Напряжение / Voltage: Глава 9

Slavka did not disappoint me. He stopped at a leisurely and steady pace so that his back was to everyone else, but he was facing halfway to our chosen target. He took a cigarette out of the driver's hand in a magician's gesture, caught the paper roll in his lips, and looked up at the sky.

Camrad_RIP 04.03.23 в 09:54

"Where did you get it?" A second later, there was a curious murmur behind his back.

Camrad_RIP 04.03.23 в 09:58

Gotcha! I noticed that I was rubbing my palms together and chuckled softly. Then I realized that this was unworthy of an Emperor, and, to occupy my hands, I picked up Mashk and petted him. But I could not beat the insidious smile.

Camrad_RIP 04.03.23 в 09:59

Slavka pointed his chin at the driver, puffed on the nonexistent smoke and held out a single word:

Camrad_RIP 05.03.23 в 17:16

"There."

Camrad_RIP 05.03.23 в 17:16

And he wasn't lying! Because I was in the same direction myself - on the other side of the bus, right in front of the open window.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.23 в 17:16

"But you won't get it," said Slavka, looking at Edik from head to toe. "You're so childish."

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 05:47

"No way!" The boy was indignant in response, turned sharply on the spot, and strode resolutely towards the driver.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 05:48

It's the time! I dropped Mashk to the ground, put my hands in the pocket of my shorts (I had changed and now looked like everyone else), and walked slowly towards the yellow bus.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:05

"Uncle, give me a cigarette!" was uttered on the other side of the car.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:06

"What?!" roared a man's bass.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:06

"What?!" added the grumpy voice of the class teacher of class B.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:06

"Cigarette..." someone said confusedly in reply.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:07

"I'll take you by the ear!" And then a loud: "Ow!"

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:07

"To the headmistress, now!" The heels clattered on the paving stones, leading to a long and deathly resentment: "Why is Slava allowed to!" - deep into the boarding school.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:09

I climbed out the window at the first "what" and a moment later was already sitting in the gap between the seats in the furthest row. Outside the window, Mashk was meowing pitifully, also wanting to go to the city and the zoo. But, alas, he was not good at climbing out of the windows, and he was thrown from the entrance by the driver's wicked boot.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:12

The minutes of long waiting dragged on. Gradually the noise outside the window dwindled, and a summoning shout resounded: "Dinner!", taking everyone from the yard to the cutlets and porridge. My stomach growled sadly, but I pulled myself together - ice cream demands sacrifice.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:14

I was already bored when, from the courtyard, I heard the clattering of boots and the voices of excitement and anticipation again. I pressed myself even harder into the wall and under the bus seat and watched the identical boots strutting between the rows of seats. There were forty-six seats on the bus, so if everyone was seated closer to the exit, in pairs, there was every chance of going unnoticed.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:26

"Maria Petrovna, may I move to the window?" A vaguely familiar voice sounded in the commotion.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:26

"Sit as you like," came a kindly female voice.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:27

//It's a failure, I thought. But instantly replaced by a stubborn determination to go all the way. I might have been lucky. The place was inconvenient, far away from everyone else, the window was smaller, and there were plenty of other options... But why was this kid coming here? I almost growled in annoyance.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:29

There was a gasp from upstairs. Someone was moving from the last seat closer to the window. And the guy was a total stranger! //I should have arranged it with Slavka," a belated thought flashed through my mind.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:35

"Shh!" I sprang from under the chair and clamped the guy's mouth shut, ducking carefully so that the backs of the other chairs would hide what was going on from the others.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:36

The older boy jerked sharply, almost breaking free of his grip - he was heavy, the bastard! I couldn't hold him. I fidgeted in my pocket, pulled out the hidden Weapon, and held it up to his eye.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:39

"Do you know what this is?"

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:39

My unwilling neighbor's eyes filled with horror of recognition.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:44

"It's green," I said in a bored voice, twisted off the ribbed cap with one hand, and put the bottle against his knee.
11111

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:45

"If you twitch or squeak, you'll spend the whole summer with a green foot. If you understand, nod."

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:59

The boy nodded very cautiously.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 06:59

"Now you sit on the edge and sit there quietly."

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:00

His eyes filled with sadness and a wistful glance at the nearby window.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:04

"You can change seats when we go," I relented. "If you turn me in, you'll wake up tomorrow with a green face. You got it?"

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:04

Another quick nod in response.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:05

It seemed to work out - I let him go and busily started screwing the cork onto the bottle.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:05

"Are you running away?" the boy asked in a whisper.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:06

"No, I have business in town," I said without looking, taking my seat on the floor again.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:06

From above, there was another stirring - a neighbour silently settling back to the pathway.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:07

"All right!" A woman's voice cut through all the sounds. "Everybody looks at me! One, two, three... nineteen! Everyone's here. Fyodor Georgiyevich, we can go."

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:33

"Hooray!" Everyone shouted in unison, and even I joined in the shout by sitting on the floor.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:34

The yellow beast roared its engine and rolled slowly down the road.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:34

After waiting a few minutes, I cautiously looked out into the aisle - the teacher was seated in a chair beside the driver, chatting to him, while the boys leaned their noses against the windows, looking out at the world outside the boarding school. Great!

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:34

"Take a seat," I commanded my neighbor as I took a seat.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:35

He immediately jumped into the next row, to a vacant window, and stuck to it just like everyone else. In a second, though, I was pressing my forehead against the cool surface, staring at the disorderly rows of houses and buildings that flashed past. After a while, the black and gray buildings were behind me, and then a U-turn followed. The road became wider and filled with cars - they were much smaller than ours, but there were plenty of them. Though occasionally a real metal monster came our way, and we passed two of them on our own. Soon there were huge letters "Upper Novgorod" stacked in two rows above each other on the right-hand side and the inscription "Welcome!" below them.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:50

"Hi!" I whispered softly and waved my hand at the message.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 07:59

There it was, the city. I felt anxious and worried, like a cat standing at an open door. Did I really need to be here? I touched the hidden five-ruble paper and cast aside all doubts - I had to.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:01

Outside the window, houses grew taller and taller, the glimpse of cars grew denser, and the outlandish smell of hot asphalt wafting through the vents - not particularly pleasant, but new and stirring to the imagination. Soon we were driving slowly among the stone towers, stopping now and then to let others pass.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:02

"Kids, don't make faces at the windows!" the teacher said.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:03

Too late - there was a bus just like ours, only snow-white. And we weren't the first ones to start the war - it was those sleek, clean-cut ones in matching purple shirts with a gold coat of arms at the heart! These poor bastards had all their windows shut, so we had to explain in gestures.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:04

"Sit up straight, look at me!"

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:04

I slowly pointed my fingers to my eyes once more, then to the guy in the window opposite, ran my finger down my throat, and quietly slid down, frozen almost to the floor.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.23 в 08:05