AWOL

Fragment of the book of Svetlana and Nikolai Ponomarev "City without war"

A mixture of anti -utopia, military science fiction and novel of education: the book of Svetlana and Nikolai Ponomarevs “City without War” was published in the publishing house “Komapasgid”. Gorky, together with the Labyrinth, publish a fragment from it.

Sit on the asphalt, despite the cold, I wanted to endlessly. Let it take time, let something happen around, let the war, bombing, earthquake begin-it will not get up. Because you can’t live like that. There must be something that a person should not do under any conditions. And if he does, he is not a person ...

- Sasha, is that you? - suddenly a familiar voice was heard. Sasha raised his head in fright and saw a surprised girlish face with yellow-green eyes and rare freckles over him.

- Kate?

It was as if a hundred years ago. Frame. A tour of senior gymnasium classes to cadets of the first year of study. Semi -children's contests, demonstrative shooting, in the evening - dances. Katya Kraeva. The daughter of Captain Kraev. A bow in a long spit, a stupid giggling with girlfriends and stubborn, fascinated glances at Sasha. At the dancing, when the girls were invited, she slipped to Sasha, but he unraveled her intentions and hastily fled from the hall. Then Katya became about and without reason to come to her father to work. It turned out that she had problems with spelling, and she was going to enter the university. Kraev asked Sasha in the evening to help Katya deal with the rules. They sat in an empty darkened class: Katya and Sashka with a textbook, and after two desks, having settled on a bench, Ilya was dozing, without which Sashka had no time. Sasha from communication with Katya had the impression that not spelling occupies her, but he himself, and a huge feeling of awkwardness, because he did not know how to talk with the girls. But all this was a long time ago, and for a month he had not seen Katya. And I should never have seen. When you are not from the guards corps, when you are hungry, dirty and bruised, there are no need for normal girls to communicate with you.

“I saw how you got under the car,” Katya said. - Strongly hurt?

“No, not much,” Sasha muttered.

“Do not lie,” she pulled a scarf out of her pocket, “take it, you have blood.” And in general, in the case of an accident, a person has shock. And he can even walk with fractures for some time. Are you sure that you have nothing broken?

Sashka was not sure. Silently took the scarf and put it to the nose.

“Come to me, I live not far,” Katya said resolutely. - There we’ll figure out what's wrong with you.

“I can't go to you.” Understand…

- Yes, I understand everything. Dad spoke about you. You were kicked out of the corps. Everyone thought that you wanted to run away to Ensk.

“I wanted to,” Sasha grinned, “I also wanted to poison the whole city, and make southern ruins from the center.” And also ...

“Sasha,” Katya interrupted him, “please calm down.” I do not believe that you could betray the city. Dad told me everything. This is your friend to blame, Ilya. By the way, I never liked him, ”Katya held out his hand.

- Come on, now I have no one at home. Mom is on duty in the clinic, and dad in part. Will return late. Come on, don't be afraid.

Sasha sighed and, ignoring his outstretched hand, rose himself.

- Do you have a phone? - Katya had nothing to do, but he could call her home.

- Yes, let's go.

Sashka followed, trying not to be very limp and holding a bloodied scarf with one hand, and the other ribs.

- And where did you get settled now?

- In the tank school.

-Yeah? - Katya shook her head doubtfully. - Why are you without shape and your clothes smell of smoke?

- He flew to the Subolka. He put on what turned up, - Sasha got angry. - And in general, I did not ask for your house. Do not believe - do not lead.

“Okay, okay,” Katya hurried, “you think, offended right away.”

They walked along a long street, the names of which Sashka could not remember, although he used to go here. It was just a long time ago, or maybe it was not at all. He had no house, no corps, and the girl that was walking nearby, was mistaken and took him for another.

Meanwhile, Katya spoke all the time, excitedly with her hands:

- Dad experienced his translation for a long time and is now worried. He does not tell us anything, but I see, he himself is not his own. Fifteen years in the corps served, and he was kicked out. After all, he is not to blame! It turns out unfairly. He also remembered you. He regrets that it happened. I wanted to find a place for you, but he almost did not have friends. And he is very offended!

Entering the house, Sashka, before taking off, he hesitated a little, but under the demanding look Katya threw off his shoes. Through a tiny dark hallway, they went into a long and gloomy room. She looked like that, perhaps because of brown wallpaper, or maybe because of heavy curtains on the windows. Or just such a day, gloomy and cloudy ... stood in the room a sofa, a chair, a low table with newspapers scattered through it and a closet. Three peeling doors led from the room. Two of them were ajar, and Sashka saw a piece of tile floor in the bathroom and book shelves from the wall to the wall in another room. A semicircular arch led into the kitchen.

Sasha sideways, trying to not see the holes on the socks, approached the sofa. The picture hung over it - the Guards Corps painted with oil paints - and several photos. One of them was familiar to Sasha: the edges in the audience of the corps. Filmed recently.

- And who is this? - asked Sashka, seeing a photo of an unfamiliar young man in the form of a front company.

“This is my brother,” Katya sighed, “he died five years ago.” He was called Sasha as you, like you ... And I already go to courses at the university. To do next year. Only dad sends me the right to the faculty, and my mother to the medical one. But I don't want to. I want to be natural. Listen, why can't you go to the university? You studied so well.

“I'll do it,” Sashka said, not taking his eyes off the deceased son of Kraev. - After.

“Take a philosopher,” Katya suggested. - The most interesting faculty. I would go myself, but excellent grades are needed there. I also have a friend there. He gave me a rare birthday for my birthday. Imagine, pre -war. The Bible is called. There are so funny names! Nebuchadnezzar, for example. Ha ha.

“Yes, very funny,” Sasha confirmed.

“Well,” Katya showed him to the bathroom, “you go, look that you are bruised there, and wash yourself.” You never know, some kind of infection. I'll give you a towel.

Sashka took a towel and dutifully trudged into the bathroom.

There he was struck by a huge mirror in the entire wall. He turned on the water and began to slowly undress. It was scary to see yourself after so many adventures. Under the ribs, a large bruise was really blurred, and even bruises on the arms and legs were not from a fight with a Zhenya, not from the bags that they loaded with the scavengers. But the worst was the face. Sashka looked no better than Vitka Shiz: the same bursting cheeks and circles under his eyes. Moreover, it flows from the nose. Seeing himself from the side, he was surprised how Katya was not afraid to lead him home ... Warm water had already filled the bath, Sashka plunged into her and closed his eyes. It seemed to him that he was not warm for many years ... Time passed, and he was lying and warmed up.

- Are you soon? -shouted from behind the door Katya. - Are you alive there?

“Alive,” he answered reluctantly.

Sasha pulled out the cork and looked gloomily as the water decreasing, gray from the dirt. Then he stood in the shower for a long time, thinking how strange everything was. It turns out that Kraev did not believe that Sasha is a traitor ...

“Finally,” Katya was sitting on the couch in front of a small table and sipping tea. - I thought you would stay there. Sit down, eat. I smeared you bread with oil. Do you want sausages? Imagine, at seven in the morning I went for sausage, stood for three hours, and I got the last one. And if she left, it would have been not enough. PAPE used to be given in the corps, and everything was in it. And sausage, and soy oil, and fat. And now it has become difficult - they pay only money ...

“I don’t like sausage,” Sashka lied and took bread.

He tried his best to eat without rushing, but nothing happened. Katya gave him a second sandwich, then the third.

“You don’t be offended, but you have some kind of homeless look.” Are you not feeding you at all in the tank school?
Sasha almost choked.

- I was just sick.

- And why did you run to the self -wolf?

“To my mother,” Sasha looked away. - She alls with her heart, she needs to see me more often.

- Well, I would have asked the authorities. What are they there, animals, or what? I would let go! - Katya squinted suspiciously. - One friend told me that from any situation you can find a reasonable way out. You just need to think well.

“Maybe,” Sasha sighed.

Buy on Labyrinth.ru