[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
she and Maggie had shared for that brief moment was severed.
She turned, looked through a crack behind her,then turned back.
"Fine," she said in a dull, indifferent tone. "Whatever you're going to do,
you'd better get ready todo it now. Because the place is coming right up."
"Ready?" Maggie said.
Page 38
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
They were all standing-or crouching, actually,since there wasn't room to
straighten up-withtheir backs against the walls of the cart. Jeanneand P.J. on
one side, Maggie on the other, with Cady in the corner.
"When I say go, you guys jump over here. Thenall of us throw ourselves back
that way," Maggiewhispered.
Jeanne was peering out of the crack. "Okay, thisis it," she said. "Now."
Maggie said,"Go!"
She had been a little worried that P.J. would freeze. But the moment the word
was out of Maggie's mouth, Jeanne launched herself across thecart, crashing
heavily into her, and P.J. followed.
ThecartrockedsurprisinglyhardandMaggieheard the groan of wood.
"Back!" she yelled, and everybody lunged the other way. Maggie hit a solid
wall and knew shewould have bruises, but the cart rocked again.
"Come on!" she yelled, and realized that they were all already coming on,
throwing themselvesto the other side in perfect sync. It was as if
someflocking instinct had taken over and they were all three moving as one,
throwing their weight alter nately back and forth.
And the cart was responding, grinding to a halt and lurching off balance. It
was like one of thoseparty tricks where five or six people each use only two
fingers to lift someone on a chair. Their combined force was impressive.
But not enough to tip the cart over. It was surprisingly well-balanced. And
at any minute, Maggierealized, the people driving it were going to jumpout and
put a stop to it.
"Everybody-come on! Really hard!Really hard!"She was yelling as if she were
encouraging her soccer team. "We've got to do it,now."
She launched herself at the other side as the cartbegan to sway that way,
jumping as highas shecould, hitting the wallas it reached the farthestpoint of
Page 39
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
its rock. She could feel the other girlsflinging themselves with her, she
could hear Jeanne giving a primal yell as she crashed into the wood.
And then there was a splintering sound, amazingly loud, amazingly long. A
sort of groaning and shrieking that came from the wood itself, and aneven
louder scream of panic that Maggie realizedmust have come from the horses. The
whole world was,Run, Maggie thought. Stop looking now.Run.
She ran into the forest, dragging Cady with her. They had to find a place to
hide--underbrush orsomething. Maybe they could climb a tree....
But one look at Cady and she realized how stupidthatidea was. The smooth skin
of the girl's facewas clammy and luminous with sweat, her eyeswere half shut,
and her chest was heaving.
At least Jeanne and P.J. got away, Maggiethought.
Just then there was a crashing behind her, and a voice cursing. Maggie threw
another glance backand found herself staring at a man's figure in the mist.
A scary man. The mist swirling behind him madehim look eerie, supernatural,
but it was more thanthat. He washuge,with shouldersasbroad as a two-by-four, a
massive chest, and heavily muscledarms. His waist was surprisingly narrow. His
face was cruel.
"Gavin! I've got two of them!" he shouted.Maggie didn't wait to hear more.
She took offlike a black-tailed deer.
And for a long time after that it was just a nightmare of running and being
chased, stopping sometimes when she couldn't hold Cady up anymore, looking for
places to hide. At one point, she andCady were pressed together inside a
hollow tree,trying desperately to get their breath back withoutmaking a sound,
when their pursuers passed right by them. Maggie heard the crunch and squish
offootsteps on ferns and started praying. She couldfeel Cady's heart beating
hard, shaking them both, she realized that Cady's lips were moving
soundlessly.
Maybe she's praying, too, Maggie thought,t, andapplied her eye to a crack in
the tree.
Page 40
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
There were two people there, horribly close, justa few feet away. One was the
man she'd seen before
he was doing something bizarre, somethingthat sent chills up her spine. He
was turning his face this way and that with his eyes shut, his head twisting
on a surprisingly long and supple neck.
As if he'ssmellingus out, Maggie thought, horrified.
Eyes still shut, the man said, "Do you sense anything?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
she and Maggie had shared for that brief moment was severed.
She turned, looked through a crack behind her,then turned back.
"Fine," she said in a dull, indifferent tone. "Whatever you're going to do,
you'd better get ready todo it now. Because the place is coming right up."
"Ready?" Maggie said.
Page 38
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
They were all standing-or crouching, actually,since there wasn't room to
straighten up-withtheir backs against the walls of the cart. Jeanneand P.J. on
one side, Maggie on the other, with Cady in the corner.
"When I say go, you guys jump over here. Thenall of us throw ourselves back
that way," Maggiewhispered.
Jeanne was peering out of the crack. "Okay, thisis it," she said. "Now."
Maggie said,"Go!"
She had been a little worried that P.J. would freeze. But the moment the word
was out of Maggie's mouth, Jeanne launched herself across thecart, crashing
heavily into her, and P.J. followed.
ThecartrockedsurprisinglyhardandMaggieheard the groan of wood.
"Back!" she yelled, and everybody lunged the other way. Maggie hit a solid
wall and knew shewould have bruises, but the cart rocked again.
"Come on!" she yelled, and realized that they were all already coming on,
throwing themselvesto the other side in perfect sync. It was as if
someflocking instinct had taken over and they were all three moving as one,
throwing their weight alter nately back and forth.
And the cart was responding, grinding to a halt and lurching off balance. It
was like one of thoseparty tricks where five or six people each use only two
fingers to lift someone on a chair. Their combined force was impressive.
But not enough to tip the cart over. It was surprisingly well-balanced. And
at any minute, Maggierealized, the people driving it were going to jumpout and
put a stop to it.
"Everybody-come on! Really hard!Really hard!"She was yelling as if she were
encouraging her soccer team. "We've got to do it,now."
She launched herself at the other side as the cartbegan to sway that way,
jumping as highas shecould, hitting the wallas it reached the farthestpoint of
Page 39
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
its rock. She could feel the other girlsflinging themselves with her, she
could hear Jeanne giving a primal yell as she crashed into the wood.
And then there was a splintering sound, amazingly loud, amazingly long. A
sort of groaning and shrieking that came from the wood itself, and aneven
louder scream of panic that Maggie realizedmust have come from the horses. The
whole world was,Run, Maggie thought. Stop looking now.Run.
She ran into the forest, dragging Cady with her. They had to find a place to
hide--underbrush orsomething. Maybe they could climb a tree....
But one look at Cady and she realized how stupidthatidea was. The smooth skin
of the girl's facewas clammy and luminous with sweat, her eyeswere half shut,
and her chest was heaving.
At least Jeanne and P.J. got away, Maggiethought.
Just then there was a crashing behind her, and a voice cursing. Maggie threw
another glance backand found herself staring at a man's figure in the mist.
A scary man. The mist swirling behind him madehim look eerie, supernatural,
but it was more thanthat. He washuge,with shouldersasbroad as a two-by-four, a
massive chest, and heavily muscledarms. His waist was surprisingly narrow. His
face was cruel.
"Gavin! I've got two of them!" he shouted.Maggie didn't wait to hear more.
She took offlike a black-tailed deer.
And for a long time after that it was just a nightmare of running and being
chased, stopping sometimes when she couldn't hold Cady up anymore, looking for
places to hide. At one point, she andCady were pressed together inside a
hollow tree,trying desperately to get their breath back withoutmaking a sound,
when their pursuers passed right by them. Maggie heard the crunch and squish
offootsteps on ferns and started praying. She couldfeel Cady's heart beating
hard, shaking them both, she realized that Cady's lips were moving
soundlessly.
Maybe she's praying, too, Maggie thought,t, andapplied her eye to a crack in
the tree.
Page 40
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
There were two people there, horribly close, justa few feet away. One was the
man she'd seen before
he was doing something bizarre, somethingthat sent chills up her spine. He
was turning his face this way and that with his eyes shut, his head twisting
on a surprisingly long and supple neck.
As if he'ssmellingus out, Maggie thought, horrified.
Eyes still shut, the man said, "Do you sense anything?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]