The China Pandemic Read Online Free PDF Page B

warning since he’d often heard the distant sound of gunfire and had seen the black smoke drifting this way almost every evening. So far, he hadn’t ventured that way since his dad implemented the no contact order. They mostly stayed close to the house and then his family started dying, so he certainly hadn’t thought of going anywhere until now. Now that he knew of the danger, he would have to devise a plan for him and Bang to exit this place safely.
    Unfortunately, the direction he needed to take to get to his family’s cabin led him right through the trouble-spot. They were landlocked by man and nature both. To get to the other side of the highway, raised like a causeway there, and lined with boulder walls on each side, they needed to cross the interstate bridge right in front of this Campos fellow. This guy sounded pretty bad, and regrettably the immunity to the virus wasn’t confined to good people alone, like his dad had warned him.
    Then, like most nights before he went to sleep, Graham cleaned the gun that he kept at the ready, taking pleasure in the routine and familiar task. Somehow, this act in recent days had taken over his typical pre-bed ritual of reading a chapter or two of a chosen novel before nodding off. Now, he felt the world around him mirrored some of the dystopian novels too much to enjoy them.
    Just before he woke, his father’s death replayed in his dreams. The desperate pleas from him, hoping he’d given his son every bit of advice he would need to survive, remained with him as sleep left. Then he opened his eyes and became aware of a sleepy little Asian boy sitting atop the adjacent bed, leaning against the headboard. He rubbed at his morning eyes and yawned. For a minute, Graham couldn’t make the connection. Then it all came back to him from the day before, losing two and gaining one.

5 Heading Out
     
    This new day brought with it a new purpose, one Graham could look forward to because now he had a boy to look after and that meant he needed to keep him safely away from harm. He felt the burden of the promise. He did not resent it, though it had come unexpectedly. Well, time to get the hell out of here especially considering Hyun-Ok’s warning .
    “Morning, Bang. You sleep well?” he asked. Bang nodded at this question. From the sad little face, Graham he knew yesterday’s facts were draping themselves into reality for him, as well. Bang let himself drop back down to his pillow.
    “I’m going to take another shower this morning because we probably won’t be able to get clean for a while until we get to the new place. After I’m done, you can take a shower or a bath, too, whatever you’d like to do. You do know how to take a shower, right?” Graham asked him. The boy nodded.
    Hell! I don’t know what to do with a five-year-old. Guess I better let him figure it out and if he comes out clean then that would do. A stinky little boy will be the least I have to worry about. Heck, we’re both going to be pretty ripe soon enough. It looks like I’m going to have to find a way out of town tonight, sans engine.
    Graham grabbed a change of clothes, went back to the bathroom and turned on the hot steamy shower. He tried to wash away his grief and banish the uncertainty of what lay ahead. While in there he came up with an idea. Maybe they could take the bikes in the garage. They were quiet and they would not make as much noise as his truck when getting out of town. He did not know if Bang could ride a bike. His niece’s bike would have to do, being about the right size, though girly.
    He sure hoped the boy knew how to ride because teaching him out front in the driveway would be too risky. As he thought about it, teaching a kid he hardly knew hit right up there with experiencing parenthood. He, being a novice guardian at best, felt severely unprepared. He wished he could go in the next room and ask his dad. He would just have to rely on his own experiences as a kid. He figured his parents