Worlds Apart by Haldeman Joe

Author:Haldeman, Joe [Haldeman, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780575111493
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 2011-09-28T11:00:00+00:00

Charlie’s Will

“Trouble,” Jeff said. Under the blanket on Tad’s lap, two clicks as he turned the Uzi’s selector switch to full automatic.

They’d been traveling down the Tamiami Trail for two days, overgrown jungle on both sides of the old highway, some shells of deserted towns but no people. Now there were people.

First a large boy stepped out from behind a bush about ten meters ahead, holding an old shotgun in his right hand, his left palm facing out to halt them. Both mules stopped abruptly. Seven more boys filed out across the road. Only one of them had a firearm, a rusty.22 rifle, but the others all carried machetes. Jeff was surprised that three of them were black. He hadn’t seen any other racially mixed families.

The first boy didn’t raise the shotgun but kept it pointed vaguely toward them. “What you peckerwoods doin?”

“Going south,” Jeff said. “I’m Healer.”

“Yer whater?”

“Healer.” Tad had shifted so the Uzi was lined up on the boy, but the lead mule was in the way. “You haven’t heard of me?”

“Uh-uh. We keeps pretty much to ourselves. People come by, we don’t gen’rally talk much.” One of the children giggled. “You heal people? You got the touch?”

“I have medicine.”

He laughed. “We never did hold for that. Not even before Daddy and Ma died.”

“Charlie’s will,” Jeff said.

“What?”

“Never mind…if you have sick people I can help them.”

“Well, I’m sick of catfish. Sure could use some roast mule. Any reason you shouldn’t—”

It happened very fast. The boy started to raise the shotgun and Tad stood up abruptly and leveled the Uzi on him. He dropped it. Then there was a shot from the left that hit Tad on the chest and spanged off his body armor. Tad twisted, saw smoke and fired a burst at it. By that time Jeff had the scattergun unclamped and aimed at the boy with the rusty rifle.

There was a strange gurgling sound and a boy or young girl staggered dying through the brush, throat and chest ripped open, face gone, still holding a rifle. When the children saw it they dropped their weapons. The apparition made it almost to the road; pitched forward and lay there twitching.

“Now I didn’t tell her to do that,” the boy said.

“Right,” Tad said. “She was just walkin’ through the woods.”

“Probably others,” Jeff said. “They wouldn’t just have one girl.”

“The girls are up at the house, ‘cept Judy here. She always has to git in on things.” He stared at the dying girl. “Don’t suppose you kin heal her, now?” Jeff didn’t say anything. “Whyn’t ya shoot her again. Put her out of it.”

“She’s dead,” Tad said. “Just some parts don’t know it yet. Be a waste of ammo.”

“I’ll do it, then.” He reached down for the shotgun.

“The hell you will.” The boy touched the gunstock but looked up at Tad and then slowly straightened again.

“What you gonna do? You gonna kill us all?”

“Probably not. No point to it,”

“What about those catfish?” Jeff said calmly. “You smoke them?” The boy nodded.

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