Then it was time to go out front and open the old cooler that sat next to the front door. Amy, the postal carrier who served the area, was used to his prolonged absences. When the mail box was full the excess went into the cooler. There was plenty of junk mail, a few overdue bills, and a box wrapped in brown paper. It was heavy. And as Palmer removed it from the cooler he felt his heart skip a beat. Because there, in the upper left hand corner, was Sara's name. And her address. A quick look at the post mark revealed that the box had been sent to him weeks earlier. Prior to the point when Sara's parasite had driven her underground.
Parker's hands shook as he carried the box inside, ripped the paper away, and opened the box. And there, nestled inside, was the geode he had given her for Christmas. The crystals sparkled with reflected light. There was an envelope with his name on it. He opened it, removed the sheet of paper inside, and began to read.
Dearest AlEX,
Capacity mine to function fading. So I send now. MayBE Dr. Wilson's people know. If not tell them to biopssy the parasites, map their DNA, and use to create antibodies. Inject!!! BEFORE hosts explode.
Pleas keep geode for me. Will reclaim if I can. I love you.
Sara
Tears ran down Palmer's cheeks and he made use of his shirtsleeve to wipe them away. The bottle of bourbon was still on the counter. He made a grab for it on his way to the porch. The top came off as so many of them had over the years. But as he raised the container, and was about to tip it towards his lips, his eyes came to rest on the charred ruins of his parents' house. He stood there for a moment. Then, having brought the bottle back over his shoulder, he threw it as far as he could. Light reflected off glass as it turned end-for-end and fell to the ground.
-The End-
ALSO BY WILLIAM C. DIETZ
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
Legion of the Damned
The Final Battle
By Blood Alone
By Force of Arms
For More Than Glory
For Those Who Fell
When All Seems Lost
When Duty Calls
A Fighting Chance
ANDROMEDA
(NOVELS OF THE LEGION OF THE DAMNED)
Andromeda's Fall
Andromeda's Choice
Andromeda's War
MUTANT FILES
Deadeye
Redzone
Graveyard
JACK REBO
Runner
Logos Run
SAURON
Deathday
JACK CATO
At Empire's Edge
Bones of Empire
REX CORVAN
Matrix Man
Mars Prime
SAM McCADE
Galactic Bounty
Imperial Bounty
Alien Bounty
DRIFTER
Drifter
Drifter's Run
Drifter's War
Freehold
Prison Planet
Where the Ships Die
Bodyguard
Steelheart
Ejecta*
*available as a Jabberwocky ebook
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