Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation by Zach Bohannon Read Free Book Online

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CHAPTER SEVEN

    Will and Charlie loaded Dylan onto a folding table. The legs had been completely removed, leaving only a solid table top. Will remembered the way Dylan had cried when they’d had to carry him through the woods, and how he’d had to pick the boy up under his arms. He was thankful for the make-do stretcher.
    They hurried through the yard of one of the nearby houses, Timothy and Doug walking in front of them. As he approached the house, Timothy shouted directions at two people standing in the yard. Then he and Doug turned around.
    “Let’s each grab a corner to get him into the house,” Timothy said.
    Five stairs led up to the porch. Wind chimes sang in the breeze. Two empty wooden chairs sat near the door.
    The front door was already open when they reached it. A woman with blonde hair, held up in a bun, stood just inside the house against a wall, making sure the door remained wide. She looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s, and wore a flowered apron over the top of a worn, long sleeve shirt. There were dried blood stains mixed in with the images of roses, dandelions, and magnolias on her apron.
    “Everything’s ready in the living room,” the woman said.
    “Thank you, Maureen,” Timothy said. He signaled his head toward an open doorway. “Come on, let’s take him over here and set him down.”
    A waist-high table sat in the center of the living room. It appeared much sturdier than the throw-away one they’d loaded Dylan onto. 
    Timothy said, “Just set the whole thing down on top of that table.”
    The four men lifted Dylan’s stretcher and set it down on top of the other table. A smaller table stood just over Dylan’s head. On top lay a collection of surgical tools, including a scalpel, scissors, and a small bone saw. Will was thankful that they were in a place where Dylan couldn’t see them. The tools made Will cringe. He thought back to when he’d had to amputate the boy’s arm, remembering how it had felt when the blade of the machete passed through flesh and bone. He shuddered, and then was drawn back into the moment when someone grabbed his arm. It was Doug.
    “You guys should probably step outside.”
    Will shook his head. “I don’t want to leave him.”
    Doug pulled Will a few feet away from the table and stood closer to him. “It will be better if you leave. Timothy needs to be able to concentrate, and you’re not going to want to be in here.”
    Will bit his lip.
    “Maureen will show you and your group somewhere you can rest for a while. Please, trust us.”
    Will still wasn’t sure that he could trust them. But now that he’d seen they appeared to have the proper tools and skills to help Dylan, he had little choice. He would have to have confidence that Timothy knew how to help. He sighed, then said, “Okay.”
    Another hand grabbed him, and he turned around to see Maureen, smiling, if only a little.
    “Come on,” she said. “I’ll show you where you can relax.”
    Will walked over to the table and looked down into Dylan’s eyes.
    “You aren’t going to leave me, are you?” the boy asked.
    Will grabbed onto Dylan’s remaining hand. “We won’t be far. These gentlemen here are going to help you. They’re going to take the pain away. I promise you that we will be back over here as soon as it’s over.”
    Dylan cried, and his body trembled. Will leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.
    When Will turned around, Timothy stood there, wearing a pair of latex gloves.
    “Don’t worry, we have a little bit of anesthetic left. We’re going to administer it to him before we start,” Timothy said. “He won’t feel a thing.”
    “Please, just take care of him.”
    “We will.”
    Will took one more look back to Dylan. The boy’s eyes were red, full of tears. Will smiled and mouthed the words, “Stay strong.”
    He walked out the door, where Maureen and Charlie were already waiting on the porch.
    ***
    After Will and Charlie went to the SUV to