Endless Night Part 68

"Sorry."

"It must be pretty bad, or you wouldn't be down there on the floor."

"Good point. On the other hand ... how bad can it be ... if I'm conscious ... and chatting with you?"

"You weren't conscious, though."

"Nope. Out like a light. One of 'em caught me in the noggin."

"Oh, G.o.d."

"It's not so bad. Went through my hand first. By the time it hit my head ... My hand isn't in such great shape, but ... Two wounds for the price of one, huh?"

"What about the others?" Jody asked. "He shot you six times."

"That many? d.a.m.n."

He went silent.

"Dad?"

"Doing an inventory."

"And?"

"Don't know, honey. Only got five holes here. And the one ... got me twice. Guess he missed a couple of times."

"How could he miss at that range?"

"Trying for head shots? That'd figure. b.a.s.t.a.r.d thought he was hot... stuff."

"He did awful good."

"Till he ran up against me."

"Guess he didn't shoot you in the ego."

"The one place he missed."

"You aren't gonna die, are you?"

"What time is it?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Sure hope Sharon comes ... straight over after work."

"She will."

"She better."

"She's in love."

"Think so? With me?"

"Definitely."

"Yeah?"

"And you know it."

"She's some gal, huh?"

"A phenomenon."

"Yep. Exactly."

"You're pretty good, too."

"Yep."

"A phenomenon."

"I sure pulled your b.u.t.t out of the fire."

"Just barely," Jody said.

"Barely's just fine. I'll ... settle for it." Suddenly, he gasped as if surprised by a new stab of pain.

"Dad?"

"Oooo."

"Are you okay?"

"Not very."

"Oh, G.o.d. Can you last till Sharon gets here?"

He didn't answer.

"Dad? Dad!"

"Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"I think I hear a siren."

Jody strained her ears.

And she heard a siren.

And the distant, faint cry of it was growing louder.

"Maybe somebody heard the shots," she whispered.

They both went silent.

After a few seconds, Dad whispered, "Is it coming here?"

"Sure sounds like it."

Not far away-near enough to be on the street in front of their home-brakes shrieked and the siren died.

Jody heard two doors thud shut.

"Let's have a great big cheer for the good guys," she said.

"Hope they've got strong stomachs," Dad said.

"Yeah. What if Sharon's first through the door?"

She expected Dad to make a crack. She'll have to clean it up. Or, Hope she doesn't get any on us.

Instead, he said, "That'd be great."

"Yeah," Jody said. "Guess it would be."

RICHARD LAYMON.

Richard Laymon is the author of over 30 novels and 65 short stories. Though a native of Illinois and a long-time Californian, his name is more familiar to readers in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, as well as much of the rest of the world, where he is published in fifteen foreign languages. He has written such acclaimed novels as To wake the Dead, No Sanctuary. Island, Among the Missing, One Rainy Night, In the Dark, and Bite. The Traveling Vampire Show won a Bram Stoker Award for Novel of the Year in 2001. Two of his earlier novels (Flesh and Funland) and a short story collection (A Good, Secret Place) previously had been nominated for Bram Stoker Awards as well.

Check out the Richard Laymon Kills! website at www.rlk.cib.net.

Other Leisure books by Richard Laymon:.

BODY RIDES.

BLOOD GAMES.

TO WAKE THE DEAD.

NO SANCTUARY.

DARKNESS, TELL US.

NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER.

ISLAND.

THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS (anthology).

IN THE DARK.

THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW.

AMONG THE MISSING.

ONE RAINY NIGHT.