THEM (Season 1): Episode 3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

wife and kids on the desk, as well as a coffee cup that said 72 virgins, delivered courtesy of the Nightstalkers . I also noted a sizable stack of papers in the officer’s inbox on the desk; apparently, this guy hated being an office jockey. I speculated that he’d probably served in Afghanistan, was wounded, and then was relegated to REMF status after his recovery. Most soldiers choose civilian life after that, but I knew a few who just couldn’t give it up and who stayed on to serve in any capacity they could. As an afterthought, I reached down and retrieved the Gurkha insignia from the shattered glass of the display case. I carefully positioned it on the desk and silently thanked the soldier for loaning me the kukri before leaving the office.
    Once back in the hallway, I heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from the far end. I looked up to see Gabby running up to me with a smile on her face and a flush on her cheeks. “I think I found something—come check it out!” I smiled back and marched down the hall after her.
    Halfway down the other hall, she turned into a room that had formerly been secured with a metal Dutch door. Must be a supply room of some sort , I thought. Whether the kid had picked the lock on the door or found the key, I had no idea, but if she could pick locks, it wouldn’t surprise me. As I walked into the room, she was rifling through an old box that said MEAL, READY-TO-EAT, IND. on the side, bubbling with excitement like a little kid, which I reminded me once again that she was.
    She looked over her shoulder at me. “So, did I hit the jackpot, or what? This one says chili and macaroni, this one says chicken something or other, and this one says ‘veeg-eh-tar-ee-ahn,’ but I don’t know what that means.”
    I hated to burst her bubble, but saving her from botulism poisoning ranked higher on my list of priorities than keeping her feelings intact. “Gabby, I hate to tell you this, but all those meals are going to be rancid by now. In the Texas heat, they’re only good for a year, tops.” Her face fell at that. “Aw, hell, it’s not all bad news, kid. The candy is probably still good. Ever had hard candy before?”
    She shook her head. “Well, let me tell you, it’s going to be a treat. Pull out your knife and let’s start opening these up. I’m sure there’s still some candy and a few other thing we can salvage.” Within a few minutes, we’d pulled out a pile assorted hard candy and gum from the packages, as well as several packets of instant coffee, sugar, and iodized salt. The salt alone was worth its weight in ammo these days. We took it all back in the room by the entrance and sorted it on the counter, splitting it equally between us.
    “Can I try some, Scratch?”
    I nodded. “Sure, but let me just warn you—it’s going to be super-sweet. Sweeter than anything you’ve ever had. Just eat a couple, otherwise you’ll get a sugar rush and then crash hard after your insulin spikes.”
    “What’s un-sulin?”
    I laughed. “Insulin. It’s a hormone in your body that controls your blood sugar. Along with other hormones, it tells your body to use the energy you get from your food, or to store it.”
    She looked at me quizzically as she popped a candy in her mouth, and then her eyes rolled back in her head and she squeezed them shut. I thought for a moment she was going to spit it out.
    A moment later her eyes popped wide open. “It tastes like fruit!”
    “Yeah, courtesy of pre-War tech. They could make anything in a lab back then.” I paused for a moment to let the shock of the candy wear off, and then asked her something that I’d been curious about. “So, how’d you learn to read?”
    She kept sucking on the candy and shrugged. “My uncle taught me.”
    I considered that. “His English must’ve been pretty good.”
    The kid nodded, still enrapt with her candy. “I guess so. Some people have told me I talk funny, but doesn’t everyone?”
    I nodded in