Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation (27 page)

“Well, at least we know
why
that works now,” Charlie said. “So, what do we do next?”

Will grimaced again as Holly continued to close his cut.

“Almost done,” she said.

Will bit down on his sleeve and mumbled, “We were thinking of heading South.”

“How far South?”

“We were thinking about Florida,” Holly said.

“Can we live on the beach?” Mary Beth asked, a new excitement in her voice.

Smiling, Holly said, “Maybe, sweetie. We’re not even sure if that’s where we’re gonna go, or what it would be like when we get there, if we go.” She finished the last stitch on Will and snipped the thread. “All done.”

“Thank God,” Will said. He looked to Charlie. “What do you think?”

Charlie thought for a moment, and then he shrugged. “Well, then, I guess Florida will be as good a place as any. We won’t have to worry about freezing.”

In the SUV, the two kids cheered. Holly smiled. In turn, Will grinned. He looked down at his hand. Holly had done a good job at stitching him up for someone who hadn’t been used to patching human flesh until recently. When he looked up again, everyone was staring at him. Will chuckled.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

That night, Gabriel couldn’t sleep. Even with the welcomed comfort of an air mattress, the adrenaline flowed too strongly through him. All he could think about was the next day, knowing that he would be sent out onto the football field for an impossible fight. Behind the scenes, Ambrose would be betting on him to win. And in all honesty, Gabriel still didn’t understand why. What did Ambrose see in him?

Claire had at last managed to fall asleep, which Gabriel was thankful for. Since he’d been reunited with his friends, Claire had been crying the entire time. After what she’d seen—what all three of them had seen—Gabriel couldn’t blame her. The three of them had every reason to be scared, and Gabriel knew he would have to stay strong to help keep them all together.

Gabriel had been lying on his back for at least two hours, trying to fall asleep. His back aching, he finally decided to stand. As he made it to his feet, his back yelled at him and he reached back to massage it. He walked over to the room’s only door and stared out the tiny window.

 He heard shuffling behind him and turned around.

“Why’re you up?” Jessica asked.

“Can’t sleep,” Gabriel said, staring through the window again at the door across the hall.

“Yeah, I can’t either.”

“You sure sounded asleep.”

Jessica shrugged. “In and out.”

Gabriel turned to face Jessica. “I have to ask you something.”

“All right.”

“What did you put in that journal?”

“Everything,” Jessica said. “It’s the only way I’ve been able to cope with this madness.”

“What did you say about me in there?”

“Why?”

“I just want to know,” Gabriel said. “Every indication that Ambrose has given me is that he’s ‘chosen’ me because of whatever is written in that book. I just feel like I kinda have a right to know.”

Jessica sighed and looked to the ground, and then looked up to Gabriel again. “It says the truth. You and Will both held us all together. So, in case I was eventually separated from you all, I wanted to remember. And if something happened to me, I wanted the world to remember that you two were strong. If Will were here, he’d be in the same boat you’re in.” She bowed her head again. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Well, like you said, I got you into this.”

“No,” Gabriel said. “We were going to be here either way. I think what that book has done has given us a chance. It’s given us beds and privacy. If we had been captured and they hadn’t found your journal, chances are we’d be stuck in one of those rooms with all the other prisoners. Instead, we are here, together. And Ambrose
wants
me to win. He’s going to be betting on me. So, maybe I’ll get an advantage that the others won’t.”

“What was it like?” Jessica asked.

“What was what like?”

“This ‘game’ you’re going to be in. You said that they took you outside to see one.”

Gabriel looked outside the window again, staring off into that distant place. “It was a nightmare. People in the crowd were cheering and booing like animals. And the guys on the field didn’t stand a chance. There was only one weapon, and they had to race across the length of the field to get it. All before a pack of Empties was released.”

“Well, I’m betting on you,” Jessica said.

Gabriel looked over to Jessica, and he smiled at her. He put his arm out to hug her, and she cuddled into him, hugging him back.

When Jessica pulled away, she said, “Now, try to get some sleep. You’re going to need it. We all are.”

***

Gabriel had eventually been able to fall asleep, though he wasn’t sure for exactly how long. All he knew was that, by the time he woke up, natural light poured through the room’s single, square window. He rolled over to check on Jessica and Claire, seeing that they were both still asleep.

After allowing himself a few extra moments of lying down, Gabriel swung his legs over the side of the mattress and sat on the side of the bed. He sunk into the air mattress, as it had deflated some overnight. He couldn’t imagine that anyone would come into the room and blow it up again for him, but remained thankful to even have it.

He stood up and walked to the corner of the room. After relieving himself into the bucket they used as a restroom, he dove into a routine of stretches. Given the small amount of training time he’d been given, Gabriel doubted he would get any sort of warm-up before being thrown into the arena that was the football field. He performed a variety of full-body stretches, focusing mostly on his arms, legs, hips, and neck. Feeling better already, he sat down on the ground Indian-style, facing the wall. He closed his eyes and focused to clear his mind. While he’d never been much into meditation, he had attended a few yoga classes with Katie. He’d liked those classes, more than he would’ve liked to admit. His favorite part had been at the end of the class when the instructor would ask everyone to either lie down on the ground, or sit Indian-style, and try to vacate their mind of any stressful thoughts. That’s what he did now. Gabriel knew that if he had any chance of surviving, he’d have to walk into that arena calm and focused.

When he finished, Gabriel opened his eyes. Some light had started to peek into the room from the hallway. He allowed himself a couple of minutes to neutralize his body after having been fully relaxed, and then he stood. He turned around, and Jessica still lay on the bed, but she was awake now. Claire still appeared to be sleeping.

“Hey,” Jessica whispered.

“Good morning,” Gabriel said. “How long’ve you been awake?”

“About fifteen minutes. I almost said something, but then I realized what you were doing. Didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Thanks for that.” Gabriel walked back over to his bed and sat on the edge.

“When do you think they’ll come get you?” Jessica asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

“Not sure,” Gabriel said. “I’m not even sure when the whole thing is supposed to start. Honestly, I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Gabriel said. “Obviously, it’s the only thing on our minds.” He looked over to Claire. “Maybe except for hers. You think she’s going to be okay?”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t know. I think the thing I worry about most is, the longer that we’re here, the more chance there is for her to do something stupid.”

Gabriel shifted his attention back to Jessica. “We’re going to get out of here. You know that, right?”

Staring back at him, Jessica asked, “How can you be so sure? This isn’t like the hospital, or the farm. David Ellis was an intelligent man, no doubt, but he was just that: one man. We don’t know how many people are here, but we do know they’re well armed and that they seem pretty smart.”

Gabriel shook his head. “They aren’t that smart. The leader, Ambrose, he’s no slouch. As for all his pawns he’s got trotting around here, we shouldn’t have to worry about any of them outsmarting us.”

“Only that they’re carrying assault rifles.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, smiling. “There is that.”

They stopped talking. After a few minutes, Gabriel stood up and walked to the door.

“What is it?” Jessica asked.

Keeping his back to her, Gabriel said, “They’re coming.”

A face appeared in the small window, and the door handle rattled. It opened, and Lance and Derek stood in the hallway. As always, each carried heavy artillery. A pair of handcuffs clanked together in Derek’s hands.

“Turn around,” Derek said.

Gabriel turned to face Jessica, putting his hands behind his back. In the bed beside her, Claire had woken up. Confusion spread across her face as her eyes tried to adjust to being open.

“On your knees.”

After Derek had restrained Gabriel, Lance picked him up off the ground, pulling at the cuffs around Gabriel’s wrists. He grimaced as the steel cut into his bones.

Lance laughed as they shut the door, leaving Jessica and Claire alone once again.

***

They exited through the same side door that they’d taken Gabriel through before when they’d walked to the stadium. His eyes had an easier time adjusting to the sun this time, as it had hidden itself behind clouds. Gabriel wondered if an overcast sky would lead to rain on this day when he’d have to fight for his life.

Gabriel looked across the parking lot at the stadium. No one stood at the gate taking tickets, and it didn’t appear that any spectators had even shown up yet. He had time before the game would begin.

Lance and Derek led Gabriel to the field-house behind the football field. They opened the front double-doors and pushed him inside.

“Keep walking,” Lance said.

They walked through a weight room. Various cardio and strength-training equipment was scattered across the room. Derek stepped in front of Gabriel just as they arrived at a door. He pulled out a set of keys, inserted one into the handle, and opened the door.

Lance pushed Gabriel through the door before it had even swung all the way open. It took every ounce of strength in Gabriel’s blood not to rear back and kick Lance in the knee. He thought he’d be able to break it. Instead, he closed his eyes and drew in three deep breaths.

When he opened his eyes again, Derek stared at him.

“You done with that shit?”

Gabriel nodded.

“All right then,” Derek said. “Turn around.”

Turning around, Gabriel faced Lance. Aiming his assault rifle square into the middle of Gabriel’s chest, Lance smiled. Gabriel glanced down to Lance’s finger. His hand appeared to be shaking, his index finger resting on the edge of the trigger. Gabriel tried to remain calm, but he knew this man wanted nothing more than to kill him. Of course, he would likely be killed by Ambrose if this happened. Either way, sweat seeped from the pores on Gabriel’s arms and cheeks.

Lance quickly moved the gun and made a false move toward Gabriel, startling him.

Laughing, Lance said, “You fucking pussy. You think I’d actually shoot you? I fucking wish.”

“Cut that shit out,” Derek said. “He’ll be here any—”

Someone knocked on the door and it opened.

Ambrose.