The Dead Road: The Complete Collection by Robert Paine Read Free Book Online

bullet entered above his right eye. The splatter of gore on the wall behind him showed where it exited. He let out one last groan and collapsed like a marionette that had its strings cut.
     
    Roger looked at us both with a dazed expression. That bullet probably passed so close to him he could hear it whizz through the air.
     
    Eli turned to me, lowering the rifle. “Let’s find you some bandages.”
     
    I could only nod mutely. Only a few hours ago Eli was crying in a ditch, ready to give up. Something in him had changed. He was mad, tired of being the prey. He was ready to take his place at the top of the food chain back by force, one monster at a time.
     
    Roger lowered his hands finally. “Holy shit Eli, you nearly fucking shot me!”
     
    Eli shrugged. “But I didn’t.” He walked to the door, reached through the broken window, and unlocked bolt.
     
    I shifted my weight and started to limp after him. “Just be on your guard. There may be more of those things inside.”
     
    Eli nodded, shooting me a quick wink over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, man. I got this.” He opened the door part way, the bottom leaning against Big Earl who lay lifeless on the other side.
     
    Inside was a dingy office, the faux wood paneled walls gray with soot and oily residue. A large desk sat in the middle, covered with jumbles of paperwork, a collection of small parts from some forgotten engine, a rolodex, and a fifteen year old computer attached to an equally antiquated dot matrix printer. On the wall was a sign that read “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash” just above a calendar where a busty woman in red shorts was pulling her t-shirt over her head and revealing her breasts.  The chair was on its side on the floor. Beside it was a first aid kit, open, the contents strewn about in a semicircle. Next to that was a splatter of foul-smelling liquor. It made the whole office smell like rotting meat.
     
    “Check it out, man. Looks like Big Earl was looking for something.”
     
    I nodded as I leaned against the door frame. “He probably pulled that stuff out after he got bitten, then got sick. After that, he just laid there until he turned.”
     
    Roger grumbled something about taking a look around and walked away. He looked upset, but he knew this was no time for arguments.
     
    Eli pushed against the door, sliding Big Earl’s bulk far enough that he could squeeze inside. Broken glass crunched under his boots. “Stay out here, man. Won’t be good if you get another cut. I’ll get the kit and bring it out.” I gave a quick nod. It was probably the smartest thing Eli had said since this whole thing started. I limped back to the car, sat on the hood, and lifted my foot to take a good look at the damage.
     
    It wasn’t as bad as it felt. I almost expected to see the sole of my foot torn to shreds, oozing and pus-filled, but it was just a single cut along the ball of my foot. It was dirty, and caked with dried blood, but was ultimately a manageable injury.
     
    Eli came back out in a couple of minutes carrying the first aid kit in both hands. “He’s got all kinds of stuff in here, man. I don’t even know what half of it’s for.” I just shrugged as he set it down and started hunting around for antiseptic and bandages.  Eli said “I’m going to go back inside, look around some more. See if there’s anything else we can use.”
     
    “Boots.” I said.
     
    Eli furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me oddly.
     
    “Big Earl’s boots. Pull them off. Socks too if they’re not too disgusting.”
     
    I saw a shudder pass through him but he nodded, heading back inside.  I agreed it wasn’t a pleasant thought to pull the boots of a dead mechanic, but the world wasn’t a pleasant place anymore.  The kit had iodine swabs, antiseptic ointment, a small bottle of peroxide, gauze, and medical tape. I set to the task of dressing my wound, calling on the specter of my first aid training from that one year I