Chapter 41: Parents.
Ally glanced in the back at all the sleeping children. Nathan was asleep in her arms, and Nevil, Billy, and Jess were all piled in the back in a bundle of blankets. Ally looked at Austin. He was focused on the road ahead, and she knew they were getting close to the farm. She was nervous and excited.
Jaime had told her that her old group had built log cabins, a lot of them. That meant they could all have a place to stay, instead of living in tents again. The barn had been rebuilt, and the farmhouse had been fixed. Ally didn't know what to think, maybe she just didn't quite believe it. The memories of the farm on fire, were still fresh in her mind.
But, she had to have faith for her family...her family...
"Austin," Ally said, her voice soft, so she didn't wake the children.
"Huh?"
"You've never mentioned your family?" She asked, and his brow furrowed.
"You're my family," He responded, and she shook her head.
"I know that. I mean your actual family, your parents?"
"Not a lot to say," His voice was flat, and Ally could see the tense look on his face. She knew not to push the subject, for now.
"Okay," She whispered.
Once they had left the gas station, they had made another quick stop, and Ally had took the polaroid camera, and asked all the little families in the group if they wanted pictures. Mary had one taken of her, Tom, and Elliot. Dean had wanted one of him and Sarah, but she refused to have a photograph taken of her, because of her handless arm, which then led for the pair to have an argument, and now they weren't talking. Everyone else now had their own little memory that they could have, and it seemed to have cheered everyone up.
"Do you think that it will be different?" Ally asked. "I mean what if someone else is there, or what if nothing's standing anymore-"
"It'll be fine," Austin said.
"But-"
"Ally, I do remember you telling me to have a little faith. Take your own advice," He looked at her and she smiled.
"Why do you always remember things like that?"
"It's just like you remember all the bad things I've ever done, so when we get into an argument, you can roll out your scroll of paper and remind me of the exact date, the exact time, and what the weather was like that day when I did something wrong," He smirked, and Ally thumped his arm. "Ow!"
"I don't do that..." Ally tried to keep a straight face, but she started laughing, causing Nathan to wake up. "Sorry, sweetie."
"You know if everything is exactly how Jaime says it is on the farm...we would be safe again, for awhile. We could try and have another baby," Ally looked away from Nathan, and she stared at him with wild eyes.
"I-I...you want another baby?"
"Yes, I do," He turned away from her, and she could tell that she had upset him.
"Austin...after last time...I couldn't put you through that again, and what if I don't make it? That means I leave you with five kids?"
"How many fuckin' times do I have to tell you. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE!" He yelled, punching the steering wheel. His outburst woke everyone up, and she glared at him.
"Well done!" She whispered harshly at him.
"Mama," Jess sat up, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Everything's alright, sweetie, go back to sleep," Her voice went back to it's soft melody, and Nevil didn't quite by it, and he glared at the back of Austin's head. Billy fell back asleep instantly, and Jess's head soon landed on his shoulder. "Nevil, go back to sleep honey."
Nevil continued to stare at the back of Austin's head, and he crossed his arms. "Don't shout out her like that."
"Excuse me," Austin's voice was stern, and the truck came to a halt.
"I said, don't talk to her like that."
"Nevil, go back to sleep," Ally said, and he shook his head. Austin turned around in his seat, and stared back at Nevil.
"You got something else you wanna' say, son?" Austin's voice mocked him, and Ally glared at Austin.
"Don't shout at her like that!" He snapped, and Jess, Billy, and Nathan woke up again.
"Just who the hell do you think your talking to!" Austin snapped back.
"YOU! I don't want you to HIT my mama!" Nevil cried, then the car fell silent. Austin's face fell, along with Ally's.
"Nevil, honey. Austin would never hit me," Ally whispered, and Nevil whimpered, then he ran out of the car. Ally noticed that everyone else had stopped as well. Ally got out of the truck, and Tess came up to her and she passed Nathan to her. Austin got out the car, and slammed the door behind him. Nevil took off into the trees and they both began to chase after him.
...
"Dada," Lexi gurgled in Kyle's arms. All the other kids were asleep in the trucks, whilst all the adults stood outside, waiting for Austin, Ally, and Nevil to return.
"Does anyone know what happened?" Lucas asked, and they all shook their heads.
"Okay, we'll just have a break here, then we'll carry on. This will delay us, but we should still get to the farm by the morning," Wayne explained, and they all nodded their heads.
Jaime sat in the bed of one of trucks, and she stared at the trees. She yawned, and watched Craig out the corner of her eye. She knew he was a bit weird, but he was borderline creepy right now. She shivered, and she looked at his black eye.
It had happened when they had made their quick stop. It was by a park, and the children had run off to play. Jaime had gone for a walk to get away from Michelle, and her dad. There was a small lake out of the way of everyone, but Craig had followed her. He had seemed like he'd just wanted to talk, then he tried to kiss her. Jaime moved away, but that had apparently been the wrong thing to do, because he pounced on her. She remembered the feeling of his hands going underneath her top, whilst she squirmed underneath him. Fortunately, Gregory had chosen the right moment to come and find her. Craig had been torn off her, and Gregory punched him hard in the face. Jaime had gotten to her feet, and stopped him before he could do anymore damage, then they both left him there.
Jaime looked away, and played with her fingers. Gregory walked over, and sat next to her.
"Stop thinking about it," Gregory whispered.
"I can still feel him on my skin," She began to rub hard at where his hands had been, but Gregory grabbed her wrists and roughly pulled them away. "He scares me."
"He's not going to come near you again," His voice was stern, and his eyes locked with hers. "I promise."
"Hm," She grunted.
...
"Nevil!" Ally called out, and she looked around in the darkness.
"NEVIL!" Austin's voice boomed, and it made Ally jump out of her skin.
"Shouting at him like that isn't going to work!" Ally snapped, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "His real parents are dead! I never asked him what they were like, now I guess we know!"
"If he wants me to be his dad he better start treating me with respect!" He stalked closer to her, and her back collided with a tree.
"What the hell is your problem!?" She yelled. "Is this because I asked about your parents? Is it because I said I didn't know if I wanted to have another baby!?"
"Shut up!" He slammed his hands against the tree behind her, and she tilted her head to look up at him.
"Austin...we have been through so much, and you know so much about me...I-I want to be the woman that has your children, but under these circumstances we don't know if the farms going to be safe. A-And I-I don't want to die."
"Your not going to die," He growled in her ear.
"Austin, you can't always keep me safe. I love you with all my heart, but I know that one day its either going to be me or you that dies. We're living in a world where none of us are safe, and now Nevil is out here somewhere, he asked us to be his parents, and he's now our son. He obviously saw his real dad hurt his mom. I know you'd never hurt me, but he doesn't know that. We need to find him!"
Austin's eyes burned into hers and he released the breath he'd been holding back. He nodded his head, then pulled his knife from his belt. He held out his hand and she linked her fingers with his.
"Nevil!" Austin called out, his voice more gentle.
A whimpering sound filled their ears, and Ally looked over to see Nevil sat under a tree, clutching his machete knife. They both walked over, and his eyes snapped over to them.
"Nevil," Ally whispered, and she crouched down in front of him. "Honey, come here," She outstretched her arms, and he scrambled into her arms. Austin walked closer to them, and sat down on the ground. Nevil pulled his face away from Ally's neck, and he looked over at Austin with teary eyes.
"Nevil," Austin's voice was low. "I'd never hurt Ally."
"That's what my real dad used to say, b-but I-I saw him do it," He whimpered.
"I would never hit her," Austin's face relaxed, and he held out his hand to him. Nevil climbed out of Ally's lap, and climbed into his. Austin seemed stunned for a second, but he finally reacted, wrapping his arms around him.
"Honey, Austin and I may fight sometimes, but that's normal. We just care about each other so much, and sometimes we can lose our temper with one another. It's just like when you and Jess argue sometimes, I know you love her, and you'd never hurt her, but because you know each other so well, you know how to push one another's buttons," Ally explained, and she reached out and brushed his hair. "I don't want you to ever think something like that again."
"I'm sorry," Nevil whispered.
"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Ally kissed the side of his head, and Austin got to his feet, keeping Nevil wrapped around him. Austin held out his hand, and Ally took it, getting to her feet.
...
They all took off again, and Ally was driving this time. She glanced at Austin who had Nathan in his arms. She still wanted to know about his parents, and she didn't understand why it was a big deal. He knew everything about her, everything. So, why couldn't he tell her this one thing?
Ally shook her head, and she focused on the truck in front of them. She squinted, and saw the back of Craig's head. He turned around, and stared at her.
"What the fuck is he looking at!" Austin snapped, and Ally shushed him.
"Ignore him," Ally whispered.
"He better turn around, otherwise I'm going to pull him out of that truck and snap his neck."
"What the hell has gotten into you?" She questioned, her voice low, so she didn't disturb the children.
"Nothing," He grumbled.
"Is this because I asked about your parents?"
"No," His voice was flat, and Ally sighed.
"I knew it. I never should've asked."
Austin stared at her blankly, and she looked away from him, sadness washing over her. Why was he making her feel wrong for asking about his parents. He knew everything about her parents, and what her life was like as a child. He was in the wrong, not her.
Ally got lost in driving, and she just focused her mind on getting to the farm. She decided to ignore Austin, even when he tried to talk to her. She just didn't want to talk to him right now, she had no idea what crawled up his ass and died.
The sun began to rise on the horizon, and Ally became aware of her surroundings. They were on the long dirt road. She immediately saw the fields, and the wooden shacks. Her face lit up in excitement. She looked at all the trees, and the flowers. The fields were all overgrown, but the good thing was, she couldn't see any creepers.
She then glanced over at Austin, who was staring right at her. She quickly turned away from him, and focused on the truck in front of her. They were all driving slowly, but she knew that they were getting closer. She let out a staggering breath, nerves rocking her to the core. She just hoped everything was going to be okay.
"Mommy," Ally glanced back, and saw Jess was rubbing her eyes. "Are we there yet?"
"Almost," Ally whispered.
Jess glanced at Austin, and she climbed from the backseat, and jumped into his lap. He brought Nathan down and sat him up on Jess's small lap. Ally's breathing hitched in the back of her throat, and a smile grew on her face.
They pulled up by the open yard, and Ally saw the farmhouse. It had been repainted white, and the front door, and windows had been repaired. She could see the trees where they had camped in their tents. The grass was slightly overgrown, and she could see that the whole place looked refreshed.
Ally scrambled for the handle, and she ran out of the truck. Frederick was first out of one of the other trucks and she saw the huge smile on his face. Ally took off running, and she looked over to her left, and her smile grew wider.
The barn had been rebuilt. It was no longer, old, splintered wood. It was now fresh wood, that had been painted red and white. The whole structure looked beautiful, and Ally immediately forgot about the fire, and the things that had happened here before.
She gazed at the cabins. They were all surrounding the barn, there were exactly ten of them, built to perfection. What made it all seem better was the solar panels attached to the roofs of each cabin.
"It's great, isn't it?" Jaime stepped up next to her, and Ally nodded her head.
"I-I can't believe it," She stammered in response. "It's perfect!"
Ally continued to look around, but her smile faded instantly. She saw her mom's grave.
"What's wrong?" Jaime asked, and Ally stumbled down the embankment and through the gate. She walked slowly past the barn, and around the cabins. Her steps lingered, and she stood a distance away, gazing at the cross.
She felt bad. She hadn't thought about her mom in a while. She seemed to just fade into the back of her mind. She had a family to think about now, but she still felt guilty.
Ally looked over her shoulder, and saw Austin standing there. He didn't have Nathan or any of the other kids. He was alone. She turned away from him, and stared at the cross.
"There's too many memories here, both good and bad," Ally whispered. "I just wish this was one I could forget."
"My dad was a dick."
"How so?" She asked, keeping her back to him.
"It was just in his genes. He didn't care, just left my mom to take of me. He was always drunk, and I only ever saw him sober twice."
"Oh."
"I left that hell hole when I was eighteen and never saw him again. I saw my mom all the time, but when the world went to shit. I went back to find her, and she was gone, along with my dad. They could still be out there, but I doubt they're looking for me."
"You don't know that."
"You're right, I don't," He said, and she turned around to face him. "Come here," Ally ran over to him, and she jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her face into the crook. Austin wrapped his strong arms around her, and breathed her in.
...
"Wow," Jess gasped, and they stood in the doorway to the cabin they had chosen. Billy wasn't going to be staying with them, but Ally had already told him that he can stay over whenever he wants. Jess ran off and Nevil chased after her.
They'd stepped into a basic lounge. There was a couch, and two armchairs, facing a fireplace. There was a small table by the window with two chairs. Through a doorway, without a door, was a kitchen. It had cabinets, and a basic oven. There was a bigger table with chairs, and further down the kitchen was a small space for storage of food and other items. Ally stared down the hallway that Jess and Nevil had ran down, and she followed the sound of their voices. They were in a room, which had four single beds, and a desk. They were both bouncing up and down on the beds, and beaming from ear to ear. Ally looked over her shoulder and saw Austin had opened one of the doors on the opposite side of the hallway. She walked over, and saw a double bed in front of them. She smiled and Nathan banged his hands against Austin's chest.
"I guess this is our room," Austin said, with an amused look on his face.
"I guess so," Ally replied, and she stroked Nathan's head.
"Mama," Ally glanced back at Nevil and Jess. "Can we go and see Billy?"
"Sure you can," They both ran out of the cabin, and Ally looked at Austin.
"Wayne wants to talk to me. So, I need to go. I'll take Nathan to Mary, because you need to get some sleep," He explained.
"Okay, thank you," She kissed his cheek and he left with Nathan. She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
She couldn't believe it. The whole thing seemed surreal. Maybe she was dreaming? Ally laughed to herself, and she rubbed her tired eyes. Hopeful things would be okay now. She just wanted her family to be safe. They deserved that.
The door opened, and Ally looked over.
"Craig?" Ally gasped, and she tried to hide her fear. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just checking that you've settled in nicely."
"I'm fine, thanks," She replied.
"Where is everyone else?"
"The kids are with Billy, and Austin's with Wayne," Ally explained, and she watched him walk over, and take a seat next to her.
"Hm," He grunted. "Do you want to know what I first thought when I saw you?"
"Sure," Ally forced a fake smile onto her face.
"I thought you were the prettiest woman I've ever seen," He admitted, and Ally's eyes widened slightly.
"Really."
"Yeah, and then I saw that fuckin' bastard put his hands on you," Ally's head whipped towards him, and her eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?" Her voice was high, and she got to her feet. Craig got up from the chair, and stepped in front of her. "Don't you dare insult my husband like that!"
"Pfft, husband. Your relationships a joke," He rested his hands on his hips, and her hands clenched into fists.
"You don't know a single thing about my relationship with Austin."
"I know that I'd be much better than him."
"Are you kidding me!" She snapped, and he tilted his head to the side. "Get out!"
"No," He grunted.
"Get out!" She snapped more forcefully, and he laughed.
"I am going to feel bad for doing this, but Austin needs to be taught a lesson."
"What-" Craig stormed forward, and Ally felt a hot sure of pain, as her back collided with the wall. She looked down and saw the knife deep inside her stomach. He pulled it out and Ally looked up at him with wide, teary eyes. Blood seeped through her fingertips, and she slid to the floor, gasping for air. Her vision began to blur and she watched Craig run from the cabin, then everything went dark.
AN: Sorry about the wait for this one. I just kind of lost my muse for writing this because I felt like people were losing interest in the story, and I wasn't really getting a good response. I'd love to know if you want me to carry on, because I do enjoy writing this story, and I want to carry on writing it. So, please review :)
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