Tales From the Black Chamber by Bill; Walsh Read Free Book Online

them, just missing Anne’s ankle. Papers flew everywhere. Anne’s first thought was to scream, “What are you doing?!” at John, but when she looked over again, he’d produced a black semiautomatic pistol from somewhere and began firing it over the table. The sheer incongruity of the sight of him standing there in a shooter’s stance, pulling the trigger incredibly rapidly, with everything she thought she knew about him stunned her into silence.
    John dropped down below the tabletop to load a fresh magazine and noticed her, frozen. “The pages!” he said in a stage whisper she made out through the ringing in her ears. “Get all the pages!” then popped back up and began firing the gun again, this time more slowly and precisely. As Anne tried to gather all the hundreds of pages and stuff them haphazardly back in the manuscript box, she noticed for the first time the pocking sound coming from the table. She realized there must be bullets hitting the underside. They must have silencers , she thought. She’d been around enough guns in New Mexico to know that she was only hearing John’s pistol.
    John changed magazines twice more, firing more slowly and carefully each time. Anne surmised he was trying to hit someone through the doorway and buy her time. He went to change the gun’s magazine again and whispered, “Last one. You ready?”
    Anne nodded, though she wasn’t sure there weren’t a few pages on the far side of the table. John pointed at a door on their side of the conference room. “Go left to the ‘employees only’ door.” He stood and fired a shot. “Then turn right and run to the end of the hall. There’s a freight elevator.” He fired again. “If I’m not there in two minutes, take it all the way to the garage and head for the subway.” He fired again. “Ride to the end of a line and call the Foundation’s number and tell them what happened.” He fired again. “Go!” he ordered.
    Anne crouched and ran for the door, following his directions exactly. A small part of her brain posed the interesting question, How did he know an escape route ? but Anne was in no mood to ponder. She got to the elevator and had started punching the down button repeatedly when she heard footsteps. John was sprinting down the hall behind her, gun in hand. The doors opened. She slipped inside into a front corner next to the control panel, and held thebutton until she saw John, a blur, leap through the door, and land flat on the floor.
    Anne jabbed at thebutton for what seemed like an eternity as John rolled to the far side of the elevator. She heard the faint whistling sounds again, the dull cracks of bullets ripping through the wall padding and striking the back of the elevator, and sharper reports as others struck the wall out front. Finally the doors closed in what seemed like slow motion and the elevator began to descend.
    Anne was still breathing hard, but she was pleased at how calm and rational her voice sounded when she said, “What was that ?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said John, his eyes slightly wild and darting hyperactively with adrenaline.
    Cold fear flooded her. She hugged herself. “Those men are trying to kill us .”
    â€œYep.”
    â€œWho are they?!”
    â€œI swear to you, I have no idea.” His eyes looked right into hers, wide, honest, and a little frightened.
    â€œBut how did you know to …” she waved her finger around to indicate their flight.
    â€œContingency planning. We knew there was a chance someone was looking for you.”
    â€œBut not a big chance!” Anne felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes, and it made her mad. “And what’s with the gun ?!” She pointed at his weapon. “And you said Mrs. Garrett had a gun and could shoot. What the hell kind of foundation are you people running?!”
    â€œLong story. A very