Less then ten miles down 77, Dylan sighed, and his eyes cracked open.
“He’s waking up,” Holly said.
Dylan’s breathing got heavier. “Where are we? What’s going on?”
“You’re in the car, and we’re all here. We’re heading to Virginia, and we’re trying to find you help.”
“We're all here,” Mary Beth said, poking her head over the seat.
The boy picked his head up and looked down to his arm, now half the length of the other. He panted heavily.
“It’s okay,” Holly said. “Calm down.”
“My arm, it’s really gone? I thought I was dreaming.”
“We need to pull over,” Charlie said.
“Oh, God, it hurts.” The time between Dylan’s breaths shortened, his chest rising and falling.
“Sweetie, you’re going to be fine. We’re going to get you help,” Holly said, continuing to stroke Dylan’s hair.
“No, my arm!” Dylan thrusted his hips. In the back of the SUV, Mary Beth cried.
“Stop the car, Will,” Holly said. “He needs fresh air.”
Approaching an exit, Will veered off, and headed toward a gas station when he reached the end of the ramp. He turned into the parking lot and pulled the SUV in front of one of the pumps. The parking lot was clear of Empties.
Will stepped out and opened the rear driver’s side door, where Holly sat next to Dylan’s head. Charlie opened the other door to Dylan’s kicking legs.
“Let him sit up,” Will told Holly.
Holly got out of the back seat and stood beside Will. Panting, Dylan sat up, his back against the seat. Mary Beth continued to cry, but Will ignored it. He looked down at the dressing on the boy’s arm, which had turned a little redder since Will had checked it last. Dylan looked up at Will and Holly, his eyes full of tears.
“Is this real?”
Holding back his emotions, Will nodded.
Dylan just stared at Will for a few moments before looking back down to his arm. He then grabbed the bandage and ripped away at it.
Holly said, “No, Dylan, don’t—”
Will cut her off. “No, it’s fine. Let him.”
“But, he—”
“He needs to see it.”
Holly walked around to the back side of the SUV and opened the rear compartment.
“Come on,” she said to Mary Beth.
“But I want to—”
“Now,” Holly demanded.
She grabbed Mary Beth by the hand and pulled the girl out of the vehicle. They stepped away toward the convenience store.
Dylan continued tearing off the bandage until nothing was there. Nothing but a bloody open wound, half of his arm gone forever. Dylan went to remove the belt, but Will reached out and grabbed his arm.
“You can’t take that off, buddy. You’ll start bleeding again.”
Will let go and Dylan lowered his arm. He still didn’t speak. He just stared down at his missing limb. Will couldn’t even imagine what was going on inside the boy’s head. Ever since the accident, Will had been wishing that he could have traded places with Dylan. The child didn’t deserve this.
“We need to clean it up and get another bandage on there,” Will said. “I promise you that we’ll find a doctor who can fix this up right.” He looked over to Charlie. “Can you hand me the first aid kit?”
Will got inside the SUV, sitting next to Dylan. The boy didn’t look up at him. He just continued to stare down at his arm.
“Here you go,” Charlie said, handing Will the first aid kit.
Will opened the box and pulled out a large bandage, a small stack of cotton pads, Neosporin, and the aspirin.
“Can you also grab a bottle of water out of the back?” Will asked Charlie.
Will opened the bottle of aspirin, dropping two pills into his hand. Charlie handed the bottle of water to Dylan, the top already twisted off. Dylan tipped the bottle to his lips and took a large swig.
“Take these. They should help ease some of the pain,” Will said, handing him the two pills.
Dylan shoved them into his mouth.
Will stretched out the bandage, preparing to rewrap the boy’s arm, and then he opened the tube of Neosporin and dropped some of the cream onto one of the cotton pads.
“This isn’t going to feel good,” Will said. “But we have to do it to keep this clean and try to keep any bacteria out. Turn my way and let me see your arm.”
Will drew in a deep breath and then pressed the cotton pad against the boy’s wound. Dylan jerked away what was left of his arm, his rear rising off the seat as he cried out.
“I know it hurts, buddy,” Will said. “But we’ve got to do it. It’ll only take a second.” Will reached into the back and grabbed a t-shirt out of one of the bags. “Here, bite down on this.”
Dylan put the shirt in his mouth and gritted his teeth. He grimaced as Will applied the Neosporin, but it only took a few moments before he was done.
“Boom, there we go,” Will said, smiling. “Now we can wrap it back up.”
“It hurts so bad,” Dylan said.
“I know, buddy. We’re going to find you some help soon.” Will had no idea if he was telling the truth in saying this, but continued to stay positive. “Just hang out here. I’ll be back.”
Will looked to Charlie and signaled him to meet him at the front of the vehicle. The two men met at the edge of the parking lot where an air pump sat.
“That wound is only going to get worse if we don’t find help soon,” Charlie said.
“I know,” Will said, looking down and massaging his temples.
“We’ve gotta start thinking about searching some of these exits for help. I know it makes sense to keep moving until we hit a more populated area, but I’m not sure we can afford that anymore.”
“All right,” Will said. “Let’s see if we can—”
“Don't move.”
The male voice came from behind them, and Will and Charlie both turned.
Holly and Mary Beth stood outside the convenience store, their hands raised in the air. Behind them were two people: a man and a woman. Will took three steps toward the SUV before the man spoke again.
“We’ve got guns buried into each of their backs.”
The man stood behind Holly, and the woman behind Mary Beth.
“It’s true,” Holly said. “They’re both armed.”
Will could see the woman almost in tears, clearly uncomfortable that she held a gun on a child. The man looked similarly shaken. Raising his arms into the air, Will looked over to Charlie and signaled him to do the same.
“What do you want?” Will asked.
“We just want to get out of here without any trouble,” the man said. Now that he spoke, Will could hear the slight tremble in his voice. “What do you have in the truck?”
Will bit his lip, nearly drawing blood. He closed his eyes and breathed. “I can’t give you any of our supplies.”
“I don’t think you’re really in the position to make that decision,” the man said.
“We can spare some extra ammunition, but that’s all.”
The man shoved the gun into Holly’s back, and she cried out as she arched forward. Will felt the sweat drip down his forehead, still not sure if the man was bluffing or not.
“We have another child in the car,” Will said. “He’s in the back seat. He’s badly injured, and we’re trying to find him help. We can’t afford to give you any of our food or medicine. They’re all that’s keeping him alive. Now, like I said, we can spare some ammunition, but that’s all. Please, just let us be on our way.”
The man and woman looked at each other. The woman’s face reddened; she now had tears in her eyes.
“I can see that you aren’t bad people,” Will said. “We’ve seen our share of evil. You just want to survive, like us.”
The man frowned again. “If any of you move, you’re dead, understand me?” He moved from behind Holly and started toward the SUV, walking slowly.
He shifted his head back and forth, checking on Holly behind him. Will and Charlie remained still and with their hands in the air. Walking up beside the SUV, the man peeked inside. His facial expression changed. Where he had once held a sour demeanor of anger, he now looked concerned. Several moments of silence passed.
“Put your gun down,” the man told the woman, a sense of calm in his voice.
The woman, her face flushed, continued to hold the gun against Mary Beth’s back. She’d frozen. The man looked over to her.
“It’s okay, Laurie,” he said. “Really, put it down.”
After a few more moments, Laurie lowered her hands and stepped away from Mary Beth. Holly wiped her eyes and leaned down to hug the young girl, assuring her that everything was all right.
Will and Charlie still had their arms up when the man approached them. He came to within a couple of feet of Will and holstered his weapon, and he offered his hand to Will.
“I’m Karl.”
Will looked over to Charlie and nodded. Both men lowered their arms, and Will grasped onto the man’s hand, shaking it.
“I’m Will.”
“Nice to meet you, Will. Now, let’s see if we can get this boy some help.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The gas station looked like it had been abandoned long before the apocalypse. Most of the windows were busted out, and it appeared as if the inside of the store was empty. Even so, Thomas still felt the need to stop.
“There’s no way we’re finding anything here,” Gabriel said. “Look at this place.”
As Jessica looked around, she found herself agreeing with Gabriel. Only one vehicle remained in the parking lot of the gas station. It was an old, beaten pickup truck, its body rusted and rotted out. The place had the vibe of a scene from a horror movie, and something felt off about being there.
“Let’s just check and make sure they don’t have any gasoline here,” Thomas said. He stepped out of the SUV.
Gabriel looked over to Jessica and rolled his eyes. “We aren’t gonna find shit here.” He opened the door, then slammed it behind him.
Claire looked back to Jessica, her eyes narrowed and showing her frustration.
“He’s just ready to get home,” Jessica said, speaking of Gabriel.
“He needs to chill out,” Claire said.
No one said y’all had to come.
Jessica opened the door and stepped out of the SUV. Gabriel stood at the edge of the parking lot, looking out at the vast, open landscape. Thomas cupped his hands and looked through the front of the building. Jessica glanced at the gas tanks and got the first clue they wouldn’t be finding anything. The gas pumps displayed a price of $1.18. The last time she’d put gas in her own vehicle, she’d paid almost $2. She walked over to Gabriel.
The entire landscape in front of them was nothing but flat lands. Fall had almost taken root, as much of the grass had started to brown. A cool breeze chilled her face. Jessica tucked her hands into her coat pockets as she stood next to him.
“You’re right,” Jessica said. “No way we are getting gas out of those tanks. I haven’t seen prices that low in years.”
“It’s fine,” Gabriel said. “I understand why he wants to stop and look. You never know if we’ll find something.”
Glass shattered behind them, and Jessica turned. Thomas had taken the butt-end of his rifle and slammed it through the front door. It had been one of the only windows still in tact. Thomas and Claire ducked through the new opening in the door and headed inside.
“I’m gonna go check the pumps for gas,” Jessica said.
She walked back over to the SUV and opened the driver’s side door. She bent over and popped the gas tank, then inserted the nozzle into it. Nothing happened. She withdrew her knife and sawed through the rubber hose. When she’d sliced a hole in it, she looked inside.
Bone dry.
Jessica replaced the fuel pump, closed the gas tank, and then walked to the backside of the SUV. She checked the clouds again in the eastern sky, which had grown darker and moved closer. They were possibly only a short drive away from hitting the storm head-on. Hopefully, the roads would be mostly clear of debris and of Empties.
A gleam of light stung her eye and drew her attention.
She looked off the way they’d come from, and saw a speck growing larger. The glare of light had come off of the headlights or hood of a fast-approaching vehicle. And there wasn’t only one. It was a small pack of vehicles. The one leading was a pickup, and she could’ve sworn, even from far away, that someone was standing in the bed of it. Behind the truck was a camper, and two sedans flanked it.
“Gabriel,” Jessica said. She heard feet punishing the gravel beneath, and within a few moments, Gabriel was at her side.
“Get in the truck,” Gabriel said. “Now!”
Jessica didn’t hesitate. She turned and loaded into her spot in the back seat of the SUV.
“Thomas!” Gabriel shouted. “Claire!”
Claire looked out through the window, confusion covering her face.
“Get out here, now!” Gabriel said.
Claire disappeared from the window, and soon emerged outside with her brother.
“What is it?” Thomas asked. “We think we may have found some food in the back that we can take with us.”
“We’ve gotta go, now,” Gabriel said.
“Gabriel, wh—”
Gabriel pointed down the highway. Thomas and Claire followed the direction of his finger toward the oncoming vehicles, which were now less than a mile away.
“Shit,” Thomas said, and grabbed his sister’s hand and ran to the car.
Jessica’s heart raced as she loaded back inside.
***
Gabriel jumped into the driver’s seat and cranked the SUV.
Thomas joined Gabriel up front, and Claire hopped into the back next to Jessica. Before they could even shut the doors, Gabriel punched the gas. The tires squealed as he raced out of the parking lot.
Now only about a quarter of a mile behind them, the men held their weapons in the air like warriors. Gabriel floored the SUV, its V-8 engine creating distance between them and their followers.
Jessica looked out the back window and watched the two vehicles flanking the camper pull away from it.
“They’re gaining on us,” Jessica said.
Thomas checked his gun to make sure it was loaded. It was.
The first gunshot went off, and Claire screamed. It hadn’t come from Thomas’ gun, but from one of the vehicles behind them. A second bullet hit the back window, creating a spiderweb-type crack.
“Get down!” Thomas demanded of his sister and of Jessica.
Gabriel had to shout over Claire’s hysterics, as the woman continued to cry. “Jessica! When Thomas starts shooting, be ready to reload his weapon!”
“Got it,” Jessica said. She said it with a calmness that put Gabriel at ease. One panicking passenger inside the vehicle was enough.
The oncoming group fired their weapons again, this time shattering the back window completely. Claire cried out again as glass spilled down upon her. Gabriel swerved, the shot having startled him.
Gabriel glanced into the rearview mirror again. The two oncoming vehicles had gained on them.
“I’m gonna go back there,” Thomas said. “I can fire out the back window. We can’t just keep driving and do nothing else.”
“All right,” Gabriel said. “Be careful.”
“You just keep your damn foot on the gas,” Thomas said. He unbuckled his seatbelt and squeezed between the two front seats.
The convoy fired another round of shots, and Thomas dived into the back seat. His sister screamed again, and so did Jessica.
“You okay?” Gabriel asked. “Did you get hit?”
“I’m good,” Thomas said.
Thomas had just poked his head up when another shot rang through the air. The bullet zipped through the vehicle, just missing Thomas, as it shattered the front windshield.
; Gabriel ducked out of the way, swerving again. He was now unable to see out the front window.
Thinking quickly, Jessica leaned between the front seats and hit the windshield with a shotgun, knocking it out.
"Thanks," Gabriel said.
He glanced down at the speedometer, which read 100 miles per hour. He looked in the mirror and watched Thomas jump all the way into the cargo area.
Gunshots went off again, and Gabriel ducked his head.
The next round of gunfire came from within the SUV. The caravan behind them had stopped shooting, and Thomas was finally able to fire off a few shots. Gabriel looked into his side mirror and saw one of the vehicles swerve, nearly going off the road completely.
Thomas stopped firing and ducked down. “Give me another round!”
Jessica handed him ammunition and he reloaded.
Gabriel had now accelerated the SUV to 120 miles per hour. The highway ahead was free and clear of Empties. Most vehicles that had been left abandoned were off the side of the road., giving them a clear path.
The pursuing caravan didn’t return fire until Thomas poked his head up to shoot the rifle again.
Thomas screamed.
“No!” Claire yelled. She started to get up from the floorboard, but Jessica held her down.
“Thomas, are you all right?” Jessica asked.
“What happened?” Gabriel asked.
“My arm,” Thomas mumbled. “Son of a bitch.”
“He’s hit, Gabriel,” Jessica said.
“Just stay down!” Gabriel yelled back to Thomas.
Jessica poked her head between the seats.
“Is there any way you can get back there and help him?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jessica said. “There isn’t enough room back there for me to duck out of harm’s way. I’d be an open target.”
Gabriel bit his lip as he looked into his side mirror again. Somehow, the vehicles had closed the gap even more. They were now only a hundred yards back or so. How the guy in the truck had hit Thomas from that distance was somewhat of a miracle. It had either been a lucky shot, or they were packing the proper artillery and skill for such a shot.
Another minute or so passed before the men fired again. After a few shots, each spaced wide apart, there was a loud pop. Gabriel’s control on the SUV dissipated, as one of the rear tires blew out.
Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation Page 3