Chapter 34: We Will.
It felt like they'd been walking for days, but it had only been a few hours. Ally was still held up in the moment of having Nathan back in her arms. She held him against her chest and kissed the side of his head.
Austin shifted his crossbow on his back and he glanced at Ally. She looked back at him, and stared at him sincerely. Ally wished for time alone with Austin and Nathan, but she knew they weren't going to catch a break for awhile.
The sun was blaring down on them all. They were walking along this never ending road, trees were on either side of them and so far no creepers had crossed their path.
Wayne was leading the long train of people. They were all off in their groups of families, but Ally looked over her shoulder and saw Kira at the very back, on her own. She saw the sad expression on her face and the lost look in her eyes. Ally went to move away, but she saw Ronny step up next to her, and start a conversation.
Austin reached over and took a sleepy Nathan from her chest. He bundled him up in his strong arms, and they both carried on walking ahead. Nathan began to drift off into a sleep in the warmth of his dad's arms. Ally grabbed Austin's hand and intertwined their fingers together.
Jess soon came up next to Austin and as he had Nathan on his arm and he was holding Ally's hand, she decided to grab onto the fabric of his trouser leg and kept herself glued to his side.
Nevil soon walked away from George and Lizzy, then grabbed Ally's free hand. Ally watched Billy turn to come towards them, but Roxana grabbed his arm and whispered something harshly to him. His face fell and a frown plastered his face, and he turned away and went to Derek and grabbed his hand.
Ally went to walk over to Billy, but Wayne's voice stopped her.
"We're going to set up camp here for tonight," Wayne announced and Ally looked at the clearing in the woods. There was a stone wall and a metal gate that led to it. Wayne pushed it open and Jack and Lucas followed him inside. They scanned the area for any creepers, but there weren't any there.
They moved to the centre of the clearing, and Ally took the bags off her back and she told Nevil to sit down on the small log. Austin handed Nathan over to her and he took the small blanket out of the rucksack and laid it out on the ground. Ally put him down and he lay their in the shade fast asleep.
Nevil ran over, and sat down next to Nathan. His machete knife was in his lap, and he was ready to protect him from any potential danger. Ally looked over at Austin, and he nodded his head at her. Ally could see the exhaustion on his face. Austin hadn't slept in days, because Ally knew he was to afraid to close his eyes incase they weren't there when he opened them again.
But Ally knew that they were going to make it. They always did.
...
Jaime pulled her rucksack off her back, and she began to put up her tent. She glanced back and saw her dad talking to an older women. She watched him pull her into his side, and she sighed. Jaime crouched down, and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced over at Ally who was near Nathan and Nevil, crouching down in front of Jess.
Jaime felt someone's shadow cast over her. She stood up and turned around to see her dad, and the woman he'd been talking to. She glanced down at their intertwined hands, and she blinked once, then looked into his eyes.
"This is Harriet," Wayne said, and Jaime glanced at her, then Harriet flashed her a smile. "Lizzy's her daughter, the one over there-"
"I know who she is," Jaime responded, flatly.
"Me and Harriet are-"
"Together, I know," Jaime replied, and Wayne sighed.
"Jaime, I know this must be hard, but-"
"I'm tired, and I'm happy for you, but right now, I just want to go to sleep," Jaime rubbed her eyes, and Wayne placed his hand on her shoulder, then quickly kissed the side of her head.
"I'll help you," Harriet said, and Jaime cautiously nodded her head.
"Thank you," Jaime replied.
...
Ally bundled Jess into her lap, and Billy cradled Nathan in his arms, whilst Nevil dangled a piece of string in front of Nathan. He reached out and tried to grab it, but Nevil kept pulling it away and laughing. Austin came over, after he finished lighting a fire.
Everyone had set up their tents, and most of them had already gone to sleep. Austin sat down next to Ally, and Jess lept from Ally's lap, and landed on Austin's shoulder. He swiftly pulled her into his lap, and began tickling her. Jess bursted out into a fit of giggles, and Ally smiled at the sense of normality.
"Look, he has brown eyes," Billy gasped, and Ally ruffled his hair. "Nathan has big brown eyes just like you."
"Billy!" A sharp voice hissed harshly. Ally looked over to see it was Roxana. She marched over, and rested her hands on her hips. Billy passed Nathan to Nevil, and he glanced at Roxana with teary eyes. "What have I told you, leave them alone for family time. You're not a part of their family!" She grabbed Billy by the wrist, and pulled him to his feet.
Billy cried out, and sobbed loudly. Ally got to her feet, and she pulled Roxana's hand away from Billy's wrist. She picked him up, and rested him on her hip. Ally's eyes narrowed at her, and Roxana sighed.
"Ally, I'm trying to help. I know you want to be left alone with your family-"
"Billy is family," She said sternly, and Billy buried his face into the crook of her neck.
"Ally, you can't say things like that to him. He's only young, he has a dad, and he has me, I'm the closest thing he has to a mother-"
"And what have you done for Billy?" Ally questioned, and Austin soon appeared next to her, cradling Jess in his arms, then Nevil came up next to Ally with Nathan in his arms. "Go on, tell me? Were you there when he was shot, no! He might not be my biological son, but I'm his mother, not you! Family time includes Billy, and I don't give a damn what you think. Now, how about you run along and leave us to enjoy family time!"
Roxana stood there, her mouth firmly closed. She spun around on her heel, and marched off to her tent. Ally looked over and saw Derek standing nearby, a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, I know she's your girlfriend, but-"
"It's fine. Your right, you're his mom, not her," Derek walked over, and kissed Billy on the side of his head, and whispered goodnight in his ear. Derek left, and went towards his tent. Billy glanced at Ally with a tear stained face, and she smiled, then kissed his forehead.
"Don't ever think your not family, because you are," Ally explained, and Billy nodded, a huge smile appearing on his face. "Now, I do believe you were telling me about my big, beautiful, brown eyes."
...
The next day, they packed up the campsite, and began another long trek. They were heading towards another town, in the hope that they would find some cars, and some supplies. Ally bounced Nathan in her arms, and he laced his small hand around her finger. She smiled lovingly down at him, then kissed his head.
Alice came up next to Ally, and she reached out and brushed her hand against Nathan's head.
"He's growing fast," Alice smiled, and Ally returned it.
"I know, I can't believe it," Ally said. "How are you feeling?" Ally glanced at where she'd gotten shot.
"I'm doing better, a lot better thanks to Cal. He really saved my ass," She explained.
"You like him, don't you?" Ally raised an eyebrow at her, and Alice's face began to go red.
"God, I feel like I'm sixteen again," Alice giggled. "I guess it's just all the adrenalin from living in the apocalypse."
"He likes you. I can tell," Ally responded, and Alice began to mutter to herself, blushing some more, and she walked off ahead.
They soon came to the small town, and Austin walked over to her. He took Nathan from her arms, and handed him to Tess. Tess and Alice were taking the kids off to the park nearby. Derek, and Ronny were going with them for protection.
Austin pulled his crossbow off his back, and Ally pulled her knife from her belt. She stuck close to Austin's back, and she glanced to see Grace, and Lucas rummaging through one of the trucks, and Gregory was sat in the driver's seat, trying to get it to start. It rumbled to life, and Gregory began to cheer loudly, and Ally watched Jaime; who had been standing nearby, throw a toy from one of the cars at him. Ally laughed, and carried on following Austin.
Austin walked up the wooden steps, and stood on the porch of one of the houses. He looked back at Ally, and she nodded her head, so he knew she'd cover him. Austin raised his crossbow, then opened the door. He walked in quickly, and scanned the area. Ally stepped in behind him, and walked into the kitchen to find there wasn't a creeper in sight. Austin soon came back, and said it was clear.
Ally took off her rucksack, and climbed up onto the counter. Austin laughed from behind her.
"What?" She asked.
"You are really small," He mocked, and Ally gaped at him.
"Don't mock my smallness," Ally squeaked, and she opened the cupboard door. Austin laughed again, and he began to go through the cupboards. Ally took out some of the canned food, and she put it into her rucksack. She jumped down from the counter, and wandered into the lounge.
She glanced at the fireplace, and saw a picture of a family. She felt her breathing hitch in the back of her throat, and she wondered if they were still out there, safe. She walked over and picked it up. She brushed the dust away, then put it back where it belonged.
"You okay?" Austin came up behind her, and dropped his rucksack on the couch. She looked back at him, and Austin saw the sparkle in her eyes from her tears threatening to break free.
"Promise me...if something happens you'll always be there to look after them, all of them," She whispered, and Austin turned her to face him.
"What's brought this on?"
"Promise me, please," She whimpered.
"Ally, I'm always going to be here to protect you, and to protect the others," He explained, and she let her tears fall.
"No, I mean if something ever happens to me. Promise me you won't do anything like abandon our family," She cried, and Austin cupped her cheeks.
"Ally, I'd never do that, and nothing's going to happen to you, I promise," He whispered, and he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her gently on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"C'mon, we best get going," Ally pulled away, and smiled up at him. She walked out of the house, and Austin grabbed his rucksack, and crossbow, then followed her.
...
Sarah browsed the shelves in the pharmacy, and slipped the things they needed into her rucksack. She quickly glanced down at the contraption at the end of her stump, and she glanced out the window, and saw Derek by the park, and saw the same one at the end of his stump.
Sarah had to admit she was thankful that she'd met Derek at Verndale, because she was pretty sure she would've given up, and died there. He helped her get through it, and back to Dean.
"Hey," Dean came up next to her, and Sarah froze. "We need to talk."
"Can't we just wait till later-"
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" He asked, and she put her rucksack on the ground.
"I wanted too. I was just scared," Sarah explained.
"Scared of what? You don't need to be scared of me," He said.
"It's not that. There was just a voice in the back of my head that kept saying you were going to leave me...I mean look at me! Miss Stumpy, if the apocalypse hadn't happened, you wouldn't look twice at me! I'm just terrified that you're going to leave me!"
"Sarah! For fuck sake, stop bringing yourself down like this! I'm not going anywhere, your stuck with me! Your the prettiest thing I've ever seen!"
Sarah blinked back her tears, and she stared down at her feet.
"I'm scared..." Sarah whimpered. "What if I don't make it. What if the same things happens to me, that happened to Ally. What if-"
"Stop," Dean rested his hands on her shoulders, and she looked up at him. "You keeping saying what if, that doesn't mean it's going to happen."
Sarah stepped into his embrace, and Dean wrapped his arms around her, then kissed the top of her head.
"I'm not going anywhere."
...
Wayne glanced over at Jaime. She was pushing some necessary things into her rucksack. He could see the exhaustion on her face, and he'd bet everything that she didn't get an ounce of sleep last night. He watched her yawn, and lean against the counter slightly.
"Did you sleep last night?" Wayne asked, and she shook her head. "Why not?"
"Nightmares...every time I close my eyes," She whispered, and she began rummaging through the things behind the counter.
"About?"
"Everything...everyone dying," She rubbed her forehead, and Wayne saw that she was ready to pass out.
"It'll get better," Wayne assured his daughter, and she just sighed in response.
"You have no idea what I've seen," She grumbled.
"Then tell me," He responded.
"Rufus, he kidnapped me a few months back. Tried to rape me, beat me within an inch of my life every night, but Kira helped me. You people shouldn't be so harsh on her, deep down she has a heart of gold. Then a year ago I ran into cannibals...they were not nice people. Killed innocent people, ate them...but no matter how much I begged, they wouldn't kill me...I watched them butcher people...the creepers walking around are nowhere near as bad as the people here."
Wayne walked over, and he pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and let out a sigh, listening to his steady heart beat.
A crashing sound interrupted the moment. Five creepers came stumbling into the store. Jaime pulled out her knife, and she ran forward pushing the creeper against the shelves, she pushed her knife into its skull.
Wayne pulled out his gun, and he fired a shots at the rest of the creepers. Jaime let the creeper's body fall to the ground, and she slipped her knife back into her belt. She glanced over at him, and he nodded his head at her.
"C'mon, let's go find somewhere new to camp. Then you need to get some sleep."
...
They set up camp in a clearing. They'd managed to get four trucks, and a car. They were packed full of supplies, and they would make the journey to the farm much easier, and they'd get there much quicker.
They were all sat around a campfire, and food was being passed around. Ally was feeding Nathan his bottle of formula, and Austin was trying to teach Nevil how to rub his stomach and pat his head at the same time. Everyone was laughing, and for once everyone seemed happy.
Ally couldn't wait to get back to the farm. She missed it. She missed the freedom. It was the place where she'd met her big family, it was where she met Austin, and just being back there would bring back so many memories.
Ally knew that Frederick, Mary, and Sarah were the ones that were the most excited about going back. It was their family farm, and Ally knew that Frederick missed the farm, it was his pride and joy.
Ally looked over, and saw Sarah get to her feet, and Dean grabbed her hand. Sarah coughed, and everyone looked over at her.
"I have an announcement to make, well we do," She nervously said, and Ally knew what was coming next. "I-I'm pregnant."
Ally quickly looked over at Frederick, and she saw the sheer horror on his face. He got to his feet.
"Pregnant, how could you be so stupid!" He snapped, and Mary got to her feet with Tom in her arms.
"Daddy, don't say that," Mary scolded.
"What if this baby kills you!?" Frederick questioned, harshly.
"Daddy-"
"What if you die? Huh, then what?" Frederick continued.
"Frederick calm down," Lucas said, getting to his feet, holding Erica in his arms.
"Daddy, I survived, and so did Ally," Mary reminded him.
"Ally almost died!" He yelled, and Austin shot up.
"How about you shut up!" Austin stalked closer to the older man.
"Austin!" Ally got up and reached out to stop him.
"Daddy, there's not a lot I can do...I'm having this baby," Sarah explained, and Frederick turned on his heel, and headed straight for his tent.
...
Alice was sat in the bed of one of the trucks. She rested her chin in her hands, and she stared around at everyone. Some of them were heading for bed, and others were just talking in groups. She glanced and saw that Frederick, and Sarah were hugging. Alice knew that Frederick had only reacted like that, because he was scared for his daughter.
Alice placed her hand on her stomach, and she felt her wound throb slightly. She sighed, and glanced up at the night sky.
"How are you feeling?" Cal stepped in front of her, and she crossed her legs.
"Fine, I guess," Alice whispered, and he handed her a bottle of water.
"Take these," He handed her some painkillers, and she took them. Alice placed the bottle next to her, and she looked anywhere, but at Cal.
"Do you know what this farm is like?" Alice asked, and he shook his head.
"I've heard good things about it though," Cal explained.
"Will we be safe there?"
"Nowhere's safe anymore," Cal reminded her, and Alice finally looked at him.
"Suppose your right," She whispered. "I'm scared."
"It'll be okay, I promise," He flashed her a rare smile, and she returned it.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Everything," She leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. She slowly pulled away, but Cal quickly pulled her lips to his.
...
Lucas walked up to Wayne's side. Both of the leaders crossed their arms across their chests, and observed the groups. Both of them were still mad at one another after the incident in the store, but they both knew they needed to work past it, for the sake of the group.
Lucas glanced at Wayne out the corner of his eye, then he turned, and held out his hand.
"We need to start working together, for the sake of the group," Lucas said, and Wayne stared at his outstretched hand. Wayne slowly extended his hand, and shook Lucas's.
"We need to think about everyone else in the group," Wayne reminded him, and Lucas nodded his head.
"Exactly," Lucas agreed.
"Dada," Lucas's eyes widened, and he looked over at Grace, who had Erica in her lap. Grace's eyes widened in delight, and Erica waved her arms around. "Dada, dada!"
A smile broke out on Lucas's face, and he crouched down in front of Grace, and touched Erica's face.
"That's right, I'm your dada," He whispered, and Erica giggled.
"Dada," Erica gurgled again.
"When I planned on her saying her first word, I assumed it would be mama," Grace smirked. "Guess she really loves her daddy."
"She loves you just the same," Lucas leaned forward, and kissed Grace quickly.
"Dada!"
...
Julie was sat against the front of the truck. Lexi was in between her legs, and she was holding her up on her feet. Lexi giggled, and gurgled at her mom. George walked over and sat down next to his mom, and he was soon followed by Kyle.
"How's my little girl, huh?" Lexi reached out for her dad, and he bundled her up into his arms.
"I can't wait to get back to the farm," George said, and Julie reached out and flattened his messy hair.
"I know, but please don't get your hopes up sweetie," Julie explained, and George nodded his head.
"I won't," George whispered. "Is Sarah going to be okay?"
"I'm sure she will. I was fine when I had Lexi on the farm," Julie assured him, and he frowned.
"What about Ally?" George reminded her, and Julie sighed.
"Honey, it's just sometimes there can be complications, and Ally just got unlucky, but she's strong, and she's here right now," Julie kissed the side of his head, and George snuggled into her side.
"Do you see that?" Kyle said, and Julie looked over to see he was pointing at one of the trees. Julie got to her feet, and George grabbed her hand. Kyle carried Lexi in his arms, and they stepped closer to the tree.
Carved into the tree was the letter 'J', and it was surrounded by a rugged circle. Julie reached out and brushed her fingers against it.
"What does it mean?" George asked.
"I'm not sure, son," Kyle patted his head, and he looked back at the carving. "I'm going to go and talk to Wayne."
...
Ally looked over at Mary, and Elliot. Mary was bouncing Tom in her arms, and he gurgled against her chest. Ally turned away, and focused on Austin, he was sat in front of Nevil, trying to teach him how to use his knife properly, but he swung it and almost took Austin's ear off.
Billy was off with his dad, and Jess was sat in between Ally's legs, whilst Ally braided her hair. Nathan was lying in a bundle of blankets next to her, fast asleep. She kept glancing over at him, still scared that he'd disappear again.
Ally saw Kira sat on the other side of the fire, all alone. She was staring deeply into the flames, sadness on her face. Ally wanted to go over, but she didn't know what to say. Things were still awkward between them both, but she was eternally grateful that she'd rescued Nathan.
Ally looked over, and saw Tess making her way over. She sat on Ally's other side, and smiled sadly at her.
"What's wrong?" Ally asked, and Tess sighed.
"Jasmine and Daniel asked about their dad," She explained. Ally knew this conversation was about to get serious, so she finished off Jess's braid, and told her to go and join Nevil and Austin. "How do I tell my kids that their dad was a monster...I can't lie to them."
"Monster?"
"He used to beat me senseless every night...I can't tell them he's a hero, I can't lie."
"Was he a good dad to them?" Ally asked, and Tess nodded her head. "Then tell them that, tell them he was a good dad."
"I suppose," Tess whispered. "Thank you."
"Anytime," Tess got up, and left. Ally smiled, then looked over at Austin.
Ally glanced across the fire, and saw that Lizzy and George were talking to Kira. Ally watched a rare smile spread across Kira's face as she smiled at them both. Kira laughed next, and Ally smiled, glad to see that George and Lizzy could make just about anyone laugh.
"Hey, you okay?" Austin said, and Ally looked over at him and nodded her head.
"C'mon, time for bed guys," Ally announced, and she bundled Nathan into her arms, then both Jess and Nevil groaned.
"You heard her, now c'mon get to bed," Austin got to his feet, and he ushered the pair of them away. They both walked them to their tent, which they both shared, and it was right next to Austin and Ally's.
They went inside, and Ally lay Nathan in between Jess and Nevil. Jess pulled a section of her sleeping bag over Nathan's body, and she kissed him gently on the side of his head.
"Is Billy coming in too sleep?" Nevil whispered, being careful not to wake Nathan.
"I think he wants to spend some time with his daddy tonight, you'll see him again in the morning," Ally explained, and she kissed them both on their foreheads. Ally saw Jess smile widely, and she reached out towards Austin.
"Night...daddy," She giggled, and Austin smirked, then kissed them both on the forehead.
"Night," Austin, and Ally said at the same time.
"Watch over Nathan for us," Ally whispered.
"Of course," Nevil whispered back, and she watched him place his small arm over Nathan's tiny frame.
Austin and Ally left the tent, and made their way over to the campfire. Austin grabbed a blanket from the back of one of the trucks, and he sat down by the fire, and gestured to the gap in between his legs. Ally sat down, and rested her back against his chest. Austin wrapped the blanket around them both, then kissed the side of her head.
"We'll get there, won't we?" Ally whispered, and she played with a loose strand of thread on the blanket.
"We will," He whispered by her ear.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Just for being born," Ally smirked, and Austin laughed.
AN: I'M BACK! YAY! So, my exams are over, *happy dance* I went straight back to writing this chapter, and I've decided that I'm going to get this story finished, then publish the new ones that I've written! So, I thought we needed to catch up on where everyone is, and I've become so attached to the characters I've created that I feel like they need some more things written about them, do you like them too? If so tell me your favourites, and I'll definitely add more scenes of them.
Now, updates will be either every other day or every three days. I just need time to get back in the swing of things. Please review, because I'd like to know that you guys are still interested in this story, otherwise I might just stop...just kidding :0
Thank you all for waiting so patiently, so let me know your thoughts :)
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