Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation (11 page)

While Will was tired of being pulled away from their journey in order to help others, the people here had saved Dylan. Without Timothy and Doug, there was a good chance that they’d still be looking for help. That Dylan would be in agonizing pain. Instead, Dylan was safely sleeping, his wound closed. Will glanced back to look at him. While he stared at Dylan, Holly moved to his other side. She grabbed his hand.

“You know what the right thing to do is,” she said.

Will looked at her and chuckled as he smiled.

“All right,” Will said. He turned around to face Timothy. “Where are we going?”

***

Will had thought he might never drink a cup of coffee ever again. But that wasn’t the case.

Maureen had heated up a pot of water and used a French press to provide everyone with a mug. Even young Mary Beth, who’d claimed she’d never had coffee before, took a small cup.

And as the girl took her first sip and scrunched her face, the adults in the group laughed. Regardless, she choked back the drink.

After another couple of sips, Mary Beth said, “It’s really not that bad.”

“It grows on you,” Charlie said, smiling.

“I’m going to head upstairs,” Maureen said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, darlin’,” Timothy said.

“All right,” Will said. “So, tell me about where you want us to go.”

Timothy cleared his throat and took another sip from his coffee. “Karl, why don’t you tell them?”

His palms flat on the table, Karl said, “On one of my first runs, this would have been a couple of weeks ago, I met someone from another group. They were very cordial and didn’t come off as threatening. We only spoke for a few minutes, but they trusted us enough to tell us where they live. Said that if we ever needed anything to come to them, and we could see about making some trades.”

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “But what is it you would need from them?” He looked around. “You guys seem to have just about everything you need here right now.”

“They claimed to have a surplus of medical supplies,” Samantha said.

“We were already running low on things before you guys showed up on our doorstep needing us to help your child,” Timothy said. He said it matter of factly, not out of spite. “We were already planning a run there to see what they’ve got.”

“I would have to think medical supplies would be an awful expensive barter at this point,” Will said. “What do you guys have that you can offer them?”

“You’ll be taking with you lots of food,” Timothy said. “We figure that we’re lucky enough here that we have enough good soil in these yards to grow our own. You’re also taking a generator and a few weapons.”

“You’re willing to give up a generator?” Holly asked.

“If they have the right items, yes,” Samantha said.

“I’ve prepared a list,” Timothy said. “I would also recommend that you folks be thinking of things that you can trade. If they have pain medications and broad spectrum antibiotics, especially, I’d suggest you be ready to make an offer. The boy is going to need continued attention in order to fully and properly heal. I’d be glad to make you your own list of things to look for.”

Holly smiled. “We’d very much appreciate that, thanks.”

“It’s no problem,” Timothy said. “We have a place for you all to stay tonight. I would assume at least one or two of you might want to stay here with Dylan. But if any of you want a bed to sleep in, we have somewhere for you.”

“I think I might have to take you up on that,” Charlie said. “Not sure when I’ll get to sleep in a real bed again.”

“I don’t want to go,” Mary Beth said. “I want to stay with Dylan.”

“I’ll stay here with Holly and Mary Beth,” Will said. Holly looked at him and smiled.

“Very well,” Timothy said. He signaled to his wife. “Samantha can show you where you can—”

In the living room, Dylan stirred. He groaned, and moved around on the table. Already on his feet, Will pushed off the wall and went to the boy’s side.

Will ran his hand through Dylan’s hair. The boy was moving, but had yet to open his eyes.

And when he did, Will cried.

***

For the first few minutes after Dylan woke up, he worked to clear his head of all the fogginess caused by the drugs that had put him under. He tried sitting up a few times, but Timothy urged the boy to remain lying down while he regained his bearings.

Then the boy spoke his first words since coming out of the surgery.

“Am I going to be okay?”

Running his hands through Dylan’s hair, Will said, “Yes. Everything’s going to be fine. The doctor here took good care of you.”

Dylan looked down at the bandage on his arm. “It hurts.”

“You are going to experience some pain,” Timothy said. “Unfortunately, it’s just part of the process. But from what your friends here have told me, you’re one strong little boy. I think you’re going to be just fine, and you should feel much better in no time.”

Will ran his hands through Dylan’s hair, and the child couldn’t help but continue to look at what was left of his arm. Will felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Timothy.

“Do you mind if I have a few words with you?”

Will shook his head. “Not at all.”

Timothy led Will into one of the downstairs bedrooms. It had a twin bed with all the linens neatly made up. On the walls were scenic paintings of flowers and outdoor landscaping. Timothy sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at Will.

“He really is a strong boy,” Timothy said.

“Yes, he is.”

“But I need to know; what happened to him?”

Will swallowed and stared at Timothy. Even though the doctor had helped Dylan, he wasn’t sure how much information he wanted to share. He hadn’t met the majority of the people at the camp. If people knew about what was causing the mutations of humans around the world, how would they react?

“He was bit out in the woods,” Will said. “I just figured if I amputated the arm, it would keep the disease from spreading.”

“That’s good thinking,” Timothy said. “But I’m still a little bit surprised it worked. The virus must travel very slowly through the blood stream.”

Will swallowed, unable to lie anymore.

“Timothy, I—”

He was cut off when the door opened and Samantha entered the room.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Samantha said.

“It’s all right,” Will said.

She looked to Timothy, her thumb pointing over her shoulder. “They need you across the street.”

“All right,” Timothy said. “Be right there.”

Samantha exited, and Timothy looked back to Will.

“Finish this conversation later?”

Will smiled. “Sure.”

Timothy shook Will’s hand, and they exited the room.

That night, Will and Holly slept in a nice, large and clean bed in one of the houses. Dylan had been allowed to come with them, sleeping in the next room in his own bed.

Will didn’t bring up the conversation he’d had with Timothy. But he thought about it. Felt bad about it. The rest of the group was exhausted, and he didn’t want to burden them with his guilt.

Tonight, they would sleep.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gabriel awoke the next morning having spent the entire night tossing and turning on the tile floor of an empty classroom. After he had met with Nathan Ambrose, he’d been taken to a classroom with no other people inside. His own suite, he’d thought, morbidly laughing at the notion. Because it was more like solitary confinement. He’d hardly slept a wink. They hadn’t given him any blankets or even a pillow. With his body still aching from the accident, he’d known sleeping on a hard floor wouldn’t be easy. He’d ended up taking off his coat, folding it in half, and using it to lay his head on. With no sleeves covering his arms, he’d gotten a little cold in the non-powered space, but at least he’d had a place to rest his head. In the absence of sleep, he spent most of the night thinking of his wife and his daughter. And, of course, about Dylan.

Though these men hadn’t given him any sort of makeshift bed, they had at least fed him. The dinner served had been chicken noodle soup. Out of a can, no doubt, and cold, but Gabriel hadn’t cared. It was nourishment to keep him alive a little longer, for whatever reason they were letting him live.

He wasn’t entirely sure whether his internal clock had woken him up, or if it was the boots stomping down the hallway. Gabriel wiped his eyes and tried to get up, but his entire body screamed at him. His back locked up, stiff as a dining room tabletop. The joints in his knees popped with the slightest movement.

A shadow encompassed part of the room, and Gabriel looked up through the tiny window in the door to see a man standing there. As the door clicked open, Gabriel drew in deep breaths. Having made it from his back to his side, he fought to relax his muscles.

The door swung open, and two armed men walked in. One of them had long, stringy hair, and the other wore a Philadelphia Eagles hat. These were different guards than those who had come and fetched him the day before.

“Get up,” Stringy Hair said.

Gabriel groaned. “I’m trying.”

Neither of the men apparently had any patience or gave two shits that he’d slept on a hard floor all night. They walked over to Gabriel and picked him up off the ground. His back screamed at him all the way to his feet.

“Can’t you at least give me a second to wake up?” Gabriel asked.

“Shut the fuck up and put your hands out,” Eagles Hat said. He reached down to his waist and drew forth a pair of handcuffs.

Gabriel complied and stuck out his arms. Eagles Hat wrapped the cuffs around Gabriel’s wrists, and tightened them more than they needed to be. The suffocation of his wrists now drew him away from the dull ache in his back.

“Come on,” Stringy Hair said.

Stringy Hair walked in front of him while Eagles Hat walked behind. Eagles Hat gave Gabriel a nudge in the form of a light punch to the kidneys just as he started to walk out the door. Gabriel groaned and bit his lip. He wanted to turn and punch the asshole in the face, but he knew it would likely only lead to a beating. He instead took a deep breath and followed Stringy Hair.

Stringy Hair drew a walkie talkie from his hip and said, “Derek here, and I’ve got Lance with me. We’re on our way.”

Sun poured in through the windows, bringing rays of natural light into the hallway. The men led Gabriel down a long corridor, and he wondered if he’d ever see daylight again. Wondered if he’d ever see his family again.

As they came to the end of the corridor, Gabriel swore that he heard something peculiar. It sounded like a loud commotion outside. Derek opened a door and they walked into a small room. It had a staircase leading to the school’s second level, as well as a door that led outside.

When Derek opened the door that led outside, the sound Gabriel had heard got much louder. 

It sounded like a crowd.

Even though it had only been a day since he’d been outside, Gabriel’s eyes had trouble adjusting to the sun’s light. He brought his bound hands up to his face to cover his face as the roar of the people got louder and louder.

When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw where the men were leading him.

Across the parking lot was the school’s football stadium. The sport must’ve been a big deal to the school and its town because the stadium looked big enough to house a small college team. Cars were scattered across the parking lot. There were at least fifty of them. At the stadium’s entrance, there was a line of about ten people waiting to get inside.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.

“Shut up,” Lance said from behind him.

Only one person remained at the entrance by the time they’d walked across the parking lot. She was a woman, and she stood by the turnstile. Two large boxes lay next to her, each filled. Gabriel noticed some canned food, as well as a couple of boxes of ammunition inside.

“Morning, Stephanie,” Derek said.

“Good morning, gentlemen. You’re looking nice today.”

Lance chuckled. “Likewise, darlin’.”

Glancing at Gabriel, Stephanie blushed. “And who might this be?”