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."Leave 'em there.We've got to put them on again afterward," James grunted."We don't want it to look as if this place has been disturbed."A light went on for Phil."That's why the tarps and stuff.""Yeah.A little mess won't be suspicious.But if we leave dirt scatteredeverywhere, somebody's going to wonder." James laid the boards around theperimeter of the grave, then spread the tarps on either side.Phil helped himstraighten them.What was left where the sod had been was fresh, loamy soil.Phil positioned aflashlight and picked up a shovel.I don't believe I'm doing this, he thought.But he was doing it.And as long as all he thought about was the physicalwork, the job of digging a hole in the ground, he was okay.He concentrated onthat and stepped on the shovel.It went straight into the dirt, with no resistance.It was easy to spade upone shovelful of dirt and drop it onto the tarp.But by about the thirtiethshovelful, he was getting tired."This is insane.We need a backhoe," he said, wiping his forehead."You can rest if you want," James said coolly.Phil understood.James was the backhoe.He was stronger than anyone Phil hadever seen.He pitched up shovelful after shovelful of dirt without evenstraining.He made it look like fun."Why don't we have you on any.of the teams at school?" Phil said, leaningheavily on his shovel."I prefer individual sports.Like wrestling," James said and grinned, just fora moment, up at Phil.It was the kind of locker-room remark that couldn't bemisunderstood from one guy to another.He meant wrestling with, for instance,Jacklyn and Michaela.And, just at that particular moment, Phil couldn't help grinning back.Hecouldn't summon up any righteous disapproval.Even with James, it took a long time to dig the hole.It was wider than Philwould have thought necessary.When his shovel finally chunked on somethingsolid, he found out why."It's the vault," James said."What vault?""The burial vault.They put the coffin inside it so it doesn't get crushed ifthe ground collapses.Get out and hand me the crowbar."Phil climbed out of the hole and gave him the crowbar.He could see the vaultnow.It was made of unfinished concrete and he guessed that it was just arectangular box with a lid.James was prying the lid off with the crowbar."There," James said, with an explosive grunt as he lifted the lid and slid it,by degrees, behind the concrete box.That was why the hole was so wide, toaccommodate the lid on one side and James on the other.And now, looking straight down into the hole, Phil could see the casket.Ahuge spray of slightly crushed yellow roses was on top.James was breathing hard, but Phil didn't think it was with exertion.His ownPage 54 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllungs felt as if they were being squeezed flat, and his heart was thuddinghard enough to shake his body."Oh, God," he said quietly and with no particular emphasis.James looked up."Yeah.This is it." He pushed the roses down toward the footof the casket.Then, in what seemed like slow motion to Phillip, he beganunfastening latches on the casket's side.When they were unfastened, he paused for just an instant, both hands flat onthe smooth surface of the casket.Then he lifted the upper panel, and Phillipcould see what was inside.CHAPTER 12Poppy was lying there on the white velvet lining, eyes shut.She looked verypale and strangely beautiful-but was she dead?"Wake up," James said.He put his hand on hers.Phillip had the feeling thathe was calling with his mind as well as his voice.There was an agonizingly long minute while nothing happened.James put hisother hand under Poppy's neck, lifting her just slightly."Poppy, it's time.Wake up.Wake up."Poppy's eyelashes fluttered.Something jarred violently in Phillip.He wanted to give a yell of victory andpound the grass.He also wanted to run way.Finally he just collapsed by thegraveside, his knees giving out altogether."Come on, Poppy.Get up.We have to go." Jameswas speaking in a gentle, insistent voice, as if he were talking to someonecoming out of anesthesia.Which was exactly how Poppy looked.As Phil watched with fascination and aweand dread, she blinked and rolled her head a little, then opened her eyes.Sheshut them again almost immediately, but James went on talking to her, and thenext time she opened them they stayed open.Then, with James urging her gently, she sat up."Poppy, " Phil said.Aninvoluntary outburst.His chest was swelling, burning.Poppy looked up, then squinted and turned immediately from the beam of theflashlight.She looked annoyed."Come on," James said, helping her out of the open half of the casket.Itwasn't hard; Poppy was small.With James holding her arm, she stood on theclosed half of the casket, and Phil reached into the hole and pulled her up.Then, with something like a convulsion, he hugged her.When he pulled back, she blinked at him.A slight frown puckered her forehead.She licked her index finger and drew the wet finger across his cheek."You're filthy," she said.She could talk.She didn't have red eyes and a chalky face.She was reallyalive.Weak with relief, Phil hugged her again."Oh, God, Poppy, you're okay.You'reokay."He barely noticed that she wasn't hugging him back.James scrambled out of the hole."How do you feel, Poppy?" he said.Not apoliteness.A quiet, probing question.Poppy looked at him, and then at Phillip."I feel.fine.""That's good," James said, still watching her as if she were asix-hundred-pound schizophrenic gorilla."I feel.hungry," Poppy said, in the same pleasant, musical voice she'dused before.Phil blinked."Why don't you come over here, Phil?" James said, making a gesture behind him.Phil was beginning to feel very uneasy.Poppy was.could she be smellinghim? Not loud, wet sniffs, but the delicate little sniffs of a cat.She wasnosing around his shoulder."Phil, I think you should come around over here," James said, with moreemphasis.But what happened next happened too quickly for Phil even to startPage 55 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlmoving.Delicate hands clenched like steel around his biceps.Poppy smiled at him withvery sharp teeth, then darted like a striking cobra for his throat.I'm going to die, Phil thought with a curious calm.He couldn't fight her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."Leave 'em there.We've got to put them on again afterward," James grunted."We don't want it to look as if this place has been disturbed."A light went on for Phil."That's why the tarps and stuff.""Yeah.A little mess won't be suspicious.But if we leave dirt scatteredeverywhere, somebody's going to wonder." James laid the boards around theperimeter of the grave, then spread the tarps on either side.Phil helped himstraighten them.What was left where the sod had been was fresh, loamy soil.Phil positioned aflashlight and picked up a shovel.I don't believe I'm doing this, he thought.But he was doing it.And as long as all he thought about was the physicalwork, the job of digging a hole in the ground, he was okay.He concentrated onthat and stepped on the shovel.It went straight into the dirt, with no resistance.It was easy to spade upone shovelful of dirt and drop it onto the tarp.But by about the thirtiethshovelful, he was getting tired."This is insane.We need a backhoe," he said, wiping his forehead."You can rest if you want," James said coolly.Phil understood.James was the backhoe.He was stronger than anyone Phil hadever seen.He pitched up shovelful after shovelful of dirt without evenstraining.He made it look like fun."Why don't we have you on any.of the teams at school?" Phil said, leaningheavily on his shovel."I prefer individual sports.Like wrestling," James said and grinned, just fora moment, up at Phil.It was the kind of locker-room remark that couldn't bemisunderstood from one guy to another.He meant wrestling with, for instance,Jacklyn and Michaela.And, just at that particular moment, Phil couldn't help grinning back.Hecouldn't summon up any righteous disapproval.Even with James, it took a long time to dig the hole.It was wider than Philwould have thought necessary.When his shovel finally chunked on somethingsolid, he found out why."It's the vault," James said."What vault?""The burial vault.They put the coffin inside it so it doesn't get crushed ifthe ground collapses.Get out and hand me the crowbar."Phil climbed out of the hole and gave him the crowbar.He could see the vaultnow.It was made of unfinished concrete and he guessed that it was just arectangular box with a lid.James was prying the lid off with the crowbar."There," James said, with an explosive grunt as he lifted the lid and slid it,by degrees, behind the concrete box.That was why the hole was so wide, toaccommodate the lid on one side and James on the other.And now, looking straight down into the hole, Phil could see the casket.Ahuge spray of slightly crushed yellow roses was on top.James was breathing hard, but Phil didn't think it was with exertion.His ownPage 54 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllungs felt as if they were being squeezed flat, and his heart was thuddinghard enough to shake his body."Oh, God," he said quietly and with no particular emphasis.James looked up."Yeah.This is it." He pushed the roses down toward the footof the casket.Then, in what seemed like slow motion to Phillip, he beganunfastening latches on the casket's side.When they were unfastened, he paused for just an instant, both hands flat onthe smooth surface of the casket.Then he lifted the upper panel, and Phillipcould see what was inside.CHAPTER 12Poppy was lying there on the white velvet lining, eyes shut.She looked verypale and strangely beautiful-but was she dead?"Wake up," James said.He put his hand on hers.Phillip had the feeling thathe was calling with his mind as well as his voice.There was an agonizingly long minute while nothing happened.James put hisother hand under Poppy's neck, lifting her just slightly."Poppy, it's time.Wake up.Wake up."Poppy's eyelashes fluttered.Something jarred violently in Phillip.He wanted to give a yell of victory andpound the grass.He also wanted to run way.Finally he just collapsed by thegraveside, his knees giving out altogether."Come on, Poppy.Get up.We have to go." Jameswas speaking in a gentle, insistent voice, as if he were talking to someonecoming out of anesthesia.Which was exactly how Poppy looked.As Phil watched with fascination and aweand dread, she blinked and rolled her head a little, then opened her eyes.Sheshut them again almost immediately, but James went on talking to her, and thenext time she opened them they stayed open.Then, with James urging her gently, she sat up."Poppy, " Phil said.Aninvoluntary outburst.His chest was swelling, burning.Poppy looked up, then squinted and turned immediately from the beam of theflashlight.She looked annoyed."Come on," James said, helping her out of the open half of the casket.Itwasn't hard; Poppy was small.With James holding her arm, she stood on theclosed half of the casket, and Phil reached into the hole and pulled her up.Then, with something like a convulsion, he hugged her.When he pulled back, she blinked at him.A slight frown puckered her forehead.She licked her index finger and drew the wet finger across his cheek."You're filthy," she said.She could talk.She didn't have red eyes and a chalky face.She was reallyalive.Weak with relief, Phil hugged her again."Oh, God, Poppy, you're okay.You'reokay."He barely noticed that she wasn't hugging him back.James scrambled out of the hole."How do you feel, Poppy?" he said.Not apoliteness.A quiet, probing question.Poppy looked at him, and then at Phillip."I feel.fine.""That's good," James said, still watching her as if she were asix-hundred-pound schizophrenic gorilla."I feel.hungry," Poppy said, in the same pleasant, musical voice she'dused before.Phil blinked."Why don't you come over here, Phil?" James said, making a gesture behind him.Phil was beginning to feel very uneasy.Poppy was.could she be smellinghim? Not loud, wet sniffs, but the delicate little sniffs of a cat.She wasnosing around his shoulder."Phil, I think you should come around over here," James said, with moreemphasis.But what happened next happened too quickly for Phil even to startPage 55 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlmoving.Delicate hands clenched like steel around his biceps.Poppy smiled at him withvery sharp teeth, then darted like a striking cobra for his throat.I'm going to die, Phil thought with a curious calm.He couldn't fight her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]