Chapter 17 Chapter 9 I want to repay

1 Bill took a closer look around the moonlit hill. He couldn't believe his eyes. He reached down his neck and massaged his Adam's apple.Rosie saw his bruised wound fan out. Night Breeze stroked her eyebrows like a gentle hand.It is soft and warm, with a summer fragrance.There is no damp mist in the wind, and there is no hazy breath like that near the Great Lake in Dongcheng. "Rosie, did this really happen?" Before she could think about how to answer, a hasty voice cut in. woman!you!woman! It was the woman in red, and Rosie thought she was wearing a blue coat now, though she couldn't be sure in the moonlight. "Wendy Yalo" stood halfway up the hill.

"Bring him here! There's no time! Come here quickly! There's something very important here!" Rosie still had Bill's arm, and she wanted to take him along, but he refused.He looked at "Wendy Yalo" down the mountain in surprise.Norman bellowed her name muffledly and horribly at the door behind them, and Bill burned with rage, but remained motionless. "Rosie, who is that woman?" "Don't worry about it so much, let's go!" This time she didn't pull gently, but tugged at his arm so hard that she almost went crazy.After walking about ten steps, he coughed more violently, and his eyeballs bulged out.Rosie took off the jacket he had rented for her and threw it on the grass, followed by the sweater, leaving only a sleeveless pullover next to her.The armband just fit on her arm, and she immediately felt a powerful force. It doesn't matter if this power comes from the heart or from reality.She glanced back quickly, expecting Norman to come after him, but no, not yet.She saw only the carriage, and the ponies without bridles nibbling the grass in the moonlit meadow.She remembered seeing the same scene before.Then the screen changed again.Turning away from the screen is no longer the woman in the short skirt, but a monster that looks like a horned demon.It is indeed a demon, she thought, but it is also a human being.It's Norman.She remembered seeing horns sprouting from his head in the bright moment of the bullet.

"That woman, why are you walking so slowly? Run quickly!" She put her left arm around Bill, and his cough began to ease.She supported him down the hill, where "Wendy Arlo" was waiting anxiously for them.Rosie has almost carried Bill away. "Who are you...?" Bill asked the black woman as they approached.He suddenly broke out into another fit of coughing. "Wendy Yarlow" ignored Bill's question, and put out her hand to hold him from the other side, keeping him from falling.She said to Rosie: "We must hurry, we must not lose a minute!" "I don't know what you're talking about," Rossi said.

"We must hurry up!" The two of them supported Bill and walked towards the bull temple, with a long shadow beside them.A huge black shadow of a building loomed ahead, looking like a hungry monster.Rosie gratefully follows "Wendy Yarrow" in the light. In the thornbush behind the temple, a rosy skirt dangles from a branch like a coat hook.It was the other of the two identical pieces.Rosie watched it dejectedly, but not at all surprised.It was a Rose Maid tutu, one of those ancient Grecian sleeveless tunics worn by the woman who spoke as sweetly and huskyly as she did. "Put it on," said the black woman.

"No," said Rosie feebly, "I dare not." "Come back to me, Rose!" Bill jumped up at the sound and turned his head away.His eyes were wide open, his skin was paler than moonlight, and his lips were trembling.Rosie was frightened too, but she felt rage lurking beneath the fright, like a huge shark circling the boat.She hoped desperately that Norman would not catch up to them, and the painting snapped shut behind them.But she knew that such a thing would not happen, that Norman had discovered the painting, and that it would not be long before he would enter the world.

"Come back, you bastard!" "Put it on," the woman repeated. "Why?" Rosie asked, but her hands were already moving as she put on the skirt, 'Why do I have to? " "Because she wants you to do it, and she can get everything she needs." The black woman looked at Bill, who was watching Rosie intently. "Turn around, please," she told him. "You mustn't see her body, or your eyes will fall out. Turn around. It's for your own good." "Rosie," said Bill uncertainly, "it must be a dream, mustn't it?"

"Yes," she said, with a thoughtful tone in her dead voice that she had never used before, "yes, exactly. Just do as she says." He turned briskly, like a soldier turning backwards at orders.Now he was facing a narrow path behind the building. "Take off that harness," the black woman said, impatiently pointing to her bra. "You can't wear it under a corset." Rosie undid her bra and took it off, then took off her sneakers without untying her shoelaces, and finally her jeans.When all she had left was a pair of plain white panties, and she stood looking at "Wendy Yarrow" questioningly.She nodded to her.

"And that one." Rosie took off her panties, then carefully removed the ancient sleeveless tunic from the branch and put it on.The black woman came over to help her. "I know how to dress! Get away from me!" Rosie snapped at her angrily, pulling the classic sleeveless tunic over her head like a T-shirt. "Wendy Yarrow" looked at Rosie scrutinizingly, and didn't even come to help her when she got into a little trouble in the shoulder.When everything was settled, Rosie, with her right shoulder bare and her armband gleaming at her left elbow, had become the image of the woman in the painting.

"You can turn around, Bill," said Rossi. He turned and looked at her carefully from head to toe, his eyes lingering for a moment on the rich cotton tight breasts, which Rosie didn't mind. "You're like another person," he said at last, "like a dangerous person." "That's how it happened in the dream," she said, and again she heard her own icy, thoughtful voice.She hated the sound...but she liked it too. "Do you want me to tell you what to do?" said the black woman. "No, of course not." Rosie raised her voice, and the voice she shouted was wild and harmonious, not her voice at all, but another... unless it was another Rosie's voice, which was still hers.

"Norman!" she yelled, "Norman, here I am!" "Jesus Christ, Rosie, please don't!" Bill gasped. "Are you crazy?" He tried to grab her by the shoulders, and she impatiently shook his hand away, giving him a warning look.He just took a step back like "Wendy Yarrow." "That's the only way out, and the right way. Besides..." She looked at "Wendy Arlow" evasively, "I don't really have to do it, do I?" "Yes," said the woman in the blue nightgown, "the mistress can do it herself. If you try to get in her way or try to help her, she will make you regret it. All you have to do is that bastard thinks a woman can do it." Things to do."

"Look him here," she murmured, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "That's right," answered the woman, "to lure him into the path that leads into the garden." Rosie took a deep breath and started calling Norman again.She felt the flesh armband like a strange, ecstatically sweet flame, and it made the voice in her throat so loud, like the cry of a Texas woodsman, that she was in the maze. I used to yell like that to make a baby cry. "Down... Come... Norman" Bill looked at her in surprise.Although she didn't like it, she still wanted to see this look on his face.He's a man, isn't he?Sometimes men have to learn to be afraid of women, and sometimes women can only protect themselves in this way. "Go ahead," said the black woman, "I'll wait for you here with your man, and we'll be safe; the man will come from the temple." "how do you know?" "Because they always do," said the black woman curtly, "remember what he is." "A bull." "That's right, a bull. You're the girl who wove the silk cap to lure him. Remember, if he catches you, there's no magic to get rid of him, it's easy, he'll kill you. Me and my mistress a little It can't save you either. He wants to drink your blood to quench his thirst." I know this better than you, Rosie thought.I knew it many years ago. "Don't go, Rosie," Bill said, "stay here with us." "No. She pushed him away and felt a prick in her calf, the pain fascinated her as much as her screaming, and even the blood running down her leg became lovely. "Little Rosie." She turns around. "You have to get ahead of him. Know why?" "Yes, of course." "What do you mean he's a bull?" Bill asked her.He sounded worried and angry... Rosie had never loved him as much as she did now, and she didn't think she would ever again.He looked so pale and feeble. He started coughing again.Rosie put one hand on his arm, afraid that he would avoid her hand.But he didn't.not yet. "Stay here, don't go away." After she finished speaking, she left in a hurry.On the other side of the temple, he saw a path stretching into the distance, and the ancient Greek-style sleeveless tunic flickered in the moonlight, then disappeared from that path. After a while, her cry resounded through the entire night sky, light and somewhat terrifying: "Norman, you look so silly in that mask," he called after a pause, "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Norman—" "My God, he's going to kill her," Bill whispered softly. "Maybe," replied the woman in the blue suit, "somebody's going to die tonight because of..." She stopped, her head held high, her round eyes gleaming. "What did you hear—" A brown hand suddenly reached over his mouth.It wasn't much force, but it made Bill feel like it might at any moment.There was a certainty in his heart, or affirmation, the feeling of this hand covering his mouth and fingers pressing his cheek, indicating that this was absolutely impossible to be a dream.As much as he wanted to believe it was all a dream, he couldn't. The black woman stood on her tiptoes, leaning against him like a lover, and his mouth still couldn't open. "Hush," she whispered into his ear, "here he comes." He could hear the rustling of grass and leaves, followed by heavy breathing, whistling and whistling, which reminded him of a man weighing about three hundred and fifty pounds, heavier than Norman Daniels. many people. Or think of a giant beast. The black woman slowly took her hand away from Bill's mouth and they put an arm around each other and stood there listening to the sound of the animal approaching.Bill was absolutely certain that Norman, or some Norman-turned-monster, would end up walking into that building.He, or it will always be turning around, and when it finds them, it will hold on to the ground for a while, lower its head as hard as a hammer, and then chase, subdue, trample, and finally Wound them with horns. "Huchi..." was her breathing. "Norman, you idiot..." The shout floated towards them like smoke and like moonlight. "What a fool you are...do you really think you can catch me? You stupid old bull!" Then there was a burst of artificial laughter.The sound reminded Bill of strands of glass, of an open well, and of an empty house in the middle of the night.He was shaking and his arms were covered with goosebumps. In front of the temple, where Rosie was shouting, was quiet now, broken only by a gentle breeze blowing through the bushes, like someone combing tangled hair.Overhead, the moon, as pale as a silver plate, was hidden behind a mass of dark clouds, which gilded their surroundings with light.The sky was full of stars, but Bill didn't recognize a single constellation.suddenly…… "Nor...man... don't you want to talk... talk to me?" "Oh, I'll talk to you," said Norman Daniels, and Bill's heart went up to his throat suddenly, and he felt the Negro woman startle too.The voice came from not twenty yards away.It seemed like Norman was making that clumsy noise on purpose for them to follow his voice, and then when the silence worked in his favor, he went silent. "I'll have a close talk with you, bitch." The black woman put her finger on Bill's mouth, admonishing him to be absolutely quiet, but Bill didn't need her instructions, their eyes were fixed, not sure they saw Norman walk into the building, Moments of silence become elongated, giving a sense of eternity.Even Rosie was waiting. Suddenly, Norman spoke from a distance: "Bah, you old bastard, what are you doing here?" Bill glanced at the black woman.She shook her head slightly, meaning she didn't understand either.He realized a horrible thing: he wanted to cough.He felt that he could hardly suppress the trembling of the soft palate, the black woman stared at him with worried eyes, and he pressed his mouth on his elbow, trying to force the cough back into his throat. I can't keep it up for long, Bill thought.God, Norman, why don't you just go away?Didn't you walk very fast just now? As if answering the question, another shout came from afar: "Nor-man! You're too damn slow, Nor-man!" "Bitch," came a heavy voice from the other side of the temple, "oh, you bitch." The sound of soles rubbing against gravel.After a while, Bill realized from the echo of footsteps that Norman had entered the building that the Negro women called the Temple, and he realized something else: the urge to cough had been suppressed, at least temporarily. He bent over the woman in the blue nightgown: "What are we doing now?" She answered him in a whisper, tickling his ears: "Wait." 2 The discovery that the mask had become part of his flesh took him by surprise, and before fear escalated into terror, Norman spotted something not far away that distracted him entirely from the mask.He hurried down the slope, knelt on the ground, picked up the sweater, looked at it, and threw it aside.Then he picked up another jacket, yes, it was hers.A motorcycle jacket.The guy was fast, and the idea of ​​her going out on his motorcycle with him pissed him off.Before throwing it away, he spit on it and jumped to his feet, eyes darting wildly around. "You bastard," he muttered under his breath, "you dirty liar." "Norman!" came the voice from the darkness, and for a few seconds he almost stopped breathing. It's close, he thought.Damn, she was so close to me, I thought she was in this building. He stood there like a stone statue, wondering if she would still cry.She literally yelled again: "Norman, here I am!" He touched the mask again, but this time he didn't pull it down, but stroked it, got up and walked towards the ruins of the building down the mountain.He thought he could see the tracks leading there, grass clippings strewn along the path where there were footprints, but the moonlight made them very faint. As if to prove that he was on the right track, her frantic, mocking cry was repeated: "Here-here-come, Norman!" As if she was not at all afraid of him. Yes, as if she was getting impatient with him.bitch! "Stay there, Rose," he said, "right there, just don't move." He still had the police pistol, which wasn't part of his plan, tucked into the waistband of his jeans.He didn't know if a person could shoot a gun while hallucinating, and he had absolutely no intention of finding out.He wanted to have a private talk with his wandering little Rose, and it wasn't something a gun could do. "Norman, you look so stupid in that mask...I'm not afraid of you anymore, Norman..." You'll find out that's a fad, you bitch, he thought. "Norman, you idiot!" Well, maybe she wasn't in the building, she could have gone out from there.It doesn't matter.I'd surprise her for the rest of her life if she really thought she could run past me on a flat playground.The last surprise of my life. "What a fool you are! Do you really think you can catch me? Stupid old bull!" He moved a few steps to the right, trying to pass quietly, he didn't want to move like a bull breaking into a china shop.He stopped by the cracked steps leading to a temple like the ones he'd read about in Greek mythology, and studied it.The building is clearly abandoned, crumbling, and reduced to a heap of ruins, but the place isn't that eerie, it's a bit mysterious like home. "Nor-man... don't you want to talk-talk-to me?" "Oh, I'll talk to you," he said, "I'll talk to you closer, you bastard." What he saw in the thick grass to the right of the steps: a head in the weeds, it Concentrate on the sky.Norman took five steps to it and stared intently at it for ten seconds or more, trying to figure out if what his eyes were seeing was real.Yes, the huge head bore his father's face, his empty eyes foolishly reflecting the moonlight. "Bah, you old bastard," he said softly, 'what are you doing here? " Stone's father didn't answer, but his wife answered him. "Nor-man...you're fucking slow, Nor-man!" Beautiful language, that's what they taught her to use, the Bull commented, but it was commenting in Norman's head now.There is no doubt that she has been around some great people who have completely changed her life. "Bastard," he said in a dull, trembling voice, "oh, you bastard." He leaves the stone head in the grass, resisting the urge to turn back and spit at it like he would a jacket, or unzip his jeans to piss on it.There is no time for games now.He hurried up the cracked steps towards the temple's black entrance.Every time his foot took a step, there was a piercing pain, which spread to his legs, back, and even involved his infected chin, as if the mask was only attached to his chin, because It hurt like hell in there.Too bad he didn't have a Charlie Davy police aspirin. How could she do that, Norman?A voice deep within him whispered to him.Still sounded like his father, but Norman could never remember his father being so insecure, so worried.How dare she do this?What happened to her? He got to the top of the steps and stopped, his face and jaw hurting badly.I don't know and I don't care, he said to the ghost.But I will tell you one thing, old father, if this is really you, once I find her, I will shout out all the changes on her and hand it back, you can rest assured on this point. Are you sure you want to give it a try?the voice asked.Norman stared straight ahead, stopped again, raised his chest and raised his head. Do you know how to be smarter?the voice asked again.Retreat is the smartest option.I know how it sounds, but this is the best option, Norman.I know what's going on - it's a trap.If you walk in and you're in far bigger trouble than a sprained jaw or a mask that won't come off, why not turn around and go back to where you came from?Why not go back to the cottage she rented and wait for her there? Because they didn't come back, old father, Norman told the voice.He was struck by the patience and confidence of the ghostly voice, but disagreed with him.The police will come here and they will take me away, take me away before I can smell her perfume.Because she said those things to me.Because she became a whore.I could tell from the way she spoke. Don't pay attention to the way she talks, you idiot!If she falls, let her and her cronies die and rot in the ground!Stop thinking about it, it's not too late. He really thought about it for a while...then raised his eyes to the words that appeared on the temple gate: The woman who stole her husband's credit card should not live. His doubts vanished immediately.He would no longer listen to his old cowardly masturbator father.He walked through the clear porch, into the dank darkness.Darkness...but not enough to see nothing.The moonlight streamed in straight through the narrow windows like wisps of shining silver, framing the ruins of a church that looked a lot like the one Rogi and her companions had once worshiped at O'Brienville.He was walking down the path covered with fallen leaves. Under the moonlight, a group of bats swooped towards him with screams and screams like a whirlwind, flapping their wings in front of him. He could only wave his arms, trying to blast them away. "Go away, bastard," he muttered. As he came to the stone porch that led from the doorway to the altar on the right, he saw a fluffy mass hanging from a bush.He bent down, held it in front of his eyes and looked at it.It's hard to tell what it is in this light.But he thought, this thing is red, or pink.Is she wearing clothes of this color?He thinks she used to wear jeans all the time, but now it's all messed up in his head.Even though it was jeans, she took off the jacket the guy rented for her, and maybe there was— There was a soft sound behind him, like a pennant blowing in the wind.As soon as Norman turned around, he saw a brown bat swooping forward, biting him with its bearded mouth and flapping its wings against his cheek. He let go of the gun handle, grabbed the bat, and folded its wings against his body, snapping its bones like a mad accordion player.He tore it in half viciously, and a mass of degenerated entrails fell out, covering his shoe all over. "You should fucking stay away from me," Norman finished, throwing the remains into the shadow of the temple. "You're good at killing bats, Norman." Jesus Christ, she is very close, almost behind! He turned so quickly that he almost lost his balance and staggered out of the stone porch. Behind the temple there was a slope down to the brook, and in between was one of the deadest gardens in the world, and there was his lovely little Rose, wandering all over the world.She stood under the moonlight, looking at him with her head raised high.Three things surprised him more than one: first, that if she used to wear jeans, she would never wear them again, and that she was wearing a miniskirt as if she was going to a fraternity party for a bar mitzvah ; Second, she changed her hairstyle.It was dyed blonde and braided from the front to the back; and the third thing, she became beautiful. "Bats and women," she said deadpan, "that's what you've got to deal with, isn't it? I almost feel sorry for you, Norman. You're such a painful exception as a man. You're not a man." , not like. That stupid mask you wear won't turn you into a real man." "I'm going to kill you, you bitch!" Norman jumped up from the porch, and ran at full speed in her direction down the hill. Under the pale moonlight, on the withered grass, there were long horns The dark shadow followed closely beside him. 3 For a while she stood there motionless.Her muscles even stiffened as he came galloping at full speed, screaming inside that loathsome mask.In the end it was a horrible hallucination that made her move, and she thought it was sent to her by reason. It was the tennis racket he used on her, and it was dripping with blood. She turned and ran towards the stream, her short skirt swaying in the wind. Those rocks, Rosie...once you fall in that creek... But she didn't fall in.She was the real Rosie, Rosie was who she was, and she wouldn't fall in the creek.Not unless she allowed herself to think about what would happen if she fell in.The strong smell of the stream hurts the eyes... the mouth convulsed with desire.Rosie stretched out his left hand, pinched his nose between the knuckles of his index and middle fingers, and jumped onto the second rock, from there onto the fourth, and finally onto the opposite bank.so easy.Later, she stretched out her limbs again, and crawled carefully on the slippery grass, if she was not careful, she would fall into the black water.Before that, she thought there was no problem at all. 4 Norman smiled when he saw her fall.She was about to get drenched.It looks like it will. Don't worry, Rose, he thought.I'll drag you up and dry you off, really. Later, she emerged from the bottom of the slope, climbed up to the opposite bank, and shot a terrifying look from her shoulders... As if she was not afraid of him, she stared at the water with her eyes, and when she stood up, he saw her Her buttocks glistened like sunlight, bright lines swaying towards him.The most amazing thing happened: he felt the inside of his pants stiffen. "Come here, Rose." His heart was beating violently. He hurried to the creek, trampling on the slender and soft footprints of Rosie's square-toed leather shoes, and he reached the creek not long after Rosie climbed to the opposite bank.She stood there for a moment, looking back, and this time she was clearly looking at him.Then she did something that startled him so much that he couldn't move a step. She raised her middle finger to him, kissed her fingertips in front of his eyes, and then ran towards the withered jungle path ahead.Did you see that, old Norman?the bull asked in the back of his head.That bitch was rude to you with her middle finger just now, did you see that? "Yes," he gasped, "I see. I'll take care of this. I'll take care of everything." But he didn't intend to rush across the creek recklessly, possibly falling into the water.There must be something in the water that Rose didn't like, and he had to be extra careful, to make every step as practical as possible.There's probably some little South American fish with giant teeth in that damned creek that can swallow a whole cow in one gulp, bone and skin.He didn't know if a person could be killed by something in his hallucinations, but the feeling didn't reassure him.She shook her ass at me.he thinks.Maybe I should shake something at her too...they're not going to be playing fair game with sharp turns, are they? Norman grinned his lips to the base of his ears, making a terrifying expression, it was definitely not a reserved smile.His shoes landed on the first white stone when the moon stepped into the dark clouds.When the moon showed its face again, it revealed Norman who had walked to the middle of the creek.He looked into the water, first out of curiosity, then in fascination and panic.The moonlight pierced the water like illuminating a pool of flowing mud.This didn't make him breathless. What was reflected in the black water was not actually the moon, but a human skeleton. Take a sip of this rubbish, Norman, the skull on the water whispers to him.Hey, take a damn shower, if you will.Forget all the silliness, one sip and you'll forget them.Take this sip and it won't bother you anymore, nothing can bother you anymore. It sounds so reasonable, so correct.He looked up at the moon, wondering if the moon in the sky was as skull-like as the moon in the water.He didn't see the moon, but he saw Rose.She was standing next to a statue of a child on a path leading to a dead wood, her arms raised high in the air. "It's not that easy for you to escape," he gasped, "I won't..." The stone boy suddenly moved.It lowered its arms and grabbed Rosie's right wrist, and Rosie screamed and tried fruitlessly to break free of its grip.The stone boy grinned, and just as Norman was watching, the boy stuck out his marble tongue and shook Rosie defiantly. "Good job," Norman said quietly, "get her, just hold her." He jumped onto the bank in one step, stretched out his huge hands, and ran to his headstrong wife. 5 "Want to play with me—play?" the stone boy asked in a raspy voice, unaffected.The hands holding her wrists tightly grasped her from all angles and squeezed hard, she felt an unbearable weight.She turned her head and saw Norman jumping to the shore, the horns on the mask stretched out into the night sky.He stumbled on the slick grass, but didn't fall.When she first realized it was Norman driving a police car, she panicked.He was about to grab her, and then what?He'd bite her to pieces and she'd die screaming, with the smell of English cowhide in her nose.He can-- "How about playing with me?" The stone boy spat. "Want to crawl on the floor and play for a while, Rosie—" "No!" She screamed terribly, pouring out all her anger, shaking her whole brain, "No, stay away from me, don't play this high school trick, leave me alone! " She flicked her left hand and punched the marble face without much thought. How painful her hand must have been... In fact, she didn't feel any pain at all, as if she was continuously hitting a rotten, elastic on things.A whole new expression flashed before her—horror replaced greed, and the thing's smirking face instantly shattered into a thousand dough-colored shards.The heavy hand that gripped the wrist loosened, but Norman was almost on top of her head, bowing his head, breathing slobberingly through the mask.He held out his hands. Rosie turned, feeling an outstretched finger slip over her shoulder strap, and she dodged it unexpectedly. Now they have a race. 6 She ran a lot as a little girl, before her sane mother started her tedious upbringing.She taught Rosie Diana McClendon what ladylike behavior is and what isn't (such as running, especially when you've got big breasts that make you jump around your chest when you run and never run again).She ran at full speed, lowered her head, and kept bobbing her hands up and down by her sides.From the beginning, she knew that Norman was closely behind her, but she didn't know that he was already a little behind. At first, he was only one foot behind, and then the distance was three feet away.She could hear his breathing and wheezing, and even when he fell behind it sounded like Erineth in the labyrinth.She could make out her own lighter breathing, feel the braids bouncing up and down her back, and the strongest feeling she felt was a frenzy of excitement, a feeling that her brain was over-congested and about to explode, but explosions fascinated her too. .She looked up again and saw the moon racing her in the starry sky, among the clumps of dead bushes that stretched out like giant arms.Norman growled at her once or twice, telling her to stop.She smiled from the bottom of her heart.He thinks I'm a mean, unscrupulous fellow, she thought. Then, she turned a corner on the road and saw the big tree struck by lightning blocking the road.This time there was no time to go around, and if she tried to go over the top, she would only get caught in a mass of branches, and even if she was lucky enough to avoid being cut, there would be Norman behind.She was only a few steps ahead of him, and even if she stopped only for a moment, he would spring on her like a dog chasing a rabbit. For a moment she considered the situation, and then with a scream—in fear, or provocation, or both—she sprang to her feet, throwing her hands superhumanly toward the Ahead, flew through the bushes and landed on the left shoulder.She did a somersault and stood up in a daze.Norman watched her fly past the fallen tree.He grasped the two branches blackened by lightning with both hands, panting heavily.There was a breeze and she smelled something else on him besides sweat and English cowhide. "You're smoking again, aren't you?" 他的眼睛在装饰着花环的橡胶牛角下面疯狂地注视着她，面具的下半部猛地一阵抽搐，好像内心隐藏着的那个人正在笑。“罗丝，别这样。” “我不是罗丝，”她说着，冲他僵硬地笑了一下，好像在笑他是世界上最愚蠢的东西。“我是罗西，真正的罗西。而你也不再真实了，诺曼……我说得对吧？你再也不是你自己了。不过这些已经跟我没有任何关系了，因为我已经跟你离婚了。” 她转过身，跑掉了。 7 你不再真实了，当他绕过树顶时这样想着。大树旁有很大的空间可以走出去。她在远处全力地飞跑，而当他回到路面以后，只能慢慢地挪动着步子。他只能这样做。一贯正确的内心声音在告诉他，这条路再往前一点就走到尽头了。这本来应该使他高兴，但是他最后一眼看见了她那条美丽的发辫，听见了她所说的话。 我是真正的罗西，你已经不再真实可信，你甚至已经不是你自己了……我已经跟你离婚了。 哦，他想到，最后的时刻已经来临。会离婚的，但这个决定必须由我来作出，罗丝。 他慢慢移动着脚步，没走多远就停住了，感觉到额头上有汗水，他一点也不吃惊，连想都没有想就用胳膊擦了擦，尽管头上还戴着面具。 “你最好给我回来，罗丝！”他喊着，“我给你最后一次机会！” “你来抓我呀！”她回敬他，她的声音听起来有些不同，虽然他无法说出有哪些不同。“来抓我呀，诺曼，现在咱们已经不远了。” 并不算太远。他追逐着她跑遍了半个国家，又追逐着她来到另外一个世界，这样一个该死的地方。现在她终于无路可走了。 “再也没有地方可去了，小甜饼。”诺曼一边说，一边攥起了拳头，开始朝她说话的方向走去。 8 她跑进了林中空地，亲眼看见自己跪在那棵惟一有生命的大树旁，面对大树，深深地低下脑袋，好像在进行祈祷，或者已经进入了深度药物治疗之中。 那不是我，罗西神经质地想。那并不是真正的我。 但是那有可能的确是她。那个背转身跪在石榴村旁的女人很可能是她的双胞胎姐妹。她有跟她同样的身高、体形，同样的一双长腿和宽宽的胯骨。她也穿着罗丝·麦德那种玫瑰红的古希腊式无袖束腰短裙，她那条金色的发辫搭在后腰上，和罗西的一模一样。惟一的区别是，这个女人的两只胳膊上都是空的，因为罗西戴着她的臂环。然而诺曼是不会注意到这个区别的，他从来没有见过罗西戴这件东西。这时她发现了他可能会注意到的一些东西：罗丝·麦德脖子背后和胳膊上一块块缓慢蠕动的黑影。 罗西停住脚步，在月光下仔细地观察那个面朝大树跪着的女人。 “我来了。”她不自信地说。 “好的，罗西，”那人用甜润而渴望的声音说，“你来了，但是还不够远。我要你去那里。”她指着通向迷宫的宽敞的白色台阶，“不太远，不过十几层阶梯。你不会希望看到它，如果你决意要看一下也行。” she laughed.这声音渗透着真正的快乐，罗西想，这才使这件事变得十分糟糕。 “无论在什么情况下，”她继续说下去，“如果你听到有什么东西从我们之间走过去，那就对了。是的，那就太好了。” “他不一定会把你当成我，即使在月光下面。” 罗丝·麦德又笑了起来。笑声使罗西脖子上的头发飘舞起来。“他为什么不会相信呢，小罗西？” “你有……哦……污迹。” “是的，你能看见，”罗丝·麦德仍旧笑着说，“你的确能，但是他看不见。你忘了艾林尼斯是个瞎子？” 罗西想说，你错了，夫人，我们正在谈论我的丈夫，不是迷宫里那只公牛。她忽然想起诺曼戴着面具，便什么也没有说。 “快去，”罗丝·麦德说，“我听见他来了。下台阶，小罗西……不要离我太近。”她停了一下，又用她那恐怖的、深思熟虑的声音说道，“这儿很不安全。” 9 诺曼慢慢地沿着小路走，并仔细地倾听着。有一阵他认为听见了罗丝的说话声，但是那可能是他的想象。不过这没有什么。如果她身边还有别人，他会将那个人也除掉。 他现在离得这么近，他觉得自己能够闻见她的气味，是鸽子牌香皂和丝牌洗发水的迷人的芳香。他来到最后一个拐弯处。 我来了，罗丝，他想到。没有逃脱之路，也没有藏身之地了。我来带你回家，宝贝儿。 10 通向迷宫的台阶寒气袭人，罗西注意到一种曾经被她忽略了的气味，那是潮湿、腐烂的气味，中间夹杂着腐肉和野兽的气息。几乎要使她窒息的想法又一次出现了：公牛会爬台阶吗？但是这一次她并不真正害怕了。艾林尼斯已经不在迷宫里了，除非这个广袤的世界也是一座迷宫。 哦，说得对，那个奇怪的、并非理智的声音冷漠地对她说。这个世界，这整个的世界。里面有许多的公牛，这个奥秘中隐藏着真理，罗西。这就是它们的力量。这就是它们能够活下来的原因。 她懒懒地伸开四肢躺在台阶上，使劲地呼吸着，心脏怦怦地跳动。She was terrified. 她面前的双手握成了拳头。 动手，她想到。动手，杀了这个畜生，还我自由。我想听着他死。 罗西，你并不是真的这样想！这是理智，它听上去既恐怖又厌恶。说你并不想杀死他！ 她的一部分自我想杀死他。 她的绝大部分是这样想的。 11 他面前的小路通向了一片林中空地。She is here.终于找到她了。他的满世界乱逛的罗丝。她背朝他跪在地上，穿了一件短款的红裙子（他几乎肯定是红色），染成妓女般的头发辫在身后，像一条猪尾巴。他站在空地的边缘看着她。她毫无疑问是罗丝，尽管她有了一些变化。例如，她的臀部变小了，但这还不是主要的。她的神态变了。what does this mean?当然现在正是调整一下神态的时机。 “你为什么要集那该死的头发？”他问她，“看起来像只母狗！” “不，你并不知道，”罗丝冷冷地说，没有回头，“我以前的头发才是染过的，我的头发一直是金色的，诺曼。以前我染发是为了欺骗你。” 他往林中空地迈了两大步，每当她同他意见相左或顶撞他的时候，他都像现在这样感到怒火中烧。她今天对他说的这些…… “你他妈的居然敢染发！”他惊呼道。 “我他妈的没有。”她回答道，然后把这句大为不敬的语言变成了一声轻蔑的冷笑。 她还是没有转过身来。 诺曼又向她走了两步，停了下来。他把手握成了拳头，放在两侧。他向空地扫视了一遍，当他靠近时听见她在喃喃低语。他用目光搜寻着格特，或者她那该死的男朋友，准备在黑暗中用气枪向他开枪，或者往他身上扔石头。他没有看见任何人，这就意味着她在自言自语，她在家时总是这样。除非有什么人蹲在空地中央的那棵大树后面。那好像是这块死气沉沉的土地上惟一有生命的东西，它那细长狭窄的绿色树叶闪闪发光，就像富含油脂的鳄梨树叶。树枝上沉甸甸地挂满了神秘的果实，诺曼碰都不想碰一下，哪怕它是花生奶油三明治。她跪着的腿旁边落满了被风吹落的果实，逐渐散发出来的气味使诺曼想起了黑色的小溪。闻上去有这种气味的水果一定会毒死你，否则就让你得肠绞痛，疼得死去活来。 大树的左边有一样东西使他确信这是梦境。它看起来很像用大理石雕刻的纽约地铁入口。别介意这一切，也别介意果树和有尿味的水果，在这里惟有罗丝才是最重要的事情。罗丝和她那吝啬的微笑。他想象着，她那些该死的朋友们教会她那样的笑，但是没有关系。他到这里来教会她一些有用的事情：那种微笑会使自己受到伤害。他会这么做的，即使在现实中做不到。即使他躺在到处是警察子弹的她的房间地板上，经历着死亡般的神志昏迷。 “站起来。”他又向她走了一步，从牛仔裤的腰带上拔出了手枪，“我们得谈谈。” “是的，你当然要谈一谈了。”她既没有转过身，也没有站起来。她只是跪在那里，月光和阴影像斑马线一样映在她的背上。 “当心点儿，该死的！”他又朝她走近了一步。没有握枪的那只手的长指甲像几只金属剃须刀片，深深地抠进了手掌心里。她仍然没有转身，仍然没有站起来。 “迷宫里的艾林尼斯！”她用温柔的、优美的语调说，“小心公牛！”但她仍然没有站起来，也没有转过身看他。 “我不是公牛，你这母狗！”他喊道，并用手指尖使劲地撕扯面具。面具纹丝不动，再也不像是贴在他脸上的面具，或者和他的脸融为一体的东西，那看上去完全就是他的脸。 How could this be?他迷惑不解地问自己，这怎么可能呢？这只不过是个小孩儿的玩具，游乐场里的一件小奖品！ 他无法回答自己的问题，但是无论他多么努力地拉扯，面具仍然没有掉下来，他恼火地想，如果用指甲抠面具，他一定会感到疼痛，而且会流血。在他脸部的中间有一个眼孔，他的视线通过这个孔看出去一切都是黑暗的；明亮的月光看上去变成了阴暗的。 “把它拿走！”他朝她咆哮着，“把它拿走，你这个婊子，你能办到，对吗？我知道你能！别他妈的骗我了，你竟敢欺骗我！” 他踉踉跄跄地走完最后几步路，来到她跪着的地方，抓住她的肩膀。那件古典式短裙惟一的一条肩带移到了旁边，他从衣服下面看到的东西使他惊恐得几乎要窒息，她的皮肤像掉到地上腐烂成泥土的水果一样黝黑。 “公牛已经从迷宫里出来了。”罗丝说，她优雅而轻盈地站起身，他从来没有见过她这样的姿态。“所以现在艾林尼斯要死了。书上就是这么写的，事情将会这样。” “这里惟一会死的人——”他开始说，他只说到这里。她转过了身，当苍白的月光照着她时，诺曼尖叫了起来。他一点没有意识到自己朝地面开了两枪，打在两只脚之间，然后扔掉了手枪。他的手在头上拍着，一瘸一拐地继续尖叫着向后退去，双腿不听使唤了。她也尖叫着回答了他的喊声。 她胸前隆起的部位密密麻麻地布满了腐败物质，脖子上是被勒死的人才会有的淤血般的紫黑色，皮肤的几处裂痕向外分泌粘稠的黄色脓汁。这些相当严重的晚期疾病症状并不是使他尖叫和咆哮的原因。 她的脸使他这样做。 那是一张长着狂怒的狐狸眼睛的蝙蝠脸，同时又是一张只有在落满灰尘的旧书插图中才能看到的有着超凡美貌的女神的面孔，像长满杂草的空地上长出的一朵珍奇花朵。这是他的小罗丝的面孔。她的头总是稍微抬起一些，眼睛里带着一丝羞怯的渴望，嘴角刻着些许的愁闷，就像危险的池塘里盛开着百合花一样，这些不同的容貌同时浮现在她的面孔上，转眼又不见了。诺曼看到的是下面的一些东西：那是一只蜘蛛的脸，它由于饥饿和疯狂的智慧而扭曲着，大张的嘴巴长着一排上面沾满几百只死的和快要死的甲壳虫的胡须，形成一种令人反感的阴影。 它的眼睛像严重充血的鸡蛋，带着罗丝·麦德式的玫瑰红血丝在眼眶中游移着，像两团活动的黑泥。 “再走近一些，诺曼。”蜘蛛脸在月光下对他耳语着。在他的心灵完全破碎之前，诺曼看到她那塞满臭虫的嘴巴正在试图发笑。 有更多条胳膊从没有袖子的衣眼里面或底下伸了出来，它们根本就不是什么胳膊，他大喊大叫着，一共喊叫了三次，希望借以忘掉自己所看见的一切，但是他什么也没有忘掉。 “走近些，”她低声哼唱着，那些不是胳膊的东西伸了出来，嘴巴在打瞌睡，“我想跟你谈谈。”在不是胳膊的那些东西的尽头长着爪子，短而粗的硬毛显得污秽不堪。爪子扒在他的手腕上、腿上、两腿之间的鼓包上。有一只多情地伸进他的嘴里，短粗的硬毛在面颊里和牙齿上刷洗着。它抓住了他的舌头，把它拽了出来，在他闪闪发光的眼睛注视之下，胜利地拍了拍。“我想跟你谈一谈，我想跟你挨得……紧紧地……谈一谈！” 他最后一次用尽全身力气疯狂地拉了一把，结果撞进罗丝·麦德饥饿的怀抱之中。 这会儿诺曼才终于明白了，他在这里纯粹是个挨打者。 12 罗西躺在台阶上，闭上了眼睛，双手交叉在头顶，倾听着他撕心裂肺的咆哮。她努力使自己不要想象那里发生了什么事情，还试着记起这是诺曼的喊叫声，是那个用可怕的铅笔扎她的诺曼，那个挥舞棒球杆的诺曼，用牙齿咬人的诺曼。 这些事情都被恐惧的叫声淹没了，诺曼发出极度痛苦的尖叫声，当罗丝·麦德…… ……当她对他做了她正在做的事情以后。 过了很长一段时间，叫声停止了。 罗西躺在原来的地方，双手慢慢地伸开，眼睛仍旧紧闭，并急促地呼吸着，如果不是听见一个女人用甜蜜而疯狂的声音召唤她，她有可能一睡就是几个小时。 “起来，小罗西！起来好好地庆祝一下！公牛死了！” 罗西慢腾腾地先用麻木僵硬的双腿跪在地上，然后站了起来。她试着走了几步才逐渐站稳。她不想看见，但是两只眼睛好像自己有生命似的，远远地向林中空地望去，呼吸在喉咙里停止了。 她长长地叹了一口气，放心了。罗丝·麦德仍旧跪在地上，背着脸。地上躺着的黑影初看上去像是一堆破布，黑影中忽然飞出一颗海星般的闪亮物，直奔月光而去。开始是一只手，然后罗西看到了他的整个身体。就像一个大脑突然开窍、配合心理医生做墨迹测试的人一样，她终于明白过来，那是诺曼。他被弄断了四肢，他的眼睛从眼眶中膨胀出来，露出极度恐惧的表情，但这绝对是诺曼，毫无疑问。 罗丝·麦德在罗西的注视下站起来，从一棵低垂的树枝上摘下一颗果实，用手使劲攥着它——那是一只真正的人类的手，皮肤下面显出非常可爱的黑色斑点。第一滴果汁从她攥紧的拳头中挤了出来，接着水果裂开了口，露出黑红色的、湿润的果肉。她从厚实的果肉中拿出十几粒种子，把它们播种到诺曼破损的肉体中。她把最后一粒种在他睁着的眼睛里面。罗西听见噗嗤一声爆裂的声音，好像有人踩到了熟透的葡萄上。 “你在干什么？”罗西问道。她没有说出：请别转身，站在那里告诉我就行！ “我在播种他。”然后她做了一件事让罗西觉得自己走进了“理查德·莱辛”的小说中：她弯下腰，在尸体的嘴上吻了一下，最后用胳膊把他抱了起来，站起身，往通向地面的白色大理石台阶走去。罗西掉转头，感觉到心脏在剧烈地跳动，快要从喉咙眼里跳出来了。 “做个甜蜜的梦，你这杂种。”罗丝·麦德说着，把诺曼的尸体投入刻有迷宫字样的石碑下的黑暗之中。 那里，她种下的种子也许会发芽成长。 13 “从哪里来回到哪里去。”罗丝·麦德说。她站在台阶旁边；罗西站在林中空地的路口处，远远地背过身去。她甚至连看都不想看罗丝一眼，她发现她不能完全相信自己的眼睛。“回去，找到杜卡丝和你的男人。她有东西给你，我还有许多话想对你说……不过只说一点，说完后一切就该结束了。你完全可以放心了，我想。” “他死了吗？”罗西目不转睛地盯住月光下的小路，问道，“真的死了？” “我猜想将来你会在梦中看见他。”罗丝．麦德打消了她的顾虑，“但这又有什么关系？坏的梦境远远胜过坏的现实，这是一个简单的真理。” “是的。我想多数人都忽略了这么简单的问题。” “你现在走吧。我会找你的。罗西，还有——” "what?" “别忘了那棵树。” “树？我不知道——” “这个我知道。但是你将会知道的。记着那棵树。现在走吧。” 罗西走了。她连头都没有回一下。