Maybe I had a few lives left myself (может, у меня самого осталось /в запасе/ несколько жизней).
blood [blAd], holster ['hqVlstq], sever ['sevq]
A trickle of blood ran in his eye. He tried again to move his hands, to raise one of them and wipe the blood away.
They trembled in his lap, but he was still unable to actually move them. He thought of the .45 special in its holster under his left arm.
If I can get to my piece, kitty, the rest of your nine lives are going in a lump sum.
More tingles now. Dull throbs of pain from his feet, buried and surely shattered under the engine block, zips and tingles from his legs — it felt exactly the way a limb that you've slept on does when it's starting to wake up. At that moment Halston didn't care about his feet. It was enough to know that his spine wasn't severed, that he wasn't going to finish out his life as a dead lump of body attached to a talking head.
Maybe I had a few lives left myself.
Take care of the cat (/теперь надо/ разобраться с кошкой; to take care of… — /по/заботиться о чем-либо, ком-либо; разделаться, расправиться с кем-либо). That was the first thing (это самое главное). Then get out of the wreck (потом выбраться из покореженного автомобиля; wreck — остов разбитого судна; обломки /самолета, автомобиля/) — maybe someone would come along (может, кто-нибудь будет проходить/проезжать мимо), that would solve both problems at once (это решило бы обе проблемы сразу). Not likely at 4:30 in the morning on a back road like this one, but barely possible (/что/ маловероятно в половине пятого утра на проселочной дороге как эта; not likely but barely possible — не вероятно, а едва возможно; back — спинной; задний; глухой, отдаленный). And —
And what was the cat doing back there (а что там кошка сзади делает)?
He didn't like having it on his face (ему не хотелось иметь ее на своем лице), but he didn't like having it behind him and out of sight, either (но то, что она была сзади вне его поля зрения, ему тоже не нравилось). He tried the rearview mirror, but that was useless (он попробовал /посмотреть в/ зеркало заднего вида, но бесполезно). The crash had knocked it awry (от удара оно сдвинулось набок) and all it reflected was the grassy ravine he had finished up in (и все, что оно отражало = в нем отражалось, /это лишь/ заросший травой овраг, в котором закончилось его путешествие).
A sound from behind him, like low, ripping cloth (сзади /послышался/ негромкий звук, как будто разрываемой ткани).
Purring (урчание).
Hellcat my ass (вот ведь чертов кот). It's gone to sleep back there (он там заснул).
wreck [rek], barely ['beqlI], awry [q'raI]
Take care of the cat. That was the first thing. Then get out of the wreck — maybe someone would come along, that would solve both problems at once. Not likely at 4:30 in the morning on a back road like this one, but barely possible. And —
And what was the cat doing back there?
He didn't like having it on his face, but he didn't like having it behind him and out of sight, either. He tried the rearview mirror, but that was useless. The crash had knocked it awry and all it reflected was the grassy ravine he had finished up in.
A sound from behind him, like low, ripping cloth.
Purring.
Hellcat my ass. It's gone to sleep back there.
And even if it hadn't (ну, а если даже не уснул), even if it was somehow planning murder (если даже он каким-то образом замышляет убийство = обдумывает, как его убить), what could it do (что он = этоткот может сделать)? It was a skinny little thing (тощая маленькая тварь), probably weighed all of four pounds soaking wet (весит, наверное, фунта четыре, /да и то, когда/ мокрый; soaking wet — промокшийнасквозь; to soak — пропитываться; впитываться). And soon... soon he would be able to move his hands enough to get his gun (cкоро он сможет двигать руками настолько, чтобы дотянуться до своего пистолета). He was sure of it (в этом он был уверен).
Halston sat and waited (сидел и ждал). Feeling continued to flood back into his body in a series of pins-and-needles incursions (чувствительность продолжала возвращаться к нему, напоминая о себе почти уже непрерывными булавочными уколами: «вливаться обратно в его тело в виде ряда приступов покалывания»; incursion — набег, вторжение, внезапное нападение; наступление /моря/). Absurdly (or maybe in instinctive reaction to his close brush with death) (как ни нелепо (а может, это инстинктивная реакция на близкое соприкосновение со смертью?)) he got an erection for a minute or so (/уже/ в течение минуты или около того у него была эрекция). Be kind of hard to beat off under present circumstances (трудновато было бы мастурбировать при таких обстоятельствах), he thought.
A dawn-line was appearing in the eastern sky (на востоке: «восточном небе» появилась /светлая/ полоска рассвета). Somewhere a bird sang (где-то запела птица).
weigh [weI], flood [flAd], circumstance ['sWkqmstxns]
And even if it hadn't, even if it was somehow planning murder, what could it do? It was a skinny little thing, probably weighed all of four pounds soaking wet. And soon... soon he would be able to move his hands enough to get his gun. He was sure of it.
Halston sat and waited. Feeling continued to flood back into his body in a series of pins-and-needles incursions. Absurdly (or maybe in instinctive reaction to his close brush with death) he got an erection for a minute or so. Be kind of hard to beat off under present circumstances, he thought.
A dawn-line was appearing in the eastern sky. Somewhere a bird sang.
Halston tried his hands again (снова попытался пошевелить руками) and got them to move an eighth of an inch before they fell back (и смог приподнять их лишь на восьмую часть дюйма, прежде чем = послечего они вновь упали).
Not yet (нет пока). But soon (но скоро).
A soft thud on the seatback beside him (/послышался/ слабый удар по спинке соседнего с ним кресла). Halston turned his head and looked into the black-white face (Хэлстон обернулся и посмотрел на черно-белую морду), the glowing eyes with their huge dark pupils (горящие глаза с огромными темными зрачками).
Halston spoke to it (заговорил с ним = котом).
"I have never blown a hit once I took it on, kitty (я никогда не проваливал задания, за которое взялся, киска; to blow — дуть; упустить /возможность, шанс/; проиграть; проворонить). This could be a first (это могло бы стать первым). I'm getting my hands back (скоро я снова обрету руки). Five minutes, ten at most (/еще/ пять, ну, от силы десять минут). You want my advice (хочешь совет)? Go out the window (выпрыгивай в окно). They're all open (они все открыты). Go out and take your tail with you (убирайся и уноси с собой свой хвост)."
The cat stared at him (кот таращился на него).
eighth [eItθ], pupil ['pjHp(q)l], advice [qd'vaIs]
Halston tried his hands again and got them to move an eighth of an inch before they fell back.
Not yet. But soon.
A soft thud on the seatback beside him. Halston turned his head and looked into the black-white face, the glowing eyes with their huge dark pupils.
Halston spoke to it.
"I have never blown a hit once I took it on, kitty. This could be a first. I'm getting my hands back. Five minutes, ten at most. You want my advice? Go out the window. They're all open. Go out and take your tail with you."
The cat stared at him.
Halston tried his hands again (еще раз проверил руки). They came up, trembling wildly (они поднялись, отчаянно трясясь). Half an inch (на пол-дюйма). An inch. He let them fall back limply (он позволил им вяло шлепнуться обратно). They slipped off his lap and thudded to the Plymouth's seat (они соскользнули с его колен и ударились о сиденье машины). They glimmered there palely, like large tropical spiders (они бледно мерцали там, словно огромные тропические пауки).
The cat was grinning at him (кот ухмылялся, глядя на него).
Did I make a mistake (я сделал ошибку)?, he wondered confusedly (подумал он спутано/как сквозь сон). He was a creature of hunch (он был существом/человеком интуиции; hunch — толчок; подозрение, предчувствие; интуиция), and the feeling that he had made one was suddenly overwhelming (и чувство, что он в чем-то ошибся: «сделал ошибку», стало вдруг неодолимым = внезапно охватило его со всей силой; to overwhelm — преодолеть; подавить; переполнять, овладевать /о чувствах/). Then the cat's body tensed (тут кошачье тело напряглось), and even as it leaped (и в ту секунду, когда кот прыгнул; even — плоский, ровный; точный; точно, ровно, как раз), Halston knew what it was going to do (Хэлстон понял, что тот собирается сделать) and he opened his mouth to scream (и открыл рот, чтобы закричать).
