As Long аs I'm With You

Sergey Redkin

As Long аs I'm With You

Chapter 1

We’ll figure this out

1

1

  Мы разберёмся с этим.

.

Lizzy could not believe what she was looking at. This was

impossible

2

2

  невозможный, невероятный, невыполнимый

. How could this happen? Only an hour ago, everything was fine. She thought she was one of

the happiest

3

3

  Степень сравнения прилагательного happy (счастливый, довольный, веселый):

  happy – happier – (the) happiest

 women in the world. She had everything: a man who loved her, an excellent job, a

bunch

4

4

  множество

 of friends, and a cute ocean wave green Mini Cooper. She couldn’t wait to wake up every morning and go spend her day working in a big international company as a logistics manager with a big smile on her face. And now… well, now she was not sure that her life would ever go back to what it was. No,

come to think of it

5

5

  если подумать об этом

, she was not sure that she

had

 a life anymore. How did this all happen?

It all began this morning when he told her that he was leaving her. Things

went downhill

6

6

  to go downhill (выражение) – постепенно становиться хуже

afterwards

7

7

  впоследствии, потом, позже

.

“You what?” she asked, putting her phone down. Lizzy had been scrolling through some of her favorite influencers on Instagram, looking for productive ways to give her already successful career another boost.

Having just done her morning yoga routine, she was sitting on a tall stool near the kitchen island in her sportswear. She was still on her first cup of the day as the words spilled from her mouth along with the coffee.

He was standing near an open window, still in his pajamas, hair

disheveled

8

8

  растрёпанные, взъерошенные, взлохмаченные

 from the night’s sleep. It was a bright day and it looked as if he had a

halo

9

9

  нимб, ореол

 over his head. What irony!

“We can’t be together anymore,” he added and quickly looked out the window, turning his back to her.

“What are you looking out of the window for?” She tried to stay cool. “Is your new girlfriend waiting for you out there?”

Staying cool did not seem like an option.

“I’m sorry, but we have to end it today,” he said looking at her.

“What do you mean

today

?! What? Do you already have a

breakup plan

10

10

  план расставания

? Or did you

decide

11

11

  решать, решаться, принимать решение

 just then, while drinking your coffee?” she asked, barely controlling herself and slowly realizing that it was not some sort of joke.

“Listen. We’ll figure this out. Believe me, it’s for the best,” he said.

“

Are you being serious?

12

12

  Ты серьезно?

” Slamming her cup down on the kitchen island, she

suddenly

13

13

  вдруг, внезапно

 realized that she could throw it at him

right about now

14

14

  вот прямо сейчас (Прим. авт.: Разница с right now в том, что больше похоже на very soon (очень скоро) и

  не так срочно, как right now (прямо сейчас). Выражение также имеет довольно неформальный оттенок,

  потому что в нём смешивается усиливающее слово (right) со словом, смягчающим интенсивность (about),

  что немного противоречит логике.)

.

He opened his mouth …and at that precise moment something outside

cracked

15

15

  треснуло (о звуке)

. He fell on the floor; his head was covered in blood. Then her phone started to ring.

***

She answered in zombie mode, still unable to process what had just happened.

“

You’d better

16

16

  Тебе лучше

 leave now,” a female voice said on the other end of the line. Somehow the voice sounded strangely familiar.

“Ah?” was all she could master, her eyes fixed on the motionless body on the floor.

“Go now or you’ll be lying next to him in a minute,” said the voice without

a hint of

compassion

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17

  намёк на сострадание

.

“Who are you?” Lizzy was almost screaming.

“Don’t believe anyone. Run!” The same

coolness

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18

  хладнокровие, спокойствие

.

Then the line went dead.

She put the phone down on the kitchen island and eyed the kitchen. What was going on?

Click.

The brain started to work faster. Lizzy ran to him, still hoping it was a terrible

prank

19

19

  шутка, выходка, проделка

. Nope. This was blood on her floor. And this was one dead man. Her man. Well, her ex-man. She was checking his pulse and breathing,

just in case

20

20

  на всякий случай

, when she heard someone running down the corridor outside her door. She jumped up.

***

The morning street felt strange. How could these people go about their business when her boyfriend was lying dead on the floor, right up there in their apartment?

Where was she supposed to go now?

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21

  Куда она теперь должна была идти? (Прим. авт.: Выражение to be supposed to + глагол используется, когда по контексту от кого-то/ чего-то ожидается какое-то действие, т. е. кто-то/ что-то должен что-то сделать.)

 Somehow, calling the police did not seem like a clever idea. But why? She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d just had a cup of coffee while her soon-to-be-proposing boyfriend was murdered in the process of breaking up with her. Should she call the police

after all

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22

  всё же (Прим. авт.: after all (дословно «после всего») используется со значением «несмотря на любые указания или ожидания обратного».)

? Perhaps she should.

She checked her pockets, but… Oh no! She’d left her phone on the kitchen island. All her contacts. She didn’t remember any numbers

by heart

23

23

  наизусть

. Who could? Were there still payphones these days? Whom should she call even if she found one?

“Don’t scream,” came the same cold voice from the call, but… behind her.

She stopped

in disbelief

24

24

  в неверии

.

“Keep walking.” A slight shove on her back.

She

complied

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25

  подчинилась (прошедшая форма глагола comply)

. A decision

triggered

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26

  инициировано, вызвано ((прошедшая форма глагола trigger)

 by her

survival mechanism

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27

  механизм выживания

 rather than her brain.

“Who are you?” she asked quietly.

“In a minute,” the stranger said. “Turn right here.” Another nudge to her back.

They stepped into a quiet alley where most of the benches were occupied with elderly people and mothers rocking their

 baby strollers

28

28

  детские коляски

.

“Here’s good,” the stranger said when they reached an empty bench. “Sit down.”

“May I turn around?” she asked, sitting down.

“If you want,” the stranger said.

She did.

Perhaps, it was not a good comparison, but what Lizzy saw shocked her almost as much as the death of her boyfriend.

***

She was looking at herself. Well, she was looking at a young woman who looked exactly like her, as if they were identical twins in different outfits. The same mouth shape, the same

celestial nose

29

29

  «Небесный» нос. Прим. авт.: Этот нос имеет треугольную форму и характеризуется изгибом вверх. Мостик обычно высокий и прямой, а кончик обычно острый. Ноздри характерно расширены.

. Her straight hair was shorter than Lizzy’s shoulder length curls. The stranger was wearing a plain dark blue hoodie, a pair of black jeans, and, what looked like, Dr. Martens black leather boots.

“Yes, I know,” the stranger said. “It took quite some time for me

to wrap my head around this

30

30

  понять (прим. авт. понять что-то, особенно что-то странное или из ряда вон выходящее; принять то, что не особо хочется принимать)

 too!”

“Are you…?” she began.

“You?” the stranger finished. “Yes. I’m you.”

“From the future?” Lizzy asked in

bewilderment

31

31

  замешательство

.

“Not really,” the woman said. “I’m your copy.”

“My

copy

?”

“Yes. Some of us have copies, but they never tell us that,” Lizzy’s copy said as if it was

common knowledge

32

32

  всем известный факт, общеизвестно

.

“Who are

they

?”

“They.” The other woman

shrugged

33

33

  пожала плечами

. “The ones who want to control us. And now they are trying to

erase

34

34

  стирать, подчищать, вычеркивать

 us for some reason.”

What?!

“

I haven’t done anything illegal. What is happening?” Lizzy asked in a wavering voice.

“Listen, we don’t have much time, so let’s get the hell out of here first and then we can properly

catch up

35

35

  наверстать упущенное, обменяться свежей информацией

,” Lizzy’s copy said, looking around.

“But I don’t understand…” she started.

“No talk. Let’s go,” the other she said quickly and stood up.

The stranger

extended

36

36

  протянула (прошедшая форма глагола extend)

 her hand, another cracking sound somewhere in a distance, and… the copy’s head

exploded

37

37

  взорвалась (прошедшая форма глагола explode)

 like a watermelon.

***

Two dead people in one morning might seem like nothing on the global scale of things but seeing your boyfriend and your copy, whatever that meant, getting shot in front of you could make anyone go

insane

38

38

  безумный, душевнобольной, ненормальный

.

Is that what it was?

Was Lizzy going crazy and was seeing things that weren’t there? Nope. The moms in the alley were all screaming, and the grandmas were trying to run away. There was definitely a shooting just now.

The cracking sound.

 Was she the next target?

The twin woman had said that they were trying to erase them. Another click. Lizzy’s brain started to work again.

It took her a couple of minutes to get into the

endless stream

39

39

  бесконечный поток