Energy #08 17 августа 1997

HORROR - The Story S. King's "Children of the Corn" (continued).

     Continued story by Stephen King

             "Children of the Corn"



     The third book was clean.

     Bert was standing on the chair to think.

     In one thousand nine hundred and sixty
fourth, something happened. Something
associated with religion, corn ... and
children.

     Bless the Lord, our crops, and we
We offer our prayers to Thee,
Amen.

     And the knife raised over the sacrificial
Lamb ... well maybe not the lamb? May
be, they immediately embraced the religious fanaticism?
They are cut off from the world's hundreds of acres
corn, something secretly rustling.
Covered with millions of acres of blue sky.
Taken under close supervision by
Allah - God zelenovolosym corn
ever-hungry mad old man. Those Who
Bypasses Series.

     Bert felt inside him
all cold.

     Vicky, tell you a story?
The story of the Amos Deygana, received
birth name, Richard. Amos became a
sixty-fourth after
obscure biblical prophet. A
More ... you, Vicki, just do not laugh ...
more Dick Deygan and his friends, among them
Billy Renfrew, George Kirk, George Kern
Robert Wells and Eddie Hollis, hitting a
religion, killed his parents. All
to one. Ghastly, yes? Shot in
bed, stabbed in the bathroom, had been poisoned for
dinner, hung, dismembered? .. This is already
particular.

     The reason? Corn. May yield
perished. Maybe they tied it to the fact that
humanity is mired in sin. What is needed
victim. And they brought them - a corn
field.

     And yet - you know, Vicky, I am
quite sure - for some reason they
decided that it was nineteen for them -
critical age. According to records in
parochial book, our hero
Richard Amos Deyganu nineteen
celebrated September 4, 1964. Must
believe they killed him. Betrayed slaughter
in thickets of maize. A fine kettle of fish,
is not it?

     Come on. Rachel Stigman,
which until 1964 was called Donna,
Only a month ago, on June 21, knocked
nineteen. Moses Richardson knocks
nineteen in three days. That
In your opinion, is waiting for him on June 29? Say?

     Bert licked his lips.

     And another thing, Vicki. Look. Job
Gilman (Clayton) was born on September 5, 1964
year. And then, through June 16, sixty
fifth, a single birth. The gap in
ten months. You know, as I imagine
I explain it? They killed their
parents, everyone, even pregnant mothers
and in October, sixty-four
one of them pregnant, sixteen, or
seventeen year old girl, and she gave birth
Eve. That is to say, the first woman.

     Sudden hunch led him to hurry
leaf through a book in search of records of
Birth of Eve Tobin. Below it read: Adam
Greenlow born. July 11, 1965.

     They now eleven, he thought.
I do not hide if they are somewhere around here
nearby? From this thought he was not
themselves.

     But how can you keep it all in
secret? How can this be
continue?

     Is that with the tacit approval
zelenovolosogo Christ ...

     - Well, things - muttered Bert, and
this very moment the silence cut through
car siren - it sounded
non-stop.

     Bert in one leap jumped over
steps, ran through the central
aisle and pushed the front door. In Person
hit a blinding light. Vicky was sitting at the
the wheel, clutching in both hands, and horn
shook his head in all directions. Everywhere to
car came running children. Many were filled with
laughter. They were armed with knives,
hatchets, fittings, stones,
hammers. Eight-year, for the type of blonde
girl with beautiful long hair
Waving a bludgeon. Rural fun
residents. No firearms.
Bertha was tempted to cry out: "Who's Adam
Eve? Who among you, Mom? Daughter? Fathers?
Sons? "

     Tell me if you know.

     They ran out of the side streets, from
City Park, through a gate in the fence
which was surrounded by a school
playground. Some glided
indifferent gaze of men,
stupor frozen on the porch, others
elbow with a smile and showed
finger at him ... Ah, these sweet children
smile.

     The girls were dressed in brown
wool dress to her ankles, her head
faded summer hats. The boys were
dressed as pastors: black suit, black
beaver. They flooded the area,
lawn, someone ran to the car through the yard
Former Grace Baptist Church,
almost touching Bertha.

     - Shotgun! he shouted that it was
urine. - Vicki, can you hear me? Shotgun!

     But her paralyzed with fear, he is
I saw all the steps. It is his most
just do not hear because of the raised
glasses.

     A lively crowd surrounded the T-Bird "
from all sides. The car struck
Axes, hatchets and reinforcement bars. "This
a bad dream, "- he has raced in
consciousness. From the wing flew off the machine
Decorative Arrow of chrome. For her
followed by a metal pad on the
hood. Lowered the cylinders ispolosovannye
knives. A siren sounded all. Cracked by
head dark windshield and side windows and
collapsed with a crash into the cabin. He saw
that Vicky with one hand continued to press on
horn, while the second covers the face.
Inconsiderate children's fingers already
nasharivali inside lock on the door. Wiki
fought back fiercely. Siren was
intermittent, and there stopped altogether.

     Someone pulled over twisted
door, and dozens of hands began to tear Wiki
from the steering wheel, which she clutched the dead
grip. One of the teens moved forward
and a knife ...

     Then Bert came out of his stupor and,
literally rally from the steps of the porch,
rushed to the car. The youth of sixteen with
vybivsheysya from under his hat red mane
turned with a sort of lazy, and at the same moment
in the air, something flashed. Left hand
Bertha was thrown back - though the shoulder
hit at a distance. From a sudden acute
pain in his darkened eyes.

     With some dumb amazement, he
found that out of his arm sticking out
handle folding knife, like
a strange build-up. Sleeve shirts
painted blood. He had a long - it seemed
infinite - the bride looked at this
grafted from the build-up, and when he raised
eyes, he already was coming in close
red-haired lad, grinning with a sense of
own superiority.

     - Oh, you bastard - Burt wheezed.

     - A moment your soul will return to
Lord, as you yourself predstanesh before his
throne. - Red stretched to five fingers
his eyes.

     Bert retreated and by removing from
forearm knife, stabbed his boyfriend in the same
throat. Squirted a fountain of blood, and Bertha
flooded from head to toe. The guy staggered and
went around the circle. He tried to pull a knife
both hands and could not. Bert
watching him as a hypnotic
trance. Maybe this a dream? Ginger
stagger, but he continued to walk in circles,
uttering guttural sound that seemed so
loud in the silence of a hot July morning.
His peers stunned by an unexpected
turn of events, silently watching
from afar.

     It was not in the script, thought
Bert tossed with difficulty, too, as
stunned. Me and Vicki - yes. And the boy
not able to get away from them in the bush
corn. But to someone of their number -
no.

     He ran his ferocious gaze crowd
resist the desire to shout it from the
challenge: "You do not like?"

     Red-headed fellow for the last time bulknul
throat and fell to his knees. His eyes
unseeing looked at Bert and then hand
limply fell, and he pressed his face to the
land.

     The crowd gasped quietly. She
looked at Bert, Bert - it, and before him
somehow did not immediately realized that the crowd he did not
see the wiki.

     - Where is she? - He asked. - Where have you
carried away?

     One of the teenagers expressive
gesture had a hunting knife under his
Adam's apple. And grinned. That's the whole answer.

     The back of the older boy quietly
commanded: "Get him."

     Several children were separated from the crowd.
Bert began to retreat. They went faster.
Added he. Shotgun, damn it
a fight! It would be his gun ... By
green lawn to him confidently
selected bright shade. He turned and
ran.

     - Kill him! - There was a strong cry,
and the pursuers, too, switched to running.

     Bert went from chasing sense.
The building of the municipal center, he skirted -
there would he arranged a trap - and
pripustit the main street, which, through
two quarters passed in suburban
highway. Listen to it a wiki - drove like now
grief and did not know.

     Soles of athletic sneakers ringing
splashed on the pavement. Ahead loomed
trade signs, and among them
"Ice-cream", but for him ... kindly
see: kinoteatrik Rubin. Considerably
dusty announcement informs the audience:
LIMITED SALE OF TICKETS FOR ELIZABETH
Taylor in the role of Cleopatra. Over the next
junction could be seen a gas station, as
to denote the boundary of the city
building. For the gas station began
field corn, approached the most
road. Green sea of ​​corn.

     He fled. Frantically gulping air and
through the pain in my shoulder. Leaving on
cracked pavement stained with blood. He
pulled out a handkerchief on the run from the rear
trouser pocket and stuffed them wound.

     He fled. Breathing became more
more frequent. Began to pull the wound. A
inner voice mockingly asked,
Does he have enough gunpowder to reach the
the nearest town.

     He fled. Young and swift confident
catching up with him. He heard them jogging.
Heard their cries and hooting. "They catch
buzz - thought Bert irrelevantly. - Then
will be in color to tell more than one year. "

     He fled.

     He sped past the petrol station,
leaving behind the town. In the chest and wheezing
gurgled. The pavement ended. He had
only one opportunity, one chance to get away from
chase and stay alive. In front of the green
waves of corn on both sides rolled up to
a narrow strip of road. Rustled peacefully
long, succulent leaves. There, in the twilight
high as a man, corn,
safe and cool.

     He raced past the shield with the inscription: YOU
LEAVING Gatlin, the cutest
Town in Nebraska ... And not only in
Nebraska. Come to us, will not regret!

     That's for sure, sprang up in the
blurred consciousness Bertha.


          To be continued ...