Axler, James - Deathlands 14 by Axler James

Author:Axler, James
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter Twenty-Two

A brief, flurried thunderstorm had blown in from the east while the companions were eating. Dean had dropped his paper plate of fried chicken and run to the smeared window. He pressed his face against the glass, watching the blinding daggers of lightning as they tore open the slate gray clouds, bringing a burst of torrential rain that laid the dust and cleared away the stifling humidity.

Ryan and Mildred had come in during the storm, followed shortly after by Doc Tanner. The old man had been drinking brandy, supplied by the sec men, and was in an unusually expansive mood.

"The pounding of the hammer of Thor upon the anvil of of someone or other, whose name I have conveniently forgotten. I remember a particularly bitter attack of sheet lightning in the fall of 1895. We had been traversing a bare mountainside on our way to Hidden Lake, up in Montana. The very rocks sang with the concatenation of thunder and lightning. The ozone in the air made one's poor addled brain spin."

Dean looked at Doc, puzzled. "You said 'eighteen,' Doc."

"What was that, my fine young comrade?"

"You said you saw a storm in 1895, Doc. How can that be?"

"The tale is long, my boy. If you care to come to my room, I shall have another sip at the rather good cognac and I will reveal to you the mystery of my own being. Come." He stood, making an imperious gesture.

Dean glanced at Ryan, who nodded his approval. "Sure, son. Don't worry. Won't go off anywhere without you."

The boy went out with Doc, the old man's cane rapping smartly on the threadbare carpet in the corridor beyond.

The door hadn't closed properly, and Krysty moved toward it, hesitating a moment. "Someone coming,"

she said.

It was Kelly.

The noncom glanced around the room, seeing the remains of their meal. "Everyone eaten?" he asked.

"Sure, thanks."

The sec man had a sprinkling of rain across his shoulders, damping his short-cropped hair. "Hell of a storm out there."

"We saw it," Mildred said.

"Passed the old man and your boy along the passage. Once Boss Larry gives the word, you can take him on some of the rides. Be a double-buzz."

"When?"

"Traven wants you all out of here. Doesn't like any other outlanders stepping on his turf. His turf! So take what comes, Ryan, and then move on."

"Got no reason to stay."

J.B. had been fieldstripping his new scattergun, checking it for any signs of damp. He looked up at Kelly.

"Want to tell us what's going down here?"

The man glanced at the door, then went to lean against it, making the rusted lock finally click shut. He looked at the curtains hanging over the picture window. He moved to stand by it, staring out across the

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

misty field of green.

"Don't know why I should trust you people any more than Adam's posse."

"We're not evil. They are." Krysty's voice hung flat in the room between them.

The sec man nodded slowly. "Could be that's the up and down of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.