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Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_39_-_Watersleep Ryan pulled Doc upright, trying to get him to stand on his own two feet, while J.B. staggered over and wrapped an arm around Doc's waist. The old man's body continued to thrash and contort as he struggled for survival. "He hasn't gone limp yet, and that's a good sign," Ryan said as he gripped the edges of the dying bloodsucker's anterior end that still clung to Doc's face. He hesitated, not knowing just how tightly the leech had attached itself. The creature had dozens upon dozens of tiny, needle-sharp teeth, and all of them were buried in Doc's flesh. Ripping the leech away might save Doc's life but disfigure him per-manently. "Do it," J.B. said, sharing Ryan's thoughts. "Bet-ter alive and ugly than dead and pretty." Ryan begin to tug, hoping he wasn't going to pull away most of the old man's face. Unfortunately the leech proved to be annoyingly true to its name. Even after the beast's death throes, the now slack creature refused to let go. "No good. I'm going to pull his eyes right out of his head like this," Ryan said. "I'll have to cut it off." He peered intently at the join where the blood-sucker's skin met Doc's and gave himself a quarter-inch margin for error. The tip of the honed blade of the panga slid into the bloodsucker, and Ryan pulled the blade down. More of the creature's red life's fluid poured out, coating his hands and upper arms. The coppery smell of fresh blood hung in the air like a sodden blanket. Ryan knew the new color was Doc's blood, sucked out by the parasitic beast. He had cut away half of the leech's head when it finally let go, the evil teeth releasing their hold. The one-eyed man peeled the rest of the sagging mess of grue back from Doc's pale white face like a gory death mask. "Thank you!" Doc gasped, sucking in a chestful of air. The dead-fish pallor of his skin was offset by an almost perfect red ring from chin to forehead where the attaching teeth of the bloodsucker had bit. He coughed in between gulps of air. file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...%20-%20Deathlands%2039%20-%20Wa tersleep.html (63 of 275) [12/29/2004 9:10:15 PM] Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_39_-_Watersleep "Can you walk?" Ryan asked, glancing at the river water. "We've got to get out of here before more of these bastard leeches show up." Doc didn't say anything, but his body did the talk-ing for him as he stepped forward and headed for shore. J.B. spied the lost boot half floating, half submerged behind Doc. He snatched it up, pouring out the water that had collected inside as he and Ryan followed the old man as quickly as they dared. "THERE IS NO SAFE HAVEN," Doc whispered, all of the fight sucked out of him along with what Mildred guessed to be over two pints of blood. "Not true. Safe haven was at the riverbank. You're the one who left it to go splashing around the water, and look what it got you," Mildred replied as she cleaned the deep wound on the upper part of his left foot. "This will take a little longer to heal than your average abrasion, and this rain isn't going to help. Page 35 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Bloodsucking leeches produce a chemical called hirudin. It prevents the blood from thickening and makes it easier for the leech to " "I get the picture, Dr. Wyeth," Doc said weakly. "Your words and terminology paint a most disturbing portrait." "How soon before he can walk?" Ryan asked. "Now if he wants to. He may look like hell, but there's no real damage to keep him off his feet. I wouldn't recommend a long march until he's had some sleep and a chance to build back his blood sup-ply, but he's good for a while. I had some antiseptic to clean out where the leech attached to his foot and face. Luckily the teeth on his face didn't go deep. Those marks should fade soon without any scarring." Looking at Doc's bandaged foot, Dean held a men-tal picture of the wound beneath the gauze and sup-pressed the urge to vomit. If he had any say-so in his lifetime again, the boy knew he would never venture into another swamp. They were triple-bad luck. Mildred pulled a dry sock onto Doc's injured foot and over the bandages the file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...%20-%20Deathlands%2039%20-%20Wa tersleep.html (64 of 275) [12/29/2004 9:10:15 PM] Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_39_-_Watersleep extra pair had been squir-reled away by Dean in a pocket. Although too small for Doc's long feet, the donated hosiery had the ad-vantage of not being sodden. J.B. assisted Mildred with pulling on Doc's long boots. Using their shoulders as a brace, the older man pulled himself to his feet. Krysty handed Doc the sil-ver lion's-head swordstick, and he began to hobble around. "Funny seeing Doc use stick for walking 'stead of sticking," Jak commented. "Good as new?" Krysty asked hopefully. "Not hardly, but I am not ready for the scrap heap of the broken-down bodies and minds of the elder folks' home as of yet, madam," Doc replied, balanc-ing himself carefully and holding up his injured ankle. "The good Dr. Wyeth has managed to patch my hide yet again, and for that, I am grateful." J.B. was peering around the grassy jungle. He turned and waved Ryan over to where he was stand-ing. "See something?" Ryan asked, holding his blaster in a defensive position. "Through this murk?" J.B. replied sourly, taking off his glasses and glaring down at the rain-streaked lenses. "Not much. Glad we're not under attack by some marauders right now. Chopping up mutie leeches under my nose is one thing, but I'd hate to have to try and aim my blaster at something smaller than a barnyard door." "So, what did you want?" Ryan said. "You're fac-ing in the wrong direction. I don't feel like backtrack-ing." "Glance over there to the right, back a little from where we came," the Armorer replied. "I can't be sure without my glasses, but I believe there's a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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