THE TRASHMAN Read Free Page A

people?”
    “She said it wasn’t the Christian thing to do, but to use my best judgment.”
    I nodded. “Given the kill rate of this plague it won’t take long for it to run through hosts. The only people left behind will be the ones who are naturally immune or get it and fight it off. I imagine there are people in isolated places who won’t get it. In a few months, it’ll run out of people to infect and cause its own extinction. All we have to do is avoid any contact with people until it does. I want that shotgun, Sam. I want it today.”
    “I’ll leave it beside the rope. You want a.22 target pistol, too?”
    “Will you have enough weapons for you and Lucy?”
    “Yeah. Lucy can use the .410 loaded with birdshot. I’ve got my hunting rifle and a Beretta 9.”
    “Becky can carry the pistol. The women aren’t going to like it, but we have to convince them. Warn people off first. If they don’t leave, fire a warning shot. If they still won’t leave, if they try to come close, we shoot to kill.”
    Sam shuddered. “Convince the girls? I need to convince myself .”
    Inside, Becky had a plate for me. I took it from the table where the kids were sitting using the only two chairs. They weren’t chatting and bickering like they normally do. I ate standing beside a workbench. Becky joined me.
    “I think we have enough food to last three weeks. I packed the multi-vitamins we had on hand.”
    I didn’t respond to her statement.
    “Sam’s bringing us a TV. He’ll run a cable over so we can keep up with the news.”
    “I have connection to the web on my phone but it’s pretty much useless. When I try to navigate to a site, it times out.”
    “Have you tried calling Neal and Maggie?
    I didn’t have anyone to call. Sam and I were orphaned in our teens after dad, coming home drunk from a party, hit a telephone pole. He and Mom died right there. None of our relatives from either side of the tree stepped up to the plate, so we wrote them off.
    “I don’t have Neal’s number. My sister’s goes straight to voice mail. Dad’s phone, too. It’s cold in Pittsburg. Maybe the virus won’t spread so fast there.” Becky’s mother died three years ago from breast cancer. Her father lives alone in the home she grew up in.
    I didn’t want to say anything to destroy her hope. I couldn’t remember any such news from the broadcasts. As far as I knew, the plague was spreading just as fast up north.
    “That could be. I know germs spread faster in warmer climates.”
    I told her about my conversation with Sam, and that he’d bring the weapons over. I have to say she’d held up well so far, but the bit concerning the weapons was too much. She put her fork down and started crying. I mean downright sobbing, tears running down her face like a waterfall. She sagged and I dropped my fork to grab her so she didn’t fall to the concrete floor.
    She latched onto me and buried her face in my chest. I held her until she finally stopped gasping for breath. The kids, frightened by their mom breaking down, began crying too. At least they weren’t wailing.
    Becky tightened her arms around me.
    “Oh please God help us.” She held on a bit longer and then let go. “Guns! You want us to shoot people?”
    Sam picked that moment to shout for me.
    “We’ll talk later. The kids need you.”
    Sam was at the rope. He had the shotgun, a 12 gauge, and the .22 long-barrel pistol. He also carried a small portable radio.
    “Damned cable went out while I was getting this stuff. All we have is a square saying ‘No signal’. Some radio stations are still broadcasting.
    “The news ain’t good. The President’s in the hospital. Given her age, she’s not expected to pull through. The Vice President’s already dead, so is Speaker of the House. Right now I don’t know who the president is, or even if we need one. I guess you were right. FEMA’s great announcement is to avoid contact with other people.”
    While he spoke, I examined the