23. Emily

23

EMILY

W illiam’s stride is so smooth and steady, it almost lulls me to sleep while I hang onto his back.

After our makeshift cleanup with our limited supplies, we realized I’d left the car running while Max had his way with me, and now it’s out of gas. So, instead of a quick drive back to the colony, we’re traveling on foot.

Still worth it.

I offered to test out some of the other cars in the graveyard of abandoned cars, but the guys were more adamant to walk. They said it was a nice day for a walk, but I suspect they wanted some extra time to ourselves before dealing with the colony. Luckily, Josh thought we were all going to die, so he ducked his head between his knees and didn’t look over the edge of the roof until William started calling his name.

Buddy trots alongside us with a rotter’s leg hanging out of his mouth. Not a full leg, only from the knee down. The pinky toe fell off after we turned onto the road, much to William’s disgust, but my pup loves playing with his rotter limbs. I should start playing fetch with him, but with a stick instead. Or literally anything that isn’t a human limb .

I rest my head on William’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of his back. My arms drape loose around his neck, and his hands squeeze my thighs where they wrap around his waist. He turns his head to the side to whisper to me. “You can sleep if you want, Em. I’ve got you.”

A smile crosses my face. My sweet man. I give his shoulder a playful nip.

Max walks alongside us, swinging his morning star around, and laughing at the joyfulness in Buddy, whose tail is wagging like crazy. Max, grinning with pure satisfaction, has been beaming ever since William scooped me up. He’s undoubtedly proud of himself for being the reason I’m too exhausted to walk. I’m grateful we worked through our problems. We’ve both forgiven each other, and we understand that we’ll never truly leave one another. I’m still appalled, however, that he would sacrifice himself for me like that. The action also made me realize how badly I don’t want to lose him; any of them. The thought of losing a single one of them makes my chest hurt too much to breathe.

As for Griffin…there are still wounds left to heal. Part of me wants him to have the community he’s always longed for, but I know my colony will ever fully embrace him. I don’t even know if he fully understands why I kept it a secret. He deserves the world, but I fear I don’t have the capability to give him that, even if he trusted me.

William, though, remains my anchor. He’s still my rock. Even when words fail me, he still listens. And when my strength runs low and I can’t walk, he carries me; in more ways than one.

Almost as though he can hear my thoughts, William stops in the middle of the road. I lift my head up and see the colony still isn’t in sight. My body stiffens. “More rotters?”

“No, it’s not that. I’ve just remembered something.” William walks to the side of the road and sets me down on the ground in the shade beneath a tree .

“Is something wrong?” Worry creeps in. Did I hurt him while he was carrying me all this way? Don’t tell me a rotter bit him back there.

“Whatever is going through your mind, stop it,” Griffin orders.

“Are you overthinking again? Do I need to fuck it out of you?” Max waggles his eyebrows.

Josh scratches the back of his neck and digs the toe of his shoe into the dirt.

Buddy lays down in the middle of the road, with the rotter leg draped across his paws while he watches us.

William kneels in front of me and reaches into his pocket. “I have something for you.”

“Should Griffin and I secure the area like you did for us?” Max offers.

“What? No, I’m not—shut it, Max.” William shakes his head and pulls out an object, holding it out to me.

My breath catches in my throat when he opens his hand to expose the compass—my compass—resting in his palm. The one I’d lost while running through the night. I thought I’d lost it forever. “How did you…?”

“Found it when we were searching for you. It was half-buried in the mud next to a rotter corpse. Scared the shit out of me for a moment, before I realized you weren’t the rotter.” His lips quirk up into a half smile.

Instead of reaching for the compass, I throw my arms around his neck and pull him close, causing him to stumble. He wraps his arms around me, and I bury my face against the side of his throat. “Thank you, William. I can’t believe you keep saving me like this. You’re incredible.”

He holds me tight, rubbing his palm up and down my spine. When he pulls back, he pushes my hair to the side and secures the chain with the compass around my neck. It settles into place, and he kisses me before turning around and allowing me to climb onto his back again before he stands. Right in time, so he can’t see the single teardrop falling down my cheek, which I wipe away on the back of his shirt.

We continue moving, and I run my thumb back and forth across the compass. My father’s compass, that William not only risked his life to get back for me once, but also pulled it from the mud while chasing after me for the entire night. I don’t know what I did to deserve these men, but I’m deeply grateful for them.

I tuck the compass beneath my shirt, and it settles against my heated skin. There’s no doubt in my mind this could help guide us to wherever we want to go once this is all over. I don’t know where that is, and I don’t care, as long as we stay together.

As we continue our trek, hushed voices mix in with the quiet, and my ears prick up when I catch snippets of Griffin and Max’s murmured conversation.

“Maybe turning that town into a colony might not be such a bad idea,” Max says.

“Oh, so you’re on board now?” Griffin replies with a touch of arrogance in his voice.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Good, because I’ve thought about it a lot. There’s a spot there that would be perfect for a garden. We could plant fruit trees, grow vegetables, and even some flowers to pretty it up. It’s a great place to start over in.”

A smile stretches across my lips. I can’t help it. Though, I’m surprised when Josh chimes in. “Can I come, too?”

The casual murmuring stops, and my three men exchange glances. I can feel a rumble through William’s back when he responds. “You know, Josh, it might be better if you stayed with your family here.”

“That’s the thing,” Josh says, his voice small. “I don’t have any family. My sister and I are the only ones who survived the outbreak. ”

William’s grip on my thighs tightens. “I’m sorry to hear that. We lost our families, too. All of us.”

Max swings his morning star in a circle, sauntering along. “Yeah, we somehow found each other and became one big fucking family. Literally.”

“Max.”

“Chill, Griffin, you’ll pop your stitches.”

“I don’t have stitches anymore.”

“I can give you some.”

A small laugh escapes me despite how hard I try to hold it back, so I turn my face against William’s shoulder to hide it while I quietly giggle.

“Guys,” William says, cutting them off. “Josh, who are you staying with in the colony? Who takes care of you?”

“A few of us around my same age without families share a house and we take care of each other. It was nice…until it wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Richard’s been making us miserable ever since Emily left, telling us things about her we now realize were lies all along. Because with what he said about her, she wouldn’t have come risking her life for mine like she did. Especially not with the strangers she brought in who Richard claims are bad and a threat to the colony.”

William’s grip on my legs tightens and then relaxes. “How has life in the colony been, besides Richard?”

“Miserable still. If he catches you laughing, or having any sort of fun, then he puts a stop to it and reminds you how horrible things were when Nathan happened. Like, we’re supposed to be downright miserable all the time. My friends and I have been talking about running away, that’s why we were really checking out that town. Except, now that town is ruined, so we’ll have to find somewhere else still.”

“Josh, I’m sorry you’ve been going through all of that,” I say, my head still resting against William’s shoulder. “I didn’t realize anyone else had it bad. I was too busy focusing on my own shit.”

“Well, he put you through the wringer, that’s for sure,” Josh says. Then he glances at me. “Are you going to stay here now that you’re back?”

“Actually, that’s something I’ve been thinking about…”

“Will they stay, too?” he asks hopefully.

“Richard won’t let us. He’ll only lock us up and probably kill us,” Griffin grumbles. He rubs his fist into his other palm. “I’d love to see him try, though.”

“He won’t try to kill you,” I say, but I know that’s a lie.

“Regardless,” Griffin continues, “we’re not staying. We’re only making sure you make it back safely, and then we’re taking off. Well, unless Emily wants to stay. Then I guess we’ll have to kill anyone who tries to separate us.”

“Hell yeah.” Max pumps his fist into the air. “Talk about a welcoming party.”

The conversation dwindles, leaving us to continue through the silence. For the first time in forever, I let myself relax. The warmth emanating from William and the quiet of our surroundings threaten to lull me to sleep.

William adjusts his grip on me when we go up an incline, and I know the colony is almost in view. I know they can see it when I feel the tension thicken in the air. William turns his head, his voice low and close. “Are you awake?”

“Mhm.”

He chuckles. “Want to walk in on your own, or should we hang back and slip away once Josh is through the gate? I think I can still make a run for it with you on my back.”

With a faint smile, I respond, “Put me down, please. I have some things I want to handle first.”

At my words, my three guys go rigid and exchange glances. Once my feet touch the ground, William keeps his hand around mine, and Max grabs the other. Griffin stands guard at our backs.

The guards on duty don’t want to let us through the gate, but after a threatening growl from Griffin, they decide it’s not worth the fight.

Zoey comes into view the moment we step through the creaky metal gate. She’s pacing, her expression tense. She sees me and comes running over; her gaze shifting from me to the men holding my hands and then back again.

“I was so worried. I wasn’t sure you were coming back, and if you didn’t, then I didn’t know if it would be your choice.” She spares a quick look at one of Richard’s guards.

One of Richard’s nearby men groans at her implication, but we both ignore him, and I pull my hands free. “Zoey, I want to talk to you. Can you come with me to our house?”

She nods. “Of course.”

Richard’s voice cuts through the air, rife with barely veiled disdain. “Relinquish your weapons. We’re still evaluating whether we can trust you.”

Griffin steps forward. “No need. We’re not staying. We came to make sure Josh got back safely. After that, we’re leaving. All five of us. Maybe even more.”

Five? I look back at Zoey, who looks equally surprised.

All the eyes around us land on me, and I glare at Griffin for making that decision for me. Also for Zoey, and probably Josh. Sure, I had already decided to join them, but that’s my decision to make. Fortunately for them, I’m not stubborn enough to stay in this horrid place solely to spite them. I’d still prefer to wait to leave until we get Griffin checked out more. Maybe even pack up extra medical supplies.

Zoey touches my arm, and I motion for her to follow me, but before I can take another step, a familiar, unwelcome voice echoes from behind, stopping me in my tracks.

“Well, well, well, look who’s still alive and thriving after all. ”

I spin around so fast that I nearly lose my shoes to the asphalt.

There, leaning against the tall wooden wall just inside the gate with that same infuriating smirk, is Nathan.

Max snarls and pushes me behind him. I don’t know how he got so close, so fast, but his body vibrates with a protective force that seems to consume him. His morning star gleams in his hand, every spike poised, ready, and still stained red, while his other hand holds me captive behind him. I can feel the rage radiating off him, as he makes himself my personal shield and weapon all combined into one, between Nathan and me.

Buddy drops the rotter leg from his mouth and bares his teeth.

My fist curls into the back of Max’s jacket, squeezing it, anger and fear knotting together within me. The sight of Nathan lounging inside the colony’s gate—a place that’s supposed to be safe from people like him—sets my blood boiling. Every memory of what he put us through, the chaos he left in his wake, comes rushing back. My throat tightens, each breath a struggle as I fight against the panic clawing its way up.

“Breathe, Emily,” William whispers from my other side, his steely gaze fixed on Nathan.

The crowd around us shifts until everyone has weapons aimed at him. The colony members stand in tense silence, fingers hovering over triggers and curling around knives, all watching and waiting.

Nearby, Richard’s voice snaps through the tension. I swear it vibrates with fury. “How the hell did you get in here? The guards would never have allowed this.”

Nathan only grins, his expression smug, his stance unbothered by the weapons pointed at him. “Let’s just say they’re taking a little involuntary nap, but don’t worry. They’ll wake in only an hour or so from the injections I gave them. Then you can pride them on being so incompetent at their jobs.” Richard opens his mouth to speak, but Nathan holds up a finger. “Ah, ah, ah, it’s rude to interrupt. Now where was I. Oh yeah.” He clears his throat. “You see, I was out for a stroll and thought I’d take the scenic route, see if Emily made it back here safe and sound. If she has, then I’m sure she’s probably told you about our stash by now, and how she stole so much of it when we were already so generous to share some of it with her. But no, the greedy bitch didn’t think our generosity was good enough.”

Max snarls, and I press my palm against his back, urging him to not start anything yet. Buddy presses against my leg and growls.

Zoey gasps behind me, realization dawning on her about what I took from the stash he’s talking about. I can’t allow her to take on the weight of the guilt. She’s not the one who’s responsible for his return; I am. So, I speak up.

“Generous?” I spit the word out. “That stash wasn’t yours to share in the first place. They belonged to us. I was only taking back what you stole.”

Nathan’s gaze shifts, scanning the crowd until finally landing on me, peering out from around Max’s arm. His grin stretches wider, an unsettling glint in his eyes. Max’s body tenses when he tries to shield me further, but it’s no use. I won’t remain hidden. I’ll never cower in front of this monster again.

“Ah, Emily, so you did make it here.” Nathan’s voice drips with mock sweetness. “And I see your loyal dogs have also followed after beating the location out of me.” His eyes flash when he scans each of their faces, a flash of irritation crossing his features. “Though they should’ve finished the job when they had the chance. ”

“Trust me,” Max snarls again, his grip on the morning star tightening. “That’s not a mistake we’ll make again.”

Nathan laughs with amusement. “Ah, but look what a nice little reunion this is. Thanks to your little trailblazing adventure, I got curious enough to check out if this place was still standing. Looks like you’re doing far better than I expected.” He makes a show of glancing around, taking in the faces of everyone in the crowd with an infuriatingly pleased expression. “I half expected to find this place overrun with rotters, with all of you being the rotters. Clearly, I didn’t give you enough credit.”

Richard turns his anger onto me, his eyes cold and full of accusation. “You led him back here again? And you expect us to trust you again?”

The accusation cuts deep, but I refuse to let it show. I lash back at him, my voice hot and sharp. “Oh yes, Richard, that was my plan. Instead of going out for life-saving medicine for the only person in this damn forsaken place I care about, I actually went out to find the man who tore our community apart so I could invite him back for a cup of tea,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I’m sorry, but we’re fresh out of crumpets.” Zoey snorts in dark amusement behind me, but Richard’s expression only hardens.

Max turns around to glare at Richard. He opens his mouth to chastise him, but whatever he was going to say dies on his lips when a bullet pierces Richard’s shoulder, and all hell breaks loose.