The soldier's fingers dug into Emma's shoulders. She felt the heat from his breath and saw the rage in his eyes. She'd never met this man before, but someone clearly told him what she brought to New York. Unfortunately, she had nothing left to give him. The vials of Whale's cobbled-together vaccine were wasted on scientists too perplexed by the material's origin to do much with it.
"It's gone." Emma said.
"You can make more." The soldier demanded.
"I'm just the messenger." Emma argued.
The soldier grabbed her by the arms and lifted her from the chair. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a hiss.
"You know where the source is, and you will tell me." He said. Emma didn't say a word. Her mind was racing through ways to escape. She was still finding her strength and wasn't quite ready for a fight.
"I can make you talk." The soldier warned.
"I don't think so." Bo interrupted from the doorway.
The soldier dropped Emma back into the chair. Bo was on him before he could fully turn around. She grabbed the front of his uniform with one hand and planted the other on the side of his face.
An orange glow spread from Bo's hand to the soldier's cheek. He smiled, clearly smitten, and Bo stared back at him with intense...Emma couldn't place the look at first. Then it clicked. Hunger. The realization had barely sunk in when Bo pulled the soldier's face to hers.
Their open mouths hovered close together but their lips didn't touch. A blue stream of light was pulled from within the soldier and inhaled by Bo. Emma was mesmerized by the action and by the burning blue of Bo's eyes. They seemed to grow brighter as the soldier paled. His eyes eventually closed and Bo lowered him to the ground with a smile still on his face. Tamsin stood watching from the tent entrance.
"Is it wrong that I'm turned on?" She wondered aloud. Emma didn't answer, but she completely understood.
They found their bags and guns in the same tent. Tamsin helped herself to the contents of the captain's pockets and found keys to one of the smaller trucks. The Jeep gave them enough space to take a few extra supplies.
Emma drove again. She liked having control over their forward progress, especially when she was so close to home. She sped up when they passed the Maine border. The sun started to set shortly after. Long shadows ran between the trees. Bo was about to ask how much further when another surprise roadblock came into view. Emma stopped the truck when she saw it.
Roughly forty zombies stood crowded together in the middle of the road. Most of the group faced away from the truck. The road ahead of them seemed empty, but they stood eerily still as if waiting for permission to continue. They looked weak. Bones showed through wide tears in their decaying flesh. The skin on their faces was so loose their eyes were forced half closed. Their hair had mostly fallen out and their clothes were so caked in blood and dirt they all looked the same.
"What happened?" Bo asked.
"That's the town line." Emma said. "They can smell the people, but the protection spell stopped them from getting in."
"Lucky for the town." Bo said. "But they'll notice us soon."
"We can take them down before sunset." Tamsin said. Emma was already turning the truck around.
She backed slowly towards the zombie group and stopped before any took notice. They were almost two hundred feet away when they opened the back of the truck. They loaded guns as quickly as they could and lined them up in reach. Emma's mouth was dry and her muscles were tensed. Eventually she had to take off her jacket. The others followed suit.
Emma glanced at the zombies. One of them was looking right at her. It didn't react at first and Emma assumed it couldn't see her clearly.
A gust of cool air rolled past the truck. The hairs on Bo's arms stood on end as the breeze rushed towards the zombies. Tamsin thrust a rifle into her hands.
"Let's get shit done." Tamsin said with a smirk.
The three raised their weapons just as the zombies inhaled their scent. All of the creatures turned slowly towards them at once. A chill climbed Emma's spine. They were standing straighter, their unused muscles flexing as they sniffed the air.
Emma shot first. She hit a zombie at the center of the group. It confirmed the source of the smell and the others started moving forward. Tamsin shot one at the edge of the pack. They picked up their pace. Bo hit one between the eyes just as it tried to start jogging. It didn't stop the others from trying. Five more went down before the creatures made much progress forward, but the closer they got the more they smelled food and the more strength they found.
About half of the zombies were left when they switched to handguns. They were only fifty feet away now, and moving faster than Emma liked. Her heart pounded and she held the gun tightly to keep her hands steady as she shot.
Several of the creatures almost reached them. Bo looked away to grab her second handgun and when she looked back up two zombies were bearing down on her. She shot one, her heart pounding as the other leaped forward. Everything went silent as she tried to properly aim. She took a few quick steps backwards. The zombie's hands were almost on her when the tip of an arrow poked through his forehead with a heavy thunk. His body went limp and Bo jumped aside to avoid his fall.
Emma saw the arrow fly past. It had to be Mary Margaret's. Her family was there. She set her empty handgun back in the truck and picked up a machete. The final zombie was slower than the others and stumbled over leaking bodies as it ambled forward. Tamsin lowered her gun when she saw Emma's new weapon.
Emma felt anger build in her muscles as the zombie charged for her. It was all that stood between her and her home. When the creature was in reach, she swung the weapon at its neck. The blade sank easily to the bone and Emma used the momentum to slam the zombie to the road.
She pried the machete out, then held it over the twitching body. With one arm protecting her face she thrust the weapon down. It sank snugly through the zombie's skull and stayed in place, blood and brain matter oozing out around the blade, handle sticking straight into the air. She turned towards Storybrook, her skin buzzing with excitement.
Regina appeared at the town line, running straight for Emma. Emma was crying long before Regina reached her. They collided in a weepy and relieved embrace. Emma had to tighten her arms around Regina's waist when Regina's legs briefly gave out beneath her.
"I thought I lost you." Regina whispered. Emma pulled back so she could look Regina in the eyes.
"I'm right here." She whispered back. She kissed Regina lightly on the lips. "I missed you so much."
Bo could barely handle the sweetness of the moment. Tears stung her eyes as she watched the reunion. It was just the win they needed after weeks of killing. She grabbed Tamsin's hand, half expecting her to pull away.
Tamsin knew how important this moment was. The crying surrounding her was slightly nauseating, but she couldn't complain when she saw the smile stretched across Bo's face. She let Bo hold on to her as they absorbed the rare moment of joy.
The Charmings agreed to hold off the welcome party until after the travelers rested. Regina insisted Bo and Tamsin stay at the mansion as a thank you. Bo and Tamsin agreed, grateful for a chance to let their guard down. A shower and a home cooked meal quickly turned their relaxation into exhaustion. They were passed out on the couches in the study minutes after they finished eating.
Emma and Regina wound up curled together on the couch watching 'I Love Lucy' reruns. Emma's choice. Henry, unable to leave Emma's side and sleep in his own room, had a sleeping bag on the floor in front of them. He dozed off several times through the marathon. Twice he startled awake and looked back to make sure Emma was still there.
It didn't take long for the exhaustion to hit Emma. She snuggled closer to Regina, who turned to whisper, "I love you," in Emma's ear.
They understood what a loss to these creatures could feel like. They knew there were other families they could protect. Now there were two more heroes who could help them make a difference. She heard Henry turn and check for her again just before she drifted to sleep.