“Cathy, my wife, she died four years ago. The cancer got her. And my daughter, she was fourteen. She got caught up in all this shit a few days back.” He began to cry now. “I left her in the double-wide we were livin’ in. She attacked me, but I couldn’t bring myself to put ‘er down. She’s still locked up in there now, I ‘magine.”
Will shook his head and put his hand over his eyes. “I’m so sorry, man.”
“Yeah.” It’s the only response that Donny could muster up. He changed the subject. “So, y’all headed to Knoxville?”
Will nodded. “Hoping to find my mom and dad there.”
“Then what?”
Will gave him a confused look.
“Where you gonna go after that?” Donny asked.
Will sighed and looked over to Gabriel again. “I imagine we’ll head toward the East Coast. See if maybe we can’t get Gabriel and Dylan back to their families.”
Donny shook his head. “That’s an awful long way to go.”
Will shrugged. “Not quite sure where else we’d go. Hoping maybe they’ve set up some kind of refuge out there. Or, at least, maybe that they have one planned. What about you? You just gonna stay here?”
“Don’t really see any reason to leave. I’ve got protection, shelter, food to last me a while. It’s pretty safe here.”
“As long as you lock the door,” Will said with a smile, and both men laughed.
The others in the room were talking amongst each other, while eating canned food that Donny had given them. He had a large supply of it down in this cellar, along with lots of bottled water and plenty of weapons that he collected through the pawn shop. Will wondered if Donny was one of those survivalist types that was always Doomsday prepping, but he didn’t bother asking. He was just thankful that the man had invited him and the group inside.
Gabriel stood up with his empty can and made his way over to where Will and Donny were sitting. He had a sour look on his face, but he reached his hand out to Donny, who took it and shook.
“Thank you,” Gabriel said, “for bringing us in. And, I’m sorry.”
Donny smiled, letting go of Gabriel’s hand. “It’s alright. I pointed my gun first. Besides, your boy here filled me in on some of the shit ya got goin’ on. Sorry to hear ‘bout all that.”
Gabriel acknowledged the shop owner’s sentiment with a nod, then turned back around and walked over to where Holly and Dylan were sitting.
Will yawned and stretched his arms up over his head.
“You look exhausted,” Donny said.
“Just a little.”
“Get ya some rest.”
“Thank you for all this.”
“Don’t mention it. Now, seriously, get ya some sleep, friend.”
Will curled up on the floor where he sat. Compared to being stuffed in the car with five other people, the hard floor of the cellar with the single, thin blanket under him felt like a suite at the Hilton. And within minutes, he was fast asleep.
***
Gabriel
When Gabriel awoke the next morning, he noticed that Dylan was no longer beside him. The boy had fallen asleep right next to him, but now he was gone.
Gabriel stood up and scanned the room. Everyone else was still fast asleep on the cellar floor, except Donny, who had a small cot that he slept in. The shop owner had offered to sleep on the floor so that Dylan or one of the women could use the cot, but each had respectfully declined, understanding that they were in his space. Stepping over bodies, Gabriel headed for the steps that led up into the shop.
Once he reached the top, he looked out through the open door that led out into the main part of the shop. Empty cardboard boxes and shelves filled with pawned items that people hadn’t picked up yet—and likely, never would—cluttered the storage room, but there was just enough space left around the door to walk in and out of it. Through the open door, Gabriel could see that Dylan was sitting near the front of the store, looking out into the world through the large glass window. The sun wasn’t quite up yet, so only a little bit of light was shining into the building. Gabriel stepped into the main part of the shop and slowly made his way toward Dylan, rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up.
Dylan kept his eyes focused on the outside world as Gabriel approached him. He was yawning, and his bare feet slapped against the tiled floor as he came up to the boy. In addition, he was still wearing the pair of track pants he lifted from the sporting goods store, and they swished as they rubbed together with each step he took. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and could smell the foul odor coming off of his unbathed body, an odor that he hadn’t yet gotten used to. There was no doubt Dylan both heard and smelled him, but nevertheless, his eyes remained fixed on the parking lot.
When he reached Dylan, he stood at his side and the boy finally acknowledged him with a quick glance, before looking back outside. Gabriel sighed, then looked out the window as well. In the distance, he could see the orange glow beginning to appear over the horizon, and the clouds were ringed in a dark grey, signaling the distinct possibility of more rain. The truck still sat outside, unscathed, and there were no Empties around. Gabriel had worried about leaving the truck out in the open, but with no access from behind the building to hide it, they hadn’t had a choice.
Gabriel waited for the boy to speak, but when the moment never came, he spoke first.
“Sleep alright?”
Dylan shrugged, looking down at the ground for a moment before looking back outside.
Gabriel sat down next to Dylan with his knees up and his elbows folded over them.
“What’s on your mind, bud?”
Dylan remained silent. Gabriel could tell the boy was thinking about something. The young kid was giving off the same vibe that Gabriel’s daughter would when she was only pretending she didn’t want him to ask what was going on with her. Gabriel had played this game before.
Gabriel started to stand. “Alright, guess I’ll leave you alone and let you be to yourself.”
Dylan sighed, then finally spoke. “I’m not sure I want to go home.”
Gabriel cracked a small smile, almost laughing at his successful tactic that had gotten the boy to speak, but then let settle in what the boy had said, and wiped the smile from his face. He sat back in the same position, with his arms propped over his raised knees.
“And why wouldn’t you want that?”
The boy looked down to the floor and mumbled, “I like you guys better.”
“But, Dylan, they are your parents. I’m sure that, somewhere out there, likely at home, they are missing the heck out of you. Just like I miss my own daughter.”
“Yeah, but, you love her.”
“Yes, yes, I do. And, I’m sure that your parents love you.”
“I don’t think so.” Dylan was still looking down at the ground, as if he were embarrassed.
Right as Gabriel was about to continue the conversation, he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the steps behind him, followed by a familiar, sweet voice.
“Hey, Gabe, we need you down here,” Holly said.
Gabriel looked back. “Be there in a minute.”
“Okay. Try to hurry. We’ve got breakfast, too, so bring Dylan.”
Gabriel looked down at Dylan. “Why don’t you come get some breakfast? That might make you feel a little better.”
Dylan sighed, and slowly nodded. “Yeah, okay, I guess.”
Gabriel stood, then reached down and took the boy’s hand, helping him up. He wrapped his arm around Dylan as they headed for the stairs.
***
After he finished his canned soup breakfast, Gabriel felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, and Will was moving to his side, kneeling down.
“Hey, Donny wants to talk to us upstairs real quick,” Will said.
“Alright.” Gabriel sat down his empty bowl and stood up.
He followed Will up the stairs, leaving the rest of the group behind to finish their meals, basking in the fact that they weren’t crammed
together in a vehicle and could stretch their legs out.
Donny was in the main part of the shop waiting on the men when they reached the top of the stairs. Will walked over to him first and Gabriel followed close behind. The large man sighed and put his hands on his hips.
“I ‘preciate you folks givin’ me some company,” Donny said.
“We can’t thank you enough for letting us stay here,” Will replied.
Donny nodded. “Well, I’m afraid it’s time for you to go. I ain’t tryin’ to be rude or nothin’, I just gotta protect my resources and be stingy with ‘em, if ya know what I mean.”
“We completely understand,” Will said. “We just appreciate you giving us a roof for one night and some food, especially after the way we barged in here.”
Donny turned his attention to Gabriel. “Yeah, well, sorry it had to be like that.”
Gabriel nodded at the man, acknowledging he felt the same way. He knew that, if he were in the same position as the shop owner, he would have acted the exact same way and done what he could to protect what was his.
“Well, I don’t want you folks to leave empty-handed and such,” Donny said.
The man pulled up his pants and walked back into the storage room. When he came back out a few moments later, he had a filing box filled with packs of ammunition.
“I saw what y’all were packin’. This should help y’all squeeze by a little bit longer.”
“Are you sure?” Will asked.
Donny looked at Gabriel and chuckled. “Consider this my apology.”
Gabriel smiled. “Accepted.” He grabbed the box.
“I also want y’all to take some of that there food I got down there. You got a child with ya, and I couldn’t let ya leave knowin’ that boy may not eat for a while.”
“Thank you so much,” Will said.
Donny tipped his hat and leaned up against the wall. “Ya know, I don’t see people in this world bein’ too nice anymore. It’s good to at least see there’s still at least a few of ya out there.”
He extended his hand out to Gabriel, who shook it and gave the man a nod of respect. Donny repeated the same act with Will.
“Alright, now let’s go wrangle up some food for y’all and getcha on your way.”
CHAPTER SIX
Lawrence
Lawrence was the first one walking the hallways in the morning. At least, he hadn’t seen anyone else yet. He kept the lights off to conserve precious power, knowing that electricity may not be a long-term guarantee, and walked the dim hallways. He went to the break room first thing to make a pot of coffee, and as he walked down the hallway, he savored every sip of the black gold, not knowing how long he’d be afforded the luxury of morning brew. Nothing was guaranteed in this world anymore, especially something as trivial as coffee.
He decided to go check on the unconscious woman that he’d rescued a few days prior with the young girl, Jessica. While Jessica hadn’t taken the time to get to know the group yet, he could see potential in her from the little bit of conversation they’d had, and felt she could be a valuable part of their team at the hospital. But, he also knew she wasn’t going to be of much use until Melissa was awake and feeling better.
The door to Melissa’s room was closed, but he turned the handle and it swung open. Lawrence was surprised to see two people inside the small room. Melissa was on the bed, still breathing through the power of the machine hooked up to her. She was facing the ceiling, as her chest rose and fell gently, over and over.
The room had an uncomfortable sofa that was built into the frame below the exterior window, and Jessica was lying on it, curled up and fast asleep.
Lawrence smiled, and had started to turn back out of the room when he heard the young girl begin to stir on the couch. He watched Jessica open her eyes and look over at him.
“Good morning,” Lawrence said.
“Hey,” Jessica said, stretching and yawning simultaneously.
“Can’t think that you slept too well on that thing.”
Jessica chuckled. “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to leave her.”
“Understood.”
“Did you come to check on her?”
Lawrence nodded and walked over to Melissa. He grabbed a clipboard from Melissa’s bedside table and jotted down a few readings from the machines hooked up to her.
“How is she?” Jessica asked.
“Stable. She’s about the same. Did she move at all during the night?”
Jessica shook her head. “Well, she kind of started to, but I realized it was nothing. She sort of… twitched for a moment, before she was still again.”
Lawrence nodded, and wrote down another note concerning what Jessica had just told him.
“Do you think she will come out of this soon?” Jessica asked.
“I’m just a paramedic, not a doctor. I don’t even try to predict these types of things. She could come out of it tomorrow, or she could come out of it next year. We really don’t know.”
Jessica looked down to the ground. “Yeah, that’s what the nurse said.”
“I’m sorry.” He scratched his chin, then put the clipboard back on the table. “How do you know her, anyways? You don’t really look alike, so I’m assuming you aren’t related.”
Lawrence listened as Jessica told him about the hotel, the gas station, and finally, her parents’ house. It took almost ten minutes for her to tell the whole story, but when she was done, Lawrence stood silent for a few moments.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“Yeah,” Jessica replied simply.
“Well, we are going to do everything we can for her, okay?”
“Okay,” Jessica mumbled, and from her stoic face, Lawrence couldn’t tell if she actually believed him.
Lawrence looked down at his watch. “They should be getting breakfast ready about now. You should go.”
“Yeah, maybe I will.”
“Good. I’ll come back and check on y’all in a bit, alright?”
Jessica nodded and sat up straight on the couch as Lawrence turned and left the room.
***
David
With every repetition, the sweat dripped off David Ellis’ forehead and onto the ground. He was beginning to feel normal again and was quickly adjusting to life inside the secure hospital. He had been anxious to get back to his morning exercise regimen, and with each push-up, his biceps ached as they worked to readjust to the strain of the movement.
After seventy-five push-ups, he flipped onto his back and began to do some bicycle crunches. Inside his body, he still held several pints of anger over what had happened inside his building in Nashville, and he was especially pissed off by how Marcus had betrayed him. He’d seen the man as both a good friend and one of his company’s best employees, and couldn’t believe that Marcus hadn’t understood his vision of keeping everyone alive. He could even still feel the pain in his neck from where he’d been struck with the baseball bat. Almost as fast as the world had changed, David’s little dream community had fallen, and he was now alone with a bunch of strangers who knew nothing of his history or of what he planned to do.
The door opened as he panted, his heart rate soaring and his obliques burning.
Lawrence appeared in the doorway, shutting the door behind him as he entered the room. Though David had noticed the man enter out of the corner of his eye, he didn’t look his way to acknowledge he was there. Instead, he continued his exercise.
“I see you’re getting back to normal,” Lawrence said.
Counting to himself, David finally stopped the bicycle crunches, and lay flat on his back, placing his hands over his quickly rising and falling stomach.
“That’s good to see. We could use some more muscle around here.”
Having finished his exercises and recovered enough to stand, David looked over to Lawrence and jumped to his feet. He grabbed a towel and wiped himself down, starting with his bare chest and his stomach, then under his arms, and then finally his face wi
th the opposite side of the towel.
When he pulled the towel from in front of his eyes, he saw Lawrence staring down at his stomach. David looked down and remembered the scars on his body, and quickly grabbed a t-shirt off of the bed and pulled it over his head, hoping to avoid the man asking him about his markings.
“Strength coming back?” Lawrence asked.
“Getting there.”
“Good. I’d like to take you on a run with me.”
David grabbed the towel again and ran it through his hair. He’d been stuck in this hospital room too long, and the thought of getting the hell out was appealing. “Okay, when?”
Lawrence looked down at his watch. “I was hoping we could leave in about twenty minutes.”
David pointed to the watch on the man’s wrist. “What you gonna do when that battery runs out?”
Lawrence laughed and shook his head. “Twenty minutes?”
David nodded, and Lawrence turned around and left the room.
***
It was more like thirty-five minutes when the two men were finally in the ambulance, heading down the swirled parking garage. David looked around, expecting to see Empties, but there were none inside the garage.
“They ever get in here?” he asked.
“Occasionally,” Lawrence said. “Of course we have that barrier at the top of the garage. They haven’t made it through that yet, and hopefully it stays that way.”
Moments later, they were speeding out of the garage, and David finally saw the Empties he’d expected to see on the way down through the parking garage. The sun had made its way up from behind the horizon for the first time in the past couple of days. It had been raining, but the sun was out and warmed the slightly chilled autumn air.
They passed a sign that said “To I-40 West”, and David looked over to Lawrence.
“Where we headed?”
“Going to try and find more survivors.”
“Why?”
Lawrence looked over at him and smiled. “Why? Why not?”
Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation Page 4
