External (Book 1&2)

15|Bodies Pt. 2

Previously-

"What the hell happened?" Marcus asks the question running through all our heads. Along with:

Are people still out there?

These bodies have probably only been dead for the matter of days, if that.

So, what killed them and where is everyone else?

Now-

"Open the other one." Sabrina orders, her voice quavers in fear or anger, I can't tell. William walks swiftly over to the other one, pulling it open. A waft of the same scent of decay is sent over to enter my nose. I gag at the scent. Knowing it is a human body, makes it all so much worse. This time though, William doesn't close it. He instead peers into the truck to inspect the body, his shirt pulled over his nose and mouth.

I walk away from the truck, not being able to handle the scent. My stomach starts to churn in an unpleasant way and it doesn't take long before I can feel a tugging sensation in my jaw. Acid pools into my throat and I throw up all of my breakfast, emptying my stomach onto the grassy floor below me. I can feel someone patting my back and holding back my hair. I stay in a bent position for a little while, not knowing whether or not I will throw up again.

Thankfully, the feeling is gone. I lean back up and turn around, seeing that it is Jacob who is holding my hair behind me.

"You okay?" He asks, handing me some of his water. I nod and take it graciously. I feel bad taking some of his water, but the bottle is half full, so I guess he has some to spare. After taking a swig, the burning sensation of stomach acid is gone and the after taste is muted, though it still lingers in my breath. I hand the water back, thanking him.

When I turn back towards the trucks, they are both closed and William is rubbing his face with his hands in a stressed manner.

"Is there something wrong with the bodies?" I ask, wondering if he found anything in his investigation.

"They have bullet holes in them. All in their head, execution style." William answers. He stares at the ground, deep in thought.

"I just don't understand why someone would do that?"Lily says in distraught.

"I don't understand why there's people around. I always thought everyone perished in the war." Marcus says, truthfully.

"Well that's pretty ignorant." I say, scoffing.

"What'd you say?" He fires back.

"You think that were the only survivors in the world? There is no way! There was seven billion people on earth before the war, some people must have survived." I rant slightly, confused by how he could even think such a thing.

"I'm not saying in the whole world you idiot. I'm saying here. In old America." He yells back.

"Guys, just shut up." William yells. He places his hands up in emphasis and stares at both of us in the eyes. "Just stop it. It doesn't matter what we thought. What does matter is what we know. Two trucks are full of dead executed people and there bodies are still pretty fresh. Right now, we could be sitting in a trap, so we need to move."

"Wait. Are we still going to the city?" Kevin asks.

"Yeah, we have a mission." William answers

"Even after what we have just seen? That's crazy!" Kevin continues to argue.

"What are we supposed to do, huh?"

"Tell them the city is not safe!"

"We are not even at the city."