ROGER ZELAZNY.
CORRIDA.
Michael Cassidy woke up to the howling of the Ultrasonic. This
the muck hit his eardrums until it came out
hearing threshold.
He slid feet first into the darkness. Having hit the walls several times,
and feeling
his bruises, he was stunned to discover that his hands were covered with
many small scabs, as if they had been pierced by a mass of needles.
The sound was driving him crazy. Run! Get away from it slowly
the scream that kills him! A tiny sliver of light appeared to the left.
He turned and walked towards the exit from the darkness. Gradually light
the spot grew and it became clear that this was a doorway.
Michael rushed through it and froze, blinking from the blinding
the sun hitting his eyes.
Naked and sweaty, with a head filled with fog, he's ill
understood the difference between reality and the recent nightmare of dreams.
From above and from all sides there was an indistinct rumble, as if he was surrounded
invisible crowd. However, Michael’s eyes, weaned from the light, were almost
haven't seen anything yet. He blinked in defense against the furious
radiance.
A little further away, Michael made out a bulky dark figure.
Having overcome
causeless, suddenly surging anger, he ran
towards the unknown. The question flashed through my head: “Why?”, but
there was no answer to it.
Michael Cassidy's naked feet suddenly enteredon
hot sand, but he did not pay attention to the pain from the burn.
Some tiny part of his brain kept asking
unanswered questions: “why?”, “why?”. But with the whole brain as a whole
as if someone else was in control.
Stop! The legs themselves slowed down, raising a cloud of caustic hot
dust.
In front of him, with her legs spread shamelessly, stood naked
a woman beckoning him with a manicured nail. Michael swallowed loudly.
saliva and immediately a fiery wave passed at the level of his lower back.
Groaning, he slowly turned to the woman. And she, dancing
along the sand, began to move away, never ceasing to beckon him to her.
Increasing his pace, he caught up with her and tried to hug her... But his hands
Michael closed in the void. And again - a wave of fire - now in
left shoulder. And the woman continued to beckon him in a light dance.
Squinting his eyes, he saw a steel knitting needle sticking out of his shoulder.
The blood slowly flowed down to the elbow. Michael could hear it from afar
roar of approval.
...The woman was nearby again.
The pace of the pursuit quickened. But now the right shoulder
Michael was burned by steel fire. She disappeared, and he remained standing,
shaking and sweating, trying to make out something in the distance, teary
eyes.
“A vile deception!” he decided. “I don’t play this game anymore!”
The woman appeared again, but Michael scorned her
turned away, stupidly shaking his head in the hope of driving the stupidity out of her and
fog.When he realized the head, Michael's eyes were already focused on
completely different figure: seven feet tall, four strong
muscular arms. And the face... What a face, God forgive me!
In one of the hands something glittered dangerously. See what it is
This was due to the bright, harsh light.
Hatred suddenly filled Michael's brain and he rushed towards
stranger.
The pain hit my side. "Wait a minute! Hwa-a-atit!!!"
Madness. THIS
MADNESS! - that part, independent of the will of others, repeated to him
consciousness. God kill me if this isn't a bullfighting arena! But I
a man, not a bull, and they simply can’t... - lowering himself onto
on his knees, he scooped up handfuls of sand. Heavy steps towards him
death was approaching, the dazzling, painful shine of weapons in
enemy's hand.
The man slowly stood up. The dark figure swayed away from him.
Michael followed. Now he remembered everything: he is a lawyer, he lives
in Brooklyn. Last night a stranger approached him on the street and
asked for a smoke. A stream of narcotic hit Michael in the face.
eyes with the scent of alpine violets. And then - awakening in the darkness
stalls...
Growling, he threw a handful of sand at the creature's face. Next -
second. Michael heard how this sand creaked on the teeth of the enemy,
how his eyes closed. With a sharp movement he tore it from his shoulder
a steel knitting needle, Michael drove it into the monster’s middle eye socket.
Something hit him in the back.Darkness fell over my eyes. He took a long time
lay motionless.
When Michael was able to move again, he saw a dark figure
very close and tried to grab her. But the pain in my back became
unbearable, and a whole pool of blood had already flowed under my feet.
But he still rose to his feet and shouted into the indifferent
space:
- You can't do this to me! I'm not a bull! I'm human!!!
Applause thundered in response. Michael ran forward to
to the enemy
again trying to grapple with him, hold him, kill him, if
can. But every time it hurt only himself.
Then he stood there, gasping, with his mouth wide open. Shoulders and
my back hurt unbearably. For a moment his brain cleared and he
said:
- God, is it your business to play a game?! The answer was
silence.
The creature came and struck. Michael rested at his feet,
feeling a sparkling pain in my side. The attacker's hand struck again
twice and pain pierced the dying man's chest. He felt that
numb.
- Or are you the devil? - he whispered with cold lips. - No,
and not this... So where am I?
Before he died, he had to feel one more pain -
someone's hand cut off Michael's ears...
Text provided
MAG & SLEEPWALKER.
GRODNOSOFT GROUP.
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