Chapter 33: Home.

Ronny and Wayne tossed the last dead body onto the pile. Ally hugged her sides and Nevil stood next to her. She just wanted to find Nathan. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and she looked over at Austin, who was talking to Dez in a hushed tone. He glanced over at her, and she quickly looked away, and squeezed Nevil's shoulder.

Grace looked over and called out to Nevil to come over. He soon left Ally's side and Ally rubbed the back of her neck. Her gaze fell on the empty black van, where Nathan was supposedly meant to have been. Maybe they were too late, maybe he was gone. Ally couldn't stop the negative thoughts in her mind. They were just there, and they were constantly haunting her.

"Ally," Austin appeared next to her. She looked over at him, tears welling in her eyes. "We'll find him," He whispered, and Ally bit her bottom lip, then she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Austin held her tight, kissing her gently on the head.

"Please don't offer to take a bullet for me again," Ally whispered into his chest.

"I can't...I'm never going to let you die knowing that I could've stopped it, and if that means getting shot for you, then so be it," Austin spoke into her hair, and Ally looked up at him.

"I love you," She said and he smiled at her.

"I know you do, and I love you too," He kissed her gently on her lips, his hands tightened on her hips as a sign of affection.

"Okay!" Wayne announced clapping his hands together, and everyone turned to focus their attention on him. "We're going to take the cars and any supplies we can gather, then head back to the prison."

"But, what about Nathan! Gregory and Jaime!?" Ally's voice came out shrill and Wayne looked at her.

"We'll head back to the prison, then we'll start looking again. Ally, we're not going to stop looking for Nathan, I promise you that, but some of us are injured and we need to head back to rest for a bit," Wayne explained, and a small whimper escaped her lips and Austin grabbed her hand.

"As soon as we get back, I'll head off into the woods to search, okay?" He whispered in her ear, and she nodded her head slowly.

Everyone split off, and began to gather any supplies they needed. Ally looked over at Sarah who was rubbing her stomach, and she was being tortured under Dean's fearful gaze. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground. Ally made her way over, and stood in front of Sarah.

"Yes she's pregnant, but you don't need to make her feel small...HM? It takes two to tango doesn't it? This isn't her fault! You should consider it a blessing that you're having a child, especially under these circumstances. Now act like the man I know you're and accept that you're having a child! And love it like the kind man I know that you can be!" Ally poked his chest hard, and she narrowed her eyes at him. His shoulders fell, and he looked over Ally's shoulder and at Sarah.

"You're right," He said, looking back at Ally. "Sarah, I'm sorry."

Ally stepped away, and left them two alone. Trish walked over and appeared at her side. She didn't say a word, but she sent a sympathetic look in her direction. Ally took in a staggering breath, and looked at her.

"I'm okay," Ally whispered.

"I'm not blind, it's okay not to be okay Ally," Trish replied. "You're strong though, we'll get Nathan back, and you'll be fine once again, like always."

"I just have a bad feeling-"

"That's okay, but you've just go to push them negative thoughts to the back of your mind," Trish explained and Ally nodded her head.

"You're right...how are things with you and Dez?" Ally asked, and Trish shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure anymore...he needs to be in a place where he's comfortable, and he can relax. He's always on the edge of his seat, ready to attack anyone that pisses him off...He needs to be back at a place like the farm...I don't think I've seen him smile since then...we could all relax, and feel safe," Trish looked up at the sky, and Ally bit her lip.

"It was my fault that the farm was taken away from us. I let Paul come to the farm...he was my problem, not yours and he messed everything up for you guys," Ally bit the side of her thumb, and Trish shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault at all," Trish said.

"Is everyone ready?" Lucas called out, and everyone split off into the cars. Austin was waiting by a rusty truck, holding the door open for her. Ally took his hand and she got inside. He closed the door behind her, then walked around to the other side and got into the driver's seat. He sent a nod to Wayne who was in the truck next to them, and they took off in a long train of vehicles.

...

Ally's heart felt like it was having a million knives thrown at it. Her hands began to shake, and she looked over at Austin, panic written on her face, and apparent on his. He stopped the truck, and everyone behind them did too.

The first thing Ally saw was the tank, then the dead bodies. Both creepers and humans. Like a skittish wreck she flung open the door. Her legs turning to jelly instantly. She tried to run forward, but she collapsed to the floor immediately. Everyone else got out of the trucks and cars. Horror written all over their faces. The prison gates were destroyed. The building had been blown to pieces. It looked like a graveyard.

"GEORGE! LEXI!" Julie screeched and she took off running, and Kyle ran behind her.

"LIZZY!" Harriet was straight behind her, and Derek went off after her, Billy's name escaping his lips.

"MARY! TOM!" Elliot took off, narrowly missing a staggering creeper.

"Erica..." Grace whispered, and she went to run towards the prison, but Lucas reached out and grabbed her.

"Hey!" Nevil pulled on Roxana's arm and he pointed over to a tree, where there was a note attached to one of the branches.

Austin helped Ally to her feet, and she looked over at the tree. She slowly made her way over, and pulled it from the branch.

Head to the highway.

We're all safe.

Gregory and Jaime are with us too.

The bastard's who did this are all dead.

Flashback:

Jaime stared back at Gareth in horror. His sickening smirk made her want to be sick. She looked back over her shoulder, and she could see where Mary, Jack, Gregory, Cal and Frederick were standing, weapons ready.

"Why are you doing this?" Jaime asked, and Gareth laughed, looking back at his men, who all joined in.

"For fun," He smirked. "FIRE!"

The tank was fired and it blasted into the gate. It flung off its hinges flying above their heads. They all dropped to the floor and Jaime covered her head. She coughed the dust out of her lungs, and she looked back at Gareth.

"I'm going to be nice. You've got a chance to leave," Gareth spoke wickedly and Jaime took a few steps back. Then she slowly began to make her way up the dirt path.

"Are you okay?" Gregory asked and she slowly nodded her head. Cal handed her a gun and some spare ammo, and she looked back at Gareth's smirking face.

"He's giving us a chance to leave," Jaime said.

"I'm not leaving this place without a fight," Jack loaded up his gun, then slipped it into his belt.

"We can't fight them," Mary added and she looked at Frederick. "Daddy, I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry about me sweetheart, I'll do just fine," Frederick smiled at her, and Jaime glanced over at Gregory. He nodded his head at her.

Suddenly, the tank was fired again. This time it hit the cellblock and rubble flew over their heads. They all fell to the floor. Gregory covered Jaime's head and Frederick did the same for Mary. They all coughed and they heard a heavy stampede of footsteps, and the sickening sound of groaning coming from creepers, which must've been attracted by the noise from the tank.

Shots followed soon after, and before Gregory could stop her, Jaime was running out of the cloud of dust and smoke, and straight towards them all. He looked back at everyone else, and they all nodded. Then they all separated and went off on their own.

The tank was fired once more. It flung open more of the fence, which previously protected the prison. Jaime went straight for the first person she could see. She slammed him to the ground and he grabbed onto her neck, flipping her onto her back. She brought her legs up and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him backwards. She pulled out her knife, and slashed his chest, then she swung the knife across his throat.

A cold hand grabbed the back of her shirt, then she was pulled down, and met with the sickening face of a creeper. A frustrated scream escaped her lips, and she pushed at it's decaying face and tried to pull her arm out, which was holding the knife, out from underneath the creeper.

She managed to push the creeper off her and she plunged her knife into it's skull. The tank was fired again, and Jaime wasn't even sure what it had hit this time, but smoke filled her vision and it was getting harder to see.

Mary took in a staggering breath and she stabbed the creeper in the skull and let it's body fall to the ground. She tried to cough the smoke out of her lungs, but the smoke never seemed to leave. Her whole body was trembling, and all she could think about was Tom, Elliot, Frederick and Sarah. She hoped they were all okay.

"Hello princess," A husky voice appeared through the smoke, and she was thrown against the concrete wall. The knife fell from her hand and he pinned her arms above her head. She hissed out in pain, when she felt her back crack.

Mary gritted her teeth and she swung her knee right into his privates. He toppled forward and she pushed him hard to the ground. She pulled the gun out from her belt, and without hesitation she fired a single shot, which seemed to ring continuously through her ears. She blinked once, then slipped her gun back into her belt, then retrieved her knife.

Gregory fired a shot at the man, and he fell to the floor instantly. He coughed once, then squinted through the smoke. He saw Frederick, firing his shotgun at one of the men, then he stabbed the creepers, which were getting to close. He scanned the area for Jack and could see him fighting another man. His eyes then fell on the courtyard. It was covered in a fresh new layer of smoke, but when he heard a shrill scream come from the darkness there. He knew who it had came from.

Jaime screamed at the top of her lungs and Gareth picked her up as if she weighed nothing and threw her to the ground. Jaime heard her ribs crack and she arched her back in agony. Gareth towered over her, grabbing her roughly by the collar. His sickening grin came close to her and she stared into his dark eyes.

"You're a bit to young for my tastes, but I think I can make an exception," He smirked and Jaime stared back at him with a hard look.

"Go to hell," Jaime hissed and he chuckled.

"I will, but I plan on taking you there with me sweetheart," Jaime felt the coldness of his knife run up her leg, and her eyes widened slightly. Then she saw movement over his shoulder, a musky black silhouette got closer and closer. She waited for them to step out of the smoke, and she saw it was Gregory. She looked back at Gareth's smirking face.

Gregory raised his gun, and Jaime quickly buried her face into Gareth's chest.

"Someone's keen-"

BANG!

Jaime pulled her face away from Gareth's chest and his lifeless body crashed on top of her. Gregory pulled him off her, and Jaime stared at the bullet hole in Gareth's head. Gregory helped her to her feet, and she nodded at him.

"Thank you," She whispered, and she began to cough. A few creepers came staggering over, and they both took them down. Jaime rubbed her forehead, and she looked around, squinting through the smoke.

"Can you see anymore of them?" Gregory asked and she shook her head. "I can't believe this place is really gone."

Jaime gave him a sympathetic look and she saw another figure making their way over, which turned out to be Jack. He nodded at them both, then he called out for Mary, Frederick and Cal. The three of them soon appeared. Mary and Frederick had rucksacks on their backs and Mary pulled out a notebook and a pen. Jack took it from her, and he began to scribble something down.

"We need to head to the highway," Frederick said. "We'll leave them a note, telling them to head to the highway."

End of Flashback.

The prison group arrived at the highway. Jaime took off down the graveyard of cars, and Gregory went after her. Jess was sat in the back of one of the truck's, tears pouring down her face, and Billy was sat next to her, crying.

"They'll get here little guy," Jack said, and he gently ruffled Billy's hair.

"I want my daddy," Billy blubbered. "I want my mommy."

"Billy they'll come, we just need to wait," Tess assured him, whilst bouncing Erica in her arms, and trying to keep her balance with both Daniel and Jasmine, holding onto her legs.

Mary went straight over to the little box that Tom was in and she kissed him all over his face. Frederick walked over and kissed his daughter and his grandson. Cal walked over to the passenger side of the truck and saw Alice sitting there. She was holding her stomach, and she had Lexi in her lap, and George and Lizzy were both sat in the backseat.

"Are you all alright?" Cal asked. George and Lizzy both nodded, and his eyes fell on Alice. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," She croaked.

"You need to rest," Cal replied.

"We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse...rest isn't common. I'm fine," Alice whispered.

"Alice-"

"Stop worrying. I never knew you cared about me that much," She slurred, and Cal stared at her with wide eyes. "It's okay to care Cal, I care about you too. It's a natural thing, no need to freak out," Her eyes began to flutter shut, and he quickly took Lexi from her lap, then he gently helped her lay down along the seat. She muttered a thank you his way, and he placed a finger to his lips to tell George and Lizzy to be quiet in the back.

He stepped away from the truck and he walked over to where Jack was with Tess, Jess and Billy.

Gregory watched Jaime closely as she tore through the cars. He could see she was exhausted. He reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned around, and looked down at his hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Looking for anything we might need," She whispered, then she looked up at him.

"You need to rest," He said and she shook her head.

"No, I need to find supplies," Jaime muttered.

"No," He spoke sternly. "You need to come and sit down. We're going to wait for everyone else to come back. For your dad to come back."

"He might not be with them-"

"Jaime, he's with them," Gregory assured her. "You look exhausted. C'mon lets go back to the others."

They both made their way over to the truck that everyone was around. Gregory made her sit in the bed of the truck next to Jess. She looked over at Jess who was rubbing at her red eyes, and Jess flashed her an innocent smile, and Jaime returned it.

The rumbling sound of vehicles filled their ears, and they all looked ahead, and they could see cars and trucks getting closer. Jess wiped all her tears away and she jumped up and down.

"Is it them?" She squeaked, and Jack turned and squinted at the cars. And the first person he saw was Austin.

"It's them sweetheart," Jack smiled, and Jess jumped down from the truck. The cars pulled up, and the doors opened. Ally was the first out, and when she saw Jess and Billy there. She ran forwards. Jess took off towards her, and Billy followed her.

Jess ran into her arms and Billy slammed into her legs, hugging them tight. Billy whispered that he missed her, then he caught sight of Derek, and he took off towards his daddy. Grace and Lucas went straight to Erica and took her from Tess's arms. Kyle and Julie went straight for Lexi, and then George and Lizzy came out of the truck. George went straight to his dad, and Lizzy ran straight to Harriet. Elliot ran over to Mary who was cradling Tom and he kissed her hard on the lips and hugged them both tight. Sarah made her way over to Frederick and hugged her daddy tight, then went over to her sister.

Jess wiggled in Ally's arms, and Ally looked over her shoulder to see she wanted to go and hug Austin. He took her willingly and he smiled hugging her tight.

"Jess!" Nevil came out of the truck and Jess hopped down from Austin's arms and she raced over to Nevil hugging him tight.

Jaime saw him standing at the back. Wayne...her dad. She could see the stress in his eyes. She could see how much he'd aged, and how tough he'd became, because of the circumstances. Tears welled in her eyes, and she waited for him to notice she was here.

Wayne's eyes soon found her's, and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He stepped through everyone, and Jaime got down from the truck. She took off running towards him, and she ran into his arms. Both of them fell to the floor in a heap, and he held her so tight, as if she was going to disappear any minute. A manly cry escaped his lips, and he buried his face into her neck.

"I missed you daddy," She whispered and he pulled away to look at her.

"I missed you too sweetheart," He kissed her forehead, then pulled her into his embrace once more.

Ally looked away from Jaime and Wayne, then looked over at Austin. Happiness and sadness were mixed in her eyes, and Austin reached out and grabbed her hand. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he pulled her into his arms, kissing the side of her head.

"Is that...Kira?" Julie said, and Ally quickly pulled away from Austin. Her eyes were wide, and she stared up at Austin, then she slowly turned her head. In the distance, through the cars. Someone was making their way over. Ally squinted, and she could just about see that it was Kira.

But it was what was in her arms that was making her whole body tremble. Or rather who.

Wrapped in blankets.

Bundled in her arms.

A distant gurgle filled their ears.

Ally looked back at Austin, and she could see that he knew who it was. Before anyone else could move. Both of them had taken off running through the cars. Ally could feel the tears flying from her face, and her heartbeat got quicker as they got closer to her.

Austin got their first and Kira immediately handed Nathan over. Ally collided into Austin and she took Nathan from his arms and she held him tight against her chest. A happy sob escaped her lips, and she kissed Nathan's head over and over again. Austin pulled them both into his arms, and he kissed Ally on the head. He didn't even bother to wipe away the tears falling from his eyes.

Kira smiled, and she could see everyone else walking over to them. Austin let go of them both, and he looked over at Kira.

"Thank you," He said, and Ally looked over at Kira with beaming eyes.

"Kira...after everything...thank you so much for bringing him back to us," Ally whimpered and she flashed her a smile.

"When you were fighting Rufus. I went into the back of the van, and I took him away. There were creepers trying to get to us...so I had to go off into the woods. I'm glad I came across you here...I never have been good with babies," Kira smiled and Ally handed Nathan to Austin and she walked over, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you," She whispered into her ear. "Thank you so much. You can stay with us now...we can just forget everything that's happened before...I forgive you now."

Ally pulled away, and they both smiled at each other. Ally looked over her shoulder, and she could see that for once, everyone was happy. Everyone was together finally.

"Where do we go now?" George asked.

"I'm not sure," Lucas said, and he looked over at Wayne.

"I have something to tell you guys," Jaime spoke up and she stepped out of Wayne's side. "Before Gregory and I got taken...I heard Austin and Ally talking about a farm you guys all used to stay on. Well...a while back. I was with another group. They're all dead and gone now. There wasn't many of us, but there was enough, and we came across a farm. There was a barn, which had been burnt down...there were a lot of creepers around, but we killed them all. Then we decided to stay and rebuild everything, build a new life. We built a new barn, found new animals that had been abandoned on a few other farms. We built cabins, a lot of them. We took in any survivors we came across. We built tree houses all along the farm, so people could sit and do watch easier. We gave the house a new coat of paint, fixed parts that were broken. It was a wonderful community, but we were out on a run...most of the group, and we came across a group. They were bad people...cannibals. Only me and three other people made it out alive. Everyone else who was back at the farm didn't want to stay anymore. So we all left, and I went off on my own...It should still be there. It's far out in the middle of the countryside, and I knew I recognized Frederick from somewhere...I remember seeing you in a picture in your house...we can go back there, I'm sure it's all still there, and whilst we were there we didn't have many creeper incidents. It's safe, and we can have freedom."

Everyone stood there in silence. All of them staring at her. Frederick was smiling from ear to ear, just thinking about what had previously been his pride and joy. Everyone looked at one another, and Ally looked up at Austin.

Wayne coughed, then a smile formed on his face. "Okay, guys. Let's go home."

AN: Hello! I know, it's been a while, but I did warn you guys. So here's a chapter, and no this isn't the end. But there will not be another update in a while. I just need my exams to be over, and then I can scream hallelujah, and just write till my heart is content :)

Please review. Because I just want to know how you all are feeling, and your thoughts. So, please please review for me. I love hearing from you guys :)

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