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UNDERGROUND 144
She considered this room in the attic a toy room, primarily because of the small round window through which she could look out like an adult without climbing onto the windowsill. Despite the thick layer of dust and mountains of rubbish, it was very comfortable here. True, she did not quite understand why her mother, who looked here for a minute, called the treasures stored here rubbish. Take this china rabbit and the German compass in the little wooden case she found under a stack of dusty newspapers in a box. A rabbit with a broken ear was clearly a Christmas toy at one time. There were many oddities in the world, but at the age of six you take these oddities for granted. For example, a tear-off calendar on the door showed the exact date - the thirtieth of July, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-six, Monday. She knew it well because, unlike most of her peers, she already knew how to read, and every day she herself tore off a sheet of the calendar from her bed. So someone came in he
UNDERGROUND 145
“She'll put us on the windowsill,” he whispered.She became frightened, but the real horror was driven by the monstrous creak that followed, which became drawn out, like a cow’s lowing, reminiscent of a metallic gnash and thousands of heart-rending screams, such terrible as she had never heard in her life.She wanted to call her mother, completely forgetting that she was at work, but she felt a hand on her shoulder, the smell of milk and cookies, and warm breath. A hoarse childish voice whispered in my ear:- Save us. This time. Save...She looked at him, expecting to see something terrible, but all she saw was a frightened child. She took a deep breath and...***Exhaling, Dasha opened her eyes - she was met by the usual dull pain in her neck from a metal collar with a heavy lock. The eyes had a hard time adjusting to the gloom. She could see only the thick bars, like those in the cage of a traveling menagerie of large animals. The metal screech was getting closer. He already stunned
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– On hold?- Yes, yes, I have recorded that you were found in the subway only on the third or fourth day after everything happened. Where have you been hiding all this time?Dasha shrugged.We were just looking for a way out.– And you never even encountered volunteers?- Volunteers?“Okay, okay,” the doctor smiled, “don’t talk about it. Let's talk about something nice.Why am I here?- You need help.“And can you help me?”- I am sure about that. Moreover, you are young and your body is already helping itself, I see it.- What is your help?– As always: small psychological exercises. If you're ready, we can start right now.- Well I do not know. Will it help?- One hundred percent.- OK then…- Lean back in your chair.Dasha obeyed and felt how the chair began to slowly fall back, and a comfortable shelf appeared under her feet. Now she seemed to be reclining. After tea, it was just wonderful. In addition, her gaze rested on the swaying treetops and a strip of gloomy sky above them.
UNDERGROUND 147
Desperation seized her, without realizing herself, she crawled forward to hide under the table.“Please…” she heard her pitiful voice.She understood that she had become her former self - cowardly and pathetic, like all people, under the power of fear. Her crawling under the high sewing table is nothing more than an instinct, an attempt to hide away from danger that has nothing to do with real salvation.Dirty stains from years of unwashed floor blackened before my eyes. She was afraid to look back.- Are you crying already? It's from an overabundance of imagination. Tears usually start later.She really cried and sobbed like a little girl, unable to cope with fear and stupor.- Don't touch me, please...She was ashamed of herself, and disgusted that she could not keep herself in front of the one she was afraid of. The power of the hated man was disgusting to her, but now she was weak. The shadow behind him vanished for a moment, and something familiar flickered in the dirt on the flo
UNDERGROUND 148
To the right of the corridor there was a closed grate, on the sides there were several doors, as far as Dasha could judge from the layout - hardly leading to the exit. So, there was only the way to the hall.Dasha crept up to the door and looked out through the glass window. She could clearly see the passage to the architect's office, as well as a passage symmetrical to it on the other side and another slightly to the right - there were the same double doors. But she did not like the fact that most of the hall was covered with darkness. Besides, it was only now that she noticed the railings and what looked like an open mezzanine upstairs, which was also covered in darkness. On the one hand, you can hide there, but on the other, when she comes out, she will be in the very epicenter of the light.In any case, you can't stay here any longer. Dasha walked out into the hall, feeling intoxicated with excitement, as if she had done something important and bad, like in childhood when she ran
UNDERGROUND 149
- We all have blue, who has red?- Violet, - the guard behind Dasha took out a card and showed it to everyone, - only the Tiger has the red of ours.- Tiger. The black man chuckled. - Our brother seems to have been promoted, but he doesn’t even know? Oh, Dan, such a serious position, but our Dan is still the same.There were chuckles.“Listen, we don’t have enough people. Two per shift and every other day. Is it my fault that you don't want to work at the fifteenth?“Normal people won’t go there, Dan, you know…”“The butcher has everything under control,” Dan got angry, not noticing how he himself called the Tiger a butcher, “are you coming in?”The black-moustachio looked once more intently at Dasha and slowly shook his head.- See you soon then.Dan pressed the minus fifteen button and exhaled softly: jerks.The doors closed, and Dasha kept thinking about this strange conversation. The Asian she dealt with with the help of a crochet hook and a floor hanger was called either Tiger or
UNDERGROUND 150
She pressed it again, minus two this time. Another rejection sound. The runners were getting closer. It doesn't matter where they run - to the elevator or just past, one way or another they will find it and it will all be over.In desperation, Dasha began to press all the buttons in a row, hearing a nasty sound. You can already play it like a musical instrument. And then she drew attention to the touch screen above the buttons, on which the red inscription “Only red card!” Was burning. Excited, Dasha began to apply the card wherever she hit, until finally something squeaked and the red inscription disappeared. Since the nerves were on edge, Dasha made a mistake and pressed the "0" button.The elevator immediately soared up, and Dasha remembered in horror about "Exit 0". And that minus the first level was the hall and the last section of Block 9. Where was the elevator taking her now? However, she quickly found out. The elevator doors opened and she saw a familiar hallway, only from ab
UNDERGROUND 151
Pustovalov heard her sonorous voice, but did not immediately make out a short figure among the impeccable female bodies, which were especially impressive with the ideal ratio of the width of the hips and the narrowness of the waist - as if a brilliant breeder had deliberately bred a special breed of women with increased fertility.And yet it was dangerous to ignore his boss in such a sophisticated way - Pustovalov tore his eyes away from the appetizing buttocks of one of the dancers and found Irina in the crowd. He knew that the conversation had been brewing for a long time. Today ended the fourth training day, in which everyone participated - and these stunning girls of the same height and the same height guys in jaguar costumes. To ensure that no contacts other than workers between them arose, frigid guards of a special “breed” strictly monitored: whitish two-meter androgynes armed with metal rods that looked like lightsabers. Guys in jaguar costumes were especially afraid of them.