He hadn’t told the group yet. He knew the time had to be right, especially for Dylan. But he knew, for the sake of his own sanity, it would need to be soon.
Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a balled fist. When he opened his hand, the wing pendant that he’d taken from Captain Savage’s dead body lay in his palm. He thought about how lucky he was to be alive and how there had to be a reason for it. He looked over to Dylan. The boy, perhaps he was the reason Gabriel was still alive. Gabriel closed his palm and put the wings back into his pocket, then looked up to the front seat.
“They could be anywhere out here, Will,” Gabriel said.
“I know, but I have to look.”
“What if they aren’t even in Knoxville anymore?”
“They’re here.”
“But, what if…”
“They’re here,” Marcus said, glaring at Gabriel through the rearview mirror.
Gabriel sighed and shook his head. “We should’ve gone to that damn hospital,” he mumbled to himself.
How long could they really look for Will’s parents? He’d already made the decision to forego the refuge at the hospital that the man at the gas station had offered. Though he’d gotten the group out of some tight spots, that didn’t give Will the authority to be solely making such decisions. But, Gabriel didn’t fight it. For some reason, Marcus was going along with Will. Maybe it was because he felt bad for the kid.
Besides, Gabriel had his own plans.
Will pointing to the other side of the interstate caught Gabriel’s attention, causing him to look up.
“There! Go over there!” Will shouted, nearly standing up on the floorboard.
“What is it?” Holly asked, leaning into the front seat.
“I think that’s it!”
Gabriel looked out the window and saw a van sitting just off the side of the road. When he looked back over to Will in the front seat, he saw him covering his mouth, clearly upset. Holly was between the seats, holding Will’s hand.
He saw that Dylan was confused. They made eye contact, and when he realized that the boy looked like he was about to say something, Gabriel put his index finger to his lips, and the boy remained quiet.
In the front seat, Will had begun to sob.
And as Marcus drove the truck onto the exit ramp to get to the other side of the interstate, Gabriel decided to keep his news to himself a little while longer.
***
Jessica
The corridor she was walking down was almost pitch black. There was just enough light to where she could see doors on either side of her. It looked similar to the hallway she was living in, and she wondered if Lawrence planned to eventually use this part of the hospital to house more survivors.
She reached a corner, and when she moved around it, she saw a small shine of light at the distant end of another hallway. Something about the darkness and how no one had told her any of this was back here bothered her. She felt as if she shouldn’t be back here, which was part of what drove her further down the hallway.
On each side of her, there were more of the same types of rooms. As Jessica approached the end of this hallway, she heard an indistinct noise. Though it sounded vaguely familiar, it was still too far off for her to know exactly what it was.
Jessica came to the corner and saw the light bleeding out into the next hallway around the corner.
And the noise she heard was much clearer.
No.
Her breathing was heavy. She felt the sweat trickle down her cheek. Her heartbeat picked up the pace.
Jessica closed her eyes as she moved around the corner and, when she opened them again, she saw it.
“Oh, my God.”
***
Will
Before the fire engine had even come to a stop, Will jumped out onto the concrete and almost fell down, but managed to catch himself with his hand. He ignored the burning in his palm and ran to the van.
He stopped a car-length away and put his hands behind his head, breathing heavy.
A gunshot rang through the air and Will jumped. He turned around and saw Marcus holding a rifle up to his shoulder. Will had been so taken aback by finding his parents’ van that he hadn’t even noticed the Empty that had been coming at him.
Marcus ran up to him and put his hand on Will’s shoulder. “I know you’re upset by this, but you’ve got to look the fuck out!” Marcus scanned the area. “It looks like that’s the only one. We should be clear.”
Will sobbed more than before. “This is it, Marcus. This is their van. It’s their fucking van!”
Will could hear more footsteps come up from behind him, but he didn’t turn around. He felt an embrace. Holly wrapped her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder and rubbing his chest with her other hand. She was also crying, though not as intensely as he was.
Marcus pulled away and slowly walked forward. Will realized he hadn’t even checked inside yet. What if they were in there? He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing his parents lying in there dead. And what if the Empties had gotten to them? Worse yet, what if they had turned into Empties?
Will watched Marcus peek over the side of the van to look inside. Will’s heart punched his ribcage. Holly held him tighter, as he waited for Marcus to give him a signal one way or the other.
Marcus looked up and shook his head.
“What? What does that mean?” Will asked.
“No one’s in there.”
Will sighed. While he’d still lost hope, at least he didn’t have to look at his parents inside the van, either dead or turned into Empties.
“I’m never gonna see them again,” Will mumbled, trying to talk clearly through the sniffles.
“Don’t say that, sweetie. You don’t know that,” Holly replied.
Will pulled away from her and pointed at the van. “Look at this, Holly! Who’s to say they didn’t get thrown from the van and Empties got them? They could be lying in that tall grass over there!” Will was pointing toward the tall straw grass that started about ten yards away from where the vehicle lay.
He heard more footsteps behind him and turned to see Gabriel walking toward the grass. Dylan was still standing by the fire truck, and he began to cry as well.
Just as Gabriel and Marcus made it to the grass, they turned their heads. Will heard the noise, too, and then turned around as well.
He made a visor with his hand to protect his eyes from the sun and saw the ambulance driving down the highway, heading West toward them.
“Shit,” Marcus said. He hurried over to Will and Holly. “Come on, we need to get back in the truck.”
Will agreed. They couldn’t let the fact that it was an ambulance coming toward them cloud their judgment. They had to be cautious, as they didn’t know who was inside. The group had made an agreement to be wary of anyone they saw, because they assumed that people were now just as desperate as they were. It was partly why Will had had a bad feeling about the man at the gas station; he just didn’t trust him.
Sitting in the front seat on the passenger side, Will looked over into the driver’s side mirror and saw the ambulance steadily approaching. He kept a tight grip on his handgun, anticipating the ambulance’s stop.
As predicted, the ambulance came to a halt next to the fire truck. The man in the passenger side was smiling as he rolled the window down.
“Well, looks like we almost got ourselves a whole team. Just need a squad car with some blue lights,” the man said, chuckling.
“No shit,” Marcus replied, returning a laugh which Will could easily tell was fake.
“What are you folks doing out here?” the driver asked.
Will gripped the gun even tighter now.
“Surviving,” Marcus said.
“I hear that,” the man said.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Holly whispered. Will waved his hand toward her where the men couldn’t see it, urging her to stay back and be quiet. Will thought it best that the men didn’t know h
ow many people were in the truck, just in case they tried something.
“Say, why were you guys checking out that minivan?” the man in the passenger seat asked.
“None of your fucking business, asshole,” Will said with a firmness in his voice.
The man put his hands up. “Whoa, easy there, killer. It’s just coincidental, that’s all.”
“Why is that?” Marcus asked.
“Because I helped rescue the people that were inside it.”
Everyone in the truck turned to look at Will, whose eyes had gone wide. He was hyperventilating. The gun slipped out of his hand and hit the floorboard, and it didn’t even faze him.
“Everything okay?” the man in the passenger side asked.
“We need you to take us to them,” Marcus said. “This man is their son.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
David
One of the men picked David up by his shirt collar and dragged him outside into the parking lot of the gas station. They took him back to the vehicle and slammed him up against it. The man in the camo pants stood in front of him now, while the other man kept David pinned against the car. Now, the man had the same gun he’d killed Lawrence with pressed against David’s cheek.
“You’re about to end up like your dark friend down there, partner,” the man said.
“That asshole isn’t my friend,” David replied.
“Bullshit,” one of the other men said.
The man in the camo pants nodded and said, “Yeah, bullshit. You probably went in there to take a shit while he was out here trying to get gasoline.”
“Exactly,” David said. “I was with him, sure, but that doesn’t make him my friend.”
“And why should I believe you?” The man pressed his forearm into David’s neck, suffocating him.
“There’s a hospital,” David said, struggling to breathe. “I can take you there. Lots more weapons. Not only weapons, but medical supplies and food as well.”
The man let up on David’s throat and took a couple of steps back, keeping the gun pointed at his head. One of the other men walked up and whispered something into the leader’s cupped ear. The man left his face neutral, and David had no idea if he was about to die or if he’d live at least a little bit longer. A smile came across the man’s face and then he lowered the gun.
“Alright. We wanna see this hospital you’re talking about. If you’re not lyin’, then maybe I won’t kill ya. But, if you are…”
The man looked down at Lawrence’s dead body and spat on it.
“Then you’ll end up like your friend down there.”
David took two steps toward the man and narrowed his eyes. One of the other men started to move toward David, but the man in the camouflage pants stopped him with his hand.
“For the last time, that son of a bitch isn’t my friend. But, if you want us to get into those guns, I suggest you dig through his pocket and find his keys.”
***
Will
The man who had been in the passenger seat of the ambulance introduced himself to the group as Brandon. He told them that he worked at a nearby hospital, and confirmed that he knew the black man they’d run into at the gas station when Gabriel asked him about him.
“I need you to take me to my parents,” Will told the two men.
The two men looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Will.
“What?” Will asked.
“Are you sure this is their van?” Trevor, the man who had been driving, asked.
“Absolutely. That’s their license plate and everything. My father is bald on top and has gray hair around the side of his head. He always dresses like a goofball. My mom is a little shorter and has dark hair. Her name is—“
“Melissa?” Brandon asked, cutting him off.
“Yes,” Will said, breathing heavy now.
“She’s at the hospital,” Trevor said.
A big smile came across Will’s face. “You have to take me there, now! Let’s go!”
Will turned around and headed for the passenger side door to the fire truck.
“We only picked up her and a girl,” Brandon said.
Will stopped, standing still at the front of the fire truck. He could feel everyone’s eyes focused on him, though he couldn’t see them.
“Your father wasn’t with them.”
Will looked up to the sky. Clouds were creeping across the sky, beginning to block out the sun. They started to look like they were speeding up, and Will was becoming dizzy.
“Will?” Holly said from behind him.
Will fell to his knees, continuing to look to the sky. He grabbed onto his hair and screamed as loud as he could as dark clouds came to a halt in front of the sun.
***
Gabriel
The loud cry from Will had attracted a couple of Empties, which Brandon and Trevor volunteered to take care of. After leading Dylan back into the fire truck where he would be safe, Gabriel returned and joined Marcus at the opposite shoulder of the highway. The two men looked on as Holly tried to calm and comfort Will.
After swiftly taking out the two Empties with knives, the two men approached Gabriel and Marcus. Gabriel watched Trevor pull a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, take one out, and light it.
“Mind if I bum one?” Gabriel asked.
“Sure thing.” Trevor handed Gabriel a cigarette, and cupped the lighter as he lit it for him.
“Thanks.”
Marcus looked over to Gabriel and chuckled. “You smoke?”
Gabriel inhaled deeply, then pushed the smoke out of his lungs and into the gray sky. “I do now.”
Marcus shook his head.
“You guys give us a second?” Gabriel asked, looking toward Trevor and Brandon.
“No problem,” Trevor said as he took a drag off the smoke. The two men walked to the ambulance and got inside.
Marcus turned to face Gabriel. “What’s up?”
Gabriel took a drag off his cigarette and made a whistling sound as he exhaled.
“I’m leaving.”
“What do you mean ‘you’re leaving’?”
“I mean I’m leaving. I’ll go to the hospital with you guys because I want to see that you all get there safe. Then, I’m gonna take Dylan and we’re going to drive home to D.C.”
Marcus put his hands on his hips and took in a deep breath, catching some of the cigarette smoke as he did, and waving his hand in front of his face to shoo it away.
“Sorry,” Gabriel said, and he threw the half-burned cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out.
“Look, man, I know that you want to get to your family. But, you guys will never make it alone. Besides, it sounds like they’ve got a real sweet set-up at this hospital. You’ve got to think about that boy and keeping him safe.”
Gabriel moved closer to Marcus and narrowed his eyes. “Aside from my own daughter and my wife, keeping that boy safe is all I think about. Don’t you question that.”
“Then you’d take him to that hospital, away from all this shit.”
“And what about his parents? You don’t think they’re wondering where their child is?”
“It’s not going to matter if you can’t get him there alive. And for all you know, his God damn parents might be dead!”
Gabriel heard sniffling, and he looked over to see Dylan now standing outside of the fire truck, looking over at them. While Gabriel wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, he assumed from the boy’s reaction that he knew Gabriel was thinking about leaving the group. Tears ran down the child’s face, and he turned and ran back up into the fire truck.
Holly was looking back over to them, shaking her head. She looked down and said something to Will, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then went inside the fire truck with Dylan.
Marcus and Gabriel sighed simultaneously as they kept their eyes toward the fire truck.
“Look,” Marcus said to Gabriel, not looking over to him. “Just think about it, okay? Conside
r all the options.”
Gabriel looked over to him. “I have.” He kept his eyes on Marcus for another moment as he walked back toward the fire truck.
***
Will
The anticipation crawled around inside of Will. He was finally going to see his mother, but was dreading asking her why his father wasn’t with her. He didn’t want to ask the question, but knew it would be the first thing out of his mouth once he saw her.
“We’re almost there,” Trevor told them through the ambulance’s CB radio. “That truck isn’t going to get inside the garage, and we’ve got to get to the top level. You’ll need to park it and have everyone hop in the back of this. There will probably be creatures walking around, but we’ll help cover you, over.”
“Sounds good, over,” Marcus replied.
A few minutes later, the large hospital came into view. Will’s heart raced again. My mother is inside that building.
The ambulance pulled up to the entrance of the parking garage, and Will watched four Empties begin to walk from the side of the building to the two vehicles.
“You’ll need to hand your weapons over to us once we get inside,” Trevor said.
“What?” Holly said from the back seat.
“No way,” Gabriel added.
Will and Marcus looked at each other.
“Are you there?” Trevor asked.
“Why do we have to give you our weapons?” Marcus asked.
“Sorry, man. Just the way we do things. We’ll cover you.”
The Empties were approaching, and Brandon got out and knelt down behind the ambulance, propping the rifle up on the hood of the vehicle. The group sat in the fire truck, staring at each other.
“You coming, or not?” Trevor asked.
Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation Page 11