Open Roads

by Zach Bohannon

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  EMPTY BODIES SERIES

  EMPTY BODIES

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  EMPTY BODIES 2: ADAPTATION

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  EMPTY BODIES 3: DELIVERANCE

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  EMPTY BODIES 4: OPEN ROADS

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  OPEN ROADS

  (Book Four of the Empty Bodies Series)

  by Zach Bohannon

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  OPEN ROADS

  Zach Bohannon

  www.zachbohannon.com

  Copyright © 2015 by Zach Bohannon. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events or locales is purely coincidental. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

  Edited and Proofread by:

  Jennifer Collins

  Cover design by Johnny Digges

  www.diggescreative.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  Somewhere in North Carolina

  Will stared down at the wounds on his arm, tracing the lower of the two with his opposite hand over and over again. For as long as he lived, these scars would stand as a constant reminder of just how fucked up the world had become. They’d also memorialize David Ellis; a man who’d done so much to paralyze Will’s soul, and had now left his permanent mark on Will’s flesh.

  Eventually, the others would likely ask Will what it had felt like to die, and he wouldn’t have an answer. He’d only seen black. There were no lights, no angels strumming harps, no endless sea of white clouds. Nothing but darkness. And he’d had no sense of just how much time he’d spent in the black. One moment, he was lying on the road. Then he was gone. And when he’d woken up again, he had no recollection of what had happened in between. Perhaps, he thought, he’d been in some sort of purgatory.

  After the time spent at the farm burying their friends and then regrouping, Will had remained mostly to himself, fighting an internal battle to try and come to some kind of realization and acceptance of what had happened to him. Others in the group had noticed the change in his demeanor, and silently offered him his space. This included Holly, even though each time Will looked at her he could tell that she was on the verge of emotionally breaking, obviously wanting so desperately to help him.

  The group had managed to find a vehicle once they’d made it near the interstate. They’d chosen a minivan which had been left at a gas station. The key to it sat right on the passenger seat. The gas pumps at the station itself had been empty, but for whatever reason, the van had remained untouched by looters, and the fuel gauge on the dash had sprung to three-quarters full once the engine had roared to life. Jessica had suggested that it was perhaps by faith that they’d found the perfect vehicle. Bullshit, Will thought. Because faith had been the question with no answer since he’d woken up.

  Including the front cab, the van had three rows of seats. Jessica rode up front with Gabriel, who was driving. Holly sat on the middle bench, keeping the two children entertained. Dylan was almost back to his normal self, or at least the version of ‘normal’ that he’d created since The Fall, and Mary Beth seemed to be coming out of her shell a little bit. Will sat in the back, alone. Every now and then, Holly would turn around and flash him a smile, which he’d vaguely return. Part of him felt guilty for shying away from her at such a strenuous time, but he appreciated her patience while he sorted things out in his mind.

  With night creeping upon them, the group found themselves becoming desperate. The three-quarters of a tank just wasn’t enough. They’d made multiple stops to try and find more fuel, but had only been able to scavenge a few gallons. If they couldn’t find more gasoline soon, they’d be forced to walk again. This wasn’t an option.

  “It’ll be sundown soon,” Jessica said. “We need to start finding somewhere safe to stop for the night.”

  “I just wanna drive a little longer,” Gabriel said.

  “I know you want to get home, but if we run out of gas, especially when it’s dark, we won’t be able to get to Washington any quicker. We’ve got to find somewhere to stop. You know that’s the right—”

  “You don’t think I know what’s ‘right’?”

  “Guys,” Holly said from the middle aisle. “Stop it. There’s no point in arguing.” She drew in a deep breath. “Jessica is right, Gabriel. If we get stuck in the night with no gas, we may not be around to—”

  Holly paused, looking over at the children. They were listening intently now, no longer distracted with whatever mindless games she had been able to amuse them with. She was relieved to have held her tongue, not wanting to worry them with thoughts of the group being stranded in the dark of night.

  Gabriel sighed. “Be on the lookout for a good place to stop.”

  “I know a good place,” Jessica said. “I’m fairly familiar with this area. It’ll be better than where we stopped last night and it’s only a few exits away.”

  The previous night, the group had stopped to rest at the last gas station where they had searched for fuel. The plan had been for Gabriel, Holly, and Jessica to take shifts on watch, but Will had insisted they let him take the first shift, even though everyone in the group had felt he’d just needed to rest. He’d ended up staying awake most of the night, remaining on high alert the entire time. During his watch, Will had seen a small pack of Empties lumbering across the street, but it had been too dark for them to notice the minivan sitting in front of pump #4 on the other side of the road. He’d eventually given in and had allowed Jessica to take a shift, as he’d become tired and realized he would do more harm than good to the group if he fell asleep while on watch. They’d survived the night unscathed.

  “Take this exit,” Jessica said.

  “Where are we going?” Gabriel asked.

  Jessica looked over to him and smiled. “You’ll see.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I hope wherever you’re taking us is safe.”

  ***

  The sun was quickly making its descent when the van came to a stop. Will shifted to where he could look out the opposite window and leaned down to see the building sitting at the top of the hill.

  “That’s perfect,” Holly said.

  “As long as no one is up there,” Gabriel said, sounding unsure.

  “Only one way to find out,” Jessica said.

  The sign read: Tar Heel Storage. A rod iron fence surrounded the entire property, and it sat on top of a hill, making it a perfect place for the group to hide from Empties. Even if the creatures could make it up the steep hill, the fence would certainly keep them out.

  The front gate was shut, which Will knew could be either good or bad. Good, because nothing would be able to get to them once they were on the other side. Bad, because it was possible that another group of survivors had already claimed the storage facility.

  Gabriel cut the wheel and headed up the driveway. He stopped the van in front of the fence and rolled down the window, examining the security keypad.

  “No power,” Gabriel said.

  “No surprise there,” Holly said.

  “Let’s see if we can open the fence manually, Gabriel,” Jessica said.

  Gabri
el nodded, and both he and Jessica stepped out of the van.

  Holly turned back to Will. “How’re you doing?”

  Will forced a smile and nodded. “Fine.”

  He could sense that she was disappointed with his short answer, but the children were both happy now, and the way this conversation would likely turn wouldn’t do anything but hinder the mood of the kids. They’d been through enough already.

  A few moments later, Gabriel and Jessica arrived back at the van. They each opened one of the sliding panel doors on either side of the van.

  “We’ll have to jump the fence,” Gabriel said. “The power’s off and that gate isn’t budging. It’s not going to open without power.”

  “Well, at least we should be safe once we get inside,” Holly said.

  “Grab some bags, guys,” Gabriel said to Dylan and twelve-year-old Mary Beth. “Get what you can, and we’ll toss it over the fence.”

  “I can’t climb good,” Mary Beth said.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Holly said. She ran her hand through the girl’s hair. “We’ll help you get over.”

  Everyone helped in transporting supplies as they stepped out of the van. The kids grabbed the pillows and blankets they’d taken from the old farmhouse, and Will was sure to get the small gas can from the back. It had about a gallon left, but every ounce of fuel mattered, and they couldn’t afford anyone breaking into the van overnight and stealing it.

  Two of the bags were small enough to fit between the fence’s spaces, and Jessica transferred those to the other side, squeezing them between two of the rods. Gabriel tossed the others over the eight-foot fence, only having to throw one of the bags more than once; it took him three tries to get the duffle full of canned food over the top. He kept the bag containing most of the guns and ammo over his shoulder, planning to just climb the fence with it. For now, he set it down on the ground.

  “You go first,” Gabriel said to Jessica. “That way, you can help the kids from the other side. I’ll give you a boost.”

  Gabriel kneeled down and cupped both his hands together, creating a base. Jessica stepped into his hand and he boosted her up as she caught hold of the top of the fence. Gabriel held her balance as she swung her leg over and jumped down onto the concrete, inside the fence.

  “Alright, bud,” Gabriel said, looking at Dylan. “Your turn.”

  Gabriel helped Dylan boost himself over the fence, followed by Mary Beth and Holly.

  Will approached the fence and handed Gabriel the plastic red gas can. He secured the bag on his shoulder, then looked up to the top of the fence. Will grabbed onto the rods, and pulled himself to the top. Once there, he sat with a leg on either side, and handed the bag down to Holly.

  “Give me the can,” Will said down to Gabriel.

  Gabriel handed Will the gas can, which he in turn gave to Holly. Then Will hopped down from his perch at the top of the fence.

  Gabriel pulled himself up, and joined the group on the other side.

  Reaching into the bag of weapons, Will pulled out two handguns, handing one each to both Jessica and Holly. He threw one of the rifles to Gabriel, and grabbed a shotgun for himself.

  “Let’s look around,” Will said. The sun had hidden behind the horizon, so he kneeled down to one of the other bags and pulled out the three flashlights they’d found in the farmhouse. Will kept one for himself, then handed one to each of the women.

  “Do I get a gun?” Dylan asked.

  “You don’t need a gun, buddy,” Gabriel said. “We’ll watch after you.”

  “But I can watch after myself.”

  Will half-smiled, a gesture which the group hadn’t seen in what seemed like a millennia. “I know you can, buddy.” He signaled Dylan to follow him and they stepped away from the group. He leaned down to the boy and whispered, “You need to look after Mary Beth. She’s scared, and you having a gun would just scare her more. We are all strangers to her except for you. So, you need to help her stay calm. Can you do that?”

  Dylan nodded.

  “Good,” Will said, rubbing the boy’s shoulder.

  They re-joined the group, and Will looked to Gabriel and said, “Alright, let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tar Heel Storage was made up of three buildings. Two of them had blue metal doors every few feet, for the entire length of the structures. These were the outdoor units. The third building had a single glass door, and a sign on the outside read: Climate Controlled.

  Gabriel slipped the rifle’s strap over his shoulder and headed toward the two buildings of outdoor units. He stood in the middle of the lot, rows of doors on either side of him. Pointing the flashlight at the doors to his right, he noticed that all of them were closed. Each unit he focused the flashlight on still had a padlock in tact. The others in the group approached him from behind.

  “Isn’t it a little bit strange that all these doors are closed?” Holly asked. “Wouldn’t you think that some of these people would have, at least, come by here?”

  “It’s kinda out in the middle of nowhere,” Jessica said. “Maybe none of the tenants could make it here.”

  “Or maybe they just didn’t need anything from here,” Will added.

  “It sounds like no one is here, but let’s look around to make sure,” Gabriel said. He looked over to Jessica. “Stay back with the kids; Will and I will take the lead. We’ll head straight down here, and check behind the back.”

  Jessica nodded and holstered her gun in the back of her pants.

  “Come on, guys. Stay close to me,” Jessica said. She put her hands out and each of the children grabbed hold.

  Moving a few yards in front of Jessica, Holly, and the children, Gabriel and Will started down the middle of the two buildings. Gabriel shone the flashlight back and forth between the two buildings, as well as in front of them. The moon provided some light, but not enough to give them much assistance. Each unit he shone the light on looked untouched. They seemed destined to each be their own time capsule, not to be opened for years.

  They came to the end of the row and reached the fence again. Gabriel looked to Will and whispered, “Take Holly and head around the far side of this unit.” He pointed to the building to his right. “I’ll go this way with Jessica and the kids, and we’ll meet you at the door of the climate controlled building.”

  Will nodded, and he put his hand on Holly’s back to lead her around the side of the building. Will pulled his hand away from Holly and readied the shotgun, pointing it in front of him, as Holly used the flashlight to illuminate their path.

  “Where are they going?” Dylan asked.

  “Shh,” Jessica whispered, her finger to her lips. “They’ll be right back.”

  Gabriel put his hand out toward Jessica, signaling her to hang back with the children. Checking to make sure it was clear, he peeked his head around the corner of the building, flashed the light down the back side of the structure, and saw nothing. He looked back to Jessica and nodded for her to follow.

  They moved around the back of the building and the main office came into view. It was connected to the climate controlled storage building, but sat at the back of the property where they now stood. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. He put his hand back again, urging Jessica to hold the children back.

  “What’s the matter?” Jessica asked.

  Gabriel turned back and whispered, “There’s a car parked over here. Stay back with the children.”

  He crept toward the vehicle. It was a large SUV, parked in one of the spots near the office. He pointed the flashlight at it and saw that it still had the dealer tags on the back, and then he shone the light through the back window. Aside from some clothes in the back seat, the truck appeared to be empty.

  Gabriel heard footsteps at the end of the row and quickly turned away from the SUV.

  “It’s just us,” Holly said from the front side of the property.

  Gabriel relaxed and waved them toward him. Jessica must’ve heard Holly because she came a
round the corner with the kids and walked over to the SUV.

  “Anything inside?” Jessica asked.

  Gabriel shook his head. “Doesn’t look like much. We’ll give it a better look later.”

  Will and Holly arrived at the truck, and Holly stroked the side of it.

  “Damn, this is nice. Too bad we can’t get that gate open and drive this outta here.”

  “There’s still a chance that whoever owns this is here,” Gabriel said. “We’ve gotta stay on our toes and check inside this building. If someone is inside, they could very well already know that we’re here.”

  “I checked the door to the climate controlled units on the way over here,” Will said. “It’s locked. We could easily break in, but we should check inside the office first. Maybe we can find a key.”

  “Good idea,” Gabriel said. “You and I will check the office. Jessica and Holly, you two keep a look out here and stay with the children.”

  The group nodded in unison.

  Will walked over to Holly and handed her his shotgun. “Take this and give me the handgun.”

  “You sure?” Holly asked.

  Will nodded. “If you guys get into trouble, it’ll be better for you to have this. Gabriel has the rifle. We’ll be fine.”

  Holly nodded.

  Will looked over to Gabriel. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  The glass shattered as the butt-end of Gabriel’s rifle slammed through the office’s front window. He reached around, unlocked the door, and opened it. Will snuck by him and entered the office first, aiming his gun in front of his face.

  “After you,” Gabriel mumbled, and used the flashlight to illuminate the room.

  The office was simple. A desk sat in the middle of the room with all the essentials on top: a computer, phone, notepads, scattered papers, and pens. The wall nearby displayed various packing supplies that the facility sold, such as boxes and tape. There was a coffee machine and microwave sitting on top of a small table on the other side of the desk. Behind the desk, there was a single door. Will went to the desk.