Twenty-seven
Mort didn't want to see anybody else get hurt. No
more guns, or knives. No more violence. Cold steel had ended the lives
of his parents. In the name of justice and self-defense, everything of
any value in his life had been blown away.
Hurt the pretty little China girl? Becky was right
about the damage the virtual reality experiences were causing. He would
never recover from the murder of his father. Or his father's last loving
gesture of his miserable existence, the passing shot in the back. Mort
had experienced the horror of it all, whether it was real or not.
Mort stepped out to take the knife away from
Marla even as she leaped forward.
Rick beat him to it, but without the least experience
in disarming a knife-wielding opponent. A smart move would have been a
simple blow to the inside of the elbow. The stupidest move possible was
Rick's choice. He grabbed the knife with his bare hands. Marla yanked it
back with another scream of outrage. Rick spun around, clutching at his
hand. Blood sprayed in all directions.
With sudden clarity of thought, Mort understood that
Marla Van Kirk was a sick girl. Maybe not any worse off than the rest of
them, but plenty ill between the ears. He didn't hit her with any more
force than was necessary to dislodge the switchblade from her hand. The
knife flew from her hands as if of its own accord.
Rick misinterpreted his move, thinking he was going
to be attacked next.
"No, don't!" Mort cried.
Even as Rick lunged at him, Mort understood that he
had never given his friend reason to think he was not capable of
cold-blooded murder. Rick shouldered him aside and dived for the knife.
Mort jabbed him in the kidney with the toe of his boot. Rick curled into
a ball of agony.
Becky screamed, not at all convinced in that moment
of horror that Rick's injury was a mere illusion. Only Marla kept her
cool, staring down at her ex-boyfriend with her ice blue eyes. "He isn't
hurt all that bad. Lock them up somewhere in the basement."
She put her hand on Mort's arm to reinforce her
command. "Just the two of us. You won't regret it. I promise."
