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She could hear the truck pulling
to a stop in front of the house. She kept looking at him. He was so tiny.
He was holding on to the railing for dear life, but he did not turn away.
“Do it! Please!”
“You go first,” she said.
“It's safer if you go first. Then you
know I'm alive to give you the antidote. If I go first and something goes
wrong, you will be killed. I won't be here to bring you back.”
“If I go first, all of them will expect
you to bring me back! They know why you're still here. No, you go first.
Your people would never in a million years expect a human to give one
of you the antidote. Besides, I need to send your ‘body’ up
in the balloon. If I'm supposedly already dead, that won't work. They'll
come looking for you.”
“Oh. Well, okay. I have only got two
doses of antidote with me. That's all we need but I just want to warn
you to be careful with it. I have more in the culvert, but that doesn't
do us any good now.”
 here was a faint
scratching noise at the front door. Then it opened just a crack. She tiptoed
upstairs and followed Henry into the bedroom. She closed the door and
pushed the bureau against it. Henry went in the bathroom out of sight.
Looking out the window, she could see the truck driver slumped over the
wheel. Nobody else was visible.
“Is the driver dead?”
“No. He's unconscious. They need him
to drive them back to town. When they're finished they will wake him up.
He will knock on the door, and when he gets no answer, he'll drive back
to town, none the wiser.”
“They are very confident.”
“These people are regular army. It's
a whole different ball game from the occasional Blue.”
“If we don't come out, will they burn
the house down?”
“Probably not. They need positive ID
on you. They will take a blood sample from you to match to the one on
file. But they can get in here even with the door blocked. It will just
take a little longer. What are you going to do for a dummy for the aerial
cremation?”
“Hmmm. I guess I could wrap you in
one of these flannel sheets when you're ‘dead’ and let them
see me carry you away in it. Then we could roll some pillows up in the
same sheet.”
“Oh, that would be great. That way,
when you pick me up you won't....”
“Touch you?” She laughed.
“You know the balloons and gas canister
are in the kennel. You will have to go and get them.”
“Oh heck. How will I do that?”
“Don't you have a gun?”
“In my underwear drawer.”
“Load it up. When you go out your front
door, fire once. Our people have an extreme aversion to physical violence
and pain. It will scare them off for a while. Be sure and do it, though,
even if you don't see anyone. They will come at you out of nowhere and
they are very, very fast. The place is crawling with them. I see them
everywhere.”
She dug her pistol out of the drawer
and loaded it up. It was a little snub-nosed thirty-eight. She started
to open the door.
“Not now! You can't go and get the
stuff until I'm dead. They'll be suspicious if you do it now.”
She stuck the gun carefully in her
belt and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Here is the antidote. I'll have mine
in my shirt pocket.” He held something out from behind the bathroom
door. She took it. It looked like an ointment tube, only it had a short
needle at the end. “Take the cap off first. Then hold it between
any two fingers with the needle pointing outward. Hit me anywhere with
it, through my clothing, and squeeze your hand shut. You don't need to
look. Just ram it in. It will take effect in one or two minutes.”
She held the little tube lightly in the palm of her hand.
“How much time do we have?” There
had been no further sounds from outside. It was eerie.
“None. O-o-okay. I-I am going. W-w-wait
t-ten minutes. I-I-I'll let them catch me on the stairs. Wh-wh-when you
come to get me, k-k-keep your back to the wall. Carry something. This
l-l-little ch-chair. Hold it in front of y-you. Muffle yourself up in
clothing. C-c-cover your skin. Ten minutes. T-ten minutes. W-watch the
clock. C-c-come in t-ten minutes.”
“I'll be there.” Henry was terrified.
His fear made her lose her confidence. He had not feared the Blues at
all. He came out of the bathroom and walked to the door. She pushed the
bureau away. They turned and faced each other, silently. The house was
totally quiet. Everyone was waiting. She started to reach out with her
hand to say good-bye. Henry shied away. He was shivering. She made a little
Japanese bow with her upper body and he did the same. Then he slipped
out the door.
cont. on page thirty
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