The China Pandemic Read Online Free PDF

weeping.
    Graham felt even guiltier now, “All right, Bang, I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be right back.” He patted the boy but Bang jerked away from his touch.
    Graham closed the bedroom door but left the bathroom open so he could listen for any noise. He looked at himself in the mirror, still holding his rifle over his shoulder, and saw a man he didn’t recognize. He was filthy and utterly spent—both of energy and of emotion. He peeled off his dirty clothes and turned on the shower. He propped the rifle nearby and kept the curtain partially open so he could see out. He let the hot steamy water run over his worn body, watching the clear water turn brown as it drained away. He cried again, because the strongest man he’d ever known lay cold in a grave tonight. After showering off the dirt of graves, he emerged, finding the boy asleep.
    He stopped at the door and watched the sleeping child, then noticed the leather book lying atop the kid-size backpack. He picked it up and sat down on his own bed. With the golden glow of the night light, he unwrapped the leather binding. The first few pages showed a genealogy tree with Bang in the end. Photos and names of the ancestors delicately translated into English below what he guessed were Korean names. The brave lady bearing Bang’s likeness had indeed been a beauty. His stomach knotted from knowing the pain of losing his own mother too. He turned the pages slowly until a loosely folded letter addressed to him came into view. It read:
    “Dear Mr. Graham,
    “I’m writing to you this letter with a happy heart. I know you are a good man and will take good care of my son Bang. Please keep him safe and remind him of his father and me. When he is sad, ask him to tell you of his whole family and the people we were. We will be with you both in spirit.
    “I will tell you a little about Bang so that you will know how to care for him.
    “We are Korean American. My father bravely escaped the death camps of North Korea, Bang knows of the story. He is five years old and his birthday is July 15th. His birth took place in Seattle, Washington.
    “He loves cars and animals. He is scared of the dark and sometimes has bad dreams. I taught him he must be brave for you. He is a good hunter of small game.”
    Reading this, Graham lifted his head and looked over at the boy.
    “His father and I trained him well to fish and hunt duck, rabbits and squirrels. He knows how to set small snares and traps for them. His bow and arrows are in his backpack along with his slingshot.
    “He is quiet most times but can read and write well for his age. Most importantly, I believe you need him as much as he needs you.”
    There it is again, that same idea Dad expressed.
    “You are both alone now. That is why I chose you over the others.”
    Obviously, she wrote the next part later, because the handwriting wasn’t as smooth or as calm as before.
    “Please read my warning!
    “When you take Bang and leave this place, I must warn you about a very bad man named Campos. I watched all the living here at night to make my decision. He has killed two of the few that walked into town. When you take Bang, please go at night away from the highway exit. He stays at the gas station there by a small blue trimmed house. He seems like his mind is gone and he speaks to himself out loud in different voices. He’s very dangerous. Please avoid him. He has guns and carries a hatchet on his belt in the back at all times. He keeps the fires in the dumpster going and he even threw one of the survivors into it alive. When you leave don’t make any noise with a car, or I fear he will find you and Bang. Stay hidden from him.
    “Do not be sad for those you lost, Mr. Graham. You now have someone to live for.
    “With my deepest gratitude as a mother,
    Hyun-Ok”
    Graham refolded the letter and slipped it back into the book, rewrapping the binding. He wasn’t sure what to think of the boy. He wasn’t surprised by the