Sunburst by Phyllis Gotlieb

Author:Phyllis Gotlieb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: anthology, short stories
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2016-02-16T16:00:00+00:00

Sunburst: 9

She had been shoved into a small empty office on the ground floor, and had nothing more to do than wait there, heels hooked on chair rungs, hands gripping elbows. Prothero had addressed a single remark to her as they brought her past his doorway: “Judas Priest! What did I ever do to deserve you!”

She heard his fury still boiling out of the office and along the corridors, breaking against the walls and washing like ashes and lava against her locked and guarded door.

She was neither ashamed nor proud of what she had done, but she could understand Prothero’s point of view—for all the good it would do her. Jason Hemmer was more valuable to him than any other single person in Sorrel Park, Colin included. Doydoy was nothing to him, and she had lost him Jason.

For herself, in unloosing Doydoy she had contributed to the death of the Kingfish, a living person. She knew what it was to be afraid of psi now, not because she had felt its effects, but because she had manipulated it like a sorcerer’s apprentice. Its danger threatened not only the powerless, but the psyche of its user. Only a psychopath could use it without damaging his spirit: a psychopath had no conscience.

Jason and Doydoy gone…if she could be sure they were safe it would be consolation in a comfortless world. Probably they had gone to join Jason’s friends; probably they would find a way to take care of themselves; she would never see them again, and never know if she had helped them.

The door opened. Tapley was there, sardonic and pink-cheeked. She remembered him—he had taken notes for Grace when Jason was brought in to Prothero’s office after the Dump checkup. Her duffel was swinging over his shoulder. “Come along. Prothero’s got plans for you.”

She got up slowly. “He’s not giving me up to the civvies!”

“You wanna argue with him?”

“N-no.”

“Then come on!”

The jeep rolled out of the gate without farewells. It was no loss; she didn’t feel like facing Urquhart or the others.

She did want a serious conversation with Tapley, but the jeep was bouncing so wildly her teeth were chattering nearly out of her skull. There were only three-and-a-half miles between the Dump and the town. The late evening sun was burning down along the hills; it was too good and warm to give up for one of Casker’s cells.

“Not so fast, please!” she begged, nearly biting her tongue in half.

Tapley glanced at her. The open misery in her face must have touched even his stony heart, because he eased up on the accelerator a trifle. She cast about wildly, estimating the force of the thud she would land with if she jumped out.

“It’s no use,” he said. “I’ve heard about all your tricks. If you want to look at the sunset you better get Casker to give you a cell on the west side.” And he speeded up again.

“Gee, Tapley, can’t you let me go? I never did you any harm.

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