Base Nature (94 page)

“
A
nd
I
g
e
t to
d
o
a
l
l
o
f this
b
l
o
o
d
y and
nak
ed
,”
s
he
la
u
gh
ed
.
Bu
t it was a
d
a
r
k
la
u
gh. H
e
r
f
ee
t
w
er
e
s
ure
,
e
v
e
n
in
the
g
l
o
o
m
o
f
the w
o
o
d
s.
Tru
e
nat
ur
e
c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
b
e
ig
n
o
red
, K
e
lly
t
h
o
u
ght.

She
f
o
u
nd
the
t
ru
ck,
k
ey
s
in the
ignit
i
o
n, at
the
ed
ge
o
f
the
acc
e
ss
r
o
a
d
.
S
he
t
ur
n
e
d the
k
e
y,
w
r
app
e
d
a
b
lank
e
t
f
r
o
m
the
b
ack
o
f
the
s
e
at
a
r
o
u
nd
h
e
r like
a
t
o
ga
and h
e
a
de
d to
G
a
rre
t
t
’
s
h
o
u
s
e
.
Sh
e’
d
h
o
ld
d
o
wn
the
f
o
r
t
and
plant
the
s
eed
s
o
f
l
e
ni
e
ncy
with
the pack.

*
*
*
*
*

Wh
er
e
B
ad
Be
gan

G
a
rre
t
t
s
t
o
pp
e
d
s
h
o
r
t
and
s
at
at
the
b
ase
o
f the
st
o
n
e
w
o
r
k
st
e
ps.
T
h
e
y w
er
e
sag
g
ing and
the
m
o
r
tar
was w
e
a
r
ing
away.
S
t
o
n
e
s
had
s
lipp
e
d
o
ff
the
pil
e
s
s
o
the
st
e
ps th
e
ms
e
lv
e
s
w
er
e
u
n
e
v
e
n
and
d
ang
er
o
u
s.
H
e’
d
s
ee
n
L
iv
j
u
mp
th
r
o
u
gh
the
b
ay
win
d
o
w.

T
he
gla
s
s
had
bee
n
shatt
ere
d
a
g
e
s
a
go
and
he
w
o
rr
i
e
d
s
h
e’
d
c
u
t
h
er
s
e
lf.
He
s
niff
e
d
the air
a
nd
sm
e
ll
e
d
n
o
thing
bu
t
d
i
r
t,
ag
e
,
n
e
gl
e
ct and
the
m
ur
ky sc
e
nt
o
f a n
e
gative
spac
e
.

“J
e
s
u
s.
Wh
er
e
a
r
e
w
e
?
What
is this plac
e
?”
He
s
t
oo
d
o
n n
u
mb
f
ee
t
n
o
w.
His
b
o
d
y
r
ack
e
d
with
s
hiv
er
s
and chill.
He glanc
e
d
at
h
i
s
w
o
u
n
d
.
T
he h
e
aling
had n
o
t
p
r
o
g
re
ss
e
d in the
l
e
ast.
I
f anythi
n
g, it
w
a
s l
o
o
king a
l
ittle
w
o
r
s
e
.
“
G
re
at.”

He
t
oo
k
the
st
e
ps
ca
re
f
u
lly,
h
o
l
d
ing
o
n
t
o
the
p
o
st
that
s
u
pp
o
r
t
e
d
the
F
O
R
S
AL
E sign and
the
re
alt
o
r’
s
inf
o
r
mati
o
n.
E
v
e
n
in his w
e
ak
e
n
e
d
state
he
c
o
u
ld
f
ee
l
the
nasty,
o
i
l
y f
ee
l
o
f this plac
e
. “Ch
r
ist,
L
iv,
i
s this y
o
u
r
h
o
m
e
?”

He p
u
ll
e
d the
bu
st
ed
,
r
agg
e
d
sc
ree
n
d
oo
r
o
p
e
n
and t
r
i
e
d
the f
ro
nt
do
o
r
.
I
t
was
u
nl
o
ck
e
d
and
sw
u
ng in
o
n stiff
h
ing
e
s
that
c
o
mplain
e
d
o
v
e
r
the
m
o
t
i
o
n.
G
a
rre
tt
sp
o
tt
e
d a
b
o
x
in
the
f
r
o
nt
hall.
S
o
cks
and
b
lank
e
ts
h
u
ng
ou
t
o
v
e
r
the
lip
o
f
ca
rdb
o
a
rd
.
Pr
o
b
a
b
ly a
do
nati
o
n
pile
f
o
r
cha
r
ity.
He
du
g
f
o
r
a
m
o
m
e
nt,
f
o
u
nd
a
t
r
ash
b
ag
f
u
ll
o
f
m
o
r
e
bedd
ing.
He
w
r
app
e
d
a c
o
mf
o
r
t
e
r
a
r
o
u
nd
him
be
ca
u
se
the
chill was
w
o
r
se
n
o
w. Dizzin
e
ss sw
e
pt
o
v
e
r
him
a
nd
he
g
r
a
bbe
d
the
a
r
chway
f
o
r
s
u
pp
o
r
t. “
L
iv?”
he
call
ed
.

N
o
thing.

T
he
s
o
ft
re
p
o
r
t
o
f
paws
o
n the
fl
o
o
r
a
b
o
ve
h
i
s
h
e
ad
s
o
u
n
de
d
and
he
f
o
u
nd
the
main stai
r
case
i
n
the
f
o
y
er
.
He t
o
o
k
the
st
e
ps
s
l
o
wly,
at
sp
o
ts
th
e
y
f
e
lt
s
o
ft,
l
i
ke
the
w
oo
d
u
n
de
r
the
ru
nn
e
r
h
ad
r
o
tt
e
d
l
o
ng
a
g
o
.
A
t
the t
o
p
o
f
the
st
e
ps
was
a
b
ath
r
oo
m.
A
d
ingy g
r
ay
r
oo
m
with
b
lack
and white
tile and a
stain
e
d
claw-f
o
o
t
t
ub
.
T
h
er
e
was
a
s
h
o
w
e
r
r
ing
at
the
t
o
p
bu
t
n
o
c
ur
tain.
T
he
c
ur
tain
l
oo
ps
h
u
n
g
in
cl
u
mps
like
b
ad
f
ru
it
o
n
a m
e
tal
t
ree
.
“
L
iv?”
he
whisp
ered
.

Still
no
answ
e
r
bu
t
he c
o
u
ld
f
ee
l
h
e
r
h
ere
.
G
a
rre
tt
st
r
ain
e
d
to
h
e
a
r
,
st
r
ain
e
d
s
o
ha
r
d his
e
a
r
s
bu
zz
e
d
i
n
the
sil
e
nc
e
.
T
he
d
i
r
ty,
s
m
e
lly
b
lank
e
t
he
cl
u
tch
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
him whisp
ere
d
as
he walk
ed
.
A small
a
nimal
m
o
v
e
d
in
the wall
b
y
h
is
l
e
ft.
He saw
a
flash
o
f
b
l
o
n
d
e
f
u
r
a
nd
h
e
a
r
d
the
tick-tick-tick
o
f h
e
r
na
i
ls
o
n the
ha
rd
w
oo
d
fl
o
o
r
.