Chapter 19 Chapter 11 Dance of Fire (2)

Gran shoots the Mendes guy.They pulled out your mother's nails and killed "Shut up" she yelled in grief.The power in the body surged up again, almost out of control. "No, I'm going to say it," he said. "You should know the truth, Charlie. I planned it all. I made you so important to them. You think I did it because it was me. A job? Damn not. They're a fart! Caphawks Butler. Pinchet, and Jules who brought you here—they're a fart." She stared at him blankly, as if hypnotized by his mid-air face.He wasn't wearing an eyepatch today, and what should have been an eyeball was just a twisted, cracked hole, like a nightmare.

"I didn't lie to you about this." He said and touched his ugly and terrible face.Gently, almost caressingly, he moved his fingers from a bloody scar on his chin to the peeling face, and then to the burned eye socket. "Yeah, I'm mixing things up. There's no Hanoi ambush, and there's no Viet Cong. It's our own people. Because they're a bunch of bastards like those guys. Charlie couldn't understand what he was saying.Her mind was in turmoil.Didn't he know that sitting there, she could bake him into a patty? "Except you and me," he said, "these things don't matter. We should be honest with each other, Charlie. That's what I want—to be honest with you."

She felt that he was telling the truth now--but there were dark truths he had not told her. "Come on," he said, "let's talk about this." His words seemed hypnotic.In a way it's like telepathy.For despite the horror of those dark facts she had felt, her feet began to move toward the ladder.The voice wasn't just talking.It is at the end.An end to doubt, an end to misfortune and fear... an end to the idea of ​​starting a bigger fire with dire consequences.In his own crazy, perverted way, he told her he was her unique friend.And... yes, somewhere in her heart, she wanted that too.She was looking forward to an end.A kind of relaxation.

So she started moving towards the ladder.Her hand was on the ladder when her father came in. "Charlie?" he called. The magic is broken. She took her hand off the crossbar and suddenly came to her senses.She turned and saw him standing there. "Dad, you are fat!" Her first thought flashed through her mind so quickly that she was barely aware of it.Fat or thin, it was him; she knew him anywhere.Overriding love for her father dispelled Rainbird's misty spell, and she realized that whatever John Rainbird meant to her, he meant nothing but death to her father. "Daddy!" she yelled, "Don't come in!"

An angry expression flashed across Yu Bird's terrifying face.The gun was no longer on his lap, but pointed at the figure standing at the door. "I guess it's a bit late," he said with a smirk. Next to my father stood another man.She figured he must be the one they called Cap; he just stood there, shoulders slumped as if dislocated. "Come in." Rain Bird ordered... Andy complied. "Stand there now and don't move." Andy stopped.Garp followed behind him, only a step or two away, as if the two were tied together.Cap's eyes flicked nervously around the dimly lit stable.

"I know you've got me covered," Rainbird said.His tone lightened a bit, becoming almost sarcastic. "Actually you both could do it. But Mr. McGee... Andy? May I call you Andy?" "Whatever," said her father.His voice is calm. "Andy, if you try to exert your mind control on me, I will kill your daughter before I lose control. Of course, the same way, Charlie, if you do anything to me, you know it will What happened?" Charlie ran to her father, pressing her face against his corduroy coat. "Daddy, Daddy," she murmured hoarsely. "Cough, baby." He called, stroking her hair.He put his arms around her, then looked up at Rainbird.He sat on the edge of the loft like a sailor on the mast.

He is the living embodiment of the one-eyed pirate in Andy's dream. 'What are you going to do now? he asked Rainbird. He knew the man could hold them here until the guy who ran across the grass called back help. But he had a feeling this man wasn't going to do it. Rain Bird ignored his question. "Charlie?" he called. Charlie trembled in Andy's arms, but she didn't look back. "Charlie," his soft voice called patiently again, "look at me, Charlie." Slowly, she reluctantly turned her head and stared at his dull face. "Come up, come to me," he said, "just like you did. Nothing has changed. Let's do our business and it'll all be over. …

"No, I won't say yes." Andy said almost happily, "We're getting out of here." "Come on, Charlie," Rainbird said, "or I'll put a bullet through your father's head right now. You can burn me, but I bet I can pull the trigger before then." A low growl escaped Charlie's throat, like a wounded animal. "Hold on, Charlie," Andy said quickly. "He'll be all right," Rainbird said.His voice was deep and sweet, convincing, "They'll send him to Hawaii, and he'll be fine. Charlie, it's your choice.

A bullet through his head or the golden sands of Hawaii, which?You choose. " Charlie stared at Rainbird, and walked away from her father with trembling steps. "Charlie!" he snapped. "No!" "It's all over," Rainbird said, keeping his gun pointed at Andy's head. "Isn't that exactly what you want? I'm going to end this cleanly. Trust me, Charlie. Trust me, for your father's sake and yours." She took a second step, followed by a third. "No," said Andy, "don't listen to him, Charlie." But it seemed to give her reason to take a step.She walked up to the ladder again, put her hands on the rungs of the ladder and stopped.She raised her head and looked directly into his eyes.

"Are you sure he's okay?" "Yes, I promise," Rainbird said.Andy suddenly understood: the power of his lies, all his lies. "I have to do it to her." He thought with numb shock, "Not to him, but to her." At this time, she was standing on the first step of the ladder, holding the rung above her head with both hands.He concentrated and held his breath, ready to exert his power. At this moment, Garp—the Karp that everyone had forgotten—screamed suddenly. Cap and Andy had just left for a few minutes when Don Jules ran back to the house. Richard, the gatekeeper, saw his panic, and took out a pistol from the drawer.

"What happened—" he asked. "Alarm, siren!" Jules yelled. "Did you get a one-one?" "I don't need permission, you idiot! The girl! The girl is going away." On the dashboard in front of Richard were two linked dials marked with numbers one through ten.Richard dropped the pen in a hurry and turned the dial on the left to seven, while Jules went around the table and turned the dial on the right to one.A moment later, a low siren sounded from the dashboard; then, the sound resounded throughout the base. The workers at the base turned off the lawn mower in their hands and ran towards the shed where the guns were placed.At the same time, all the rooms with computer terminals were automatically closed and locked.Cap's secretary, Gloria, also picked up his own pistol. All the personnel at Ita who could be mustered hurried to the loudspeakers and waited for instructions.They unbuttoned their guns as they ran.The voltage of the outer grid has risen enough to be lethal.The police dogs between the two power grids heard the sirens and sensed that the base had entered a combat state.They start barking.Jumping around hysterically. All the gates to the outside world at the "Ita" base were automatically closed and locked.A bakery delivery van was unloading in the cafeteria when sliding doors clipped the rear bumper.Fortunately, the driver was not electrocuted. The sirens were still blaring endlessly. Jules grabbed the microphone on Richard's dashboard and said in a huff: "Emergency. Repeat, emergency. Not a drill. Assemble at the stables. Move safely." He searched his brain for Charlie. McGee's code, but I can't remember it.It seems like they change the codes every day. "It's the girl, she's using psychic powers! Repeat, she's using psychic powers!" Hearing the siren, Orville Jaminson ran to the loudspeaker installed on the third floor of the house to the north, holding the Wind Chaser.But after hearing what Jules said, he sat down slumped and put the gun in the holster. "Oh-oh," he murmured to himself as the three comrades with whom he had been practicing shooting ran out, "oh-oh, don't call me, I quit." Running there like a hound that smells prey.They had never been to Mendes Farm, let alone what the girl's anger meant. At this time, he just wanted to find a deep hole to get into. 14 Cap barely heard Charlie.The conversation between her father and Rain Bird.The old order has been fulfilled, and the new order has not yet been issued.He doesn't know what he should do now.The voices of conversation slipped past his ears meaninglessly, and he was thinking about his own business: the game of golf.snake.Nine clubs.Short clubs and rattlesnakes, eight clubs, and boa constrictors big enough to swallow whole goats.He didn't like the place, the strewn hay everywhere reminded him of the smell of golf course grass.His brother was bitten by a snake in that meadow, when Karp was only three years old.It wasn't a very dangerous snake, but his brother screamed and he screamed.His brother is the strongest in the world.Bravest boy, but now he's screaming - nine-year-old Leon Hollinster is screaming: "Call Daddy!" with his arms around his legs, tears streaming down his cheeks.There is the smell of green grass all around: lilac, shouji, foxtail.Three-year-old Capuchy turned to find his father, weeping in terror—the snake crawled over his feet, his own, like green stagnant water.Later the doctor said the wound was not serious, the snake must have just eaten something else and consumed the venom.But Leon said he felt like he was dying.The air was full of the sweet smell of summer grass, and the grasshoppers were hopping and rustling; they were sucking the juice of the tobacco leaves.Great smell, great sound, the smell and sound of a golf course.His brother screamed, dry to the touch.The sensation of a scaly snake's body, looking down to see its flattened triangular head.Small black eyes.The snake crawled over Cap's feet on its way back into the grass, back into the grass, and you might say that smells like this, and he doesn't like this place. No. 4, vipers, short clubs, and copperheads— Memories churned in his mind, spinning faster and faster.While John Rainbird was confronting the McGees, Cap's eyes scanned the stables blankly.Finally, his eyes fell on the half-melted rubber tube next to the water spout.It is coiled on the wooden pegs, and it appears and disappears in the floating vapour. Fear seized him suddenly like the flames of an explosion.For a while, his whole body was so tense that it was difficult for him to breathe, let alone cry for help. At last the extreme fear subsided.Garp sucked in a convulsive breath, and suddenly let out a piercing scream: "Snake! Snake! Snake!" He didn't run away.As decrepit as he was now, Capeton Hollinster was not one to run from danger.He staggered like a rusty robot and grabbed a rake that was leaning against the wall.It's a snake, he's going to hit it, kill it, flatten it, he's going to... He wants to save Leon! He swung the rake and rushed to the hose. Then, things happened in the blink of an eye. When Cap's screams sounded, the agents with pistols and the base workers with rifles were gradually approaching the low L-shaped stable.A moment later, they heard a dull sound of something falling, and what seemed to be a suppressed moan of pain.There was a cluttered knocking sound, and then a soft crack, evidently that of a revolver with a silencer on it. The people outside the stables paused for a moment, then continued to move forward. Cap's screams and sudden rush for the rake distracted Rainbird only momentarily.But the blink of an eye was enough.Rainbird's muzzle jerked from Andy's head to Cap; it was just a subconscious movement, as quick and sharp as a tiger looking for food in the jungle.But it was his sharp instincts that killed him, and made him fall off the tightrope he had walked for so long. In the blink of an eye, Andy instinctively made a quick effort.When the gun was turned on Garp, he yelled at Rainbird, "Jump!" and fired with all his might.His head ached like it was being torn apart, as if it had been hit by fragments of a bullet.He felt something crumble inside him, crumble irrevocably. "Finally ruined," he thought.He staggered back a few steps, the entire left half of his body was numb, and he could hardly stand on his left leg. Rain Bird put his hands together and jumped down from the loft above his head.He had a very surprised look on his face, but he still held the gun.Even when he fell hard to the ground.He was still gripping the gun tightly as he lay on his stomach with a broken leg; he groaned uncontrollably in pain, but he still didn't drop the gun. Cap had rushed under the hose and was beating it with the rake.His mouth was wriggling, but no sound could be heard—just foam. Rain Bird raised his head with difficulty, his hair fell down and covered his face.He jerked his hair away from his eyes.His one-eyed gaze was compelling, and the corners of his mouth twitched in pain. He raised his gun and aimed it at Andy. "No!" Charlie snapped, "No!" Rain Bird pulled the trigger, and a puff of smoke rose from the hole in the silencer.The bullet exploded near Andy's head, and the shrapnel cut several bloody holes.Rain Bird propped himself on one arm and pulled the trigger again.Andy's head jerked to the right, blood spurting from the left side of his neck. "No!" Charlie screamed again, covering her face with her hands, "Daddy! Daddy!" Rainbird's supporting arm slumped; sharp shrapnel sank into his palm. "Charlie," he murmured, "Charlie, look at me." The people surrounding the stables stopped at this moment in bewilderment. "That girl," said Jules, "we've got to get rid of her—" "No!" came the girl's scream from inside, as if she had heard Jules' plan.Then there was a burst of exclamation: "Daddy! Daddy!" Then came another shot, much louder this time.Suddenly there was such a flash of light within that they had to cover their eyes; and the heat billowed from the open stable door, and those who stood by it staggered back. The heat was followed by smoke—smoke and flashes of fire. Charlie ran to her father.Panicked, her mind was in turmoil.When Rain Bird called her, she actually turned to him.He lay there on his stomach, trying to keep his hand on the gun." It was unbelievable that he was smiling. "Look at me," he said hoarsely, "let me see your eyes. I love you. Charlie. " He pulled the trigger. The power that had been accumulated in Charlie's body for a long time spewed out frantically, completely out of control.As it rolled toward Rainbird, it vaporized the buckshot that would have been in her head. For a split second, it seemed that a gust of wind was tearing at Rainbird's clothes—and Cap behind him—just a gust of wind.But it wasn't just the clothes that were torn; it was the flesh itself.First to be shredded.Melted like suet, then burned from already.darken.Rolled away on charred bones. For a moment the blinding glare blinded her and she heard nothing but the neighing of the horses in the stable, frightened mad.At this time, she smelled smoke. "Horses! Those horses!" she thought, feeling her way through the blinding light.This is her dream.Not exactly the same, but it was her dream.For a moment, she seemed to be back at the Albany airport: still a little girl, two inches shorter than she was now.Ten pounds lighter, and more innocent than she is now; she goes from booth to booth with a shopping bag she picks up from a dumpster, "pushing" the slot phones, and the coins pop out of the slots. Crash down... She tried to gather her thoughts, wondering what she should do.She almost subconsciously performed the exercises again. A gust of hot wind swept along the L-shaped stable.One by one the stable doors fell down, belching smoke, twisted and twisted in the heat. The heat swept over the bodies of Cap and Rainbird, sweeping through masses of smoky logs.The planks, crashing like cannonballs against the back wall of the stable.The wall exploded with a bang, and fragments fanned out in all directions for at least sixty yards. The agents of "Ita" had already stepped back, otherwise they would have fallen to the ground and died like being machine-gunned.A guy named Clinton had his head decapitated by a whirling plank; a man next to him was split in two by a beam that flew through the air like a propeller.An agent who had one ear chopped off by a piece of smoking wood didn't realize what was going on for ten minutes. The encirclement of "Ita" members collapsed.Those who couldn't run began to crawl outside.Only one person did not escape for the time being. His name was George Sedaka, and he and Jaminson had intercepted Andy's request for help in New Hampshire.Sidaka is now only at Ita base for a short stay before going on a mission to Panama City.At this time, the person to his left was lying on the ground moaning, and to his right was the hapless Clinton. Sidaka himself was miraculously untouched.The debris all flew around him.A sharp, deadly hook landed just four inches from his feet, digging into the floor and burning red. The back wall of the stables looked like it was covered by six.Seven barrels of dynamite exploded; collapsed.The burning beams formed a black hole about twenty-five feet in diameter.A large compost heap behind the house had absorbed most of the energy of the terrible heat as it rushed out of the stable; at this moment the compost burst into flames; Orange flames shot up to the hay-stacked attic, where the horses were whining and neighing.It was a scene of hell on earth. Sidaka suddenly felt that he couldn't hold on anymore. It's a far cry from hijacking an unarmed postman on a secluded country lane. George Sidaka holstered the gun, turned and began to run for his life. Charlie didn't understand what was going on, she was still groping. "Papa!" she cried, "Papa! Papa!" Everything is like a ghostly shadow.The scorching air mixed with choking smoke and flames came head-on.The barn latches had melted, and the horses were kicking hard at the open barn door.Several horses had come running from the collapsed back wall. Charlie knelt down and groped her father.The galloping horse flashed past her, like a dream in the dimness. A flaming rafter fell from the roof, sending sparks flying and igniting some haystacks in the attic.At the narrower end of the L-shaped stable, a thirty-gallon tractor was detonated by high temperature, making a dull explosion. Charlie crawled out on hands and feet like a blind man.The galloping hooves were inches away from her.Suddenly, a galloping horse brushed past her and brought her to the ground. Her hand touched a shoe—"Daddy?" she whimpered, "Daddy?" He's dead, she's sure he's dead, everything is dead; the world is burning; they killed her mother, and now they're killing her father. Gradually, she saw things around her, but everything was still dim.Waves of heat hit her.She worked her way up his leg to the belt, then ran her fingers lightly across his shirt, feeling a burst of damp heat.Sticky stuff. It's still flowing.She was so frightened that she could no longer move her fingers up. "Daddy?" she cried. "Charlie?" It was just a low hoarse guttural sound...but it was him.His hand touched her cheek, stroking her weakly, "Come here, lean... get closer. She snuggled up to him obediently. Gradually, she saw his wound clearly in the gray smoke." His face. The left side of his face was twisted downwards, and blood was pouring out of his left eye. It reminded her of the morning they had woken up at the Hastings Glen Hotel. "Daddy, this sucks," Charlie swallowed, and began to cry. "There's no time," he said. "Listen, listen, Charlie!" She leaned over him, bitter tears dripping down his deformed face. "It's inevitable, Charlie...don't waste your tears on me. But no!"No! " "Charlie, shut up!" He snapped: "Now they want to kill you, do you understand? This is not a game. The mask has been torn off. He murmured from the corners of his twisted mouth, "Don't let them get away with it, Charlie."Don't let them cover up all this filth.Don't let them say...it's just a fire..." His slightly raised head suddenly went limp, panting heavily.Through the dim light and the crackling of the flames came a slight sound from outside.Senseless gunshots... Then came the neighing of the horses. "Dad, don't talk... take a break... "No time." He propped himself up slightly on his right arm, looking directly at her.Bright red blood flowed from both sides of his mouth, "If possible, you have to escape, Charlie." She wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth with the skirt of her clothes.Behind her, flames were approaching. "Get out if you can. If you have to kill people who stand in your way, Charlie, kill them. This is a war. You need to make them understand that they are waging a war." His voice He lowered his voice, "Get out if you can, Charlie. You have to get out for me, understand?" She nodded. Overhead, another rafter fell, sending orange sparks flying.A wave of heat like a blast from a furnace rolled over them.Sparks splashed across her skin like shiny, hungry worms. "You're going to—" He coughed up a mouthful of thick blood, uttering the words with all his might—"You're going to make it impossible for them to do anything like this again. Burn it, Charlie. Burn it all. " "Dad one by one" "Let's go now. Don't wait for everything here to blow up.  … "I can't leave you," she whimpered in a helpless, trembling voice. He smiled and pulled her closer, as if he wanted to whisper something in her ear.But he said nothing and kissed her. "—Love you, cha—" He took his last breath. Don.Jules temporarily assumed the role of commander.At first he believed that sooner or later the girl would come out into their shooting range.Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished. When the people standing in front of the stables saw the tragedy behind the house, Don Jules knew he couldn't wait any longer.Otherwise, he might not even be able to control the people around him. So, he led his men forward...but the expressions on their faces had become serious and tense.They understand that this is no longer an easy hunt. Suddenly, figures flashed through the gate of the stable.She was coming out—the ITTA agents raised their guns; two pulled the triggers without even seeing anything.But—but it wasn't the girl who came out; it was six horses.eight horses.Ten... Their horse coats were on fire, foam was spraying from the corners of their mouths, and their eyes were crazy with fear. Jules' men opened fire.In the extreme tension, even those who could have kept their composure shot along with their companions.It was a massacre.The front knees of the two horses gave way, and they fell to the dust; one of them whined.The crimson blood gushed out under the brilliant October sky, staining the grass. "Stop!" Jules yelled. "Stop shooting! Fuck! Don't hit those goddamn horses!" He was literally ordering the sea to ebb.With the siren blaring in their ears, the smoke and flames billowing in front of their eyes, and the deafening explosion of the tractor in the stable—then they finally had a moving target, how could they not shoot? ? Two horses lay dead in the grass, another in the driveway.Three more horses rushed straight towards the four or five people on the left in extreme panic.The men quickly retreated to both sides, but still did not stop firing.One of them stumbled and was trampled under the hooves of the galloping horse. "Stop!" Jules snapped. "Stop! Stop—stop shooting! Fuck, stop shooting, you fools!" But the massacre continued.His men loaded bullets with expressionless faces.Like Rain Bird, many of them are veterans from Vietnam.Now, they seem to have returned to the battlefield filled with gunpowder.Only a few people put down their guns.Five horses lay dead or wounded.A few horses were lucky enough to break out of the encirclement, including the handsome Tianshi.Its tail was raised high, waving in the wind like a battle banner. "That girl!" Someone shouted, pointing at the stable door, "That girl!" But it's too late.The horses distracted them.When they suddenly came to their senses and turned around, and saw Charlie's thin figure exuding a breath of death, the billowing flames had covered the sky like a spider's web. You killed those horses, you beasts, Charlie thought angrily.Her father's words echoed in her ears again: If you have to kill people who stand in your way, Charlie, kill them.This is a war.You want them to understand that they are waging a war. Yes; she was determined to make them understand that they were waging a war. Several people started running for their lives.Charlie shook her head slightly, and a tongue of flame quickly spread out, engulfing three of them.They fell to the ground, convulsed with pain, and let out piercing screams. Something whistled past her ear.It's Don Jules.He was aiming at her with the gun he brought from the guardhouse... Charlie hit him—a heavy one.deadly force. Jules flew backwards suddenly, as if hit by a shell, he was no longer a person, but a burning fireball. Everyone started running for their lives, just like at Menders Farm, and it deserved it.You deserve it, she thought. She doesn't want to kill.That hadn't changed, but when they made her do it, when they blocked her way, she stopped hesitating. A garage door slams open and an armed Cadillac rushes out.The hood was wide open, and a person's head and upper body poked out.He doubled up on the roof of the car and fired at Charlie with a submachine gun in his arms. Charlie turned toward the car and fired at it.The gas tank of the car exploded with a bang, and thick black smoke engulfed the rear of the car; the exhaust pipe flew into the air like a javelin. But before that, the gunman's head and torso had turned into a pile of charred carbon; the special tires had turned into molten rubber. The out-of-control car continued to rush forward, constantly deformed in the burning, and looked like a mine. The secretaries escaped like a colony of ants from the house where she and her father had been imprisoned.She could have consumed them all in flames--and there was a corner of her heart that wanted to--but she forced herself to divert that force and directed that power to the house--where she and her father was forcibly detained... It was also there that Rain Bird betrayed her. Charlie looked around in a daze again, looking for the target to destroy.Smoke rose from several places—the two handsome manor houses.The stables, and the sedan. Even standing on the open ground, she still felt the aggressive heat wave. But the power within was still growing, and it wanted to get out—it had to, or it would be forced to destroy its master. 'Charlie didn't know what terrible outcome would end up happening.She turned and walked up the avenue leading to the outside of the Ita base, and came to the double-layer grid.People are flocking to the grid in utter panic.Some places on the power grid have been short-circuited, and some people crawled out from these places.Police dogs surrounded a young woman in a yellow loose dress.She was screaming like hell.Charlie's father's cry came again, as if he was still alive and standing beside him: Enough, 'Charlie!' Enough! Stop while you still have control! But can she? She's off the grid) begins a desperate search for what she needs while desperately trying to keep that energy in her body under control.At this time, it began to spread aimlessly around, spinning crazily on the lawn. Can't find anything.Can't find anything but— That goose pond. Oja was crawling out, and no dog could stop him. He escaped from the house when others began to surround the stable.He was terrified, but not panicked enough to rush desperately onto the grid.Hiding behind the thick, twisted trunk of an old elm, he watched the carnage in full force.He waited patiently after the little girl shorted the grid.Wait until she walks away from the grid.When he was looking at the house that had been burned into ruins by her, he rushed towards the power grid, his right hand tightly grasping his "Chasing Wind". When part of the power grid completely lost power, he flipped over and jumped among the scurrying dogs.Two dogs rushed towards him.He took aim and shot at them with his left hand holding his right wrist.Dogs are a headache, but Chaser is even worse.Those two dogs were all sent to dog heaven, and went there to enjoy a beautiful errand. A third dog pounced on him from behind, tore open his trouser legs, took a large chunk off the left side of his hip, and knocked him to the ground.Oja turned around and blocked the dog's attack with one hand, while holding "Wind Chaser" tightly with the other hand, he hit the dog desperately with the handle of the gun.He shoved the muzzle cleanly down the German shepherd's throat as the dog tried to bite his throat.Oja pulled the trigger.There was a muffled gunshot from the dog's mouth. Oja stood up slightly, laughing hysterically.The gates of the outer grid are no longer live, and even the gatekeepers are gone.Oja tried to open the gate to the outer grid.At this time, many people crowded up and squeezed him to and fro.The rest of the dogs backed away, growling.Some of the other surviving agents drew their pistols and took aim at the dogs, and discipline returned—the armed men stood roughly in a circle; the circle surrounded the unarmed secretaries, analysts, and engineers. Oja slammed on the gate with all his might; but to no avail.It has been automatically turned off like everything else.Oja looked around in a daze, not knowing what to do.At this time, a man who looked like a guard appeared at the door; of course, you can escape without the presence of others; but now there are more witnesses around. If the crazy girl let any of them go... "You have to turn over!" he yelled.But his voice was drowned out by the noise, "Turn over, damn it!" Still no one paid any attention to him.Everyone just hugged tightly at the gate, looking numb and extremely panicked. Oja grabbed hold of a woman huddled beside him. "No no—no!" she cried. "Turn over, you bastard!" Oja roared, and lifted her up with his hands. She finally started to climb up. Others followed suit.The inner grid is still smoking, and some sparks pop out from time to time in some places.A fat man (Oja recognized him as a cook in the catering) had crashed into the two-kilovolt power grid.His body was trembling, his feet were kicking wildly on the lawn, his mouth was opened wide, and his cheeks immediately became charred. A German hunting dog suddenly jumped at a young man in a lab coat and bit him on the leg.One of the agents quickly fired at the dog, but missed and wounded the young man in the arm instead.The poor young experimenter fell to the ground with his arms folded.He rolled and rolled, screaming for the Virgin Mary.The moment the dog was about to bite the young man's throat, Oja raised his gun and shot him dead. What a mess, Oja groaned.Oh!God, everything is messed up. A dozen or so people are climbing over the gates of the grid right now.The woman Odja had lifted had climbed to the top.She flipped over the grid and fell to the ground with a scream.The door was too high—nine feet high.那女人因为落地姿势不对，摔断了胳膊。 哦，上帝耶苏啊，真是一塌糊涂。 扒在大门上，他们看上去就像是在海滨新兵训练营中受训的一群疯子。 奥贾伸长脖子回头望去，想看看那小姑娘是否会追上来。如果她跟来，那么这些人就只能自己救自己了；他本人可是要马上爬过大门跳出去，然后逃之夭夭了。 就在这时，一个分析员喊道：“上帝啊——” 突然一阵嘶嘶声大作，淹没了他的声音。奥贾事后回忆说，当时他联想到的第一件事就是他祖母煎鸡蛋的声音，只不过这声音要比那大一百万倍，仿佛是一群巨人决定同时煎鸡蛋似的。 嘶嘶声越来越大。突然，位于两栋房子之间的鹅塘上升起一片白色水雾，将原本平静的水面从人们的视野中隐去——大约十五英尺见方。中间有四英尺深的池塘沸腾了。 刹那间，奥贾看见了恰莉。她站在离池塘大约20码远的地方，背对着那些如丧家之犬仓皇逃命的人群。接着，一团水雾吞没了她瘦小的身形。嘶嘶声仍然不绝于耳。白色的雾气飘过绿色的草坪，”金秋灿烂的阳光投射在那棉絮般的水雾上，映射出道道眩目的彩虹。白色水雾翻滚着涌向四方。那些逃亡者们像苍蝇一样扒在电网上，胆战心惊地回头张望着。 如果这里没有足够的水会怎样？奥贾突然想到。如果没有足够的水去浇灭她那熊熊烈焰会怎么样？会发生什么样的惨剧？ 奥维尔·贾明森可不打算呆在这里看个究竟。他早就过够英雄瘾了。他把“追风”塞回肩套，疾步冲上大门。他干净利落地翻过大门跳了下来，落地时就势一蹲，在他旁边，那位摔断胳膊的妇女还在痛苦地呻吟着。 " “别再哼哼咖卿的了。活命要紧，快跑吧。”奥贾对她说完，马上就将自己的话付之了行动。 恰莉孤零零地站在白色的水雾世界中，将自己体内那股能量源源不断地送入鹅塘。她竭尽全力与其抗争着，试图削弱它。结束它。那力量的生命力看起来似乎无穷无尽。不错，她现在控制住了它——仿佛通过一条看不见的管子，它正快速地倾入池水； 但是如果在她将全部能量发泄出去之前，水已被蒸发干净，那又会发生些什么呢？ 不要再毁灭了。她情愿在它造成更大伤害之前将其收回体内，哪怕这会毁了她自己。 （回去！回去！)终于，她感到那力量减退了……放松了，已不再那样强烈。 浓浓的白色水气笼罩了一切，空气中飘着淡淡的洗衣店里的味道。她已看不见池塘中嘶嘶作响的巨大水泡。 （回去！） 父亲的影子依稀来到眼前，她的心重新被刺痛：死了；他死了；她再也见不到他了。悲痛使她体内那股力量进一步减弱。现在，嘶嘶声终于开始减退。大团大团的水汽从她身旁威武地翻滚而过。头顶上，太阳就像一枚失去光泽的银市。 我改变了太阳，她的脑海中猛然蹦出这个念头。不一不是真的——那是水蒸汽在作怪一一那雾——它就要被吹散了一突然，她内心深处明白了：如果她愿意，她确实是可以改变太阳的……只要有足够的时间。 这毁灭的力量只是接近了它现在的极限。 这只是冰山的一角。它潜在的毁灭力量还未被启用。 恰莉跪倒在草地上，失声痛哭——哀悼她的父亲。哀悼所有被她杀死的人。甚至也包括约翰。或许雨鸟想做的本是她最好的出路。但即使面对着父亲的惨死，面对着这大屠杀后的惨景，她依然能够感觉到自己对生命的渴望——一种坚韧。默默的渴望。 于是——或许也是最重要的一她开始为自己哀悼。 恰莉将头埋在双臂间，也不知自己在草地上坐了有多久，虽然有些令人难以置信，但她仍觉得自己刚才似乎睡着了。不管过了多长时间，当她醒来时，太阳已经有些西斜，而且也比刚才明亮了许多。沸腾的池水冒出的蒸汽已被轻风吹散。 恰莉慢慢地站了起来，环顾四周。 首先映入眼帘的是那鹅塘。它已经变得很浅……非常地浅。 只剩下几小片水洼在阳光下无精打采地闪烁着，就像是放在光滑的池塘底部的几块玻璃宝石。肮脏的莲叶和水草散落池底，就像是腐蚀了的珠宝；有些地方的池泥已经开始变干结块。恰莉看到了落在泥水中的几枚硬币和一个生了锈的东西——看上去像是把长匕首或割草机的刀片．池塘边的草坪已全部被烤焦。 伊塔基地死一般地沉寂；只有大火猛烈的僻啪声才会偶尔打破这宁静。父亲曾告诉她要让他们明白他们是处在一场战争中； 而现在残留下来的废墟看上去确实像一个废弃的战场。马厩。谷仓和池塘北侧的房子都在熊熊燃烧。池塘南侧的那所房子已经变成了一堆冒着烟的垃圾；它看上去就像遭受了一枚重磅燃烧弹或二战时V2火箭的袭击。 草坪上横七竖八地分布着烧焦变黑的螺旋型痕迹，仍然冒着黑烟。那辆武装轿车已被烧毁，连它下面的土地也已变得焦黑。 它看上去已不再像是辆轿车，而只是一堆没用的废铜烂铁。 情况最糟的是电网。 内层电网里横七竖八地躺着大约六具尸体。两道电网之间散布着另外两三具尸体，再加上几条狗的死尸。 恰莉梦游般朝那个方向走去。 草坪上，一些人在走动——并不很多。其中两个人看见她走过来吓得连忙闪了开来。其余的人看上去似乎并不知道她是谁。 也不知道她就是这一切厄运的制造者。像所有死里逃生的人一样，他们还没有从震惊中恢复过来。 恰莉开始吃力地爬上内层电网。 “我要是你，才不会那么干呢。”一个穿着白大褂的人转过头对她善意地劝道，“如果你那么做，狗会抓住你的，小姑娘。” 恰莉没有理睬他的话。幸存的警大们对她咆哮着，但却没敢靠近——看来它们也已吃够了苦头。她小心翼翼地开始往外层电网的大门上爬去。她双手紧紧抓住电网，将脚尖儿仔细地插入菱形的网眼中。她爬到顶部，慢慢地翻了过去。接着，她同样小心翼翼地爬了下来。半年来，她第一次踏上了不属于伊塔的土地。 有一刻儿，她就那么静静地立在那里，仿佛被惊呆了。 我自由了。她有些麻木地想道，自由了。 远处响起了凄厉的警笛声。那声音越来越近。 那个摔断胳膊的女人还坐在离已经空无一人的警卫室大约20码的草地上。她看上去就像一个已经累得站不起来的胖小孩。 她的嘴唇有些发蓝，眼睛像受惊的小动物一样闪着惊俱的光芒。 “您的胳膊。”恰莉嘶哑地说道。 那女人抬起头来看见了恰莉——而且立刻认出了她。她一边挣扎着想躲开，一边害怕地哭了起来。“不要靠近我。”她结结巴巴地嘶叫着，“全都是因为他们的试验！全都是因为他们的试验！ 我不需要任何试验！你这女巫！女巫！ " 恰莉停下了脚步。“您的胳膊。”她说，“对不起，您的胳膊，我很抱歉。您能原谅我吗？”她的嘴唇又颤动起来。她已几乎不能忍受这女人的惊恐、她疯狂转动着的眼睛和她嘴唇的痉挛。 “请原谅我！”她哭喊道，“我很抱歉！可他们杀了我爸爸！” “本该把你也一起杀掉。”那女人喘息着说道，“如果你真的感到这样内疚，那你干吗不把自己也烧死呢？” 恰莉朝前走近一步。那女人尖叫着向后挪去，再次碰痛了自己受伤的胳膊。 “别过来！” 刹那间，恰莉所有的心痛。悲哀和愤怒都化为一声大吼。 “这一切并不是我的错！”她冲那女人怒吼，“所有这一切都不是我的错；他们是自作自受，这并不怨我；而且我也决不会把自己杀死！你听到了吗！听到了吗！” 那女人嗫喏着向后退去，吓得缩成一团。 The sirens were getting closer. 随着自己情绪的激动，恰莉感到体内的那股力量再次升腾起来。 她竭尽全力将它逼了回去。 （我也不会再这样干了)她转身离开那抖成筛糠似的女人，穿过大路朝前走去。远方是一片田野，长满齐腰深的牧草。在十月份的阳光照耀下，草地已不再是一片葱绿，而是泛着银灰色的光芒。 （我要到哪里去呢？） She doesn't know yet. 但她决不会让自己再被抓住。