“You’ll bite more than that if you don’t hold on.”
They slipped sideways, then recovered just long enough for Bones to set it down in a long, sliding skid through lashing grasses which ended with all of them thrown against the door, which broke open and spilled them out onto the bruised stems.
“Oh, God,” whined Steep. “Oh, God.”
“Shut up,” commanded Highbones. “If the Hippae don’t know we’re here, don’t go telling them we are.” He stood up, feeling himself to make sure he was all there, not broken anywhere, not bleeding. Aside from a graze along his jaw, he was whole. “Rope, you all right? Long? Little?”
“All right, I guess.”
“Fucking thing hit me right across my nose …”
“Think I broke something.”
Highbones slapped and snarled. “You didn’t break anything. Lie down and your nose’ll stop bleeding.” When he was sure they were all accounted for, he turned back to the car and tried the door to the rear compartment. It was jammed, or locked from inside. He hammered on it, trying to make enough noise to rouse those inside yet not enough to rouse something else out in the grass. “Elder Brother!”
Nothing. No response.
He turned to the forward cabin and dug out the packs they had brought with them.
“Listen,” said Little Bridge with a frightened look at the sun. low in the western sky. “If we’re going to be here after dark, we oughta stay in the car. If some Hippae find us, there’d be some protection being in there.”
“Swamp forest just ahead,” said Highbones. “We’re going there.”
“Swamp forest! Are you crazy?”
“I said, we’re going there. Anybody wants to stay here can stay. Anybody feels like trying to fix the car, that’s up to you. I’m going to the forest. Hippae don’t go in the forest.”
“Neither do people,” muttered Steeplehands. “Or they come out dead.” He was careful not to say it loudly.
Highbones didn’t answer. He was already halfway back to the trail they had been following when the car zizzed out. When he reached it, he turned to his right and started down it. Those who has passed this way had broken enough of the tall and tough grasses that it wasn’t difficult to walk in the stubble. Though he didn’t look back, within moments he heard the others blundering along behind him. He hoped they’d picked up their own packs; he didn’t intend going back for them.
Inside the rear cabin, Shoethai came to himself slowly. Both he and the Elder Brother had been thrown against the door, or rather, thrown against the latch bar which held it closed. He looked upward through the viewport. Sky. Darkening sky.
“Elder Brother!”
Fuasoi put his hands under himself and pushed himself into an upright position. “What happened?”
“We … it … it came down/’
“You serviced it!”
“We … I … I didn’t know we’d be on it!”
“You did this?”
Shoethai was silent, crouched in a faceless huddle. The irony of it didn’t escape Fuasoi. He laughed, one short bark of laughter. “Hated them, did you?” he asked, not expecting a response. “Thought you’d kill two birds with one stone—or more than that?” He received only a snivel in reply. “Let’s get out of here. You know you may have just lost your chance in the next world, Shoethai. I’m not sure the Creator is going to look kindly on you.”
Shoethai screamed in rage and threw himself at Fuasoi. The latch on the door jarred loose and spilled them out, Shoethai still screaming.
Fuasoi knocked his assailant aside and got to his feet. Shoethai cowered among the grasses, alternately sobbing and yelling. The carrying bag had fallen out with them. Fuasoi unfastened it and took out the package it contained. The virus. Well. He had intended to spread it about in Commons, but perhaps it would have to be trusted to the winds. He reached for his knife and slit the package.
And stopped. Coming through the grasses was a hound. A huge hound. Grinning at him.
Reflex action took over. He threw the package with all his strength and then tried to scramble back into the car. The package burst, spreading its dark, powdery contents over the approaching beast. Shoethai had time for one more howl