Oh Pure and Radiant Heart by Lydia Millet (shoe dog free ebook .txt) 📕

when you go, please? said Tamika. —It’s like we’re under interrogation by Nazi pigs.

The soldier nearest the door went out first, followed by Bradley, with the second soldier scoping all around the bus, rifle up, as he stepped down behind them.

Kurt the Hut closed the door in their wake and leaned against it, shaking his head.

—It has gone too far, Leo, said Oppenheimer. —These men are dangerous.

They gathered on the couch and around the desk and table, waiting for the blinding lights to be extinguished. It was a full five minutes of waiting until they went out.

—Their guns are still on us, said Larry. —You can bet. Pass me that, would you? I got a headache.

Tamika passed him the bong and lit a votive candle of the Virgin Mary.

—I think we need the Lady right now to watch over us, she said, and then into Szilard’s scowl: —It’s not a Christian thing, OK? It’s like more mystical. Womyn power. Heard of it?

Szilard opened a window.

—Our security forces are no match for theirs, he said, shaking his head.

—You’re telling me we’re outgunned? asked Oppenheimer, coming back from his bedroom with his cigarette case.

—In the final analysis armaments are irrelevant, said Szilard. —The outcome will be determined by tactics. But it’s worth keeping in mind that we have twenty guys with guns and the Christians have five hundred.

—And they don’t limit themselves to legal weapons, either, said Larry, nodding. —Some of them got their AKs converted to full-auto.

—Someone must have ratted us out, said Tamika. —Or how did they know we were leaving?

—Are you kidding? They got guys whose whole job it is to watch us twenty-four seven, said Big Glen, who sat on the arm of the couch with his large legs spread wide and his elbows on his knees. —I thought we had a distraction set up, but obviously it didn’t work.

—You didn’t mention a distraction to me, said Szilard.

—We had some guys blow up a port-a-potty near Bradley’s tent, said Larry.

—What? cried Oppenheimer, and fumbled the cigarette he was lighting. —What?

—There was no one in it or anything, said Big Glen.

—My God, said Oppenheimer.

—I didn’t see any explosion, said Ann.

—Maybe that was the problem, said Big Glen. —Far as I know they were just using the gunpowder from a few M80s. You know, wrapped up in packages. Maybe Clint screwed it up.

—I can’t believe I’m hearing this, said Oppenheimer.

—You got Clint to do it? said Ann.

—I say we call the police, said Oppenheimer. —I refuse to be held hostage by these people.

—Here’s the problem with that, said Szilard. —It’s one thing to go off on our own. It’s another to be completely repudiated by the Christian wing of this movement. I mean, a public breakup with Bradley would have national reverberations.

—Still, said Oppenheimer, sitting forward and puffing more rapidly on his cigarette. —Why do we need them at all? What we have here is a peace mission. We want an audience with the president, Congress and the United Nations. Do we need a following of thousands to get those things?

—It helps, said Szilard. —And FYI, Robert, it’s not just the thousands that are with us on the road. These people have drummed up a following for us in the hundreds of thousands.

For a second Ann heard nothing but the wall clock ticking, and outside one of the soldiers calling across the night.

—You’re totally bullshitting, said Larry.

—No way! said Tamika. —That’s so wild!

—What do you mean by following? asked Oppenheimer. —People who think I’m the Second Coming?

—People who say they’re willing to show up in D.C. and march for peace, said Szilard.

—I don’t believe it, said Oppenheimer.

Moths fluttered against the window. One of them was huge, inches long with dark, dappled wings. In the dark outside Ann heard a series of mechanical clicks.

—What’s that?

—Someone racking the slide on their gun, said Larry.

They were all quiet for a while, until a light went on a few feet outside the window and the moth fluttered toward away. It was a Hut with his flashlight, walking over from the second bus.

—Get the door, said Szilard to Big Glen.

When Big Glen opened the door and leaned out to hold it open, Ann saw him for a second as a broad, ample chest, a man not yet shot.

—They still got their weapons trained out there, said the Hut, when they let him in. He and Kurt did a handshake. He was nervous and sweating. —These people are freaks.

—You got news for us? asked Larry.

—Message from Clint, said the Hut. —Apologies. He says they were stopped before they could do it. They didn’t pat him down so they never knew what the plan was, but he couldn’t get close. That was the message. He didn’t tell me what the hell he was talking about.

—Oh, we know, said Oppenheimer, and glared at Larry.

—Let the people in the other bus know they’re all free to leave if they want to, said Szilard. —We may not be leaving ourselves, but we encourage them to take the opportunity.

—Yes we do, said Oppenheimer. —It’s probably in their best interest. Bradley has no need for them. For him it’s all about me. All the others are free to go. Please assure the others they are free to go, won’t you? I encourage it. It’s not safe here anymore.

—We’ll still be in contact! put in Szilard quickly. —They can work on the campaign from a remote location!

—I don’t even like walking around with their infrared scopes trained on me, I tell you what, said the Hut to Kurt. —They got itchy fingers out there, I just got a feeling.

—I know, man, said Kurt, and clapped him on the back as he turned to leave. —They’re fuckin’ psychos.

—No, said Ben, —no. This is not happening. Outside his window in the motel parking lot a family was packing up their van. A girl and a boy chased each other in circles as their mother, in a blond ponytail and a hooded sweatshirt that read RUTGERS,