Charlie and Scott worked to unload the generator out of the back of the SUV. Like Will, both of the men looked like they’d been through hell. They set the generator down onto the ground, and then Charlie walked over to Will and extended his hand.
“Brother, thanks again for helping us out.”
Will laughed. “You’re the crazy son of a bitch that ran into that store.”
Charlie shrugged. “Gotta do what we gotta do, man.”
“I guess,” Will said, still smiling.
Charlie turned around to Scott and said, “Let’s roll this thing over by our cabins for now. We’ll talk to everyone else in a little bit and see where the best place to put this will be.”
Gabriel approached Will, who turned and smiled at him, as if everything were cool.
“Morning, man,” Will said. “What’s up?”
Not slowing his gait, Gabriel sprung his arms and shoved Will in his shoulders, sending him down into the dirt.
“What’re you doing?” Holly said. She turned to Dylan and said, “Go inside.”
“No, I—”
“Now,” Holly said, making sure her tone conveyed to the boy that she wasn’t offering him a choice. Dylan pushed past Gabriel and slowly made his way up to the cabin, taking his time and looking back.
Will’s expression had turned from a smile to a look of disgust as he jumped back to his feet.
“What the fuck?” Will said.
“You’re asking me ‘what the fuck’?” Gabriel said. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Where the hell’ve you been all morning?”
“Well, considering how these people were nice enough to bring us into their community here and offer us food, shelter, a place where we could all be fucking normal for a change, I thought I’d return the favor and go help them pick up a generator.”
Gabriel glanced over to see that Charlie and Scott had stopped, standing only about fifteen yards away. They watched the scene unfold. Gabriel refocused his attention to Will, taking a step toward him to cut their distance in half, now standing where their chests almost bumped.
“You don’t think saving his life at that store yesterday was enough?” Gabriel said, keeping his attention on Will but pointing his finger toward Charlie.
“You blind, Gabriel? They might’ve saved our lives. Four whole cans of fuel? You think they really have to give us all that?”
Gabriel scoffed. “Whatever. Just get your shit together so that we can get the hell outta here.” He turned around and started back toward the cabin, looking around the campground to see that everyone was outside now, either standing in the courtyard or watching from the front porches of their respective cabins. Including Jessica, who leaned on the bannister of the front porch, shaking her head as she and Gabriel made eye contact. He looked away and continued his march back toward his cabin to grab the last of his things.
“I’m not leaving.”
Gabriel stopped and turned around again, watching everyone’s eyes settle on him as he did. Will stood with his arms crossed, as if he were staking his claim in the land.
“I’m staying here,” Will said. “I’m tired of running. Tired of chasing some sort of false hope.” He put his arm around Holly, who looked shocked, as if this were news to her, as well. He held her for a moment before letting go and stepping toward Gabriel. “Charlie offered for us to stay. All of us.”
Gabriel let the words sit in the air for a moment, the anger crawling all over his arms again. Even though the day was cool, it felt as if the sun was baking him. But that was just his internal heat rising.
He had no response for Will. He simply turned, kicking the gravel as he swung around, and stormed back to his cabin.
Gabriel made one last pass through the cabin, making sure he’d gathered all his things. He went into Dylan’s room and began transferring the boy’s few possessions from the bed to a bag. The bathroom door opened and Dylan came into the room.
“What are you doing?” Dylan asked.
“We’re leaving,” Gabriel said.
“I’m not going,” Dylan said.
Gabriel turned around to face the boy. He said, “Yes, you are. We’re not stopping anymore, and we’re gonna get to Virginia and find your parents.”
“But I heard Will say he isn’t going. Is Mary Beth?”
Gabriel ignored the question and turned back to the bed, and zipped up Dylan’s bag. He picked it up and walked it over to him.
“Just take this and load it into the van.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Dylan said. “I’m not going without her.”
The front door of the cabin opened and Jessica emerged. Dylan ran over to her.
“Tell Gabriel that I don’t have to go,” Dylan said. “Please.” He had tears in his eyes now, and Gabriel could feel a new brand of guilt ride up into his gut. This wasn’t the first time he’d had trouble with Dylan over his decisions, and he knew, just like before, that the kid would get over it.
“You can’t make him go with us if he doesn’t want to go, Gabriel,” Jessica said.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Us?”
Jessica said, “I’m going with you. There’s nothing for me here, and I want to see what we can find in D.C. To see if I can help you find your family. But you can’t make Dylan go. Let him stay here. It’s safe here. Let Will and Holly look after him. Let him stay with his friends and try to somewhat live a normal life.”
Gabriel couldn’t look at Dylan without feeling remorseful. The responsibility for the child had almost literally fallen into his lap, and he’d grown so close to Dylan. The truth was, he wasn’t ready to let Dylan go. More than once, the thought had crossed Gabriel’s mind that he would get to Alexandria and never find Dylan’s parents. And with a gun to his head, Gabriel would have to have told the truth and say that he hoped they wouldn’t find them. Even though it had only been a couple of weeks, he’d taken Dylan in like his own child. Letting him go would just leave another hole in Gabriel’s heart.
But as he looked into the boy’s eyes, he knew what the right decision was.
Most everyone at the camp gathered around to see Gabriel and Jessica off. Gabriel had calmed down, though he hadn’t changed his mind about leaving. In his mind, he had no other option. The simple thought that he’d already wasted too much time and had possibly missed the opportunity to save his own family weighed heavily on him.
Gabriel and Jessica each walked down the line of people, shaking the hands of the survivors from the campground first. All of them were present except for Thomas, who’d remained strangely absent. Jessica thanked each one of them, and Gabriel followed, simply acknowledging each of the individuals without repeating the same pleasantries as Jessica. Holly and Will stood near the end of the line. Once Jessica was done hugging each of them, Gabriel stepped up. Though he and Holly had had it out earlier, she still allowed him to give her a hug, as well as a kiss on the cheek. He then moved in front of Will, and the two men just looked at each other. Gabriel could feel everyone’s eyes on them, as if they were waiting for a fight to break out. He then looked down and saw that Will had his hand extended out. Gabriel waited a moment, then accepted the handshake.
“You sure you wanna do this?” Will asked.
Gabriel responded, “Are you?”
Will nodded.
And that was the extent of their conversation.
Gabriel now drew in a deep breath as he arrived at the three children. He shook Reece’s hand, then looked down to Dylan and Mary Beth. She had her arm around Dylan as he cried. Gabriel leaned down to eye-level with them.
He said to Mary Beth, “You take care of him now, you hear?”
She smiled and nodded, saying, “Yes, sir.”
And when his eyes met Gabriel’s, Dylan let go of Mary Beth and embraced Gabriel, letting out all of his emotion. The small hands gripped the back of Gabriel’s shirt tightly.
“Don’t go,” Dylan pleaded.
“I’ve got to,” Gabriel said. “You k
now that. I’ve got to find my wife and my little girl.”
Dylan didn’t respond. He just held Gabriel and cried. Gabriel’s gaze shifted to the others, particularly to Will and Holly. He could see in both their faces that they both hated his decision to leave, but also that they understood it. Gabriel just hoped that splitting from the group would turn out better than it had the last time he’d tried to go out on his own.
Gabriel pulled away from Dylan, his hands gripping the boy’s shoulders tight. He jostled Dylan’s hair, choking back his own tears. He wanted to stay strong for the boy, but it was growing more difficult with every passing moment.
A door to one of the cabins slamming drew everyone’s attention. Leaving one hand on Dylan’s shoulder, Gabriel used his other hand as a visor to block out the sun and look toward the commotion. Thomas had emerged from his cabin, lugging a suitcase-on-wheels behind him and carrying his rifle over his shoulder. The silence among the other survivors said it all.
Claire split from the others, walking toward her brother, and said, “What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving,” Thomas said, marching toward the van.
“What?” Claire said. She moved from beside him to in front of him, halting in his path so that he would come to a stop. “What do you mean you’re leaving?”
“I’m going with them to Virginia,” Thomas said. “I’m tired of sitting around here doing nothing. Someone in Washington has to know something about what’s going on or how to stop this demonic plague.” He looked over to Will. “Claire told me about what you know. About what happened to you. That information is far too important not to try and get it to Washington.”
Will looked on, his arm wrapped around Holly.
Thomas went to throw his bag into the open sliding door of the van, but Claire stopped him. He turned back to her, eyes almost crossed in frustration.
“Claire, let go. You’re not stopping me from leaving.”
Claire said, “No, I’m not. But I’m not letting you leave without me. And if I’m leaving, we’re taking my car.”
Gabriel and Jessica transferred their things to Claire’s SUV, while Claire had retreated to her cabin to gather her things. Once she came back outside, ready to load her things and leave, Gabriel left Will with some of the ammunition he’d gathered, now that Thomas had decided to come, bringing with him a small arsenal.
“Thanks,” Will said.
Gabriel nodded and turned around to load into the cockpit of the SUV. He’d be taking the first shift driving.
Will said, “Hey.”
Gabriel looked back.
“Good luck finding Katie and Sarah.”
With a nod, his lips pursed, Gabriel said, “Thanks, brother.”
He shut the door and clicked on his seatbelt. When he looked back out, Dylan stood staring, his eyes mostly dry now. Gabriel waved and gave the boy a thumbs-up, and Dylan waved back.
Before he had any second thoughts about leaving, Gabriel looked away, drawing his attention to the rearview mirror as he backed up. Dirt appeared in the reflection, the tires sending it into the clean, mountain air.
He started down the dirt path of the mountain, and he didn’t look back until they turned around a corner, and he glanced into the rearview mirror again.
All he saw were trees and dust.
Chapter 16
They watched as the headlights to Claire’s SUV disappeared around the corner through the trees. Dylan’s tears flowed freely now, and the boy allowed all his emotion to drain out of him. Holly left Will’s side and hugged Dylan, patting him on the back and assuring him that everything would be fine.
At once, a whole new thought came to Will. Essentially, he’d instantly become a father. Dylan and Mary Beth were his and Holly’s responsibility now. Sure, the others at the campground would help out, but they were by no means required to. Will and Holly had inherited the liability of the two children the moment that he’d informed Gabriel he was staying at the cabins. Still trying to come to grips with losing his own parents, he wasn’t sure how he would handle this new responsibility. Will did want kids, and perhaps even with Holly, but under a different circumstance than this.
Holly looked up to Will and said, “I’m gonna take him to his cabin and start getting his stuff moved over to ours. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Will looked down, reminding himself of the clothes he was in, still disgusting from the run-in with all the beasts at the camping store. “I’m gonna go clean up and lie down for a while.”
As Holly headed away with Dylan, Mary Beth followed. Will started for his cabin, but was stopped by Charlie.
“You okay?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah,” Will mumbled. “I’m all good. Just tired.”
“Me, too. Let’s both get some rest and catch up in a little while, alright?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Will said.
Dylan’s things had already been packed up, as Gabriel had assumed the boy would be leaving with him. This made it fairly simple for Holly to take Dylan back to his cabin to grab his things. Mary Beth had gone to hang out with Reece for a little while, leaving Holly and Dylan alone. While Reece slept each night in the same cabin as Scott, he’d often spend a large part of his day in one of the unoccupied cabins, where they kept some of the board and card games. This particular cabin had become simply known as ‘the game room’.
Holly looked around in the cabinets, seeing if there was anything worth taking. It appeared to have already been cleared out. She saw the cabinet with the hole in it, and Gabriel’s blood still pooled on the counter below it.
“Gabriel took most of that stuff with him,” Dylan said, standing in the middle of the living room with his bag over his shoulder.
Holly shut the cabinet. They had plenty of food among the other cabins, so it wasn’t a big deal. It had started to look as if the only things they’d be able to salvage out of the cabin, aside from the living space itself if they ended up needing it, were blankets, pillows, and some leftover firewood.
“I’m sure he’ll need it,” Holly said.
The pain remained in the boy’s eyes. Holly sighed and walked to the middle of the room, where Dylan stood. She took his hand and led him over to the sofa. Sitting down, she patted the spot next to her and offered him a seat, which he accepted.
Dylan said, “Why did he have to leave? Why couldn’t he have just stayed here with us?”
“You know the answer to that, sweetie,” Holly said. “Gabriel has people he loves back home. He wants to get back to them.” Holly reassured him of this even though she questioned what Gabriel might or might not find when, and if, he made it back home.
“We should be his family. After everything we’ve been through together.” Dylan spoke with a type of aggression that Holly hadn’t heard from him before.
“It’s easy to say that when you consider even just the last few days we’ve had,” Holly said. “And I know it feels like we’ve been together for a long time, but it hasn’t been that long. Gabriel has a daughter around your age, and he’s been with his wife much longer than that. One day, when you’re older and you’re married, you’ll have a better understanding of what kind of burden that kind of responsibility bears on you.”
“I’m never getting married,” Dylan said.
Holly laughed. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that anytime soon.” She stood up and grabbed Dylan’s bag for him. “Now, come on, let’s get you over to Reece’s so you can play for a while.”
The season’s first chilled night had come, as lights flashed all around. Large speakers amplified the voices of carnies trying to lure children over, all to steal their parents’ hard-earned money by distracting the kids with large plush dolls that could be bought at the store for half the price it would cost to obtain enough tickets to possibly win one. Luckily for Walt Kessler, his eleven-year-old son, Will, was much more interested in experiences and food than prizes, wanting to do nothing but ride the rides and stuff
his face with sugary funnel cakes and nachos covered in anything and everything to clog arteries.
Will walked beside his father, eating his second slice of pizza of the evening. Two slices was nothing to Will normally, but after the two hot dogs, a cup of ice cream, funnel cake, and sharing nachos with his father, he was at the point of bursting. Even still, he wanted to ride anything that would twist him sideways or turn him upside down. His stomach ached, but he wouldn’t let that ruin the rest of his night at the state fair with his father, an annual tradition they’d stayed true to for as long as Will had been tall enough to meet the height requirements of most of the rides.
“What you wanna do next?”
Will looked up to see his father smiling down at him. His eyes then shifted forward, gazing upon ‘Starship 5000’, one of those spaceship rides where you’re inside a round, UFO type structure, and it spins fast enough to make you move up and down on the wall you’re strapped to, almost defying gravity. Will remembered one of his friends telling him that, if you spit while inside there, your flem would fly around the ship at the speed of a NASCAR, but he’d never had the guts to try it.
“That!” Will said, pointing to it. “I wanna ride ‘Starship 5000’.”
Walt Kessler laughed. “Son, if you ride that thing, you’re gonna make a lot of people inside very angry when you plaster the walls with pizza and ice cream.”
“Cool!” Will said.
Walt scanned the lay of the land, and he pointed to their left.
“How about you go inside that? Do something a little more laid-back.”
Will looked over to see his father pointing at a fun house. It was one of those really cheesy ones with a bunch of clowns painted on the side, working to try and scare people who are frightened by weird guys in colorful make-up and green wigs. Will wasn’t one of those people.
Empty Bodies Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 56
