Free Gray (Book 3) by Lou Cadle Page A

then with Coral. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, but let’s get you settled before we lose the light today, okay?”
    “What about our gear?” Coral said. “Will we get that back?”
    Levi looked an inquiry at Parnell.
    “Rifle,” he said.
    “Not quite yet, not that. But everything else, I assume.”
    “My knife?” Coral said.
    Jamie said, “I think Kathy still has it— a pocketknife.”
    “I’d like it back,” Coral said.
    “Fine by me,” said Levi, then walked to the door and opened it for them. “Until tomorrow, then.”
    Coral and Benjamin went out. Jamie said, “Have a seat. I’ll be a minute,” and he went back in the office to talk with Levi.
    Doug was several yards away, picking through a stack of books. She kept her voice quiet as she spoke to Benjamin. “What do you think?”
    “That he’s sorry there aren’t used cars to sell any more.”
    Despite her nervousness, Coral laughed. “But there are, plenty of cars. They just don’t do much.”
    “The ones he sold before probably didn’t do much either.”
    She said, “I’m glad we’re still together. Whatever happens.”
    “We’ll have it figured out here in a couple days.”
    “And we’ll leave if it’s bad?”
    “Yeah,” he said, looking over at Doug. “I wonder if anyone can get access to the books they’ve saved. I have some questions about hibernating animals I’d like to find the answers to.”
    “We’ll ask Doug. He seems friendly enough.”
    “Maybe,” said Benjamin.
    Coral didn’t disagree with his hesitation. They could trust no one except each other.
     
    Doug took the two of them to his home. He seemed calm and friendly, and Coral wondered if that were an act or not. The town’s security seemed lax. There weren’t armed guards patrolling the streets, and it would be easy enough to sneak away from Doug. Unless there was an army of people guarding the edges of the town, they might be able to get away much more easily than they’d escaped the UFO cult.
    Doug’s home was a few blocks away, in a block of dark brick apartment buildings. The sidewalks there had also been kept clear of snow.
    “This is—was—housing for upperclassmen, apartment suites. We’re in Aspen, right here.” He led them through a door and up into a dim hall. “We keep everything unlocked. No keys, but there’s not much to steal. Things that used to be valuable are worthless now, and anything that’s of value now is being used or has been added to central stores.” At a door, he pushed through and into a cold apartment. He called out “Ab?”
    There was no answer.
    “That’s my wife. If it’s okay with her, I want to invite you two to share this place. We have plenty of room.”
    “That’s kind of you,” said Coral, wondering if it was, or if he’d been told to keep an eye on them and was following those orders.
    “The boss has to decide, of course, but I think you’ll like her.”
    “I’m surprised people live alone, in apartments. You might be warmer if a bunch of people slept in a big room together.”
    “A few do live like that, but as time went on, and fuel ran low, most came out and grabbed alternative housing. Maybe we’d grown weary of the togetherness.”
    “So you’ve lived alone for how many months?” Coral asked. Benjamin was looking carefully around the living room.
    To him, Doug, said, “Go on and wander around. There’s a kitchen and a bedroom we use as an office. Nothing in the kitchen or bathroom works, of course.” He turned back to Coral as Benjamin explored. “We had roommates, another couple we knew. But Alec died, and Steph moved in with another single woman friend. I think she couldn’t stand to be reminded, you know?”
    Coral nodded. “What did your friend die of?”
    “We’re not sure. It was six, seven weeks ago. Fourteen died. A disease of some sort. Diarrhea, vomiting, fevers, convulsions, and death. Very quick, like three days.”
    “A virus, you think? Food poisoning?”
    “We