Hello everyone! Just a quick note for anyone new who has stumbled on to this story - Finding Hope" is set in the same world as "Amelia's Choice" and is a continuation of that story. Although you don't have to read Amelia's Choice first, I would recommend it as it does give you the background story for many of the characters in this story. I will warn you though, Amelia's Choice is a long read! ;)
To my continuing readers - welcome back old friends and thank you for joining me once more. For the new readers - thanks for giving this story a chance, I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1
The man crawled like a snake on his belly to the woman who was lying on her stomach and peering out the large plate glass window. The window was filthy and streaked with smears of rusty black that could only be dried blood.
He reached her side; she glanced briefly at him before she returned to staring at the street outside the window. The man followed her gaze, stared disinterestedly at the scene in front of them, and then turned his attention back to the woman beside him. Her blonde hair was cut in a short pixie cut and she was wearing a faded leather jacket over a green tank top. Two Colt 45's hung low around her hips on a leather gun belt, and a sporting rifle was slung over her back. Loose-fitting camouflage pants and black army boots completed the outfit. His gaze lingered on the thin, red scar that ran just below her ear and along the shelf of her jaw.
He knew she was aware of him looking at her but her gaze didn't falter from the window. Finally, with an impatient sigh, she murmured, "What?"
"We can't help them."
She didn't answer but her jaw set in a way he was all too familiar with and she gave him a brief stubborn look. He rubbed his shaved head, feeling the stubble under the palm of his hand and stared impassively back at her.
Without saying anything she turned back to the window, raising her head a little to get a better view. He frowned and looked again. Eight men, heavily armed, were standing in the middle of the street. Two young men and a young woman were standing huddled together, staring fearfully at the men who had their weapons trained at them.
"There are eight of them and only four of us. Trying to help them will be suicide."
"We're helping them." She replied.
He grunted in frustration, "I'm not trying to be heartless but they're strangers. We can't save every person we come across who were stupid enough to get themselves trapped like that."
"They're not strangers. And we don't leave this place without them." The woman said softly.
She turned and crawled towards the back of the store. The man, his eyebrows raised in surprise, crawled after her.
"I don't like this man. This is a terrible idea." The young redhead paced nervously in the back of the hardware store.
Thomas shrugged, "Tell that to her."
The woman rolled her eyes and continued to shrug out of her jacket. She unbuckled her gun belt and handed it to the redhead, "It's going to be fine Matthew. Just stick to the plan."
Matthew took her gun belt, "It's your funeral."
"And ours." A short and powerful-looking Latino man, his hair shaved into a Mohawk, checked his guns.
The woman sighed, "I need your help Nathan. I can't do this without you."
He stood up straight and grinned at her, "Aww hell, you know I can't resist a good old-fashioned gun fight."
She grinned back at him and began to tear off long strips of the duct tape she was holding. "Help me with this please Thomas."
The man who had joined her at the window stepped forward and took the strips of tape from her. He placed them carefully and then turned her around to face him. "This will only work if you stay calm and remember your training."
She nodded and gave him a cheerful smile. If she was nervous, it didn't show in her face. "I've got this, stop worrying. These assholes are nothing compared to that herd of Walkers we ran into last week."
He didn't return her smile. "Killing the living isn't like killing the dead. He cupped her shoulders in his hands and stared at her. "The gun is an extension of your hand. Stay relaxed and loose and take your time in aiming."
She nodded, "I'll remember."
He gave her a rough kiss on the forehead and then ruffled her hair. She frowned and pulled away. "You know I hate it when you do that."
He smiled a little, "Really? I had no idea."
There were shouts and loud bouts of derisive laughter heard faintly from the front of the store.
"We need to do this now." The woman said.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Matthew looked doubtfully at her back.
"Of course it will." She replied.
"How do you know that?" Matthew asked.
"I saw it in a movie once." She winked at him and started to the front of the store.
"Jee-sus." Nathan rolled his eyes, "Dead man walking." He called after her softly.
Without turning around she raised her right hand and flipped him the bird.
"C'mon, get into position." Thomas said and the three men separated.
"On your knees maggots!" the short man, his beer belly jiggling with every step he took, pointed the rifle at the three prisoners. As one, they fell to their knees, and had their hands tied tightly behind their backs.
"Ooh, this one's cute." One of the men, his face horribly burned, ran one rough finger down the small blonde woman's face. She jerked her head back in fear.
"Don't you touch her you pig!" one of the young men shouted.
The eight men laughed and the one with the horrible burns stepped in front of him and slapped him viciously across the face. Blood sprayed from his mouth and he fell on to his side with a loud groan. They pulled him back to his knees.
"You will speak when you're told you can. Do you understand maggot?" he shouted in the young man's face.
Wincing, the man nodded.
"Well, whaddya think Jimmy? Do we bring them all back with us or just the woman?"
After a moment's appraisal, Jimmy, the man with the beer belly, said coolly, "Just the woman I think. What do you think Sam?" He stared at the man with the burned face.
"Oh I like that idea." Sam wiggled his eyebrows at the woman.
"No!" she cried out, her face whitening with fear. She glanced at the two boys beside her, her fear for them and herself written clearly on her face.
"Don't you worry little girl; we'll take good care of ya." Sam leered at her.
"Bag 'em." Jimmy said.
Three of the men stepped forward and put large white pillow cases over the three prisoners' heads. The third man stepped away as the other two stood behind the two young men, pistols aimed at the back of their heads.
"Any last words maggots?" Sam cried merrily.
There was only silence, the pillow cases puffing in and out with each terrified breath the young men took.
"Cat got their tongue!" Sam chuckled at his own joke.
"Alright boys – " he stopped and stared behind Jimmy. "What the hell?"
Jimmy turned to see a woman, dressed in a green tank top and a pair of camouflage pants, open the door of the hardware store behind him and step out into the street. She was holding a map in her hand and was frowning at it.
"Bitch, where the hell did you come from?" Jimmy asked.
She looked up startled, and dropped the map. She stared at them, her eyes widening with fear as Jimmy pointed his gun at her and walked towards her.
She put her hands up and tucked them behind her head. "Please, don't shoot." She whispered weakly.
Jimmy stood in front of her and looked her up and down slowly. "Now you I like." He grinned at her. "Are you lost pretty little girl?" he crooned softly. He reached out with one hand and traced a finger down her neck and along the neckline of her tank top.
"Please don't do that." She said trembling.
He dipped one finger below her neckline and brushed it against the swell of one small breast. "Stop, please." She moaned fearfully.
He rubbed his finger across his chest, "What's a little bitty thing like you going to do if I don't?" he sneered at her.
She stopped trembling and he took a step back at the look in her eyes, "This." She said coldly. There was a ripping sound as she pulled the gun free of her upper back, duct tape still clinging to the handle. She aimed it directly at his forehead and Jimmy had time to give one tiny squawk of terror before she pulled the trigger and the back of his head exploded in a shower of bone, blood and brain matter. She turned and put bullets in the brains of the two men standing behind the prisoners before Jimmy's body hit the ground.
The remaining men screamed in shock and fear as shots were fired from the roof of the hardware store. Two more men fell, bullet holes between their eyes, as they ran for cover, shooting wildly into the air.
"Run babies run!" Nathan hooted from his position on the roof as Thomas and Matthew rounded the corner of the building, guns drawn. Sam squeezed off a shot; the bullet drove into the pavement a few feet in front of Thomas. Matthew raised his gun almost casually and shot him in the chest; he flew back and landed on the pavement.
The sixth man went down screaming as Thomas shot him in the stomach. He landed on his knees, blood pouring from the wound in his stomach. He held his bloody hands out in supplication to him but Thomas, his face serene, shot the man in the face.
The remaining man threw his gun to the ground and held his hands up as the woman approached him.
"On your knees maggot." The woman said quietly.
He dropped to his knees, a look of panic on his face. "Please lady. Have mercy – I ain't armed!"
She put the barrel of her gun to his forehead, he hissed as it burned his skin a little. "Like you were going to show mercy to them?" she nodded in the direction of the three prisoners.
"I ain't like the rest of them. I swear to you!" the man blubbered. "I only joined with 'em because there's safety in numbers."
She cocked the gun and the man moaned; a wet patch appeared on the front of his jeans. "Please, I'm beggin' ya." He whispered.
She shook her head in disgust and stepped back, "Get out of here – you make me sick."
She turned and started to walk away but at Thomas' warning shout she whirled around to see the man reaching for the gun he had dropped. As his hand closed on the gun she squeezed the trigger and the man's face disappeared in a splatter of blood.
The woman walked over to the prisoners as Thomas crossed the street, "Never turn your back on them. You know that." He frowned at her.
She nodded, "I know."
"I can't believe that fucking worked!" Matthew crowed excitedly. "Holy fucking shit!"
He raised his hand to the woman and they bumped fists, "You are one bad ass bitch." He grinned at her.
"Mattie quiet!" Thomas looked around uneasily. "We need to get out of here. Let's get them and go."
As Nathan joined them in the street, the woman squatted in front of the first young man. Thomas pulled the pillowcase off his head and Matthew pulled the pillowcases off the other two.
The young man squinted in the bright light as Thomas cut the ropes that bound his hands. He blinked at the woman crouched in front of him.
"Hannah?" he whispered, rubbing his wrists.
She smiled at him, "Hello Scott."
"Oh my God, it's really you." He reached out and hugged her. After a moment's hesitation she hugged him back.
She smiled over Scott's shoulder at the young blonde woman, "Hello Beth."
Beth gave her a trembling smile, "Hi Hannah."
Scott let her go and she stood up, helping him to his feet. "What are you doing out here Scott? Is – are the others okay?"
"They're fine. I was looking for you."
"What?"
"We're looking for you. I want you to come home." Scott said earnestly.
She frowned, "Do the others know you left?"
He shrugged, "We're adults. We can do what we want."
"Scott, I appreciate that but honey, you can't just –"
There was a scraping noise and Sam sat up. Incredibly he was still alive and as he grinned at her, his teeth covered in blood, she had just enough time to shove Scott out of the way before Sam fired his gun. There was a sudden hot burning pain in her side and she looked down to see blood blooming through her tank top.
There was another gun shot as Thomas shot Sam in the head.
"Hannah!" Matthew ran to her as she gingerly touched her side. She stared at the blood dripping from her fingers.
"Hannah, stay with us!" Matthew put his arms around her as she started to sink to her knees.
"Mattie." She whispered as the world began to grow dark.
Thomas' face appeared in front of her and she reached for him, "Don't let them take me back to –" Thomas' face faded into blackness.