Four Summoners Tales Part 76

A sudden scream of unbearable intensity ripped through the earbud and into my head. It hit me like a punch, as if it were coming from an inch behind me.The shriek was male but piercingly, insanely loud. The shock knocked me forward onto my knees and I clawed at the bud, tearing it out of my ear.

All the while the boy stared at me, his face twisted into a grimace that almost looked like a smile.

The scream instantly stopped.

Just like that.

But it seemed to echo faintly inside my head. My eyes teared up and my nose was running. I pawed at my face and the back of my hand came away slick and wet. And red.

I gagged and coughed dark blood onto the sand.

The boy was still standing where I'd told him to, but he touched his face beneath the rippling scarf. There was a weird look in his eyes. Like he was smiling. Or crying. I couldn't tell.

Behind me, off somewhere at an incalculable distance, I heard other voices. Men's voices. Not screaming.Yelling.

Calling my name.

I swung my rifle around on its sling and brought it up as blood continued to pour from my nose.

"Cowboy!" called a voice that was m.u.f.fled and distorted. "Cowboy, on your nine. Friendlies. Lower your weapon."

I turned to my left to see Top and Bunny coming toward me. Both of them had their weapons in their hands.Top's was pointed up to the sky and he held out his other hand in a calming no-problem gesture. Bunny's barrel and eyes were both pointed at the small boy.

"Freeze!" he yelled, and through the pain and disorientation in my head I thought that was strange. The boy hadn't made a move, though now there was no expression except fear in his eyes.

Top pushed my rifle barrel aside as he knelt in front of me.

"Where are you hurt?" he said, asking me the same question I'd asked Finn.

I touched my nose.The bleeding had stopped.

"Jesus Christ," I snapped, "what the f.u.c.k was that scream? Was that Finn?"

Top blinked. "Scream?" he asked.

"Yeah, that G.o.dd.a.m.n scream. You telling me you couldn't f.u.c.king hear it?"

Top's dark gaze roved over my face. "Didn't hear nothing, Cap'n," he said. "Just you yelling."

I turned to Bunny. "What'd it sound like to you?" "Yeah," said Bunny, "I heard you scream, boss."

"No," I snapped. "Not me. Over the mic."

Top shook his head. "Radio's dead."

We stared at each other and then we turned and looked at the kid. Bunny still had him at gunpoint and the kid looked terrified. Bunny told the kid to open his robes, and when it was clear the kid wasn't wearing a C4 vest, Bunny stepped cautiously toward the boy and took a long reach to pull the scarf away from his face.The kid's face was badly burned. Not sunburned, either. Flash-burned. He had some kind of gray clay caked over his nose. Maybe a local pain remedy.

"You okay, kid?" asked Bunny gently.

The boy said nothing.

Bunny patted him down and pushed the kid toward where I knelt. "He's clean, boss."

Top helped me to my feet and the whole world did a drunken jig for a moment, but I stood still for a few seconds and it pa.s.sed. Then I leaned on Top and together we staggered back to where Finn lay in a semiconscious stupor.

He raised his head as we approached. "I thought I heard something," he said in a muzzy voice. He sounded like someone who'd just woken up after a heavy nap.

Top cut a look at me and I gave him a tiny shake of my head.

"It's all quiet on the western front," I told Finn. "But we have a visitor, so maybe we can get some answers to-"

As I spoke, Finn looked past me to where Bunny stood with the boy.

His eyes snapped wide and a look of total horror wrenched its way onto Finn's face. He threw himself backward, raising an arm to shield himself from the sight of the kid.