Ejecta Read online

  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

  Earthrise

  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

  THANK YOU FOR READING

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