It has been 84 years since I updated this one and I'm so sorry. But I hope this makes up for it! Huge s/o to my bae-ta, Grace. She's the best, y'all.
Enjoy Chapter 10! I can't believe we're that far in already!
Regina learned very quickly that Snow was a force to be reckoned with. Her soft and innocent exterior aside, this woman could take down an entire, fully equipped army. For the most part, each of her killings has been an isolated incident; the swarms have broken up and all that's left is a few strays here and there in the streets.
For now anyway.
The first safe house was a bust. When they got there, all the supplies were ransacked, the medical kit completely empty. Leroy had to stay there for a few nights when he got himself separated from the rest of his sneaky bunch of friends. That was back when they first came into town and somehow Leroy managed to loot the place entirely in the process.
As they head back onto the streets, the hot sun beating down on their tired heads, Regina asks, "Where to next?"
"We have one more safe point in the east and another in the centre of downtown," Snow explains, but she shrugs. "I have no idea which one they'd have gone to."
Regina feels confident when she suggests downtown. That's where she and Henry entered the city, they were lost amongst the skyscrapers, and she can only hope that Will would have the sense to take Henry to the closest safe house.
Snow nods in agreement and walks a step or two ahead to guide them. "This way."
She weaves through deserted side streets and trash ridden alleyways like an expert as Regina follows. Snow's urgency and dexterity is impressive and she and Regina found a rhythm very quickly; they were sticking together, taking turns to check around corners, watching each other's backs like they'd been doing this for years. The way they were working together to keep each other safe meant that their trust for one another fell into place effortlessly.
As they start edging closer to downtown, the number of zombies in the streets starts to increase dramatically. An odd kill every so often turns into multiple quick executions as the duo hit a pocket of undead.
"Are we close?" Regina asks, ripping her knife from her latest kill's skull, groaning for the millionth time at the viscous brain matter left on the blade.
Snow's in the middle of catching her breath, but manages a nod. "Though it might be a good idea to go back and ask for help."
Regina's wiping her blade clean with a rag, when she proudly states, "We've made it this far on our own."
"The further into downtown we get, the more likely we are to be ambushed. Two of us can't handle that."
"Henry and Will have been alone for too long. We don't have a choice." Regina can't stop thinking about Henry and whether or not he's okay. They don't have time to turn back.
After a moment of inner deliberation, Snow reluctantly agrees. "Alright, but if we end up ambushed, I'm blaming you."
…..
"I told you that we should have gone for help," Snow manages through her teeth as they start to run.
Regina would apologise but the closer approaching undead steals her attention. They sprint together and she relies on every ounce of trust she has in Snow. "In here," she grits through her teeth, leaning over to pull at the metal barrier to a store. Luckily it's unlocked so they can slip inside easily and lower it again - it's not much, but it's something to keep the twenty or so zombies from getting in.
Breathing heavily, they take a hearty step away from the barrier as dead hands try to force their way through to grab any inch of them. More and more keep coming, surrounding the door, pressing on the flimsy metal. Regina begins to look around and it looks like they're in an antique store - it's almost untouched, filled with little trinkets that nobody felt the need to steal after the outbreak.
"Is there a way out?" Snow asks.
"Maybe, let's lo-" Regina stops speaking suddenly and her head whips to look back out to the street. She heard something, even over the undead moaning and hissing. She could swear she heard a voice, someone yelling out.
Snow notices how Regina's attention shifts and steps closer to the door, just in front of Regina. "What is it?"
"Shhh." Regina steps up close behind Snow and covers her mouth. For a second it appears for no reason but Regina doesn't let up and luckily so. Gunfire sounds, expertly shooting down the monsters just shy of the shop door. It's militaristic, perfectly executed, so they're sure it's not anyone they know. "Hide."
Regina and Snow scatter to opposite ends of the shop, bending down and staying out of view, waiting for the unknown shooter to walk by.
"Was that necessary?" Graham shouts after walking out onto the street; Regina recognises his voice instantly. "We don't exactly have unlimited ammo."
"The boy is in this city. We don't have the time to waste to be resourceful. What's in there?" Sidney calls out loudly.
"It's just a shop."
"Zombies don't try to get into a shop for nothing," the older man sasses. "Check it out. If you see anything, kill it."
Regina holds her breath, prays that Snow is doing the same, and places a hand over her chest where she can feel the speeding beat of her heart. They have to remain dead silent. Graham lifts the metal railing and steps slowly inside. Her eyes scrunch closed and she counts slowly to five, listening as Graham's shoes creak the floorboards as he makes his way in, avoiding some broken glass on the floor. He's nearing the side of the store where Snow is crouched and attempting to hide. Regina peers around the counter and catches Snow with her hand over her mouth to keep as quiet as she possibly can. When their eyes meet, Regina notices the well of tears in Snow's eyes ready to drip to the floor. She's terrified.
"Anything?" Sidney shouts into the shop and there's a beat.
Regina lifts a forefinger over her lips, never letting Snow's eyes lose her own. They're in this together no matter what and after a final moment of bated breath, Graham starts to retreat back out onto the street.
"It was probably just a rat," he tells Sidney. "Let's find the boy."
They walk away but neither Regina or Snow dare even blink for at least another minute. It's deathly silent when Regina watches Snow begin to shuffle to her feet. When Regina stands, she notices how visibly shaken Snow is. She's twisting her fingers together and breathing heavily.
Regina mouths, "You okay?" Snow nods, though not very convincingly. "How far are we from them?" Regina asks quietly, keeping her voice as hushed as she can just in case.
"It depends which way we go," Snow explains. "If it's clear, fifteen minutes or so, if we hit another bump like this… who knows. If we hit another swarm like that we could die, if we come across Gold's men again..."
"Snow," Regina hushes her gently, placing her hands on her biceps. "Focus. The sooner we find Henry, the sooner we get to go to David. You know this place better than me… I need you right now. Henry and David need you right now." Regina's hands slip up and she squeezes Snow's shoulders and together they take one large breath, in and out. "You lead the way and I'll be right behind you."
"Not again," Regina grunts as she circles around, surrounded from every angle. Snow presses close to Regina and she starts letting off rounds at any of the undead who launch their way. Regina takes Robin's bow from around her torso and draws back an arrow, releasing it. They've made the unspoken agreement to try and fight their way out of this ambush.
Snow fires bullet after bullet until her gun clicks and clicks and clicks again when the magazine is finished. "This isn't going to work," she grits through her teeth, reaching into her pocket and attempting to reload as quickly as possible.
"Can we make it onto a fire escape?" Regina asks, firing off a few arrows but realising quickly that she's not as tactful as Robin with it. She puts it around her torso quickly and switches for one of the handguns she borrowed from Granny and lets off as many rounds as she can. "Snow?!"
"I'm looking," Snow replies while darting her eyes from building to building. "Wait-"
Snow catches the sight of a body on a rooftop on their left and suddenly a path is being made for them. Someone with a rifle is shooting the zombies down quickly, giving them a chance to sprint through the gap it creates.
"Is that Robin?" Snow asks loudly as she runs.
Regina throws her head up and catches the smug grin before anything else and she knows. "Oh yeah," she laughs. "Just get to the fire escape!"
Regina flashes back suddenly to when she, Will and Henry were trying to escape the street. She's helping Snow reach up to the fire escape and Robin pulls her up swiftly with Regina's help from below.
"Head up and start killing some of these bastards," he tells Snow, but wastes no time to reach down to Regina. "Your turn, milady," he strains as he lies along his front. "Kick off the wall and I'll catch you."
Nodding quickly, she takes a few steps back and sprints. She kicks her boot from the bricks on her left to give herself a boost and reaches for Robin's outstretched arm. He grabs onto her easily and holds her steady and dangling mid air for a moment as he thinks of the best way to pull her up.
"I don't mean to rush you," Regina mutters with airy breath, "but we are about to have company. Snow, over here!" Regina's staring straight ahead and there's a few zombies limping her way, some faster than others. "Pull me up now!"
Robin groans loudly as he goes against everything his muscles want him to do, ignores the painful stretch on his arm and pulls with everything he can muster. When Regina can grip onto the fire escape, she does and holds some of her own weight.
"Hold onto my neck," Robin demands quickly and he hastily links around her middle while her arms latch around his neck. He pushes backwards strenuously and prays that momentum and gravity will be their saving graces. They fall backwards like he had hoped they would, flat against the thin grating on the fire escape just in time, no bites or scratches, only a dull ache in her elbows where they collided with the metal and she's sure the fall has pulled all the air from Robin's lungs.
"Are you okay?" she groans as she pushes her weight off of him. His breathing is low and shallow, an attempt to slow his heart rate, but he nods to let her know he's fine. Once she's stood up straight, she offers a hand to him. "Let me help you."
He accepts the offer, utilises her efforts to pull his body to stand upright, though not without sniggering. "Isn't this usually the other way around?"
"Ha. Ha," she mocks, smiling shyly when they're face to face.
His smile disappears quickly as his fingers brush lightly over the blackening bruise on her face. She almost forgot about it, the fear of being eaten alive a powerful distraction. She shakes away his solicitous affection, smiling with tight lips, but there's little hesitance when Robin pulls her in close, enveloping her in relieved arms with a long sigh into her hair. "I'm so glad you're okay," he breathes.
"And you," she mumbles against the familiar woody scent of his shirt. "I found your friends," she tells him and they pull apart to look up at Snow and her beaming smile.
They climb the remaining steps to the rooftop and Snow launches herself at Robin. Their reunion is darling. All of the stories Robin and David told about David's wife becoming clearer and clearer and Regina can see just how close they are. Robin cups her cheeks sweetly, expresses how happy he is that she's safe. Regina has stepped away but she decides to turn her back to them to give them the privacy they deserve.
Snow begins to ask of David and Roland, but Robin assures that they are safe, that Roland still wasn't quite right but they knew something had happened to Regina and Henry. She hates making them worry, but she pushes it aside for now and stares down at the monster ridden streets, thinks of Henry and the danger that is hunting for him. Snow must have wondered too, because Regina hears Robin ask, "You've lost Henry?"
"He's with Will," Snow tells him and he looks Regina's way for further explanation. He's not angry, merely curious.
Regina sighs at the memory. "We got caught in a swarm just like that one. We got Henry high up first, then Will… but there wasn't enough time to pull me up." Regina can barely allow her eyes to leave the concrete of the rooftop floor. "I had to let go...but..." She doesn't mean to beat herself up about it, but the way her mind has focused on Henry being scared and alone or worse, she can't help the guilt and the welling of tears in her eyes that come with it. "I should have tried harder."
"You had to keep yourself safe," Robin says understandingly, much to Regina's surprise. "And you hardly left him alone. You made sure he was safe first."
"With Will?" Snow jokes, winking Regina's way playfully, a rather successful attempt at lightening the mood. Regina spares a soft laugh through her nose as Snow and Robin chuckle together at Will's expense. "We need to go. Gold's men know that they're here."
Robin's face flushes with concern and he looks around the rooftop. "Which direction do we need to head?" Snow points to her left and there doesn't seem to be an easy option in terms of travelling in that direction. They need to get back on the ground.
"Can we go inside and then out?" Regina suggests, nodding to the escape door in the centre of the rooftop.
"That may be our only option," Robin sighs. "Has everyone got enough ammo?"
Regina and Snow nod and Regina starts to take the bow from around her torso, handing it back to him. "I'm not very good with it anyway," she laughs, "but thank you. I know how much it means to you."
"You're alive, I imagine that means that it served you well."
It did and it didn't, but she'd never come off as ungrateful. If anything it was a symbol of the faith he has in her. He'd never give it to her if he'd never expect her to return. "It resulted in a number of accusations from your friends…" Robin's about to ask for more detail but Snow calls them over, the escape door opens and they can make their way inside. "I'll explain later," Regina laughs as they follow Snow inside the building.
"We're almost there," Snow promises. They're all out of breath, their lungs burning with each inhale and exhale. Running wasn't ideal but the longer they spent killing, the more time Graham and Sidney had to find Henry and they couldn't let that happen.
"Oh no…" Snow mutters worriedly.
"What?" Regina points ahead at an office building. The windows are smashed, the front door has been broken open. Seems like they were too late anyway.
"Please tell me that's not where Will and Henry are supposed to be…" Robin begs, looking back from Snow to the destroyed entrance. Much to their dismay, Snow nods sadly.
Regina runs inside with Henry's name whispering off her lips. She skips over the broken glass without a second thought and her gun drawn, ready to fire at anything. "Henry!" She calls out loudly and waits. There's no response, but she knows Henry has been here. She catches the striped red and grey scarf out of the corner of her eye. It's soft between her fingers, almost warm… it hasn't been long since it was wrapped around his neck.
From behind the reception desk, she hears a soft groan and immediately stands straight with her gun outstretched again. "Who's there?" she calls, but there's nothing, not at first. Then a small, pained groan sounds again. She circles around the desk slowly, alert and prepared. She sees the shoes first, then jeans… it's Will.
"Oh my god…"
She shoves her gun away and drops to her knees by Will's side. His face is beaten to a pulp, he's almost unrecognisable. She notices how his own knuckles are bloodied, poor thing must have fought back with everything he had. She's horrified and can't keep the frown from plastering on her face. She calls out for Robin and Snow several times but they must not hear her.
"Will," she coos softly and takes his hand. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." He squeezes, the lightest of squeezes, but she feels it. He tries to speak but his lip is so badly split and his cheek is swollen. "Don't. Take it easy. Can you sit up?"
He nods faintly and starts to shuffle his upper body from the floor. Regina helps him through the pain and the grunts until his back is flat against the wood of the desk and he barely manages a thank you but it's something. Regina's concentrating on giving Will water when she hears a commotion from outside, Snow yells for someone to stop, to leave Robin alone.
"Stay quiet," Regina hushes to Will before she stands and jogs outside. Snow has been smacked away whilst Robin is rolling around on the ground with someone in a noxious fist fight. There's little indication as to who has the upper hand, but then Graham's face comes into view.
"Stop!" Regina yells, gripping onto Graham's shoulders and pulling him back violently, but he twists and shoves her away, making her trip over her feet backwards and colliding with the hard concrete and he turns back to slam his fist into Robin's face once, twice, three times until there is blood spattering from Robin's mouth.
Snow is helping Regina up off the ground when Robin manages to flip Graham over and return the favour. Punches are being thrown, they are twisting and tumbling. When Graham wraps his fingers around Robin's neck and squeezes, Robin begins to struggle more and more until his body starts to become limp. Regina can't stand back and watch, she pulls the gun from her trousers, cocking it loudly and pointing it at Graham.
"Let him go," she demands, but he doesn't listen so she presses the gun against his tender temple and this time resorts to begging with a hushed voice. "Graham, please stop." When she says his name, his entire body stiffens and he releases Robin's throat.
Robin starts coughing violently at the sudden ability to breathe and he scrambles away. Graham turns his scowl towards Regina. His look is terrifying, primal, but it softens… his gnarly terrorising stare softens into a smirk.
"You know him?" Robin asks. His hands are clutching around his own neck, creating his own protective barrier from any future harm.
"And the truth comes out," Graham sniggers.
Regina pushes the gun more forcefully against his his, telling him to, "Shut up." Robin is looking at her like she's just betrayed him in the most horrible of ways. Not that she can blame him, but she has to let him know. "It's not what you're thinking, I swear."
"Isn't it?" Graham taunts with a cackle.
Regina growls angrily, forcing his back to the ground after swiftly kicking his chest, standing straight above him with the gun pointed straight down. Robin and Snow are staring, dazed and confused. "Will is badly hurt. He's inside. One of you, help him."
Robin instinctively wants to help his friend, but curiosity has glued him to the ground. Luckily Snow offers to go inside, glaring indescribably at Regina on her way past. She wishes she could leave Graham to run off and console Robin, reassure him until she loses her voice that she isn't in cahoots with Gold, but Henry is missing and time is precious.
"Where is Henry?" She demands an answer from Graham. He rolls his eyes and snorts a laugh. So getting an answer from him isn't going to be easy. "Graham, tell me where he is."
"He's with Sidney, of course," he mutters, smiling and jokes, "safe and sound."
Snow manages to help Will stagger outside; he's mobile but struggling. "Christ, Will!" Robin groans at the sight of him, jogging the short space to help him the rest of the way.
"Henry isn't who you should be worried about anyway," Graham sing songs. A creepy melody that makes Regina stomach drop to her knees.
Robin hears it too. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He comes to stand next to Regina, leaving Will dangling off of Snow's side.
"Sidney wants to leave you all a message. He wants to remind you where you stand. What better way to do that than killing the people you love most…" Graham's eyes are trained on Regina the entire time.
"What are you talking about?" Robin asks, straining his eyes closed. He's sick of the mind games.
"Robin…" Regina reaches back and rests a hand on his upper arms as she realises, "He's going after Roland."
"Ding ding ding," he mocks. "So you better run off and save your littlest adventurer."
Regina grits her teeth furiously, anger popping in her eyes. She prepares to kick him violently, to force his sarcasm away, to wipe that damn smirk off his face, but a hand grips onto her shoulder, snatching her back.
"Go," Snow tells her. She tells both she and Robin. "I've got Will and we won't let your friend out of our sights."
"He's not my friend," she spits. "If he tries anything, kill him." She turns to Robin who's readying himself for the run of a lifetime. So much has been brought to light, she feels that she needs to explain, "I…"
"There's no time," he hushes her. "Tell me later."
Regina nods and sighs a breath of relief as he tips his neck backward, telling her to follow and he starts running. She follows him easily, ignoring the horrific burning in her thighs, the scraping in her lungs. Air fights its way in and out of her body all the way to the outskirts of town and neither Regina or Robin let up in speed regardless of how much pain they are in. Fight or flight is serving them well.
It's deathly quiet when they reach the house and their fears come to life when they start to notice the small signs of attack on the house; bullet holes in the front door, a smear of blood on the bannister of the porch. The sight renders them frozen, staring. Regina squeezes Robin's shoulder, then he calls out for them, "Roland?! David?!" And he sprints inside, searching every room.
Regina can hardly breathe. She's eagerly trying to catch her breath and begs the terror to stop constricting her lungs. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches movement and draws her weapon for what feels like the millionth time that day.
She hears a pained groan and suddenly David falls into view. "Robin!" She shouts, sprinting over to David's side. "Are you hurt?"
David doesn't respond, he has a small cut and bump on the back of his head and he's groggier than anything she's ever seen. When Robin comes outside, he joins Regina next to David, inspecting the jagged wound and asking over and over are you okay? and where's Roland? but David can hardly string a sentence together; he's mumbling like he's been drunk for hours and clutches at the back of his neck.
Regina stands up and looks out into the fields around her. She's hoping to catch a mop of brown hair among the green. As her heart beats faster and her worry heightens, she crouches down through achy knees and takes a deep breath. She tries to gather her thoughts, tries to to think of what to do next while Robin tries to pry information out of David's cloudy mind.
David is trying to explain what happened. He speaks of a person she knows is Sidney, says Henry was with him. "How long ago?" Robin asks desperately.
"I…," David coughs violently and groans, "I don't know. I'm sorry… I... "
That's when Regina hears a creak, the tiniest of creaks but it catches her ear. She stands up again, listening intently.
"What about Roland?" Robin asks. "Did he take Roland?"
For a moment she thinks she imagined it all, but then there's a scuffle, something brushing against wood. "Guys, be quiet," she hushes Robin and David and they zip their lips closed tightly. They are watching as she walks closer to the house with her ears perked.
There's another scuffle… a thump… then the softest of groans and a gasp to keep it quiet. As Regina reaches the porch, she angles her head sideways to listen again and as soon as she hears the distressed whimpering, she can't help but smile while she runs to the edge of the house.
On their second day here, Roland wanted to go outside and they found a little entrance that led underneath the house, deep in the dirt and home to the water pipes, he must've remembered how she called it a perfect hiding place.
She drops to her knees and looks inside the small opening and she almost strangles herself on a relieved breath. Roland notices her in a second and begins to crawl like a menace into her open arms and launches at her torso, letting his pent up tears flow without a care.
"I've got you," she whispers into his hair, standing up quickly as he wraps his arms around her.
Robin is by him in seconds, burying his face into the back of Roland's hair and telling him over and over how glad he is that he's safe, how proud he is of Roland for hiding so well. Roland twists and latches around Robin's neck, freeing up Regina to sit on the porch steps to finally breath for a moment.
David has managed to stand up and is doing well at keeping himself upright and is just as much relieved that Roland is safe.
Regina hears a voice far off in the distance, a cry for help and her short moment of rest dissolves into nothing. It's Henry. It's Henry shouting for help and they all hear it. Robin puts Roland down softly onto the ground and all the adults group together around him.
"You know the man who has Henry, don't you?" Robin asks Regina. His tone is slightly bitter and a tad accusatory, but there isn't the time to let it damage her spirit.
She nods. "Unfortunately."
"What are the chances of him letting Henry go?"
"Zero," Regina deadpans. "I'll go."
"No," Robin argues, frustrated and confused.
"Look," Regina sighs heavily and reaches for both of his hands, gripping them tightly and trying her darnedest not to become a blubbering mess asking him to trust her again. "I haven't been entirely honest with you. But these men are from a part of my life that I worked so much to forget. I don't have time to explain it all to you, but please let me prove to you that I love Henry just as much as you do."
Robin's staring deep into her eyes, searching for anything to merit his doubt, but she knows it's not there. She's reassured when he gives her hands a small squeeze and nods his head. "If you're not back in fifteen minutes, we're coming after you."
"I promise I won't hurt him," Regina sighs shamefully and she drops his hands.
"That's not why we're coming after you. I need you both safe."
Regina runs in the direction of Henry's cries with Robin's belief in her being the spring in her step When she reaches the edge of a line of trees that indicate the entrance to the forest, she finds two sets of footprints in the mud of the forest floor and follows them quickly.
Henry's doing everything he can to slow them down, she can tell by the way his footprints are dragging - he's not making it easy for Sidney and she couldn't be prouder. As she moves faster, she just feels that she's getting closer and when she hears Henry's voice again, it's like a weight is lifted.
"Will you just move?" Sidney demands furiously, dragging Henry by the collar of his coat.
"Make me," Henry grits through his teeth, flinging all of his weight against Sidney's pull.
Regina takes this opportunity to draw her weapon and carefully make her presence know, "Let him go, Sidney." Both are startled, Henry's face plastered with an immediate smile and an eased slump in his shoulders. Sidney pulls Henry close to his chest and places his gun just shy of Henry's eyebrow. Regina's breath hitches in her throat, "I don't want to have to hurt you."
"That's not how this works, Miss Mills," Sidney mutters nastily, "And you know it. One of us won't make it out of this." Henry closes his eyes tightly as Sidney tightens his hold around Henry's neck. "And I'd hardly say you're in much of a position to take a shot…"
Sidney's right. Henry's is far too close to the line of fire for her to take a shot so risky. "He's just a boy…" she attempts to play to his softer side, to try and trick him. "Are you really willing to ruin his entire life all for the sake of a vaccine?"
Sidney scoffs and throws his head back with an amused laugh, "You think this is about a vaccine? You really know nothing."
Her eyes scrunch as every assumption she's made about Gold's motives are effectively crushed. Sidney is too concrete, his heart is too infected with blackness to change sides in the amount of time she has to play him.
Only one of them is leaving this space alive and Henry's fate relies completely on who that is.
Damn Sidney. Thanks so much for reading!