'I used to have two kids of my own, and I was training to be a midwife,' she smiled.
'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked,' I said apologetically.
'It's alright, they died at the beginning of all this,' she smiled weakly.
'Are you going to be alright, when the baby gets here? If it's going to be too hard for you to help out, you don't have to feel obligated,' I told her kindly.
She shook her head and smiled.
'Don't be daft, I want to help. I miss being around babies and children, and I'm excited to see a baby again,' she replied. I smiled brightly at her, she'd clearly been through hell. She came to us three months ago, badly beaten and half unconscious. Turns out one of Nathaniel's men had survived the battle at Sanctuary, Maddox, that bastard.
He was still as brutal as ever, he'd beaten Olivia, raped her and then left her for dead. A week after Nathaniel brought her here, he went hunting for Maddox. Nathaniel had told me, he'd killed Maddox. I knew about their history, how close they were before all this began. I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him to kill Maddox, but Nathaniel knew he had to do it. If he'd found us, that would have been the end for our happy home.
It took some doing, for me to accept her, but in the end I knew she was right when she told me that we needed her.
'I think we're done,' I said happily.
'It looks amazing, I think your baby is going to be very happy here,' she replied beaming. 'So do I. Come on let's get dinner ready, Nathaniel should be home soon,' I told her. I looked around at the room, it was beautiful. The cot stood in the middle of the room, the rocking chair was in the corner next to the window. There was a large play mat near the cot, that had a few baby toys on. The mobile hung above the cot, with the unicorns dangling down. The changing unit was full of wipes, nappies and a few other bits we needed.
I opened the wardrobe to see all the clothes neatly put away, though they were both girl and boy clothes. We'd sort them out properly once the baby arrived, I smiled as I closed the door and went downstairs.
I sat at the table waiting as Olivia made dinner, she insisted that I sit down and not do anything. I longed for my baby to arrive, for him or her to see the life we'd made for them. I was so thankful for Olivia being here, I never would have found my way back to myself without her. Nathaniel arrived just as Olivia dished up dinner, Nathaniel told me to wait as he had to finish doing something first. He smiled happily at me as he told me that he had a surprise for me.
'Where are we going?' I asked gleefully.
'You'll see, now come on,' he said happily. He took me up to our baby's room, where I found two little beds. I felt the tears of joy welling up inside me, one bed was a princess bed, with bright pink covers and a stuffed, lilac unicorn sitting on the fluffy pillow. The other was a bright red car bed, with pale blue covers and dark blue teddy bear sat on the sky blue pillow.
'They're beautiful, I love them,' I told him. He pulled me into a close embrace and kissed me softly, I wrapped my arms around him feeling his lips on mine. Each kiss was as soft and loving as our first, I knew I could never love another man. He was my world, he'd come into my life and rescued me from Dave. Our lives might not have started out great, but now things were as they were meant to be.
My life was heaven, though there was a part of me that wished my family could see me now. If only they could see the person I had become, the kind, loving mother-to-be. Instead they saw the hardened, cruel girl who did so many awful things.
'It won't be long now,' he said smiling.
'I know, I can't wait for our family to be complete,' I replied.
Two months from now, our lives would be complete. All the obstacles in our way had been eradicated, nothing could destroy our family now.
Chapter 13
Rowena
We were ready, at long last we were ready to begin our mission. Wednesday 25th May, we'd been at the lab for two months. We'd been to so many places, gathering supplies, making sure Morgan and Faye had enough to live on while we were gone. Morgan still didn't know Finn was coming with us, he hadn't plucked up the courage to tell her, until now. We all sat listening in as they argued, I couldn't help but smile. He was a determined young man and wanted to do his part, to save the world. His mum didn't see it that way, I understood how she felt, no doubt my mum felt the same way. She had told me she wanted me to stay behind, but I said no. She understood my wanting to go, and she accepted it without too much protest.
'God damn it Finn, I don't want to lose you!' Morgan shouted angrily. 'You're not going to lose me, I'll be fine. Jade and everyone will take care of me, can't you understand, I need to help them. How can I leave it all up to them? What if something happens to them, and I could have done something?' He told her softly.
She sat down on her chair and put her head in her hands, she looked tired and not herself. Faye stood beside her and put her hand on her mums shoulder. 'Mum, Finn will be alright. He's a bright, strong boy. He needs to do this, I understand how he feels. It's up to you and me to make the vaccine, but he needs to help save the world. Let him be a hero,' Faye said gently.
'I don't want a hero, I want my son,' Morgan replied sounding close to tears. Her worry made me want to cry, I was not a mother but I could understand how she felt. We all looked at each other with tearful eyes, I didn't know how we were going to convince her to let Finn go. Truth be told, we needed Finn with us. He was important to our survival, he was a vital part of our group. I looked at my mum who took a deep breath and walked over to Morgan, she knelt down beside her.
'I know how you feel, my daughter insists on coming with us. I'm afraid for her, I worry about her every time we leave here, but I understand, she needs to help us. As much as it pains me to say this, our mission is greater than any one life. Saving the world, stopping this plague, is thee most important thing. You've done your part, but now you need to let Finn do his. You should see him out there, he's amazing, he's saved us more times than I can count. I know you love him, but we need him more,' My mum told her.
Morgan looked at her, she smiled weakly for a moment then stood up. Morgan walked over to her son, and just hugged him. She held him tightly not wanting to let him go, I could see the faint tears on her cheek as she pulled away.
'You make sure you come back home, alright. Don't make me lose you as well,' she said tearfully.
'I swear to you mum, I'll come home,' he smiled.
'Alright, now that that's settled, where's our first stop?' Frankie asked.
'Actually there's somewhere I think we should go first,' Finn told us.
'Where's that?' My mum answered. 'When Ellen and I came here, we found a little place on the way here. It's just outside Settle, it's a house ran by some rough guys, but their really nice. They take care of the elderly, I think they need the vaccine,' Finn explained.
'Do you mind if we use the car to get there, it isn't far?' Frankie asked.
'Sure, just as long as you come back before you leave to go anywhere else,' she replied smiling.
'No problem,' my mum smiled. We packed just enough food for three days, we didn't need much for the journey. We just had to be prepared in case anything went wrong, but I felt optimistic about this little trip. We put everything in the cars and set off, Finn drove one car with, Delilah, Tessa and Brooke. While I went in the other car with my mum, Dom, Frankie, and Jensen. Dom loved the Jaguar and Finn didn't mind him having the faster car.
'Bye mum, bye Faye!' He called to them.
'See you soon, I hope,' Morgan said trying to laugh.
'Bye bye Dom!' Violet shouted. We all waved goodbye, I felt a little sad about leaving the lab, it had been my home for quite some time. As we drove along the deserted roads, we saw no life, aside from the occasional walkers shuffling around. None of us bothered to pull over and deal with them, if we found a group we would end them, but we didn't need to put ourselves in danger unless absolutely necessary.
The sun shone brightly, the wind barely blew,
making the day seem much warmer than it was. I took a small sip of water to make sure I stayed hydrated, the heat affected me a lot and it didn't take much for me to feel ill in this kind of warmth.
'I love this weather,' Jensen spoke with a giddy, happy tone.
'I know what you mean, though I hope it doesn't get too much warmer,' I replied. I smiled at them, since having my mum back I'd gotten to know them all pretty well. Though I hadn't had a chance to talk to Frankie alone, I wanted to thank her for looking after my mum all this time. Same with Jensen, while he wasn't as good at combat as Frankie or Delilah, he'd still done his part to look after her. I liked everyone, even Dom.
Frankie was kind, loyal, loving but she could be hard as nails when she needed to be. Jensen was so grown up for his age, he could still be a little immature but it was refreshing. Same with Finn, when he and Jensen got together, they could be like little kids but they knew when to be serious. Delilah was a wild, untamed woman with a bright mind and strong will. Dom was a lot like my dad, he often had us laughing and he was great at sneaking into places.
My mum was the same as she was back then, I always knew deep down that she would survive in this world. She was happy, cheerful and loving towards everyone.
'We're almost there,' Dom said suddenly.
'I don't like how bare the streets are,' Frankie told him.
'Me neither,' my mum chimed in. We kept an eye on where Finn was driving, he pulled up just outside a large gated house. I was immediately alarmed by the sight of the fallen gate, broken gate. As soon as I got out of the car, I heard it, the moans. I pulled out my knife, feeling more uneasy as I neared the gate.
'This shouldn't be like this,' Finn sounded panicked.
'Are they in the house?' Frankie asked.
'They should be,' he replied worryingly.
'I think we should split up,' my mum told them.
'Yeah, Frankie, Delilah and Rowena, I want you with me,' Finn said.
We nodded in agreement, I was glad to be with Frankie, I might actually get a chance to talk to her.
'That leaves, Brooke, Dom, Tessa and Jensen with me,' my mum replied.
'We'll go inside the house, can you check the outside?' Finn asked.
'Sure,' Jensen answered looking a little annoyed that he couldn't go with Frankie. Finn and the rest of us headed straight for the front door, I felt my nerves on edge. All the optimism I had from earlier disappeared, I was now filled with dread, my heart was beating faster with each step we took. Despite the sun shining brightly, the house felt eerie, haunted almost.
'I don't like the look of this,' I told Frankie nervously.
'I know what you mean, this place makes me feel really on edge,' she replied quietly.
'They must be here somewhere, they can't all be gone,' Finn muttered as we entered the house.
It was a large beautifully decorated house, with old fashioned furniture inside. I could hear the moans coming from down the hall, I told the others to be on alert.
'I'm sorry to say this, but I don't see how anyone could have survived this,' Delilah said sadly.
As we entered the lounge area Finn stood, tears spilling from his pale face as he looked at the mass of corpses that littered the room. 'No, no, it can't be. Not Terry,' he cried. I saw what he was looking at, a short guy, in his early twenties. He had short blond hair, pale blue eyes and beautiful alabaster skin. It looked as though he hadn't been a walker very long, all his skin was intact aside from a gaping wound on his neck.
Without a second thought, Delilah raced over to put the man out of his misery. We joined in the fray as the dead came at us, I stabbed a young boy, who could not have been any older than fourteen in the head. I looked at Finn, who's face was now red and blotchy. Tears cascaded down his face, I could tell he was struggling to deal with these corpses. It had been some time since we'd had to kill anyone we knew, I understood the pain and anguish he felt. I took out an old man as he lunged at me, I did not hesitate to end his undead state. If only we'd gotten here just a little bit sooner, these people had all been turned recently. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks, I felt the pang of sadness as I realised just how important our mission was.
After what felt like hours, but was really barely half an hour, we stood looking down at the bodies now strewn across the floor. I don't know about everyone else, but my heart felt heavy. I sat down on the floor next to the body of the boy, I couldn't help but look into his dead eyes. This is why we made the vaccine, this is why we would travel the country, saving people. To give kids like him a chance to live, to be happy and free.
'You alright Finn?' Frankie asked gently.
'I just wish we could have gotten here sooner, they were good people, all of them,' he said still crying. Frankie took him in her arms and just held him as he cried, she looked at me with sadness in her eyes. My heart melted, of the people I'd met over the years, none of them had been as kind or loving as my mums people. Finn was like Frankie's little brother, she loved him, cared for him and comforted him when he was upset.
'It'll be alright, I promise. We couldn't save them, but we can save everyone else,' she told him kindly.
'Thank you,' he replied quietly.
'Come on, we need to get out of here,' Delilah piped up.
Finn shook his head, 'no I need to check everywhere else. Even if there's no one alive, I can't just leave them like this. Please help me put them to rest,' he pleaded.
'Of course,' I told him.
'Let me go first,' Frankie said fiercely.
He nodded, not saying anything. I walked in front with Frankie as Finn and Delilah stayed back, I didn't know what to say to Finn, he just looked so sad, so lost.
'Do you think he'll be alright?' I asked Frankie quietly.
'I think so, it's rough you know. Killing people you know, I've done it more times than I care to remember,' she replied sadly.
'I've only had to do it once.'
'Your brother?'
'Yeah, I-,' I stopped suddenly to smash a corpses head into the wall. Four corpses surged forward from round the corner, I kicked one making it fly into the others. Frankie was right there beside me to help me deal with them, while they were on the floor we killed two of them. Delilah pulled me back as I hadn't noticed one getting up and trying to claw at me, Finn jumped in to kill it while Frankie smashed the other ones head in.
'That one was Carl,' Finn said sadly.
'I'm sorry you had to find them like this,' Frankie told him gently.
'So am I, but let's carry on. I need to know if there's any survivor's,' he replied sternly. We walked up the stairs, along the seemingly never ending hallway. We checked every room upstairs, hoping, praying to find even one person still alive. As Finn opened one door, he slumped to the floor, banging his fists on the wall. I was hit with a strong smell of piss and shit, oh god it was awful.
'No, not Leon,' he cried looking at the body of little boy. I looked at the boy, who was curled up in his bed. I walked pass Finn to the little boy, I knelt down next to him. For some reason, I put my head to his chest. I could hear it, as faint as it was, the boy had a heartbeat.
'He's alive!' I exclaimed.
'What!?' Finn jumped up.
Finn sat on the edge of the bed, he called out to the boy.
'Leon, it's Finn. Do you remember me?' He asked gently touching the boy to wake him up.
'F-Finn?' Leon muttered.
'Yes it's me, can you sit up?' Can someone get me some water please?' He asked us kindly. I passed him my water bottle that was attached to my belt, I felt my heart swell. Of all the people to be alive, it was this, tiny, frail little boy. Leon took a swig of the water, he already seemed better. I looked around the room, there were tins of food and water bottles everywhere.
'How long have you been in here?' Finn asked him.
'A month, maybe a little longer. Terry told me to stay in here until he came back, but he never did,' he said sadly.
'I'm sorry to tell you, but he's g
one,' Fin told him, nearing tears again. 'Oh.'
'Are you hurt, did you get bitten or anything?' I asked Leon.
'No, I never left the room. I heard the fighting, then all the moans outside. Terry told me to stay away from those who moan,' he replied quietly.
'Well you're coming with us now, we'll take care of you,' Finn explained.
'Are you sure that's okay with your people?'
We all nodded in agreement, there was no way we were leaving him here. Finn helped him get out of bed, the poor boy was nothing but skin and bones.
'When did you last eat?' I asked him.
'I-I don't remember,' he whined.
'I'll sit with him in the car, I'll make sure he gets something to eat,' Finn replied gently.
Finn and Delilah took Leon to the car, while Frankie and I finished checking the rest of the house. I was glad to be alone with her, I finally had a chance to talk to her.
'It must be strange,' she said.
'What must be strange?' I asked.
'Being back with your mum after all this time.'
'Yeah, it is. But despite all the shit, she hasn't changed a bit,' I told her happily.
'I'm glad she had you back, I was really worried about her after we lost Sanctuary.'
I could tell she was being sincere, they all loved my mum. They all cared for each other and looked out for one another.
'My mum doesn't speak much about it, does she?'
'No, even now Maggie and Tamara's death still upsets her,' Frankie replied sadly.
'You all still miss them, I can tell,' I said softly.
'We do, Jensen especially. His sister was his world, they were inseparable. I know I can never take her place, nor would I want to but I'm glad I'm here for him,' she smiled.
'You're all so close, in all the years since this began I haven't found any people like you lot,' I told her. 'We are a dying breed,' she laughed. 'I never did thank you, for taking care of my mum. I know what happened with the slavers, and from what everyone has been saying, it's because of you she got back in one piece.'
'You've no need to thank me, I adore your mum. She took me in when I was just a stranger,' Frankie replied happily.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 13
