The Dead Flash Series | Book 2 | Rebuilding

by Crist, J. D.

  Emily nodded and did as he told her.

  "I'll open the gate and get the truck ready to go," Emily stated as she turned to leave.

  She ran up the wall stairs and entered the code to open the gate. She was returning downstairs as the group was exiting the armory. They all quickly loaded into the truck, and Shawn slid behind the driver's wheel. Emily stood outside the wall and watched as the truck drove through. She entered the gate code, and the gate closed. Emily then climbed into the cab of the truck with Shawn. Once the door closed, Shawn quickly accelerated down the logging road. Emily looked back to check on those riding in the bed and was surprised to see Marley looking back at her. She had not seen him jump in but he was just as stubborn as she was.

  Emily turned back to the front and saw that they were already nearing the main road. With as rough as the road was, she was sure that the truck would need some repair when they returned. She saw everyone in the bed tense up as the truck tires hit the pavement, and Shawn went even faster.

  "It will take us a while to get there. Hopefully, the bastard will stay put," Shawn growled from behind the wheel.

  "He will." Emily felt confident that Jeff would stay there for days if it meant he could capture Emily.

  "What's the plan here?" Shawn asked. "You just plan on going in and fighting, or do you have a strategy that won't get us all killed?" Emily felt the sharpness of his words cut at her heart.

  "I was hoping you may have a suggestion," Emily replied. She heard Shawn huff when she finished. "I know you're not happy that I came, but you will have to get over it. I'm responsible for those people, and I'm doing this!"

  "How can you be responsible for people you have never met?" Shawn still refused to look at Emily as he drove.

  "I didn't kill that son of bitch when I had a chance! If I had, then they wouldn't be trapped…" Emily let herself trail off as she looked out the passenger window and watched the trees sail by.

  "It's not your fault," Shawn finally said.

  "Either way, I have to help them."

  "Then you will, and we will help you get this done." Emily turned and could see Shawn looking at her. Emily felt relaxed as she looked into his eyes.

  "Thank you," she whispered. Shawn turned back to the road. It was nearly an hour before Emily felt the truck begin to slow to a stop.

  "We shouldn't drive any closer," Shawn explained. "I want to see them before they see us."

  "I agree," Emily nodded.

  They opened the truck doors and climbed out. Everyone emptied of the bed of the truck, and Marley came to stand beside Emily.

  "We stick together when we go in. I want to try to get a look at them without them knowing and then figure out the best way to approach the situation." Everyone nodded that they understood. "If we find the dead, we kill them silently, no guns." Shawn emphasized "NO" as he spoke. Emily knew that if they shot at the dead that they would lose the element of surprise.

  Everyone lined up, and Emily took her position behind Shawn. They silently made their way through the streets. The sun had set, and darkness blocked their vision. Shawn did not risk a flashlight, and instead, they moved very slowly. They had only gone a few blocks into the city when Marley let out a low growl. Emily immediately turned and saw a zombie right on top of her and Marley. Emily had slung her shotgun on her back and had the crowbar grasped in both hands. She quickly thrust the crowbar into the zombie's eye and pulled it out as the corpse slid on the ground.

  Shawn turned back towards Emily as she made a slight noise with her kill. Emily straightened herself and nodded to tell him that she was okay. Shawn turned back and continued to lead the way through the streets. Emily heard the sounds of another zombie being killed every few minutes. They continued to make their way as quietly as possible. It was about twenty minutes before they saw the lights. Shawn motioned for them all to stop, and they all gathered in the dark.

  "How many are in the group?" Shawn asked as he surveyed the area. Emily knew where they were, the dealership where Jeff had found Emily last time.

  "Ten," Emily replied. "Three of them are young children."

  "They have the roads pretty well covered." Shawn was trying to find a strategy to get them all in as safely as possible.

  "There's a forest behind the dealership. If you cut through the trees, it leads to the logging road."

  "Why didn't you say something earlier. We could have driven the truck through there."

  "There's not a road, and driving through the forest is how I wrecked the SUV," Emily explained.

  "I can probably find a way to sneak in the wood line from here. We will need some kind of distraction to get them out."

  "I can handle that." Emily straightened herself as she spoke.

  "We are not going to risk that," Sam spoke next to her.

  "I don't think we have a choice. I've gotten away from him before." Emily looked to Shawn and could tell from the look on his face he knew she was right.

  "You will be taking Marley with you," Shawn spoke. "That's non-negotiable."

  "I don't think he would give me a choice even if I said no." Emily petted Marley as she spoke.

  "Give us about ten minutes before you head in," Shawn began. "Don't try to hide. Just walk straight towards them. Just keep them talking and once we are clear, get the hell out of there."

  "I will. I promise." Emily touched his shoulder as she spoke.

  "I'll see you soon." The look in Shawn's eyes told her that he would make sure she got out.

  With that, Shawn began to make his way down the dark streets with the rest of the group. Emily waited in the dark with Marley for what seemed like hours. Finally, ten minutes had passed, and Emily stood and walked to the center of the road. Marley followed at her side as if he understood the plan. Emily began to walk up the road towards the lights at the dealership. It wasn't long before one of Jeff's lackies spotted her.

  "Stop there, Love," he called out.

  "My name is Emily. I'm here to see Jeff," Emily called back to him as she stopped.

  The man laughed at her name and called back to someone she couldn't see. After a few moments, he motioned for her to come forward. Emily reached him and could tell Marley was having a hard time not eating the man alive.

  "Dog stays here," the man looked at Marley as he spoke.

  "He's going to follow me no matter what I say," Emily replied.

  "Jeff said the dog stays or the dog dies. It's your choice."

  Emily quickly pulled the knife from her belt and had it to the man's throat before he could react.

  "He's coming with me," she sneered at the man. "Got it?"

  The man nodded with a childish whimper. Emily pulled the knife away from his throat and continued into the dealership. She could see Jeff sitting on the roof of a car. Behind him was a group of scared-looking people. Emily could not help but look at the children who were clinging to the adults.

  "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show, Love," Jeff smiled at her.

  "Stop calling me that," Emily replied. "I'm here to get the people you are holding captive."

  "Straight to business, I see," Jeff smiled. "I missed you, Love."

  "You said you would trade them for me," Emily replied. "Here I am. Now let them go."

  "I've changed my mind on that." Emily felt no surprise as he spoke. "I think I will take all of you, even that dog, back to our place."

  "That wasn't the deal." Emily made sure not to let her eyes move from Jeff.

  She could see Shawn and the group starting to make their way around the dealership. Marley kept his gaze focused on Jeff as well.

  "I make the rules, Love. I like your fight, but you will bend to my wants."

  "I thought you would have figured out by now that I do not bend to anyone's wants. I'm a fighter, and after all of the pain I caused you, I thought you would have given up by now."

  "I don't know how to," Jeff laughed. "Your fight just makes me want to break you even more." One of the men steppe
d close to Emily, and Marley met him with teeth. The man quickly stepped back, and Marley returned to Emily's side.

  "I don't suggest any of you try that again," Emily glared. "The last man who did lost his arm." Emily knew she was exaggerating, but Jeff's eyes lit up at the mention of it.

  "I've decided to let you keep the dog, but you will ensure that he is loyal to me."

  "I can't do that." Emily petted Marley as she spoke. "He doesn't like assholes."

  Jeff stood and began to walk towards her. Emily had the attention of everyone here just as she planned. She could see Shawn and the others make their way to the group and start guiding them out.

  "You can and you will, Love." Jeff looked behind Emily and then back at her. "Where is the baby?" Emily felt her stomach churn as he mentioned Hope.

  "Safe where you will never get to her." Emily pulled her shotgun off her shoulder as Jeff got closer.

  "That's a lot of gun for such a little girl."

  "If you don't back off, there will be a large hole in your chest," Emily replied as she placed her finger on the trigger.

  "You have a choice," Jeff smiled. "You can either hand over your weapons, or my boys will kill one of the people you came here to save."

  Emily could see that Shawn and the others had gotten the group out. Emily knew it was time for her to find her exit strategy.

  "What people?" Emily asked, looking behind him. Jeff and the others turned quickly to look at the spot where their prisoners once sat.

  "Where the hell are they?!" Jeff yelled.

  "Looks like you found more people that you can't control."

  Emily began to back up as she spoke. Marley followed her step by step. The men rushed around to try to look for their prisoners. Emily had finally cleared the men and turned to run. Before she could start, a hand grabbed her arm.

  "Where do you think you're going, Love? You leaving was not part of the deal."

  Emily didn't have to look to know it was Jeff. She heard Marley lunge and bite at him. The sound of the gun firing made Emily jump. Marley let out a cry as he fell to the ground.

  "Marley!" Emily couldn't stop herself from yelling out.

  "I told you he would have to be loyal to me. I wonder if we should do a headshot or not. Can dogs turn like humans?"

  Emily turned her shotgun on Jeff, and he managed to push the barrel up just as she fired.

  "None of that now, Love." Jeff's soothing voice made her sick. "You should say goodbye before he's gone."

  Emily let her gaze drift back to Marley and could see he was still breathing. He was moving his legs to try to get up but wasn't able to.

  "I will fucking kill you!" Emily sneered at Jeff.

  "You've tried that, Love, but now you are truly alone." Another shot rang out, and Jeff grabbed his shoulder that was already covered in blood.

  "No, she's not!" Shawn yelled out as he rushed towards her. Emily fell to the ground next to Marley as shots began to ring out all around her.

  "We have to go!" Shawn yelled as he reached her.

  "I'm not leaving him!" Emily yelled back. Shawn looked down and realized that Marley was on the ground.

  Without hesitation, he picked up the large dog and began to run back up the road. Emily stood and ran behind him. Shawn had pulled the truck closer, and Emily could see the group all sitting in the bed. Emily ran to the driver's side door and threw it opened. She slid across the seat, and Shawn slid Marley in beside her. Emily pulled Marley's upper half as far as she could to allow Shawn to get in.

  "Keep pressure on the bullet wound," he instructed her as he began to speed down the road.

  Emily knew that she should should check to make sure everyone got in but couldn't take her mind of Marley. Shawn drove like he was trying to break the sound barrier as he went down the roads. They drove for nearly an hour before either of them spoke again.

  "Is he still with us?" Shawn asked beside her.

  "Yes," Emily cried back.

  "Hold on, Marley, we are almost home."

  Emily looked up to see them turning onto the logging road. She tightened her hold on Marley to keep him from bouncing around. Shawn slowed as they neared the gate.

  "I'll take him. You need to enter the code."

  "No, you do it. The code is…"

  "Stop!" Shawn yelled. "You still have to lead. I got him. You enter the code."

  Emily waited as Shawn lifted Marley from her lap, and she ran to the gate and entered the code. Shawn drove the truck past her. Emily entered the code to close the outer gate and ran through before the gate closed. Emily could see Doc running towards the truck as Shawn stepped out. Someone must have radioed what happened.

  "Get him to the clinic," Doc demanded.

  "Can you help him?" Emily asked.

  "I can try, but if he loses too much blood, it's over before I can."

  Doc turned and ran behind Shawn towards the clinic. Emily could hear Hope crying somewhere beyond the inner gate. Emily looked down at her clothes and hands and could see that she was covered in blood. She knew that Hope should not see her like this. She tried to wipe her hands on her jeans, but the blood would not clean away.

  "Thank you," a voice spoke from the bed of the truck. Emily turned to see a little blonde girl looking back at her. Emily tried to find the words but couldn't. "Will the doggy be okay?" the little girl asked.

  "I don't know," Emily finally spoke. "I hope so."

  Emily heard the sound of engines and horns outside of the gate. She looked back to ensure that they were sealed and breathed a sigh of relief that they were. Gunshots began to ring out as the trucks came to a stop just outside.

  "I normally have a whole speech and a tour for you, but I can't right now. I'll explain more later, but for now, there are cabins set up just through that door," Emily pointed to the door that Derick had built. "Make yourselves comfortable, and I will be back as soon as I can."

  Emily watched as everyone began to climb out of the truck and head for the cabins.

  "I remember this place, Love," Jeff's voice shouted at the gate. "It was you who shot at us that day. I'm ready to come home now, to Sanctuary."

  Chapter 8

  Emily allowed the rage to fill her as she took off running for the wall steps. Sam ran towards the group that stood inside, and Emily could see them all head to the armory. Emily began her run up the stairs and was winded by the time she reached the top. She carefully looked down the wall and could see Jeff and his gang below her.

  "Are you still saying goodbye to the mut?" Jeff yelled up at her.

  Emily felt someone nudge her should and looked to see Sam handing her a rifle. She glanced down either side of the wall and could see everyone except for Margaret, and the children were up there. They were armed and had their weapons pointed down at the men below. Emily locked eyes with Shawn for a moment and could see he was covered in blood just as she was. His eyes told her that Doc was trying, and Marley wasn't gone yet.

  "I gave you a choice, you son of a bitch!" Emily yelled down at Jeff.

  "You did?!" Jeff yelled back.

  "Yeah, I did. You chose wrong ass hole!" Emily looked at her friends on the wall once more.

  "Fire!" Emily yelled out as loud as she could.

  Gunshots rang out all over the wall. Emily couldn't get a shot on Jeff as he ducked as soon as the gunfire started. She watched as several men dropped to the ground. The remaining men scrambled to get into the vehicles and began to drive away. Everyone continued to fire until the trucks were out of sight.

  "Open the gate, and I'll make sure they stay dead," Shawn said as he headed for the steps.

  Emily made her way to the control room and entered the code for the outer gate. She listened as the gate opened and saw Shawn go outside through the cameras. Emily forced herself to stand and wait until Shawn walked back in. She closed the outer gate and made her way back down. Emily met Shawn as he walked back through the inner gate.

  "We didn't get him," Shawn said, not looking a
t her.

  "Are you sure?" Emily asked him before she could stop herself.

  "I'm positive," Shawn answered. "I'll burn the corpses tomorrow. You should get cleaned up. I'll go check on Marley." Shawn turned and headed towards the clinic.

  Emily made her way home and stood for a moment holding the door before she realized that Marley would not be following. Emily closed the door and made her way up to the shower. She turned on the hot water and began to peel off her blood-soaked clothes. Emily then stepped under the hot water and watched as the water ran red off her skin. Emily allowed herself to cry freely as she washed. Once she finished, she quickly dried and dressed in a fresh set of clothes.