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the road.
Ryan gestured to the others to flatten themselves against the damp face of the
cliff, all of them drawing their blasters. But, as he'd hoped, the mob
continued on toward the mansion without a glance in their direction.
He waited a couple of minutes, then, waving for the others to stay where they
were, Ryan climbed carefully up onto the side of the trail. He peered through
a screen of stunted bushes, seeing the last of the men from Bramton vanishing
around the next gooseneck in the track.
He called down to the others, and they made good time along the trail toward
the ville, not seeing another living soul.
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Deathlands 29 - Bloodlines
THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER wasn't guarded, and the ville seemed deserted.
"Seems like most of the men have gone marching up the hill," J.B. said,
glancing at his chron. "Wonder how long before they figure we're not up there
and they come running back down the hill again?"
Ryan looked up into the darkness. "No sign of any lights coming back again.
And no sign of Melmoth, either."
Mildred stooped to retie the laces on her boots. "Have to say that Melmoth
looked much the sickest of them all. Despite his strength and special powers,
he still looked like a single puff of wind could've blown him from this world
into the next." She straightened. "Probably sounds stupe, but in some ways I
feel kind of sorry for the Family. Made by scientists and forced to carry on
such an endless, painful, pointless existence, depending on the DNA samples of
others to keep them half-alive."
Doc nodded. "I can see that, Mildred, my dear. Living and partly living.
Bleak, bleak. Oh, the horror of dragging out your days and years like that."
"Mebbe shock of others being dead'll freak out Melmoth and he'll drop off the
log, as well," Dean said.
"Could be," his father agreed. "Yeah, could be."
THE MOON HAD VANISHED behind a thick bank of cloud, and the rising wind tasted
of rain. The seven friends picked their way along toward the redoubt, passing
through a section of the bayou where the villagers had been logging.
The path grew narrow, twisting between patches of muddy swamp. The overhanging
trees were draped with the white fronds of Spanish moss that brushed damply at
the faces of the companions.
Ryan was still leading the way, into a small clearing, when J.B. shouted a
warning.
"Lookout, left!"
The SIG-Sauer was already drawn and it swung around, almost of its own accord.
Ryan glimpsed someone coming in at him on his blind side, carrying a weapon
that glinted silver. It was a tall, skinny figure, wearing black, with a shock
of white hair.
"Melmoth," he breathed, and squeezed the trigger on the blaster.
The bullet smashed into the dark shape, sending it skidding sideways and
backward, with a muffled cry of pain. Ryan leveled the SIG-Sauer again, ready
to put several more rounds into the skull of the vampire
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Deathlands 29 - Bloodlines and pulp it beyond redemption, when Krysty grabbed
at his arm.
"No, lover!"
"Why?" He saw the answer to his own question, lying still in a brief pool of
moonlight, like a crumpled toy.
It was a young woman, thin, wearing a long black skirt and a white cotton head
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
scarf. A short-hafted kindling ax lay on the ground a couple of yards away
from her. The 9 mm round had been fired with extreme accuracy, hitting her
just above the breastbone, tearing through lungs and heart.
A classic killing shot.
"Shit! Never saw her properly." Ryan walked over to look down at the dead
girl, seeing that she was barely into her teens. "Came at me with the ax. I
couldn't have"
A violent gust of wind blew through the trees around them, almost as if some
vast night-flying creature had soared overhead.
"Couldn't help it, lover," Krysty said. "She gave you no chance not to chill
her."
"Even so" He shook his head, remaining behind a few moments as the others
filed out of the clearing.
"I'm really sorry," he said. To himself.
THE REST OF THE WALK through the swamp was more or less uneventful, though a
big bull alligator lumbered along the path toward them, tail swinging like an
armored pendulum. But he made so much noise that there was plenty of time for
everyone to get safely out of his way.
It was still dark when they reached the entrance to the redoubt.
Ryan paused, holding up his hand. "I'll go ahead. Make sure there's no sign of
Melmoth. Soon as I think it's safe, I'll call you."
It took him only a couple of minutes to reassure himself that the outer sec
door was still firmly locked.
Unless someone knew the code, it hadn't been touched.
"Let's go! "he shouted.
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Deathlands 29 - Bloodlines
Chapter Thirty-Eight
All of them felt uncomfortable, knowing that the oldest of the vampires might
still be swooping around, somewhere behind them. They moved at a brisk walking
pace along the corridors, past the numberless locked doors, until they reached
the part of the redoubt that was familiar to them. Once they were close to the
gateway entrance they all began to feel that they could finally relax.
"Nearly there," Ryan said.
Doc bolstered the gold-plated commemorative Le Mat, rapping on the floor with
the ferrule of his swordstick. "Well, my dear companions, we have once again
fronted the forces of evil and come through successfully. And I do not believe
that the dark powers have been so dark or so powerful, ever before.
Certainly I can recall no precedent for such wickedness." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]