Hello guys, I am so sorry for the delay, but I am back! You might be wondering what took me so long to get this chapter out, well there are a couple of reasons. The first thing is that I was struggling to find out where this chapter was going, after the last one, things kind of ended like a cliffhanger, which I guess is good, but then I had major problems with the next chapter, I was somehow trying to make it fit nicely so it wouldn't feel too sudden, but the last chapter had such a cliffhanger ending, that I didn't even really know what to do next. The second thing is that I was nervous to even put this up. I am a shy person and get offended easily, and even though I always like criticism to improve, my mind thinks it's someone insulting me rather than helping. I am not talking about any of you guys though, you guys are so kind and nice to me that I can't thank you enough, it's other people I'm worried about, so don't worry if you think I directed this to you. Finally, the third thing, which I don't want to talk about in full detail, is that my life has been a mess for a couple of days. I don't really want to go into detail, but all you need to know was that it was bad enough to make me stop writing for a bit. So, after all that, I want to thank you guys who were patient and understanding, it made me happy to know that you were okay with waiting a little, as long as I got better, so thank you, and I think your reward is long overdue, so here is the chapter, I hope you enjoy.
Emily Cardin – 18 Years Old
My feet pounded on the street as I ran, that sound alone made me remember track, the sport I took in high school, but it wasn't only the sound that made me remember, I could feel the wind as it rushed by me, and my hair would ever so often gently lift as the wind picked it up. It would have been a happy memory if I wasn't running toward a scream, Taylor's scream to be exact. I should have known it was hers the first time she screamed. I didn't really care though, Taylor was here, and if she was, then the others might be too. I am glad that I'm not going alone though, Josh and Sophie were also running with me, I didn't think Sophie would be the type of person to just follow someone who didn't explain what was happening, but I guess with the screaming, she had a pretty good idea why I was running so fast. Josh, on the other hand, wasn't so trusting.
"EMILY! SLOW DOWN!" he shouted. I just ignored him.
Questions and thoughts filled my head a ridiculous pace, I could only now think of Taylor, and what other thing was with her. I didn't stop to answer them though, they would probably come in time, I just needed to get to her. To be honest, that was all I ever thought when I heard Taylor scream, I needed to get to her as fast as possible because I knew there can only be a few reasons for why she was screaming. John and Sophie didn't say anything either, they just ran alongside me, fully trusting that I knew what I was doing. I hoped I did too.
I don't know how long it took, but we made it back to our scavenging entrance, the same path we always go through when we enter the town. The screaming was louder now, but it seemed to go deeper into the woods. I was already running to it, and Sophie was to, but suddenly I was pulled back. I turned around to see Josh holding my arm, keeping a firm grip on me.
"What are you doing!" I yelled.
"Emily! What the hell is going on! You haven't explained a thing yet!" Josh shouted right back.
I almost struggled to break free, but I held my ground, although it was tempting because I was hearing Taylor screaming behind me.
"It's Taylor, Josh, it's fucking Taylor, and she needs help! Let me go!" I yelled, but Josh's grip was tighter.
"You have no idea if that's really her, it could be a bandit luring us into a trap, or a survivor getting devoured by walkers, how the hell could it be one of your friends, who was last seen in Georgia by the way."
I was already angry at Josh for a couple of reasons, but that last comment put me over the edge, even though he went out of his way yesterday to assure me that they might come back, that we might be reunited. The thought of never seeing Fredrick, Nick, Shane, and even Rebecca again, upset me.
"YOU JUST HAVE TO TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!" I screamed.
I was surprised at how loud I shouted, at how much I cared for my old group, even though we hardly knew each other, but even though we got stuck in an apartment together for 2 – 3 days, I felt like I knew them my whole life. I knew who Fredrick was and I was inspired by him, Nick made me laugh and took me and Connor's side when they questioned us, Rebecca was just a young woman trying to forget her past and survive, and even Shane, who hasn't really talked to me, I felt like I knew him to. I think even Josh was surprised at my intense shouting because his loose lightened a bit.
"I am just saying Emily, it might not even be Taylor. We shouldn't get our hopes up for something that might not come true." Josh said, in a quieter voice now.
I was ready to slap him when Sophie gave her opinion.
"It might be worth it to check who it is anyway, even if it is not the Taylor you are speaking of. We can help them out." Sophie chimed in.
Josh stared at Sophie, I guess he was now considering it because even if it wasn't Taylor, it could still be someone alone and defenseless. I knew it was her though, there was no doubt in my mind that the scream belonged to her.
"Sophie, I appreciate your thought, but I have already taken in you, Emily, and Alice, and I don't really think me, and Lewis can afford- "
Sophie rolled her eyes at the mention of Lewis.
"I don't any mean disrespect Monsieur, but baiser Lewis," Sophie cut off, "he disrespects you, and others around him. I bet he hasn't worked a day in his life, I can see it in his eyes. He has constantly disobeyed you, and now you're caring about his feelings?"
Now Josh let go of me and turned to Sophie.
"Listen to me miss, I know my son is a stupid piece of shit, but no matter how fucked up he is, I love him, because he is my son, and he is my only fucking connection to the world before it went to shit. You know I would do anything to help you and Emily, but my son's survival comes first, no matter how whiny he may be."
I never really thought of that, on how Lewis, really is Josh's only connection to the world before walkers. Maybe that's why I miss Connor so much, maybe he was my connection before the world ended, but I know it's much more than that.
Before Sophie could reply, gunshots rang out. I heard multiple screams now, Taylor was one of them. It was coming from the woods, and I could even see flashes in the distance. It looked like it was very deep in the woods, possibly near our camp. I pray it isn't because then Alice and Lewis would have to deal with. The gunshots brought me back to reality, and I sprinted away from Sophie and John.
"EMILY!" Josh screamed.
I didn't look back, I just ran right into the trees, with Josh's screams behind me.
The woods had a very different feel to it than before. Instead of feeling alive and full of life, it felt dead. Maybe it was because of the lack of animals, or the number of bullet holes in the trees. The gunshots rang out far to the left, which means it wasn't near the camp. I sighed in relief, even though I bet Alice and Lewis could also hear gunshots. I ran away from the path that John set up to our camp and headed deeper into the wilderness.
Gunshots still rang out, I could hear more screaming, and this time something else, I could hear shouting as well. I don't know where the sounds were coming from now, it seemed to be all around me like it was bouncing off the trees and the gunfight was somewhere else. I looked around in confusion, there were bullet holes and even bullet casings everywhere, but no one else.
"THERE'S ONE OF THEM!"
Before I could process what that meant, bullets came flying in front of me. I didn't hesitate, I turned to run but then an intense pain suddenly emerged from my left shoulder, I could see blood spew out of it. I've been shot. I scream and try and scramble away, but I trip over something big. It makes me fall face first into the dirt. I hear more gunfire, this time in front of me instead of behind me. Whoever is shooting at me have turned their attention to the others.
"IF YOU MESS WITH US, THEN WE FUCK WITH YOU!"
It sounded like a grown man shouting that, and with the amount of gunfire I hear, I doubt he's the only one around. To be honest, I don't think I thought this plan through, I had no idea what I would meet if Taylor was here. I didn't think I would be in a battle, and yet here I was. I don't know if I was reacting properly to the situation as well, should I be screaming? Running? Or just generally do anything other than lay there.
Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my arms. My left shoulder protest, screaming in pain from that bullet wound, but whoever was dragging me didn't stop until they pulled me behind one of the trees, away from the gunfire. I didn't open my eyes, but someone was shaking me.
"Emily! Wake up!"
It sounded like…Rebecca?
I opened my eyes, and I was correct. Rebecca was crouching down, shaking me awake.
"Jesus Emily, did you gain weight while I was gone!"
I didn't know how to respond, too many things were happening at once, so I just laid there while I looked at her. Rebecca wasn't wearing a black hoodie now, she was wearing a black tank top that had blood on it, like real blood. The tank top revealed a dragon tattoo on her right arm, that crawled down to her hand. She had a pistol in hand and she was staring at me, concerned.
"Rebecca? Is that you?" I say.
"Of course, it's me, would you forget this glorious face?" she replies.
I smile a bit, Rebecca sure knows how to get me in a good mood while there is a battle going on. I hear more gunshots now though, and I fear we might die, I don't even know what caused this. Rebecca ducks when a bullet whizzes by her head. She stands behind the tree and leans out to shoot.
"What the hell happened? What are you guys doing here?" I ask.
"Shoot now, ask questions later," Rebecca replies, "Oh, here take this gun, shoot those fuckers for me will ya?"
Rebecca passes me a gun, already loaded, and she keeps firing. I guess our little reunion will have to wait till this is over. I stand up, holding the gun in my right hand. Now I am a little nervous, I have never really shot a gun before, that was Connor's job. I always used my trusty hunting knife, but my friend was counting on me.
I take a deep breath and hold out my gun, I don't know where to aim, so I just shoot randomly. I hear my bullets leave the gun as I shoot, they whizz away. I don't think I hit anyone, and I ran out of bullets anyway by shooting like a maniac. My hand hurts from shooting, and now I know I will never use a gun again. I cover behind the tree while Rebecca shoots, she doesn't even notice I left my position until she goes back to cover.
"Did you run out of ammo, that fast?" she asked.
I smile shyly, "Maybe…"
Rebecca rolls her eyes.
"Just stay down, this will be over quick." She says.
I sit down behind the tree, breathing heavily. I try to calm myself down by thinking of John, Alice, and even Connor, but somehow even he vanishes from my mind as bullets go by me. Do these guys have unlimited ammo or something, it feels like they've been shooting forever. There screams, and shouts go on.
"You're going to fucking pay!"
"We didn't do shit to you!"
"Get down!"
"NICK. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"
Wait, Nick? I think. Is he here too? I look out from the tree, scanning the area. I don't see him, but Rebecca confirmed he was here, so I will believe he is. I return to my cover, trying to calm down when I see John and Sophie running towards me. I am so relieved they came to follow me. Sophie reaches me first, touching my left shoulder gently.
"What happened!?" Sophie shouts.
I hold my shoulder, it still hurts, but I think I will survive, "I got shot, don't worry about me!" I scream back.
Rebecca notices her but doesn't shoot because I am with them. Josh comes next, sprinting toward us, his shirt sticks to him because he is sweating so much, he must be tired, but he just looks at me.
"Are you ok?!" He shouts.
"Yeah, I am, don't worry about me, help her!" I say, pointing at Rebecca.
"What the hell am I supposed to do!"
"I don't know, fucking shoot them!" screams Rebecca.
Josh started to get his gun out, but then something violently jerked me back. I hit the ground and screamed because there was a walker on top of me. It was a man, he had a blue coat on, even though it was summer. He had a sniper rifle strapped to his back, and he looked fresh like he was recently bitten. I yelled at I struggled with it, thank god Sophie was there with her knife, she quickly stabbed it in the head and it dropped dead on top of me.
"WALKERS INCOMING!" Rebecca shouted.
She was right, emerging from the woods were exactly seventeen walkers. All of them probably attracted by the noise, hungry for flesh. The men over on the other side started to shoot at the walkers. This gave Rebecca a clean shot. I heard her shoot twice, and I heard two men scream out in pain. The men who were hiding earlier, now have run out into the clearing because even more walkers were coming from behind them. Then I heard a click, and Rebecca groans out of frustration.
"Shit! I'm out bullets!" Rebecca yelled.
"What do we do!" Sophie shouted.
Rebecca looked at the men who were shooting at the walkers, some of them threw their guns aside and got out there knifes. They seemed to be running out of ammo. Rebecca looked over at the other side, where she randomly nodded, I guess for a signal. I could tell she was up to something.
"Wait, Rebecca, what are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm going to crack some heads," Rebecca replied and then ran out.
"WAIT, REBECCA!" I shouted, but she was already in the clearing. I chased after her, ignoring Sophie and Josh's calls and got out my knife. It was probably a bad idea, considering I've already been shot and shouldn't be fighting, but I don't care. I don't know what she was planning to do, but I was going to be with her when she did it.
The men noticed me and Rebecca charging at them, some of them held their ground, while others, intimidated by the walkers and us, started to scramble away. Some of them with their guns out, got ready to fire, but Josh already started to shoot at them. Rebecca rammed into the first guy she saw and stabbed him in the heart. Another man came up behind her, but I quickly ran up and stabbed his head, he let out a short gasp and fell. Rebecca got the knife out and swiftly turned around and sliced a charging women's throat. The women held onto her throat with her hand and stumbled backward.
Josh kept shooting at the bandits with his gun. Their bodies provided the walkers with a distraction as they feasted on their flesh, however, other walkers kept walking toward us, moaning and groaning like a mindless beast. I didn't pay any attention to them, after all, there was only one more bandit to deal with. A man came charging at me with his knife, but I dodged it stabbed a man in the back. This time though, he fought back. He turned around a stabbed me in the leg. The pain was just as bad as when I got shot, and I fell to the ground, screaming as the man towered over me. The man stood up and prepared to slam the knife into my chest when I heard something rustling behind him.
Nick, who seemed to come out of nowhere, ran up behind the man and stabbed the man in the head with his katana. Blood sprayed on my face as Nick pulled out his sword, and the man slumps to the ground.
"Hey there Emily, lovely weather, right?" Nick asked.
He offered his hand, and I grab it as he helps me up. I wince as he pulls me to my feet, it must be because of my wounds, so I just put my right hand to cover up my left shoulder wound, right now I didn't want to focus on my injuries, I want to talk to Nick. Nick hadn't really changed his outfit since he escaped the city, the only thing that was different was the color of his leather jacket, which was now dark green.
"Yes, it is. It's good to see you, Nick." I replied
He smiled, and I smiled back, it really was good to see another familiar face again, we both embraced for a bit before we pulled away. After that, me and Nick watched as Rebecca stomped on the last walker's head. Bodies, littered the forest floor, bandits, and walkers alike. Rebecca, satisfied with a job well done, walked over to us, smirking.
"Enjoying your reunion?"
I smiled and went to hug Rebecca, and she accepted it. I was so happy Nick and Rebecca were okay, and there was so much I wanted to talk about, but I just stood there hugging her. After a hot second, she pulled out.
"Who were those guys?" I ask.
"They were a bunch of shitheads," she replies, "but, in reality, I have no idea. We didn't do anything to them, and they came out of nowhere like they've been trying to hunt us down their whole lives, fucking unbelievable."
"Well, it's over, now right?"
"Right, it is, now if you excuse me, I have to sound the alarm," then Rebecca turned toward the woods, "Guys! It's okay to come out now!" Rebecca shouted.
The first one to come out of there hiding spot was Sophie and Josh. Josh held the gun, breathing heavily as he held his gun tightly. Sophie looked at all the bodies, clearly shocked at how many there were, unlike all of us, she didn't have a drop of blood on her.
"You okay?" Josh asked me as he came over.
"Yes, thank you," I say.
Josh smiled and turned to talk to Sophie.
Then I hear leaves rustling behind me, I turn around sharply, my eyes widening, are there more bandits? No, it turned out to be… Shane!
Shane comes out from behind a tree, holding his trusty ax handle. He still has the business suit on as well, covered in blood. As he looks around at the bodies, he sees me, and his eyes widen.
"Emily?" Shane says.
"Hey Shane, long time no see."
Shane comes up, hesitantly, his eyes open wide like if he blinks I might vanish or something. Then surprisingly, he hugs me, I almost gasp and pull away, but it feels good to be in his embrace, and I don't want to be rude to Shane, he was the first other person I met before the others.
"I thought you died, and we were so worried, but you're here," I say, smiling
"I'm right here Emily I'm so glad to see you again."
I don't realize I'm crying until Shane wipes away some of my tears. Embarrassed a bit, I pull out. I realize that's a little rude, but Shane doesn't mind, and he pulls away too. Now that I know Nick, Shane, and Rebecca were alive, I was excited to see Taylor and Fredrick.
"Hey, where are Taylor and Fredrick?"
Suddenly, a grim face replaces the happy ones from before, and Rebecca and Nick look at each other. I don't understand why they're suddenly so sad, but my stomach clenches at the thought of what they're going to tell me.
"Taylor is here, but, she is a bit more depressed than usual," Rebecca says.
"What? Why?" I ask.
Rebecca and Nick look at each other, debating in their minds if they should tell me. I guess they decided on "Yes" because Nick puts his hand on my shoulder and sighs.
"During the escape, in the city three months ago, she lost Fredrick and Alice in the horde. She has no idea if they're alive or not, so that's one thing." Nick replies.
My heart breaks when he talks about Fredrick, he's not with them? It almost ruins my mood, and I feel sad I won't get to meet him, but at least Taylor will reunite with Alice soon, and then Alice will be happy, but then I remember that Nick says, "that's one thing".
"What else?"
"A lot happened while we were apart. We met another survivor two months ago, his name was Chuck, and he was just like Dave to her. They spent a lot of time together, and Chuck made her really happy, the fool even gave her jewelry, but a few days ago, he got bit, and we had to put him down."
I don't know who Chuck was, but it sounded like Taylor liked him a lot. I was sad to know that I wouldn't see Fredrick, but at least I could have the slight possibility that he is alive, just like Connor. I wonder how this has affected Taylor.
Just as I have that thought, Taylor comes out, along with a huge man, taller than Shane even. Taylor now wears a white sleeveless shirt, with a bandage on her arm, and long black pants. She looks tired, and her cheeks are wet with tears. I know it probably isn't the best time, but I try to talk to her anyway.
"Hello Taylor, how are you?"
She doesn't respond, so I take it as a sign to stop talking to her. The man next to her doesn't talk either, but he stares at me. He has a very muscular build, with greying dark brown hair and a thick greying dark brown beard, he is white and tall too, taller than Shane, which scares me. He wears a Blackwork jacket with what looks like a Tony Romo t-shirt underneath. He has faded jeans on and steel toe boots.
"Nice to meet you miss, my name is Richard." He says as he shakes my hand. He must bend down to do so.
"Nice to meet you, Richard." I shake his hand, he has a firm grip. I guess it will be nice to know more about him. It's funny how Connor wouldn't even allow Shane, and now here I was with a whole new group of people surrounding me, if only Connor was here to see it.
Suddenly, I feel tired, light headed even. I blink a few times, but black spots edge at my vision.
"We met Richard one month ago in a small town. He's pretty nice, so don't let his size fool you," Nick said, "even if he looks like a small car."
Nick laughs, and even Rebecca smirks a little, I attempt to, but for some reason, I feel my vision fading.
"Em," Josh says, are you alright?"
Everyone is staring at me now, all of them have worried looks on their expressions. I struggle to pronounce the word "yes", so I try to nod. As I lean my head back to do the nod, I fall over.
"Emily!" Sophie shouts.
Everyone has crowded around me, clearly confused by what has happened and trying to help. I feel sticky and bad inside, almost like I lost too much…
It's the blood, I lost way too much blood, and now I'm about to lose consciousness. I try and keep my eyes open, but they feel like heavy blankets, I can't keep them open for much longer. Everyone is kneeling next to me, seeing the blood.
"Holy shit! She's losing blood!" Rebecca yelled.
"Get her to our camp, it's this way!" Josh shouted.
Josh takes out one of his jackets and wraps n around my arms wound, it hurts, but I stay still and let them fix me. I try to stay awake, but my eyes are too heavy and tired, I have to fall asleep now, so I close my eyes. The last thing I see before my eyes shut is Richard picking me up.
I hoped you guys enjoyed this! Again, sorry for the delay, but I hoped you liked this chapter. It has its problems, no matter how many times I re-read it, I always find a spelling mistake afterward, I feel that I rushed it a bit. But if you guys saw my other "attempts" then you would unfollow the story.
We got the crew back! I am so excited to write about them again. And, thank you Superpenguins8771 I hoped you guys are curious about Richard, I can't wait to write him!
The next chapter shouldn't be long since I am going to be doing something special for that. I won't spoil anything, but, let's just say Emily will have her first-day dream.
Take Care
CandleFire45