touched the stand and shut my eyes tightly, trying to imagine my mom telling me to choose one of the two ice-creams. I even whispered “pretty please!”.
And then I knew I won't ever be able to recall her. Even if I were to enter the menacing thicket of the Gardens and find those very alleys, that very pond and that very bridge, staying alive all along... I would amount to exactly nothing.
I felt loneliness, such as I'd never felt before.
But there I was, still touching the abandoned stand as if waiting for my queue to arrive. Not that I didn't know perfectly well that it was never going to.
I was an orphan. I was alone in the whole world.
That was probably the moment when the reprieve I was given ran out. I didn't hear a thing – the beasts moved almost completely silently. Some kind of an animal sixth sense, which usually gets extremely keen when you live in the Metro, prompted me of their presence, so I opened my eyes.
A pack of wild dogs, filthy and covered with ulcerations... I was encircled and had my back to the stand's wall, there was nowhere to run, and I would never be able to outrun them anyway. Looking in their eyes I knew that there was no hope of scaring them away or taming them. The surface at the time was not yet brimming with all the sick and distorted life that's so abundant there now. The dogs got lucky – they'd found me, and they had to devour me as soon as possible, before hunger made them go for each others throats.
– Shoot them! – Eugene cried out from somewhere – You do have the gun!
I came to and pointed the shotgun at the largest beast, pulling the trigger. All I heard was a dry click. I pulled the second trigger, and the shotgun didn't fire again. The shells must have gone bad due to all the humidity, and I had no reloads.
One of the dogs turned towards Eugene.
– Go! – I said. – Just don't try to run, they'll jump you first if you do…
Eugene started backing down slowly , keeping his face turned toward the beasts. I was just standing there, looking at him.
– Just a moment… I'll be back! With help! – mumbled Eugene.
It was apparent that no help would make it in time. He knew that, and I knew that. When I told him to leave there was still a shade of hope in me: what if he does not run? What if he thinks something up? When he followed my advice I couldn't help feeling betrayed.
The dog I was going to shoot before, made a step forward, raised its head and sent a hoarse howl towards the stars. The packs started crawling towards me, closing in for the final leap .
And then the jet-black forest, the dilapidated houses, the whole freezing planet shook from a howl so awful it didn't even make you want to run – just dropping face down and silently praying for mercy was more like it. I never heard anything like it before.
One of the dogs jumped at me.
* * *
They were standing down there at the airlock and quarreling. They didn't have the courage to check if the dogs had dismembered me already, and they weren't cowardly enough to run crying to their mommies at the Exhibition. At least they had where to run.
– How? – Eugene stared at me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
– How long was I there?
– About fifteen minutes... How... How did you escape? Artyom...
– I've no idea, – I tucked my head and shoulders again. – Just fifteen minutes?
It seemed to me that everything – our trip, the rusty discolored stand, the dogs – everything was yesterday. As if I'd slept a night.
– Artyom! – insisted Eugine. – Why are you smiling?! What happened?!
I gave him no answer. I remembered nothing.
I recalled everything years
And then I knew I won't ever be able to recall her. Even if I were to enter the menacing thicket of the Gardens and find those very alleys, that very pond and that very bridge, staying alive all along... I would amount to exactly nothing.
I felt loneliness, such as I'd never felt before.
But there I was, still touching the abandoned stand as if waiting for my queue to arrive. Not that I didn't know perfectly well that it was never going to.
I was an orphan. I was alone in the whole world.
That was probably the moment when the reprieve I was given ran out. I didn't hear a thing – the beasts moved almost completely silently. Some kind of an animal sixth sense, which usually gets extremely keen when you live in the Metro, prompted me of their presence, so I opened my eyes.
A pack of wild dogs, filthy and covered with ulcerations... I was encircled and had my back to the stand's wall, there was nowhere to run, and I would never be able to outrun them anyway. Looking in their eyes I knew that there was no hope of scaring them away or taming them. The surface at the time was not yet brimming with all the sick and distorted life that's so abundant there now. The dogs got lucky – they'd found me, and they had to devour me as soon as possible, before hunger made them go for each others throats.
– Shoot them! – Eugene cried out from somewhere – You do have the gun!
I came to and pointed the shotgun at the largest beast, pulling the trigger. All I heard was a dry click. I pulled the second trigger, and the shotgun didn't fire again. The shells must have gone bad due to all the humidity, and I had no reloads.
One of the dogs turned towards Eugene.
– Go! – I said. – Just don't try to run, they'll jump you first if you do…
Eugene started backing down slowly , keeping his face turned toward the beasts. I was just standing there, looking at him.
– Just a moment… I'll be back! With help! – mumbled Eugene.
It was apparent that no help would make it in time. He knew that, and I knew that. When I told him to leave there was still a shade of hope in me: what if he does not run? What if he thinks something up? When he followed my advice I couldn't help feeling betrayed.
The dog I was going to shoot before, made a step forward, raised its head and sent a hoarse howl towards the stars. The packs started crawling towards me, closing in for the final leap .
And then the jet-black forest, the dilapidated houses, the whole freezing planet shook from a howl so awful it didn't even make you want to run – just dropping face down and silently praying for mercy was more like it. I never heard anything like it before.
One of the dogs jumped at me.
* * *
They were standing down there at the airlock and quarreling. They didn't have the courage to check if the dogs had dismembered me already, and they weren't cowardly enough to run crying to their mommies at the Exhibition. At least they had where to run.
– How? – Eugene stared at me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
– How long was I there?
– About fifteen minutes... How... How did you escape? Artyom...
– I've no idea, – I tucked my head and shoulders again. – Just fifteen minutes?
It seemed to me that everything – our trip, the rusty discolored stand, the dogs – everything was yesterday. As if I'd slept a night.
– Artyom! – insisted Eugine. – Why are you smiling?! What happened?!
I gave him no answer. I remembered nothing.
I recalled everything years
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