[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
two sleazy pieces. The Sea Beast swallowed Winston s legs and roared,
then snapped up the remaining piece and dove under the sea.
The Sheriff
I don t think so, Sheriff, Sheridan said.
Burton looked over his shoulder without taking the gun off Molly.
Sheridan had his M-16 trained on the sheriff s back. Don t fuck with me,
Sheridan. You re in this with me.
I m not in this. Lower your weapon, sir.
Burton lowered the pistol and turned toward Sheridan. Molly started to
leap forward and the SWAT commander pointed the M-16 at her. Right
there, he said. She stopped.
The pilgrims were all standing at the shore now, wailing as they looked
out. Molly gestured in that direction and Sheridan nodded. She ran toward
the shoreline.
What now? Burton asked.
I don t know, said Sheridan, but no one has been shot here, and I
have a feeling that there s going to be a lot of attention around this event,
so no one is going to get shot.
You wimp.
Whatever, Sheridan said.
Hey, Burton! Theo Crowe was running down the hill toward them.
You hear that?
When they looked up, Theo ducked behind one of the wrecked Blazers
and pointed toward the southern sky. Film at eleven.
Burton could hear them now: helicopters. He looked
292 / Christopher Moore
to the south and saw the two dots coming over the horizon. Two of the
SWAT team members were topping the next hill. They had started running
when the monster first came out of the cave. The other two were still pinned
under one of the overturned Blazers. He turned back to Sheridan. The big
cop was watching the approaching helicopters. Game over, Sheridan
said. Guess it s time to start thinking about my deal with the D.A.
Burton shot him in the face, then broke for the far side of the rocks to his
Eldorado before the others had time to figure out what had happened.
Theo
Theo came up behind Molly and touched her lightly on the shoulder. When
she turned, he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she re-
turned to staring out to sea with the others. She said, All I ever wanted is
to feel special. To feel like something set me apart.
Theo put his arm around her. Everyone wants that.
But I had it, Theo. More by having Steve in my life than when I was
making movies. These people felt it, but not like me.
The two helicopters were coming in close now and Theo had to speak
right into her ear to be heard over the thumping blades. No one s like
you.
There was a stirring in the water just past the surf line, and something
was rising in the kelp bed. Theo could see the purple gill trees standing
out on the Sea Beast s neck. He was heading toward shore. Theo tried to
pull Molly closer, but she broke loose from him, jumped off the bluff, and
ran into the surf, scooping up two baseball-sized rocks as she went.
Theo went after her and was halfway across the beach
The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove / 293
when she turned and looked at him with eyes filled with such pleading
and desperation that it stopped him in his tracks. The helicopters were
hovering only a hundred feet over the beach now. The wash from the blades
kicked up sand in the faces of the onlookers.
As the Sea Beast approached shore, only his eyes and gills above the
water, Molly threw one of the stones. No, go away! Go! The second stone
hit the Sea Beast s eye, and he stopped. Don t come back! Molly screamed.
Slowly the Sea Beast sank below the surface.
The Sheriff
The speedometer on the Eldorado was approaching sixty when Burton
topped the last hill before the cattle guard. He had to get to the airport and
use the open ticket in his briefcase to join his money in the Caymans before
anyone could figure out where he had gone. He d planned for this all along,
knowing he might have to make a run for it at some point, but what he
hadn t planned was that there would be two Suburbans and a Mercedes
parked just over the top of the hill.
Before he could stop himself, he hit the brakes and wrenched the wheel
to the left. The tires dug into the pasture and sent the Eldorado up on two
wheels, then over. There was none of the slowing of time or compression
of events that often happens in accidents. He saw light and dark, felt his
body being beaten around the Caddy, and then the crash of smashing
metal and breaking glass. Then there was a pause.
He lay on the ceiling of the overturned Eldorado, peppered with pieces
of safety glass, trying to feel if any of his limbs were broken. He seemed
okay, he could feel his
294 / Christopher Moore
feet, and it didn t hurt when he breathed. But he smelled gas. It was enough
to remind him to move.
He grabbed the briefcase with his escape kit and slithered out the broken
back window to find the Eldorado half-perched, half-smashed over the
front of a white Suburban. He climbed to his feet and ran to the truck. It
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]