stephen king - mist-第30部分

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arge　gray　sweat…stains　had　crept　out　from　under　his　arms。
　〃What？〃　someone　asked　in　a　low；　hoarse　voice。
　〃Spiders；〃　Mrs。　Reppler　answered　grimly。　〃The　dirty　bastards　snatched　my　market　basket。〃
　Then　Billy　hurled　his　way　into　my　arms；　crying。　I　held　on　to　him。　Tight。
　　
　X。　The　Spell　of　Mrs。　Carmody。The　Second　Night　in　the　Market。The　Final　Confrontation。
　It　was　my　turn　to　sleep；　and　for　four　hours　I　remember　nothing　at　all。　Amanda　told　me　I　talked　a　lot；　and　screarned。　once　or　twice；　but　I　remember　no　dreams。　When　I　woke　up　it　was　afternoon。　I　was　terribly　thirsty。　Some　of　the　milk　had　gone　over；　but　some　of　it　was　still　okay。　I　drank　a　quart。
　Amanda　came　over　to　where　Billy；　Mrs。　Turman；　and　I　were。　The　old　man　who　had　offered　to　make　a　try　for　the　shotgun　in　the　trunk　of　his　car　was　with　her…Cornell；　I　remembered。　Ambrose　Cornell。
　〃How　are　you；　son？〃　he　asked。
　〃All　right。〃　But　I　was　still　thirsty　and　my　head　ached。　Most　of　all；　I　was　scared。　I　slipped　an　arm　around　Billy　and　looked　from　Cornell　to　Amanda。　〃What's　up？〃
　Amanda　said；　〃Mr。　Cornell　is　worried　about　that　Mrs。　Carmody。　So　am　I。〃
　〃Billy；　why　don't　you　take　a　walk　over　here　with　me？〃　Hattie　asked。
　〃I　don't　want　to；〃　Billy　said。
　〃Go　on；　Big　Bill；〃　I　told　him；　and　he　went…reluctantly。
　〃Now　what　about　Mrs。　Carmody？〃　I　asked。
　〃She's　stirrin　things　up；〃　Cornell　said。　He　looked　at　me　with　an　old　man's　grimness。　〃I　think　we　got　to　put　a　stop　to　it。　just　about　any　way　we　can。〃
　Amanda　said。　〃There　are　almost　a　dozen　people　with　her　now。　It's　like　some　crazy　kind　of　a　church　service。〃
　I　remembered　talking　with　a　writer　friend　who　lived　in　Otisfield　and　supported　his　wife　and　two　kids　by　raising　chickens　and　turning　out　one　paperback　original　a　year…spy　stories。　We　had　gotten　talking　about　the　bulge　in　popularity　of　books　concerning　themselves　with　the　supernatural。　Gault　pointed　out　that　in　the　forties　Weird　Tales　had　only　been　able　to　pay　a　pittance；　and　that　in　the　fifties　it　went　broke。　When　the　machines　fail；　he　had　said　（while　his　wife　candled　eggs　and　roosters　crowed　querulously　outside）；　when　the　technologies　fail；　when　the　conventional　religious　systems　fail；　people　have　got　to　have　something。　Even　a　zombie　lurching　through　the　night　can　seem　pretty　cheerful　pared　to　the　existential　edy/horror　of　the　ozone　layer　dissolving　under　the　bined　assault　of　a　million　fluorocarbon　spray　cans　of　deodorant。
　We　had　been　trapped　here　for　twenty…six　hours　and　we　hadn't　been　able　to　do　diddlyshit。　Our　one　expedition　outside　had　resulted　in　fifty…seven　percent　losses。　It　wasn't　so　surprising　that　Mrs。　Carmody　had　turned　into　a　growth　stock；　maybe。
　〃Has　she　really　got　a　dozen　people？〃　I　asked。
　〃Well；　only　eight；〃　Cornell　said。　〃But　she　never　shuts　up！　It's　like　those　ten…hour　speeches　Castro　used　to　make。　It's　a　goddam　filibuster。〃
　Eight　people。　Not　that　many；　not　even　enough　to　fill　up　a　jury　box。　But　I　understood　the　worry　on　their　faces。　It　was　enough　to　make　them　the　single　largest　political　force　in　the　market；　especially　now　that　Dan　and　Mike　were　gone。　The　thought　that　the　biggest　single　group　in　our　closed　system　was　listening　to　her　rant　on　about　the　pits　of　hell　and　the　seven　vials　being　opened　made　me　feel　pretty　damn　claustrophobic。
　〃She's　started　talking　about　human　sacrifice　again；〃　Amanda　said。　〃Bud　Brown　came　over　and　told　her　to　stop　talking　that　drivel　in　his　store。　And　two　of　the　men　that　are　with　her　…　one　of　them　was　that　man　Myron　LaFleur…told　him　he　was　the　one　who　better　shut　up　because　it　was　still　a　free　country。　He　wouldn't　shut　up　and　there　was　a　。。。　well；　a　shoving　match；　I　guess　you'd　say。〃
　〃Brown　got　a　bloody　nose；〃　Cornell　said。　〃They　mean　business。〃
　I　said；　〃Surely　not　to　the　point　of　actually　killing　someone。
　Cornell　said　softly；　〃I　don't　know　how　far　they'll　go　if　that　mist　doesn't　let　up。　But　I　don't　want　to　find　out。　I　intend　to　get　out　of　here。〃
　〃Easier　said　than　done。〃　But　something　had　begun　to　tick　over　in　my　mind。　Scent。　That　was　the　key。　We　had　been　left　pretty　much　alone　in　the　market。　The　bugs　might　have　been　attracted　to　the　light；　as　more　ordinary　bugs　were。　The　birds　had　simply　followed　their　food　supply。　But　the　bigger　things　had　left　us　alone　unless　we　unbuttoned　for　some　reason。　The　slaughter　in　the　Bridgton　Pharmacy　had　occurred　because　the　doors　had　been　left　chocked　open…I　was　sure　of　that。　The　thing　or　things　that　had　gotten　Norton　and　his　party　had　sounded　as　big　as　a　house；　but　it　or　they　hadn't　e　near　the　market。　And　that　meant　that　maybe　。。。
　Suddenly　I　wanted　to　talk　to　Ollie　Weeks。　I　needed　to　talk　to　him。
　〃I　intend　to　get　out　or　die　trying；〃　Cornell　said。　〃I　got　no　plans　to　spend　the　rest　of　the　summer　in　here。〃
　〃There　have　been　four　suicides；〃　Amanda　said　suddenly。
　〃What？〃　The　first　thing　to　cross　my　mind；　in　a　semiguilty　flash；　was　that　the　bodies　of　the　soldiers　had　been　discovered。
　〃Pills；〃　Cornell　said　shortly。　〃Me　and　two　or　three　other　'guys　carried　the　bodies　out　back。〃
　I　had　to　stifle　a　shrill　laugh。　We　had　a　regular　morgue　going　back　there。
　〃It's　thinning　out；〃　Cornell　said。　〃I　want　to　get　gone。〃
　〃You　won't　make　it　to　your　car。　Believe　me。〃
　〃Not　even　to　that　first　rank？　That's　closer　than　the　drugstore。〃
　I　didn't　answer　him。　Not　then。
　About　an　hour　later　I　found　Ollie　holding　up　the　beer　cooler　and　drinking　a　Busch。　His　face　was　impassive　but　he　also　seemed　to　be　watching　Mrs。　Carmody。　She　was　tireless；　apparently。　And　she　was　indeed　discussing　human　sacrifice　again；　only　now　no　one　was　telling　her　to　shut　up。　Some　of　the　people　who　had　told　her　to　shut　up　yesterday　were　either　with　her　today　or　at　least　willing　to　listen…and　the　others　were　outnumbered。
　〃She　could　have　them　talked　around　to　it　by　tomorrow　morning；〃　Ollie　remarked。　〃Maybe　not　。。。　but　if　she　did；　who　do　you　think　she'd　single　out　for　the　honor？〃
　Bud　Brown　had　crossed　her。　So　had　Amanda。　There　was　the　man　who　had　struck　her。　And　then；　of　course；　there　was　me。
　〃Ollie；〃　I　said；　〃I　think　maybe　half　a　dozen　of　us　could　get　out　of　here。　I　don't　know　how　far　we'd　…get；　but　I　think　we　could　at　least　get　out。〃
　〃How？〃
　I　laid　it　out　for　him。　It　was　simple　enough。　if　we　dashed　across　to　my　Scout　and　piled　in；　they　would　get　no　human　scent。　At　least　not　with　the　windows　rolled　up。
　〃But　suppose　they're　attracted　to　some　other　scent？〃　Ollie　asked。　〃Exhaust；　for　instance？〃
　〃Then　we'd　be　cooked；〃　I　agreed。
　〃Motion；〃　he　said。　〃The　motion　of　a　car　through　fog　might　also　draw　them；　David。〃
　〃I　don't　think　so。　Not　without　the　scent　of　prey。　I　really　believe　that's　the　key　to　getting　away。〃
　〃But　you　don't　know。〃
　〃No；　not　for　sure。〃
　〃Where　would　you　want　to　go？〃
　〃First？　Home。　To　get　my　wife。〃
　〃David…〃
　〃All　right。　To　check。　To　be　sure。〃
　〃The　things　out　there　could　be　everyplace；　David。　They　could　get　you　the　minute　you　stepped　out　of　your　Scout　into　your　dooryard。〃
　〃If　that　happened；　the　Scout　would　be　yours。　All　I'd　ask　would　be　that　you　take　care　of　Billy　as　well　as　you　could　for　as　long　as　you　could。〃
　Ollie　finished　his　Busch　and　dropped　the　can　back　into　the　cooler；　where　it　clattered　among　the　empties。　The　butt　of　the　gun　Amanda's　husband　had　given　her　protruded　from　his　pocket。
　〃South？〃　He　asked；　meeting　my　eyes。
　〃Yeah；　I　would；〃　I　said。　〃Go　south　and　try　to　get　out　of　the　mist。　Try　like　hell。〃
　〃How　much　gas　you　got？〃
　〃Almost　full。〃
　〃Have　you　thought　that　it　might　be　impossible　to　get　out？〃
　I　had。　Suppose　what　they　had　been　fooling　with　at　the　Arrowhead　Project　had　pulled　this　entire　region　into　another　dimension　as　easily　as　you　or　I　would　turn　a　sock　inside　out？　〃It　had　crossed　my　mind；〃　I　said；　〃but　the　alternative　seems　to　be　waiting　around　to　see　who　Mrs。　Carmody　taps　for　the　place　of　honor。〃
　〃Were　you　thinking　about　today？〃
　〃No；　it's　afternoon　already　and　those　things　get　active　at　night。　I　was　thinking　about　tomorrow；　very　early。〃
　〃　Who　would　you　want　to　take？〃
　〃Me　and　you　and　Billy。　Hattie　Turman。　Amanda　Dumfries。　That　old　guy　Cornell　and　Mrs。　Reppler。　Maybe　Bud　Brown　too。　That's　eight；　but　Billy　can　sit　on　someone's　lap　and　we　can　all　squash　together。〃
　He　thought　it　over。　〃All