Will considered this for a moment. He and Holly had been through many situations together, and he could trust having her at his side. Also, she was right. If something happened near the SUV, Charlie had proven himself to be calmer than her in situations that required it. He would be able to handle it and keep the children safe.
Will nodded. “All right. You come, and Charlie will stay.”
“I don’t want either of you to go,” Mary Beth said.
“Sweetie, this is something we have to do,” Holly said. “There might be a man inside there that has some very important answers for us.”
“But what if you get hurt?”
“They won’t,” Dylan said. “Don’t worry, they’ll come back.”
Mary Beth wiped her and eyes and nodded, and Dylan wrapped his arm around her. Holly smiled, running her hand through Dylan’s hair.
Will pulled the SUV a few feet away from the restaurant’s drive-thru menu, hiding it from any Empties or people who might pass by on the main road. He stepped around to the back and opened the cargo door, grabbing a shotgun for Holly and a rifle for himself. He collected ammo for each, plus extra bullets for their handguns. He’d shut the door halfway before he opened it again and grabbed another handgun and two flashlights.
Holly stepped out of the back seat and Will poked his head in through the door to Dylan. He wrapped his hand around the barrel of the last pistol he’d grabbed and then offered it to the boy.
“You know what to do,” Will said. “Only fire this if you have to. Charlie will tell you if he needs your help, all right? Other than that, let him handle it. Hopefully, you won’t have to use it.”
Dylan accepted the weapon.
“Leave it beside you. You don’t have to cock it. All you’ve gotta do is click the safety off on the side there. See it?” Dylan signaled that he did. He then leaned toward Will and wrapped his arm around him.
“Please come back.”
Will ran his hand up and down the boy’s back. “We will. Don’t worry. Just take care of Mary Beth.”
Dylan pulled back and placed his hand over the weapon, leaving it sitting on the seat. Will got out of the SUV and met Holly and Charlie at the front of it.
“Be ready to start this thing and roll out when we get back.”
“Will do,” Charlie said. “I’ll be sure to take a look around each side of the building every now and then to make sure nothing, or no one, is coming.”
Will shook Charlie’s hand. “Keep them safe.”
“You guys just hurry up and get back here.”
Will turned and put his hand on Holly’s shoulder. “You ready?”
She took his hand and they started toward the guard rail. They were sure to look down the side of the building to make sure nothing was coming or saw them, and then they hopped over the rail.
When they reached the entrance to the tunnel, Will clicked on his flashlight first. Holly followed by turning on hers.
The drain pipe ran straight, and they could see the sun peeking out on the other side. Everything in between was dark, except for a short distance in front of them. Not surprisingly, the pipe’s concrete bottom was damp from the rain.
“It looks like the pipe comes out just on the other side of the church,” Will said.
“All right, lead the way.”
Will entered the pipe first, ducking down, his feet splashing the water underneath them. Will had never been inside of a drainage pipe, and it smelled just about as foul as he’d imagined. They hadn’t gone far when a squeal echoed through the concealed space. Holly startled, signaled by the water splashing under her feet and her yelp. Will pointed the flashlight down and watched as two rats passed by. He hated rats. Not quite as much as he despised snakes, but rats still disgusted him. But he kept his cool.
“It’s okay, just keep moving.”
They did, and the sulfuric smell seemed to worsen, the further along they moved into the tunnel. It became strong and foul enough to where he pulled his shirt collar up over his nose. Additionally, he heard more vermin ahead, squeaking like a dog’s play toy. Behind him, Holly coughed.
“What is that?” Holly asked, her voice muffled under her own shirt.
Will was about to respond when his light shined on two rats standing in the middle of their path. Will shifted the flashlight’s beam further up, and then turned, coughing.
“What is it?” Holly asked, the squealing rats now just feet in front of them.
“You don’t want to know,” Will said.
He stepped to the side so she could see, and Holly flashed her light onto the ground.
A body the width of the pipe lay in front of them, making the way impassable without stepping over it. Its flesh had been picked to the bone. The entrails spread out around the immediate area of the body, and a small pack of rats was chewing on them. The body was so far gone that it was impossible to tell if it had been a man or a woman. Or if it had died human, or ever turned Empty.
The corpse went dark again as Holly turned and vomited. The noise startled at least a couple of the rats, and Will jumped as they ran by his feet.
“We’ve gotta walk over it,” Will said.
“I’m not stepping over that,” Holly said. “Let’s turn around and find another way.”
“Holly, this tunnel is the safest way.”
“What if that thing was Empty before it died? Or even if one bit it? How do we know these rats can’t hurt us if they bite us?”
“It’s not a virus, Holly. I think if the rats had been affected, then they would’ve come after us by now. Just be careful stepping over them.”
Behind him, Holly breathed deeply. Will didn’t like the idea of passing over the body any more than she did, but he drew in a deep breath and shined the light down toward it.
Five rats still remained, crowded around the body and chewing what was left of it. Will eased forward, keeping the light trained on the pack of vermin. As he approached the body, his boot stomped on something soft. It squished under his feet, amplified by the puddle of water. He coughed, bringing his arm over his mouth, but kept moving. He convinced himself that what he’d stepped on wasn’t remains of the dead.
It was inevitable they were going to have to step on at least part of the body to pass. Its remains had scattered enough to where it would be impossible to jump, and the low ceiling would have made that difficult anyway. When Will stepped forward, his boot buried into an unidentifiable part of the thing’s body, and it took everything for him not to puke. He skipped forward and moved past the corpse.
On the other side, he turned around and offered Holly light.
“You got this, it’s a piece of cake.”
He could barely see her face in the reflection of the light, but could see in her eyes that she was terrified. The rats continued to eat, and the sound of them chewing reverberated between their squeals. Will reached out his hand.
“Come on, sweetie. Just come forward and grab my hand for balance.”
Holly finally moved forward, stopping right before the body. She was breathing heavy now, almost hyperventilating.
“You got this,” Will said.
Lifting her leg to take a step, Holly reached out her arm toward Will. Her boot made a disgusting smashing sound as it landed on the body. Will could sense her being about to cry as she froze.
“Come on, you’re almost there.”
Holly took another step, but she slipped. Will dropped the flashlight and lunged forward, grabbing onto her by hooking his arms under hers and catching her before she fell. On the ground, the rats screamed, and so did Holly.
“It’s biting me,” Holly wailed.
Will pulled her clear of the body, and then noticed she still had the light in her grasps. He took it and shined it down on her leg. A rat had grabbed onto her and Will kicked it off, sending it flying through the air. The squeals of the rats faded until they became nonexistent.
“Let me look,” Will said. He kneeled down and lifted her pant
leg, flashing the light on her skin. “I don’t see anything. It looks like it may have just gotten your pants.” He could see where the teeth had punctured her pant leg.
Will stood up and hugged Holly, kissing her on the forehead. “You did great.”
He shined the light onto the ground and noticed that his flashlight had fallen right in the middle of the dead body. They had a few others back at the SUV, so he decided to leave it. The one flashlight would get them to the church.
They continued on and reached the end of the tunnel within just a couple of minutes. While he could hear the herd howling and scratching at the front of the building, Will didn’t hear any Empties in the immediate area outside the pipe’s exit. Regardless, he stepped into the open first, and directed Holly to await his signal.
As he’d guessed, the pipe opened up into woods. The trees stood close together, shading him from the sun. He scanned the area and found no Empties. Looking back, he saw a short, but steep hill leading up to the parking lot of Ministry of Life Church. Once they reached the top, they’d just have to step over a guard rail, like at the restaurant.
“All right, come on,” he told Holly.
They climbed to the top of the hill on all fours. Three-quarters of the way up, Will showed his palm to Holly.
“Hold on,” he whispered.
Will climbed the rest of the way up the hill, staying low and out of sight. When he reached the top, he peeked through the metal guard rail and scanned the parking lot. The building was about twenty yards away. He saw the remains of four bodies lying on the concrete, two of which were being picked apart by crows. A few cars remained abandoned in parking spots. But from what Will could see, no Empties hung around the rear lot. He looked back to Holly and waved her the rest of the way up the hill.
He pointed to a door on the corner of the building.
“That’s the door we need to try to enter through,” Will said.
“All right,” Holly said.
“Just follow right behind me.”
Will rose to his knees and then hopped over the guard rail in one fluid movement. He crouched down so as not to be seen just in case any creatures or people were around that he had missed. He crossed the parking lot and Holly followed. In the road, he saw a small group of Empties passing by. Will ducked down beside an abandoned vehicle before the creatures discovered him. Holly joined him, sitting down with her back against the side panel of the sedan.
“Did they see you?” Will asked.
“Don’t think so,” Holly said. “I don’t think they looked over here.”
“Let’s just give them a second to pass; then we’ll go to the door.”
They allowed the demons time to limp out of view, and then Will said, “All right, I think we can—”
Inside the vehicle, something slammed against the glass and snarled. Will’s heart skipped. He rolled away from the sedan onto his back, drawing his pistol and pointing it at the window. An Empty banged on the glass, its dead mouth wide open. It was in the back seat, and appeared to have been no older than twelve years old when it had been alive.
“Shit,” Holly mumbled, staring up at it.
The thing’s pale eyes looked down at them, and it continued to howl.
Will grabbed Holly’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
Holly’s eyes didn’t leave the creature as they made the short trip over to the door. It followed them as far as it could, crawling up into the rear window and banging on it. Holly kept looking back until Will physically turned her head toward him.
“I need you to focus,” Will said, cupping her face in his hands. She nodded, her head shaking in fear.
The entrance sank into the building by a few feet, giving them shallow walls on either side to hide behind. Will grabbed the handle of the glass door and pulled. It clicked, not budging.
Holly peeked around the corner.
“They’re coming,” she said.
Will looked around the wall and saw part of the horde from the front door now heading toward them.
“He must’ve gotten their attention,” Will said, speaking of the former boy in the car.
“What are we gonna do?”
Will holstered his handgun and pulled the rifle off his shoulder. “Stand back. Keep an eye on them, and have the shotgun ready. Don’t shoot unless you have to. It only looks like part of that group is headed back here.”
Will went to the door, reared the gun back over his shoulder, and slammed the butt of the weapon into the glass. Nothing happened. The rifle seemed to just bounce off the glass. He continued to hit it, harder with each blow.
“Hurry!” Holly shouted.
Will kept hitting the glass until it finally cracked. It only took three blows after that for it to shatter, and Will reached inside and unlocked the door. As he opened it, Holly pulled the trigger, taking down an Empty that had made it to within ten yards of her. She hit it in the body, knocking it backward and onto the ground, but not killing it.
“Come on!” Will yelled. He grabbed Holly by the arm and led her through the door.
Inside, they came into a room with another door. This door was wood with a silver handle. If it didn’t open, they’d be trapped in the tiny room, and they’d be dead.
Holly shot again, taking down another one of the creatures who stood at the exterior door.
Will pushed down the handle.
The door opened.
He grabbed Holly again and pulled her through.
Once inside, Will slammed the door shut and locked it behind them. He looked around the room and saw a wooden table big enough to seat eight people.
“Help me move that against the door,” Will said.
They each got behind the table and pushed. It was heavier than Will had imagined. They moved the table in front of the door, and then Will fell to the ground, catching his breath.
Outside, the Empties banged against the door.
“That should hold them,” he said, breathing heavily.
Holly went down to her knees and covered her face. She cried, having trouble catching her breath.
Will slid over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay, we’re safe. Just calm down. We’re okay.” He ran his hand up and down her back, working to calm her down. After several moments, her breaths moved further apart. She pulled away from him, sniffled, and wiped her eyes.
“You good?” Will asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Her eyes closed, she nodded.
With the banging and howling continuing behind them, Will looked around the room, trying to assess where they were. The room had large windows high on the walls, which brought in enough sunlight for them to see by. Other than that, there was no light. Tables sat at intervals, every few feet throughout the large room.
“I think we’re in a dining hall,” Will said.
Holly began working her way to her feet, and Will reached down and offered her a hand, which she accepted.
The tears nearly gone, Holly said, “Well, it’s a beautiful church.”
“It looks like an empty church.”
“Maybe,” Holly said. “But we’re here, so there’s only one way for us to find out.”
“Just stay close to me,” Will said. “Keep your shotgun on your back. If we run into any people, we don’t want to scare them. Just keep your hand near your sidearm.”
They moved with caution through the room. The light coming in through the windows lit the entire space. Holly kept her flashlight handy in case she needed to point it into any dark corners.
“Hello?” Will called. His voice echoed through the hollow room, its ceilings as high as the church itself.
Large double doors were closed on the far end of the dining area. They were taller than average doors, and a sign on the wall beside them read: ‘Sanctuary’. Will looked back to Holly and signaled toward the doors. He moved in front of one door, and Holly stood in front of the other.
“You open it, and I’ll go in first,” Will
whispered.
“All right.”
“On ‘3’.”
Holly counted down in an almost nonexistent voice, and then swung the door open.
Will went through.
The sanctuary of the church was large, able to seat several hundred people. It had an ancient feel to it, though the church couldn’t have been more than a decade old. Will loosened the grip on his sidearm as he stood just inside the entrance, looking around the massive room. The door from the dining hall had brought him to the side of the large worship area. Like the previous space, the sanctuary was well-lit by the sun. Oversized stained glass windows had been built into the wall, letting in plenty of light.
At the front of the sanctuary, sitting on the front pew, was one man. He wore a priest’s robe, and sat with his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together.
After several moments of Will not moving, the man raised his head. He waited before he finally glanced in Will’s direction. Behind Will, Holly had entered the sanctuary, standing at his side. The man turned to face Will and Holly, and a smile formed on his face.
“Please, come in.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Are you Father Bartman?” Will asked. The preacher looked like the man they’d seen on the billboard, except years older.
The priest stood. “I am. Who asks?”
Will raised his hands in the air to show that he meant no harm. “My name’s Will, and this is Holly. Father Bryant told us to come see you.”
“Father Bryant?” Bartman asked. “He is alive?”
Will shook his head. “He died soon after we met him, but he told us that you could give us some answers.”
“Answers?” Bartman scoffed.
They reached the front row of the church, opposite the aisle of Father Bartman, and stopped.
“Are you here alone?” Holly asked.
“Do you mean to rob me?”
“No,” Will said. “Like I said, we’re just hoping for some answers. We’ve come a long way to see you.”
“And why did Bryant tell you that I could help you?”
Will removed his rifle from his back, which caused Bartman to jump. But when Will tossed it onto the ground, the preacher seemed to settle down. Will pulled out his sidearm and threw it down, as well. He removed his jacket as he approached the preacher. Will came within just a couple of feet of Bartman, and then he rolled up his shirt sleeve.
Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation Page 17
