or already dead, dragged dragged. To
finally, he rode on it, Bert
Robson. If at the time of hitting a boy yet
breathe, to live it in any case remain
seconds.

     He felt someone's hand on his shoulder
and jumped up from the shock.

     It was a wiki - in his left hand
Army woolen blanket, in the right
shrouded shotgun. She carefully
averted gaze. He spread the blanket
on the road and moved him dead. Y
Vicki broke low moan.

     - Vicky? - He looked anxiously
head. - You're like, OK?

     - Normally, - hardly squeezed it out
themselves.

     Wrapping the body in a blanket, he somehow
raised it by the edges, secretly cursing
heavy terrible burden. The body tried to
slip out the side, had to strengthen
acumen. Following the wiki, he slowly
went to the car.

     - Open the trunk, he said
gasping.

     The trunk was packed suitcases
gifts and more stuff,
required in the road. Vicki moved that
can be in the back seat, and Burt, lowering
body, slammed the lid. Only now did he
sighed with relief.

     Vicki stood near the door of the
driver, not knowing what to do with
shotgun.

     - Put it back in and sit down.

     He glanced at his watch - it has only
Fifteen minutes, and it seemed - an eternity.

     - A suitcase? - She asked.

     He ran up jogging to the place where
old suitcase standing on the
dividing strip - as pictured.
He took up his pen and frayed at the moment
stood, the skin felt the someone
look. He had read about something
in this entertaining novel, and always
He was skeptical of this kind
descriptions. Maybe nothing? He suddenly
seemed to lurk in the thickets of the people
many people, and now they are assessing,
Does this woman have time to uncover a gun and
open fire before they caught him,
Bert - seized, utaschat in the dark thickets
cut the throat ...


      Continued in the next issue ...


      Text provided by

                      Nedelenym Paul / LGN