A:N/ Hi everyone. I'm so sorry that this has taken me so long to post. Besides real life getting in the way, I've been having trouble getting the story going in the direction that I want it to. My story is nearing its end, so I want to get it right.

Chapter 45: Pendleton island

BELLA

The next morning we took our leave of Owen and his family.

"We're sorry for any stress that we caused you," Ben said, shaking Owen's hand. "If we settle on Pendleton island I'd be interested in opening up trade between our groups in the future. We don't plan on returning to the mainland once we settle if it can be helped."

"We're doing just fine on our own," Owen said, but his words weren't said with the same harshness that they once had. He knew that we weren't a threat anymore, but it was clear that he would be a lot more comfortable once we were gone.

"Just keep it in mind. We have some supplies and skills to trade. We even have a doctor that will be coming with our group," Ben continued. "I think our groups could help each other thrive."

At the word doctor, I saw Owen's expression change. His guarded expression turned speculative.

"Maybe in the future we can talk again. I'm not saying no to trade, but not right now," he responded.

"Okay," Ben said. "You'll know where to find us. Let's talk again in the coming year."

For a moment, Owen hesitated and then spoke.

"Stay away from McManus island. A few years ago a group of them landed here thinking it was McManus, just like your group. When they found out that we already lived here, they moved on. I wanted to discuss trade, but they were very blunt that they didn't want anything to do with outsiders. I don't think they're bad people, but they've clearly had some bad experiences with others. Before they left, the leader Nadia told us not to trust anyone because survivors these days only lived by taking from the weak and vulnerable. We took that warning to heart, except for that asshat over there who seemed like a helpless teen that just wanted to take care of his sister," Owen said, pointing at Jack.

"Thanks for the warning," Ben said, gratefully.

"You'll have to pass McManus to get to Pendelton island, but as long as you keep your distance, I don't think they'll bother you," Owen continued.

With a clap on the shoulder, Owen walked away to join his family.

"Bye, Edward," Sue said, stepping forward and throwing her arms around him.

It was good to see that her anger towards Edward had disappeared. I hadn't been sure she'd ever get over the way Edward had attacked Jack.

Edward wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"See ya later, kiddo," he said, squeezing her one more time before letting go.

Then, he beckoned for me to get into the boat with Rose and Emmett before he pushed us further into the water.

Jack climbed into the boat with Ben, Katie, Embry, and Quil. Once he was settled, he waved at Owen.

"See ya later, Owen," Jack said with a grin.

"We're going to have words when you get back, boy," Owen growled with a glare at Jack. "I know where you live now."

Jack didn't seem fazed by the warning in Owen's words. He just grinned and nodded.

Caroline stood to the side not saying anything but her body language showed that she wasn't happy. She didn't like the fact that Jack was going with us. She seemed a lot more like the older sibling than the younger one in the way she was so fiercely protective of Jack. However, when she'd argued about Jack going, he'd quickly shut her down.

"I'll be back in two days, sis," Jack called out as Ben's boat followed ours into open water.

Emmett and Edward pushed their muscles beyond their limit in order to fight against the current. However, it was only about twenty minutes before we saw an island materialize out of the fog that was just beginning to dissipate.

It was a slightly larger island than Owen's, but that wasn't the only difference. There were signs of civilization dotting the shore.

A thin line of white-gold sand could be seen from a distance marking the perimeter of the island. Jutting out into the water was a dock with several boats tied to it as well as tidal traps for fishing. As we began to pass the island, several people ran out of the trees and to the water's edge with weapons drawn watching us warily as we continued past them.

"I don't think they're going to be laying out the welcome mat anytime soon," Emmett grumbled as he pulled the oars against the waves.

"Hopefully, Pendleton will be uninhabited," Rosalie said, staring behind us to make sure we weren't being followed.

It didn't take long before another island appeared on the horizon.

This island was nothing like Whitehead or McManus. The coastline was jagged, fingers of barnacled rock reaching out into the water only to disappear below the surface, a dangerous maze for boats looking to avoid their hidden peaks.

It wasn't a large island like McManus, but the only way I could describe it was that it was "tall". The rock beach led up to a cliff face, but at the top there were trees and other vegetation, giving me hope that once we'd climbed to the top that the island would be more hospitable.

"I told you that you should stay at Whitehead!" Jack shouted from the other boat.

Edward gave him the finger in response.

He'd been trying since last night to convince us despite Owen's desire for us to leave that we should settle on his island. I knew it was for purely selfish reasons by the way he asked incessant questions about the rest of our community.

We circled the island until we found the best place to land, but none of the coast line was great. Once we'd carried our boats out of the water, we had to walk over jagged rocks until we found a small group of trees that had somehow survived the rugged terrain. After hiding our boats under the trees and covering them in brush, we made the climb to the top. It wasn't a hard climb, but a fall no matter how high would cause a person serious injury because of the sharp rocks below.

Once we reached the top, I heaved a sigh of relief because it looked a lot like Whitehead with dense forest blanketing it.

Jack led us through the trees all the while talking to Ben, but I tuned him out as I focused on my surroundings that could become our new home.

I was surprised that after walking deeper into the woods the incessant roar of the ocean became muted and the trees surrounding us blocked a lot of the wind from the open ocean. I hadn't realized how cold I'd been until the wind stopped cutting through my clothing.

There was peacefulness here. It felt almost cozy. Maybe it was in the way that the trees surrounded us, blocking the wind from the open ocean.

However, I could see immediately what Jack had meant about how difficult it was going to be to create a place here to call home. The woods were dense with very few breaks in the trees.

However, I knew that this was our best bet for creating our own colony. We needed to create a sustainable community in a place where we wouldn't have to be on guard 24/7.

"On the other side of the island, you can find a lot of shellfish that live near the shore," Jack said. "Just listen for the seagulls and you'll find the spot."

"You're best bet is to set up near the lake," Jack continued, grudgingly.

"Take us to the lake, then," Edward snapped.

Edward didn't trust Jack which I didn't blame him for. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if someone took Edward from me. Actually, I knew how it felt. Memories of Edward being held by James flooded my brain, but I forced them out.

Also, Jack kept looking at me longingly when he thought that Edward wasn't looking. But it was clear that Edward knew what was going on by the way he wouldn't let Jack come anywhere near me and how he'd had a permanent scowl painted on his face whenever Jack was near.

I had to work pretty hard to convince Edward not to beat Jack to a bloody pulp even after he saw that I was safe. If not for the vast amount of knowledge that Jack had about plants and the island environment, I would have let him do it. I was furious that he'd kidnapped me, but it was clear that we needed to maintain a relationship with Jack because he was already proving to be invaluable.

"This way," Jack said, with a sidelong glance at Edward.

It wasn't that long before the forest began to grow thinner and the firm ground gave way to a marsh of tall reeds.

Over top of the reeds, the trees fell away and I was confronted with the most beautiful view.

Shades of silver, white, blue and green reflected in the depths of the lake. It wasn't a large lake, but it was big enough that you'd be able to get past the reeds and into clear water.

"Follow me," Jack said as he pushed his way through the reeds.

In front of us was a tree trunk that was lying across a small ravine, leading to a small stretch of beach.

Agilely, Jack walked across the tree trunk.

Turning, he smiled smugly at Edward.

"What are you waiting for?"

The drop wasn't dangerous, but it would be a messy landing in the mud if you fell. With only the clothes on our backs, none of us wanted to get soaked.

With one careful boot, Edward tested the bark. It looked damp with a bit of moss growing on it. Its width was large enough but with the curved top it would be very easy to slip.

"Do you need some help?" Jack asked, with a smirk.

"I'm fine," Edward said with a glare and quickly moved across the log with arms out straight like he was walking on a tightrope with one foot in front of the other.

Once he'd made it across, Edward turned back to me and stretched out his hand to support me as I made my way across the wood.

One by one the rest crossed and we were then on the beach.

"It's fed by a spring that comes from over there," Jack pointed to the left. "You can drink from it. Anywhere else is too salty."

Jack continued past the lake and headed up a small incline. It was a hard walk because of the undergrowth of tree roots and brambles. However, it wasn't long before the ground then levelled off into a small plateau where the forest was slightly thinner.

"This is the only place that might work, but it'll take too much work to clear it," Jack said, with a frown. "You should stay on Whitehead island. There's already land for planting. I'd be close, so I could help you."

"That's not going to happen," Edward said.

Jack glared at him, but Ben interrupted.

"You said that some of your grains and vegetables in your seafood stew came from this island. Where did you get them?"

Jack stared at Ben speculatively.

"I'll tell you when you bring back your group. You promised you'd introduce me to the women in your group."

I heard Edward growl under his breath and his fists clenched.

I laid my hand on his arm to calm him, wanting to see how Ben would handle it.

"Look, Jack," Ben said, sternly as if he were talking to a child. "I'm not bartering for a woman with you. All I can promise is that if you help us, I'll introduce you as a person that helped save our lives. If you don't, I can introduce you as the creep who tried to forcefully take Bella away from her family. You pick."

Jack opened his mouth and shut it several times before his shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"Fine," he said.

He showed us so much that day and the next about the edible vegetation around the area that I was beyond excited because it could very well sustain us until we were able to grow our own food.

I was starting to feel that with hard work we could actually build a life on this island.

"This mushroom chaga that grows on birch trees is really good for you. People actually sell it… I mean sold it as a super-herb/food for its medicinal value. It's pretty tasty too, a little like mocha when you make it into a tea," Jack said, pointing to a blackened mushroom that was growing on a birch tree. It was the same mushroom that he'd been leaving Owen and his family as payment for the different things he and his sister had stolen. Little did Owen know that Jack was actually paying him with something that was quite valuable in this new world.

I made notes in my little notebook and even tried to sketch some of the plants that Jack pointed out to us, but I knew that it would be a while before I was comfortable picking the herbs myself.

During our break for lunch on the second day, Embry, Katie, and Emmett quizzed Jack about the construction of his wigwam and asked about how it held up during the winter. The three of them had been our builders at Elmherst and it was clear that they would be here as well.

It seemed like Jack had found kindred spirits in the three of them and they soon fell into a friendly discussion.

Later in the day Ben, Embry and Katie took Jack back to his home while the rest of us set up camp for the night and then continued to explore.

"The rise of the land here is good for drainage," Emmett said, picking up earth that he'd dug up and letting it run through his fingers. Everything looked the same to me, but I could tell that Emmett was already envisioning homes, gardens, and maybe grazing land for farm animals if we could find any.

I looked around us and contemplated the staggering difficulty of the task we were setting ourselves. Not only were we about to start the dangerous journey back to Camden in order to gather our friends, but also in zombie-territory we had to gather enough supplies to settle here permanently. On top of all of this, the sheer enormity of the labour involved in carving some small foothold on this untamed island was overwhelming. There would be thirty of us that would need the space to live and thrive.

However, even though it was an enormous amount of work, I knew it was the right decision. Looking around me, this island felt like home. I'd thought Elmherst was home. However, we'd been fooled into thinking that it could be our permanent home. It would have never been possible because the bigger our community grew the more chances we'd be overrun by the dead that were attracted by the sounds of people living day to day. Here we could relax a little and focus on living instead of just surviving. It suddenly occurred to me that the cliffs were actually a blessing because if by some chance zombies actually made it to the island either by floating in the current or from some kind of ocean accident they would never be able to climb the cliffs.

At one point in our exploration, Edward took my hand and pulled me up onto a small knoll shrouded in trees.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking at me with bright expectant eyes.

"About what?" I asked in confusion.

"What do you think about setting up our home right here? It's the highest point around the lake and we'd have the shelter from the fir trees, but also space to build a nice little cabin in the future," he said with a lop-sided grin.

I smiled back, caught up in his excitement.

I dug into the ground with a stick and picked up a handful of soil. It was moist, but not too wet.

"The soil feels like it could be good for planting," I said. "We could have our own little garden right next to our cabin."

With a happy laugh, Edward yanked me into a bear hug that lifted me off the ground.

When he put me down, I had to catch my breath before I could speak.

"This is a prime spot. Don't you think that the others might want it too?"

"We'll call dibs on this place. Plus it was my idea to find an island, so they'll just have to deal," he said with a bigger grin.

"Let's mark it as ours," I said, pulling out my knife and walking over to a large fir tree.

"You're not going to do something corny like write our initials on the tree with a heart around it, are you?" he asked with a laugh.

"No," I said, "I'm just marking our territory."

I began carving Edward's name, but my hand started to cramp after I finished it.

"Here, let me take over," Edward said, hauling out his own knife and carving my own under his.

I sat down on the grass and watched him finish forever marking it as ours.

Then, Edward walked over to me and sat down.

In silence, we looked around at the space we'd claimed as our own.

I could almost envision what it would be like in the future, a small one room cabin with a fireplace to keep us warm in the winter. I wanted us to have our own place. As much as I loved Emmett and Rosalie, it would be wonderful for Edward and me to have the privacy of our own home.

"We'll need to bring a lot of tools with us. It's not going to be easy to plough this land by hand," Edward said, thoughtfully. "The wigwams will tide us over until next spring and then we can begin to build real homes."

I sighed and laid back on the ground, looking up at the sky through the canopy of trees.

Edward did the same and we spent the time in silence, both dreaming of a future that for once felt truly hopeful.

That night the group of us sat around the fire and discussed our future.

"So, what are your feelings about settling in this place?" Ben asked.

"It's going to be hard," Quil said. "There's so much to do here to just make it habitable.

"But what's the alternative?" Edward asked. "Living in a gated community isn't the answer."

I pointed out that the cliffs actually were protection against the dead because they wouldn't be able to climb. The others fell silent at that, not having considered how the rugged terrain could help us.

"I think we have to do this. There are no walls that can fully protect us from the dead or the living. I don't want to be constantly on guard anymore. I don't just want to survive. I want to have a life and this place seems like our best option," Emmett said, pulling Rosalie to his side and kissing the side of her head. "Plus I like the fact that I can smell something other than zombie rot. I forgot what fresh air smelled like."

"Getting everyone here is going to be difficult. We'll need a lot of vehicles not to mention larger boats. We can't bring people and supplies here with just rowboats. It could take us months and a lot of risk searching for supplies. We're going to need gardening and building supplies not to mention everything else we'll need to settle here permanently," Ben said, thoughtfully. "But I agree with Emmett. Once we settle in this place we could actually live. If we set ourselves up properly, we may be able to avoid going back to the mainland."

"So we're in agreement. We're actually doing this?" Embry asked.

All of us nodded and with that we planned to leave the next day.

I woke up early, with the sky just beginning to turn pink with sunrise.

Carefully, I slipped out of Edward's arms, leaving him sleeping on his stomach with my jacket as his pillow.

Silently, I walked through the trees until I came upon the lake. It was so beautiful that for a moment I just took a deep breath and stared across the water.

Small tree frogs sang all around me and the stiff leaves of cattails rustled softly as I stepped to the water's edge and removed my shoes.

Dipping my toes in the water, I let out a gasp. It wasn't cold like the water of the ocean, but it certainly wasn't warm. It was going to be a bit of a shock, but I was on a mission. I ran my hand through my greasy hair and grimaced. It had been a long time since I'd felt clean.

I thought about the supplies that Katie had badgered Jack into giving her and smiled. With his little bible of local plants, he'd discovered some that could be used as soap. He'd given her yarrow tea to wash our hair and some other plant I couldn't pronounce for soap. When Katie gave me some, she said with a wink that if Edward and I wanted to use it we'd have to go to the left side of the lake because she and Embry would be on the right. She'd giggled at the surprised look on my face. I hadn't known that Katie and Embry had reached that level in their burgeoning relationship but clearly something more had happened during this trip that none of us had caught wind of.

Sneaking back into camp and up the knoll to where Edward and I planned to build our home, I dropped to my knees next to Edward.

Dipping my head down, I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

When that didn't cause him to stir, I leaned over him and nuzzled the side of his neck. Then, I nipped at his earlobe before trailing along the edge of his jaw until I reached his lips.

This time Edward's forehead furrowed and he responded with a grunt followed by a whine.

When I nipped at his lip a little more firmly, I almost yelped as one of his arms hooked around me and pulled me down.

I laughed quietly as Edward sighed and curled himself around me, starting to sink back into sleep. But I fought against the desire to cuddle in closer because I had a plan.

"Edward…" I murmured in a sing-song voice as I nuzzled his cheek. "Wake up."

I kissed his neck again and nipped at his jaw when he let out a grumble and pulled me closer.

"Wake up," I repeated, whispering in his ear.

Finally, with a growl one of his eyes opened in a squint.

I grinned with victory before whispering, "Come with me."

In response he let out a long whine of defeat and squeezed his eyes shut.

Then, he let go of me and sat up.

He looked a mess. His hair was insane, flat on one side and sticking up in all directions on the other. One side of his face had the crisscross pattern of having been pressed into the grass all night.

I couldn't help but snicker softly as I looked him over. In response he dragged a hand over his hair self-consciously and glared at me.

"Come on," I whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.

Quietly, we left camp and I steered Edward away from the right side of the lake until we found our own secluded spot nestled in a little alcove shrouded by bushes.

Quickly, I shed my clothes and waded into the water, mindful of the soft earth underfoot. I stepped carefully because I didn't want to stir up any more mud than I had to. Cupping water, I splashed it over my face before stepping further into the water until it reached my shoulders.

Edward wasn't far behind me.

Once he'd reached me in the water, he wrapped his arms around me.

"Why are we up so early?" he asked, his voice still hoarse with sleep.

"I wanted to get a bath in before everyone else wakes up," I whispered even though we weren't in hearing distance of the camp.

"Why?" Edward asked, confused. "People would have given us our privacy. No one wants to catch us skinny dipping."

"It's not that," I said with a giggle. "I only have enough soap for the two of us."

"You have soap?" he asked in excitement, turning me around in his arms so I was facing him.

"Not store-bought soap, but Katie got some plants from Jack that can be used in the same way," I explained.

A scowl formed on Edward's face at the mention of Jack's name.

"Edward, we're going to have to get over it," I said, not trying to scold because I felt the same way. "We both need to accept that Jack is going to be in our lives."

"I know… I know… I don't have to like him though," he said with a sigh.

For a few minutes, we played in the water, grabbing at each other as we dunked below the surface.

Then, we waded back to shore and sat down in the shallow water. I scrubbed my body with handfuls of fine sand until my skin felt thin and glowing. Afterwards I used the small bottle of what was explained to be soap to rid me of the remaining dirt. It had a faint floral scent, but basically just smelled of the nature around us. Gone were the days of people smelling like strawberries, vanilla, or any other store-bought scents.

When I grabbed my comb and started to tease out the snarls that had long gone untended, Edward turned me so that my back was facing him and took over. It relaxed him as much as me when he did this. I thought that maybe it reminded him a little of his sister, but I never asked.

Once he'd moved on to shampooing my hair, he began to talk.

"I think some of our group are going to want to stay behind to start clearing some of the land. Ben said that Owen was willing to lend us a few tools until we could bring back some of our own," Edward said.

"Yeah?" I said, not having thought of that before.

"It would make sense for a few people to stay behind. It's going to be a lot of work getting this place ready. I know that Embry was already talking about where to build wigwams as at least temporary shelter. I'm sure he's going to want to stay," Edward continued.

Having finished my hair, Edward moved in front of me so I could do the same for him.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Should we stay or should we go back for the others?"

"I don't know," I said with a frown. I t was a lot to think about.

I began to soap his hair as I thought through what I was about to say.

"My first thought was to say I want to stay here. I haven't felt this safe in a long time. We don't have to fight zombies or risk our lives in other ways here. But I feel like there's so much that needs to be done to get our group here. They're going to need able-bodied people as well as fighters to get it all done quickly so we can get back and begin clearing and planting so we'll have food for winter."

Edward was silent as I rinsed his hair, but once I was finished he broke the silence.

"I think we need to go back too. We need to help the others get here. Mrs. Cope told me that I had to find our people a new home and I feel like I've only done part of that. I want our people here. I want them safe. I don't think I could handle the unknown of waiting for them to get here.

Once I'd finished with his hair, Edward turned to me and pulled me into his arms. For some reason, my eyes burned with unshed tears.

After going for another swim, we got back to camp as everyone else were just beginning to get up.

Edward was right. Embry and Katie decided to stay, but I was shocked to find out that Emmett and Rosalie were going to stay too.

"I'm strong and I have experience in construction. It only makes sense for me to stay behind and begin clearing," Emmett said when Edward questioned his decision.

I felt my heart begin to beat faster at the thought of being separated from them. Emmett and Rosalie had been our constant companions for years. They were more a part of our family than anyone else in the community.

Rosalie hugged me tight when she saw the look on my face.

"We'll see you soon," she said. "You're going to be so busy moving everyone that you won't have the chance to miss us."

Emmett and Edward who had been having a quiet conversation not far away joined us.

"None of that, kiddo," Emmett said, pulling me into a bear hug when I began to sniffle. "You're not going to be gone that long and by the time you get back I might have the land that you and Edward called dibs on cleared."

I looked at Edward in surprise.

"That's what you were talking about?" I asked, incredulously. Here I was feeling stressed about leaving them and Edward was staking our claim.

"I'm just looking out for our interests, babe," Edward said with a grin, pulling me away from Emmett and into a hug of his own.

The humour between the two of them lessened my anxiety as we prepared to leave.

In the end, Katie, Embry, Emmett, and Rosalie decided to stay. That left Quil, me, Edward, and Ben to journey home alone.

Ben was restless to leave, so after I jotted down in my notebook all the things that Emmett and Embry told us that we'd need to set up a home here we gathered whatever food we could and left.

Rowing back to the mainland was hard work for Ben and Edward who were the only ones with the physical strength to row. Quil had tried but he just didn't have the upper body strength to propel the boat forward.

By the time we reached the shore, Edward and Ben's shoulders and legs ached to the point that it was difficult for them to even get out of the boat, which left it to Quil and me to check if the vehicles that got us here were still where we left them.

With dismay, we discovered that both of the vehicles had been siphoned of gas, so we were going to have to range further.

Quil and I helped Edward and Ben to a building nearby, but then I told them that Quil and I would have to continue without them.

"Quil and I need to look for another vehicle," I said.

When I saw that Edward was going to argue, I stopped him.

"You guys can barely lift your arms, so you would only be a liability out in the open," I said.

"Then, we can wait until we're feeling up to it," Edward responded.

I shook my head.

"You know that the longer we wait here, the higher the likelihood that the dead will discover us," I said.

There were a large number of dead prowling the area, looking for any scent or sound that indicated that there were people nearby and they didn't show any signs of leaving. There actually seemed to be more of them filling the streets.

"We can handle it, Edward," Quil said. "We're both good shots and we're fast."

Edward scowled, but didn't argue with us.

With a final kiss, I slipped out of the building with Quil.

It was strange to feel on edge again. Even though we hadn't been on the island long, I'd already gotten use to the freedom of not having to constantly look over my shoulder.

Now, I had to keep my gun at the ready and every sense alert as we darted through the labyrinth of streets.

Quil and I headed towards the nearest store to see if any of the cars in the parking lot had gas and keys inside.

However, none of the cars in that parking lot or the one a block away had enough gas in them to get us home.

We had to expand to areas that weren't likely places that anyone would look. We went back to where we'd left Edward and Ben and as a group we left the downtown core and headed into the more suburban area. This time we all searched the area, going from residential home to residential home.

There were more zombies in this area for some reason and most of the zombies that we saw looked like they had been burned in a fire which was very strange because anyone who had survived this long in the new world had to know that only headshots killed the dead.

We'd only searched a couple of blocks when our luck ran out.

From the side streets came a blood-chilling sound. It was the low snarling of many voices, and it was growing louder and louder.

I tried to get Edward's attention who was across the street and a few houses down from me in a garage, but I couldn't call out or else the dead would find us.

The dead began to fill up the street more quickly than I expected as I made my way down the street towards Edward. They had a sloppy gait as they approached, but as a whole they moved like a swarm. Again, I noticed that their bodies were blackened from a fire, skin peeling away from their bones and organs.

The zombie at the head of the group was terrifying because of the lack of skin on her face. Her missing eyelids made her eyes have a popping out look as they swiveled in their sockets, searching for her next meal.

Adrenaline coursed through my system because I knew that the dead were approaching fast enough that I would never out-run them, but I had no choice but to try.

I hadn't made it far before the dead had blocked me from getting to Edward. I could see him over the heads of the dead, eyes wide with panic, frantically waving at me with both arms and then gesturing in the opposite direction where Quil had gone.

I had no choice, so I turned my back on him and ran.

Suddenly, over the drone of the dead, I heard the sound of an engine. Then, I saw a white van racing towards me. With a sigh of relief, I could make out that it was Quil behind the wheel. However, before I could make it to him the dead were in my way.

I began to shoot at the dead, hoping to get rid of enough that I'd be able to reach Quil, but they were filling the area too quickly.

As panic began to set in, I suddenly heard the sound of another engine. I turned to see a motorbike racing towards me. At first, I thought it was Ben or Edward, but when it got closer I realized it was someone else.

Instead of a motorcycle helmet, the stranger was wearing a welding mask as well as a mix of leather and what appeared to be hockey gear for clothing. No part of the person's body was exposed, making it nearly impossible for one of the dead to bite him or her.

The rider had taken aim at the dead that were blocking my way with what looked like a flame thrower.

A large gust of wind preceded the roaring of the flames that shot out, lighting up the dead.

Even though it didn't kill them, it slowed them down enough to give me a chance to get by.

I finally reached the van and was yanked inside by Quil.

"Who the fuck is that?" Quil asked in shock as he watched the person sweep an arc of fire over the zombies congregating in the area.

"I have no idea. Let's go!" I gasped.

Quil pressed on the gas and the van roared to life.

At the sound, the person on the motorcycle looked at us and then with a nod and a salute sped off in the opposite direction.

With no time to lose, we left too while the dead were distracted by the fire that was ripping through their bodies.

Once we'd found Edward and Ben, I told them about the stranger in the welding mask.

Edward was concerned because it was clear that this person had been watching us. It was the only way that he or she could have known the exact moment when I needed rescuing.

However, Ben said that there was nothing we could do about it besides keep an eye out for anyone following us. He doubted that the person would track us the distance it would take to get to Camden Head.

I couldn't stop thinking about it though.

Was the person alone? Did they belong to another group of survivors?

It only made sense that there were other groups like us still in the world. Not all of them could be cruel and destructive like James and Stefan's groups. There had to be groups like us that just wanted to survive. Owen said that the McManus colony kept to themselves, but didn't seem to be a threat to people that kept their distance. The person on the motorbike had no reason to rescue me. He or she didn't get anything out it besides helping out another survivor.

It took us another two days to make it home. We had to take alternative routes to make sure that my rescuer didn't follow us and also to circumvent herds that seemed to have grouped together on the main roads.

By the time we reached Camden, Ben was practically manic in his need to get to Angela. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like for Edward to leave me if I were six months pregnant. However, I understood why Ben had felt like he had to go. Ben took his job as the leader of our group seriously.

All of us sighed in relief when we saw Camden Head apartments.

"Claire's probably freaking out," Quil muttered. "I promised I'd be back before this."

I remembered at that moment that like Ben Quil had left a loved one behind. Claire was so quiet and Quil was such a private person that their relationship hadn't come to mind.

"She'll understand when you tell her that we've found a home," Edward said with a sigh of exhaustion and relief to be back.

We scanned the area searching for any new threats but nothing had changed in the area since we had left over two weeks ago. Luckily, for the moment, the dead were not swarming the area, so we pulled up in the parking lot near the fire escape and parked.

Someone noticed us from the roof and I heard a faint cry. "They're back."

Several other heads popped over the roof and I could hear the faint sound of cheering.

Slinging an arm around my shoulder, Edward pulled me close and kissed my forehead.

"Let's go be the heroes who will lead our people to salvation," Edward said with a grin.

"Don't be dramatic," I said, with a playful shove to his shoulder.

No sooner had we reached the top of the fire escape than we were swarmed by the people of our community spilling out of the door.

"What did you find?"

"Is the island safe?"

"Did you meet other people?"

"What happened?"

The questions flew fast and furious and for a few moments it was overwhelming.

But then Ben interrupted.

"We found an island where we can make a home, but let's meet on the roof in a half an hour and we'll tell you everything," he said, anxiously. "I need to go see Angela now."

"She's resting in your apartment," Alice said as she squeezed her way past everyone else and threw her arms around me.

"Thanks," Ben said with relief and practically shoved people out of his way to get into the building.

Alice looked tired and thinner than she should be, but so were we all. However, there was a light in Alice's eyes that was contagious.

"Claire's up on the roof," Alice said with a grin as she looked over at Quil. "She'll be happy to see you."

Quil's eyes lit up and without a word he rushed away.

The others trickled away at that point when they realized they weren't going to get any more information.

I suddenly felt exhausted, just wanting a chance to put my feet up.

"Where are the others?" Alice asked, suddenly looking past us in a panic.

"It's okay," I said, laying my hand over hers as it rested in the crook of my arm. "They're safe. They decided to stay on the island we found, so that they could begin clearing the place to build homes."

A wide grin spread across Alice's face and her eyes lit up.

"So you really found it?" she asked, looking between Edward and me.

Edward smiled. "Yeah, we did."

Impulsively, Alice let go of my arm and threw her arms around Edward in a hug.

Edward looked startled for a second, not totally comfortable with being touched by people other than me or Rosalie and Emmett.

But then his eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around her.

"How's Clara?" he asked.

"She's amazing. She's started saying Mamma and Jasper even thinks she said Dadda, but it was only once and I think it was just babbling," she said, pulling away from Edward and looking between us.

"You guys look exhausted. Why don't you come to our apartment? I've brewed some tea and I might have a few granola bars left," she said, grabbing my arm again and pulling me into the hallway and towards her apartment. "Don't worry. We won't pester you with questions."

We followed Alice willingly, wanting nothing more than to rest.

Alice opened the door of her apartment gingerly so as not to disturb Clara if she was sleeping.

My breath caught in my throat when I looked into the living room. Jasper was sitting in a rocking chair with his feet crossed at the ankles resting on the footstool. In his right arm, he had Clara snuggled against his chest, while in the other he had a book. I laughed lightly when I realized that Jasper was reading from a little book called "Barnyard Dance."

Clara slapped her hands down on the book when he made the sound of the cow that was part of the rhyme.

I'd never seen Jasper look so peaceful.

Both of them looked up at us as we entered the room and I was struck by how much they looked alike. Clara was going to be delicate like Alice, but she had the same blonde hair and blue eyes that Jasper had. They also wore identical expressions of surprise to see us standing in their living room.

"You're back," Jasper said, and I could hear the relief in his words.

Clara began reaching out her arms and babbling at Edward.

With a grin, Edward moved forward and scooped her out of Jasper's arm.

"Hey sweetheart," Edward said, kissing her forehead and then grinning down at the little girl who was busy slapping his cheeks in delight. "Have you been good for Dada and mama?"

"Mama!" Clara squealed and looked at Alice.

Alice clapped her hands in happiness and flew towards Edward and the baby.

"That's right, Clara. I'm your mama."

"Mama!" Clara shrieked in a high enough pitch that could probably shatter glass, causing Edward to flinch before he passed her to Alice.

"We can't compete, Edward. Mama always comes first because she supplies the food."

I looked over at Jasper and was shocked to see a grin on his face. I didn't know whether I had ever seen Jasper smile.

"Shut up, Jasper," Alice scolded. "I'm just more awesome than you."

"You keep telling yourself that, darlin."

I surreptitiously looked at Edward and saw that he looked surprised as well, but was trying to cover it up.

Alice handed Clara back to Edward and went about pouring cups of tea that she had in a thermos.

I accepted a cup with a sigh at the heat emanating from the cup before sitting down at the table. I took a long sip of the tea and relished the heat as it worked its way through my system.

"We're going to have to go on a run soon to find more food. Stefan's cache of food is running out and people are getting hungry again."

"We're going to have to do a whole lot more than look for food," I said. "Our lives are about to get a whole lot busier."