[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
on the commemorative handblaster.
"I once saw a very old black-and-white video," he said, keeping an eye on what
was happening outside. "It was set in the Middle Ages, and included a knight
and the figure of Death himself, his face like a white moon. And a quartet of
flagellants." He shuddered. "They were offensive enough in the video, but
these men here& "
"Least they don't normally hurt anyone else, except themselves, Doc."
"Did I hear the word 'normally' pass your enchanting cupid's-bow lips, my dear
Krysty? I hardly think that is the right description to apply to such depraved
and miserable specimens of humanity."
Krysty didn't carry on the conversation, stopping to listen to what was going
on
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
between the self-styled Apostle Simon and Jak Lauren.
"You refuse us food and drink?"
"Water in well. Take what need. No food."
"Why?"
"Get what deserve in life, not what ask for. Just askin' doesn't mean
gettin'."
The religious madman stamped the butt of his staff in the dirt, raising a tiny
cloud of sandy dust that instantly vanished in the wind.
"We are many and you are few."
Dean's voice came from one of the attic windows. "We come cheaper by the
dozen."
Simon looked up, seeming aware for the first time of the curtains flapping
over the partly open casements. "How many of you? How many? Not so many as
us."
"Enough," Mildred said.
"We deal in the word of the Almighty and cruel Lord and will punish the
graceless at his command."
Jak sighed. "And we deal in lead." He stepped out into the light, his blaster
drawn.
The sun blazed off his pure-white hair, flaring like a magnesium grenade,
catching the ruby glint in the eyes and revealing the long pallor of the tomb
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
in his cheeks.
Three of the Slaves of Sin dropped to their knees, crossing themselves and
beginning to patter a furious litany of prayer. Even the Apostle Simon was
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rs.html (127 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:25 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
startled enough to take three stumbling steps backward.
"God protect us," he gasped, holding the staff toward the albino teenager as
though it would hold some nameless and blasphemous entity at bay.
"Take water and go," Jak said.
"You are the promised Antichrist!" Simon turned to his thirteen followers. "It
is written that he shall have eyes of fire and a halo of silver light, and he
shall come to Earth to destroy all that is pure and holy."
Mildred laughed. "You shit for brains bastard! My daddy was a minister and
he'd have had you slung out of any church he ever preached in for this crap."
"And his concubine shall have skin of ebony," the leader of the flagellants
screeched.
The black woman shook her head, the beaded plaits tinkling against one
another.
"Put a bullet through his knees, Jak. Get the sickos out of here."
"Heard lady." Jak gestured with the cannon-mouthed Python. "Off my land by
noon."
Simon went through a sudden and total change of personality. He lowered the
staff and smiled at Jak. "I should not have spoken as I did. Foolish pride and
prick-
powered anger. The goat of Mendes entered my brain and stole my tongue.
Dialogue is a two-way street, is it not?"
Jak's expression didn't shift. "Waste of time buttering steak after it's
eaten. Take water and go. Noon."
"Could we camp out yonder for one more night, friend? We are greatly fatigued
and we fear that we might meet the horned beast whose name may not be
whispered. And us weakened and unready to defeat it."
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Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
"Dawn tomorrow. Find you on land after that and blood gets spilled."
The flaggelants' leader bowed so low that his matted hair tumbled over his
face, hiding his eyes and mouth from the watchers in the house. "Kindness such
as this shall be rewarded. Oh, truly shall it be rewarded."
Mildred spoke quietly to Jak, a few paces away from her on the porch. "Trust
him just about as far as I could kick his skinny ass."
"I know it."
"Why not scoot them off now?"
"Ryan said talk beats chilling."
Mildred smiled. "That sounds more like one of the notorious sayings of good
old
Trader."
"Could be."
The Apostle Simon had been staring intently at them during the whispered
exchange. It crossed Mildred's mind that the man might have the gift of
reading lips. Unaccountably, in the warmth of the sun, she shuddered.
Now he banged the end of his staff into the earth, three times. "We are sent
away hungered, brothers. Vengeance belongs to the Master of us all, He who
orders us to punish and purge and cleanse our own flesh through mortification.
We have been lax, brothers. Through the rest of this day we shall scourge one
another, turn and turn about, until the blood flows over our ankles. Then, He
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
will show us the true path."
Without another word or glance at Jak, Mildred or the house, Simon turned
about and led his little band of fanatics back into the desert. The one who
had been carrying the cross fought to lift it again, dragging it behind him,
gouging a great furrow in the dry dirt. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
on the commemorative handblaster.
"I once saw a very old black-and-white video," he said, keeping an eye on what
was happening outside. "It was set in the Middle Ages, and included a knight
and the figure of Death himself, his face like a white moon. And a quartet of
flagellants." He shuddered. "They were offensive enough in the video, but
these men here& "
"Least they don't normally hurt anyone else, except themselves, Doc."
"Did I hear the word 'normally' pass your enchanting cupid's-bow lips, my dear
Krysty? I hardly think that is the right description to apply to such depraved
and miserable specimens of humanity."
Krysty didn't carry on the conversation, stopping to listen to what was going
on
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%...%20Deathlands%2023%20-%20Road%20Wa
rs.html (126 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:25 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
between the self-styled Apostle Simon and Jak Lauren.
"You refuse us food and drink?"
"Water in well. Take what need. No food."
"Why?"
"Get what deserve in life, not what ask for. Just askin' doesn't mean
gettin'."
The religious madman stamped the butt of his staff in the dirt, raising a tiny
cloud of sandy dust that instantly vanished in the wind.
"We are many and you are few."
Dean's voice came from one of the attic windows. "We come cheaper by the
dozen."
Simon looked up, seeming aware for the first time of the curtains flapping
over the partly open casements. "How many of you? How many? Not so many as
us."
"Enough," Mildred said.
"We deal in the word of the Almighty and cruel Lord and will punish the
graceless at his command."
Jak sighed. "And we deal in lead." He stepped out into the light, his blaster
drawn.
The sun blazed off his pure-white hair, flaring like a magnesium grenade,
catching the ruby glint in the eyes and revealing the long pallor of the tomb
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
in his cheeks.
Three of the Slaves of Sin dropped to their knees, crossing themselves and
beginning to patter a furious litany of prayer. Even the Apostle Simon was
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%...%20Deathlands%2023%20-%20Road%20Wa
rs.html (127 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:25 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
startled enough to take three stumbling steps backward.
"God protect us," he gasped, holding the staff toward the albino teenager as
though it would hold some nameless and blasphemous entity at bay.
"Take water and go," Jak said.
"You are the promised Antichrist!" Simon turned to his thirteen followers. "It
is written that he shall have eyes of fire and a halo of silver light, and he
shall come to Earth to destroy all that is pure and holy."
Mildred laughed. "You shit for brains bastard! My daddy was a minister and
he'd have had you slung out of any church he ever preached in for this crap."
"And his concubine shall have skin of ebony," the leader of the flagellants
screeched.
The black woman shook her head, the beaded plaits tinkling against one
another.
"Put a bullet through his knees, Jak. Get the sickos out of here."
"Heard lady." Jak gestured with the cannon-mouthed Python. "Off my land by
noon."
Simon went through a sudden and total change of personality. He lowered the
staff and smiled at Jak. "I should not have spoken as I did. Foolish pride and
prick-
powered anger. The goat of Mendes entered my brain and stole my tongue.
Dialogue is a two-way street, is it not?"
Jak's expression didn't shift. "Waste of time buttering steak after it's
eaten. Take water and go. Noon."
"Could we camp out yonder for one more night, friend? We are greatly fatigued
and we fear that we might meet the horned beast whose name may not be
whispered. And us weakened and unready to defeat it."
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%...%20Deathlands%2023%20-%20Road%20Wa
rs.html (128 of 290) [12/29/2004 12:17:25 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 23 - Road Wars (v1.0) (htnl)
"Dawn tomorrow. Find you on land after that and blood gets spilled."
The flaggelants' leader bowed so low that his matted hair tumbled over his
face, hiding his eyes and mouth from the watchers in the house. "Kindness such
as this shall be rewarded. Oh, truly shall it be rewarded."
Mildred spoke quietly to Jak, a few paces away from her on the porch. "Trust
him just about as far as I could kick his skinny ass."
"I know it."
"Why not scoot them off now?"
"Ryan said talk beats chilling."
Mildred smiled. "That sounds more like one of the notorious sayings of good
old
Trader."
"Could be."
The Apostle Simon had been staring intently at them during the whispered
exchange. It crossed Mildred's mind that the man might have the gift of
reading lips. Unaccountably, in the warmth of the sun, she shuddered.
Now he banged the end of his staff into the earth, three times. "We are sent
away hungered, brothers. Vengeance belongs to the Master of us all, He who
orders us to punish and purge and cleanse our own flesh through mortification.
We have been lax, brothers. Through the rest of this day we shall scourge one
another, turn and turn about, until the blood flows over our ankles. Then, He
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
will show us the true path."
Without another word or glance at Jak, Mildred or the house, Simon turned
about and led his little band of fanatics back into the desert. The one who
had been carrying the cross fought to lift it again, dragging it behind him,
gouging a great furrow in the dry dirt. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]