Chapter 29 Chapter 19 Contest of Wisdom 1

1 When Ben's story was over, everyone wanted to continue, but Mike said they should go to bed. "But we're not done yet," Eddie said. "What about the rest of the story? I still don't remember—" "That's right, Mike said," Bill interrupted. "We'll always remember. We'll remember everything when we need it." "Maybe that's good for us." Richie agreed. Mike nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow." He looked at his watch and said, "Today is too late." "Right here?" Beverly asked. Mike shook his head slowly. "I suggest we meet in Kansas. Right where Bill used to hide his bike."

"Then we'll go to Banron," Eddie said, feeling a sudden shudder. Mike nodded again. Everyone looked at each other and fell into silence.After a while, Bill stood up, and then the rest of the group also stood up. "You all have to be careful tonight," Mike said. "It's been here; it's going anywhere you've been. But this party makes me feel better." He looked at Bill. "I said it'd make trouble, didn't I, Bill?" Bill nodded slowly. "Yes. I think so." "It knows it," Mike said. "It won't miss any chance."

"So what should we do when it appears?" Richie asked, "Pinch your nose, close your eyes, turn around three times, and think of a good idea? Spray some magic dust on its face? Or sing a song?" An old Elvis song? What the hell?" Mike shook his head. "If I could tell you it wouldn't be a problem, would it? All I know is that - there's another force - at least when we were kids - that wants us to live , to get that job done. Maybe it's still there." He shrugged, a sign of boredom. "I thought two, or at most three of you, would be gone, missing, or dead before the party tonight. Seeing you gave me new strength."

Richie looked at his watch. "A quarter past one. Time flies when you play, doesn't it? Haystacks?" "Beep, Richie." Ben's smile was pale. "Would you like to come with me to Dribbin. Bing, the hotel? Beverly?" Bill asked. "Okay." Beverly put on her coat.The library seemed very silent now, frighteningly gloomy.Bill suddenly had a feeling that he was being watched. "Maybe I'm not here at all," he thought. "It's just my hallucination." "How are you? R-R. Ricky?" Richie shook his head. "I want Haystack and Eddie to take me home." He looked at them both and said, "Right, buddy?"

"Of course," Ben said.He glanced at Beverly, who was standing beside Bill, and felt a long-forgotten pain in his heart. "How are you, Mike, Mike, Mike?" Bill asked. "Wanna go with Beverly and me?" Mike shook his head. "I still have to—" Beverly screamed, and the scream pierced the oppressive silence, echoing through the library hall like laughter. Bill turned and Eddie's hand trembled and knocked a glass to the floor. Beverly stepped back, her hands outstretched, her face pale, and her eyes seemed to bulge out. "My hand!" she screamed, "My hand!"

"What—" Bill didn't finish his sentence, and saw blood slowly flowing down from Beverly's trembling fingers.Just as he was about to move forward, he felt pain in his hands. The pain was not strong, just like the dull pain of an old injury. The scar that had reappeared on his palm in England burst open and began to bleed.He glanced sideways and saw Eddie staring stupidly at his hands, which were also bleeding.So did Mike, Richie, and Ben. "We're coming to an end, aren't we?" Beverly finished, crying.The cry was very loud in the silent library.Bill felt he would go crazy if he listened to it any longer. "My God! We're going to die," she sobbed, blood dripping onto the floor.

"Quick, quick, quick!" Bill grabbed Eddie's hand. "what--" "quick!" He held out his other hand, and Beverly took it. "Yes." Mike muttered. "Right? It's starting again, isn't it? Bill? All this will happen again. " "Yes, yes, yes. I, I think—" Mike took Eddie's other hand, and Richie took Beverly's other.As if in a dream, Ben waited for a while, then stretched out his bloody hand and stood between Mike and Richie.All the people held hands and formed a circle. (This is the "exorcism" ritual, and the turtles can't help us)

Bill wanted to yell, but no sound came out.Everyone is struggling, and their expressions are very funny.The library door opens and closes suddenly and frantically; the books in the periodical reading room fly like a whirlwind; Carol.The typewriter in Danner's office kicked into action on its own, typing a few lines: he pumped his fist and insisted he saw a ghost. He pumped his fist and the keys of the typewriter twisted together and hissed. Bill felt empowered.Every strand of his hair stood on end.The power of the circle is unbelievable. All the doors closed at the same time. The grandfather clock behind the desk in the inspection office started ticking again.

Everything is back to normal. Everyone let go of their hands, looked at each other, and no one spoke.As that feeling wore off, Bill felt that terrible sense of doom again.He looked at his hand, the blood was still there, but the wound had healed, leaving only a faint white mark.That's what Stanley Ulis scratched their hands with a fragment of a Coke bottle in 1958.That was the last time the 7 of us were together... Stanley is no more; he is dead.This will be the last time the 6 of us will be together.I can feel it.I know. Seeing Foley leaning against him tightly, trembling unceasingly.Bill put his arms around her.All eyes were on Bill.

"Enough." Bill's voice was hoarse. "Enough entertainment tonight. Let's save some for our next party." "I remember." Beverly looked up at Bill. "I remembered everything. My father found you and ran away. Bowers and Chris and Hudgens. How I ran. The tunnel...and the birds...it... I remembered everything .” "Yes," Rich said, "me too." Eddie nodded. "The pumping station—" And Bill said, "And what about Eddie—" "Go back." Mike interrupted him. "Take a break. It's too late." "Come with us, Mike," Beverly said.

"No. I still have to write something... the details of the meeting. It won't be long. Let's go." They walked out of the library door. The sky over Derry was cloudy.On the empty streets, low smoke floated.At the end of the street stood the Derry Hotel in the darkness.Their footsteps seemed to be getting louder and louder.Beverly's hand reaches out and Bill grabs it. "It's going to start before we're ready," she said. "I, I, will we be, ready?" "You've always been ready, Big Bill." Suddenly there was a surge of passion in him.I love you, Beverly...I love you.Ben loves you...he loves you.We love you...that's all we can do.There is no other way out. He glanced behind him.I saw Richie and Ben standing on the steps of the library half a block away.Ben's hands were in his trouser pockets; through the faint smoke, he seemed to be 11 again. "My father knew," Beverly said suddenly. "He knew the day I came home from Barron. Did I ever tell you what he said when he got angry?" "what?" "'I'm worried about you, Beverly. Very worried,' that's what he used to say." She laughed, shivering. "I think he's going to hurt me, Bill. I mean . . . he's hurt me before, but the last time was totally different. He . . . seems totally different. I love him. I love him a lot. But -" She looked at Bill, perhaps wishing he would have a word for her.But he can't.She can only speak for herself.Sooner or later, lies and self-deception are useless. "I hate him too." Her hand was twisting. "I've never told anyone before. I thought God would kill me if I did." "Then say it again." "No, I—" "Say it, it's always better than keeping it in your head. Say it." "I hate my dad." After saying that, Beverly began to cry helplessly. "I hate him, I'm afraid of him. I've never been able to live up to his standards and be a good girl. I hate him, but I love him too." Bill stopped and hugged her tightly.She hugged Bill tightly too, tears wet his neck.Bill sensed a ripe, plump body; he tried to move away a little, but Beverly hugged him tightly again. "We played there all morning," she said, "hide-and-seek or something. We didn't even talk about it that day, at least that would be... We would talk about it every day, but not that day. Remember?" "Yes," he said, "I remember." "It was so hot...we played all morning. I got home around 11:30. I wanted to take a shower, have a sandwich and a bowl of soup; then go out and play. Both parents should be there that day Worked. But he was there. He was at home." 2 As soon as Beverly stepped into the door with one foot, she was thrown in at once.With a shriek, she hit her shoulder hard against the wall and fell back into the old couch. She looked around in panic.The front hall door snapped shut, and her father stood behind it. "I worry about you, Beverly," he said. "Sometimes I worry a lot. You know that. I told you, didn't I?" "Dad, what—" He walked over slowly, pinching the knuckles of his right hand thoughtfully, with a heartbroken expression on his face. Suddenly her eyes fell on his muddy shoes.Black mud.Her thoughts flew to Ban Lun at once.The swamp next to Ban Lun Bamboo Forest was covered with black mud, exactly like the one on his feet.Did father go there?Could it be—"Crack!" His hand drew an arc in the air and hit her hard in the face.Beverly's head hit the wall suddenly, and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. "I think you're grown up now," he said darkly, with his hands on his hips. "Dad, what did you say?" Beverly's voice was trembling. "If you lie to me, I'll beat you half to death, Beverly." His eyes were not on Beverly, but on the painting on her head--that frightened her so much. "I...I'm not going to lie, Dad," she said. "What's going on?" Her eyes were blurred with tears. "You went to Barron with a bunch of boys?" Her heart jumped up suddenly, and her eyes fell on his muddy shoes again. "I go there sometimes—" "Snapped!" The hand came down again mercilessly.Beverly cried out, feeling terrified.One is because of his dead face, and the other is because he doesn't look at her at all.There must be something wrong with him.He was getting worse and worse... what if he wanted to kill her?If—(Forget it, Beverly, he's your father and fathers don't kill their daughters) Is he out of control?If—"What did you let them do?" "What—" She didn't know what he meant. "Take off your pants." "what why?" His hand was raised again, and she recoiled. "Take off your pants, Beverly. I want to see if you're a virgin." Such a scene immediately appeared in front of Beverly's eyes.She was naked and kept jumping on the ground, while he beat her with a belt and yelled fiercely: "I know you are not a virgin! I know! I know!" "Dad, I don't know what—" His hand dropped, but this time it was not a palm, but a fist.The fist hit her shoulder with the sound of wind.Beverly cried out.He grabbed her up and stared straight into her eyes.He... is not her father, but it!Beverly suddenly understood that she was alone with it!It occupies the will of the father! He slammed her off the coffee table and rolled off onto the floor. "I'm going to tell Bill," she thought frantically, "to show him that it's everywhere. It takes up every inch of Derry." She rolled on the ground.Her father walked towards her, and she dodged back quickly. "I know you've been there," he said. "I've been told. I don't believe it yet. I can't believe my Beverly is with a bunch of boys.But this morning I saw it with my own eyes.Fuck with the boys! "He roared and kicked Beverly in the thigh, causing her to scream in pain. He howled like a dog defending its bones: "Not yet 12 years old!"Not yet 12 years old!Not yet 12 years old! " He kicked again, and Beverly scrambled to dodge. Now they have reached the kitchen.His shoes hit the drawer under the stove, and the pots and pans inside rattled. "Don't try to run away from me, Beverly," he said. "Don't try to do that, or you'll be miserable. Trust me. Trust your dad. Fool around with boys, under 12. God only knows what will happen. "He grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her to the ground. "I saw you were still smoking!" As he said that, he slapped Beverly so hard that he hit the dining table, and all the salt and pepper on it fell off. "Dad, we were just playing. Really. We were just playing...we...didn't do anything bad. We—" "I saw you smoking." He walked over while talking.His eyes wandered to Beverly's slightly developed chest and arms, and he muttered like a middle schooler: "Gum-chewing girls smoke! Smoke girls drink! Drink girls, everyone knows what to do! " "I didn't do anything!" Beverly yelled frantically as his hands fell on her shoulders.His hands were gentle—which frightened Beverly even more. "Beverly." No doubt he was completely troubled by a mad logic. "I saw you with those boys. What would you do in a place like that without hanging out with those boys?" "Let me go!" Beverly's anger finally burst out.He's been threatening her; he's been humiliating her; he's been hurting her. "Leave me alone!" "Don't talk to your dad like that." He sounded startled. "I didn't do the things you said! Never!" "Maybe. Maybe not. I'll check it out. Pants off." "No" His eyes widened. "What did you say?" "I said no." Beverly's eyes were burning with anger and resistance. "Who told you that?" "Beverly—" "Who told you we were out there? A stranger? A man in a silver suit with orange buttons? Did he wear gloves? If he wasn't a clown, would he look like one? He What's your name?" "Beverly, he's trying to stop—" "No, you want to stop it." Beverly's tone became more and more tough. He waved his hand again, a fist this time.Beverly ducked away.The fist flew over her head with the sound of the wind and hit the wall.He let go of her with a howl, and quickly put his fist to his mouth.Beverly ran out several steps at once. "you come back!" "No," she said, "you want to hurt me. I love you, Daddy, but I hate you for the way you are. You can't do this anymore. It made you do it, but you let it in." "I don't know what you said," he said, "but it's better to come back. I won't ask you any more." "No," Beverly said, crying again. "Don't let me go over you, Beverly. You'll regret it. Come over to me." "Tell me who told you," Beverly said, "and I'll go." He jumped up extremely nimbly. Although Beverly was prepared, she was almost caught.She fumbled for the kitchen door, then opened a crack she just passed and ran out towards the front door.She ran as fast as she could after 27 years to run away from Mrs. Kess. Behind her, Al.Marsh slammed the door with a bang, and it slammed shut. "Come right back! Beverly!" He howled, opened the door again, and chased out. The front door was locked and she came back by the back door.She opened the door lock tremblingly with one hand, and grabbed the handle with the other and turned it vigorously.Behind her, her father howled again, like a wounded beast. The door finally opened.She glanced back and saw that he had rushed over, with a smug smile on his face. Beverly jumped out, only to feel his fingers slide down her back.She staggered, lost her balance, fell on the cement road, and scraped her knees. "Come back immediately! Or I'll take your skin off!" He walked down the steps, and Beverly got up hurriedly. He is no longer the loving father who once braided seven-year-old Beverly's pigtails and made her custard on Sundays.There was only evil in his eyes.Outright murder. it's there. Beverly ran up, and the neighbors around were alarmed.Mr. Pascoll, who was watering the garden, raised his head in astonishment. Mrs. Denton looked out from the room on the second floor. 3-year-old Lars was pulling his little toy car and playing in the backyard.When he saw Beverly run by with her father howling and chasing after him, little Lars burst into tears.He saw 7 Al.Mr. Marsh's fierce, inhuman face.For the next 3 weeks, he would have continuous nightmares-he saw Mr. Marsh turned into a big spider in human skin. Beverly knew she was running for life.If her father caught her, no one would answer.The resident of Derry sometimes does crazy things; she doesn't need a newspaper, she doesn't need a history book to know.If he caught her, he would kick and beat her until he killed her.When it was all over, he was caught and thrown into prison; he would wonder about it afterwards, like Edward.Like Concrete's father. She ran toward the city center, passing many people.They were all amazed—first by her, then by her father, who was chasing after her—and some even stunned. But they didn't do anything.They still do what they have to do.Beverly only felt her breathing getting heavier and heavier. She ran across Canal Street and then suddenly across Main Street, ignoring the honks and brakes of the cars.Ben Lun was in that direction—but a mile away, and he could surely catch her. "Come back! Little bitch! I warn you!" She turned to a small alley.He was getting closer and closer.The alley turned to the left... Beverly stopped suddenly and opened her mouth wide.The road ahead was blocked by a truck full of garbage.The trucks were so close to the walls on either side that it was impossible to get past them. She heard him approaching.Beverly threw herself down and crawled under the garbage truck.There is also litter scattered underneath.The stench of garbage and diesel made her want to throw up. "Beverly? Are you down there?" Beverly turned her head and saw his evil eyes under the truck. "Stay away from me!" she cried desperately. "Bitch!" he yelled, fell down and crawled towards her. Beverly held her breath and crawled out desperately.She didn't think much, and flew into another alley in the middle.It is said to be an alley, but in fact it is so narrow that it cannot be called an alley at all.At the end of the alley was an iron fence.Beverly rolled over like a monkey, ran down the path to Derry Seminary, and then went around the grass behind.The Seminary and Kansas Avenue were separated by a tall fence.Peeping through the gap, Beverly saw her father standing at the end of Kansas Avenue, looking around. The keychain on his belt gleamed in the sun. Beverly watched, her heart beating so hard that it almost jumped out of her throat. Suddenly her father came slowly towards the seminary. Beverly's breathing stopped. God!I can't run anymore.Help!Don't let him find me! Al.Marsh walked slowly along the sidewalk--passed where Beverly was hiding. God!Don't let him smell me! He didn't—maybe because he'd just crawled under a garbage truck, too, and smelled awful too.Beverly watched him walk back until he was out of sight. It took Beverly a long time to recover.Her clothes were covered in garbage and she was in terrible pain.She didn't dare to think about going home, and she didn't dare to think about not going home.She had offended her father, challenged him--she had to push those thoughts aside.Thinking about it only made her weaker and sicker.She loves her father.But he was no longer himself, no longer her father.Actually, become a different person - it.Suddenly her whole body became icy cold: what if this happened to other people too?or something like that? She should have warned them.Maybe because they hurt it, it took more drastic measures.Also, where can I go?They are her friends.bill.Bill will know what to do.Bill would tell her what to do. She came to the end of the fence and looked around.Her father had really gone.So she came out and walked down Kansas Avenue toward Barron.Maybe none of them are there now; they may be at home for lunch, but they'll be back.She's going to the club to recuperate for a while.She wants to sleep for a while.She is so tired. She walked listlessly, completely unaware that Henry, Beltz and Victor were following her not far behind.Belz and Victor grinned, while Henry was serious. Throughout the summer, Henry walked step by step on the narrower and narrower single-plank bridge. Below the bridge is a bottomless abyss.When he left Patrick that day, the single-plank bridge had become a thin rope.This morning he walked out to the yard in just a pair of shorts and looked up at the sky.That ghostly moon from last night is still there.As he watched, the moon suddenly turned into a smiling face like a skull.Henry fell to his knees and fell to the ground, his whole body filled with terror and joy.The ghost's voice came from the moon, and at times it seemed to be muttering almost incomprehensibly to him...but he understood.The voice made him tell Beltz and Victor to wait on Kansas Avenue and Castro Street at noon, and that he'd know when the time came. Now, this little slut showed up out of the blue, and now they were getting closer and closer to her. Henry waited for the voice to tell him what to do.The sound came not from the moon, but from the sewers they passed through.The sound is low, but very clear. "Kill her!" Beltz and Victor stared at the sewer, almost in a state of obsession, and then looked up at Beverly. Henry Powers drew a switchblade from his pocket.He pressed the spring with his hand, and the 6-inch blade jumped out.Henry walked faster and faster.Victor and Beltz were surprised, and followed closely. Beverly really didn't hear them.Henry bent his knees and moved quietly like a cat. 3 Derry Public Library / 1:55 AM Mike.Hanlon put down the pen in his hand and looked towards the lobby of the library.He sees everything as it is. But he believes that he is not alone here, not just himself. After everyone left, Mike tidied up the table carefully, swept the floor, then walked into the periodical reading room and picked up the scattered magazines.The stories they told kept filtering through his mind.They believed they had remembered everything; he thought Bill and Beverly had pretty much that, but there was more to it.They'll remember more...if they're given time.In 1958, they had little chance to prepare, they just kept talking—except for the stone fight and the adventure at 29 Neibert Street—and maybe ended up talking too.Then on August 14, Henry and his gang chased them into the sewer. Maybe I should have told them earlier.He thought, putting the last magazine back in its place.But there was a voice vehemently against the idea—he thought it was the voice of a sea turtle.Perhaps they should repeat it one more time, closing the cycle.He had the torch and the miner's helmet ready for tomorrow; and the blueprints for Derry's sewerage pipes were kept in the little storage room.But what will be the result?Everything is unpredictable. Mike originally planned to pack up and go home to sleep, but after packing up, he still didn't feel sleepy, so he took out his notebook and went back to the table where they had the meeting.Sitting down at the table, he thought to himself how strange his notes were: part history, part rumor; part diary, part confession.He hadn't taken notes for 3 days since June 6th, and now he has to make up.He paused, looked at the empty library, and began writing what had happened in the past three days—starting with the call to Stanley Ulis. He wrote in silence for 15 minutes, and then his train of thought was slowly interrupted.Stanny's bloody head that fell out of the refrigerator kept appearing in front of his eyes. He looked up suddenly.He had a feeling - he was being watched. He put down his pen and stood up. "Is anyone there?" he called.His voice echoed in the library.He licked his lips and called, "Bill...Ben?" Bill er er... bean er er... Mike suddenly felt that it was time to go home and take only his laptop.He reached out to pick it up... He heard a slight sound of footsteps sliding. He looked up again.There are only some shadows that the lights don't reach.Nothing else...at least he couldn't see it.His heart was beating violently. The footsteps sounded again.This time he figured out the direction—it was coming from the corridor connecting the adult library to the children's library.someone. Mike quietly came out from behind the reception desk. Slowly he saw a pair of shoes appear - and the cuffs of the worn jeans above them.Looking up, about 6 feet or so, he saw a pair of twinkling eyes. Mike groped backwards on the table and grabbed a letter opener.He held on tightly, staring down the gloomy corridor. The footsteps were getting closer.An ape-like thing with disheveled hair appeared in front of Mike. "Who are you?" The ape didn't move. Mike was very scared.Was Stanley Ulis summoned from the grave by the scar on his palm?wrong.It couldn't be Stanley.His tallest is 5.7 feet. The ape took a step forward.Under the dim light, seeing the figure appearing in front of him, Mike suddenly understood. "Hello, nigger," said the man, "Still throwing rocks at people? Want to know who poisoned your dog?" Saying that, the man took another step.Where the light hits—the face of Henry Powers flashes.That chubby face looked like he was in his 70s; his two small eyes blinked, revealing a mean look. "What more can you say, nigger?" Henry asked. "Hello, Henry." Mike was vaguely aware that he hadn't listened to the radio or read the newspaper for two days.Very bad. "Voice," said Henry. "Did you hear the voice, nigger?" "What sound?" Mike asked with his hands behind his back. "From the moon." Henry said, putting a hand into his trouser pocket. "Many voices." He frowned and shook his head. "Many, but only one. Its voice." "Did you see it, Henry?" "Yes." Henry agreed. "It was Frankenstein. It tore off Victor's head. Maybe you've heard of it. Then it started chasing Belz. Belz got into a fight with it." "yes"? "Well. That's why I ran away." "You don't care about him, you let him die." "How dare you say that!" Henry's cheeks turned red all of a sudden.He took two steps forward.In Mike's eyes, Henry's face is still as humble as when he was a child. "You can't say that! It would kill me too!" "It didn't kill us." Henry's eyes lit up. "Not yet, but it's about to move. But it depends on how many I have left for it." He took his hand out of his trouser pocket, and added a switchblade.He pressed the spring and the blade jumped out.Immediately afterwards, he quickly walked over to the reception desk. "The man in the moon told me." He grinned, showing his teeth. "There's an old chap. Hit him. Kill him. In the Derry sewers, I saw my old knife." "You're forgetting something, Henry." Henry just shook his head. "We escaped, and you escaped. If it wants our lives, it must want yours too." "Won't." "I think so. It's killed two of your old friends, and only you got away. Now you're back. It wants to kill you too, Henry. I really do." "no!" "Maybe you saw Frankenstein. Or a werewolf? A vampire? A clown? Or, Henry! You'd actually see what it looked like, Henry. We did. Want me to tell you? Want me—" "Shut up!" Henry screamed and rushed over. Mike stepped aside and stretched out a leg.Henry tripped and fell to the ground, hitting his head heavily on the table leg.Almost unconscious for a while. At this point Mike could have just slammed the letter opener in Henry's fragile neck, killed him, and then reported to the police-violence was completely permitted in a wicked place like Derry. But Mike suddenly realized: killing Henry is tantamount to letting Henry kill himself, which also makes his plot succeed.And part of Henry's depravity is that he grew up in a wicked family. So Mike didn't do anything, he just squatted down, trying to grab Henry's knife.The blade was turning in his palm, and blood flowed out. Henry regained his strength and snatched the knife back again.Both stood up, facing each other.The blood on Henry’s nose was also falling down. "I knew you were cunning!" he yelled hoarsely. "You're a fucking coward! You've never been aboveboard!" "Put the knife down, Henry," Mike said quietly. "I'll call the police. They'll take you back to jail. Get out of Derry and you'll be safe." Henry wanted to say something, but stopped talking.He couldn't tell this nigger he wouldn't be safe anywhere.Sooner or later that moon will rise, white as bone and cold as snow.And then those voices would come too, and the moon's face would become its own, muttering and laughing and giving orders. "You've never been aboveboard!" "Are you?" "You fucking nigger nigga black charcoal bastard!" Henry screamed wildly and rushed over again. Mike flashed over quickly.Henry's bulky body lost his balance.He hit the table again; but then he turned and grabbed Mike's arm sharply.Mike took the letter opener and swiped it, hitting Henry on the forearm.Henry screamed in pain, but he still didn't let go of Mike's arm; on the contrary, he held it tighter.He pulled Mike's arm hard, swung the knife and rushed over.Mike couldn't dodge in time, and the blade plunged into his thigh all at once. Mike flicked desperately, and swung the letter opener again.The knife tore through Henry's shirt and left a gash in his ribs.Then Mike pushed him hard. "Nigger!" growled Henry, "look what you've done!" "Put the knife down, Henry," Mike said as calmly as possible. Suddenly there was a snicker behind them.Henry turned his head...and screamed in horror, covering his cheeks with his hands like a frightened spinster.Mike looked in that direction too.There was only a "pop", and a box appeared on the table, and then the box opened, and a spring emerged, on which was the head of Stanley Ulis.The face was leaden gray, with two large orange buttons in the eyes.The head was quivering on the spring, and it opened its mouth to laugh, "Kill him! Henry! Kill the nigger! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" Mike turned his head back, vaguely realizing that Henry had been fooled.Whose head did he see?Stanley's?Victor's?Perhaps it belonged to his father? Henry roared and rushed over. "Ahhhh, nigga! Ahhhhh! Nigga!" 麦克拖着伤腿，向后退缩着。腿上已经没有知觉，乳白色的裤子现在已经全部被染红了。 亨利的刀刃已经到了他的鼻尖。 麦克向后一缩，把开信刀刺了出去。亨利撞了上去。鲜血一下子沾满了麦克的手。他把手缩了回来——只剩下刀柄。刀刃留在了亨利的肚子里。 “啊啊啊啊！黑鬼！”亨利尖叫着，捂住了伤口。鲜血不住地从手指缝流出来。他睁着不信的眼睛看着自己的手。桌子上那颗头还是发出一阵阵的怪笑。麦克感觉头晕目眩，他回头看了看那颗头颅——现在变成了贝尔茨。哈金斯的头，头上还倒戴着一顶纽约扬基棒球队的球帽。那怪笑变得越来越远，在他的耳边回响。他模糊地意识到自己正坐在血泊里。“如果没有止血带，我只有死路一条了。” “啊啊啊啊！黑黑黑黑鬼！”亨利一手捂着肚子，一只手抓着凸起了刀刃，晃晃悠悠地离开麦克，朝图书馆的门口走去。他东倒西歪，撞倒了一把椅子，摸索着打开了大门，朝黑夜中扎了进去。 麦克的意识正在逐渐消退。但是他努力控制着自己，解下了皮带，系在流血的腿上。眼前的世界变得越来越模糊。他伸出自己的舌头，咬了一口。疼痛让他清醒了许多。 他辨别出流通部桌子的方向，挣扎着爬了过去。电话就在那里。最后他尽力站起身来，抓起了电话。麦克咬紧牙关，拨出了医院的急救号码：555－3711.电话铃声响起，他闭上了眼睛……但是听到一个声音，使他的眼睛突然睁大了。 “你好，黑鬼！”小丑潘尼瓦艾叫着，接着变成了尖利的笑声。 “你想说什么？你干什么？我还以为你死了。我还以为亨利把你解决了。想要个气球吗？你好！” 麦克的眼睛一抬，看见了桌子后面放着的老爷钟。老爷钟的表面变成他父亲无比憔悴的脸。麦克没有丝毫惊讶。突然他父亲把舌头伸了出来；钟声敲响了。 科克抓着桌子的手一软，摇晃着，终于摔倒了。电话听筒也掉了下来，恰好掉在他的面前。 “你好，亲爱的！”小丑的声音还是从晃动着的听筒里传了出来。“难道你不想说点什么吗？孩子？” “如果有人的话，”麦克嘶哑着嗓子说，“如果在我听到的声音后面还有别人的话，请帮助我。我的名字是麦克。汉伦。我在德里公共图书馆。我流血过多快死了。如果你说话，我也听不见。如果你在那里的话，请快点。” 他侧着身子躺在了地上，慢慢地把伤腿移了一下。他抓着裤带，只感觉眼前变得越来越模糊。 “你好，亲爱的，你怎么样？”小丑还在不停地尖叫。“你干嘛，肮脏的黑家伙？” 4 “你好！”亨利说着，“你好吗？贱货！” 贝弗莉立即做出了反应，转身就逃。但是她的长头发妨碍了她——亨利一把抓住它，又把她拖了回来。他对着贝弗莉笑着，热乎乎的臭气喷到了她的脸上。 “怎么样？”亨利问她，“你去哪儿？回去跟你的朋友鬼混？我想我得割下你的鼻子，让你吃掉。喜欢吗？” 贝弗莉用力挣扎，亨利抓住她的头发来回扯动。刀子在8月的阳光下闪烁着寒光。 突然响起了汽车喇叭声。 “喂！你们干什么？放开那个小姑娘！” 说话的是一个开着一辆福特汽车的老太太。她正倚着车窗盯着他们。看着她那愤怒的目光，维克多不安地对亨利说：“什么……” “救命！”贝弗莉叫了起来。“他有刀子！弹簧刀！” 老太太的愤怒现在变成了关切、惊讶和害怕。“你们在这儿干什么？放开她！”她厉声尖叫。 此时就在街对面，贝弗莉清清楚楚地看见——罗斯先生从他家门廓的椅子上站了起来。他朝这边望过来，他的脸和贝尔茨的睑一样，都是那么煞白。他叠好报纸，转过身，静静地走进了家里。 亨利咬着牙，突然抱着贝弗莉朝老太太的汽车冲了过去。贝弗莉挣扎着，头皮刀割一样地疼。 老太太尖叫着，疯狂地摇上了车窗玻璃。亨利的刀子刺过来，刀刃从玻璃上划了过去。老太太的脚一踩油门，汽车一下子窜了出去，亨利一脚端出去，踢下了一个尾灯，汽车马上就无影无踪了。 “滚吧！老婊子！” 亨利转过头，朝贝弗莉笑了起来。贝弗莉乘他得意之际，飞起一脚，踢在了他的裆部。 亨利的微笑顿时变成了极度的痛苦。刀子“当”地一声掉在了地上。他双手捂着裆部弓下了腰。 贝弗莉得到机会，转身便逃。 贝尔茨追了两三步，停了下来。他和维克多走到了亨利跟前。 亨利仍然捂着自己的裆部——这个夏天，他的裆部已经不止一次被踢了。 他弯下腰，又捡起了刀子。“……追！”他嘶嘶着。 “什么？亨利？”贝尔茨着急地问。 亨利转过脸来。贝尔茨被他脸上的恼怒和痛苦交织的表情吓得后退了一步。“我说……追！”亨利挣扎着说出来，跌跌撞撞地朝贝弗莉逃走的方向追了下去。 “我们追不上她了，亨利。”维克多不安地说，“还有，你几乎都走不了。” “我们会抓住她的。”亨利喘着粗气。汗水不住地从他的脸上流下来。“我们会抓住她。我知道她去哪儿了。她一定去了班伦，跟她的一帮混蛋朋友在一块。” 5 比尔和贝弗莉手牵着手静静地走着。 “你们是我最好的朋友。”贝弗莉笑着说，“交朋友从来都不是我的强项。尽管我在芝加哥也有一个好朋友。她的名字叫凯。麦考。 我想你会喜欢她的，比尔。 " “也许吧。我也从来不擅长与人结交。”比尔也笑了。他看着贝弗莉鬓角上沾着的小露珠，欣赏着她的样子。贝弗莉的眼睛变得严肃起来。 “我需要点东西。”她说。 "What, what?" “我需要你吻我。” 比尔一下子想起了奥德拉。他头一次意识到奥德拉长得很像贝弗莉。他的心中涌起了一种罪恶感……但是地搂住了贝弗莉，他儿时的朋友。 她的吻坚定、温暖而又甜美，他不由得抱紧了她。她深吸一口气，把她的脸贴在了比尔的脖了上。他感觉到眼泪沾到他的皮肤上，热乎乎的，痒痒的。 “走吧，”她说，“快点。” 比尔拉起了贝弗莉的手，两个人快步走回了德里宾馆。 cheat.欺骗我的妻子。他想要把这个思想从脑海中排除出去，但是却没有办法。他突然想起了自己的家。这个时候，奥德拉也许煮好了一壶咖啡，坐在厨房的小桌边上，正在欣赏诗歌，或者读小说。 他在311房间前面掏出了钥匙。此时如果他们到了5层贝弗莉的房间，他们就会看见电话上贴着一张留言条——那是贝弗莉的好友凯从芝加哥打来的——那么事情的结局就会大不相同。 The door opened.They went in.她看着他，眼睛闪亮，两颊通红，胸口在不停地起伏。他搂住了贝弗莉，一脚踢上了房门；贝弗莉笑了起来，热气喷进了他的嘴里。 6 贝弗莉走到了那座小木桥，朝桥下望去。比尔的自行车“银箭”不在那里。她沿着小路走了下去，回头一望……看见了他们。 贝尔茨和维克多搀扶着亨利站在那里。亨利的脸煞白。他伸手朝她一指，维克多和贝尔茨扶着他从斜坡上走了下来。 贝弗莉一动不动地看着，好像被催眠了一样。突然她反应过来，转回头，飞快地胜过小溪，跑上了小路。她的嗓子发干，腿上的肌肉在不住颤抖。club.如果她能跑到那里，就会安全了。 小路越来越窄，两旁的树枝不停地刷过她的脸颊。最后她向右一拐，到达了一片开阔地。今天俱乐部的伪装门和气窗都大开，里面飘出了摇滚乐。听到她跑来的声音，班恩。汉斯科从里面跳了出来。他一手托着个小收音机，一手拿着一本小人书。 他看看了贝弗莉，张大了嘴。“贝弗莉，究竟——” 她根本用不着回答了。身后不远处她已经听到了刷刷的声音，还有一声声的咒骂，听起来亨利又活跃起来了。贝弗莉一个箭步冲到门口，跳了进去；班恩随后也跳了进去。 “关门，关上窗户！”她喘着气说，“关上一切！快点，班恩！他们来了！” "Who?" “亨利一伙！亨利疯了。他拿着刀子——” 那已经足够了。他放下了自己的收音机和小人书，麻利地拉上了伪装门。门顶上面盖着草皮，伪装得天衣无缝。贝弗莉踮起脚尖，关上了气窗。他们处在了黑暗中。 她摸索着找到了班思，紧紧地抱住了他。过了一会儿，他也抱紧了她。他们都跪在地上。但是贝弗莉突然意识到理奇的小收音机还在响。“班恩……收音机……他们会听见……” 班恩慌张地转过身来，她听见收音机掉到了地上。班恩也开始喘气了。突然喀嚓一声……收音机静了下来。 “我操！”班恩说，“我踩坏了它。算理奇倒霉。”贝弗莉伸手摸着了班恩，抓住他的衬衣，把他扯近了一些。 “贝弗莉，什么——” “嘘！” 他安静了。他们坐在一起，相互抱着向上看。听到他们走近，贝弗莉抓紧了班恩。 “如果他们走进竹林，我们很容易就能找到她。”是维克多的声音。 “他们常来这里玩。”亨利在喷着粗气。“是布格斯说的。那天我们打石头仗的时候，他们也是从这里来的。” “是的，他们来这里打枪、做游戏。”贝尔茨说。 突然贝弗莉和班恩的头顶发出了鸣鸣的声音；伪装门的尘土不断往下掉；掉到了贝弗莉的脸上。两个，或者他们三个都站到了她的头顶——贝弗莉咬住了嘴唇不让自己发出声来。班恩用手盖住了贝弗莉的嘴，他的心揪紧了。 “他们有个地方。”亨利说道，“是布格斯告诉我的。有一个树屋什么的。他们把它叫做俱乐部。” “逮着他们，看他们怎么乐。”维克多说完，贝尔茨哈哈地大笑起来。 Hahaha.他们一定注意到了吧？普通的地面是不会这样的。 “我们到河边看看。”亨利说，“我打赌她会在那里。” “好吧。”维克多说。 嗒嗒。他们移开了。贝弗莉刚舒了一口气……然后亨利又说：“你待在这里，监视这条路。贝尔茨。” “好的。”贝尔茨说完，开始来来回回地走。他一会踏过伪装门，一会又离开；过了一阵，他停了下来，坐到了伪装门上面。贝弗莉的头顶开始咯吱咯吱地响了起来。那扇门只是用来遮盖伪装用的……没有考虑到承受贝尔茨160磅的体重。 “如果他再不站起来，他就会掉到我们腿上。”贝弗莉想着，歇斯底里地抓着班恩，绝望地把脸埋在了班恩的胸前。 “嘘！”班恩小声说，“贝弗莉——” creak.声音又大了许多。 “它能承受得住吗？”贝弗莉小声问道。 “可能吧。如果他不放屈的话。”班恩刚刚说完，贝尔茨真的放了一个屁——声直响亮，持续了至少3秒钟。两人抱得更紧，想笑却又不敢笑。贝弗莉的头疼得厉害，她觉得自己就要噎住了。 接着，她模模糊糊地听见亨利在叫贝尔茨的名字。 “什么？”贝尔茨站了起来。“什么？亨利？” 亨利又叫了一声。贝弗莉只听清了“河岸”和“灌木丛”两个词。 “好的！”贝尔茨吼了一嗓子，终于离开了伪装门。他的脚刚离开，一块木头就掉了下来。 “只能坚持5分钟。”班恩低声说。 “你听见他放屁了吗？”贝弗莉吃吃地笑了起来。 “听起来就像发生了第三次世界大战。”班恩说着，也笑了起来。 他们发泄着自己，疯狂地笑着——尽量小声。 最后，根本没有意识到自己在讲什么，贝弗莉冒出了一句：“谢谢你的诗，班恩。” 班恩的笑声立刻停止了。他严肃而又小心地看着贝弗莉，从裤兜里掏出一块肮脏的手绢，慢慢地擦着自己的脸。“诗？” “徘句诗。写在明信片上。是你寄的，对不对？” “不是。”班恩说，“我没有给你寄过任何的徘句诗。看看像我这么胖的男孩子，如果做出那种事，女孩也许会嘲笑他的。” “我不会嘲笑。我想它写得很美。” “我不可能写出那么美的诗。也许是比尔。不是我。” “比尔会写的。”她同意了。“但是他从来不会写出那么美的东西了。我能用一下你的手绢吗？” 他把手绢递给了她，她开始尽量清洁自己的脸。 “你怎么觉得那是我写的呢？”他忍不住问。 “我不知道。”她说，“我只是凭感觉。” 班恩的嗓子几乎要痉挛了。他看着自己的手。 "I did not mean anything else." 贝弗莉表情严肃地说：“你最好没有。如果是的话，你会把我的一天都破坏了。”他仍然看着自己的双手，然后小声地说：“我的意思是我爱你，贝弗莉，但是我不想破坏你的兴致。”他的声音那么低，贝弗莉几乎都听不见。 “不会的。”贝弗莉抱住了他。“我需要立即得到所有的爱。” “但是你特别喜欢比尔。” “也许是。但是没关系。如果我们长大的话，可能就不一样。但是现在我特别喜欢你们所有的人。你们是我惟一的朋友。我也爱你，班恩。” “谢谢你。”班恩说。他真想看着贝弗莉，把剩下的话说出来：“是我写的那首诗。” 他们一言不发坐了一会儿，贝弗莉感觉很安全。父亲凶恶的脸和班恩的刀子没有那么清晰可怕了。那种被保护的感觉无法言传。 尽管后来她才意识到：那是因为她在一个男性的怀抱里，他愿意为她而死，而且毫不犹豫。 “其余的人快回来了。”班恩突然说，“要是他们被抓住怎么办？” 贝弗莉一下子紧张起来。她想起——比尔今天邀请麦克到他家吃午饭；而理奇和斯坦利一块回家吃三明治；艾迪则答应说要带一块木板来。他们马上就会到来，完全不会想到亨利一伙人正在班伦。 “我们得去找他们。”贝弗莉说，“亨利并不只是追我一个人。” “如果我们出去而他们回来——” “是的，但是至少我们知道他们在这里，而比尔和其余的人却不知道。艾迪甚至跑不了，他们已经打断了他的胳膊。” “好吧。”班恩说，“我们得碰碰运气。” “没错。”贝弗莉看了看手表。尽管里面很黑，但是她模模糊糊地看见现在是一点多了。“班恩……” "what?" “亨利真的疯了。他想要杀死我，其余两个都是帮凶。” “哦，不是。”班恩说，“亨利是疯狂的，但是他不是那种疯。他只是……” “只是什么？”贝弗莉想起了亨利那空洞的眼光。 班恩没有回答，他正在思考。情况已经改变了，对不对？当你置身其中，你就很难看见这些变化。你不得不后退一步去看看清楚……学校放假之后，他一直都怕遇见亨利，但是仅仅是因为他个头大而且老爱欺负人。就那么多。但是当他踢了亨利的肚子后，事情就不同了。先是石头仗，然后亨利把M－80朝他们的头上扔——那样的爆竹足可以杀死一个人。亨利现在变得越来越危险了，而且好像缠上了他们……突然他有一个想法——十分强烈，几乎可以肯定——出现在班恩的脑海中：它正在利用亨利。也许也有其他人，但是是通过亨利利用他们。如果那样的话，亨利随时都敢使用他的对于。 “他们抓我的时候，有个老太太看见了。”贝弗莉说，“亨利追了过去，把她汽车的尾灯都踢了下来。” 这更让班恩震惊了，看来亨利确实是疯了。 贝弗莉看见班恩相信了她的话，心请放松了许多。她不必再告诉他说，看见她挨打，罗斯先生只是拿着报纸走进了家里。她也不想再说，那太让人害怕了。 “咱们去堪萨斯大街。”班恩说着，突然推开了伪装门。“预备跑！” 他站到了开阔地上，四处张望，周围静悄悄的。他能听见肯塔斯基河的流水声，还有鸟叫声以及远处货运场一辆柴油机车突突的声音。这么安静让他有些不安。但是他听不见亨利一伙的声音。 “快点。”他一拉贝弗莉，贝弗莉跳了上来。她也不安地四处张望。 班恩拉起了贝弗莉的手，穿过一片灌木丛朝堪萨斯大街方向跑。“我们最好不走小路。” “不。”贝弗莉说，“我们得快点。” He nodded. "Ok." 于是两个人又跑上了小路，朝堪萨斯大街跑去。