First of all let me tell you, I'm so sorry for making you wait that long for an update when I managed to give you one every day for the first three chapters. I have been busy helping my friend write her term paper and that was pretty hard work but now I'm free again to write so expect more from me in the future :)
Second, I want to thank you all for your kind reviews. You don't even know how happy it makes me to see all those favs. and reviews and knowing, that people actually like what I write. You are amazing. Thank You!
And on a last note, Germany is airing the Season Finale in about an hour. SO guess what I'll be doing tonight. Everyone who guessed re-watching the last two episodes of the first season of the greatest show ever, come here and get your cookie :D
And now, I won't keep you longer. Enjoy
Chapter Four
He is desperate when they finally reach their intended destination. He and the kids spent the last half hour looking for her, couldn't find her anywhere. They would still be out there if it was up to him, but Joe tried to convince him she was fine. She would be somewhere safe and that, when the townspeople decided they need a break from their search, they would go out again, looking for her. He isn't actually satisfied with their plan, would rather know than assume her safe, but they do not really have a choice.
Everyone is turning every stone in this town upside down, looking for them, probably not stopping until they are finally successful. It is dangerous for them to be out – but so it is for Julia.
They ditched the car on the other side of town, near the spot Julia had dumped the egg into the sea, and walked through still unused streets and woods. It would've been easier had the Dome cleared up, bathing Chester's Mill in darkness once again, because according to Angie's watch it is somewhere around midnight now. More than once they had to trail from their main route in order not to get caught by crazy-going town's people. The blinding light made it harder to hide but they eventually managed to cross town and reach the yard of the old McCoy Orchard.
Angie thought of hiding here, in the bomb shelter she is pretty sure no one in town knows about. She wouldn't know about it either if she had not been dared to go out there at night and steal something. She accidentally stumbled upon the owner stocking up on new supplies. She'd always known those people were a bit different but she never thought they actually had a secret bomb shelter.
Now she is glad that, as far as she knows, no one else would've thought of that either. It may be the one and only safe place for five outlaws. Angie is sure they will find Julia soon.
The girls walk ahead, opening up the locks on the door. Angie knows where the keys are and so they don't take long getting the heavy door lifted aside. They call out to Barbie and Joe, they could still talk in a normal volume, even shout, since no one had the idea of searching for them on this side of town. The residents of Chester's Mill probably don't give them enough courage for daring to walk right through their search party. Luckily they don't.
Barbie hears the noise first, coming from behind the board fence to their right. The Orchard in surrounded by high green bushes and the occasional cherry tree on this side. He sees nothing, instead of those but hears the rustle of the leaves becoming louder by the second. He sends Joe over to his sister and girlfriend, is whispering now so whoever is out there wouldn't know he is still with the teenagers. He tells them to go inside, close the door and lock up. They, of course, think he's crazy, refuse to let him out there alone. They did not go through all that trouble of getting him away from the hangman, creeping all over town in search for his girlfriend and having the whole town on the lookout for them, just to let him get caught now. He tells them that it is important that no one knows about the bomb shelter, that they need to close it up before anyone could find it. He has military training, can quite certain distinguish that there is one (and only one) person on their trail. His intend is to bring the teenagers to safety so if anything would go wrong with his plan at least they would not be harmed, and when he is sure the door was perfectly hidden, he would make himself noticed and take out their follower. He would join them in the safe confines of the bomb shelter as soon as it would be possible. He even tells them, to not open the door for anybody unless they are knocking three times.
The kids are still reluctant to leave him but there is really nothing else they could do.
No sooner than the door is closed, he sees someone hiding in the bushes. What he sees is just a flash but it makes his heart beat faster. Did he actually just saw a flare of red?
He knows it is naïve of him to just assume she would actually know where they are, after all no one knows about the fallout shelter, but he can't help but hope. The only thing that keeps him alive is the thought of her being okay and somewhere safe and that he is going to see her again.
"Julia?" He asks, his voice has regained normal volume because if it is not her out there whoever it is knows he's here anyway.
His heart stops when she steps out of the bushes, she has been hiding in. The look of utter disbelieve and happiness on her face is enough to get it beating again. She is really here. He isn't dreaming this.
"Oh my god, you're alive" She flings herself in his arms. He catches her without effort and holds her close. They forget where they are for a moment, forget that they should not be out in the middle of a meadow for every passer-by to see.
He revels in the sound and feel of her breathing, still not believing she is alive and standing here in his arms. He had been so sure she wouldn't make it and, after he resuscitated her, had been sure she isn't going to come out of that coma. He definitively wouldn't have thought her to fight that tough and be up and helping him just two days later. But after she had been crowned their Monarch by whoever sent down the Dome, she probably is alive because they need her. And since she's not doing any good unconscious, they apparently helped along with that, too. Really, there is just no other explanation for what is happening right now.
Her head rests against his chest, the steady thud-thud-thud of his heart reassuring her that he is here. She honestly doesn't know what she would've done if she hadn't found him here. If he had been dead, if that figure on the boat had lied to her, she isn't sure anymore if she had used her limited knowledge about what is going on to help the people of Chester's Mill to lift the Dome. But there is no use in thinking about that because he is not dead. He's standing right in front of her, holding her like she is the most precious thing he ever held. She likes to think she is.
He lets go of her reluctantly, only to frame her face with his hands, glad to finally be able to touch her again, and leans in to kiss her. She meets him halfway, eagerly, and brings her arms around his neck to draw him even closer. His hands travel down to circle her waist when she willingly parts her lips to let him in. They kiss passionately until the air runs out, her head again coming to rest against his chest.
"What are you doing here?" He asks. He knows, she had no clue about the old fallout shelter, there is absolutely no way she could've thought they were seeking shelter there. Come to think of it, how did she even know he would be here?
"Later" She promises. She reaches up to kiss him again, lightly this time.
She asks what he is doing here and how he managed to escape next, and where the three teenagers are. That alien figure had not elaborated on what had happened, only that he was alive and well and on his way to the old McCoy Orchard. Not sure how this place could be any safe from a bunch of town's people willing to turn every stone to find them, she nevertheless made her way over there. If only so she could see him one last time before they were all going to die. What she had been sure of was that Angie, Joe and Norrie had not followed her request, had not gone somewhere safe and waited for all this to be over. They had gone to town hall, they had gotten Barbie out off there and now they just had to be somewhere around here.
"Later" He, too, promises, kissing the top of her fiery red locks. He takes her hand in his, interlocking their fingers and taking her over to where he saw the kids disappear earlier. He finds the door easily, only because he knows it has to be there, and knocks three times.
There is a lot to be said, most importantly he is anxious to finally have her hear those three words he whispered to her once. But they are together now and would be for at least as long as they made it without being found down there.
There was time for that now.
I like that one for an ending but I'm not entirely sure yet, if I won't write on. Tell me what you think!