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

The talking therapy went on for a couple more days, but that stage was ending, Lansdale told Lett. They were moving him to the second stage: the medication. At intervals over the next two days, Lansdale would inject him with a shot of a clear solution. The glass syringe was too wide for Lett’s taste and the metal ends too stout. After the prick, it stung a little for fifteen seconds or so. But Lansdale knew how to find a vein. Lett didn’t feel much different after. His head was clear, yet he felt relaxed, and talking came easier—he could still talk all he wanted if he wished. It certainly helped that Lansdale administered the dose himself, not some lug in an orderly smock. They were hunkering down here on this tropical island and just taking it easy. He felt free and easy. He might as well be swinging in a hammock in the breeze between palm trees. He didn’t even need a drink of that rum from the Philippines.

“Hey, I was just thinking: They got a hammock up there somewhere?”

Lansdale chuckled. “I’m sure they do. If not, I’m sure they can set one up for you.”

He had asked about Kanani. Lansdale told him she was doing fine and getting trained, and Lett didn’t worry about her. He felt so good about everything. He was being given a new lease, really. That was the way he was looking at it.

Lett didn’t care if Lansdale was a doctor or not. He just liked calling him “Doc” now and then. It fit. Lansdale didn’t tell Lett what the shot was; Lansdale only said that it contained a “revolutionary light sedative,” and that it was confidential information. It was best for the cure, and he cautioned Lett not to swap too many treatment stories with the other subjects because every cure was different. That was fine with Lett—all he knew was he wasn’t feeling any adverse side effects. In fact, he welcomed the way he was breathing easier and talking things out and learning things and knowing matters. His treatment could’ve ended up much worse for him. Electric shock. Lobotomy. A dark cooler that no one ever came to release him from.