service with a smile here, but trust me, I can get real ugly real fast‟
„You‟re making a big mistake.‟ Real anger was creeping in now. Hal liked him even less.
„Show me what you took and then I‟m calling a cop. We have one here, you know. Happens to be a buddy of mine.‟
„I don‟t care about your goddamn buddy, jackass! Now get the hell out of my way!‟
Hal blinked. Trouble with anger, it was contagious. „Hey, you‟re not bullying little kids in the schoolyard now. You‟re caught for real and it‟s time to pay. It‟s time for regrets not excuses, friend. What, you think we‟re really that stupid, to be taken by the likes of you?‟
Hal barked out a laugh and grabbed the guy‟s arm.
Suddenly the man yanked away and screamed in Hal‟s face. There were goods falling to the floor, toys and such, and it would have been comic if he hadn‟t pulled a gun from somewhere in there. A compact little automatic, looked like a
.38.
„This is what‟s real!‟ the guy blew up. „And yeah, I think you‟re really that stupid!‟
Hal said nothing. He guessed he ought to raise his hands.
Makenzie gave up trying to raise the dead. He‟d been getting undiluted silence on the phone, static on the radio. No chance of backup any time soon. Plenty of the townsfolk would willingly muster for search parties, but in these conditions he‟d only risk losing more people. He‟d exhausted all of his options and himself in the process.
Then he‟d taken a moment to ring Martha and he was getting the dial tone on the other end, but she wasn‟t home.
Something more to fret about. The worst part though, the office was unbearably empty with no Laurie.
Makenzie was waking up to just how alone he was here.
The edge of the world had come to the outskirts of Melvin Village and everyone was walking or driving right off it. Hell, he might even join them. No, no good to anyone, thinking like that. He tried massaging some life into his eyes, hoped it might find a way through to the rest of him.
So where was he? Stuck.
No chance of a solo tour around the cult place. Oh yeah, he‟d thought about it plenty, but he knew it was plain stupid
- especially assuming they were involved. All he was left with was looking after the folks still here. If he ever found Laurie, he‟d have to explain the delay to her then. He‟d be happy to see her hate him for it.
Just as long as he saw her.
Standing, he thought he might swing over to Hal‟s, let him know some of what was going on. He didn‟t want to tell him about Laurie just yet.
„Mak! Hey, Mak! Get yourself out here!‟
That was Phil Downey calling at him through the door. The old boy was padded out with coats and sweaters, but they all looked like they‟d been thrown on.
„What is it, Phil? You should be home by the fire.‟
„Army‟s here, Mak. They just rolled up. Take a look.‟
Makenzie stepped out beside him and looked along the street: a line of Snowcats and a couple of Hum-Vees, outriders on Ski Doos; all of them parking up outside Janny Meeks‟ hotel. Armed men, answering Makenzie‟s prayers.
Janny was going to hit her own roof.
Makenzie strode past Downey. He had to get a closer look, make sure the help wasn‟t going to disappear on him.
Makenzie broke into something close to a trot, uttering a few prayers of thanks to a God he‟d forgotten existed. Then took them all straight back the moment he recognised the man hopping down from the lead Snowcat to take charge of his town.
The engines wound down as his boots hit the snow. Man, was it good to be back home.
Kind of.
Morgan glanced along the side of the hotel. Where a grey shape dissolved hastily into white. A toppled trash can rolled noiselessly in the snow-covered driveway.
The Doctor landed beside him. „More coyotes. You know. I can‟t help thinking they must be hopelessly sentimental or desperate to be courting the company of humankind so freely.‟
Morgan Shaw cleared
„You‟re making a big mistake.‟ Real anger was creeping in now. Hal liked him even less.
„Show me what you took and then I‟m calling a cop. We have one here, you know. Happens to be a buddy of mine.‟
„I don‟t care about your goddamn buddy, jackass! Now get the hell out of my way!‟
Hal blinked. Trouble with anger, it was contagious. „Hey, you‟re not bullying little kids in the schoolyard now. You‟re caught for real and it‟s time to pay. It‟s time for regrets not excuses, friend. What, you think we‟re really that stupid, to be taken by the likes of you?‟
Hal barked out a laugh and grabbed the guy‟s arm.
Suddenly the man yanked away and screamed in Hal‟s face. There were goods falling to the floor, toys and such, and it would have been comic if he hadn‟t pulled a gun from somewhere in there. A compact little automatic, looked like a
.38.
„This is what‟s real!‟ the guy blew up. „And yeah, I think you‟re really that stupid!‟
Hal said nothing. He guessed he ought to raise his hands.
Makenzie gave up trying to raise the dead. He‟d been getting undiluted silence on the phone, static on the radio. No chance of backup any time soon. Plenty of the townsfolk would willingly muster for search parties, but in these conditions he‟d only risk losing more people. He‟d exhausted all of his options and himself in the process.
Then he‟d taken a moment to ring Martha and he was getting the dial tone on the other end, but she wasn‟t home.
Something more to fret about. The worst part though, the office was unbearably empty with no Laurie.
Makenzie was waking up to just how alone he was here.
The edge of the world had come to the outskirts of Melvin Village and everyone was walking or driving right off it. Hell, he might even join them. No, no good to anyone, thinking like that. He tried massaging some life into his eyes, hoped it might find a way through to the rest of him.
So where was he? Stuck.
No chance of a solo tour around the cult place. Oh yeah, he‟d thought about it plenty, but he knew it was plain stupid
- especially assuming they were involved. All he was left with was looking after the folks still here. If he ever found Laurie, he‟d have to explain the delay to her then. He‟d be happy to see her hate him for it.
Just as long as he saw her.
Standing, he thought he might swing over to Hal‟s, let him know some of what was going on. He didn‟t want to tell him about Laurie just yet.
„Mak! Hey, Mak! Get yourself out here!‟
That was Phil Downey calling at him through the door. The old boy was padded out with coats and sweaters, but they all looked like they‟d been thrown on.
„What is it, Phil? You should be home by the fire.‟
„Army‟s here, Mak. They just rolled up. Take a look.‟
Makenzie stepped out beside him and looked along the street: a line of Snowcats and a couple of Hum-Vees, outriders on Ski Doos; all of them parking up outside Janny Meeks‟ hotel. Armed men, answering Makenzie‟s prayers.
Janny was going to hit her own roof.
Makenzie strode past Downey. He had to get a closer look, make sure the help wasn‟t going to disappear on him.
Makenzie broke into something close to a trot, uttering a few prayers of thanks to a God he‟d forgotten existed. Then took them all straight back the moment he recognised the man hopping down from the lead Snowcat to take charge of his town.
The engines wound down as his boots hit the snow. Man, was it good to be back home.
Kind of.
Morgan glanced along the side of the hotel. Where a grey shape dissolved hastily into white. A toppled trash can rolled noiselessly in the snow-covered driveway.
The Doctor landed beside him. „More coyotes. You know. I can‟t help thinking they must be hopelessly sentimental or desperate to be courting the company of humankind so freely.‟
Morgan Shaw cleared
Similar Books
