Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation (14 page)

“Not taking the ambulance?” David asked.

Lawrence shook his head. “Nah. Brandon and Trevor are going on a run a little later. Thought I’d let them take it, in case they pick anyone up.”

David nodded, opened the door, and got into the car.

Once inside, he peeked into the back seat and saw two rifles sitting on it, as well as four handguns, along with four gas cans each of which would hold five gallons.

Lawrence pulled the vehicle up to the gate and nodded at Sam and Trevor to open it.

As they did, three creatures appeared. Trevor shot two of them with a small handgun, while Sam took down the other with a shotgun.

Lawrence hit the gas, and David looked in the rearview mirror, watching the gate close behind them as they headed out into the world again.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Will

When they finally came to the sign that said “Welcome to Knoxville”, Will felt as if he could have cried. After fighting their way down the highway for days, they’d made it. Will only hoped that his parents were still around and that they were safe.

“Just keep your eyes peeled,” Will said. “Assuming they still have their vehicle, we’re looking for a white minivan with South Carolina plates and a bumper sticker that says ‘Blessed’.”

“Aren’t we all?” Marcus asked jokingly, apparently referring to the irony in the bumper sticker.

Will let out a short laugh and then continued to look outside.

Knoxville was the first metro area they’d been in since Nashville, and it amazed him how vacant it was. While there were more abandoned automobiles and Empties out on the road, he’d expected to maybe see more survivors around. It made him wonder just how many people had actually made it.

“We’re gonna need to try and get some gas for this thing soon. We should be good for a while longer, but we’ll need some sooner than later,” Marcus said. The group had found a couple of gas cans at the quick lube shop they stayed at once they escaped Ellis Metals, but they’d already used their contents and refilled them with unleaded fuel; the fire truck ran on diesel.
 

Will looked back to check on everyone else. The fire truck had enough seats for eight people in the back, and an open space on the floor between the seats. Holly was still lying on the floor, unconscious. Dylan was beside her, patiently waiting for her to wake up. Will could see that, over the past few days, Holly had taken Dylan in like he was her little brother, and that the boy had taken to her fairly quickly. Will knew that Dylan was hurting just as much as he was, wanting her so desperately to awaken.

Gabriel sat upright in one of the seats, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

“How you feeling?” Will asked.

“How do you think? Like shit. My whole body hurts.”

“Well, just rest, man. Hopefully we’ll find my parents soon and we can figure out what we’re gonna do next.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Gabriel was looking outside, and Will could tell that he had other things on his mind. Instead of digging deeper to see what was going on, he found it best just to leave him alone.

He put his focus back onto the road and finding his parents.

***

Lawrence

Like David, Lawrence was exhausted. He didn’t want to go out on another run, but he also couldn’t sit around the hospital just thinking about his dead family. Going back out into the world and keeping his mind occupied had won out.

They were heading west on I-40 now looking for gasoline. The ambulance was running low, and they also wanted to fill up a couple of containers they had. Lawrence had already checked many of the gas stations, having made this trip many times over the last few days, and thought they might have a better shot of finding gasoline if they reached the outskirts of town.

“You have family?” Lawrence asked David.

Lawrence took his eyes off the road a couple of times, glancing over and waiting on David to respond. The man was simply staring out the passenger side window with his hand to his chin, rubbing the stubble on his beard.

“Why do you hide the weapons?” David asked, ignoring Lawrence’s previous question.

Lawrence cleared his throat. “Well, I’m trying to keep everyone’s lives normal. How do you think those nurses would feel if everyone was walking around the hospital carrying a gun? That’s not exactly normal.”

David looked over to him. “And how do you think those nurses are going to feel when enough of those fucking monsters come up to that shitty gate, bust through, and come inside your little sanctuary?” He looked away from Lawrence again, and went back to scanning the highway.

Lawrence swallowed. This was the second time within a couple of hours that one of the outsiders had questioned his motives. Questioned how he was running things at the hospital.

“The others who have been at the hospital from the beginning know where we keep them. Not everyone
needs
to know.”

Instead of responding, David just stared back out his window.

“I respect you, Mr. Ellis, and I’m trying to trust you. I need to know that you believe in what I’m doing and how I’m running things.”

David looked at him again. “I don’t. Not yet.”

Lawrence shook his head and refocused on the road. They were near the outskirts of town in an area where Lawrence hadn’t traveled since everything fell. He pulled off onto an exit ramp.

“This is as good a place as any to start.”

David kept quiet and to himself as Lawrence turned at the end of the ramp and headed toward a small gas station.

***

David

It was your typical exit off of an interstate in the South. The gas station was surrounded by various fast food joints and a few hotels. There were a few Empties in the parking lot of one of the fast food places across the street from the gas station, but he couldn’t see any other creatures lurking. As they pulled into the gas station parking lot, David felt a pang reach up into his stomach and he sighed.
Fucking microwave dinner.

Lawrence stopped in front of one of the gas pumps. David watched him reach into the back and grab one of the gas cans, a hand gun, and a rifle.

“Doesn’t look like there are any creatures around here,” Lawrence said. “Can you cover me just in case while I try these gas pumps?”

The feeling in David’s stomach came on stronger, and he knew he needed to find somewhere to handle it, fast.

“Actually, I’ve really got to use the restroom. Think you can handle it for a few?”

“Yeah, just hurry. I don’t wanna have to leave you if any of those things show up.”

David reached in the back for one of the pistols and also saw a knife lying there. It was the same one he had earlier at the pet hospital. He grabbed it, too.

“Alright, I’ll try and hurry.”

David opened the door, and jogged to the front of the convenience store.

***

When David reached the front of the gas station convenient store, he noticed the handwritten sign on the door that said “Restrooms At Side of Building” and had an arrow directing him where to go. He looked through the window and saw that the gas station had been completely raided. Seeing this, he assumed Lawrence wouldn’t be finding any gas left in those pumps.

As he hurried around the corner to the restroom, he heard snarls. The feeling he’d had earlier crept back up inside him. His need to kill had returned. He snuck around back and saw two Empties chewing at the remains of what looked like it might have been a cat or a dog. One of them looked up and limped toward him.

Not wanting to attract any others, David pulled out the knife and drove it into the thing’s head. He felt satisfaction in the kill, especially from doing it by hand with the knife, and feeling the blade slip out of the thing’s skull. The slippery wet sound as the knife retracted from the thing’s brain excited him.

He walked over to the other Empty, which had remained focused on the animal carcass. It looked up at him, but he was already bringing the knife down into its skull. This time, he didn’t stop. He slammed the knife into its head, over and over, until his arm finally tired. He stood upright, breathing heavily as he looked down at the damage he’d done. Blood was all over his fresh shirt and he could feel it running down his face.

Not satisfied, and remembering the feeling he’d had earlier in the day at the animal clinic, David raised his leg and slammed his foot into the thing’s skull, permanently fusing the creature’s head with the concrete.

***

The restroom still had running water, and David washed the blood off his face and his arms. He still felt a high from the kill, and it had temporarily taken the need to use the restroom out of his stomach.

The feeling soon returned, though, and David sat down on the toilet.

As he sat there, he looked down at his hands. Though he’d just washed them, they were still stained with blood from the massacre earlier in the day, and it brought a smile to his face.

He looked up when he heard a loud engine outside. It sounded as if it had pulled into the gas station, and now the engine held still as it idled.

David finished his business, pulled up his pants, and walked out of the restroom.

He walked around the corner and quickly retreated, standing flat against the wall where no one could see him.
No way.

David peeked his head around the front of the building and his eyes widened.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Lawrence stood just outside the sedan, talking to Will and Marcus.

Sweat formed on David’s brow. He couldn’t believe that his traitor former best friend and the asshole he’d had taken hostage—two of the people who’d left him for dead back at his warehouse—were now standing just mere yards away from him. David pulled back, leaning flat against the side of the building where they couldn’t see him. He tried to quiet his heavy breathing so he could hear what they were saying, but they weren’t close enough for him to make out their words clearly.

He gripped the handle of the knife tight at his hip with his right hand and used his left hand to grasp the handgun. He could feel sweat collect around the grip of the gun, and it almost felt as if it could slip out of his palm. The anticipation inside him grew. He wanted nothing more than to run around the corner and put a bullet into Will’s brain, but he had to be patient and smart. He knew they had been heavily armed when they’d left Ellis Metals, and also that it hadn’t just been the two of them. David hadn’t gotten a look into the fire engine, but he assumed that there were others in there.

Then, David heard footsteps walking toward him. He licked his lips and readied the knife. Whoever came around the corner, he would take great joy in gutting them. He’d cover their mouth, throw them against the wall, and cut them wide open.

Just as David saw a shadow and prepared his attack, a voice stopped the footsteps.

“Gabriel, come back! Holly is waking up!”

The shadow disappeared and David heard the man who must have been Gabriel hurrying back over toward the group.

He decided the best thing would be to wait. Finding a fire truck wouldn’t be difficult, and he could devise a better plan to get payback on the group who had left him to die.

David retreated to the bathroom, and waited for the truck to pull away.

***

Lawrence

“You’re sure you don’t want to come back with us?” Lawrence asked. “We’ve got a good group and can treat your people’s wounds.”

 
Will shook his head. “No, thank you, though. We really need to stay on the road so we can get to the East Coast.”

“I understand. I’m sure that boy misses his family.”

Will reached out to Lawrence, and Lawrence took his hand and shook it.

“Thank you again for taking a look at Holly,” Will said. “And we really do appreciate the offer.”

“No problem. Best of luck.”

Lawrence watched as Will loaded into the truck with the others, who’d already buckled back into their seats. He waved at them as they pulled away and headed back toward the interstate.

When the truck was almost out of view, he turned when he heard David approaching behind him. Lawrence laughed.