Okay, at the end you should feel three small…...
Okay, at the end you should feel three small… stubby thingsDo
you feel what I'm talking about?”
“Yes,” he breathedThose are the anterior antennaeNow, very gently, roll your finger under
the bodyFind the line of attachmentsThey'll feel tight, like wires
I guided him a third of the way down, told him how to count if he wasn't sureWe didn't have
time for counting with all the blood flowing freeI was sure the Healer's body, if she came
around, would be able to help us–there must be something for thatI helped him find the biggest
nodule
“Now, rub softly in toward the body
Doc's voice went up in pitch, turned a gucci backpacks little panicky
“That's good–it means you're doing it rightGive it time to retractWait till it rolls up a bit,
then take it into your hand
I reached toward Ian
I felt Ian's hand wind around mineI turned it over, curled his hand into a cup, and pulled it
close to Doc's operation site
“Give the soul to Ian–gently, please
Ian would be the perfect assistantWhen I was gone, who else would take such care with my
little relatives?
Doc passed the soul into Ian's waiting hand, then turned at once to heal the human body
Ian stared at the silver ribbon in his hand, his face full of wonder rather than revulsionIt gucci book bags felt
warmer inside my chest while I watched his reaction
“It's pretty,” he whispered, surprisedNo matter how he felt about me, he'd been conditioned to
expect a parasite, a centipede, a monsterCleaning up severed bodies had not prepared him for
the beauty hereLet it slide into your tank
Ian held the soul cupped in his hand for one more second, as if memorizing the sight and feel
Then, with delicate care, he let it glide into the cold
Jared showed him how to latch the lid
A weight fell off my shouldersIt was too late to change my mindThis didn't feel as horrible as I'd anticipated,
because I felt sure these four humans chanel clearance would care for the souls just as I would
“Look out!” Jeb suddenly shoutedThe gun came up in his hands, pointed past us
We whirled toward the danger, and Jared's tank fell to the floor as he jumped toward the male
Healer, who was on his knees on the cot, staring at us in shockIan had the presence of mind to
hold on to his tank
“Chloroform,” Jared shouted as he tackled the Healer, pinning him back down to the cot
The Healer stared straight at me, his face childlike in his bewildermentI knew why his eyes
were on me–the lantern's rays danced off both his eyes and mine, making diamond patterns on
the wall
Then his white ceramic chanel watch face went blank, and his body slumped, unresisting, to the cotTwo trails of blood
flowed from his nostrils
“No!”I screamed, lurching to his inert form, knowing it was far too late“No!”
CHAPTER 54
Forgotten
Elizabeth?” I asked“Anne? Karen? What's your name? C'mon
The Healer's body was still limp on the cotIt had been a long time–how long, I wasn't sureI hadn't slept yet, though the sun was far up in the skyDoc had climbed out
onto the mountain to pull the tarps away, and the sun beamed brightly through the holes in the
ceiling, hot on my skinI'd moved the nameless woman so that her face would be out of jumbo chanel flap bag the
gl