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Edward
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"Ed!"
I just keep walking, trying to ignore the tingling in my toes telling me I should stop.
"Damnit, Ed, if we don't stop, we're all gonna collapse!"
Emmett's words halt my footsteps. When I stop I notice how hard I'm breathing, how hard I'm pushing myself. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push away thoughts of what's happening to Bella right now. If I don't, I'm going to just keep walking. I hear his footsteps approaching before I hear his voice. When I do, his voice is calm and patient, the way you would reason with a small child.
"I want to get there just as much as you do, but if we don't stop and rest, eat something, and take care of our half-frozen feet, we're not going to be any good to anyone. Now, come on. Let's get the tents set up, start a fire and take care of a few things."
I just nod and follow behind him as he leads the way back to the group. Some are already working on setting up tents, a few are building a fire, and it looks like Rose and Seth are figuring out what we're all gonna eat. I just dumbly walk over to a fallen tree and sit.
I haven't really said much since we left home yesterday afternoon. The group pushed themselves to walk most of the night, despite the cold. It's now close to dawn, and we're breaking for food and some sleep. And we all probably need to tend to our feet. I'd hate for someone to lose toes, or worse, simply because I didn't want to stop and rest.
I don't know how long I sit here, but soon, Seth walks over with a small bowl of food. It's a hunk of bread, some dried fruit, and a few pieces of jerky. Taking it from him, I look up and nod my head in thanks.
"Rose said she's going to soak some beans while we sleep, then tomorrow they'll be ready to cook when we stop. This'll have to do for tonight."
Again, I only nod. I honestly don't care what they put in my hands to eat, I'm just thankful it's someone else's responsibility to figure it out. I do know I don't want to waste any time hunting. I mindlessly shovel the food in my mouth, and I'm soon handed a steaming cup of tea. I can't even tell what kind it is, I just know it's hot, and it's warming me not only from the inside out, but my hands as well.
"Hey man, you okay to bunk with me on this one?" Emmett comes up behind me, straddling the log and sitting. He's trying to keep his tone light, which is nothing new.
"What about Rose? Figured you two would share a tent."
"Nah, she's gonna share with Leah. She didn't want her to have to sleep next to any of those smelly mutts. Who knows, maybe she has some curiosity and wants to get in a little girl on girl action before she's an old married lady." His wink and wiggling eyebrows earn him a small grin from me. This is why I love this guy. He always knows how to drag my sullen ass back from the edge.
"Well, if you're done, the tents are all set up, and I'd like to catch some sleep before the sun's too high in the sky. You ready?"
I just nod and stand, stretching my aching muscles. I didn't realize until I stopped just how sore and tired I actually was. I follow Emmett over to our tent and crawl in, pulling my pack along with me. Removing my boots, I assess my feet. My socks are damp, but not too bad. I pull them off, lay them out to dry, and let my feet air out a bit while I dig into my pack for a new pair. While I'm looking, my hand skims across the fabric of Bella's pillowcase. My fingers grip it, and I will away the tears in my eyes. It doesn't work, and I try to discreetly wipe my eyes and hide my sniffles.
"We're gonna get her back. You know that, right?" If it were anyone besides Emmett, I'd be embarrassed by my display of emotions. But, we've seen each other at our worst, so I'm not ashamed. I'm just thankful I have him as a brother.
"Yeah. It's just ripping me up inside not knowing what's happening to her. I mean, my god Em, what if she's hurt? What if they're walking in this weather too? She had her boots on that morning, but they aren't designed to walk a hundred miles in. She's so pregnant she's been really clumsy lately. What if she trips and falls and hurts the baby or hits her head? What if..."
The hard smack on my face snaps me out of my unending rant. I'm stunned, struck literally dumb. The words and all the thoughts that went with them have left my mind.
"Are you done?"
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I get my emotions in check.
"Yeah."
"Good. Now, I've let you have your moments, but it's time to snap out of it and focus on what we need to do. Bella needs you right now so, your pity party is over. Understood?"
"Understood." I open my eyes and reach over to give him the manliest hug I can manage, complete with a slap on the back. "Thanks, Em."
"No problem. I know if I needed a slap to the face, you'd be there for me too." That breaks the tension, and we both settle in for the night. We wake late the next morning and break camp, once again getting on the road. The next few days are much the same; walk, break to eat and sleep, then walk some more. We aren't following a set schedule. Instead, we walk until we can't walk any further. By our estimation, the trip is just over a hundred miles to Seattle, and we're trying to cover twenty miles at a time. That's been made more difficult with the weather we've had.
We do pass a couple of homesteads on the way. People living in cabins, surviving off the land on their own. It's a romantic notion, but in my mind, it's dangerous to be alone in a world like this. We just keep walking, not taking the chance of having our heads blown off for trespassing.
On the sixth day, we reach the outskirts of the city. It's overwhelming to think of all the buildings we need to clear in order to find her. We decide that making a base camp of sorts is a good idea, that way we can go in and assess each location then return to base before we try to coordinate an attack.
Our camp is just a bit more permanent this time. We know we'll more than likely be here for several days before we find where they are, despite having the map Seth found. Looking over it again, we decide on a 'divide and conquer' strategy, breaking into two small groups to search the different locations. Each day, we'll send out two parties of three each, leaving two to guard the camp. Then we'll meet back here and share what we've found.
After having a decent meal of beans and some jerky, we turn in for the night, so we'll be well rested for the next day. I don't get much sleep, tossing and turning all night; thoughts of Bella being so close, yet still so far away. Thankfully, Emmett sleeps through it all.
The next morning, I'm up before the sun, getting things ready. I'm not taking my pack, just my weapons. Even if we find them, we're not going to engage until we meet up and come up with a plan.
Once everyone is awake, we are divided into teams. My group is made up of Emmett, Seth, and myself. Leah, Embry, and Brady make up the other group, and Rose and Tyler volunteer to stay behind. We check the map and our team is going to start our search on the northern side, and the others will head south.
We head out after making sure all of our weapons are locked and loaded. Thankfully, the weather is cooperating this morning. It isn't too cold or too terribly windy. We start out walking through what was once a residential area. Well, I guess it still is. The homes make it residential, but without the residents.
We walk along silently, just the sound of our boots hitting the pavement. Taking in our surroundings, it's like a ghost town. Abandoned cars all along the roadway, boarded and burned out homes; it's incredibly sad that this neighborhood, that was at one time full of life, is now desolate. I'm so lost in my thoughts, that I don't even notice that Seth has stopped walking. Looking back at him, he has an odd look on his face.
"What is it, Seth?" Emmett is looking all around, checking to see if we have company.
"Do you guys smell that?" Taking a deep breath, I smell it too. Fire. Someone is burning wood. I close my eyes and try to figure out the direction it's coming from. With the breeze coming from the west, that's where we need to head.
"Yeah, and it's coming from that way," I say, pointing in the direction I want to go.
"Do you think it's them?" Seth sounds nervously excited.
"Doubt it. This area wasn't marked on the map. It could be a holdout; someone that never left the city. Be ready for anything."
We make our way silently through the deserted city streets in the direction of the fire. As we get closer, the smell gets stronger. We narrow it down to a single house in the center of the block. Using some basic hand signals, we quietly surround it, trying to get a better look. Almost all the windows are boarded up, so it's hard to get a good look inside. I decide to push my luck and try to get closer.
The back porch steps are cement, so I don't have to worry about them creaking, but when I go to pull the screen door open, its rusty hinges give me away. Before I can blink, I'm being held against the side of the house, an eight-inch blade at my throat.
When my eyes meet those of my attacker, a flood of relief flows through me. Thankfully, he realizes who he's up against at the same moment, and he releases me.
"Masen, you son of a bitch! I damn near slit your throat!"
"Jasper!" I grab him in a hug, both of us still holding our weapons. "What the fuc... Where the hell have you been? I didn't think I'd see you again. We thought you were dead, man!" We release each other just as Emmett and Seth come from opposite sides of the house, their faces matching mine, confused at first then breaking out into smiles.
"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Holy shit Whitlock. Did you decide to take an extended vacation in the city?" Emmett teases him just before he wraps him in a bear hug. "You okay?" I hear Em quietly ask him.
"Yeah, I'm all right. I was beginning to think I wasn't gonna see any of your ugly mugs again, though. Its been...a rough few weeks. Come on in, and I'll tell you all about it." We follow him inside. It's a small house, but not crowded. The fireplace is roaring, burning what looks like furniture. He notices what I'm looking at, and answers the unasked question. "Once we ran out of stuff to burn, I started scavenging from the other houses on the block."
"We?" I look around, looking for anyone else in the room. Off in the corner is a small bed, with a lump in the middle. Walking over, I see it's Mike Newton. He looks...okay. Weak, but not gravely injured. I don't see any obvious damage anywhere.
"He got shot when we raided the hospital." I didn't hear Jasper walk up to me, but he's right there. "Took a bullet to the leg. The bleeding eventually stopped, but it must've been just enough to weaken him. Without enough food, and being in bed for this long, he just has no strength. Even if he did, he could never walk home on that bad leg. I couldn't just leave him." His voice is full of regret. I'm sure if he had a choice, he'd already be home with Alice.
"Wait! You said hospital? You know where they are?"
"Yes, sir. We almost made it all the way inside, too. Got close enough that I could hear little Benny crying, so I know we were close. They managed to capture Garrett and Sam when we engaged them. They killed Randall and Collin too. So when Newton was hit, I dragged his ass outta there and hid. I couldn't afford for them to come after me. I was the only link to get word back home. I didn't expect to still be here three weeks later."
"But you could show us where they are?" Emmett sounds so hopeful.
"Sure can. I just don't know what to do with this guy."
Looking around the room, I see materials we could use. "Em, will you give me a hand?"
"Sure thing." We've moved Mike and the mattress he was on to the floor in front of the fire and quickly get to work fashioning a stretcher out of the bed. He hardly comes to when we move him onto the stretcher, only barely acknowledging us.
"So, where are we headed?" Jasper has both of their packs loaded on his back, ready to go.
"We'll head back to our base camp. I assume that the hospital they're being held in is close?"
"Yeah, maybe four miles from here."
"Then the other team wouldn't have found it. When they get back later, we'll regroup. We can come up with a plan tonight."
It's slow going, carrying Mike through the city streets, back to our base camp, but we make it there before sundown. We settle him into one of the tents, and Seth helps Jasper set up his. Once everything is where it needs to be, we all gather around the fire.
"Man, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. I didn't realize they'd send out a search party to find the search party." He snickers a bit. It's at that moment that I realize he has no idea why we're here, that Bella was taken too. When no one laughs at his little joke or even acknowledges it, he realizes something is wrong. "What? That is why you're here, isn't it?"
I just stare into the fire as Emmett answers his question.
"No, actually there was another abduction."
"What? Who was it?" Jasper looks at the somber faces gathered around the fire. When his eyes land on me, they flash with understanding. "Charlie wouldn't send you with me because Bella was so close to her due date." I only nod; words seemingly stuck in my throat. "Please tell me he just changed his mind and that she's home safe with that baby."
"I can't." My voice is rough with emotion, and before I lose it again, I stand and walk off to get myself together. As I pace the edge of the clearing where we've set up camp, trying to calm down, I hear footsteps approach.
"Emmett's filling him in." Rose finds a spot to sit, cautiously watching me. She knows I'm just hanging on by a thread right now. It wouldn't take much for me to snap. "You know, I'm pretty sure everyone understands that you're under a lot of stress. Nobody would think less of you if you let them see some of that emotion. But personally, I think it's time to show them what Edward Masen is made of. I know how you can be Edward. You can be cranky, obnoxious, opinionated, but you can also kick major ass. You forget, I lived with you for a while. I've walked over two thousand miles with you. I've seen you take charge. I know what you're capable of. It's time to switch gears. Right now, the emotionally wrecked husband isn't the man Bella needs. She needs you, the trained defender, to fight for her. Now, as soon as you put yourself together and get yourself in the right headspace, we can come up with a plan." With that, she stands, brushes herself off, and turns to leave.
"Thanks, Rose," I say to her retreating form. She turns to me, a smile on her face.
"Anytime, Masen. I'll never pass up a chance to bust your balls." With a wink, she heads back to the group.
Thinking about what she's said, I know she's right. I need to tuck the emotions away and focus on the mission. I can't help my wife if I can't see straight because of the tears in my eyes. With the resolve that I can have my emotions back once I have her back in my arms, I stand straight and walk determinedly toward the group. They're all looking over the map as I walk up.
"Okay, let's decide what's next. Jasper, how far is the building? You said it's a hospital, right?"
Judging by the expression on his face, he realizes I've switched gears, and thankfully, he doesn't question it.
"Yes, sir. I'd say it's about seven miles north-northwest from here. See," he says, pointing out the location on the map. "It's a big building too. When we originally came across it, we almost dismissed it because it didn't make sense for them to be in a place so big. But we saw them moving in and out of it, hauling in water and food. We watched for a couple of days before we tried to go in. Garrett, the poor guy, he just about exploded waiting. We cleared each floor, and when we got to the ninth, well, that's where everything went to hell.
"Somehow, they knew we were coming. My only guess is that they spotted us when we approached. All they had to do was sit by the door and wait. They took out Collin first. He was the one that opened the damn door. I was pulling up the rear, so I didn't get a clear view of how it all went down. Somehow, they managed to grab both Garrett and Sam. When they shot Randall, I knew we were down to two. Newton tried to get a shot off, but they got one off in his leg, and he dropped his gun right to the floor. I somehow managed to pull him back and jam the door closed to buy us some time.
"Even bleeding like he was, Newton was able to run. Must'a been the adrenaline. We made it outta the building and halfway down the block before we heard their voices. We were far enough away that we were able to hide. Once it was quiet again, I realized how badly Mike was hurt. He was quiet at that point, too quiet. So, I hauled him as far as I could to a house I thought I could get into. That was about three weeks ago."
"Okay, so you said you think they saw you approach, right?" Jasper nods in agreement. "So, how do you suggest we get in there?"
"Honestly, we made the mistake of going in there in broad daylight. I think if we at least enter the building at night, we shouldn't have any problems."
Looking up at the sky, I see that only a sliver of the moon is out, so in a couple of nights, we should be able to go in under the cover of absolute darkness. Looking back at the group, I see they're waiting for me to make a decision.
"Okay, two nights from now, we go. In the meantime, we plan. We get our weapons ready, we go observe the building to make sure no new players have been added. Jasper, could you see how many you were up against?"
"No, like I said, I was in the back, in the stairwell, when it all went down. My best guess is it was four or five. But they were armed."
"Well, so are we. And we outnumber them this time. If there were five, like the group that left back in May, even with Alec and Jane, that's only seven of them, and there are nine of us. If we can get the element of surprise, we'll have the advantage. Now, Jasper, tell me everything you know about this building."
We spend the next few hours going over our plans, even deciding to send someone out to hunt the next morning. Again my sleep is restless; I just can't switch off my brain. There's so much that could go wrong.
"Wanna talk about it?" Emmett's rough voice tells me he'd been asleep.
"Sorry man, didn't mean to wake you." With a resigned sigh, I let him know what's rattling around in my head. "I just don't want anything to go wrong. There are five people in that building counting on me to get them out. There are just too many fucking variables."
"Ed, you've got a solid team behind you. I'm not gonna lie and tell you that nothing's gonna go wrong, but if we stick to the plan, we'll have the best shot."
"Yeah, I know." Thinking of how terrified Bella's gonna be when she hears the gunfire, another thought crossed my mind. "I wish there was a way I could let her know we're coming."
"Maybe you can."
"And how the fuck do I do that?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure out something. Maybe we can leave her a clue, give her some kind of signal."
As my mind goes through all sorts of possibilities, I finally drift off to sleep. When I wake, I'm still unsettled, trying to come up with a way to signal Bella. As I dig through my pack for a clean shirt, I come across our green bandana. And an idea forms in my mind.
Running out of the tent, I track down Jasper.
"Where do you think they are again, on the north side of the building?"
I seem to have surprised him. "Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure. The other floors were set up with patient rooms on the north side. Why?"
"Are there any buildings on the north side close enough that someone could see from the windows?"
"I'm pretty sure there's an apartment building close on that side. What do you have in mind?"
"If I can get in that building tonight, I can leave a signal for Bella. Who wants to go with me?"
Jasper volunteers, and that night, well after sunset, we're hugging the edges of the buildings on our way to the apartments across the street from the hospital. Before we go inside, I scan the front and do a quick count. I can only pray that she'll see it and will understand what I'm trying to tell her.
The building isn't locked, so we get inside without any problems. I'm thankful that I'm in good shape, because I'm able to fly up the nine flights of stairs and make it to the tenth floor. Counting from the end, I choose the apartment I want to get into, and that door is unlocked as well. My eyes have adjusted just enough that I'm not tripping over anything, but it's still an obstacle course.
"And you're sure she'll know it's you?"
"If she sees it, she'll know it's me. Now, I can only hope she understands the message,"
Walking over to the window, I force it open, which is a little difficult, seeing that it probably hasn't been opened in years. I take a minute and look at the looming building across the street. My wife, my child, my entire world is in there. The frustration I feel can't be described. Knowing I have to wait an entire day to go in after her is killing me.
Pulling the green bandana from my pocket, I lay it on the sill, and carefully but firmly close the window on it.
"Please baby, you've got to see this." Looking at the building once more, my words are only a whisper, a prayer said aloud. Jasper turns to leave ahead of me, and after one last glance back, we're headed back to camp.
A/N: So, a few of you weren't happy with Bella's decision last chapter forgive Jacob. All I can say is that these guys are leading the show, here. When I started writing this, I had a jumping off point and a destination in mind. The characters are drawing their own map to get there. But, that being said, I welcome all thoughts and comments about what they have chosen to do or not do.
And for those of you that didn't remember the significance of the green bandana... Back in chapter 10, it was brought along on their hunting trip! I think only Jeni K and Kreitlow were the only ones that remembered when the green bandana made an appearance.
A big thanks to my beta, SunflowerFran, my pre-readers Gabby1017, Life and Death's Lullabies, and SarcasticBimbo, as well as a thank you to 2brown-eyes for my lovely banner.
Please stop by my Facebook group page, Sunshine Fics, for picture teasers, among other things!
Thanks so much for all the great reviews and feedback, too! I've made every effort to respond to all of them, but if I've somehow missed yours, please know I read and love each and every one of them. They help keep these fingers typing! It's been so great to have so much support for my first story. Love you guys! XOXO