The Dead Live On by Julie Cooper Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

second truck that was parked at the corner. I wondered about that, I assumed it was the transport to the hospital. Jake then turned and went home to wait for her return. It took probably a good two hours to check all of us in this block. When it was over, they had taken the entire Cruz family, all six of them, and one each from the Jones, Briar, and Holt households. They had taken both of the elderly Crafts.
    After the last examination, we were told over the megaphone that our vehicles were not to be moved and we were to remain on our street of residence. We could communicate with the neighbors, but if anyone seemed to become ill, inform them immediatel y. They told us that shelters were being established in Punta Gorda, Cape Coral and South Ft. Myers, and at time of completion we would all be moved there temporarily. Until then, they had turned one grocery store per neighborhood into a Government Emergency Supply Center and only one family member was allowed to board the bus that took us there, accompanied by three U.S. troopers. The bus would be around at five o’ clock a.m., and to be outside of your house if you were going, because if we missed this bus, another wasn’t coming around until the next Wednesday.
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Wednesday morning, the bus did show at five o’clock and I was ready and waiting there with Evelyn. I figured we were gonna need quite a few things since we didn’t shop for this on Friday. Evan did not want me to go, but I went despite his protests. I used Evelyn and her frailty as an excuse. He was afraid something would happen while we were separated and that he’d lose me. I told him that it wasn’t that bad yet. That no matter what, I would return. He kissed me deeply and when I broke loose and gathered my senses, I told him that I was surely coming back for more of that, and winked at him.
    I boarded the bus, signed my name, and I signed for Evelyn on the clipboard that was handed to me by the driver and we found our seats.
    The Supply Center ran just as your regular Food Pantry. You went in, said how many members were in your household and they gave you the weeks’ worth of food that a family that size was allotted. Of course you had to stand in line but it was a much quicker process since they didn’t ask for identification, I took both of ours just in case. They also had clothes as well if you needed them. You gave them your sizes and they gave each member one pair of jeans, one pair of socks, two long sleeve shirts and one pair of boots. I’m glad I got in line for that, the long sleeves and boots came in handy. After that was done, I was instructed to find my bus, give my name and wait for the others from my street that I rode in with.
    I chatted with Evelyn about what was going on while we waited, and an hour or so later I was back at home with no sp ecial events to report to Evan. He did have something to report to me, though. Sue was never returned and no one had come to tell Jake anything, he was worried sick. We became worried as well but didn’t know what we could do. So, Evan and I walked down to the corner to speak with one of the soldiers assigned to our street.
    He said that when she was well enough and cleared of infection she would be taken back home. It was the same for all who were taken. And they had taken quite a few from our little street. I don’t know what his intentions were by doing this, but he then pulled out his iPhone and showed us a video of what may happen to a person when they became infected. This is where the Halfers come in and I only call them that because, just for a little while, they seem normal and think somewhat normally. The video was very disturbing.
    Someone had been recording their friends while they were skateboarding. A young boy slid down across a rail sideways, and landed perfectly, and into the frame came a man and a woman that I thought were running from something or someone else. The woman slammed into the boy and knocked him