The line goes dead. He drops the stone from his hand.

Mulcahy struggles for a moment to sit up straighter, then slumps again against the tree. He turns to Neil. “Thank you for being patient, Mr.—Dr. West. If you don’t mind, I have something else to ask. I want to do some observational research of the infected while I’m a ghost; I won’t be at risk that way. But I don’t know where to start, except perhaps Downtown Hollow in general.”