Krisis (After the Cure Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

lab.
    “I’ll come back and get you in a few minutes,” she said over her shoulder, “I just want to get him cleaned up and safe first.”
    Bill got up with a groan and followed her. “I can walk,” he said.
    Ruth laid Charlie on the gurney she’d scavenged from the clinic and began finding her tools. Bill stood in front of the open cabinet, staring at the vials of sedative.
    “You lied to me? Why didn’t you tell me you had it?”
    Ruth shrugged and moved to another drawer, not wanting to discuss it.
    “How long have you had it?”
    “Only a day or two,” she lied.
    “Why do you keep putting this off? You know what we have to do. This is cruel, keeping him this way. You know that.” Bill’s face began to get red and she could see his fist holding the cloth tighter and tighter against his side.
    “What you are asking me to do is unnatural. It goes against every better judgment—”
    “The whole world is unnatural Ruth!” Bill shouted. Ruth blinked hard and began tweezing shards of pottery out of Charlie’s hair.
    “I couldn’t live knowing I’d killed my own child.”
    “Then don’t,” said Bill softly. Ruth looked up from Charlie’s head and gaped at her husband. He was crying. He swiped his free hand over his face and continued, “None of us should have survived. Things are shit and they are only going to get worse. You have enough. We’ll do it together. No more suffering for any of us.”
    “It’s wrong. ”
    “So give me something to do that’s right. Because what we’re already doing sure isn’t it.”
    “Do you really want today to be your very last day? The day you had to injure your child?” Ruth asked, gently washing the gash in Charlie’s head.
    “Every extra day that I’m alive I’ll only relive it and know terrible guilt. And every extra day is another where I may have to hurt him again to save you or someone else. This is as good as life is going to get now. But things are starting to run out. Soon, whoever is left will be killing each other for the scraps. We’re already out of most useful medicine and if we are around next winter, we’ll freeze because there is nothing left to burn. That’s saying nothing of food. Whatever gas is left is turning into turpentine so the generator and any running vehicles will be useless soon. The world’s not going to go back the way it was, Ruth. There’s nothing better coming.” He watched her for a long minute as if expecting an answer. Ruth nodded and wiped her eyes.
    “Tomorrow,” she said, wrapping a soft bandage around Charlie’s head, “I promised to do something tonight.”
    “Ruth—”
    “I swear, I’m not stalling. I promised to help a group of people who are ill tonight. I’ll bandage you both up and get Charlie to his room first.”
    “After what just happened? You’re leaving to help some stranger? The world is over and you’re still putting work before us? At the moment we need you most—”
    “Please, Bill, let’s not argue more. I’ll make sure you’re okay before I go. Let me do this one last thing. We’ve stolen food and supplies that other people, people who will be alive for years, could have used. We’ve killed neighbors to stay alive for this long. I just had to restrain and drug my own child because I’m too selfish to let him rest. Let me do one selfless act, let me make up for the time we stole from everybody else. It will help with— it will help me tomorrow.”
    Bill’s face was still hardened into a scowl. “It’s almost dark.”
    “I know. I’ll be back in the morning.”
    “But you could get lost. You’ll freeze to death out there.”
    “Considering what we’re discussing,” said Ruth, “does it really make much difference?”
    Bill shrugged and for a second, Ruth truly hated him for it.
     

Chapter 3
    By the time Ruth left the house, the sun had set and her flashlight’s thin beam was all she had to travel by. She hoped Juliana hadn’t given up on her and left the