Standing on the sidewalk in front of Gabriel and Jessica’s, he stared through the windows and took a deep breath. He assumed that Jessica had already told Gabriel that Will had made the decision to stay another day in order to take a group out on a run. Part of him hoped she had. Maybe he had had time to sleep off any anger.
“Well, can’t just stand out here all day,” he mumbled to himself, and then he headed up the porch steps to the door.
When he knocked, the woman who lived at the house answered with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Will.”
“Teresa, right?” Will asked, not sure if he remembered her name or not.
“That’s right.”
“I was hoping I could talk to Gabriel. I’m assuming he’s here.”
Teresa nodded. “He’s still up in his room.” She stepped out of the doorway so Will could enter. Her smile went away, though, as she motioned at the stairs. “He doesn’t really come out all that much. We’ve pretty much just left him alone.”
“That’s probably best,” Will said. “He’s got a lot going on.”
“Well, if there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Teresa.”
Will made his way up the stairs, taking a right at the top, and saw that the door to Gabriel’s room was closed.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked.
There was no immediate response, and he waited for several moments before checking the handle. The door was unlocked, so he pushed it open.
Gabriel was still lying in the bed, passed out asleep. The strange thing was the hump in the bed next to him. Will could see the long, dark hair of the woman lying next to him. It was Jessica. Will shook his head and sighed. He was about to turn and leave the room when Jessica tossed. She let out a yawn, and when she looked up, her eyes went wide and she gasped.
“Jesus, Will,” she said. “You startled me.”
When she spoke, Gabriel groaned beside her, rubbing his eyes. He shifted to his side and looked toward the door.
“What’s going on?” Will asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Oh, screw off,” Gabriel said, grumbling. “Nothing happened.”
“I came here after dinner and we started talking,” Jessica said. “Just didn’t feel like sleeping by myself last night.”
“Nice,” Will said, still unconvinced.
Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, only wearing his boxer shorts. He slipped on a white T-shirt.
“What do you care, anyway?” Gabriel asked. “It’s not like you’re sleeping alone.”
“I don’t know, Gabriel. Maybe because the whole point of this God damned trip, the only reason I’m heading toward the East Coast, is so that we can find your wife and your daughter. I think maybe that’s the reason seeing you in bed with another woman is a little alarming.”
“Yeah, about finding my family,” Gabriel said. “What’s this shit I hear about you going on a run today?”
Will shut the door behind them, remembering there were other people in the house—including a young boy. He drew in a deep breath, exhaling just as hard, before turning around again.
“Look,” Will said. “These people have been nothing but helpful to us. They saved Dylan and Holly. And I’m not sure if you remember, but they sacrificed some of their own people to come to that school and help us save you guys.”
Gabriel stood and turned to face Will. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Then what’s the big deal? We stay one extra day and help them out. Then, tomorrow, we’re gone.”
Gabriel walked across the room, stopping when he had encroached on Will’s personal space.
“You know what my problem is?” Gabriel said, speaking with a surprising calmness. “It’s not with these people here asking us to help them out a little more. It’s with you. You seem to have forgotten that we’re in this together.”
“I haven’t for—”
“No, you listen to me for just a minute,” Gabriel interrupted him. “Jessica told me how things went down at that dinner table last night. Timothy asked you, and you said yes. Did it not occur to you for even one second that you didn’t have to give him an answer right away? That maybe you could discuss it with the rest of us?”
“What do you want me to say?” Will asked. “What’s done is done. I can’t go back and tell him something else.”
“How about starting with ‘I’m sorry’?” Jessica asked from the bed.
Will looked over Gabriel’s shoulder at her, and then back to Gabriel. He stuck his arms out to the side and said, “Is that what you want? All right, fine. I’m sorry. Is that better?”
Gabriel shook his head and turned around. “You just don’t get it.”
“Get what?” Will said, raising his voice now. “I’ll tell you what I get. I get that these people risked their lives to go to that school. That some of them lost their lives. I get that they’re blowing through their medical supplies trying to help the other people we saved from that school. Even with all the stuff we found there, there still isn’t enough.”
Gabriel looked back. “But you’ll never get what it was like to stay in that hell. You’ll never understand that.”
Will shook his head. “No, I guess I won’t, Gabe.” He thought to compare the situation to being held against his will by David Ellis. To say to Gabriel, You don’t know what it’s like to watch a monster kill your mother. But for whatever reason, he held back.
Instead, he exited the room, slamming the door behind him.
When Will stormed out the front door, a group of people who were gathered in the middle of the street turned to look at him. The group included Timothy, Charlie, and Karl, the man who’d introduced them to this community in the first place. Will stomped down the steps and headed for the street, looking over at a nearby house to keep his gaze away from the onlookers.
“Everything all right?” Charlie asked.
“Don’t wanna talk about it,” Will said.
“Guessing Gabriel didn’t take it too well,” Timothy said.
Will shook his head. “He’ll get over it. Let’s just go over the plans for this run.”
“Why don’t you go cool down for a while? We can delay the trip an hour or so.”
“No,” Will said. “I’ll be fine. What’s the plan?”
Timothy exchanged a look with Charlie, who nodded. The doctor sighed, then began.
“The main thing we need is medicine,” Timothy said. “We salvaged enough canned food from that school to keep us fed for many months, even with all the new people we’ve added. But we’ve run through basic medical supplies providing care for them. Needless to say, we didn’t expect to bring this many people into our community all at once. We just weren’t prepared.”
“So where are we going to get more?” Will asked.
“Adam’s,” Charlie said.
Will raised an eyebrow. “You sure that’s a good idea?” He thought of Spencer hanging from the tree as Empties reached up and tried to bring him down, eventually succeeding.
“We’ve been back since the incident with Spencer,” Karl said. “I went back there two days before you showed back up, and everything is all right. They got their fence patched up, and they’re willing to trade again.”
“Are we sure they have the things we need?” Will asked.
“You remember how much he had last time?” Charlie asked. “He had no issues giving us what we needed, and that was all for a generator. We’ve got endless weapons and ammunition to trade now.”
In his mind, Will questioned just how ‘endless’ weapons and ammunition would be in the future, but he nodded regardless, refusing to bring up such a small issue that could throw off the plan entirely.
“I’ve made you a list again,” Timothy said. “There’s a lot more on it this time, but as Charlie said, we’ve got more to offer them in trade.”
“So, who’s going with us?” Will asked.
“I’ve got four peop
le to tag along with you,” Timothy said. “They all have experience with firearms. They just haven’t spent much time out there since all this started.”
“All right,” Will said. “So it’ll be the four of them, me, Charlie, and Karl?”
Timothy shook his head. “Karl won’t be going with you.”
“Why not?” Will asked.
“We need someone here in case something happens. We lost some of our best fighters going to that school. After seeing what I saw there, I just can’t risk sending all of our most experienced people out there. Karl here is by far the most experienced.”
“Sorry, man,” Karl added.
“I understand,” Will said. But he also thought about the way Adam had greeted Karl last time. They had seemed to have a really good relationship. Hopefully, Adam would be just as willing to trade without Karl there.
“I’d like to meet the people going with us before we leave,” Charlie said. “Just want to make sure they’re fit for this run.”
“I agree,” Will said. “It’s not that we don’t trust you—it’s just, we’re risking our lives going out there.”
“That’s totally fine.” He looked over his shoulder to the few people standing away from their small group. “Jen, do you mind going and grabbing the others?”
“No problem,” the blonde woman said.
Timothy gestured toward her as she walked away. “She’s one of them.”
“Good,” Will said. “Looking forward to meeting all of them.”
A few minutes later, Jen returned with three other people—a female and two males.
“You guys met Jen already,” Timothy said. He then pointed to the black female Jen had brought back with her. “This is Shawna.”
“Nice to meet you, Shawna,” Will said, shaking her hand. The woman used a firm grip and didn’t smile.
Timothy gestured toward the two men. “And this is Steve and Franklin.”
Will looked at Steve, realizing he recognized him.
“You’re the guy who lives in the house our friends are staying at, right?”
“That’s right,” Steve said, shaking Will’s hand.
“Sorry to hear it,” Will said half-jokingly, letting go of Steve’s grip.
The group stood together, across from Timothy, Will, and Charlie.
“Timothy here tells me and Charlie that you all have experience firing guns,” Will said. “That true?”
The group nodded, almost in unison.
“What kind of experience?” he asked, and pointed to Steve first for an answer.
“I managed a big box sporting goods store. Before I got promoted to store manager, I spent four years running the hunting department. I know my way around everything: shotguns, revolvers, Glocks, AR-15s, AKs. I’m even a pretty good shot with a bow.”
“I’d like to learn how to bow hunt,” Charlie said, smiling. “Could be a lot of use while hunting for food.”
Will looked to Shawna. “What about you?”
“My father retired after thirty-seven years with the New Orleans Police Department. I’ve had guns in my hands for literally as long as I can remember. He started me as soon as I could fire a pistol without falling down.”
Will nodded, then looked to Jen. He didn’t want to judge, but the thin blonde woman did not strike him as someone who could hit a house if given a gun.
“My husband was a gun enthusiast. I couldn’t care less before we got married, but he wasn’t going to give up until I learned how to shoot. Glad I took to it because it became quite the hobby. Great stress reliever—especially after he passed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Charlie said. “Did he change when all this began?”
Jen shook her head, moving her hair from in front of her face. “Iraq.”
“Very sorry for your loss,” Will said. “I’m sure your husband would be proud that you’re volunteering to serve now.”
“I just want to help,” she said.
Will then turned his attention to Franklin, a Hispanic man who was tall enough to where Will had to look up to him.
“I grew up in the projects, so I’ve been around guns my whole life,” Franklin said. “Hung around some gangs in my early 20s. Served a little time. It was just the right thing to get me to wake up and turn my damn life around.”
“What’d you go in for?” Charlie asked.
“Served four years for assisting an armed robbery. Sentenced to eleven years, but got out early on good behavior. Worst four years of my life.”
“I could imagine,” Will said. He then cleared his throat. “Well, it’s good to know you all can shoot. But do any of you have experience out there since everyone Fell?”
Looking at each other, each member of the group shook their head.
“It’s a different world out there,” Will said. “Charlie and me have a lot of experience in it. You’re going to follow our lead and learn from us. It’s important, because Timothy needs you to become leaders yourselves so that you can help protect these people, and make sure they’re fully supplied by going out on more runs. So when we’re out there today, you’ll do as Charlie and I say, is that clear?”
They nodded, and two of them said, “Yes.”
“Good,” Will said. “We’re leaving in half an hour.” He looked to Steve and Shawna. “I want you two to go with Timothy and start gathering weapons we’ll be taking with us for trade. Jen, I want you to go get whatever vehicle we’re taking with us and pull it into the driveway where they’ll be loading the weapons, then help them out.”
“On it,” she said.
Will looked to Franklin last. “Go get enough food and water to last the six of us for three days. We want to have enough just in case something happens to us out there.”
“Got it,” Franklin said.
Will eyed the group again from side to side. “Everyone cool?”
They nodded.
“All right,” Will said. “See you in thirty minutes.”
He retreated back to his room to see Holly.
Everyone did their jobs, and within 30 minutes they were ready to leave. Will watched through the window of his bedroom as they loaded the vehicle across the street.
“It’s time for me to go,” he said, moving closer to her.
Holly looked down at the ground, her arms crossed. He reached out to touch her face and lift her head up, but she jerked away.
“Holly, I’m sorry.”
Still focusing on the ground, Holly said, “I’m tired, Will. I’m tired of you being the one who always goes out and does this stuff. I’m tired of you always being the one risking your life. I’m tired of sleepless days and nights, wondering if you’ll return to me. I'm just tired.” She began to cry, covering her face with her hands. Will leaned in to hug her, and she allowed him to, cradling her head into his chest.
“We’re not going far,” Will said. “This is the same trip I made last time I was here. We’ll make it back. I promise.”
“You say that every time,” Holly said, her voice sounding muffled with her face on his chest.
“And have I ever been wrong?”
“Actually, yeah.”
And in a way she was right. The scar on his arm would forever remind both of them of that moment. He pulled away from her, resting his hands on her shoulders.
Looking her in the eyes, he said, “Yeah, but I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Don’t do that,” she said, shaking her head. “You know what I mean. It’s dumb luck that preacher was there to save you. What are the odds that one of the only people who knew how to help you happened to be there with you?”
For that, Will had no answer. And he wouldn’t try to come up with one.
The horn of the vehicle honked twice. Will walked over to the window, and saw Charlie waving up toward him.
“All right, I’ve got to go.”
He walked back over to her, and gave her another hug. This time when he pulled away, he kissed her. At first it was just meant to be a
quick kiss, and then she grabbed his shirt, clutching a wad of it in her hand as she kissed him harder. When she was finished, she looked into his eyes.
“Come back to me, and then we’re never splitting up again. You got that?”
Will nodded. “I’ve got it.”
He gave her another kiss, this one quick, then turned and left.
When he walked into the hallway, both Dylan and Mary Beth were waiting on him. He smiled when he saw them.
“You have to leave again, Mr. Kessler?” Mary Beth asked.
Will nodded. “Just for a little while, sweetie. I won’t be gone long, I promise.”
“But I don’t want you to leave again,” the girl said.
She started to cry, and Will wasn’t sure he could hold back from joining her. Leaving Holly had been difficult enough, but seeing the children cry broke his heart even more. But Dylan, whose eyes remained dry, reached his hand over and put it on her shoulder.
“Everything's going to be fine,” Dylan said. “Will, and Charlie, and everyone else will make it back just fine.”
Continuing to cry, Mary Beth said, “I just want to go to Florida.”
Will bent down so he could be face-to-face with her. He ran his hand through her hair, and said, “And we will. Tomorrow, we’re going to find Gabriel’s family, and then we can go to Florida.”
Will leaned in and hugged both the children at the same time. When he pulled away, he looked to Dylan.
“You take care of her and Holly. You got me?”
Dylan nodded, holding a serious look on his face. Will ran his hand through the boy’s hair.
“Good. I love you guys.”
“Love you, too,” the two children said in unison.
Will turned around and headed down the stairs.
He choked back tears all the way outside.
Chapter 8
Will made sure he was calm by the time he made it down to the van. He didn’t want Charlie thinking he was rattled, and he also wanted to have his head on straight so that he could focus on the trip and fulfill his promise to Holly and the kids.
Empty Bodies Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 90
