Authors: C. M. Wright
Nick has the back slider window open just enough for him to be able to hear Jake. He hasn't struggled to get free yet, but Nick tells us he's moved a bit. But mostly, he just moans. At this point, we still have no idea if the shot worked or if Jake is a full-fledged member of the undead.
A thought suddenly occurs to me, and I ask Nick where he got the shot he injected into Jake. He tells me before he left the others to come find me, he grabbed a few of them just in case I'd been bit and he could save me.
“
You couldn't have grabbed me some of my clothes too?” I tease him.
“
Hell no! I ain't touching no chick underwear. Especially yours, since you like wearing granny clothes. I'm sure it would have embarrassed us both. Do you have them in multicolor? Or do you prefer them in boring white white?”
“
You're such a heifer,” I say under my breath.
Bert chimes in, still in a dreamlike state, “I prefer my shiny red thong panties. You should get you a pair of those, Canada. You'll have no problem getting men then. They won't be able to resist you.”
Nick, Ernie, and I all stare at the highly-drugged woman. Then, with our mouth's dropped wide in astonishment, we look at each other.
When Nick and I both turn to stare with new eyes at Ernie, he blushes a deep red and says, “Oh, guys. Come on. She doesn't know what the hell she's saying. Bert doesn't own any thong underwear.” After a few moments pause, he adds quickly, “I don't even know what thong underwear are!”
Nick and I exchange another look, this one saying we don't believe a word of it.
Ernie's
not
a very good liar.
An hour from my sister's house and the excitement kicks in.
Finally, I will be back with my family, the people I love above all else.
I start getting hyper, talking non-stop, and literally bouncing in the driver's seat.
Half an hour from my sister's place, I go silent. The bouncing stops and stiffness takes its place, while clusters of different emotions spin in my stomach and unwelcome thoughts bombard my mind.
Oh, dear god! What if something
has
happened to my family? What if something has happened to my kids?
No! Nothing has happened to them. Stop thinking shit like that.
And Will? Is he alive?
If he
is
still alive, how's he going to react when he finds out I'm pregnant?
I still haven't even decided if I should tell him Jake had raped me, and the baby I'm carrying may not be his, that it very well could be Jake's baby. To be honest, as long as Will's alive and well, that's really all that matters. I'll deal with this other shit later.
I do my best to push it all to the back of my mind, but fear, uncertainty, and terror still take over to consume me. Only a small amount of excitement remains, though it's a lot harder to feel with every mile marker I pass.
I turn at the exit which leads to my family, and just a little farther, turn again onto the road to get to the house. Finally, I reach the gates to my sister's home,
our
home now. I stop and just stare at the large heavy-duty new gate blocking our way with the words “Rose's Refuge” beautifully placed above in golden cursive letters. No one else speaks. No one else moves. I'm obviously not the only one nervous about arriving. Excluding Jake, none of the others know anyone here. They're probably afraid of meeting so many new people, people who they aren't real sure will welcome them.
After at least five full minutes of quiet, we begin to hear the sound of a motor, which seems to be getting closer. Finally, a four-wheeler bursts from the trees and heads toward us. My fear is forgotten when I see my brother, Andy, the cop.
I barely manage to use enough sense to check for zombies before jumping out and rushing the gate. At first, Andy screams at me to stay back, but when he realizes who I am his 'I'm a cop and will kick your ass' attitude changes, and he shouts my name and almost wrecks the damn four-wheeler trying to get to me faster. When I move forward, he again orders me to stop in a no-nonsense tone. I do, but I'm confused as hell as to
why
he is giving me the order.
Andy stops the four-wheeler and jumps off. He then yells at me to read the sign and points to my left. I look up at the large red sign that says 'Danger! Electrified Fence & Gate'. I feel like a fool because I hadn't seen the damn thing, as obvious as it is.
Andy then runs over to a large box. He opens it, flips a huge switch down, then flips another switch up and the gate finally begins to roll open. My brother then runs toward me and hugs me so hard I feel and hear snaps and cracks in several places, but we just laugh and ignore the sounds of my body protesting the reunion.
Finally, we release each other and he starts firing questions at me. I immediately feel sorry for all the suspects who had to go through this with him.
The man is relentless!
I answer some of the safer questions, but soon plead exhaustion and the need to see my family when the interrogation begins to make me squirm a bit. I'm astonished when at first he seems like he could care less about my needs, but then I see his eyes soften and focus on me. I can only assume he forgot he isn't on the job, and I'm not a criminal so–
Fine! Alright, yes I am. I haven't forgotten what I did to the men outside of Hill City., but can we just put that aside for now and let me enjoy my reunion? Please?
He looks toward the truck when Nick opens the passenger door, then turns his attention back to me. “Can, who are these people?”
“
Oh! Sorry, Andy. These are all people who helped me and saved my life. Nick, the one getting out now, saved me from Jake and helped me escape. They're good people and they need us.”
Andy nods and starts to walk toward Nick, but before he can take more than a second step, I remember Jake and grab his arm. “Andy, there's something you need to know. It's important that you listen to me
first
, before doing anything you'll regret later.”
He tells me that since he's a cop it's impossible for him to agree to that. So I just take a deep breath and send a quick prayer that he remains calm, before saying, “Jake has an antidote for this zombie shit. He's the only one that we know of who has it. He invented it himself. We need him, Andy, and we have him. He's tied up in the back of the truck.”
Andy surprises me when he just nods and says, “I know about the antidote,” then walks away to meet Nick.
I'm frozen where I stand as I wonder what the hell he's talking about, and where he could possibly have heard about the antidote. Finally realizing that the answers aren't going to magically come to me through my magnificent brain, I follow Andy to the truck. He greets and welcomes Nick, Ernie, and Bert before checking to make sure Jake is secure enough to his satisfaction. Apparently he is, because he tells me to pull the truck through so we can get the gate shut.
Once I'm inside, Andy and I walk over to the box and he explains that the gate is electrified and locked by the switches inside.
“
But what happens when we lose power? How will we get out then?” I ask.
“
We've already lost power, a few weeks ago as a matter of fact. Right now, we're using generators. We have rules for when they can be used, but mostly it's only to power the gate and for the medical building. We can still unlock and open the gate manually though, if we lose the generator or need to shut it off.”
“
Medical building? Damn. So much has changed hasn't it, Andy?”
“
You've been gone a few months, Canada, so a
lot
has changed. There are a lot more people living here too. But we never forgot you, we never stopped looking.” Andy pauses and his head jerks up, as if he hears something.
I listen too. Eventually, the crunch of rocks beneath tires can be heard. Andy orders us all to get in the truck and pull up into the woods where we can't be seen from the road.
He moves the four-wheeler into the woods closest to the gate box and waits. Nick and I get back out of the hidden truck and sneak to the edge of the trees and bushes where we can see what's going on. One of the large black Hummers pull up to the outside of the gate, and I watch as someone opens the door. Once that door shuts, and I can clearly see who is behind it, my mind thinks only one thing...
run
!
So I do. I run as fast and as hard as I can
toward
the gate. I barely register hearing Andy scream at me to stop – something about the gate. Just before my hands touch the metal I remember it's electrified, but I can't stop the force of my body from slamming into it.
But nothing happens! No powerful force throws me through the air. No pain of lightening bolts fry my insides to mush. Andy had managed to shut it off just in time.
I don't even waste a second or a breath to throw out a thank you to my brother, all I can think of is getting to my husband. Will is on the other side of the gate, his hands jerking at the gate on his side, while I'm tearing at it, trying to get through any way I can on my side. I can't think straight.
I want my husband. And I want him
now
!
At last, the gate moves and I throw myself into Will's arms. We're both sobbing like babies, alternating between holding each other tight, suffocating each other with our kisses, and pulling away to get a good look at each other.
“
Canada, I can't believe you're really here! I missed you so much. We all have. Our boys? Have they seen you yet?” Will finally pauses, giving me time to answer.
“
No one has, but you and Andy.” I hear a cough and look past Will to see my youngest brother, Ryder, his wife, Coco, and their two sons, Joel and Gage. Death grip on his arm, I drag Will with me to reunite with them. It feels so good to be around people who know and love me, and who I love just as much in return.
Finally, my need to see my boys and the rest of the family overwhelms me, and we all begin to load back up to finish the drive to the house. I ride with Will in the Hummer, unwilling to be separated from him for even the short amount of time it will take to get to the house.
But in all the excitement, I totally forgot to warn Will about Jake.
Another big mistake on my part.
No. Don't worry. Will doesn't kill him. But he damn sure probably makes Jake wish he had. We couldn't stop Will. And yes, we all tried. Will has bulked up quite a bit since I last saw him. The rage I see in his eyes are scary as hell. He's not the same man I left behind, and I'm not gonna lie, but that scares me a bit. I can't help but wonder if he and I – and our relationship – is still the same, or if it has forever changed like so much else since I've been gone. If it hasn't yet, I'm sure it soon will after certain truths are revealed.
This
man – this new Will – is stronger, bigger, faster, braver, and so much more confident in himself.
It's sexy as hell, but still...it's not
my
Will.
Not the Will I knew and fell in love with. I'm not saying I can't or don't love this Will, I'm just saying I don't really
know
this Will. Does that make any sense?
Eventually, my voice and the combined volume of the others screaming “Stop!” and all the rapid-fire reasons of why we need to keep Jake alive seem to finally sink in with Will. Andy turns Will to face him when he stops pounding on Jake, and forces Will to look him in the eyes. “Will, I understand how you feel–”
“
Do you! Do you
really
, Andy? Was
your
wife taken away from you by this psychotic prick?
Was
she?” Will shouts at Andy angrily.
My husband's breath is rushing out of his lungs in quick bursts. His face is flushed and his body is tight and tense. He's intimidating as hell, but Andy doesn't seem at all worried.
“
No, he didn't. But he did kidnap my
sister
. And as much as I'd like to kill him myself, we need him. And you know it.”
Will drops his head, shame evident on his face and in his posture. “I'm sorry, Andy. I forget sometimes there are other people who love her as much as I do. I'm done with that bastard...for now anyway.”
Will glances at me, grimaces, then walks away. Confused, I run after him and grab his arm.
“
Will? What's wrong? What the heck did
I
do?”
“
I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm ashamed of myself. You shouldn't have had to see that shit. I should have just been grateful to have you home, safe, and in my arms. I just lost it when I saw him–”
I place my hand on his mouth and smile. “Baby, it's okay. I understand. I would have felt the same way, and probably done the same thing. I doubt I could have given the same degree of ass-whoopin' you did, but I damn sure would have tried my best.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and he places a hand on each of my hips. I press my lips against his and he moans, wraps his arms around my waist, and pulls me tight against him. “I love you, and
holy
hell
, did I miss you!” I moan against his lips.
Will buries his face in my hair and tells me he loves me and missed me too. Reluctantly, we pull apart and walk back to the others, who have multiplied by now with the rest of my family.
My boys charge me, and I'm shocked at how much they've grown in the amount of time I've been away. I hold on to them so tight I'm afraid I may be hurting them, but when they squeeze me even tighter, I figure they can handle it for a few more moments. My heart aches from the pain of not being here for them, but then anger toward Jake sizzles through me. Anger for everything he'd done to me, everything I missed with my family because of him.