Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation (36 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

When they arrived near the lobby, Gabriel slid into an empty nearby room that had once served as a lounge.

“Stay here,” he told the others. “I’m going to peek my head around the corner and try to see how many soldiers are out there.”

“Do you want me to go?” Will asked.

Gabriel took his hand off his aching side and stood up straight. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just be careful,” Will said.

Gabriel exited the room, being sure to check both ways before entering the hallway, and hugging the wall as he moved. Most of the fighting had settled down, as he only heard the occasional gunshot. He came to the tall, open archway of the lobby, and ducked his head around the corner.

The glass doors and windows stretching across the front entrance of the school were practically nonexistent now. Three guards sat on the ground behind the desk near the entrance. Others stood with their backs against the wall on the far side of the lobby, out of sight from the people outside. The guards against the wall were facing his way, though not looking at him. Gabriel had to shift out of view again before he was noticed. He headed back to the lounge and rejoined the others.

“Are they still fighting? I don’t hear anything,” Holly said.

“They’re at a standstill right now.”

“Were you able to see how many of them there were?” Will asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “I had to duck out of view before they noticed me. I counted at least seven, but I’m sure there are more.” Gabriel used the white board on the wall to draw a map, pinpointing the positioning of the guards he’d been able to see.

“I’m assuming there’s going to be more guards on this wall.” He pointed to the wall that was next to where he’d peeked into the lobby and been unable to see. “The door to the office is on that wall and it curves in, so I couldn’t see. It’s likely that Ambrose is in there, so they’ll probably have it well-guarded.”

“What if he’s not in there?” Charlie asked. “What if he’s hiding somewhere else in the school?”

“He’ll be there,” Gabriel said. “He’s not a coward.”

“He’s right,” said the black man, who had revealed his name to be Joe.

“We’ve gotta take out the guards behind the desk and on the far wall first,” Will said. “Then we’ll worry about whoever is in front of the office.”

“We’ll go in first,” Joe said.

Gabriel shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Man, if you guys didn’t come and get us, we’d be sitting in that room right now, just waiting to be slaughtered. It’s cool, right?” He looked to the other survivors, and though they looked scared, they each nodded. “You just be ready to back us up with some heavier artillery.”

“You’re all okay with it?” Gabriel asked the other men.

They nodded.

Gabriel sighed. “All right.” He looked to Will. “Do we have any extra clips we can give them?”

Charlie reached into a satchel he carried and pulled out two extra clips for each of the four men. Gabriel looked to Joe again.

“And you’re sure you wanna do this?”

He nodded. One of the other men said, “We’re gonna be getting our hands dirty either way. Not sure it’s really that different if we lead you in.”

“You just be ready to raise hell,” Joe said.

Gabriel was.

They shook hands, and Joe led the others out the door. Gabriel, Will, Holly, and Charlie followed, stopping in the hallway just outside the door.

Joe and the others crept to the archway, and he looked back and said something to them. Then he smiled, and he went around the corner.

He fired the first shot.

The other three prisoners stepped out into the hallway and opened fire. It only took moments for Ambrose’s men to fight back, and one of the four survivors hit the tile floor almost immediately.

Gabriel, Charlie, and Will positioned themselves just outside the archway, and shot at the guards.

When one of the other prisoners hit the ground, Joe yelled out. Then he ran across the lobby toward the door to the cafeteria. He screamed like a warrior, firing his gun as he ran.

A bullet caught the left side of his body and he fell down.

“Shit,” Will said.

“That came from the office,” Gabriel said. “There’s definitely people over there.”

The final standing prisoner fell, but not without getting off another shot that took down the last guard that Gabriel and the others could see.
 

The lobby went silent, and the group stood still.

“I’m gonna look and see how many are left,” Gabriel whispered.

“What about Joe and the others?” Holly asked.

“It’s too risky,” Gabriel said. “We’re gonna have to wait to help them.”

“Be careful,” Charlie said.

Gabriel crouched down and went to the archway. He put his back against the wall, his rifle ready in his hands. He looked to the four prisoners. Only Joe appeared to still be moving, as Gabriel watched him slide his leg across the tile floor.

Drawing in a deep breath, Gabriel looked around the corner.

To his surprise, the ambush had worked. The three guards who’d been sitting behind the desk now lay motionless on the ground. Against the wall, one guard lay sprawled on the floor and another was slumped against the wall. Shots rang outside, but no sound came from inside the lobby as smoke rose into the air, following the short battle.

Gabriel looked to the others and signaled them to follow. Before they could protest, he moved around the corner. He remained crouched and close to the wall. When he arrived near the corner to where the wall caved into itself, he stood up straight and stopped.

“Gabriel, wait for us,” Holly hissed.

He looked back and put his finger to his lips.

Will yelled, “Gabriel!”

Gabriel turned back to see Derek raising a handgun, at point blank range from him. Just as the barrel reached the height of Gabriel’s head, he grabbed onto Derek’s wrist and pushed the gun away from his face. Derek pulled the trigger. The shot went off in Gabriel’s ear, and he immediately heard the ring. But the bullet missed, soaring past him.

Still holding onto Derek’s wrist, Gabriel drew the pistol from his side. He shoved it under Derek’s chin and turned his eyes as he pulled the trigger.

He let go of Derek’s wrist as his body fell limp.

“No!”

The scream came from Will. Gabriel turned back and saw Will kneeled next to Holly, his hand pressed against her shoulder. She was slumped against the wall, and Will’s hand was red with blood. The bullet from Derek’s gun had missed Gabriel, but it had hit Holly in her right shoulder. Gabriel ran to her.

“Oh, shit.”

Tears rolled down Holly’s face. “It hurts.”

“It’s gonna be all right,” Gabriel said.

Glass fell to the ground at the entrance of the school as the front doors opened. Gabriel turned and pointed his gun, but Will put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Will said. “They’re with us.” Will stood up. “Timothy, come quick!”

An older man ran over and kneeled down next to Holly.

“When did this happen?” Timothy asked Will.

“Just now.”

Timothy looked over his shoulder to one of the men with him. “Go get Doug and tell him to bring his medical kit, now!”

“Is she going to be okay?” Will asked.

“She should be fine,” Timothy said. “She’s obviously just in a lot of pain.”

“You’ve gotta go help Joe and the other prisoners,” Holly said. “I can wait.”

“Holly, no.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Someone just needs to keep pressure on her wound,” Timothy said. “I can go check on the others.”

“We’ve gotta go in there and get Jessica and Claire,” Gabriel said.

“I’ll go with him,” Charlie said. “You stay here with Holly.”

“No,” Will said. “I’m going with him. You stay with her and do what the doctor asks. Here, come down here and take my spot. Keep pressure on it until Timothy can stop the bleeding.”

Charlie took over and Will stood up.

“You sure?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah,” Will said. “Let’s go get them.”

“Just the two of you?” Timothy asked.

“It’s better this way,” Gabriel said. “If we go storming in there like an army and he is indeed in there with our friends, then there’s no doubt; he’ll kill them immediately.”

“Be careful,” Holly said.

Gabriel and Will looked at each other and nodded, and then they headed toward the office.

Gabriel opened the door.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

For the second time, Gabriel walked through the school’s office. It looked untouched and exactly the same as it had the last time he’d been there. Though no one was in the main office, he knew that Ambrose stood behind the door in front of him.

“Ambrose,” Gabriel called out. “We know you’re in there. Your men are all dead; it’s over.”

No response.

Will said, “Just come out.”

“Nothing is over,” Ambrose said.

“You think he’s in there alone?” Will whispered. Gabriel shrugged.

“I’ve got two things in here you want. Or should I say, two lovely ladies I know you want.”

Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t hurt them,” Gabriel said. “Let’s talk.”

“Talk? Your friends come in here, guns blazin’, and now you wanna talk?” He laughed. “Yeah, we’ll talk.”

Gabriel looked over to Will. “He’ll kill them.”

“Then we gotta get in there, now.”

Will started to brace to charge the door, but Gabriel grabbed onto him. “Wait.”

“Put down your guns, and open the door slowly,” Ambrose said.

Will looked at Gabriel and shook his head.

“The blonde one is hurt,” Ambrose said. “She needs medical attention, so I suggest that you hurry up and do as I say.”

Keeping his eyes locked on Will’s, Gabriel pulled the rifle over his head and set it down onto the ground. Will still looked hesitant to do as Ambrose demanded.

“Tell your boy there that he better put that shit down now, or I’ll blow Jessica’s brains out.”

Gabriel looked above the door and noticed the camera. He tapped on Will’s arm and pointed to it.

“That’s right, I can see you. Now, put down the fucking gun.”

Will sighed and cursed. He took off the rifle and lay it down.

“Good,” Ambrose said. “Is that all you have? Show me the holsters.”

“That’s all we’ve got, Nathan,” Gabriel said. “You’ve got our friends in there. Think we’re gonna risk them?”

“Show me.”

Shaking his head in frustration, Gabriel flashed his empty holster to the camera. He told Will to do the same, and he did.

“You tell the truth,” Ambrose said. “Good.  Now, step toward the door.”

Gabriel went to the door and Will followed.

“Slowly come in.”

Pushing down on the handle, Gabriel opened the door.

Ambrose stood on the other side of the desk, using Jessica as a shield as he held a revolver against her rib cage. Gabriel scanned the room, looking for Claire. He was about to ask Ambrose if he’d lied about her being there when he noticed the feet on the ground. He went to peak around the desk, but Ambrose stopped him.

“Don’t move unless I tell you to,” Ambrose said. “I can assure you: that’s your friend.”

“What is it that you want?” Will asked.

“Well, I don’t believe that I’ve gotten your name.”

“His name is Will,” Gabriel said.

Ambrose smirked. “Well, well, you’re Will. I have to tell you that I’ve been so anxious to meet you. Jessica here had some fun things to say about you in her diary. She really likes you, you know that? Is it true that you were bit and survived? Because I’d sure like to know how that’s possible.”

Will didn’t respond. He left his firm glare on Ambrose.

“Just tell us what you want,” Gabriel said.