The boy is calm now, just kind of tucked into himself. He knows what's happened to his mom and dad. Takes his mind off his hurt, anyway. He bows his head down, his long dirty-blond hair hiding his expression. He leans against Turkey and they talk. I can see them through the back cab window.
In amongst all we've seen, I suspect it doesn't come through to him full yet. It will take a while. We'll all take a while.
We head out from Fairhope quick as we can. Not that anyplace else is different. The germs must've spread twenty, thirty mile inland from here. Which is why we seen nobody before who'd heard of it. Anybody close enough to know is gone.
Susan's the only one it doesn't seem to bother. She keeps crooning to that box.
Through Silverhill and on to Robertsdale. Same everywhere-no dogs bark, cattle bones drying in the fields.
We don't go into the houses.
Turn south toward Foley. They put this DataComm in the most inconspicuous place, I guess because secrets are hard to keep in cities. Anyway, it's in a pine grove south of Foley land good for soybeans and potatoes.