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the
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
actual walkway of the bridge was a number of rotted planks, set crosswise, and
that more than half of them had vanished, leaving gaps of varying width where
the river frothed and raged just below.
A bullet pinged off the cable, scant inches from his left hand, sending up a
shower of red dust. His weight was making the bridge buck and sway, the middle
section already dipping below the surface of the icy water.
Through the paralyzing terror, the knowledge came faintly to Abe that he was
going to die. If he moved forward, then the whole structure would collapse and
tumble him into the nameless river. And if he stayed where he was, then he
would inevitably be shot, his body falling into the rapids.
He saw another burst of fire from the Armalite and a frantic wave of the hand
from Trader.
Abe knew that his old leader was quite capable of shooting him if he didn't do
like he'd been told, and it was that chilling certainty, more than any other
gut-
rending fear, that made him begin the crossing.
The swaying redoubled, until he feared the bridge was going to swing
completely upside down. Gray stone, white water and pewter sky all rolled and
merged. But he gritted his teeth and battled onward, a careful step at a time,
his knuckles white with the strain.
A freezing sensation around the ankles made Abe yelp in fear, until he
realized be was nearing the center, where the water boiled over the missing
slats. If the enemy were still shooting at him, then he was no longer aware of
it.
Did he hear the cry of "Blood for blood" that had been haunting them since the
killing in the hamlet in the hills? Was it still the posse?
Time had ceased to exist for Abe.
He remembered that one of the slats had parted like a whisper and he'd dropped
through the gap, one hand slipping, skin tearing from his fingers, blood
dripping,
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
watery, down his wrist. He hauled himself up by the other hand, soaked above
the waist, trembling with shock.
He reached the middle, where the tug of the river was like a fierce embrace,
trying to suck him down into the gray-green pools. It reached to his groin,
chilling
Abe to the heart, while he hauled himself along the cutting wires, feeling for
a footing below him.
He glimpsed Trader, crouched behind the tumbled walls of the hut, keeping up
covering fire, pinning down their attackers if any of them showed themselves.
Abe didn't even realize that he was crying, and the soaking from the tumbling
meltwater concealed the fact that he'd pissed himself.
Then he was across.
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"RECKON THEY'LL TAKE their time coming down after us," Trader said.
Abe was flat on his back, cold and wet, fumbling with his clawed and frozen
fingers as he tried to reload the Colt Python, dropping shells in the dirt.
"Can't we wreck the bridge?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Checked it as I came over."
"And?"
Trader straightened and the Armalite snapped again. "Missed the son of a
bitch!
This fucking spray makes it bastard difficult to shoot well."
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
"The bridge?" Abe prompted.
"What the& Oh, yeah. Middle part's rotted to shitland and back again. But the
main stays are better than they look. If we had some plas-ex, we could blow
it."
"We could wait here, Trader."
"Why?" The lined face turned toward him, genuine puzzlement in the deep-set
eyes.
"Hold the ridge. Chill them when they come down after us. What do you reckon?"
Trader shook his bead. "Short-term thinking, partner. Man who looks five
minutes ahead gets wasted by the man who looks an hour ahead."
"Seems a good idea." The ex-gunner was aggrieved by the dismissal of his plan,
though he was real pleased with the unexpected "partner" from Trader.
"We're shitting in their backyard, Ryan. I mean, Abe. They know this place and
we don't. Could be a back-double around the top of that canyon. Bring some of
them down on top of us while the rest hold us here."
"So?" The reloading of the big .357 blaster was finally completed.
"I'll be hung, quartered and dried for the crows! I swear I never met anyone
with so many fuck-stupe questions as you, Abe. We go up, of course."
The moment of delight in the "partner" hadn't lasted very long for Abe.
THE WEATHER GREW WORSE, with the sky darkening as though it were about to
unleash a storm of biblical proportions. The wind rose, lashing the foaming
water to a greater turmoil, while clouds of misty spray rose to fill the
gorge.
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
As soon as Abe had recovered his breath and his nerve from the crossing of the
bridge, Trader urged him to his feet and began to lead the way up the narrow
rain-
furrowed path that clung to the face of the cliff.
There was still an occasional shot fired in their general direction, but none
of the bullets came within fifty yards of them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]