"Tim LaHaye - Left Behind Kids 02 - Second Chance" - читать интересную книгу автора (LaHaye Tim)

CHAPTER THREE



Lionel's Shock




LIONELWashington had sprinted down the street away from New Hope Village Church, looking both
ways for any sign of Ryan Daley. He knew the little guy had gotten quite a head start on him and only
hoped that Ryan was not still running. If he was, Lionel would never catch him.

Lionel was a fast runner, but this was ridiculous. He huffed and puffed and sucked air, running in the
general direction of his own house. He hoped Ryan's home was somewhere on the way. Maybe the kid
had to stop and catch his breath himself.

Lionel slowed to a walk and put his hands on his hips, allowing his chest to expand and his lungs to drink
in more air.

He squinted at a small form huddled under a street lamp two blocks ahead. It could have been anybody,
of course, as peo-ple just like him--- people who had lost loved ones and were scared to death and
wonder-ing what was going on---wandered about hoping to see someone they knew.

When Lionel was within a block of the streetlight, the form rose and began to walk. It was Ryan Daley.
This time, fortunately, he was not running. At least not until he turned and looked behind him. When he
saw Lionel, he began to jog.

"Hey! Hey, kid!" Lionel called. For the moment, he had forgotten the boys name. "Wait up!"

At first Ryan seemed to speed up, but then it appeared he had resigned himself to the fact that there was
nowhere to go anyway. He stepped off the sidewalk into the grass and thrust his hands deep in his
pockets, his chin tucked to his chest. Lionel figured he had been crying. Maybe he still was. He sure
didn't have to be ashamed of that, Lionel thought.

Lionel hurried to the boy and stood next to him, matching his posture, pushing his hands into his pockets
and looking down. "What are you gonna do?" Lionel said. In his peripheral vision, Lionel saw Ryan
shrug.

"Ryan, isn't it?" Lionel said. "That's your name, right?" Lionel looked up in time to see Ryan nod slightly.
"Ryan, I know how you feel. This is terrible, and we all hate it."

"How could you know how I feel?" Ryan blurted. "Your family's in heaven. For all I know, my parents
aren't just dead, they're in hell."

Lionel didn't know what to say. He believed that was true. Nothing he said could make that any better.