Empty Bodies (Book 4): Open Roads Page 14

  Then he disappeared inside the cabin.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Will locked the door and dropped his bag in the middle of the floor. Holly searched the cabin for the children. When she returned to the living room, concern spread across her face.

  "Not here?" Will asked, speaking of the children.

  Holly wiped at her eyes and shook her head.

  "Son of a bitch," Will mumbled.

  The sound of marching thundered on the front porch, and the Empties banged on the door. Over and over, they slammed their decrepit hands against the front of the cabin, clogging Will’s ability to think.

  “We can’t stay here,” Holly said.

  “I know,” Will said. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tight. “Maybe we can get out the back door, and have a clear shot to the car with—” Will stopped himself, realizing what he was suggesting.

  “We can’t leave,” Charlie said. “There could be others.”

  The banging continued on the front of the cabin, and there were now creatures banging on the windows.

  “I know, I know,” Will said. He looked at Charlie and said, “You got any ideas?”

  An orange glow appeared at the front of the cabin. Two of the burning Empties had made it up the steps. Just outside the window, Will got a good look at them. All their flesh was burned, leaving nothing but flaming statues of muscle and bone. Yet, somehow, the things still were able to move.

  “Oh, shit,” Will said.

  The flames licked the roof of the log cabin’s porch, catching it on fire.

  Holly put her hands on top of her head, showing her panic. She started to pace and curse under her breath. The glass of the window broke from all the pressure, and Will readied his gun.

  "Grab your weapons!" Will yelled. He fired, taking out the creature whose face filled the window.

  The horde filled most of the front porch. As they fired at the creatures, Will could see the door start to give way on its hinges. Flames swam in through the window, threatening to catch the kitchen on fire. Staying in the middle of the cabin would soon no longer be an option. He brought down another creature with a bullet, then started to back up as he reloaded.

  “We’ve gotta move,” Will said. He grabbed ahold of Holly's arm and started for the rear of the cabin. Charlie ran ahead of them, opening the door to the master bedroom. All three loaded inside the room, and Will shut and locked the door.

  "What the hell are we supposed to do?" Charlie asked. "Either they're gonna break in here, or this place is gonna burn to the fucking ground." The smoke had begun to reek throughout the entire cabin. They had little time.

  Will said to Holly, "Grab your essentials. We're gonna have to sneak out the back door."

  As Will and Holly began gathering their things, the continuous banging at the front of the cabin stopped. His hands still in his bag, Will turned and looked back toward the door.

  "They stopped," Holly said.

  Will said, "Shh," putting his index finger to his lip. He was pretty sure he heard something past the crackling of the flames and the muffled snarls of the creatures. It sounded like the voice of a human.

  Charlie was the first one to say, “What the hell?”

  Someone whistling. Someone calling out, “Over here!”

  Will looked out a window, through the flames. The fire had made it into the kitchen, but the Empties had retreated from the porch. Will squinted his eyes, looking through the mirage of smoke to see someone jumping up and down across the courtyard, waving their arms.

  "Scott!" Charlie said.

  "Quiet," Will said. "He's drawing them over to him so we can get the hell out of here."

  Will retreated back into the bedroom and grabbed his things. He threw on the rifle, feeling the strap rub against his neck. He picked up Holly's bag, too, and then he returned to the living room and handed it to her.

  "I want you to go out the back with Charlie," Will said. "When you get down to the end of this row of cabins, drop your bag. You two head back to the truck, using it as cover, and flank them from the front."

  "What are you gonna do?" Holly asked.

  "I'm gonna go out the front door."

  "No," Holly said. "You can't go out there alone. Besides, you’ll get burned."

  Will said, "I'll be fine. There’s still time for me to make it out. With you guys distracting them, they’ll be halfway across the courtyard once I get outside. I'm gonna take as many of them out from behind as I can and draw them away from Scott. You guys should be around the other side of them by the time that happens, and you'll have an opening. There aren't that many of them. We should be able to make this work. But we don't have a lot of time, so you've gotta go."

  Holly's face told Will everything he needed to know. She didn't like the plan. Didn't want to leave Will's side. But they didn't have a choice. They couldn't stay here, and Scott had given them the opening they needed.

  Charlie grabbed onto Holly's arm and began to pull her. She held her ground, leaning into Will to kiss him on the lips.

  He said, "I'll see you in a few minutes."

  Will pulled away from her, and headed for the front door. When he turned around again, Charlie and Holly had disappeared to the back of the cabin. The fire had made it into the kitchen, lighting the cabinets aflame. Will thought to salvage any food or medical supplies he could get, but there wasn’t time. The number one focus right now was to clear out this band of creatures so that they could look for Dylan and Mary Beth, and then they’d be able to regroup and inventory all their supplies from the other cabins.

  Will went to open the door, but quickly drew his hand away from the metal handle. It was hot.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  He waved his hand, hoping to bring relief and to cool down the burn. He also started to cough, the smoke quickly filling the cabin. He glanced out the window, seeing that Scott was now having to back up towards the woods, the creatures gaining on him.

  Will stepped back from the door. He counted down from three, then picked up his leg and slammed his foot into the front door. As soon as he connected, he turned his back to the adjacent wall, clearing the path of the entrance. The door opened with a ‘woosh’, and flames came spilling into the cabin, like pouring lighter fluid over a charcoal grill. The backdraft wasn’t as strong as he’d anticipated, but it had been enough to where it would’ve set him on fire if he hadn’t moved out of the way.

  After the fire dissipated, Will came off the wall and turned out of the door. Flames engulfed the porch, forcing him to run through a shallow fire, then jump down the three stairs leading to the concrete. The heavy bag on his shoulder, he fell to the ground, his ankle twisting. He landed on the bag, knocking the breath out of his lungs as his ribs slammed into it. He writhed on the ground, safe from the flames, but unsure whether to grab his aching ribs or to clutch his throbbing ankle. He found the sense to look up. He’d apparently made enough noise to lure at least a small population of the Empties back toward him, thus ruining his idea of a surprise attack.

  Breathing heavily now that he lay in the fresh, open air, away from the toxic smoke, he tried to make it to his feet, but fell down again when he attempted to put weight on his ankle. From the angle he lay at, he couldn’t see Scott beyond the swarm of Empties. He glanced toward the vehicle, not seeing Charlie or Holly. They should’ve been there by now, and he hadn’t heard any gunshots come from the rear of the cabin. With no other choice, he drew his pistol and fired at the creatures coming toward him.

  They moved slow enough and were far enough away where he could take his time and make each shot count. There were only four of the beasts coming toward him, but the shots would sure garner the attention of others. He took aim and fired. The first shot missed his target, but he quickly shot again, taking down the first Empty. He shot again, nicking the neck of the next creature. They had cut the distance on him in half, and if he couldn’t make it to his feet, he knew he might not survive. Will got up to his kne
es, at least allowing himself to aim better. He shot the Empty he’d grazed again, this time hitting it in the face.

  When he aimed at the next beast, the gun clicked.

  “Shit!”

  He went for his pouch, then quickly adjusted and grabbed his knife instead. Mouth open, the Empty lunged at him. With a yell, Will drew the knife and jammed it into the side of the creature’s head as all its weight fell onto Will. He groaned as the lifeless thing fell onto his aching ribs. He was unable to muster the energy to get the thing off of him. Will lifted his head, and saw more of the creatures heading his way. He mustered every ounce of energy he had, but couldn’t get the creature off of him. In its human days, the thing had been a heavy-set woman, around 240 pounds — far too heavy for him to push her off of him with his injuries.

  “Help!” Will finally called, with no other choice. He could feel the pain in his gut as he called out, like someone grinding their fist into his injured ribs as he pushed the cry out through his lungs. He knew that yelling would likely bring the whole group toward him, but it wouldn’t matter if the monsters already headed his way made it over to him.

  “Help! Holly!” This time when he yelled, he used everything he had left in him. He cried louder, sounding more desperate. He picked his head up again, and could now see more of the creatures coming his way. He tried again to lift the hunk of dead weight from on top of him, but failed, yet again. He found himself confused, not sure what had happened to Holly, Charlie, and Scott. Had they run into resistance behind the cabins?

  Will tried to ready his knife for the oncoming gang, but it was still lodged in the skull of the body on top of him, and his arm was pinned.

  “Fuck!”

  He looked up again, and the swarm was almost close enough now to where they could spit on him. Will made one last effort at his knife, and he shifted the weight of the beast further onto his arm. He yelled out, feeling that if he moved anymore, his arm might snap. An Empty had started to lean down to come for him when the first new shot sounded off through the air, and half of the creature’s head disappeared. Its limp body collapsed just a few feet away from Will. Human screams sounded across the campground, and the onslaught began.

  One by one, the creatures fell. They’d turned their attention away from Will, and he followed their gaze to see Holly, Charlie, and Scott, weapons in hand, each mowing through the mob of Empties with gunpowder and lead. Will heard several bullets whistling overhead, missing their targets.

  Another creature approached, kicking gravel and snarling. It was about to lunge at Will when it fell like its counterpart had just moments earlier. A shadow came over Will, and Holly was there. Gunshots continued in the background as she leaned down and rolled the dead, overweight beast off of him.

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing his arm.

  “Wait,” he said, pleading. “You’re gonna have to help me. I twisted my ankle, and I’m not sure if I broke a rib or not.”

  Holly squatted down, and Will got up onto his knees. It felt like a shank jabbing into his side, but he got his arm around her, and used his good leg to stand up. Charlie and Scott provided cover fire for them as Will hobbled on his decent leg, on their way over to the van.

  “Get him in the van!” Charlie said. “We can finish them off!”

  Holly opened the sliding door, and she and Will loaded into the van. He felt safe to be inside the vehicle, the ringing in his ears only making it harder to handle the pain in his ankle and in his mid-section.

  “Are you okay?” Holly asked.

  Will nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

  Moments later, the gunshots ceased. Charlie squatted down, fighting to catch his breath. Scott, seemingly in shock from what had happened, dropped the rifle he’d been firing and put his arms behind his head. He began to pace in circles, disoriented and confused about what was happening. Holly opened the door to the van, and Charlie straightened and joined she and Will.

  “You alright?” Charlie asked Will.

  Clutching onto his ribs, Will asked, “What the hell happened to y’all?”

  “We got caught behind the cabin with four Empties,” Holly said. “One of them attacked Charlie, and I thought he got bit.”

  “Shook me up real bad,” Charlie said.

  “We didn’t use our guns because we didn’t want to ruin your ambush on this group,” Holly continued. She smiled and said, “Looks like you didn’t need us for that,” making light of the situation.

  Will ignored Holly’s attempt at humor, looking past her to glance at Scott. He seemed short on breath, hyperventilating. His hands remained behind his head, continuing to show him in an utter state of panic and confusion. Will slid off the seat and onto the gravel. His ankle felt better, but he still used Charlie and Holly to stand, and applied all his weight to his healthy leg.

  “Scott,” Will said. At first, Scott didn’t move. He just continued looking forward, spots of blood splattered on his white shirt. Will called his name again, louder this time. It garnered Scott’s attention, and he turned.

  Will let go of Charlie and Holly, and took a step. Holly joined arms with him, which he allowed even though he was now able to put some weight on his leg. No reason to get too confident and hurt it even more.

  Scott’s breathing sounded like that of a terrified child. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and he looked like he’d seen a ghost — which really wasn’t far from the truth.

  “Scott,” Will said, “what happened?”

  Scott shuddered, still not snapping out of his shock and fear.

  “Scott!” Will said.

  Holly put her hand on Will’s shoulder, and looked at him, shaking her head. She stepped in between Will and Scott.

  “Scott,” Holly said softly. “Scott, sweetie.”

  He gasped, eyes still wide, and looked at Holly. Blood from one of the creatures he’d slain ran down his cheek.

  “What happened?” Holly asked, still speaking in the same, mellow tone.

  Scott looked back and forth between the three of them, and Holly continued to try and calm him.

  “It’s okay, sweetie. Just tell me what happened.”

  Scott’s breathing finally started to level. Holly reached down and grabbed Scott’s hand, then nodded at him as a signal to go ahead and talk.

  “We-we were all outside,” Scott said, nervously. “Larry had the door to their cabin open. Marie wasn’t feeling too well, so he’d started a fire, but he also wanted to let some fresh air in for her.

  “I decided to go and take a nap. I think I’d only been asleep for ten minutes or so when someone screamed and woke me up. I went to the front window of my cabin and—”

  Scott had to stop mid-sentence, as he’d begun to cry. He sniffled, wiping his eyes.

  “And, what?” Holly asked. “It’s okay, go on.”

  “Th-they were everywhere. An entire mob of those things flooded into Larry and Marie’s cabin. Larry’s gun went off a few times, but then all I heard was screaming and the snarls of those things.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Charlie said.

  "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't help them. I had no weapons. There was nothing I could do, I'm telling you."

  "The kids," Will said. "Where are the children, Scott?"

  Scott shook his head. "I don't know. They were with Larry and Marie when I left them. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He was crying, and sounded like he'd mentally lost it. He said, "I can't do this," and cupped the back of his head with his hands again. He paced to the middle of the courtyard, and sat down on top of one of the picnic tables.

  Will looked to Charlie and Holly. "We have to check that cabin. The kids could still be inside."

  "How are we supposed to get inside? Look at that place," Charlie said.

  Holly appeared on the verge of losing her shit in the same way that Scott had. Will gently grabbed her by the forearm and said, "Stay calm. I need you." Holly wiped her eyes and nodded.

  Will said, "We've gotta—"

  T
he explosion came out of nowhere. Will threw himself onto Holly, not thinking or caring about the pain in his ankle or his ribs. She screamed, and he covered her head, the boom going off in his ears. Debris fell around them, but they were more than fortunate when only some small scraps of wood fell onto Will's back.

  Will poked his head up and looked back to see that Larry and Marie's cabin had exploded. His immediate thoughts went to Dylan, Mary Beth, and Reece. Will removed his weight from Holly, and slowly rose to his knees. He watched what was left of the cabin, still in flames. Holly appeared beside him, weeping.

  Will put his arm around her and pulled her close. She sank her head into his chest, and let everything out.

  After a few moments spent in shock, Will remembered the others. He turned to the left, looking for Charlie first. Charlie lay on his stomach, remaining still.

  "Charlie, you alright?" Will said.

  Charlie picked his head up, uncovering it. He looked back to the cabin, standing with his eyes wide and his mouth open.

  Holly pulled away from Will's chest and wiped her eyes. She looked off toward the center of the courtyard and asked, "Where's Scott?"

  The blast had scattered the picnic tables, and Scott was nowhere to be seen. Will moved Holly away so that he could stand. The adrenaline dissipating, his ribs hurt again, making it difficult to breathe. He gasped, and Holly helped him to his feet.

  Charlie moved past them, calling Scott's name.

  As Will made it up onto his feet with Holly's assistance, Charlie cried out a four-letter word and raced toward debris. Will followed Charlie's path and saw a leg hanging out from a stack of tangled wood.

  "Oh, shit," Will mumbled.

  He began to hobble toward the pile, and Holly helped him until Will demanded she leave his side and rush over to help Charlie remove the debris from on top of Scott. Or, at least, what they thought to be Scott.