A Crying Shame (154 page)

But the man was careless: the Link bit him savagely on the arm. And it would be more than an hour before the cock-hunter would have it treated.

They mutilated the young Link, then stabbed and shot him again, leaving him by the side of the road. Other Links came along, to find him, dying in pain, his sex organ and sac cut off. He told them, in grunts and gestures, what had happened, and told them that other Links had been taken, as well. From a hiding place earlier that evening, he had seen one taken and tortured, his hands and feet cut off with hatchets. Then the men had set him on fire, to burn alive, screaming out his life.

The first night of savagery—on both sides of the evolutionary chain—had just begun. And the Links who meant no harm to any human would pay just as hideous a price as their maddened relations.

And at the end, the entire moral question would rest on the shoulders of one man—Jon Badon.

Don't try it!” a woman whispered to Jean Laborne. She had seen the teen-ager looking intently around her.
The woman named Katie tried to run just a few hours ago. The creatures put her to death. You don't want to know how.”

But Jean had shrugged off the warning, and now they were moving, being herded from one hiding place to another. Jean saw her chance and took it, seizing the moment to slip into the swamp.

She was only partially clothed, and she was bruised and sore, but she had made up her mind she was not going to become like the other women in this group; submissive to these ... monsters. She had decided that when, or if, she got a chance to run, she was splitting. Anything, even death, was better than more of this treatment. When that chance came, she took it, slipping into the swamp as they were walking and sliding and falling down, going around a bend in the soggy, ill-defined path.

Moments later, she heard them snarling and growling as they searched for her, and she ran blindly into the darkness, not knowing where she was or what she was going to do—just trying desperately to get away.

She ran right into a huge Link.

He clamped a paw over her mouth to prevent her from screaming, then picked her up in his massive arms and ran through the swamps. It seemed to Jean that they ran for miles, the Link never tiring in his lope. Then, far in the distance, she could see lights, and she wondered, through her fear, what in the world the monster was doing, bringing her this close to homes.

He put her on the ground, placing one almost-human finger to his lips, in a shushing manner. She noticed with a start his eyes were gray. She nodded her understanding.

You want me to be quiet?” she whispered.
Don't yell?” Then you'd better convince me you're not going to hurt me, she thought. 'Cause in about fifteen seconds, I'm starting to squall!

He nodded his great head, again placing one finger to his lips. Then he pointed to the lights and motioned for her to go.

Speaking in a whisper, she said,
You're not like the others, are you?”

He shrugged his massive shoulders and moved his lips in what she thought might be the beginnings of a grin. She noticed, for the first time, the creature wore some kind of loincloth made of thin woven vines.

Are there more like you?” she asked.

He cocked his head, not understanding her question.

She pointed back in the direction they had come, then made a tearing motion at what clothing she still wore. She balled a fist in the moonlight filtering through the dense timber and struck at herself. She pointed at the Link.

He shook his head vigorously, then carefully took her hand and placed it on the side of his face, putting his huge open palm gently on her bruised and dirty cheek.

Jean smiled.
Yeah. I can dig that. So just like humans, there are good and bad of your kind. Wow! This is really heavy, Freddie.”

The Link cocked his head.
Fru-die,” he said.

Oh, hey, man! You have some smarts, don't you? O.K. Freddie is your name.”

He grinned hugely, exposing massive fangs.

Oh, Freddie,” she cautioned him.
Man don't do that when we get around people, O.K.? I mean, Lord, you look tough enough as it is.”