Read Online Grunt Traitor by Weston Ochse - Free Book Online

than the fungus.”
    I set my teeth. I was used to bad news. This was nothing new. “Then come on and let’s go. We have miles to make and I want to get to Azusa at the very least before daybreak.”
    “How far is that?”
    “It’s only twelve miles on the freeway. But it’s going to be more like twenty, hugging the mountains.”
    The sound of a door opening made me spin. Rookie move. I must not have locked it. I knelt and readied to fire. Footsteps shuffled closer. When I got a visual, I almost pulled the trigger. Orange paisley stepped through the door.
    “Do not move,” I ordered.
    He held up his hands. Tears had scored clean rivers through the grime on his face. “Don’t shoot.”
    I knew we should have left the area quicker. I pointed back the way he’d come. “You need to leave.”
    He shook his head. “I can’t.”
    “Why not?” Dupree asked.
    “They got Larry now too.”
    I guess Larry was red paisley.
    “I’m really fucking sorry, pops, but this is a military operation, and we got no room for you.”
    “But you can’t just leave me. I’ll die if you do.”
    I sighed. “You’ll die if you come with us. We’re going to move fast and shoot anything that moves.”
    “I can move fast.”
    “Oh, please.” I turned to Dupree. “We don’t have time for this.”
    Dupree nodded as he stared at the old men, then turned to me. “Why is it we’re doing this, Mason?”
    I knew where he was going. “Don’t get sentimental on me. We all have to make sacrifices.”
    “He could be your grandfather. Would you do that to your grandfather?”
    I remembered gnarled hands on mine as they taught me how to reel in a fish. One of my few truly perfect memories not sullied by the shit that had been my childhood. I lowered the barrel of my rifle in disgust.
    “I’m going to need to check you out.” Dupree pulled on some gloves, then a paper facemask. “What’s your name?”
    “Hen—Henry Maxwell.”
    “Okay, Henry Maxwell, tell me what happened.” He walked over to Henry with a portable black light in his hands. He turned it on and held it over the face and shoulder area of the old man.
    “We live less than five hundred feet west of here, in a resort home. We spent our days reading and playing games. Then every morning and evening we play a round of golf.” He flashed a shaky grin. “You know I’m seventy-seven years old and a five handicap?”
    “Is that good, Henry?”
    I had to admit, Dupree had a charming bedside manner.
    “Good, hell. It would almost put me on the PGA,” he said. Then he gave a short bark of a laugh and beamed a plastic grin in my direction. “Do you believe people used to get paid to golf? What a world we had.”
    Dupree stepped back. “Yeah, what a world we had.” He held up a hand. “Give me a moment, Henry, to confer with my colleague.”
    “Sure thing.” Henry sat heavily in a chair, staring expectantly at us.
    Dupree came over to me and directed me to follow him to his bag. I kept my weapon at low ready and one eye on the old man.
    “What’s up?”
    He spoke in a hushed whisper. “You’re right. He can’t come with us. He has spores all over him. My guess is they got on him during the attack.” He glanced back at Henry. “I’d love to take him back to evaluate the growth infection rates, but without a biohazard particulate suit, he’d be too infectious.”
    “What do you want to do with him, then?”
    Dupree gave me a stern look. “I don’t want to kill him.”
    “Okay, then. What happens if he infects someone else? You yourself said that this fungus has made humans the vector for its spread.”
    He nodded and frowned. “I know I said that. But what would you have me do?”
    I turned to Henry.
    When he saw my face he stood. “I’m not going with you,” he said, his eyes searching mine for an answer.
    “The same thing that infected the fungees that killed your friends has infected you. We don’t know how long it will take, but Dupree believes