"Judith Merril - A Woman of the World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Merril Judith)

lighted path again, Ellen did come out—walking fast, and headed straight across toward the gate, not
toward the dock at all.
This was the only tricky part, and she was the one who had to do it, because they weren't sure if she
could drive well enough to manage the car. At the barbwire fence she stopped and waited, till she heard
the roar of the motor and the sudden shouting voices, and the headlights seemed to be coming straight at
her. She pulled the gate open wide, jumped onto the running-board of the ancient Ford as it slowed to go
through, and held on tight till they were round the bend and far enough down the road for Tom to open
the door and let her get in.
It was just as easy as that. The thing was, nobody back there ever thought anyone would want to get
out. All their barbwire and trick gates and sentry posts and alarm rigs—all of it was just to keep
outsiders out. And except for a few things, like the gas and the ammo that really took some doing to get
at, the supplies were no problem to store up, as long as you took a little bit at a time, and got out before
Inventory, which wasn't till next month.
The real crazy part of it, though, was the car: the way they all sat around watching Tommy tinker with
his old Ford every night for the last month and chatted about the fine thing he was doing for the Farm.
And every time he wanted to try it out again, he'd get the keys for the gas pump, and every time he got
the keys, he'd draw a couple gallons more than he wrote down. And just to top it all off, the big party
tonight, to celebrate getting the car fixed . . . right on top of the demonstration trial that gave him the extra
cans of gas.
All it took was timing. Timing and guts.
"Hey, Tommy?"
"Yeah?"
"You got the geiger, didn't you?"
"Sure, honey. We got everything. Listen, kid, you can relax now. Quit worrying. We got it made." He
took his eyes off the ruinous road just long enough to smile at her, and reached out with his arm and pull
her closer.
Contentedly, she let her head settle on his shoulder, and stayed there, feeling the wind in her hair, and
listening to the sound of an automobile engine again. Funny how quick you forgot. It wasn't much more
than a year since they used to drive back up the hill from the movies this way . . . a whole crowd
together—or just two alone, like now.
Not like now at all, of course. That was fun; this was deeply exciting, this going out to find a new life
in a new world. Drowsily she wondered how far they'd have to go, how hard they'd have to look to find
good land with maybe a decent house on it, where they could settle. . .
She must have fallen asleep, or part-way at least, because she sat up with a jolt when he pulled the
car to a skidding stop on wet gravel.
"Where are we?" She couldn't see anything in the blackness. "What . . . ?"
"Hobeyville," he said, and tried to pull her back against him. "That's a good twenty-nine mile. They'll
never get this far. Take it—" She shook off his hand impatiently.
"You mean right in the middle of town?" she demanded, as the outline of a parking lot between
buildings began to suggest itself , through the darkness.
"What's the matter? Take it easy, baby. We got it made now . . ."
"Keep your goddam hands off me! I don't know what you think you got made, but it aint gonna be
me, brother. Not here."
"Now look, honey. . . . It's safer here than it would be up in the woods, or off the side of the road
someplace, or . . ."
"It ain't safe anyplace," she said flatly. "Not till we get a chance to look around in daylight and see
what's what. If you wanted something safe, you should of stayed with big old Uncle Steve on the farm.
He's safe! . . . Oh I'm sorry, Tommy." Her anger was gone as suddenly as it had come. "I'm all on edge,
I guess. Maybe I was asleep. What time is it, anyhow?"
He was right, of course. If it took them three hours to travel a lousy thirty miles, it made sense to wait