Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation Read Free

frustrated. But he knew he couldn’t leave Holly and, in the end, he always came back to the same conclusion: I have a better chance of surviving if I stay with the group.
    They had many confrontations with Empties, which depleted most of their supply of ammunition, and they were now sidetracked again, trying to find somewhere to obtain more bullets for their guns.
    “If we run into another large group, we might not make it out. We can’t just depend on a baseball bat to kill these things. We’ve got to find more ammunition, Will,” Gabriel said.
    Will took his hands off the wheel and put them up. “No shit, dude. Wanna point me to the nearest armory?”
    “Quit being an asshole,” Gabriel replied.
    “Guys!” It was Holly. “Both of you, shut up. Arguing isn’t going to do us any good. Let’s just chill out, and we’ll figure something out. Together.”
    Both men sighed.
    Will gripped the wheel tight, trying to contain his frustration. Everyone in the group was exhausted. They’d fought through horde after horde, and it was taking its toll on all of them, especially Will, Gabriel, and Holly, who were the ones fighting off all the creatures. Marcus was in no position to help, Dylan was just a child, and Miranda didn’t know how to use a gun; her medical skills were far too critical to the group’s survival for them to put her on the front line anyway.
    “Guys, look,” Miranda said, pointing down the road.
    Will was focused on maneuvering through yet another group of Empties, and hadn’t looked far enough down the interstate to see they were fast approaching an exit that had a small shopping center just off of it.
    “Try this exit?” Gabriel asked.
    Will nodded, and a mile down the road, he took the exit.
    ***
    As they approached the shops, Will had his eye on only one of them.
    In between a small convenience store and a discount shoe store, there was a pawn shop. These stores were old and run down, which made them fit perfectly into the new world. He wondered if eventually every building would look like these, or worse. There were Empties in the parking lot, but not more than they could handle. The town looked very small, and the simple shopping center they were approaching might have been the only place for the residents to shop.
    “There’s no way that place hasn’t already been picked apart,” Gabriel said of the pawn shop.
    Will shrugged. “Maybe. But we’ve gotta at least check it out.”
    “Okay, so, what’s the plan?”
    “It doesn’t look too bad. I think you and I can go alone. We’ll just take a couple of the handguns. And be sure you’ve got a knife.”
    “Fine by me,” Gabriel replied. “Pull as close as you can to the door.”
    There were only about seven Empties in the parking lot, but they all limped toward the SUV as it approached the front door of the pawn shop.
    “Holly, can you cover us?” Will asked.
    “Of course,” Holly replied.
    “I can help, too,” Marcus added.
    “You sure?” Gabriel asked.
    Marcus nodded. “I’m feeling a lot better. I got this.”
    “Alright,” Will said. “Just keep these damn things off us. We’re gonna be in and out as quick as we can.”
    “I wanna help,” Dylan said from the back of the SUV.
    “You can,” Gabriel said. “Keep an eye out for any Empties that Holly and Marcus don’t see, alright?”
    “But I wanna shoot them.”
    “They need you to watch for others, okay? Can you do that?”
    Dylan sighed. “I guess.”
    “Good,” Gabriel said, and then he looked over at Will. “You ready?”
    “Are you?” Will replied, smiling.
    Gabriel was already opening his door and jumping out of the truck.
    ***
    As Will ran toward the front door of the pawn shop, gunshots behind him halted the snarls that resonated in the air. He looked down and saw an Empty on the ground, which almost looked like it was still twitching from a shot it had just sustained from Gabriel. When Will reached the front door, Gabriel was waiting on