The sun hadn't started to set but Emma wasn't going to make the same mistake two nights in a row. These days it was a death sentence. She pulled off the highway in the midst of Boston's western suburbs. It was another risk to venture too near the city so close to sundown. She knew what they might encounter.
They wove past a police barricade and into a wealthy community. Someone important had lived here. They all knew the signs of an evacuation. It might be their safest option. Emma wasn't sure if she was too tired, or if the houses really did all look the same. The same untouched two-story house, over and over. She picked a random driveway and pulled in.
Tamsin picked the lock. Emma was impressed she could when she could barely walk straight. She'd gone through one of her bottles during the few hours they were on the road. It gave her more swagger. She led the group confidently while they searched the house.
They barricaded themselves in the master bedroom just to be safe. Bo insisted on it. She saw Emma's discomfort when Tamsin suggested they didn't need to. The bedroom was at least thirty feet across. Tamsin was drawn to the large fireplace, Bo to the jetted bathtub in the connected bathroom.
"You should get some rest." Bo offered when she saw Emma struggling to keep her eyes open. She gestured to the king sized bed before retreating to her waiting bath.
Emma nodded. Her exhaustion had started to take over once they found shelter. She couldn't even respond, instead curling up on the king sized bed as suggested. She felt safe with the other two on guard. She closed her eyes and listened to Tamsin arranging wood in the fireplace. The ridiculously soft bed pulled her in, inviting her to drift away.
She woke to the sound of a crackling fire. She turned over to see Bo and Tamsin sitting on the floor in front of it, the canned food from the store separated out in front of them.
Emma climbed off the bed and shed her jacket. When Bo saw she was awake, she set a can of fruit in front of the empty spot near the fire. She held up a spoon in Emma's direction to motion her over. Emma took a seat and pried open the can.
Bo waited until Emma finished to try a conversation. She was intrigued, but the way Emma turned slightly away when she ate and frequently glanced at their weapons told her not to push too hard.
"You're brave." Bo said. "Traveling so far alone."
"I'm used to being alone." Emma replied simply.
"But you have family now." Bo recalled. Emma didn't answer. "Whoever you're trying to get back to, you must love them very much."
The thought of Regina flooded Emma's mind. The way she tried to hide her smirk, the softness of her hug, her grip on Henry as Emma drove across the town line. Henry. She pushed the thoughts away to keep back the tears.
"More than anything." She said softly, turning her gaze to the floor.
Bo's eyes wandered over Emma's features. Her creased forehead, her teary eyes, the way she worried her lip to make it stop quivering. It broke her heart.
"How did you get separated?" She asked.
Emma shook her head. She couldn't help smiling slightly when she thought of how much she couldn't share.
"I should never have left. I figured New York wasn't too far but I got stuck in traffic on my way back." She said.
"Have you talked to them? They might have left town." Bo felt bad suggesting it, but these days it was too likely not to bring up.
"Believe me, they didn't." Emma had no explanation they would believe. "It's complicated."
"Tell me about it." Tamsin chimed in under her breath. Emma saw a flash of hurt in Bo's eyes. Tamsin must have seen it too. Her brow furrowed and she quickly took a swig from her bottle to cover her regret.
"You're really just going around helping people?" Emma asked to pull attention away from the remark.
"I couldn't just sit at home and let them turn into those things." Bo explained.
"She thinks there's a cure." Tamsin clarified.
"You don't?" Emma asked.
"I didn't want anything to happen to her." Tamsin said. "Our friend would kill me." She added quickly to not seem so sentimental.
Kenzi. Bo missed Kenzi. It was too dangerous for her out here. She would have complained the whole trip anyway, about the walking, the infrequent showers, and especially the food.
Bo slid another can of fruit to Emma. She looked hungry.
"I found more downstairs." She explained when Emma hesitated before eating more.
Bo was hungry too. She opened her own can and the group returned to their silence. But when she finished the can the hunger was still there. It grew stronger each time Emma flexed her muscles. Bo hadn't noticed them under the leather jacket but each second she was finding a new appreciation for arms.
The third time Bo caught herself staring, she stood and tossed the empty can in the trash bag she'd found. She didn't want Emma to notice. It would definitely creep her out. She returned to the bathroom to wash her face and cool off.
When Bo left, Tamsin cleared her throat. Emma looked over at her. She took a nervous swig of her drink instead of meeting her gaze.
"Um." Tamsin started, not used to saying what she was about to. "We haven't had a real mission in a while. I think it helps her." She said. She shot a glance at Emma. "So thanks. I guess." She forced.
"Do you love her?" Emma asked quietly. She'd seen it in the way Tamsin watched Bo. Concerned and in awe at the same time.
"It doesn't matter." Tamsin said. She looked toward the bathroom door. "She loves a lot of people." She turned to Emma with a harsh expression as if just realizing how much she'd revealed.
"If anything happens to her-." Tamsin didn't have time to finish her threat. When Bo walked out of the bathroom, she and Emma stood.
"I'm gonna try to sleep." Bo announced.
"You take the bed." Emma said. "I'll be up for a while." Bo smiled in thanks.
Emma retreated to the bathroom. She wasn't about to miss the chance for a bath. Most places had shut off the water supply because of contamination. The more paranoid cities had been rewarded with enough time to protect their most important sites.
When she walked back out of the bathroom Bo and Tamsin were asleep. Bo lay on her back with Tamsin curled up a few feet away. It reminded Emma of her first few nights sharing a bed with Regina.
Emma lay down in front of the fire. She curled herself around her bundled jacket and stared into the dying embers. The images of Regina and Henry came rushing back when she closed her eyes. She pulled the jacket closer, willing herself to fall asleep.
They woke with the sun. Emma muttered thanks when the truck started again. They were almost to Maine. Driving around the city would avoid blocked roads and start them on the way north.
Tamsin lounged in the back of the pickup. Her head rested on the rear window as she took deep swigs from one of her liquor bottles. The buzz was helping pass the time. She kept watch as they rolled down vacant streets. There hadn't been a zombie for miles and she was getting bored. She was grateful when they pulled into a mall parking lot.
Emma had to drive to the opposite side of the building to find the sporting goods store. Poorly parked cars filled the first few rows of the parking lot. Emma eyed the vehicles as she drove past. She wondered if habit had led the drivers to even park in the spots in the first place. Maybe they thought they would leave soon and need an orderly exit.
They slowed to a stop outside the store. Tamsin picked up her rifle from beside her and slid from the truck bed. She considered leaving the bottle but grabbed it at the last second.
Bo stared out the window and up at the neon sign above the second floor. There would be plenty of places for the infected to hide. Emma must have been thinking the same.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked.
"We shouldn't pass up a chance to look for weapons." Bo replied without turning around.
Tamsin patted the roof of the car as she passed Bo's window. Bo and Emma quickly got out of the pickup when they saw she wasn't waiting for them. Emma left the truck running. She didn't want to take the risk.
They walked in with weapons raised and crept past the checkout row. Aside from the scarcity of most of the merchandise, the store looked undisturbed. The themed sections of the store surrounded an atrium. Light shone from the skylights down to the white tile. A staircase led sideways from the center of the first floor up to the right side of the second.
Tamsin downed the last of her rum and tossed the bottle out into the middle of the floor. It broke into several pieces and slid across the tile with a clatter. The sound echoed up to the second floor balcony and she steadied her rifle with her now-free hand in case anything stirred.
Emma surveyed the second floor and saw the edge of a weapons section at the other end of the room. She looked over at Bo and gestured to it. They made their way to the staircase with Tamsin guarding the rear. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as they crept past each aisle and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She wasn't sure if she preferred the feeling to her earlier boredom.
As expected, most of the weapons had been taken. A few rifles and shotguns still hung on the display racks. Bo guessed the leftovers were the heaviest and cheapest of the original options. Scattered boxes of ammunition sat out on the counter, presumably left behind only because no more could be carried.
Emma wandered into the luggage section nearby. There were still some messenger bags left and she grabbed one that wouldn't slow them down. She brought it back to the others and set it on the counter next to the bullets.
Tamsin pulled a gun from the rack and looked it over before trying to find it matching ammunition. Bo looped her rifle strap around her and slid the gun onto her back. She reached for one of the shotguns but a distant noise made her freeze.
It came from inside the mall. Past a closed row of doors they never reached. It almost sounded like rain. Bo turned an ear towards the mall entrance but it didn't help.
"Do you hear that?" She asked. Tamsin and Emma paused their preparations.
Tamsin was in no state to take a risk like ignoring Bo's gut. She saw Bo turn toward the mall entrance and focused her attention outside the doors. She heard it. It sounded eerily familiar and she thought back through her long history to place it. The sound quickly approached the store. Its speed snapped Tamsin's memory into place. Running. And lots of it.
A zombie crashed into one of the doors with a thunk that echoed past the trio. The impact left a smear of blood across the glass and sent the dazed zombie back a few steps. It paused then sniffed the air and seemed to regain focus. It ran for the door again just as five other zombies reached the store.
They were joined by four more. The sound of the group throwing themselves against the doors was loud in Emma's ears. A chill ran up her spine but she couldn't look away from what the residents had become. She tried to count them as they pounded on the glass.
They didn't notice when their existing wounds worsened. One of the zombies snapped an arm under the force. Emma's stomach churned when she saw the unnatural angle it hung at now.
Tamsin saw Emma's distress. She saw the same look on Bo whenever she was stuck between worry and sadness. Tamsin picked up a rifle from the display behind her and loaded it. Just as one of the doors started to crack she handed the gun to Emma.
"Try this one." She offered. "Five bullets."
The door shattered and Emma quickly aimed towards the door. A zombie pushed its way through the break, widening the space as it passed. It ran into the open middle of the store. Emma fired before it could reach the stairs. The kickback made her tighten her grip. The zombie stopped short, his momentum sending him face first to the floor.
The others didn't make it as far. With all three shooting, the bodies piled up at the entrance. It slowed the pace of the next pack to show up. Emma turned to the counter to reload her weapon. Bo was gone when she turned back around.
A surge of anger drove Bo to the base of the stairs. She had to keep the zombies from blocking their exit. There was enough space between her and the mall doors for the others to keep shooting.
The first of the new pack ran at her. She swung the butt of her new rifle at his throat and caught him under the chin. Her follow-through swept him backwards off his feet. Bo barely waited for him to hit the floor before she raised the weapon in the air and brought it down on his head with a crunch.
She heard a shot and looked up to see a zombie fall as it entered the store. Another one ran at her. She readied her stance and wielded the gun like a club. Saving ammo, she justified to herself. She took out the zombie then stepped forward to meet the next one, no longer listening to the shots that rang out above her.
Bo kept moving further forward. Tamsin was getting worried about her being in the line of fire.
"Bo!" Tamsin called but Bo continued on her path. She swung her rifle at the infected to send each to the ground, then brought the weapon down swiftly to bash in their heads.
Emma fired her gun and watched the bullet tear through a hipster zombie's shoulder. Her hands were shaking. She hadn't noticed. The bullet only slowed him down but it was enough to give her a second chance. This time the bullet went through his head. He fell to the floor, blood soaking through his knitted beanie.
She struggled to reload. Tamsin didn't notice. Her attention was on the final zombie trying to enter the store, a cheerleader no older than sixteen. Her uniform was stuck on the jagged glass of one of the doors. As she struggled against the hold the uniform threatened to tear. Tamsin shot her before she could pull free.
With her attention off her aim Emma realized how many bodies lay in the atrium below. The cheerleader looked like she was surveying the damage. She hung from the door, her uniform still caught, as blood trickled from the wound in her forehead.
"That may not be all of them." Emma said. She looked around for Tamsin, but she was already halfway down the stairs.
Tamsin jogged up to Bo, who stood over the broken body of a security guard. She repeatedly brought the gun down to strike the zombie. Tamsin took note of Bo's clenched jaw and straining muscles.
"It's time to go." Tamsin said.
Bo raised the gun again. Tamsin grabbed her arm to get her attention. Bo pulled her arm away as she lowered the weapon. She looked pale. Tamsin tried to remember the last time Bo fed.
"Are you alright?" Tamsin asked.
Emma joined them on the main floor with their new ammo and a second gun. She kept her eye on the mall entrance.
"I'm fine." Bo said. She turned away from Tamsin to hide her expression and led the way back to the truck.