Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation (28 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

It was mid-afternoon when Charlie pulled off the road. A bad storm was brewing in the air, and they’d found another exit on a desolate stretch of highway to stop at. It was a thinly populated area with only one building: a truck stop. Charlie pulled the vehicle into the parking lot and they saw a small group of five Empties hanging around the side of the lot.

“Shit,” Charlie said.

“It’s all right,” Will said. “Take a spin around the parking lot and let’s make sure there’s nothing else, or no one else, here. If it looks abandoned, you can return to the front and we’ll take care of them.”

Charlie drove around the side of the convenience store, and then the rear. Two more Empties limped around the back side of the lot, but that was it. One of the creatures had once been a large man, wearing overalls over a shirt that had once been white and was now stained red. The other had been a thin man, younger than its counterpart, and wore a button-up shirt and jeans.

“Stop,” Will said. “I’ll get ‘em.”

Charlie stopped the vehicle a safe distance away from the two creatures, and Will grabbed the machete and jumped out. It was the first time he’d held the weapon since cutting his hand in the drain pipe, and the grip surprisingly felt as comfortable as ever in his grasp.

The two creatures stood ten yards apart. Will went to the smaller one and landed a blow in the side of its head before the Empty could put its hands up in defense. It crumbled to the ground, and Will stepped on its chest and wedged the blade out of its skull. The nearing creature’s snarl drowned out most of the wet sound that came with dislodging the machete. Will stood up straight with the thing in overalls five yards away. It lunged toward him, but he easily ducked the blow and passed behind the creature. The Empty had about five inches on him. Will lifted the weapon overhead and brought the machete down into the back of the creature’s skull. It let out one last snarl before it fell forward, landing belly-first. Its face slammed against the concrete with a sickening thud. Will kicked the Empty once to confirm the kill. When it didn’t move, he placed his boot on the thing’s back and withdrew the blade.

When he returned to the SUV, Charlie threw him a towel.

“Not bad,” Charlie said. “I think I’d give you a solid six out of ten.”

Will wiped the blade down and smiled. “Catch.”

He threw the towel to Charlie, who tried to wiggle away, and then Will loaded back into the passenger seat. Charlie wrangled the towel away, tossing it back to Will. Holly and the kids laughed in the back seat.

The slaying had attracted the other five Empties as the creatures made their way from the side lots. Charlie only drove about fifteen yards before he stopped.

“Guns?” Charlie asked.

Will nodded. “It’s too risky with five of them. We’re in the middle of nowhere. I don’t think we’ll attract anything or anyone. Just no shotguns or rifles. Let’s stick with handguns.”

“Do you need me to come with?” Holly asked.

“Stay in here with the kids,” Will said. “Keep an eye on us, and if something weird happens, then come help. Keep a gun at your side.”

The creatures had cut the distance to the SUV in half as Will opened his door and stepped out.

Three of the Empties stood bunched together, while the other two moved in Will’s direction, leaving about a half-a-car length between their counterparts. Will stepped forward until his target stood ten feet in front of him and then he fired the first shot. It blew past the creature’s ear; it had been a petite woman during its life. Setting his sights again, Will squeezed off another round and hit the creature above its left eye. At almost the same time, Charlie took down his first target with his initial shot.

The other three creatures came down without either man having to reload. Final count: Charlie 3, Will 2.

They loaded back into the SUV and Charlie parked it behind the truck stop, out of sight from any possible passersby.

As Will popped a new clip into his weapon, he said to Holly, “Charlie and I will go make sure it’s clear inside; then we’ll come get you guys and our stuff.”

“Why don’t you let me go in with Charlie?” Holly offered. “You need a break.”

Before Will could protest, Charlie chimed in.

“She’s right. We’ll handle it, man. Just chill out for a few minutes.”

Will thought of protesting until he looked down at his hands. Dirt, grime, and blood covered them. The stitches on his palm looked almost ready to bust open. His muscles ached, his head throbbed, and he felt disgusted from the repeated blood showers.

“All right,” he said, looking back at Holly. “You guys just be sure to yell if anything is wrong, all right? I’ll be coming right in.” He took his gun by the barrel and offered it to Holly.

Popping a new clip into her own sidearm, Holly smiled and said, “I’ve got my own.”

“Just be careful,” Will said.

“We will, don’t worry,” Charlie replied. He looked back to Holly and signaled her outside.

After they exited the vehicle, Will let his head slam against the head rest and he closed his eyes. As hesitant as he’d been to let Holly go, he now found it relaxing that he was able to just sit and wait. Even so, he found himself becoming more anxious by the second.

He opened his eyes, then looked to the back seat. The two children sat shoulder to shoulder on one end of the bench, staring up at him.

Smiling, Will got out of the SUV and re-entered through the rear passenger side door. Dylan and Mary Beth remained silent and stared at him. He sat beside them.

“Come here,” Will said, and he put his arm up, offering to let Dylan duck under it. The boy did, and Mary Beth snuggled next to him.

“Are we really going to Florida?” Dylan asked.

Running his fingers through Dylan’s hair, Will said, “Yeah, buddy, we are.”

“Good,” he said. “I like the beach.”

Will smiled. “Me, too.”

“Can we go to Disney World?” Mary Beth asked. “You know, if it’s open. I’ve never been.”

“I doubt it will be open, but when it opens back up, that’s the first place we’ll take you guys.”

After that, they sat there for several moments in silence. Will would rub Dylan’s head for a minute, and then shift his hand over to Mary Beth and comfort her by stroking her hair. He took comfort in them feeling at peace with him there, like he was their father. He looked down at Dylan and wondered if the boy’s parents were still alive. If they were, how must they be feeling? The thought filled him with regret for holding onto the boy instead of forcing him to travel with Gabriel to Washington. If he had, not only would the boy possibly have been reunited with his parents, but he’d still have both of his arms. Will shook off the thought, though, because if Washington was as bad as he’d been told, Dylan’s fate could’ve been far worse than losing a limb.

Will was pulled out of his thoughts when Dylan spoke.

“Do you think things will ever go back to normal?”

Before Will had to come up with an answer, Charlie and Holly rounded the corner of the building, their weapons holstered. Holly signaled everything was clear with a thumbs up.

Will leaned down and kissed Dylan on the forehead. “Come on, bud. Let’s go inside.”

The inside of the truck stop looked clean. The vibrant walls and updated countertops made the place look new, even. It would be a comfortable place for them to stay the night. But the place had been completely stripped of any food or supplies worth possessing.

“I’ve gotta say, it’s a little strange a place this nice is empty,” Will said.

Charlie added, “We haven’t passed another vehicle on the road in a while.”

“We should really scour the place,” Holly said. “Charlie and I just made sure no one else was here. Never know what we might find in the back or in the kitchen.”

“Good idea,” Will said. “We should look now while there’s still light outside.”

“I’ll take the kids and check around here in the store,” Charlie said. “You guys go check out the restaurant. We only took a quick peek into the kitchen to make sure no Empties were in there.”

Will nodded, then crossed the store to the restaurant, Holly behind him. Tables and chairs were still set up across the dining room. They scurried across the space to the double doors that presumably led to the kitchen.

Leaning against the doors, Will asked, “You guys looked back here and it was clear?”

Holly nodded, and Will pushed through the doors.

Much like the rest of the building, the kitchen was surprisingly clean. How had this place been left untouched? Pots and pans were in their places, the stovetop was clear, and even the floor was mostly free of debris. It wasn’t until Will opened the refrigerator that he caught a whiff of anything sour. The smell of rotten meat escaped from the refrigerator like it had been just awaiting its chance to flee. Will nearly vomited before he slammed the door shut.

“Let’s check the pantry,” Will said, holding his hand to his mouth.

Holly moved ahead of Will and opened the walk-in dry storage.

“Damn it,” Holly said.

It had already been raided. Will didn’t even go inside to check. Someone
had
been here, or anyone who’d been here during The Fall had stolen the contents. Still holding his hand over his face, Will walked over to the stovetop and tried turning on one of the burners.

Whoosh.

The stovetop’s eye came alive, the blue flame rising. Will removed his hand from his mouth, revealing a smile.

“Does it work?” Holly asked.

Will moved out of the way, showing her that indeed it did.

That evening, they treated themselves to a warm meal. For at least one night, they didn’t have to eat cold beans or veggies out of the can. It was all the children could talk about, and that brought a sense of peace to the three adults in the group.

Will rested peacefully that night, thankful they’d survived another day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“Hello, Mr. Alexander,” Ambrose said, smiling as he entered the room.

Gabriel didn’t respond. For once, Ambrose wasn’t smoking a cigar. Still, Gabriel could smell the stench radiating off of him.

“Give us a moment, gentlemen,” Ambrose said, speaking to Lance and Derek.

“Are you sure, sir?” Lance asked.

Ambrose’s smile vanished. “Are you going to stand there and question me?” Ambrose asked.

“No, sir,” Lance said. “I’m sorry.”

“You're damn right, you’re sorry,” Ambrose said. “Now get the fuck out of here.”

Lance’s face went red. He exited the room.

For the first few moments, Ambrose didn’t speak. He paced back and forth in front of Gabriel, who still sat on the wood bench in front of the lockers. Ambrose didn’t even look at him. Even though Gabriel was unarmed, he still found it risky for Ambrose to have left him alone in the room with him. He assumed that Ambrose was armed, but that didn’t mean that Gabriel couldn’t attack him. Either Ambrose was too confident of his own ability to keep this from happening, or he just didn’t think Gabriel would do anything. The latter was true; Gabriel had no intentions of doing anything stupid. He would eventually get out of this place, but he would have to be smart about it.

“I assume that you’re prepared for today, Mr. Alexander,” Ambrose said.

“Am I supposed to be?” Gabriel asked. “I only had about ten minutes of training.”

Ambrose chuckled. “You don’t need training.”

“What about the guy you plan on sending out there with me? Did he have adequate training?”

Ambrose shrugged. “Perhaps. But who’s to say that I’m even sending anyone in there with you?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I guess I figured you just wanted people to have more options to bet on.”

“Makes my odds better if it’s just between you and the creatures,” Ambrose said. “Do you really think people are going to bet on you, Mr. Alexander?”

“Well, I guess if they’re as smart and competent as you are, then they should bet on me.”

A big smile crescendoed on Nathan’s face. “That’s my boy. You’re going to make me a very rich man. I can feel it.” He pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

Guess I spoke too soon on that one
, Gabriel thought. Ambrose took a drag off the cigar, blowing the cloud of smoke toward Gabriel.