again.
"There's a plane coming in tonight," Kelly told Tooley. He saw a fat centipede skitter along the floor, near the end of the bunker. It gained a shadowed wall and disappeared, probably on its way to the ceiling. He wondered if there were anything clinging to the ceiling just above his own head.
The pacifist looked at the zombie and then at the major, and he said, "Do you think they would take him back where he can get good medical attention?"
"You know what they'd do with him, even if they did agree to take him. They'd open the bay doors and dump him out at twenty thousand feet"
Tooley winced.
Kelly looked around at the patients, back at Nurse Pullit and Lily Kain who were engaged in an animated conversation about the nurse's new pumps. Pullit kept pointing to his combat boots and making odd gestures. "Tooley, I didn't come to the hospital bunker to look in on the patients. I came to see only one person."
Tooley nodded, smiling. "Lily Kain, sir. Gorgeous jugs!"
"Not Lily," Major Kelly said.
Perplexed, Tooley scratched his head. "Nurse Pullit?"
"Not Nurse Pullit. Why would I come to see Nurse Pullit?"
"Nurse Pullit's got pretty good legs," Tooley said.
"Not Nurse Pullit," Major Kelly said. He wiped the back of his neck, which was sweating, and he finally glanced up at the low ceiling. In the dim circle of light from the nearest bulb, there were no centipedes over him.
"Kowalski, sir?"
Kelly looked dumbly at the pacifist. "What about Kowalski?"
"Is that who you came to see, sir?"
Kelly frowned. "No, Tooley. I came to see you."
"Me?" Tooley was genuinely surprised and pleased. "Well, this is nice of you, sir. I can't offer much in the way of entertainment, but-"
"Tooley," Kelly said, lowering his voice even further, his words hissing like sandpaper along the concrete ceiling, deadened by the dirt walls, rattling on the corrugated tin, "you're the only one I can trust. I know you wouldn't turn informer and leak information to the krauts, because you don't want to see either side win."
"Through force," Tooley amended. "I want us to win, but I don't really believe in force."
"Exactly," Kelly said. "But someone has been leaking information to the krauts, and we have to find out who he is."
Tooley nodded soberly. "You think this informer might have come to me, since I'm an avowed pacifist-might have thought of me as material for a second subversive in the camp."
"That's it."
"He hasn't," Tooley said. "But if he does, I'll let you know right away, sir."
"Thanks, Tooley," Major Kelly said. "I knew I could depend on you, no matter what everyone says about you."
Tooley frowned. "What does everyone say about me?"
"That you're a chickenshit pacifist."
"I'm a pacifist all right. But where do they get the other part of it, do you think?"
"I wouldn't know." Kelly said. He got up, scanning the ceiling for centipedes, pulling his collar tight around his neck. "Anyway, keep your eyes open for any unusual- incidents."
"Yes, sir."
Kowalski suddenly dirtied his pants.
----
7
Crickets worked busily in the darkness, telegraphing shrill messages across the flat, open runway area toward the trees which thrust up on all sides. The crickets, Major Kelly was sure, were working for the Germans.
The sky was overcast. The clouds seemed like a roof, lighted from behind by dim moonlight, low and even, stretched across the land between the walls of the forest. Occasionally, heat lightning played along the soft edges of the clouds like the flash of cannon fire.
At the eastern end of the runway which Danny Dew had gouged out with his big D-7 dozer, Major Kelly, Beame, and Slade waited for the DC-3 cargo plane. They stood close together, breathing like horses that
"There's a plane coming in tonight," Kelly told Tooley. He saw a fat centipede skitter along the floor, near the end of the bunker. It gained a shadowed wall and disappeared, probably on its way to the ceiling. He wondered if there were anything clinging to the ceiling just above his own head.
The pacifist looked at the zombie and then at the major, and he said, "Do you think they would take him back where he can get good medical attention?"
"You know what they'd do with him, even if they did agree to take him. They'd open the bay doors and dump him out at twenty thousand feet"
Tooley winced.
Kelly looked around at the patients, back at Nurse Pullit and Lily Kain who were engaged in an animated conversation about the nurse's new pumps. Pullit kept pointing to his combat boots and making odd gestures. "Tooley, I didn't come to the hospital bunker to look in on the patients. I came to see only one person."
Tooley nodded, smiling. "Lily Kain, sir. Gorgeous jugs!"
"Not Lily," Major Kelly said.
Perplexed, Tooley scratched his head. "Nurse Pullit?"
"Not Nurse Pullit. Why would I come to see Nurse Pullit?"
"Nurse Pullit's got pretty good legs," Tooley said.
"Not Nurse Pullit," Major Kelly said. He wiped the back of his neck, which was sweating, and he finally glanced up at the low ceiling. In the dim circle of light from the nearest bulb, there were no centipedes over him.
"Kowalski, sir?"
Kelly looked dumbly at the pacifist. "What about Kowalski?"
"Is that who you came to see, sir?"
Kelly frowned. "No, Tooley. I came to see you."
"Me?" Tooley was genuinely surprised and pleased. "Well, this is nice of you, sir. I can't offer much in the way of entertainment, but-"
"Tooley," Kelly said, lowering his voice even further, his words hissing like sandpaper along the concrete ceiling, deadened by the dirt walls, rattling on the corrugated tin, "you're the only one I can trust. I know you wouldn't turn informer and leak information to the krauts, because you don't want to see either side win."
"Through force," Tooley amended. "I want us to win, but I don't really believe in force."
"Exactly," Kelly said. "But someone has been leaking information to the krauts, and we have to find out who he is."
Tooley nodded soberly. "You think this informer might have come to me, since I'm an avowed pacifist-might have thought of me as material for a second subversive in the camp."
"That's it."
"He hasn't," Tooley said. "But if he does, I'll let you know right away, sir."
"Thanks, Tooley," Major Kelly said. "I knew I could depend on you, no matter what everyone says about you."
Tooley frowned. "What does everyone say about me?"
"That you're a chickenshit pacifist."
"I'm a pacifist all right. But where do they get the other part of it, do you think?"
"I wouldn't know." Kelly said. He got up, scanning the ceiling for centipedes, pulling his collar tight around his neck. "Anyway, keep your eyes open for any unusual- incidents."
"Yes, sir."
Kowalski suddenly dirtied his pants.
----
7
Crickets worked busily in the darkness, telegraphing shrill messages across the flat, open runway area toward the trees which thrust up on all sides. The crickets, Major Kelly was sure, were working for the Germans.
The sky was overcast. The clouds seemed like a roof, lighted from behind by dim moonlight, low and even, stretched across the land between the walls of the forest. Occasionally, heat lightning played along the soft edges of the clouds like the flash of cannon fire.
At the eastern end of the runway which Danny Dew had gouged out with his big D-7 dozer, Major Kelly, Beame, and Slade waited for the DC-3 cargo plane. They stood close together, breathing like horses that
Similar Books
Viscous Circle
Piers Anthony
Shadow Hawk
Jill Shalvis
The Last Collection
Seymour Blicker
A New Toy
Brenda Stokes Lee
djinn wars 01 - chosen
Christine Pope
The Seventh Day
Joy Dettman
The Disenchanted Widow
Christina McKenna
Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series)
Raine Thomas
A Bond of Brothers
R. E. Butler
Not First Love
Jennifer Lawrence