Empty Bodies (Book 2): Adaptation by Zach Bohannon Page B

embrace her.
    “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”
    Sarah picked up her head and wiped her eyes. She shook her head.
    “No, it’s okay. I need to.” She sniffled, and moved her hand under her nose to wipe it down. Sarah took a deep breath, and then started again.
    “She moved to where I could see the boy… at least, what was left of him. It was horrible. I’ve seen people come into the hospital after devastating car wrecks, but I’d never seen anything like this.
    “Then, the boy’s mother was crawling over the bed toward me. I thought of running for the door, but the screams outside were deafening. I could hear people running up and down the halls, yelling out, and could hear what I now know was the snarling of these monsters. My back was against the door to a bathroom, so I turned around and trapped myself inside. When I went to lock the door, I couldn’t. The damn doors on these patient bathrooms don’t have locks. Within seconds, she was banging at the door. I pulled on the handle, just waiting for her to try and turn it. But all she did was bang and slam on it instead of trying to open it. I couldn’t stop crying and trembling. All I wanted was to be home in my bed.”
    Jessica was covering her mouth, just listening to the story. “How long did you stay in there?”
    “It was at least a couple of hours before I heard the door to the room open. I heard gunfire coming from somewhere inside the hospital. I jumped and cried more with every burst I heard. Then, the door to the room opened, and the banging at the door finally stopped. A loud gunshot rang through the room, followed by a crash. The snarling stopped, and I fell back against the wall, crying and shaking. I couldn’t feel my hand from gripping the door handle so tight.
    “When the door to the bathroom did finally open, I screamed and balled myself up, waiting for one of the creatures to attack me. Instead, I turned to see a hand extended and a familiar face.”
    “Lawrence?” Jessica asked.
    Sarah nodded.
    “When I walked out into the hallway, I couldn’t believe my eyes. And the smell was awful. There were bodies everywhere. Lawrence led me to a room where the rest of the survivors were hiding. He came back a bit later with Trevor, who had been helping him clear the place out.”
    “What did you guys do with the bodies?” Jessica asked.
    “We spent the rest of that afternoon moving them into a couple of the stairwells. It was exhausting, but we were at least able to get some of the smell out of here.”
    “What about the rest of the hospital?”
    “Lawrence, Brandon, and this guy Kyle went down to the floor below us. Lawrence and Brandon barely made it back. Kyle... he didn’t. Ever since then, we’ve kept ourselves isolated up here. Apparently, it was really bad, and Lawrence doesn’t want to risk looking around, at least not yet. If enough of those things get up here, we’re done.”
    Jessica just crouched there, letting everything Sarah told her sink in. She thought about the hotel, and what happened after her escape. Did anyone survive? Maybe there was a small group there, like there was here. Just maybe some of her friends from her old workplace were still alive. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever know.
    Sarah stood up and filled the washing machine with as many dirty clothes as she could before turning it on.
    “Come on,” Sarah said to Jessica. “Let’s go grab some food and check on your friend; then we can come back later and throw this stuff in the dryer.”

CHAPTER NINE

    Lawrence
    “We’ve got to make a stop,” Lawrence told David. They’d driven for about an hour, occasionally seeing survivors pass by in their own vehicles, but not finding anyone stranded. Lawrence would wave at the other vehicles in hopes that they would stop, but they didn’t, and David kept reiterating how people had already lost their trust and hope in others.
    Lawrence was getting a strange vibe from David. He