“Pretty fucked up when standing right outside of a bathroom smells better than standing in the open,” Thomas said.
Gabriel chuckled. He tossed his rubber gloves, caked with death, into the nearby trashcan. Jessica, Thomas, and Claire followed suit. The night had fallen upon them, the moon in the sky only days away from being full. Not sure of how safe the area was, they couldn’t stay outside for too long.
He went to the SUV, popping open the cargo area and grabbing his things. All he had to himself was a small duffle bag with a couple of sets of clothes in it, and a sleeping bag. He’d received the sleeping bag from Claire, as her and Thomas’ family had been prepared to go camping while up in the mountains. He’d also taken one of the pillows from his cabin, giving himself a complete mobile bed.
Gabriel went back into the Welcome Center, dropping off his things before heading back to the SUV for essentials. Everything had to be unloaded in order to keep their food and weapon supply protected from possible looters. It was doubtful, but entirely possible, that someone could come by during the night and rob them. Between the four of them, they only needed one trip to unload all the common goods out of the SUV. To be safe, Thomas went back to the SUV and parked it out of sight, behind the Welcome Center.
After Thomas was finished, he came back inside, and Gabriel locked the door behind him. He took one last look outside, the night quiet and still. Then he turned around to join the rest of the group.
“I don’t know about you all, but I’m exhausted,” he said. “Let’s get some rest.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The following morning, Will and Holly woke early and began gathering things together for the day’s trip. After informing Charlie the previous evening that he was down with going to check out the church and that Holly would be joining them, Will had suggested that they just go ahead and make the trip the following morning. He’d decided he’d rather get the trip out of the way, in hopes of being able to just rest afterward, as opposed to taking a few days off and then having to find the motivation to drive two hours through an impending wasteland. Even though he knew that, if they found something, there would likely be no rest for the foreseeable future.
Their bags on the bed, Will and Holly went through their mental checklist, making sure they had everything they needed. Holly checked off each gun they’d bring with them, which included two sidearms a piece, a rifle, and a shotgun, matching ammunition, two bowie knives, a machete, flashlights, extra batteries, a first aid kit they’d found in a cabinet in their kitchen, six bottles of water, a bag of almonds, and two bags of beef jerky. Charlie would make sure to fuel the truck they’d be taking, as well as grab three extra cans of gasoline.
“I think we’re all set,” Holly said.
“Good.”
Will zipped up each bag and threw the ammunition and weapons bag over one shoulder, and the rifle over the other, leaving the emergency and food bag for Holly. They walked outside, loaded the gear into the vehicle, and then walked to Larry and Marie’s cabin.
Dylan and Mary Beth stood on the front porch, Larry towering behind them. He was around six foot three, and looked even taller wearing overalls.
Larry said, “Marie found some stuff to whip up some pancakes, including some syrup. Should be a fine breakfast for the kids. No one makes pancakes like Marie.”
“Great,” Will said, smiling. He walked up the steps and extended his hand to Larry. “Thanks for agreeing to take care of them.”
“No problem,” Larry said. “The Lord never did bless us with no grand babies, so we will enjoy this, even if it’s just for the day. Might take Dylan here down to go fishin’.” Larry rummaged the boy’s hair as he said this, and Dylan only looked slightly annoyed.
“I wanna go fishing,” Mary Beth said.
Larry laughed. “You can go, too, young lady.”
“Whatever you guys decide to do, just be careful,” Will said. “I know you’ve been fortunate in these parts, but you gotta remember what kind of world is out there.”
“Don’t you worry, we’ll be very careful,” Larry said. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, toward the open door of the cabin. “I’m gonna go inside and see how Marie is doing on those pancakes.”
As Larry disappeared into the smell of sweet carbohydrates, Will turned his attention to Dylan and Mary Beth.
“Do you guys have to go?” Mary Beth asked. “I don’t want to stay here without y’all.”
Holly said, “Sweetie, we—”
“Yes,” Dylan interrupted. “They have to go.”
“It’s just for the day,” Will said, hoping he wasn’t inadvertently lying. “We’ll be back before the sun goes down.”
Mary Beth said, “Promise?”
Smiling, Will said, “Promise.”
Holly leaned down to hug Mary Beth, and Will did the same with the boy.
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,” Dylan said into Will’s ear.
Will pulled away from Dylan, placing his hands on each of the boy’s shoulders.
“I know you’re upset,” Will said.
“Then why are you leaving?”
“Because we have to.”
“Take me with you,” Dylan said.
Will sighed. “We can’t.”
Dylan crossed his arms and stared down at the ground.
“We will be back. Alright? Don’t you worry about it.” Will nodded toward Mary Beth. “Just take care of her, okay?”
Continuing to stare at the ground, Dylan nodded.
Holly stood up and looked as if she was about to cry, and Will used his eyes to tell her to keep it together. They had to stay strong for the children. Holly nodded, and managed to keep from showing her emotion.
“You guys all set?” Charlie’s voice came from across the grounds, where the vehicles were parked.
“Coming,” Will said back. He looked over to Holly and signaled her on.
On his way down the stairs, Will looked back to Dylan. Will smiled, then looked to Mary Beth.
“Don’t let him get upset when you catch more fish than him,” Will said.
This brought a smile out of both the kids, which made Will happy as he turned away from them and joined Charlie at the van.
***
The sun had dried most of the mud, making the drive down the mountain less treacherous. Few clouds spread across the eastern horizon, telling Will that they might have a clear day ahead of them.
They reached the bottom of the mountain, turning onto the familiar stretch of interstate. Charlie had opted to drive, knowing the lay of the land much better than either Will or Holly.
“You definitely know where you’re going?” Holly asked from the back seat.
“For sure,” Charlie said. “I had some buddies who went to UNC, and we’d occasionally ride up to Durham from Chapel Hill to go to this bar we really liked. It should only take us a couple of hours to get there.”
“If we’re lucky,” Will said.
They drove past the camping store, and Will looked down to see dozens of the monsters loitering in the parking lot. He wondered if the creatures had been out there waiting for him, Charlie, and Scott to return.
As they passed the Outdoors Unlimited exit, Charlie said, “Well, this is officially the furthest I’ve gone since this all started. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s kinda nice to get out for a while.”
“Believe me,” Will said, “you should be counting your blessings that you haven’t had to be out on the open road.”
Will could feel Charlie take his eyes off the road to glance over toward him, but Charlie never spoke about it. Instead, he changed the subject.
“So, I never did ask. How did you two meet?”
Holly leaned up between the seats and said, “I kidnapped him.”
Charlie laughed, and it even made Will smile.
“That’s funny. But really, how did y’all meet?”
Will took his focus off the empty pastures to turn to Charlie. He said, “She kidnapped m
e.”
Charlie furrowed his brow. “Seriously?”
Will didn’t really want to hear the story, but Holly told it anyway. There was nothing he wanted to hear about less than David Ellis, but he understood that Charlie would just prod them until one of them explained, so he did his best to watch the passing scenes outside and ignore what she was saying. It would’ve been a good time to have his smartphone so he could blast a heavy metal record in his ears or listen to The Joe Rogan Podcast. To only be afforded such luxuries, he thought.
“Well, ain’t that a backwards ass way to fall in love?” Charlie said.
Will felt a hand clutch his shoulder, and turned to see Holly’s beautiful green eyes staring at him. She leaned forward and kissed him, then ducked back into the back seat.
“Oh, shit,” Charlie said.
Will looked ahead to see a group of Empties lumbering along in the middle of the road. This had been a common occurrence on their travels, and he was honestly surprised this was the first horde they’d seen on the short trip.
“This is gonna happen a lot,” Holly said. “You’ve just got to drive around them.”
“We’ll have to take each of these scenarios on a case by case basis,” Will said. “If there’s no way around, we’ll have to clear ‘em out ourselves.”
This group gathered around only one abandoned car, leaving an entire two lanes of interstate wide open. Charlie veered away from the creatures, driving past with the vehicle unscathed. The beasts hissed and growled as the van rode by, but they became but a speck in the mirrors in no time.
“I hope it’s that easy every time,” Charlie said.
Will forced a short laugh. “Yeah, me too.”
***
In just a hair over three hours, they reached Durham. Being naive and somewhat ignorant to what it was really like out on the interstates, Charlie had calculated their ETA as if they’d be driving 70 or 80 MPH the entire way. He hadn’t accounted for how often they’d have to slow down to 20 or 30 in order to maneuver around a group of Empties, or collections of abandoned cars. Luckily, they’d only been forced to get out of the vehicle one time to take out a small horde of the creatures. All told, it had added just under an hour to his original projections.
The church itself actually sat on the outskirts of Durham, meaning they didn't have to drive all the way into the city. Will was surprised to find the church standing all on its own, with no other structures in the vicinity. It was the only building off of the exit, and he'd known they were approaching it from miles away, upon seeing the three large crosses on the horizon, the one in the middle being slightly taller than the others. He'd seen these sorts of mega-churches before. He specifically remembered passing by one in Memphis that was very similar, just off Interstate 40.
"A church this big, do you think there will be survivors here?" Will pondered. "Seems like it would be a pretty common place for people to migrate to in such a disaster."
"Very possible," Charlie said. "If that ends up being the case, we need to be very careful about who we share the information we have with. Don't know what kind of panic that could cause."
"Agreed," Will said.
Charlie pulled onto the exit ramp and took a left at the end of it. They crossed over the bridge, and Will looked down the way they'd come to see the tops of all the abandoned vehicles. A group of Empties they'd just passed about a quarter of a mile back limped down the highway, following the same path they’d taken, as if the creatures actually thought they'd catch the van. As far as Will knew, the things didn't possess the ability for thought. They didn't have feelings or the ability to convey emotions. They walked and they ate, until they were destroyed. That was it.
Around twenty cars remained in the parking lot, most of them parked in spaces. Two vehicles had collided near the middle of the lot, and sat with doors open, the cars’ front ends still mended together. Near the two wrecked vehicles lay the remains of five dead bodies, two of which had been children. Will swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Guys,” Holly said, pointing toward the front of the church.
The front entrance to the church, guarded with two engraved, wooden doors, was wide open. Large, stained glass windows were up high on the side of the building, bringing the sunlight into its large sanctuary.
“You think any of those things are inside?” Charlie asked.
“If there were any in the parking lot, then you can be damn sure they’re now inside,” Will said.
“I think that’s the library over there,” Charlie said, pointing to a wing of the building. The mega-church was made up of only one structure, so if there were Empties inside, they could be anywhere.
“Looks like there is a door leading straight into that part of the building,” Holly said. “We should go check and see if it’s unlocked.”
Will reached into one of the duffle bags, pulling out a pair of flashlights. He handed one of the lights to Charlie and kept one for himself.
“Let’s go check it out,” Will said.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Even though it was a church, Will was still surprised when the side entrance of the place was unlocked, opening without a fight. They entered the building, unable to see with the power out. The sun brought at least some light in through the door — enough for them to see that they were, indeed, inside a library. Will clicked on his flashlight. He'd brought with him a rifle, which hung over his shoulder, as well as a pistol. A knife hung next to the sidearm, along with a pouch containing extra ammunition. Behind him, Charlie clicked on the other flashlight.
"Stay close," Will whispered. He then stood still, trying to see if he could hear any of the creatures inside of the building. It was quiet as he took the first step into the building.
With the sun pounding the opposite side of the church, the natural light quickly dissipated. Three tables sat just in front of them, each with four chairs neatly pushed under them. Beyond those tables started the rows of shelves housing books. It didn't appear to be as large as the local public libraries that Will had visited countless times. He'd become somewhat of a bibliophile in his late twenties, so he'd spent quite a lot of time in libraries. Not that any of that mattered now.
"How the hell are we supposed to find what we’re looking for with no light?" Holly asked.
"Just check as many books as you can," Will said. "You two check out these racks." He was signaling to the bookshelves just in front of them. "I'm gonna head over to the other side of the room and see what I can find."
"Be careful," Holly said.
"Likewise," Will said.
He moved slowly, listening carefully for Empties. The wide open doors at the sanctuary entrance of the church weighed heavy on his mind. There were a few cars in the parking lot, so there was a good chance that someone had been here at the time of The Fall.
When he reached the shelves on the other side of the room, he began to run the light across each row of books, observing each spine as quickly as possible. In truth, he wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for. But he searched for words and phrases like: exorcism, lost testament, lost books of The Bible, the truth about Revelation, demons - anything that could possibly relate to the widespread demon possession that had seemingly infected the world.
After a few minutes of searching, Charlie whispered from the other side of the room, "Any luck?"
"No," Will said. He refocused on the shelves, shining the light on the books that lay in front of him.
Will jerked his head when he heard a groan. He stood completely still, listening to make sure he wasn’t just hearing things. He looked over to where Holly and Charlie stood, noticing Holly’s flashlight had become still. They’d apparently heard the noise, as well.
The noise happened again. No doubt now that it had been a groan, but it was hard to tell if it was that of a human or that of the possessed. He began moving toward the far end of the aisle he stood in, hoping to creep around and sneak up on the sound. He hated that he had to use a flashlight
. If someone was waiting on him, they would sure have the upper hand.
He came to a wall and flashed his light onto a doorway about ten feet from where he stood. He heard the groan again. It sounded as if it may have been coming through the door. His back to the wall, Will looked over to see that Holly and Charlie hadn't moved. Holly held the flashlight now. The light from it reflected off Holly's face, and Will could see the concern in it. Will put his finger to his lips, signaling to Holly to be quiet. He poked his head into the doorway, and heard the moan again. It was definitely the moan of a man, not a beast. Will pointed the flashlight into the room, and a man sitting in the corner of the tiny space covered his face.
"Please," the man said. "Don't hurt me."
Will looked over toward Charlie and Holly and said, "Guys, come here. I found someone," and the two of them hurried over.
"I beg you," the man said. "Please, don't hurt me."
"I'm not going to hurt you," Will said. "I want to help you."
"I am afraid, son, that I am not to be helped." The man put out his arm, revealing a nasty bite, just as Holly and Charlie arrived behind him.
"Shit," Holly mumbled.
Will pointed his light at the man, who covered his face again, pleading for Will to turn the light away. The man wore a white cloak, with almost matching hair on the top of his head. He was a priest. Will hurried to the man’s side and kneeled down next to him.
“Please, stay back,” the priest said.
Will shined his light on the man’s body, noticing that one of his hands clutched his opposite leg. The priest pulled the hand away, revealing a large wound where a chunk had been taken out of his calf. He’d been bitten.
A thunderous bang out in the library pulled Will’s attention away from the priest. Charlie grabbed the flashlight from Holly and darted out into the main room.
“They’re coming,” the priest said.
Will furrowed his brow. “Who? Who’s coming?”
“The demon people,” the priest said.
Will’s eyes widened. “Demons?”
Open Roads Page 12