Empty Bodies 3: Deliverance (Empty Bodies Series Book 3) Read Free

wall, while Marcus struggled to stay on his feet in the middle of the hall. The thing had its hands around Marcus’ neck as the other man made eye contact with Gabriel.
    “Help! Get this thing off me!”
    Their firearms having been stolen by David, Gabriel scanned the room for a weapon, finally deciding to pull a fire extinguisher off of the wall. He darted over to Marcus and reached him just as the thing pushed him down onto the ground. The creature looked up toward Gabriel, who swung the fire extinguisher as hard as he could, leveling the beast in the face. Gabriel spun around, dropping the weapon as he did. He then stepped up beside the Empty, which reached for him, and slammed his foot down onto the creature’s face, looking away so he couldn’t see the result; the grotesque sound and the feeling underfoot provided plenty of sensory confirmation.
    He then turned and saw Marcus scooting on the ground toward a wall, staring over toward Will.
    Will was on top of the beast he’d been fighting, the fire extinguisher in hand. He wouldn’t stop continuing the assault, bringing the metal down into the Empty’s face again and again. Blood sprayed up from either side of Will’s body, and he’d begun to yell.
    Gabriel took his eyes off of Will and looked down the hall. The rest of the group was starting to gather, Holly at the front. She had a look of shock and terror on her face, covering half of it with her hands as tears poured out of each eye. The rest of the group shared similar looks. All except for Jessica, who stood with her hands at her sides, just watching the assault on the creature.
    Will continued, and Gabriel didn’t think he was even aware that everyone was looking on.
    Marcus went to Will, and Gabriel followed. Together, they pulled Will off of the Empty. He nearly hit Gabriel in the face with the fire extinguisher, and Gabriel managed to wrangle it from his hands.
    “Easy, easy,” Gabriel said.
    “Come on, Will. Ease up, kid,” Marcus added.
    Gabriel was taken back by the look in Will’s eyes. He looked like a man possessed. Blood now covered his face and he gasped for air. His eyes were wide, and he stared down into the creature’s face.
    “Will, come on, snap out of it,” Gabriel said.
    Will looked over to Gabriel, those eyes still spread, but his breathing starting to level off. After a few moments, he was breathing almost normally, and his eyes relaxed.
    Then he let go.
    Will hugged Gabriel, allowing all his emotion to come out. He cried in his friend’s arms. Gabriel held him close, running his hand up and down Will’s back.
    Holly ran to them, and she wrapped her arms around the two of them, letting her own tears go.
    Gabriel held them both, as if they were his younger siblings, while the rest of the group watched. He thought again of Dylan, and hoped that he’d have the chance to hug the boy soon.

CHAPTER TWO

    Jessica
    After Holly had taken Will into his room and the rest of the group had settled, Jessica stole a moment to speak with Gabriel and Marcus. She invited them into her room and asked them to sit.
    “What’s up?” Marcus asked.
    “I know why those two things were out there,” Jessica started. “Will left me in a closet after those men arrived. I was actually just about to come and look for you all when I heard David and those other two guys come running down the hallway.”
    “What the hell happened to them?” Gabriel asked.
    “David shot them.”
    “Son of a bitch,” Marcus said, sitting back in his chair. “Dude has gone totally off his rocker.”
    “Well, he did shoot that nurse right in front of us and then throw a woman into a cage to be slaughtered by one of those things,” Gabriel added, then   noticing the change in Jessica’s face when he brought up Melissa’s death. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “He was on the radio with someone when he killed them. He was lying, saying that you guys were the ones that shot