Left With the Dead by Stephen Knight Read Free Book Online Page B

plastic shopping bag, tied it up, and dropped it into the almost-full trash can.
    “Jaden’s not potty trained yet,” she told him. “So we go through quite a few diapers during the day, and a few more overnight. I’m sorry about the smell, but I’ve been afraid to go out and dump the bag down the garbage chute. I don’t know what might hear the noise.”
    Gartrell nodded. “I get that. You’re thinking, and that’s good. If the smell gets too bad, we can always pitch the bag into another apartment.”
    “Who were you talking to before?”
    “I made radio contact with the Army unit that’s to our north. It’s an entire division, maybe ten thousand guys. They’re trying to move into the city, but it’s not going too well.”
    “Will they come and get us?”
    “As soon as they can. They’re a little short on helicopters right now, but they know we’re here. By the way, I’ll need your address—I can give them GPS information, but an actual address would help.”
    “Fifteen-forty Second Avenue, apartment four B. When do you think they’ll come?”
    Gartrell shrugged. “Not sure—they’re waiting for helicopters to come in from Pennsylvania. I don’t know if they’ve left their home airfield yet, or if they’re even ready to launch. I’ll make contact again in an hour and try to get an update, but lots of stuff is going on in the world. We’re pretty low on the list of priorities right now.”
    Jolie’s brow knitted. “Did you tell them I have an autistic son?”
    “I mentioned that, yeah. Look, they’re going to try, but they’re also trying to stop those…things…from getting out of the city. You know what happens if one bites you, right?”
    “No. What?”
    Gartrell sighed. “You die. And then, you turn into one of them.”
    Jolie stared at him for a long moment, then looked away. “Dear sweet Jesus.” She put her hands over her face. “Oh dear sweet Jesus , you mean—” Her voice broke and her shoulders shook as she sobbed. She tried to suppress it, but the emotion overwhelmed her. She wept as silently as she could, and Gartrell stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders.
    “What’s wrong? Have you been bitten? Are you all right?”
    She shook her head and pulled away from him. He let her, and stepped back so he could keep an eye on Jaden. The boy still sat in front of the DVD player, watching a cute animated dog named Blue cavort about with her human owner. Gartrell looked back at Jolie, and waited for her to get herself under control.
    “What is it, ma’am? If you’ve got something to say, pull yourself together and say it.”
    She reached for a roll of paper towels and tore off a sheet. She spent another moment drying her eyes, then sniffed and turned back to him. Her blue eyes gleamed in the wan light that made it past the shaded windows.
    “My husband called me from downtown. He’d been bitten by one of those things, but he’d gotten away from it. They didn’t kill him. He was still making his way uptown.”
    Gartrell didn’t really know how to respond to that in any meaningful way. “I’m sorry.”
    She sniffed again. “So he’s one of them now?”
    “I don’t know. Probably better to keep your mind on your son now.”
    She looked at him, hard-faced once again. “You do know! You’ve probably got more experience with those things than anyone else in the city!”
    Gartrell said nothing, and she turned away from him with a heavy sigh. She rubbed her eyes, then crossed her arms and hugged herself in the gloomy darkness.
    “I’m sorry. I don’t…I don’t mean to fight with you. I’m just wrapped up a little tight right now, you know?”
    Gartrell knew all about it, and he felt the same way himself. “It’s not a problem. I get where you’re coming from. But thinking about your husband right now…well look, there are other things that are more pressing.”
    Jolie nodded slowly. “Yeah. There are.” She turned back to him and tried to relax,