"You're leaving?" Emily asked flatly, staring.
Nick shifted uncomfortably. Her gentle eyes had suddenly become piercing with suspicion and he found himself oddly intimated. Well… he couldn't exactly say he blamed her for reacting the way she was. "Uh… yeah. That's sort of the general idea."
"Again?" She didn't sound pleased.
"Well… I'm telling you I'm leaving this time…" He tried to smile and hoped he could make a bit of a joke out of the whole thought of him leaving, but the look she gave him told him she wasn't very amused. "Look, I'm going to this address right here." He tried to hand her the address but she didn't take it. She just continued to stare. She almost looked betrayed. "I swear, Emily. I'm going there. When things start to settle down and phone lines and shit get back up, call that number. Or give me yours. Whatever." She was still staring hard, jaw clenched. Her eyes searched his for any signs of deceit. And God, Nick was starting to feel guilty. "Emily," he said again, firmly. "This is for the better of everything."
"And why is that?"
"The military can't possibly keep taking care of all of these people—"
"—That's not your concern, Nicholas. What if there are still Infected out there, then what? What happens if you get caught up in the middle of another outbreak?"
Nick shrugged slightly. "Then I guess we fight our way through it again. We've done it before." She crossed her arms and shook her head, biting at her lip. There were tears in her eyes again. Goddamn it. Why is that women thought they could always pull that crying shit to get their way? "Emily… Come on, I'll be fine. I've got Ellis with me so it's not like I'm traveling alone. I know he comes off as a moron, but he's actually pretty sharp… Em? Come on…" He scooted forward, giving his best smile and holding his arms out for her. With a resigned sigh she shuffled into his arms before hugging him tightly.
"You promise that you're going to be okay? That you're going to call? That you'll be safe and not do anything stupid? Do you promise, Nick? I've lost you once. Please don't make me go through it again. Promise me…"
Nick placed a firm kiss on the top of her head. "I promise, Em. Cross my heart…" He paused. "Should we pinky-swear on it?" He grinned down at her confused stare, but after a moment she smirked back.
"You can't break a pinky promise, Nick," she reminded mockingly, holding up her pinky.
"Exactly," he said, linking them together. "Your kids already informed me of the rules of pinky-swearing."
She laughed. "Oh good. Then you know what you've gotten yourself into." Emily brushed away a few lingering tears before snatching the paper away from him. She held it up for him. "If you don't call, or if this address is wrong; you're going to have one angry woman on your ass."
Nick laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time."
It was an amazing sight as all of the cruise ships turned their bows northwest. On either side of their ship they could see vessels beginning their journey back to the mainland and it was a rather comforting sight to behold.
At least a dozen ships (and more that were too far away to make out) all sailed smoothly back to New Orleans and although it was difficult to make out any real faces, each ship seemed to be packed full of Survivors on the decks—all hoping to catch glimpses of life besides their own. It was almost like in that moment everyone seemed to come together, forgetting that they were strangers and instead smiled and wept with the realization that so many more had survived. It was really the first time any of the vessels had seen each other. It was the first time they were reassured that all those names really did have a face and a Survivor behind it. It was impossible to deny now—there were still thousands of Survivors and together they would have to rebuild their beloved country.
"Hey, Ellis?" Nick asked quietly, elbowing the mechanic gently. The young man distractedly tilted his head towards Nicks voice, but didn't let his eyes stray away from Vessel #13 cruising beside them. "We need to go down to the Department of Defense and get our ID's so we can leave when the ships dock. They let the Immunes who are going to leave the outpost out first."
"They kept our stuff?" Ellis asked absently.
"Yeah. It said so in the letters. Ellis?" The southerner finally looked at him and his eyes were wide with wonderment. "…Are you sure you want to go? There's a chance it's still dangerous. I don't want you to leave unless you're all for it."
"Hey, man, it's all good." Ellis tapped his palms on the railing. He was smiling. "I mean, it can't be too bad out there if they're sendin' us out already, ya know? An' besides, I wanna get our lives back ta normal as soon as we can…" He shrugged, smiling still. "So, yeah, Nick, I'm ready ta leave when ya are."
"All right… Good." Nick offered his hand and Ellis grinned before taking it. Ellis let the older man lead him towards the offices.
It ended up taking a relatively short time to make their way through the ship, seeing how most people were gathered on the deck. The only ones left inside totaled, maybe, a couple of hundred. They were either too uncaring of the outside world to bother with the spectacle taking place outside or they were trying to get permission to leave the ship upon docking.
"I can help you here," a man said, waving them over as they entered a small and sparsely occupied room. "Have you been given permission by the D.D. to leave?"
"Yep," Ellis chimed. "Both of us."
"All right. I'll need your full names, birthdates, social security and signatures here noting that you have read the letters and understand the dangers of leaving the military outposts."
It took them barely ten minutes to fill out a sheet of questions and information pertaining to their release and when they were finished the man gave them each a silver bracelet that locked in place with a strange little magnetic wand.
"You won't be able to take that off for quite awhile," the man said. "It's for security reasons. When you get to the docks show it to whoever is maintaining the gates and they'll provide you with a vehicle and supplies for the trip. They will give you information on where supply outposts will be along the highways you travel as well as the supply outpost closest to your homes… Let me grab your personal belongings. One second please." He turned around to another window on the other side of the room before grabbing two small boxes. He returned. "This is for… Mr. Gates," he handed the box to Nick, "And this is Mr. Rafferty… Is everything in order?"
The two opened the boxes and found that the only real objects that had been deemed worth keeping were their driver licenses, credit and debit cards and anything else that could have been washed cleaned and sanitized. Any and all money had been replaced with a piece of paper indicating the amount of money confiscated and a check from the military for the amount. (Although Nick doubted that most people would get refunded, considering how ridiculously poor the country had to be now after all this Infection bullshit).
Nick was also mildly surprised to find that his rings had been returned to him. He lifted them up one by one and examined them fondly before returning them to their rightful places on his fingers.
"Well I got everything worth keeping, I guess," Nick said.
"I ain't got my hat…" Ellis said, sighing with disappointment. "Man… tha' was from our shop too…"
"Sorry, sir. All clothing was burned," the soldier said, smiling apologetically.
"Yeah, I know." Ellis sighed again. "Still a shame though. Tha' hat was with me fer a loooong time. Imma miss it."
Nick would have teased Ellis that it was 'just a hat', but the hat—despite how silly Nick thought it was—held significance to the kid. So instead of giving him a playful jab the conman gently patted the other on the shoulder sympathetically. Ellis half smiled at him before moving all his belongings into his pockets.
"All righ', Nick. I guess we jus' gatta wait now."
"Yeah… I guess so."
Nick took Ellis' hand again and he lead them to the area designated for all Immunes departing upon arrival. At least he had said goodbye to Emily and the kids already. Nick found an odd painful ache in his chest at the thought that their departure was coming to finalization. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to say a goodbye to them without shedding a few tears… It had been hard enough with Emily and the girls crying (as well as Ellis) during the goodbyes. Now that he thought about it, he wondered why he hadn't cried. It was obvious that he was going to miss them… But with a sigh, Nick realized that crying would have just made it that much harder to leave. Well… He was going to see them for Easter. That thought made him grin and Ellis looked at him curiously.
"Wha'?" Ellis asked. He grinned slightly, unable to help himself as Nicks smile became a little more noticeable. He bumped his hip gently against Nicks when the other didn't respond. "Why ya smilin' like tha'?"
"Because I want to," the conman replied, flashing a perfect smile at the other.
Ellis seemed satisfied with this answer because he grinned back before lifting the others hand in his and kissed it firmly.
…It wasn't much of a wait. They seemed to have timed everything perfectly because it was barely twenty minutes after they had come into the waiting room before the cruise ship had docked and a group of military men and women began to direct the hundred or so Immunes out onto dry land.
It was a very odd sensation upon having their feet on ground again. Nick had become so accustomed to the gentle rocking of the ship that he felt almost like his body was still trying to maintain that gentle sway. He felt strange walking on dry land and he could tell that Ellis was having a difficult time too since he kept staring at the ground as though he was trying to get a better read on why his body was acting so funny to the lack of movement. Well... at least he wasn't the only one.
At each new fenced off area they came to, they were asked to show their bracelets and it had to be about five exits later that they came to the 'gate' as promised.
"All right, bracelets please," a woman said. They showed it to her and she read the number across it. She flipped through several pages on her clipboard. "All right. You two are traveling about 800 miles to North Carolina." She unclipped the paper and handed it to them. "That's directions from New Orleans to Oak Ridge, you'll see that there are several spots marked where you can find military outposts and resupply. I highly suggest you follow the directions because for sure those highways have been cleared for travel. There is enough food and gas in the vehicle to bring you to your destination. You are still encouraged to stop at the outposts to check in with the military so we can track your progress, but feel free to skip some of them. Please be sure to listen to any and all instructions from military personnel, do not argue or act suspiciously when they confront you otherwise you will be detained. Do you have any questions?"
"Uh… how reliable are these vehicles?" Nick asked.
"They've been fully inspected by our mechanics and have been adjusted for your travel needs and lengths. Also, when you near your city of..."
"…Oak Ridge," Ellis offered brightly.
"Yeah, Oak Ridge, you'll have to check in with the closest outpost. They'll trade in the military vehicle for a different one that is capable of traveling smaller distances so you can resupply when needed until your city becomes capable of providing provisions for itself. You will be escorted to your destination from this outpost."
"What happens if we run into any Infected?" Nick asked.
The woman paused in thought. "I would suggest not leaving your vehicle and driving to the next military outpost. You must report any Infected you may find. Although I am doubtful that you will find any."
Nick snorted. "Well, being doubtful doesn't make it impossible."
She smiled patiently. "No, but we have been very thorough with our sanitation process. Regardless of that fact, you have read and understood the risks of leaving the outpost, correct?"
"Yeah, yeah. All right. I get it. Let's just see this vehicle."
She led them through hundreds of parked military vehicles—some were in better shape than others and it seemed obvious that the farther away you were traveling the better condition of a vehicle you received. The longer they walked the more complex they became. And then they came to a stop.
"All right, here you are." She motioned at a desert camouflaged Humvee that looked strange as hell in New Orleans. "Please follow the directions inside and do not exceed the speed limit asked. You destination is approximately twelve hours away. If you don't meet the last outpost checkpoint in three days, we will be notified and the GPS system in the car will locate you. We will be able to give assistance if you need it…" She paused. "Or a stern warning to move faster. I implore you to try and make this trip as short as possible."
Ellis, however, wasn't listening. He stood staring at the large Humvee with a look of absolute awe. At least Nick was listening. He nodded a few times as she spoke and when she finished he took the keys from her. With an exchange of good lucks and thank yous, the conman turned to their designated vehicle. Ellis was still staring in opened-mouth admiration.
"Man… I've always wanted ta drive one of these. Can I drive Nick? Please?" He turned to the other and began to bounce excitedly, tugging at Nicks clothes insistently. "Oh, please, please, please, Nick. Please!"
"All right, you can drive," Nick laughed, handing the keys to the other. Ellis was beyond himself with excitement. He dropped the keys twice as he ran to the drivers side and it took him almost a full minute to get his shaking hand to place the key into the ignition. Nick rolled his eyes and took up the passenger seat. "Ellis. Don't make me regret this."
Ellis looked at him and he was grinning so big that Nick could only laugh loudly in response to that grin. "Where we headin', Nick?" the young man whispered excitedly.
Shaking his head, Nick flipped opened the directions. "It says to follow the signs to I-10 East. We'll be on that bitch for a hundred thirty-four miles."
"Ah man," Ellis whispered, hands gripping the steering wheel excitedly. "This is gunna be awesome! I love road trips!" Ellis looked at Nick and his smile became soft. "Time ta go home. Ya ready?"
Nick smiled back. "Yeah. Let's get started."
Ellis was more than happy to oblige.
A/N: I would assume that most people got onto ships and stuff before they were in direct contact with Infected, thus why it's hard to determine if they're 'Immune' or not. Anyone being released has had known physical contact with the Infected and screened for the Infection and confirmed to have Immunities. I'm sure everyone was checked for the Infection, but if they hadn't been exposed to it I can imagine it's probably harder to tell for sure if they can become Infected or not…(the more I think about this, the more flawed it seems LOL don't think too hard about it!)
Yes, I really sort of 'rushed' the whole meeting his family and then moving to land—but again, it's because all if it really isn't significant to Ellis and Nick's relationship per se… and so it's not important enough to spend more than a couple of chapters on. I hope it was at least fulfilling enough to satisfy your curiosities.
NOTE: I spent like an hour researching military vehicles and the only one that I could find that made any sense for long-travel and decent speed was the Humvee. I lawled, but… yeah. So please, if it makes no sense, just roll with it. I really tried to do some research. Also, let's assume that at one point they gave the military the info of where they were going so that they could determine all the supplies/gas and shit that they needed. Thanks guys XD