Erica Spindler

Red


Скачать книгу

forty-eight hours on or between buses, her hair was snarled and ready for a scrubbing. Her jaw, swollen and a bluish green, stood out in stark contrast to her unnaturally pale skin. Her eyes were hollow and dark from sleeplessness, her clothes dirty and rumpled.

      Her vision blurred, and she grabbed the edge of the sink, light-headed. Except for the half of a bologna sandwich and Oreo cookie that the woman riding beside her between Dallas and Los Angeles had given her, and the few things she’d gotten from vending machines along the route before that, she’d had nothing to eat since leaving Bend.

      She sucked in a deep breath, pain mixing with hunger. She hurt so bad, the bruises on her face, the ones on her body, inside her body. She hadn’t wanted to eat, but had known if she didn’t, she would collapse.

      Becky Lynn fished in her pocket for the small bottle of aspirin the same woman who had shared her food had given her. The woman had seen her grimace and shudder in pain, and had given her all that she had. Becky Lynn had been touched by her kindness.

      Becky Lynn uncapped the bottle and spilled the contents onto her palm. Only two left. She would have to buy more, and soon. Even though they only cut the pain, she didn’t know what she would have done without them. The pain would have been unbearable.

      She popped the tablets into her mouth, turned on the water and bent to catch some in her cupped palms. Her hands shook so badly it took three tries to get the water to her mouth, and the aspirins partially melted on her tongue. She gagged, her empty stomach clenching at the bitter taste.

      A woman herded her two small children into the bathroom. She caught sight of Becky Lynn, grabbed her children by their collars and steered them away from her. As if Becky Lynn had some sort of disease, she thought. As if being near her would contaminate them. The older of the two children whispered something Becky Lynn couldn’t catch, and the mother hushed her.

      Becky Lynn watched them hurry toward the row of stalls, tears stinging her eyes. It hurt, though she couldn’t blame the mother for protecting her children. Lord knew, she wished her own mother had tried to protect her.

      She thought of her mother, of the weeping she had heard when she left the house. The tears welled up and she blinked against them. Her mother hadn’t been asleep. Her mother had known she was running away, and had let her daughter go.

      Her tears dried. Leaving had been the right decision; she hadn’t had any other choice. Her mother had seen that as clearly as Becky Lynn had. That’s why she hadn’t stopped her.

      Becky Lynn turned back to the sink and the running water. She washed her face. That done, she dug her comb, toothbrush and toothpaste out of her duffel. She brushed, combed, then fashioned her hair into a tidy braid, using a rubber band she found on the floor.

      After using the facilities and making sure she had all her belongings, she headed back out into the busy terminal, then out to the street.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4RQcRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADAEAAAMAAAABBOkAAAEBAAMA AAABB8QAAAECAAMAAAADAAAAngEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEVAAMAAAABAAMAAAEa AAUAAAABAAAApAEbAAUAAAABAAAArAEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAtAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA yIdpAAQAAAABAAAA3AAAARQACAAIAAgAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcu MAAyMDE0OjAxOjIzIDA5OjE2OjU4AAAEkAAABwAAAAQwMjIxoAEAAwAAAAEAAQAAoAIABAAAAAEA AAH0oAMABAAAAAEAAAMWAAAAAAAAAAYBAwADAAAAAQAGAAABGgAFAAAAAQAAAWIBGwAFAAAAAQAA AWoBKAADAAAAAQACAAACAQAEAAAAAQAAAXICAgAEAAAAAQAAEqIAAAAAAAAASAAAAAEAAABIAAAA Af/Y/+AAEEpGSUYAAQIBAEgASAAA/+0ADEFkb2JlX0NNAAH/7gAOQWRvYmUAZIAAAAAB/9sAhAAM CAgICQgMCQkMEQsKCxEVDwwMDxUYExMVExMYEQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwMDAwMAQ0LCw0ODRAODhAUDg4OFBQODg4OFBEMDAwMDBERDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAz/wAARCACAAFEDASIAAhEBAxEB/90ABAAG/8QBPwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAA AAAAAwABAgQFBgcICQoLAQABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAABAAIDBAUGBwgJCgsQAAEEAQMCBAIFBwYI BQMMMwEAAhEDBCESMQVBUWETInGBMgYUkaGxQiMkFVLBYjM0coLRQwclklPw4fFjczUWorKDJkST VGRFwqN0NhfSVeJl8rOEw9N14/NGJ5SkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2N0dXZ3eHl6e3 x9fn9xEAAgIBAgQEAwQFBgcHBgU1AQACEQMhMRIEQVFhcSITBTKBkRShsUIjwVLR8DMkYuFygpJD UxVjczTxJQYWorKDByY1wtJEk1SjF2RFVTZ0ZeLys4TD03Xj80aUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaG lqa2xtbm9ic3R1dnd4eXp7fH/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDq/rHity+kWVkamvTvBheS3F9vTWWkkZGD d6Zd32O+iZ/kWtXsvU2n9nWOgktYDp8F5Li9OuzHZDIIrtc6SBJknT/NVEHhmSdhRdzk7ngMPMfX 5l8H67dW6b0n9m4YG59r3seRJaH6vrY3+v7llPr6pn5LbMywtc78+w6+KjjvyMDOdU79Hc1xqfIB 2mdsxZ7UPr+F1bBzPT6juc4gOBJkEfydP++qzwEyJjQv9Ldgllxwjc+KRB1xw/Vx9P8AnJfM2MK6 nHtblOg30ZDCa3ahzBL3ez87bYz/AKa7qzrfTLnl1XpkE/mnt8AvO6d97y2trqhaHOZW73Etb+kr ZvIa530fpq/i0PyWVOfjtZW4lrMqpwa8lv0t7G+32/8ACNUebEJCydrZ+VzgkDgJMtv0fm78K/1n uqv6u+2uDva0ujxHt1WW0wdD/uOjlY6jjupy4dJluhPdVRoVJADgiAboMeexmnY4fVs3c5xsZj3H Vz6tT4lh2f8AUlM/Vr36dncd+/8A35QtsDsalndu+PmA4/8AUJnOLBAPDgJ50H/mLkq0C395PDfB v/S/vSQPV8vypJtMty8H/9D0LqNAswXN7msD8FzXQsHDxBbVc0G0n2tiZ/rf1V1zoLGD+SPyLA6n i/Z7xeNGu5IVLPGpcQHm6HKZLgcRJHFqKeE/xhfV1rXHrOM59ztG5xI/s1XtEe1rf5l//W1lv6u7 rHTam5tbMq/Chn6RzmugQGO3N/eZ9Neo2Y/rY5D2Nuqe0tcx2oLSIe3+01eVfWDoOR9Xuoh9FfqY Nzj6JdrI+kcS3/hqv8H/AKapSY8hkOG6l+j/AFv6rPAwjLilESifTPT1R/rxX6m+u7EquxsWrFtw Xb2ekXOJYdXssc8u3+m76H9tWfqNg15/UbKHkbmAW1NPLgPps/zFvfVIdF6hWH1VMdPttqcJLZ02 uH7r/wB9YPU+m5X1K67VezdZil/qYOSB+aDLqXfm/aKHfm/4Wp7/APSpRJyCUJaHozZpY8WSMsPp uO/6J/rtv6+dJ+zW13NZtbr9xXGO0K9N691Lp/1i+rzc/EcPYNt1JMvqc4fRsH7nt/RWfnrzJx0+ BRwWOKB/RP5rcx48WPIfmIMZf3sf/oDIuljB4GApHWmT46DyA5UsOiu2zdkSMer32wYJA/Maf3nu U78g5dweGhlbQGV1tEQ0DaE8liiDqT+l8o/OTD1fIfcko7D+7+CSFhPq8X//0fQ843jHaaPUDztE 0ta9wEanZb7diz8wZd1RrczKhztH+nW6B+4Whv5u36X0/wBIrvU2zRQJYNXEG3+bBGPe5jrZ/wAG x43rNroa+yn1BuaC0uLBVtMurqey30cXGfse253t9T3qKUbu+raxSoA0NPtaeJlZeNYcW12Q1oJi 3ZXqI9rQHj2/R27tn56bqXT25+E+rIx78qu0iZaxj2kah7fSd7Xsf72WscrGVjMD7jk1Vso3W1tc GUNcLJd9kZhPxHOyvtP83+jub/M+p6qz8bJdjsrdYyRX0cZ2RW3T1ban2M/SuZ7vT3Wb7/3/AE/9 F+jUPt1ppptpwyHi3BMT9UYi9pD9GbwPUMXqn1c6q7Jx3Pw8lo9RlhA2W1OO39Mz3V12b/0d9b/0 Hq/ufo1t0/4wOldUwz0z6y4I9N8bjWCWT2s9OftGO9v+kofYtLPzcHNxfTuNNbtXsuZTWyysgTZ9 mdWGtdTc32ZFN7b/AFaPYnyvqnS/olnRD0t1WXVjDqP2+mlwH2rcbb+nV2QWO/VX+jTX6npf9crT 4yhkFakxA9Q9JTmxThRnERMifSdvGf8AzvW8bndO6PS5+R0HrJc10g0XNe2wA/meq1rPV/tVrF9F 4PuIEau8viVrWYeLRQbWNeDGj3kNB/q1tNix8h77PcdRqAnY5Amrv+sQLX58PswFj1anhEpGK9ls j02H9GDp2k/vImLWbCA3kkAeMquOCtDptYfUQ36e53aezU6egY8NzyC+38qVtZ+4770k/wBpp8D/ AJw/vSUevZs+nuH/0vQOouqfj073AQQAwsdbv31vodV6VTmWO3Nt/MWe5nouqD7rKbA5pqqe3Jdv cD+jY2u7Kuru9+z1PT/SV/8ABfzi5vpfWeo9ZycfKpoNmI0vrc55srNgdW6qxuH9na/IZ6TX77Mn Z+jWj0no3Tul3Y32F91lD8llVdVlourrfLb7L8d7Ia9llVf2e7e3167VDEmYvbVvHEMfpMv0b09V n911MmhjGauNVlrXC1z6bGsedzspu36P6fHt3WYn6b1f5z+dWXbTk1X1X490ZOIxuJJpc1hBNlrq Mmt7tr/tPqfzW/8A0XpfpfSWlfhF+HaKK9tdlO19wrFQLWH1vtFjTa+zIyfZ+rO9NnpepbZYntFh u6hW1osbblBtlLtBYwU2P9Jtnt9Gz2NfTc136O700JQ0PrI8q0/SVjy8PQS3sHr+if8AmyeVv+1t sqqweiYzG3ZDSW1tLvWsoP2k47H2u/VqPbvsqr/M/R+p/OKrk5H106dms6lljKp/TeqRY55xyS7d 9nc1j31V1P3ekyv9z+bXXV4+zK6S/eLWPzLbKrOHFpq9P9OyG+nkM91d7P8AS/6P+bWN0nGNDLn2 stZ012NY3qAsDxW4bIrraLNu7M+0Or9H0v0384mHiHCCTfcVwxPDGX6P6Lex5oSEj7cOED1Rlxyy ZOKUocMZznL18MP3Xh+uYuVW591tH2ZmUPtNFI1YKrS51Xpf8Do7002H9T/rHndOrycbp9t1Vw30 2N2Q4E/S9z2rpvrT07MysTpvpUW3WfsnDYPTre+XD1tzZra5vdNkY/TrPq59Xvt2H1XJczEeB+zY AbD/AHNulp/Sbk/GLJ30IKzmcp4cZFeqMokfNw8LyeN9TvrTkOyGUdNttdj2HHvALPZYGssLNX/u WVvUqenZ3S3PxM+izEyrHhmx7SHBh/wjfzXstd7GWVu/wdi6LDx+mO+peVT1PKy+k437ed6b3MdZ kNmhnpV5bW7H+2k77n/yFmf4wbHYufgdIabbKunYjW05t7g9+Sy0+p67LWFzX4zf5rH/AHP0illH iBAauHNwTBl4xcn7E3xSWf6tnikouGXdt+9j/df/0++w8ClmKMVtTTQza5rQNAQJaWbfoOa5Gfh0 al9Zc47Ze9z3O9jhazbY9xsZssb6nsevGuo/Xjqua/8AT5NmxwgUsdsZp29Kva1Dw/rj9YsTTEfk Bo4aC9zf8xwfWoQCBQt1TykTqc4OQ7gRnKN/34+v/wAafaD6YqFIaBVt2bO22Nuz/NVN9WNU42MZ Dnal0uJJgt3u3Odus2ud73e9cX9XPrV9a+pZGzKxGvo/Ott/RPHm0Mb79v8AUYunryXPLhaeD7TC r5JSieE9Vv3YwOpv/Gjf0nwSQ5RZvNmoe128OBc2HaA2N2Obts9rfe33rMynW5Dg66x9uwn0/Vsf Ztnuz1XP2K3mXBzyxnbk9lWI3e3lQSke5rzbuGIiAaFtLqXUM/D6a70MrIrDW7Kgy6xobAhu337K 2tXJ4vWeuUV149PU8tlbPzK77B7nHc7a3ftbyrn1m6qL7/sdUfZ8Z36R06Ps/c/q1rID9up9pcDB 8Gn/AKlWMImI2SddV0owJ+UfY6QtzHse6/KuudZb6janWOeHZAbsbkWNs9tljK27H3f6NUs2u3Mo oov