BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Lansdale bared slimy yellow teeth at Lett. He snatched the syringe from Lett’s hand and squirted half the liquid into his own mouth. He glared at Lett, wiping at his mustache.

Lett waited a moment. Nothing happened. Lansdale just smiled away.

Lett grabbed the syringe. He squirted into his own mouth.

The clear solution tasted of nothing. “It tastes like water,” he muttered.

“That’s because it is water,” Lansdale sang. “Sterile water! That’s all it ever was.”

“A placebo.”

“The very same. You got duped, friend. Good and duped by the dose.”

“There’s no medicine involved,” Lett stammered, “no real science at all.” The blood drained from his face. He backed up. “That means . . .”

Lansdale came at him. “That there is no cure. There is no cure!”

“But, it was the only part I thought was working. The only one.” Lett felt so cold suddenly. He had so wanted it to work, and Lansdale, that relentless psychological trickster, he had always seen that in him. Lett backed up a step, then another.

Lansdale raised his chin in pride. “It was just another angle, see, to get funded. All part of the pitch.”

“The pitch?”

“To prove our value. Show how we’re different. Didn’t you know? I’m a former ad man—”

“Con man, you mean.” Lett’s arms lowered. His feet shuffled, his legs so heavy.

Lansdale grinned. “However you like it.” He pushed at Lett’s chest, sliding him back to the door. “Now you get the hell out of my house. Get some sleep. If you’re lucky? Maybe I’ll forget this ever happened.”

“But, why?”

“Why you? GI, you sure got a numb skull. Isn’t it painfully obvious?” Lansdale snarled. “It’s because you wanted it. You wanted it bad. Bad enough to prove yourself.”

28.

Lett rushed across the compound. He’d buttoned up and tucked in his shirt and pushed back his hair to approximate a fellow on an evening stroll. Except he was walking too fast. Except his thoughts and fears rode heavy on his back like a pack full of river stones and his old friends would not return to help him, guide him, save him. He wanted to ask them:

Why am I the only one left? Like this. Why me?

He headed down a forest path. At this hour, no one was around. He thought he kept hearing a guard coming his way, and halted to listen, but then he realized it was just the underbrush making that crazed whisper it always did. Any sentries would be farther out along the perimeter, where a fence stood and then nothing but lava fields for miles inland. He found the wide main trail, out in the open. A breeze picked up. The few lights in camp filtered through curled fronds and contorted branches to create fantastical shadows that swooped and barbed yet showed the way to him.