A Flock of Ill Omens Read Online Free PDF Page A

a month. I've been prepping for a mission that just fell through yesterday—meeting some guys in South America to get something done.” Even that was more detail than he normally would have given.
    “So are you in danger, too?”
    “I don't know. I need Pax–Dwayne–to find out. He was on the list of people they didn't know about at command.”
    “He has leave until January. Spent all summer cleaning up some mess in Afghanistan. Trevor's been out there several times, spending time with his daddy. Dwayne swore he was here for months.”
    “Well, let's go see, then,” Matt said.
    Pam settled Trevor in at a neighbor's, with a friend and a lineup of video games. Then they drove to Dwayne's place in two cars, Pam with the key.
    The place seemed more ominous now that Matt knew he'd be able to get inside. Finding dead colleagues was one thing. A dead friend would be another.
    His feet felt like lead as they climbed to the porch. He took the keys from Pam to open the door and was greeted with a smell several times worse than headquarters had been. It wasn't unusually hot, but Matt guessed the time since Pax died was longer than what he'd found at headquarters.
    “You don't need to come in for this,” he told Pam. She'd stood back for safety reasons because he'd suggested the place was booby-trapped, but short an explosion, she wasn't having any of it.
    “Yes, I do. I was married to him for six years. He's the father of my son. I owe it to Trevor.”
    Matt thrust the face mask he'd grabbed from his Jeep at her. “Cover your mouth. This may be that flu.”
    “Flu? You're kidding, right? Wipe out an entire company?”
    “Better than sixty men.”
    “And you think it was the flu?” The disdain in her voice was clear, but Matt didn't back down.
    “I don't know what it is, but if I let you and Trevor be exposed, whether it's an illness, a poison, or a bio-hazard, Pax is going to haunt me. Cover your mouth or I'm not letting you in.”
    “You fucking asshole! I brought the key!”
    Matt sighed. “And I thank you. For Trevor? Come on. Work with me.”
    She rolled her eyes but went to her car and grabbed a bandanna to tie around her mouth, scowling as he adjusted it to make sure she was really covered.
    Matt put the face mask on and the two of them ventured inside together. Pax was in the bathtub, head propped against the corner. Matt thought maybe he'd been trying to cool a fever because a thermometer was out on the counter. Whatever the case, he'd never managed. Matt picked it up, hoping to see what it had last read, but didn't believe it could have reached 106—that had to be faulty.
    He pulled a latex glove from his pocket and used it to push down the lever in the tub. No reason to let the poor sucker bloat any more. Pam looked like she might be sick; she’d gone green at the gills. “Pam, I can take care of this.”
    “Shouldn't we call... I don't know. Whoever?” She was working hard not to cry.
    “You can try.” It was probably better if she had something to do.
    She dialed and the two of them went outside and stood as she waited half an hour, her grief turning to anger, and then she was cut off.
    “What the fuck!” she shouted.
    “With the number of bodies I've seen today, they have to be swamped. Keep trying. This will give me some time to make sure there isn't anything people shouldn't see, but if you reach somebody, call me. If not, I'll handle it.”
    “What about a burial?”
    “Keep trying. Let his parents know. They can try, too. But Pam?” he said. “I'm starting to doubt anybody has time.”
    “Then what do we do?”
    “This is his land, right? And I'm sure he left it to Trevor. You keep trying, but if you don't get through, I'll find a pretty spot. I'll call you when it's time to say a few words—if you haven't gotten a hold of anybody by tomorrow night—sooner is better. I'll make sure the body is secure so Trevor isn't exposed to whatever this is—bomb the house so any contaminants are