Read Gray (Book 3) for Free Online Page B

for an audience, but that’s what she had to deal with. She was auditioning for her role as doctor to this group, and that made her more nervous.
    “Hurry it up if you can,” said Benjamin. “It’s damned cold without my shirt.”
    Coral shot him a grateful look for giving her a built-in excuse for fumbling the job. She untied the previous bandage. The bigger wound of the two was still seeping blood. She tore open a two-by-two and put a dab of antibiotic cream on it. The stuff was precious, and she didn’t use more than she needed. She put that on the larger wound. “Hold that,” she said to Benjamin. She opened a bandage strip for the smaller wound. She put a smear of antibiotic cream on it and pressed it on Benjamin’s arm.
    She taped down the edges of the two-by-two, then had him flex his arm to make sure it was going to stay put. “I’m going to wrap the old bandage around it again, to make sure those don’t slip, okay?”
    “You’re the doctor,” said Benjamin, and when she glanced at his face, she saw the glint of amusement in his eyes.
    Despite everything, it made her want to smile at him. She schooled her features, though, and tied the bandage back around his bicep. “You’re good for another day.” She turned to Doug, who’d been holding the flashlight, and thanked him for the extra light.
    “No prob,” he said, flicking it off and putting it away. 
    Kathy had filled a pan with water and was setting it to boil. Jamie had found a small skillet in his gear and was cooking the perch. “Do I have to share?” he said.
    “We’ve been living on fish for months,” said Coral. “I certainly don’t need any.”
    Kathy said, “I’m not a big fan of fish. You three guys can split it.”
    “I’m in,” said Doug.
    Martin said, “Me, too. Wish we had some butter.” He stretched and then sat, his hand still loosely on his rifle. Kathy still had her gun in the holster.
    “We didn’t bring extra MREs,” Kathy said. “The trade was two fish for two of these, but I’d suggest you two split one tonight and one tomorrow morning.”
    Benjamin said, “It’s good of you to share.”
    It was shocking they were willing to share, Coral thought. The strangers could have taken their fish, their gear, shot them and either eaten them or left them for dead. She hoped that wasn’t because they wanted to save them for something terrible. Kathy’s reassurance she wouldn’t be forced into prostitution might or might not be true.
    Kathy said, “You two have a choice of—let’s see. Pork fajitas, beef and vegetable, turkey, and smoky frankfurters with beans.”
    “You decide,” said Coral to Benjamin. It all sounded wonderful to her.
    “Turkey for supper,” he said.
    That surprised Coral, and then she realized he was probably picking what he thought she’d like. Oh well, it didn’t matter. She’d eaten raw grubs. Any actual meal designed for human consumption had to be better than that. “Franks for breakfast,” she said, picking what she thought Benjamin would prefer as their second meal.
    “Turkey and franks it is. These are all fifteen to twenty years old, by the way,” Kathy said, tucking the other meals back in the backpack.
    “How’d they survive the heat?” Benjamin said.
    “Basement storage,” she said, as she sat by the fire. “Hey, Doug, give me some light.”
    He shone the flashlight for her as she read the package. “You need water for the main meal and for the stuffing thing, if I remember right.” She tore open a plastic bag, and a dozen smaller bags spilled out onto her lap. “Okay. We have the main meal with turkey, gravy, and peas. Stuffing. Dried cranberries.” She set each packet aside as she named it.
    Jamie said, “Put water in those berries, too, or they’ll be like rocks.”
    “That’s true,” said Kathy. “Oatmeal cookie. Jelly to spread on the cookie, which is probably too stale to eat. Chocolate, coffee—we usually save those for morning.”
    It sounded