“They claimed to have a surplus of medical supplies,” Samantha said.
“We were already running low on things before you guys showed up on our doorstep needing us to help your child,” Timothy said. He said it matter of factly, not out of spite. “We were already planning a run there to see what they’ve got.”
“I would have to think medical supplies would be an awful expensive barter at this point,” Will said. “What do you guys have that you can offer them?”
“You’ll be taking with you lots of food,” Timothy said. “We figure that we’re lucky enough here that we have enough good soil in these yards to grow our own. You’re also taking a generator and a few weapons.”
“You’re willing to give up a generator?” Holly asked.
“If they have the right items, yes,” Samantha said.
“I’ve prepared a list,” Timothy said. “I would also recommend that you folks be thinking of things that you can trade. If they have pain medications and broad spectrum antibiotics, especially, I’d suggest you be ready to make an offer. The boy is going to need continued attention in order to fully and properly heal. I’d be glad to make you your own list of things to look for.”
Holly smiled. “We’d very much appreciate that, thanks.”
“It’s no problem,” Timothy said. “We have a place for you all to stay tonight. I would assume at least one or two of you might want to stay here with Dylan. But if any of you want a bed to sleep in, we have somewhere for you.”
“I think I might have to take you up on that,” Charlie said. “Not sure when I’ll get to sleep in a real bed again.”
“I don’t want to go,” Mary Beth said. “I want to stay with Dylan.”
“I’ll stay here with Holly and Mary Beth,” Will said. Holly looked at him and smiled.
“Very well,” Timothy said. He signaled to his wife. “Samantha can show you where you can—”
In the living room, Dylan stirred. He groaned, and moved around on the table. Already on his feet, Will pushed off the wall and went to the boy’s side.
Will ran his hand through Dylan’s hair. The boy was moving, but had yet to open his eyes.
And when he did, Will cried.
For the first few minutes after Dylan woke up, he worked to clear his head of all the fogginess caused by the drugs that had put him under. He tried sitting up a few times, but Timothy urged the boy to remain lying down while he regained his bearings.
Then the boy spoke his first words since coming out of the surgery.
“Am I going to be okay?”
Running his hands through Dylan’s hair, Will said, “Yes. Everything’s going to be fine. The doctor here took good care of you.”
Dylan looked down at the bandage on his arm. “It hurts.”
“You are going to experience some pain,” Timothy said. “Unfortunately, it’s just part of the process. But from what your friends here have told me, you’re one strong little boy. I think you’re going to be just fine, and you should feel much better in no time.”
Will ran his hands through Dylan’s hair, and the child couldn’t help but continue to look at what was left of his arm. Will felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Timothy.
“Do you mind if I have a few words with you?”
Will shook his head. “Not at all.”
Timothy led Will into one of the downstairs bedrooms. It had a twin bed with all the linens neatly made up. On the walls were scenic paintings of flowers and outdoor landscaping. Timothy sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at Will.
“He really is a strong boy,” Timothy said.
“Yes, he is.”
“But I need to know; what happened to him?”
Will swallowed and stared at Timothy. Even though the doctor had helped Dylan, he wasn’t sure how much information he wanted to share. He hadn’t met the majority of the people at the camp. If people knew about what was causing the mutations of humans around the world, how would they react?
“He was bit out in the woods,” Will said. “I just figured if I amputated the arm, it would keep the disease from spreading.”
“That’s good thinking,” Timothy said. “But I’m still a little bit surprised it worked. The virus must travel very slowly through the blood stream.”
Will swallowed, unable to lie anymore.
“Timothy, I—”
He was cut off when the door opened and Samantha entered the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Samantha said.
“It’s all right,” Will said.
She looked to Timothy, her thumb pointing over her shoulder. “They need you across the street.”
“All right,” Timothy said. “Be right there.”
Samantha exited, and Timothy looked back to Will.
“Finish this conversation later?”
Will smiled. “Sure.”
Timothy shook Will’s hand, and they exited the room.
That night, Will and Holly slept in a nice, large and clean bed in one of the houses. Dylan had been allowed to come with them, sleeping in the next room in his own bed.
Will didn’t bring up the conversation he’d had with Timothy. But he thought about it. Felt bad about it. The rest of the group was exhausted, and he didn’t want to burden them with his guilt.
Tonight, they would sleep.
Chapter 12
Gabriel awoke the next morning having spent the entire night tossing and turning on the tile floor of an empty classroom. After he had met with Nathan Ambrose, he’d been taken to a classroom with no other people inside. His own suite, he’d thought, morbidly laughing at the notion. Because it was more like solitary confinement. He’d hardly slept a wink. They hadn’t given him any blankets or even a pillow. With his body still aching from the accident, he’d known sleeping on a hard floor wouldn’t be easy. He’d ended up taking off his coat, folding it in half, and using it to lay his head on. With no sleeves covering his arms, he’d gotten a little cold in the non-powered space, but at least he’d had a place to rest his head. In the absence of sleep, he spent most of the night thinking of his wife and his daughter. And, of course, about Dylan.
Though these men hadn’t given him any sort of makeshift bed, they had at least fed him. The dinner served had been chicken noodle soup. Out of a can, no doubt, and cold, but Gabriel hadn’t cared. It was nourishment to keep him alive a little longer, for whatever reason they were letting him live.
He wasn’t entirely sure whether his internal clock had woken him up, or if it was the boots stomping down the hallway. Gabriel wiped his eyes and tried to get up, but his entire body screamed at him. His back locked up, stiff as a dining room tabletop. The joints in his knees popped with the slightest movement.
A shadow encompassed part of the room, and Gabriel looked up through the tiny window in the door to see a man standing there. As the door clicked open, Gabriel drew in deep breaths. Having made it from his back to his side, he fought to relax his muscles.
The door swung open, and two armed men walked in. One of them had long, stringy hair, and the other wore a Philadelphia Eagles hat. These were different guards than those who had come and fetched him the day before.
“Get up,” Stringy Hair said.
Gabriel groaned. “I’m trying.”
Neither of the men apparently had any patience or gave two shits that he’d slept on a hard floor all night. They walked over to Gabriel and picked him up off the ground. His back screamed at him all the way to his feet.
“Can’t you at least give me a second to wake up?” Gabriel asked.
“Shut the fuck up and put your hands out,” Eagles Hat said. He reached down to his waist and drew forth a pair of handcuffs.
Gabriel complied and stuck out his arms. Eagles Hat wrapped the cuffs around Gabriel’s wrists, and tightened them more than they needed to be. The suffocation of his wrists now drew him away from the dull ache in his back.
“Come on,” Stringy Hair said.
Stringy Hair walked i
n front of him while Eagles Hat walked behind. Eagles Hat gave Gabriel a nudge in the form of a light punch to the kidneys just as he started to walk out the door. Gabriel groaned and bit his lip. He wanted to turn and punch the asshole in the face, but he knew it would likely only lead to a beating. He instead took a deep breath and followed Stringy Hair.
Stringy Hair drew a walkie talkie from his hip and said, “Derek here, and I’ve got Lance with me. We’re on our way.”
Sun poured in through the windows, bringing rays of natural light into the hallway. The men led Gabriel down a long corridor, and he wondered if he’d ever see daylight again. Wondered if he’d ever see his family again.
As they came to the end of the corridor, Gabriel swore that he heard something peculiar. It sounded like a loud commotion outside. Derek opened a door and they walked into a small room. It had a staircase leading to the school’s second level, as well as a door that led outside.
When Derek opened the door that led outside, the sound Gabriel had heard got much louder.
It sounded like a crowd.
Even though it had only been a day since he’d been outside, Gabriel’s eyes had trouble adjusting to the sun’s light. He brought his bound hands up to his face to cover his face as the roar of the people got louder and louder.
When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw where the men were leading him.
Across the parking lot was the school’s football stadium. The sport must’ve been a big deal to the school and its town because the stadium looked big enough to house a small college team. Cars were scattered across the parking lot. There were at least fifty of them. At the stadium’s entrance, there was a line of about ten people waiting to get inside.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Shut up,” Lance said from behind him.
Only one person remained at the entrance by the time they’d walked across the parking lot. She was a woman, and she stood by the turnstile. Two large boxes lay next to her, each filled. Gabriel noticed some canned food, as well as a couple of boxes of ammunition inside.
“Morning, Stephanie,” Derek said.
“Good morning, gentlemen. You’re looking nice today.”
Lance chuckled. “Likewise, darlin’.”
Glancing at Gabriel, Stephanie blushed. “And who might this be?”
“It doesn’t matter. Some piece of shit,” Lance said.
Stephanie smiled, looking Gabriel up and down. “He sure doesn’t look like it.”
“All right, well, thanks, Stephanie,” Derek said, running his hands through his hair. Gabriel felt a light punch to his kidneys and grimaced.
“Move,” Lance said.
Gabriel could feel both Stephanie’s and Lance’s eyes on him as he stepped through the turnstile. Each staring at him for different reasons. He could hear Lance sigh behind him, and smirked at the thought that he’d made him jealous.
They started the walk around the stadium. Closed concessions stands were to the left. They varied in condition, all looking like they’d been raided. Popcorn machines had been broken and the doors of the beverage coolers had been left open.
They didn’t walk far before Derek turned into section 114.
Gabriel followed Derek up the open-air tunnel. At the top, the open football field came into plain view, and Gabriel’s eyes widened.
“Oh, my God.”
Chapter 13
When Will woke up, he rolled over to find that Holly no longer lay at his side. After a few minutes of allowing his mind and body to transition from sleep, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. He dressed, used the restroom, and then headed for the room next door.
The door to Dylan’s room was open. The linens were scattered all over the bed, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.
The clanking of pots and pans sounded from the kitchen, and Will heard a laugh.
He walked down the hallway, arriving in the living room. When he looked into the kitchen, he saw Holly looking down at the counter. In the dining room next to the kitchen, Dylan sat at a table large enough to seat six people, leaning over a bowl with a spoon in his hand. The boy looked up at Will and smiled. Holly looked over to Dylan, and followed his gaze to Will.
“It worked,” Holly said, smiling.
“What?” Will asked.
“I was kinda banging those pots and pans around on purpose, hoping that it might wake you.”
“Gee, thanks,” Will said, returning a crooked smile. “It’s not like I need sleep.”
Lumbering toward the dining room table, Will scratched the scruff on his face and ran his hand through his hair. He had shaved while at the cabin, but the hair on his face had already returned to the annoying itchy stage of growing a beard.
Placing his hand on Dylan’s back, Will asked, “How you doin’ this morning?”
Dylan kept his head buried in his fruity cereal, which he was eating with water. “I’m okay,” he mumbled.
“He’s hungry,” Holly said.
“Where’s Mary Beth?”
“Still sleeping,” Dylan said, with cereal stuffed in his mouth.
Will walked into the kitchen and kissed her. Staying leaned in near her ear, he asked, “How’s he really doing?”
She pulled away and looked him in the face. “I think he’s in a little bit of pain, but it’s better than yesterday. He woke up hungry, and I think he’ll be in a better mood once he’s done eating.”
Will looked back over his shoulder. “Cereal and water?” He sounded disgusted.
Dylan looked over to him and shrugged. “Hey, I actually like it.”
Will smiled. “Well, that’s good, I guess.”
Holly took Will by the hand and pulled him to the far end of the kitchen. Standing in the corner, she asked, “When are you guys leaving?”
Shaking his head, Will said, “I’m not sure. I’ve gotta go check with Charlie and Karl here in a little bit and see.”
“You have to go, don’t you?”
Will sighed. “Yeah.” He looked over his shoulder at Dylan, who was eating the last few bites of his watered-down cereal. “If it wasn’t for Karl, Laurie, Doug, and Timothy, I’m not sure he’d be here.”
Holly moved her hair from in front of her eyes, and wouldn’t look at Will.
“Hey,” Will said, pushing her chin up. “Everything’s going to be fine. We aren’t going far.”
“But what if those people you guys are going to see aren’t… good?”
“I trust Karl’s sense of that sort of thing,” Will said. “The way he handled the situation with us showed me a lot. He was extra cautious and didn’t allow his guard to come down too quickly.”
“Can I have some more?”
Will turned around to Dylan, who was looking at him and Holly, his bowl now empty in front of him. Will smiled.
“Of course, buddy.”
He turned back and kissed Holly once more. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Will opened the cabinets until he found a bowl, and then grabbed the box of cereal and walked over to the table. He set the box in the middle of the table and took a seat across from Dylan.
“I’ve gotta try this.”
Dylan poured himself another bowl, then handed the box to Will. Will topped it off with water from a pitcher, and dipped the spoon in for the first bite. He scrunched his face as if he’d just eaten something sour.
Dylan laughed. “That bad, huh?”
“Just gonna take a little bit of adjusting.”
Will sat and ate with Dylan. They talked mostly about Dylan’s favorite comic book characters. Holly stood and watched from the kitchen, absorbing the moment.
For Will, it was a welcome distraction. It pulled his mind away from thinking about going back into the world.
About half an hour after Will and Dylan finished breakfast, Laurie stopped by and asked Will if he could be ready to leave in twenty minutes. Will said he could, and that he would meet Karl outside.
Twenty m
inutes passed, and Will stood in the foyer with Holly. Her face was pale, her arms crossed over her chest.
“We shouldn’t be gone too long,” Will said. “Hopefully just a couple of hours. Maybe less.”
“All right,” Holly said. She sounded almost disconnected.
Dylan and Mary Beth approached them from the living room.
“Take care of them,” Will told Dylan, speaking of Holly and Mary Beth. “Can you do that for me?”
“Of course,” Dylan said.
Will smiled and hugged the boy, whose single arm held Will tight. He kissed Mary Beth on the cheek, then went back to Holly.
“Timothy is supposed to come by soon and change out his bandage,” Will said.
“Mm-hmm,” Holly mumbled.
“Hey, look at me.”
Holly lifted her head to look into Will’s eyes.
“We’ll be fine, okay?”
“I just worry about you going out there with people we barely know,” Holly said. “They haven’t seen the things we’ve seen.”
“Charlie will be with me,” Will said, trying to reassure her. “We’ll make it back. All of us.”
Knowing that his words would do little to comfort her, he simply leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. The only thing that would ease her emotions would be for him to live up to the words and to actually come back to this house.
As they exited the neighborhood, Karl pointed out the houses which he knew had survivors in them. He showed them one house where a family of four was. Another where a man lived on his own, having lost his family at some point after The Fall. An elderly couple lived in another home.
“And you said that you tried to help these people?” Charlie asked Karl.
“Sure have,” Karl said. “They all have their own reasons for not wanting to join us. The elderly couple told Timothy they’re just waiting for everything to pass over, comparing this situation to Ebola or Anthrax. That the government will find a cure for all this and that everything will be okay soon.”
Empty Bodies Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 69
