A/N: So, I know it's been a while since I've updated this one and plenty of my others. First of, I want to apologize for my long absence, sharing some exciting news, I've officially graduated from med school and was putting in some hours at a clinic. But, I have some time to write again (finally) so, here is an update and there will be more to come for the rest of my ff's. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and for all my gamer followers and fans, I hope you enjoy the changes. Remember to keep spoilers to yourselves. Thank you all for your tremendous patience. Happy reading! :)
"They're dead! They're fucking dead!" A male voice echoed in the distance, all while Emma continued to move her way through, crouched down the entire time and hidden from every hunter's sight.
"What the hell are you gibbering on about?"
"The whole crew. Some fucking tourist killed them. Killed all of 'em."
"Shit. Have you talked to the boss?"
"Yeah. He wants everyone to hold their ground. Watch the gate."
"Alright, you heard him. Search the area. Do not let anybody through!"
Emma moved along, silently following two of the hunters, remaining hidden behind a low wall, withdrawing her bow.
"He's gotta be wrong," Said a hunter to the other, "I don't see some tourist taking out an entire crew."
"What if they did?" Asked the other, "Maybe it's the military coming back."
He chuckled, "Don't be stupid. The military doesn't give a shit about this place. If anything, some tourists got lucky. Whoever they are, we'll get them. We always do." He threw a nod towards a building, "I'll be in there. You stay here and keep a watch. Let me know if you see anything."
"Right." The other hunter nodded, unconsciously turning his back towards the blonde.
Emma quickly placed her bow back in its strap of her backpack, quietly withdrawing her knife, her eyes watching the man as he leaned back, right against the wall where she was hiding. Clueless of her presence. Her pale hand quickly cupped over his mouth, preventing him from making any noise. Her other hand was just as quick to stab him right on his kidney.
"Mgh!" He grunted, feeling the blade of the blonde's knife pierce right into his kidney once again. His eyes growing wide until they closed, rolling to the back of his head.
Emma pulled his dead body over the wall, moving along inside the building where she came face to face with the other hunter. Only before he could say a word, she quickly reacted by grabbing the back of his head, pulling it down until his face met her knee.
The blonde continued on her way, from one building into another, remaining crouched down for cover. She hadn't been spotted yet and that was good.
She withdrew her bow, her eyes focused on one hunter that was pacing back and forth on the second floor of a building that was in front of her. She had a good shot from here. It was a good distance, but she could make it. Drawing in a breath, she pulled back on the string, eyeballing her aim.
Swish!
The arrow flew off just as Emma released the string. She watched it fly high up, piercing directly into the hunter's head. A smirk stretched out on her lips, watching his body fall to the floor, disappearing from the window's sights. She moved along, behind another building, an abandoned coffee shop. Spotting three more hunters. She leaned against the outside wall, waiting for one of them to step out. Which he didn't fail to do, not being able to react soon enough before Emma had her arms wrapped around the man's throat.
He struggled at first, but eventually was brought down to the floor.
Emma quickly moved out of the building, moving along the side of it, as she heard one of the hunters speak.
"Someone's here! Search the area!"
She moved over towards the front of the building, entering through a window. Clearly they had already found the body in the kitchen. She quickly jumped over the window, entering from the front part of the coffee shop, taking cover behind the counter.
"Where the fuck are they?" Asked a hunter, looking around the coffee shop, unable to process how someone could move and hide that quickly.
Emma stood up, taking the man by surprise while she grabbed onto the back of his head, slamming it against the counter. Blood splattering right on the top of the red wooden countertop. She duck down as a shot echoed inside the building. Moving away, Emma rushed towards the hunter.
"Agh!" He grunted, feeling his body being slammed by the blonde, hard against the same countertop. Both struggling for dominance.
Emma's eyes moved over to another hunter running their way, clearly ready to attack her to help his friend out in the struggle. When off in the distance a shot echoed rather loudly. A single bullet flew straight inside the coffee shop, piercing through the running hunter's head.
"What the fuck-?" The other hunter shouted, grunting as another bullet shot right through his temple. Specks of blood decorating the blonde's cheekbone.
Green eyes blinked, glancing down at the two dead bodies before them. It still surprised Emma just how good the brunette was with actual weapon.
"It came from over there!"
Two more shots echoed in the distance. A tiny, proud smile curling up the blonde's lips, "That's making your shots count." Emma ran out, watching the last hunter drop dead to the floor by another shot from the brunette up high. Her eyes looking up towards where she knew Regina still remained, signaling her that it was safe to come down.
Regina didn't waste time in jumping right down, just as she had seen Emma do it. She rushed towards the blonde, who was picking up a handgun from the last hunter's body. "How did I do?"
Emma cocked the weapon, checking the magazine and snapping it back in place once she confirmed it was full. She nodded as her eyes met the brunette's, handing her the handgun, "I say you've earned the right to carry your own from now on."
Brown eyes looked down at the weapon being offered, her olive hand reaching out to take it from the blonde's grasp. Tucking it behind her back. "Are you alright?" Her thumb gently wiped away at the smudge of blood on her cheekbone. Her touch was so delicate, it made Emma freeze in place.
A pale hand captured the brunette's hand by her wrist, moving it away. "It's not my blood." She paused, clearing her throat and continuing on her way, "Come on, we have to keep moving." Regina was quick to follow Emma as they continued on their way.
"Do you know where you're going?" Regina had to ask.
"I have a pretty good idea. Through here, help me with this door." Emma bent her knees, pushing the door upward with all her strength. The metal creaking as the door was pushed upward by both women. "Go, find something to hold this up- hurry." She grunted, while Regina hurried inside, rolling a cart just underneath the sliding door.
"There. Let it go." Said Regina, pulling Emma inside by her arm as the blonde quickly made her way inside, pulling the cart from underneath the sliding door. Just in case there are any more hunters in the area.
Emma jumped through an opening that led them into another building, a diner of some kind. At the sound of voices and a car's engine, Emma quickly ducked down, bringing the brunette with her to the floor. "Get down, get down." She whispered.
Both women hid inside the coffee shop, watching as a young couple ran past them, and were gunned down just in front of the shop. Regina watched, modified as the woman remained alive and gasping for a breath. Emma's arms wrapped around the brunette, who was ready to do something, fight for the couple that had been unfairly killed.
"Regina. No." Emma whispered, her arms holding onto her tighter, just as her eyes locked onto hers.
Snickers came from the two hunters that exited the vehicle. One aimed his weapon right at the agonizing woman, who still found herself on the bare concrete ground.
"No…" She pleaded. A plea that was much too late, or didn't matter a thing to either of the men looking down at her. With a single shot, she was gone.
"Shit, no food," Said one of the hunter's to the other, "Just a pair of old shoes. We got nothing."
"Eh, let's go."
Both men mounted their vehicle and drove off, leaving Emma and Regina to go unnoticed. Regina sighed, remaining in the blonde's embrace, until they slowly parted.
"Jesus, Emma." Regina murmured, highly enjoying Emma's touch that her hands were providing to her shoulders.
"There is nothing we could have done." Emma's eyes connected with brown orbs staring back at her.
"I know." The brunette nodded.
"Let's just focus on getting to that bridge, okay?" Emma nodded.
"Right."
Both women headed up a set of stairs, cutting their way from the coffee shop through a hotel, where Emma quickly grabbed a hold of the brunette, pinning them both up against a wall as a voice echoed throughout the hallways of the hotel.
"Well at least they finally killed that couple. I was sure they made it out of the city. Now, all we have to do is find that duo that wiped our other guys out."
Regina released a sigh as soon as they were out of sight, heading back down to the first floor, "God, that was close." She paused, following Emma along the stretched hallway of the hotel, "You know, hearing them talk- it's good to know that they are scared of us."
"Just try not to let your guard down." Replied the blonde, her weapon in hand just in case they came back.
"What I'm trying to say, Emma is it's good to have you on my side." Her eyes rolled at the sight of the blonde staring back at her with a raised brow, "That was a compliment."
"Thanks. I guess." Emma entered a room with a broken wall, she leaned in, seeing a way down. "Down here, come on."
Regina followed her every move, jumping down on top of a truck, then onto another car that was parked right beside it. She looked around, having lost sight of Emma for a tiny bit, until she spotted her staring at a movie poster that was just outside of the building. It was a poster of the twilight's saga Breaking Dawn part 2. No one really knew this about Emma, but she was a bit of a fan of the films. Especially the last one. Lily made her watch every one of the films, and she always pretended like they were the most stupidest films on earth, but deep down she loved every one of them.
"I read the books."
Regina's voice made the blonde jump, her brows furrowing as she faced her, "What?"
The brunette nodded towards the torn up, dirty poster, "The books. I personally enjoyed them better than the films. I can read them over and over, especially the last one."
"Oh." Emma stared back at the poster, scratching at her cheek out of a nervous habit, which Regina was quick to pick up on.
She chuckled, "Emma, it's alright to like them. I won't make fun of you, I still see you as this tough, knight in shining armor."
The blonde chuckled, "Cute, but… I only saw them once and it wasn't really my cup of tea."
Regina's smirk only grew, it was scary, "Says the person who recommended The Odyssey for me to read." Her hands on her hips.
Emma's brow raised, "Yeah, so? There's fights with monsters and sea creatures. A Greek king fought against all odds to survive at sea and get home to his family."
"Still…" A smile spread across Regina's lips, "You neglected to say that it is also a romance. I'm almost to the end of it, but when he finally reunites with his wife after being gone at sea for so long, it is the most romantic thing in the book." She playfully poked at the blonde's stomach, tapping her nail against what felt like well shaped abs, "Admit it. Deep down, you're a softy. You just wear this hardened mask because you're afraid to let people in."
Her brows furrowed, hands on her hips as she stared down at Regina, "We've been through hell, haven't had much of a single break- when exactly did you have time to read?"
"Just got word from the East side crew… they haven't seen shit."
Regina quickly peeked out from behind a van they found themselves hiding against, spotting at least two hunters on the first floor of another building. "Emma," She whispered over to her, "There's one on the second floor." Scratch that, three hunters.
Emma withdrew an arrow along with her bow, getting them both ready and taking aim from afar. Regina watched as the arrow flew off with such force it pierced right through the hunter's head.
"You have to teach me how to do that." She whispered over to the blonde.
Emma turned, facing the brunette, "Alright, you think you can take out one of them quietly? I can take the one on the right and you take the one on the left."
Regina nodded, "You can count on me."
A corner to Emma's lip turned up into a tiny smirk, because of course she knew she could count on Regina a hundred percent. She moved along, her knife in hand, her legs crouching her down as quietly as she could move, making her way into the building and signaling Regina when to make her move. Like in total sync, both women were successful in killing the two remaining hunters quietly with their knives. Emma by stabbing one in the jugular, and Regina by slicing the other's throat so fast, he didn't have time to react.
"Good work." Emma nodded towards an alley, "Come on, let's go. We have to keep moving, we're almost to the bridge."
Regina followed, quickly pulling the blonde behind a dumpster, gripping hard onto her shirt.
"What the hell?" Emma whispered, almost hissing.
Regina's hand covered the blonde's mouth, their faces only inches apart while the same truck as before drove by the alley, stopping in front of the establishment. "It's the same truck as before." She whispered to the blonde.
Emma's jaw clenched, "They're going to see us. We have to move, go- go!"
As soon as both women took off running down the alley, remaining crouched down as low as possible. Their running picking up faster, after they saw the truck backing up, hearing indistinct shouting from one of the hunters before shots were fired their way.
"They're over here! I see them!" A hunter shouted, right before stuck him in the face with the butt of her shotgun, knocking him unconscious.
"Emma, the stairs!" Shouted Regina, quickly climbing up a fire escape ladder, running along the fire escape, hand in hand with the blonde.
"The window! Go, go!" Emma shouted.
"I'm going!" Regina jumped through the window into a bedroom of a hotel, grabbing a hold of Emma's hand again, allowing the blonde to lead her through the hallways of the hotel and out another window, up another fire escape. She froze as soon as the blonde stopped before a broken wall, overlooking another alley and a very small ledge. Her hand gripping onto Emma's shirt. "Uh, Emma?"
Emma quickly studied the small ledge, looking over at Regina, her hand squeezing hers tightly, "Just hold onto my hand."
Regina nodded, following the blonde's careful steps, pressing her back against the wall of the building, trying her best not to look down. Her heart beating a thousand beats per-minute. She released a sudden gasp, seeing the same truck drive around. Her free hand squeezing at the blonde's shirt, while her other one squeezed at her hand harder.
"It's alright. They can't see us." Emma assured her, "Come on, through here." Just as she stretched out her hand to help Regina climb through the open window, Emma felt someone unexpectedly grab her from behind.
Seeing Emma struggle with the man made her react with the first thing she could think of, which was to slash his arm, which was enough to distract him as he glared her way, while Emma took that opportunity to slam his body against the wall hard, hearing him grunt in pain. She flipped his body over her shoulder, kneeling down before him while throwing in a few punches directly to his stomach.
"Emma, stop!" Regina reached for the blonde's arm, looking straight ahead, even as Emma looked over her shoulder at her, "Look."
Both women backed away, hands raised at the sight of a small girl aiming a gun right at them.
"Easy. You don't want to do that now." Emma spoke, keeping her hands raised.
Breathless enough, the dark haired man looked over at the little girl, still lying on the floor, "It's alright. They're not the bad guys. Lower the gun."
The little girl followed his orders without question, lowering the weapon.
He grunted as he finally sat up, standing to his feet, his hand pressed against his stomach. His green eyes focused on Emma, "You hit hard, for a girl."
"Yeah, well, I was trying to kill you." Emma replied, honestly.
He nodded, "I understand. I thought you were one of them too." He motioned towards Regina, "Until I saw her. These hunters don't really keep women around or kids." He grunted in pain, looking at his bare forearm, which was bleeding from the cut Regina inflicted on him.
"You're bleeding." The little girl sounded concerned.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine." He promised her, taking the weapon from her grasp, placing it behind his back, while he dug through the little girl's backpack for a bandage. His eyes focused on both women, "I'm Jefferson. This is my daughter Grace. I think I caught your name was Emma?" He asked the blonde.
Regina nodded, "And I'm Regina."
"How many more are with you?" Emma asked.
"They're all dead." Replied Grace.
"Hey. We don't know that." Jefferson glared her way, wrapping his arm in the bandage as he continued to explain to both women, "There were a bunch of us, until someone had the brilliant idea of entering the city. Scattered for supplies. Those assholes ambushed us- scattered us. Now it's all been about getting out of this hell hole."
"We could help each other." Regina jumped at the opportunity.
Emma glared her way soon after, "Regina."
"Safety in numbers, Emma." She said.
"She's right. We could help each other." Jefferson spoke, "We have a hideout not too far from here. We'd be safer if we chat there."
Regina's eyes met with Emma's green ones as the blonde glared her way again, hesitating to accept the offer. "Come on, Emma. Look, we've been through hell throughout this journey, I understand your distrust in people, but you trusted me."
"Trust, which you rightfully earned." Emma hissed, whispering over to the brunette.
She glared right back, "I doubt he would try anything with his daughter around."
Regina had a point and Emma knew it. Deep down but she knew it, she was always good with reading others.
She looked back at Jefferson, "Alright, take us there. But, I'm only going to say this once," She held up her index finger in warning, "You try anything. Anything stupid, and I will kill you."
"Fair enough." Jefferson's eyes never left Emma's as he spoke with honesty in his voice, "Follow us."
Emma and Regina exchanged quick looks before following Jefferson and his daughter out of the room in silence. It wasn't until the little girl, walking hand in hand with her father looked over her shoulder at the brunette, who seemed more friendly to her.
"I'm sorry about pointing a gun at you." She said with apologetic eyes.
Regina couldn't help but smile. She always did love children and being in the presence of one was rather refreshing. Especially with the world gone to hell. "It's quite alright, dear. I would have done the same thing to protect Emma."
"Is she your girlfriend?" The girl asked quite excitedly.
"Grace." Jefferson hissed, lightly squeezing the girl's hand while both the blonde and brunette exchanged quick looks, feeling a little awkward. Not that they were girlfriend's but it was pretty obvious something was happening between them.
"Uh…" Emma stammered, her cheeks burning red, "No, we're-"
"But, you like each other, don't you?"
"Grace." Jefferson hissed once again, looking down at his daughter, "That's too personal of a question to ask." Grace glared up at her father, while he looked over his shoulder at the two gawking women, "Don't mind her. She's quite a curious one."
Regina couldn't help but chuckle, quickly changing the topic of conversation, feeling relieved to having a calm conversation with another adult that wasn't only Emma. "So, where are you two from?"
"All the way from Hartford." Replied Jefferson, his cheeks still a shade of pink from his daughter's bold question.
"I heard things got pretty bad over there." Emma was finally able to speak without stammering through her words.
Jefferson nodded, "Yeah, the military abandoned the zone. That's why we left. Place probably looks like this by now." His voice echoed throughout the hallways as they headed down a set of stairs, "We have to be careful, we're right next to one of their lookout areas." He paused for a moment before curiously asking them, "So, is it just you two? Are you two like… related?"
"We're not related, we're more…" Regina stumbled through her words, looking over at Emma, who spoke up next.
"Now who's the curious one?" She asked him bluntly.
Jefferson shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the blonde, "Hey, you don't trust me. How can I trust you?"
"We're just looking out for each other." Emma replied.
"I can respect that. It's good to have someone with you in this new world we find ourselves living in. Otherwise you could find yourself going a little mad." He replied.
As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they walked through a toy store, quickly taking cover just as Jefferson ordered them too. All pairs of eyes watching as the same truck that was shooting at both women drove past the toy store, until they were no longer in sight.
Jefferson released a sigh, standing to his feet as soon as they were in the clear, "They're gone. Fucking truck. They've been hunting us ever since we came here- Grace," He called out to Grace who was holding a doll in her hands she had found lying around the toy store, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." She quickly hid the doll behind her back, her eyes on her father, even as he walked up to her.
"What's the rule about taking stuff?" He asked her, expecting her to know the answer.
Grace scoffed, "It's not like it will hold me back, it weighs practically nothing-"
"The rule." Jefferson hissed.
"We only take what we have to." She replied, knowing the dumb rule by heart, tossing away the doll to the ground.
"That's right, now let's go."
Emma and Regina followed him and a saddened girl out of the toy store.
"How far is this place?" asked the blonde, concern about the dark falling upon them without them being inside a safe shelter somewhere.
"We're close. Real close." He promised her, cutting through the toy store's warehouse, holding out his arm to stop them from walking any further as he heard three pair of male voices, "Hold up." He whispered. Everyone quickly hiding from the hunters.
"Fucking hunters." Jefferson hissed, whispering over to the blonde.
"Three against three. We can take them." She whispered back.
Jefferson nodded, "I like those odds." He grabbed onto the blonde's arm as she was ready to move, "Hold up." Emma watched him dig through his pack, holding a smoke bomb before her. "Throw this towards them. Trust me." His eyes moving towards his daughter, who was next to the brunette, "Grace, cover your ears."
A pale hand reached for the sack-like-bomb, tossing it right near their feet.
"What the- agh!" A muffled explosion was heard and seen, a white giant cloud of smoke covering the entire area and their vision as they tried gathering their composure. Only before either of them could realize what was happening, Emma, Regina and Jefferson went for all three hunters. Jefferson slamming one's head against a wall, Regina stabbing one with her knife right on his kidneys, and Emma knocking the third one on the head repeatedly with the butt of her weapon.
"Not bad, ladies." Said Jefferson, allowing his daughter to climb up a car first, "Up this way." He climbed up next, carrying his daughter up a tall truck, climbing onto it next onto a roof, and into an office building. "Through this door."
"Are you sure it's safe to be moving around with them being so close to us?" Emma asked.
Jefferson chuckled, "I'm the only one with the key." A click was heard as he unlocked two giant doors.
"Dare we ask how you acquired this key?" Regina asked next, following him inside the two office doors.
"I killed one of them. He won't miss it now." His eyes followed Emma as she glared at him on her way in, while he shut and locked the two doors before walking past a few abandoned desks, unlocking another door, allowing them to step inside a smaller office first. "Here we are." He shut the door, locking it with a smile tugging at his lips, "Welcome to my office."
"How long have you two been held up in here?" Asked Regina, her eyes shifting between Jefferson and Grace.
"It's been a while." He dropped his backpack to the ground, "You two must be hungry. We have plenty of food, if you want."
"We have berries!" Grace beamed, grabbing a hold of the brunette's hand, "Come on. I'll show you."
Regina smiled warmly at her, moving to the other side of the room where they kept their food.
Emma's back was turned against them and Jefferson, while she looked out the window, "Food, huh?" She asked, still not completely trusting him.
"Just berries, I'm afraid. But, it's enough. You want some?" Asked Jefferson, standing a few feet away from the blonde.
"No."
"Hey, you can relax. We're safe here." He assured her.
Emma turned to face him this time, "So, why haven't you left?"
He shrugged, "Been waiting for the right opportunity."
"And?"
He nodded towards one of the windows, "Look at this." He pointed at a group of hunters, about five, guarding an exit out of the city, "Everyday, these bastards are down there, guarding our only way out. But, come night time, it's down to one." His eyes met with Emma's, "After sun set, that's our window. With most of them gone, we should be able to sneak right past them."
Emma nodded, already working the plan in her head, "That could work."
"Oh, it'll definitely work." He smirked, both of them looking over at his daughter laughing along with the brunette, while both tossed berries up in the air as they caught them with their mouths. His eyes lighting up at the sound of his daughter's laughter. His smile spreading from ear to ear, "Wow. I haven't heard that laugh in a long time. She seems to have a way with kids."
The corner's to Emma's lips, as her eyes were completely focused on the brunette's lovely smile, curved up into a tiny smile of her own. It had been a while since she witnessed anything more beautiful than Regina's smile.
"So, where were you heading?" She asked him, shaking herself from the small trance Regina's smile had placed her under.
"I heard the fireflies are based out West somewhere." He placed a chair in front of another one that was set up in front of him, taking a seat right after Emma, "We're going to join up with them."
Emma chuckled, "Yeah…" She mumbled under her breath.
"Did I miss the joke, what's funny?" He asked, brow raised.
Emma shook her head, "Just seems like there's a lot of people putting their trust on the Fireflies these days."
"Maybe there's a reason for that." He replied, his eyes locked on hers.
"So, you don't know where they are and you're just willing to drag your daughter across the country to find them?"
Jefferson leaned in, his voice low, eyes a glare, "I'll tell you what, how about I worry about my daughter and you worry about your girlfriend?"
Emma leaned in, glaring at him, "Easy. We're looking for the Fireflies too." She sat right back in her seat, just as Jefferson did.
He sighed, opening up a sheet of paper he had laid out on the desk, next to where they were sitting, pointing to a red circle, "This is us." He slid his finger across a bigger circle, "There's an abandoned military radio station, just outside the city. Any survivors from our group, they're supposed to meet us there- tomorrow. If you and your girl want to join us, you're more than welcomed to. We do this tonight."
'Safety in numbers', Regina's words just danced around in Emma's brain as she thought about the man's offer. Sure, she still didn't completely trust him, but as much of their own they could hold, she knew they would be safer with a group- if there was such a thing as one. Especially Regina.
"I guess that means we should rest up then." Emma sat back once again, watching each corner of Jefferson's lips curve into a smile.