“Just don’t bring this up to anyone else, all right?”
Gabriel drew a ‘X’ across his chest. “Cross my heart.”
Jessica smiled. “Thanks.”
“You going to dinner?” Gabriel asked her.
“Think I’ll pass on that. I’ll get some food from somewhere else. I think it’s honestly best that I sleep before I see Will or Holly again. What about you?”
“I’m hitting the sack early,” Gabriel said. “I already know the story Will is gonna tell anyway. Don’t really want to hear it again.”
Gabriel turned to check out the window for a moment before looking back at Jessica.
“So, you’re good?” he asked.
“I’m good.”
“All right.” Gabriel went to the door and then turned to face her again. “I’ll be right next door if you need me.” He opened the door, moving to leave.
“Hey, Gabe.”
He looked at her.
“Thanks,” Jessica said.
He smiled, and left the room.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The dinner was setup in Timothy and Samantha’s front yard. Tiki torches illuminated the party and kept bugs away. Enough tables and chairs had been gathered from the homes to seat anyone in the community who wanted to come. And most people had showed up.
Of course, Will noticed the absence of both Gabriel and Jessica. He was still confused about the end of his conversation with Jessica earlier, and he hadn’t talked to Gabriel since their last argument. He assumed they’d all still be leaving together the following morning, but was still unsure about how all of that would unfold. But, for now, he hoped to put it aside and enjoy one last dinner with Timothy and the others.
He sat at a table with the people he was most familiar with. Holly and Charlie were there, and Timothy and Samantha sat with them as well, along with Steve and his wife. Karl was there, as well as Maureen, the woman who had allowed Dylan to have impromptu surgery performed on him the first time they’d been there. Dylan and Mary Beth sat at a table with the other kids, allowing them to spend one last time with some of the children they had befriended.
The meal itself was nothing special: more canned vegetables and meats. Timothy had briefly spoken of sending a small group out to hunt deer in the nearby woods, but quickly shied away from that idea—it was just too dangerous, and the group had suffered enough loss for one day.
Once everyone had their plates and had found a seat, Timothy stood up. He gathered everyone’s attention and the group went silent.
“I know many of you have started eating, and that’s totally fine. But I’d like to take a moment to bless this dinner. So everyone please bow your heads.”
Will bowed his head, keeping his eyes open. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind seemed to wander to the evil things he’d seen.
“…and bless this food in the nourishment of our bodies. Lord, our bodies are for your service. Amen.”
The crowd murmured ‘Amen’, and Timothy remained on his feet.
“I also would like to take just a minute to reflect on our lost friends with a brief moment of silence. We need to honor Franklin and Jen any way we can, and remember the sacrifice they made for the rest of us.”
Timothy bowed his head again and the community fell silent.
It felt like the first time in a long time that Will had been outside with nothing but the chirping crickets and croaking frogs making noise. He’d grown used to hearing the snarling of Empties or gunshots in the distance. But this night was peaceful. His thoughts drifted to both Franklin and Jen and he shook his head, knowing their untimely deaths could’ve been prevented.
“Thank you,” Timothy said after staying silent for somewhere around a minute. “Now, everyone enjoy your meal. Please hang around afterwards. We’ll be having a community meeting and announcement.”
Will dug into his plate, promising himself that he’d eat slowly for once. Since he was a kid, he’d always had the habit of scarfing down his food, but lately he’d been forcing himself to spend more time chewing. His mother had always told him it would make him feel less hungry, and that was more important now than ever since now he didn’t always know when, or how, the next meal would come.
“How is everything?” Samantha asked.
“Very good,” Charlie responded. “I could get used to this.”
“We’re really happy you’ve decided to stay with us, Charlie,” Timothy said. “You’re going to be such a welcome addition to our community.” Will noticed that Timothy peeked over at him after he said this.
“I appreciate you allowing me to stay,” Charlie said. “I really just want to lay down some roots somewhere, and I think you guys are building something really great here.”
“We think so, too,” Samantha said, smiling.
“So you guys’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, I suppose,” Timothy said to Will and Holly.
“That’s the plan,” Holly said.
“I still wish you’d consider staying,” Timothy said.
Samantha hit him on the arm. “Stop it.”
“What? I gotta try to make one last pitch, right?” He looked at Will and smiled.
“I really appreciate you guys offering us a home here,” Will said. “But I made a promise that I can’t break. With all the stuff that’s happened to me, I need to see this through with Gabriel. I need something good to happen.”
Holly put her hand on his back and rubbed it.
“Well, I’ll tell you exactly what I told you last time: if you change your mind, you’re always welcome back.”
“Thank you,” Will said, and then they ate the rest of their meal mostly in silence.
As people finished eating, they got up and went to other tables to talk to others. Small groups formed where residents stood in semi-private circles, drinking their water and talking.
“You about ready?” Timothy asked Will.
Will grabbed a napkin, wiped his mouth, and nodded.
Timothy stood up and raised his hands. “Can I get everyone’s attention again, please?”
People who were standing turned to face him, and those who were sitting looked up. Will felt his heartbeat quicken. He had never been a big fan of talking in front of people, and he was especially nervous about how everyone was going to react to what he had to say.
“Our friend Will here has brought some very important information to me, and we’ve both agreed that it would be best for him to share it with everyone.”
Will stood up. Even with it getting darker outside, he could see the concerned looks on everyone’s faces. His throat felt dry and he took a drink of water.
“Hello, everyone,” he said, clearing his throat. “There isn’t really an easy way to say this, so I just will.” He drew in a deep breath, observing the curious looks on everyone’s faces. “I know what’s causing people to turn into those monsters.”
There was a collective gasp. People began talking to each other, waving their hands. Soon, people were looking to Will again and shouting.
“Hey!”
Will turned as everyone went silent. It was Timothy who’d called out.
“I know this is hard to believe, but everyone just needs to listen,” he said.
“How does he know anything?” a man in the crowd asked.
Timothy nodded at Will, and said, “Show them.”
Will rolled up the sleeve of his plaid shirt. He stuck out his arm, holding it in the light of one of the tiki torches.
Another gasp waved through the crowd.
“He’s bit,” a woman said.
“When did that happen?” the same man who’d spoken moments earlier asked.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Will said.
And he did.
He told them about the Empty at the hospital and how the survivors there had been doing experiments on it, leaving out the part about David Ellis killing his mother. He talked about his fight at the farm with Ellis, and how the preacher had pulled the de
mon out of him. He even went so far as to tell them about visiting the church in Roanoke and how Father Bartman had confirmed it all.
Everyone stared at him in silence as he told the story. When he was done, a man raised his hand, and Will pointed to him.
“Pardon me, but it sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me,” the guy said. “Who’s to say you didn’t get that bite from something else before all this?”
Others in the crowd started to nod their heads and speak, sounding like a blur of noise.
“It’s all true.”
Will looked over to see the person who’d said it, garnering the attention of everyone in the crowd.
Jessica.
“How do you know?” the same man asked.
“Because I was there,” Jessica said. She walked in front of the table Will stood behind and stopped right in front of him, her back turned to him.
“I watched him get bit by one of the creatures. A monster who’d once been a person who killed his mother, by the way.”
Will bowed his head. He wasn’t upset she’d brought it up, but it made him think of the moment again.
“I’m not exactly one to believe in God or supernatural things, but I listened as that preacher spoke some kind of prayer or spell, and I watched a shapeless cloud leave Will’s body. He was dead, and then, suddenly, he sat up and was gasping for air.”
“I was there, too,” Dylan said, standing up from the kid’s table. “She’s telling the truth.”
One of the other men who’d talked before spoke up again. “So let’s assume you’re telling us the truth. How do we stop it from happening?”
“We know that it’s a prayer spoken in some kind of tongue, and that not just any preacher can say the words to exorcise the demon.”
“Where is this preacher?” a woman in the crowd asked.
“He died right after he saved me,” Will said. “Whoever says the prayer sacrifices themselves in the process.”
A woman spoke up and said, “So even if we knew one of these preachers, we couldn’t save everyone?”
“This is ridiculous,” the man who’d spoken before said. “Timothy, you actually believe this?”
“Actually, Henry, I do.”
Henry laughed. “Then you’re just as crazy as the rest of ‘em.”
He turned around and left, and others followed.
“It’s all right,” Timothy said to Will. “Don’t worry about them.”
Will took a deep breath. “I know this is very strange for all of you to hear. But I can assure you that this is what’s happening. This isn’t a virus. There’s no cure. Those things walking out there aren’t undead. They’re possessed monsters, infested with demons who want to feed off the living and create more soldiers for their infernal army.”
A woman asked, “So there’s no way to stop them without a preacher or someone who knows all this stuff?”
“I’m afraid not,” Will said.
People talked amongst themselves again for a moment, but conversation faded when Will began to speak again.
“I’m really sorry that I don’t have more for you, but Timothy wanted everyone to know. You no longer have to worry that you’re carrying some sort of disease or can pass a virus.”
“But how do we stop it?” someone else asked.
“Don’t get bit,” Will said. “And if you do, you have pretty much one option: amputation.” He looked over to Dylan, who was still standing.
“He got bit, too?” a woman who’d spoken earlier asked.
“He did,” Will said. “When one of the creatures bites you, a demon passes into the body through the wound. At least that’s what we think happens. We cut off Dylan’s arm less than a minute after he was bit, and he never got infected. So if someone does get bit, that’s an option.”
“Why didn’t you do that with Jen or Franklin?” someone asked.
Will thought back to Jen, remembering how the creature had pounced on her face. He bit his lip.
“Jen was beyond saving,” he said, leaving out the gruesome details. “And Franklin refused to let us take his leg. He didn’t want to be crippled. That was his choice.”
Will waited a few more moments for more questions, but everyone stood in silence—just staring.
“All right, well, I appreciate you all giving me a few minutes. I’ve told you everything I know. I understand that you might have other questions, and you’re not alone. So do we, believe me. Hopefully, somehow, we can all find more answers. But for now, the important thing is to build a strong community here and to work together. You people have something really special here. You have an opportunity to do something few others do anymore: live a normal life. Hell, you get to live, and that’s more than what many others are offered now. So don’t take it for granted.”
As Will stepped aside, a few people clapped, but most were still just stunned from what they’d heard. Timothy raised his hands.
“Now, as Will said, we know you will have a lot more questions. What he said is all he and the others know about this ‘demon plague’. If you have any other questions, concerns, or ideas, please come to myself, Samantha, or Charlie. We’ll do our best to address them all. Thank you.”
As the meeting ended, Will stepped away and headed towards Jessica. She had moved to the edge of the crowd after she’d said what she’d needed to say, and she was now standing alone.
“Tough crowd,” Jessica said as he approached.
Will smiled. “Thanks for stepping in.”
“Well, it was just a little painful to watch you struggle like that.”
“Struggle?” Will laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
Jessica smiled.
“I’m really glad you’re not mad at me anymore,” Will said. “It’ll make tomorrow a lot easier.”
“I hope so,” Jessica said. “Speaking of which, we should probably go get some rest, huh?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“See you bright and early then, huh?”
“You will,” Will said.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Will awoke in a fury, gasping for air.
The bed shook and Holly rolled over to face him.
“Baby, you all right?”
Will wiped a pool of sweat from his forehead. He took a deep breath, already starting to calm down.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Was it your mom again?”
Will looked over to her and shook his head. He licked his lips, hesitant to tell her. He finally muttered, “It was you.”
“Me? You had a nightmare about me?”
Will nodded. “We were in the woods, down by the water where we found Dylan and Mary Beth. You were standing at the shore when I approached you. But the closer I got, the more I realized it wasn’t you. That something was different.” He sighed, holding his face. “You turned around, and you were one of them. You were Empty.”
Holly stroked his neck before moving her hand up and running her fingers through his hair.
“It was just a dream,” she said.
“I know. It just felt real.”
Holly cupped his cheek, turning his face toward hers. She leaned in and kissed him, slowly pulling away with her lips tugging on his bottom lip as she separated.
“That was real. Whatever you thought of in that dream wasn’t. Everything is fine. You need to try and get some more rest, okay?”
Instead, Will threw the sheets off and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“I can’t,” he said. “I’m gonna step outside for a few minutes and get some fresh air.”
“Will, you need to—”
“It’s okay, Holly. Go back to bed. Get your rest. I’ll be fine.”
Getting up, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his neck. In truth, he was so overheated and stressed from his dream that he didn’t want to be touched, but he refused the urge to tell her that. He knew she was only doing it because she cared. Her hair covered his shoulder as she came a
round and kissed him on the cheek.
“Just try to come back here and get some rest in a little bit. You’re gonna need it, too.”
“I will,” Will lied, knowing there was no sleep ahead for him.
He leaned over to pick up his jeans and T-shirt off the ground, then stood and dressed.
“I love you,” Holly said.
Will grabbed onto the door handle and turned around. “I love you, too.”
He left the room and crept downstairs, careful not to wake anyone else in the house. The front door creaked as he opened it, and he slowly shut it behind him.
It was still pitch black outside, the sun at least a couple hours away from rising. A cool breeze blew through and he wished he’d brought a coat down with him, but it wasn’t such a big deal that he’d go back inside and risk waking people in the house. He took a seat on the top porch stair.
Sitting in silence, Will tried not to think of the dream he’d just had, but it proved impossible. There weren’t many positive things for him to think about. He was scared about leaving later that morning and hitting the open roads again. Tired of running, he was ready to find a place to settle with Holly—and, hopefully, Jessica, the kids, and Gabriel and his family. When they found Gabriel’s family, that’s what Will had to look forward to, and he forced himself to think about the day when they’d no longer have to run.
The front door opened, startling Will. He jerked around to see Dylan sneaking out of the house. Will furrowed his brow.
“What are you doing up? Did I wake you?”
Dylan shook his head. “I was already awake. But I heard you leave your room and decided to come down here. Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” Will patted the concrete beside him.
Dylan sat down, leaning against the bannister.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Will asked.
Shaking his head, Dylan said, “Had a nightmare.”
“Me, too,” Will said.
“I won’t ask what about, because I don’t want to talk about mine.”
Will smiled. “That sounds good to me.”
Empty Bodies (Book 6): Revelation Page 8
