Read Online Blackout by Chris Ryan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chris Ryan
Tags: thriller
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once, then twice, then drop your weapon.'
'Assault troops?' asked Josh.
Marshall shrugged. 'Special forces, maybe.'
Josh looked down at the ground. The shot. The memory he had woken up with. It was still there, struggling to emerge, like a worm trying to wriggle its way out of a hard piece of ground. The noise of it was vivid in his ears now: he could hear the echo of the bujlet spreading out across the empty scrubland.
Did I shoot someone?
'A beer,' said Marshall, reaching down into the icebox propped up on the front of the porch. 'You like beer?'
'Maybe. I can't remember,' replied Josh with an easygoing smile.
Marshall handed across a beer, snapping off its cap
54
between his right thumb and forefinger. 'I never met a soldier who didn't like beer,' he said.
Josh put the bottle to his lips. The taste was familiar. The alcohol hit his bloodstream, sending a sudden rush of energy surging through him. He felt light-headed, giddy. But he could also feel the aching in his head starting to ease. 'I like beer, that's for sure,' he said, looking back towards Marshall.
The older man nodded, looking down at the ground, the beer bottle still in his hand. 'What do you want to do?'
Josh turned to look at him. 'I'll stay, if you'll let me.' He took another hit of the beer. 'Just for a few days, until I get myself straightened out. I can pay you from the cash that was in my pocket.'
'The money doesn't matter,' said Marshall. 'You're not costing us anything apart from a few scraps of food.'
'I could go to a hospital,' continued Josh. 'I've thought about it. But I don't know who I am, or what happened to me back there. Like you said, a man doesn't get shot for no reason. Maybe I was mixed up in something illegal.'
'You're worried that if you check into a hospital the cops are going to be looking out for you?'
Josh gripped the beer bottle tightly between his hands. 'I just don't know, do I?'
'You got no idea what you were doing?'
Josh shook his head. 'None.'
'Rest, that's what you need,' said Marshall. 'Give it a few days. A memory is like a woman. You have to let them come to you.'
'No.' Josh smiled, more to himself than to Marshall. 'I need to chase.'
'Meaning?'
'I'm a hunter. I like to track things down.Women, memories, whatever. That's who I am.'
'You don't know who the hell you are, boy,' answered Marshall.
55
'But I do know that much about myself,' said Josh quickly. 'Like you said, I'm a soldier. We don't -wait for things to come to us.'
Marshall laughed. 'The clever ones do.'
Josh stood up, using the crutch for support. It still hurt, but he needed to push himself: he knew that until he started exercising his muscles again his strength was never going to return. 'Maybe I'm not a good one,' he said, looking back towards Marshall. Josh stretched his arms to relieve the pain in his shoulders. 'Take me back to where you found me.'
'What for?'
'It might trigger something,' said Josh. 'If I could see the place, then maybe I'll get a sense of what happened. Maybe I can find some evidence about who attacked me.'
He sat down again. The pain in his leg was growing worse, making it hard for him to stand for any length of time. 'Now,' he said. 'I want to go back now.'
Marshall shook his head. 'Too hot,' he answered. 'Maybe we'll take you in the morning. When it's cooler. And when Kate says you're strong enough.'
Josh caught the words on the lips, just as he was about to speak. An instinct was burning within him: to tell the older man that he wanted to be taken to the place where they'd found him, and he wanted to be taken there now. No, he reminded himself. Until I have my strength back, I have to depend on these people. I'm an invalid. / can do nothing for myself.
'Tomorrow, then,' said Josh stiffly.*
Marshall grinned. 'At dawn, before the bull snakes are awake.'
Josh looked out across the scrub. A truck was moving along the road, doing about forty miles an hour. Apart from that the landscape was as bleak and
'Assault troops?' asked Josh.
Marshall shrugged. 'Special forces, maybe.'
Josh looked down at the ground. The shot. The memory he had woken up with. It was still there, struggling to emerge, like a worm trying to wriggle its way out of a hard piece of ground. The noise of it was vivid in his ears now: he could hear the echo of the bujlet spreading out across the empty scrubland.
Did I shoot someone?
'A beer,' said Marshall, reaching down into the icebox propped up on the front of the porch. 'You like beer?'
'Maybe. I can't remember,' replied Josh with an easygoing smile.
Marshall handed across a beer, snapping off its cap
54
between his right thumb and forefinger. 'I never met a soldier who didn't like beer,' he said.
Josh put the bottle to his lips. The taste was familiar. The alcohol hit his bloodstream, sending a sudden rush of energy surging through him. He felt light-headed, giddy. But he could also feel the aching in his head starting to ease. 'I like beer, that's for sure,' he said, looking back towards Marshall.
The older man nodded, looking down at the ground, the beer bottle still in his hand. 'What do you want to do?'
Josh turned to look at him. 'I'll stay, if you'll let me.' He took another hit of the beer. 'Just for a few days, until I get myself straightened out. I can pay you from the cash that was in my pocket.'
'The money doesn't matter,' said Marshall. 'You're not costing us anything apart from a few scraps of food.'
'I could go to a hospital,' continued Josh. 'I've thought about it. But I don't know who I am, or what happened to me back there. Like you said, a man doesn't get shot for no reason. Maybe I was mixed up in something illegal.'
'You're worried that if you check into a hospital the cops are going to be looking out for you?'
Josh gripped the beer bottle tightly between his hands. 'I just don't know, do I?'
'You got no idea what you were doing?'
Josh shook his head. 'None.'
'Rest, that's what you need,' said Marshall. 'Give it a few days. A memory is like a woman. You have to let them come to you.'
'No.' Josh smiled, more to himself than to Marshall. 'I need to chase.'
'Meaning?'
'I'm a hunter. I like to track things down.Women, memories, whatever. That's who I am.'
'You don't know who the hell you are, boy,' answered Marshall.
55
'But I do know that much about myself,' said Josh quickly. 'Like you said, I'm a soldier. We don't -wait for things to come to us.'
Marshall laughed. 'The clever ones do.'
Josh stood up, using the crutch for support. It still hurt, but he needed to push himself: he knew that until he started exercising his muscles again his strength was never going to return. 'Maybe I'm not a good one,' he said, looking back towards Marshall. Josh stretched his arms to relieve the pain in his shoulders. 'Take me back to where you found me.'
'What for?'
'It might trigger something,' said Josh. 'If I could see the place, then maybe I'll get a sense of what happened. Maybe I can find some evidence about who attacked me.'
He sat down again. The pain in his leg was growing worse, making it hard for him to stand for any length of time. 'Now,' he said. 'I want to go back now.'
Marshall shook his head. 'Too hot,' he answered. 'Maybe we'll take you in the morning. When it's cooler. And when Kate says you're strong enough.'
Josh caught the words on the lips, just as he was about to speak. An instinct was burning within him: to tell the older man that he wanted to be taken to the place where they'd found him, and he wanted to be taken there now. No, he reminded himself. Until I have my strength back, I have to depend on these people. I'm an invalid. / can do nothing for myself.
'Tomorrow, then,' said Josh stiffly.*
Marshall grinned. 'At dawn, before the bull snakes are awake.'
Josh looked out across the scrub. A truck was moving along the road, doing about forty miles an hour. Apart from that the landscape was as bleak and
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