Future City by Roger Elwood (ed)

Author:Roger Elwood (ed) [Elwood, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Anthology, Science Fiction, Short Stories
ISBN: 0671271032
Publisher: Trident Press
Published: 1973-07-19T04:00:00+00:00

“Oh,” she said, looking as if she were about to cry.

“I’ve got a customer,” he said quickly. “Bobby came and they want five caps.”

“That’s dangerous,” she said. “You know how close the constables came the last time you supplied a party. One is bad enough, but a party gets a lot of attention.”

“I don’t know that it is a party,” he said.

“With that many ambers, it’s always a party,” she said, downing the last of her omelet and making a faint gesture of distaste as she shoved the empty plate across the bed. “Any coffee?”

He shook his head. Her face formed a distinct pout. Well, hell, he thought, what does she expect? I can’t keep the place in food when she spends it all on clothes and make-up. Who notices in the dim lights of the club! But she had to have the best, as though she were under the closest scrutiny.

“We’ve got some tea,” he said. He didn’t tell her it was synthetic, hoping that she would not notice. Fortunately she didn’t and sat sipping the hot brown liquid as he dressed.

“You’re going out?” she asked in sudden alarm.

“To get the caps,” he said. “I have to get to the club before the day personnel show up.”

“Take care,” she said. “If you run into anything, forget the caps and come home.”

“We need the money,” he said.

The morning sunlight was blinding when he stepped from the apartment onto the street. He looked carefully to the right and left but the alley was deserted. He turned from the alley onto the littered thoroughfare and walked for three blocks before he became aware that the street was peopled largely by oldsters. There were several groups of constables along the way. He wondered what this might signify but he felt relatively safe in such crowds.

He covered the seven blocks to the club in an hour, pausing periodically to rest. He walked quite regularly, but as he grew older, the fatigue of covering even two blocks weighed heavily on him. At the club, he paused and leaned against the side of the building to get his breath. He was quite unprepared for the appearance of the constable in the door of the club.

“What are you doing here, old man?” the constable demanded.

Malcolm thought of telling him that he worked there, but a sixth sense warned him to be silent. “Resting,” he said breathlessly.

“Well, you just move along,” the constable said.

He nodded silently and moved away. At the alley, he considered going in the side door, but he saw that there was another constable posted there. His heart sank for a moment. What were they doing? Was it possible… ?

“Malcolm, get the hell away from here,” a woman’s voice said near him. He turned as Felice grabbed his elbow. Her yellowing white hair was badly disarrayed; her bloodshot eyes buried in innumerable folds of flesh were wide and excited. “Them constables is roughing everybody up,” she said. “Better get away.”

“What’s happened?” he demanded.

“They found a bunch of ambers in the basement.

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