The Warriors Read Online Free PDF

on the edge of the highway that cut through the Park watching for the signal from theguide on the other side, who kept a lookout for cars. When there was a lull, he gave Benny the word by blinking his flashlight. Then Benny directed the waiting men across. He squatted behind a clump of bushes, staring into the unbroken blackness for the signal. Behind him crouched six delegates from the Morningside Sporting Seraphs, potent and deadly, with a fine war record. Their faces shone a little under the lamplight from the road. They wore big, bulky caps slewed off to one side. One of them looking at the arcs of July Fourth fire springing up in the blackness around them, and listening to the explosives, said, “Man, wouldn’t this be a good time for them to come down to kill and drop that old A-bomb? I mean boom; but good. No one even notice.”
    â€œMan, you’re too stupid. You see nothing, you hear now? Nothing. You dead before that boom finished. Like that. Boo-dead-oom. Maybe quicker.”
    â€œWell, what do I care? Serve them right.
All
the mothers would get it. I mean all them others, and us, we’d be in the same boat. Some show. Man, wouldn’t you like to see that old bomb?”
    â€œ
You
wouldn’t see it.”
    â€œWell, maybe for one second, like. Some rumble. Boom, man.”
    â€œMan, you something else. Stupid.”
    The flashlight across the road blinked. Benny passed the word and the Seraphs kicked off, bent and weaving, running furiously, bodies horizontal, knees kicking, holding imaginary rifles like movie soldiers. They were across, gone, and into the darkness in two seconds. Benny waited for the next group to move up. Beyond the bush-clump, cars hissed by, their headlights stabbing at the back of the bush.
    Arnold and his Family were led through the dark land. Arnold brought up the rear, guarding against a sneak attack. Theysquelched across a little muddy turf—it had been raining a few days ago—and Hinton stepped cautiously; where would he get money for another pair of shoes? Lunkface protected his hat against the branches. Hector kept brushing his clothes. It was unfamiliar here, and frightening. The effect of the drink was wearing off and they were jumpy and irritable.
    The runner turned them over to Benny and went back to get the next detachment. Benny turned around and saw Hector. Now Benny had trouble with Hector when they both lived in Ismael’s territory. That was a long time ago when they were both bopping tots. He was startled when he saw Hector; he owed Hector something hard. Hector, in turn, thought he owed Benny a little man-to-man. Benny was tough. He never gave ground to any man but his officers; that came under the heading of discipline and did not detract from manhood. But now was not the time; this was not the place.
    They faced one another. Benny had to look away for the signal. Lunkface, who was closest, recognized what was happening and laughed, sneering at Benny’s face-loss. The lull in traffic came. Benny waved them on. Hector didn’t move; he knew Lunkface had seen it. Papa Arnold stepped out a few feet on the highway, but came back. Lunkface watched them carefully.
    â€œMan. You. Move,” Benny told Hector. “You want to ruin everything? You want to bring the troopers down?”
    Hector started to go, but Lunkface put his hand on Hector’s shoulder to hold him. And so Hector said, “Who tells me to move? No one tells me to move. When I’m ready, man, then I move.”
    â€œYou’re holding up the operation,” Benny told him. Even if Hector was going to sound him and demean his manhood in front of the others, Benny had made up his mind to take it. There would be time to settle things later. He was a man and the big part of his manhood now consisted in being one of Ismael’sArmy. That meant discipline and taking lip when you had to, for hadn’t everyone in the land heard of Ismael? Benny saw it