The Fall of the Governor, Part 2 Read Online Free Page A

ministered to the sick, advised all walks of life, cracked wise and slung witticisms—a man of integrity and humor and audacity and empathy for the weak. Here is the pinnacle of mankind—the highest-functioning member of the human race—stripped of everything that could be called human, diminished to a drooling, feral, neurological bundle of tics. The tears well up in Lilly’s eyes without her even being aware of them—the only sign of her anguish the blurring of that livid face in front of her.
    At last, Austin’s strangled voice wrenches her out of this terrible reverie. “We gotta do it,” he says. He has his silencer out now, and he’s screwing it on the gun’s barrel. “We owe it to Stevens, right?”
    Lilly bows her head. She can’t look at the thing anymore. “You’re right.”
    â€œStand back, Lilly.”
    â€œWait.”
    Austin looks at her. “What is it?”
    â€œJust … gimme a second, okay?”
    â€œSure.”
    Lilly stares at the ground, taking deep breaths, clenching her fists. Austin waits. The thing on the other side of the fence sputters and snarls. With a sudden jerk, Lilly spins toward Austin and grabs the gun.
    She sticks the muzzle through an opening in the fence and shoots the walker point-blank in the head—the dry clap of the slide echoing off the sky—the single blast slamming through the top of Dr. Stevens’s skull, taking off the back of his head.
    The monster folds unceremoniously to the ground in a fountain of blood. Lilly lowers the gun and stares at the remains. A pool of black cerebrospinal fluid gathers under the body.
    A moment of stillness passes, the thumping of Lilly’s pulse the only sound in her ears now. Austin stands beside her, waiting.
    At last she turns to him and says, “You think you could find a shovel?”
    *   *   *
    They bury the body inside the barricade, in the hard earth of a vacant lot along the fence. By the time they get the hole dug, which isn’t easy, full darkness has set in, the stars coming out in profusion, a full moon rising. The air turns cold and clammy, the sweat on the back of Austin’s neck chilling him to the bone. He climbs out of the trench and helps Lilly lower the doctor’s remains into the grave.
    Then Austin backs away and lets Lilly have her moment standing over the gravesite, gazing down at the body, before he fills in the crater.
    â€œDr. Stevens,” she says so softly that Austin has to cock his head to hear her, “you were … a true character. In some ways you were the voice of reason. I didn’t always agree with you, but I always respected you. This town will miss you desperately—not just because of the service you provided but because it won’t be the same around here without you.”
    A pause follows, and Austin glances up, wondering if she’s done.
    â€œI would have been proud to have you deliver my baby,” she says then, her voice breaking. She sniffs back the tears. “As it is … we have a lot of challenges ahead of us. I hope you’re in a better place now. I hope we all will be someday. I hope this craziness ends soon. I’m sorry you didn’t make it long enough to see that day. God bless you, Dr. Stevens … and may your soul rest in peace.”
    She lowers her head then, and Austin waits for Lilly’s tears to pass before he starts filling in the hole.
    *   *   *
    The next morning, Lilly awakens early, her mind going in many directions all at once.
    She lies in bed—the room just beginning to lighten in the predawn glow—Austin slumbering next to her. The two of them have been sleeping together since Lilly broke the news to Austin two days ago that she’s carrying his baby. So far, in the wake of the revelation, they have been inseparable, and their rapport is easy and natural. For now, they’re