Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation Read Free Page B

of here, now!”
    But Dylan didn’t listen; he stepped all the way through the door.
    Will moved, standing between Dylan and the shop owner so that the shotgun was now focused on him instead of at the boy.
    “What da fuck is this? How many of you are there?”
    “Don’t tell him, Will,” Gabriel said.
    Will ignored him. “The three of us, and there are three more out in our truck.”
    The man scanned back and forth between Will and Gabriel, and Will could see him swallow hard.
    “How many children?”
    “Just the one. We also have an injured man. He was shot.”
    “And y’all been outside trying to survive in all this?”
    “Yes. We came from Nashville. We’re headed toward Knoxville. My parents are supposed to be there. We’re almost out of ammunition from fighting off hordes of those things outside.”
    The man still looked back and forth, but Will could tell he was calming a bit. He and Gabriel still had their weapons drawn.
    “Please, can we just lower our weapons? We will get out of here,” Will said.
    “Tell your boy here to lower his first.”
    Will could see the sweat coming off of Gabriel’s brow.
    “Do it, Gabriel.”
    Keeping his eyes focused on the man in front of him, Gabriel finally lowered the gun slowly.
    “Set it on the glass case next to you,” the shop owner commanded in a firm but polite tone.
    “Listen to him, Gabe.”
    Gabriel was clearly frustrated, but he slammed the pistol down onto the glass case and took a few steps away from it.
    The shop owner then lowered his shotgun and looked at Will. “What’s your name, son?”
    “Will.” He pointed over his shoulder. “And this is Dylan.”
    Dylan waved at the man, who smiled down at him.
    “Well, Will,” the man said, “it’s gettin’ dark out there. You gonna invite the rest of them folks inside, or not?”

CHAPTER THREE

      Jessica
      The window inside the hospital room provided the perfect view for watching the sunset. Bedridden by orders of the personnel who remained at the hospital, Jessica took much joy in watching the sun fall behind the horizon both nights she’d been here. The first night, she barely had the energy to keep her eyes open, but had basked in the scene last night. Now, for the third consecutive night, she lay in the bed with nothing to do but gaze out the window, think, and wait.
    Jessica didn’t look away when a knock came at the door and it swung open.
    “Good evening, Ms. Davies,” the nurse said.
    Jessica kept her focus outside, watching the orange glow slowly fade, only to summon the night to cast its shadow over the small hospital room.
    “How does your ankle feel?” the nurse asked.
    Finally, Jessica pulled her attention away from the natural spectacle and acknowledged the nurse’s presence inside the room. She appeared close to Jessica’s age and wore ceil blue scrubs and tennis shoes, her dark blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.
    “It’s better,” Jessica mumbled.
    “And the shoulder?”
    Jessica tried to move her shoulder and grimaced.
    The nurse made a note on the clipboard she was holding after seeing Jessica’s painful reaction. As a result of the van flipping over into the ditch, Jessica had sustained a sprained ankle, some cuts and scratches, and worst of all, had dislocated her right shoulder. Considering how bad the accident had been, she knew her injuries could have been much worse. And given just how bad things were outside, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world to now be receiving care from a registered nurse in a somewhat comfortable hospital bed.
    Setting down the clipboard, the nurse walked to the end of the bed. She lifted up the covers and unveiled Jessica’s bare feet. She reached down and gently squeezed Jessica’s injured ankle.
    “Does this hurt?”
    Jessica shook her head.
    “Good. Can you lift your toes toward your head?”
    Jessica bent her ankle, pointing her wiggling toes up to her face.
    “Perfect,” the nurse responded. She picked up