Once they were taken care of I quickly got to work putting the gate back up, I didn't want any surprises. It felt like it took me hours to do it, I heard Maggie scream and knew I didn't have long.
Once I'd secured it, I ran back into the castle, praying that I wasn't too late. I threw my axe on the floor, not bothering to clean myself up. 'You're just in time,' Olivia smiled. I ran to Maggie, gripping her hand as she gave one last, hard push. I couldn't describe how I felt hearing my child cry as it entered this world, amazed, happy, ecstatic, no explanation could come close.
'It's a boy!' Olivia beamed.
I looked at my son, MY son, he was a tiny, pink screaming mess, covered in blood, but he was- beautiful.
'Here dad, I'll let you clean him up while I cut the cord,' Olivia said happily.
'W-we, have a son?' Maggie stammered weakly.
'Yes, look he's beautiful,' I told her.
She smiled proudly as she looked at our boy, he had the same flaming hair and pool green eyes as his mother. Maggie watched as we cleaned him up, she looked, tired, pale and a little ill.
'Ow, oh Jesus, there's something wrong,' she said.
'What is it?' Olivia asked worryingly.
'I-ow, I don't know,' Maggie cried out in pain.
'It's probably the placenta, it isn't out yet,' Olivia replied.
I held my son in my arms, he was wrapped in a fluffy, baby blue blanket. He didn't cry as I held him, he just looked at me with those green eyes in bewilderment.
'Hey there, little guy. I'm your dad,' I told him smiling.
'Oh god, she's not done!' Olivia exclaimed.
'What do you mean?' I asked confused.
'She's having another baby!'
What!? Oh fuck, we were having two! A million thoughts raced through my mind, we'd need more help, we needed more clothes, more of everything.
'Oh crap, my mum, she was a twin as was my great grandmother,' Maggie told us sounding exhausted.
'It's alright love, we'll manage,' I replied smiling at her. Maggie screamed once more, trying with all her might to push our second baby out. I could tell this was wearing her body out, she didn't look well at all. Her face, now drained of all colour, her eyes looked exhausted. I entwined my spare hand in hers, I kept talking to her as she pushed, just hoping, praying that everything would be alright.
'Aaaah!' She screamed one last time. I heard it, our baby crying. I felt the tears of joy spilling down my face, Olivia cleaned our second baby up and place it in Maggie's arms.
'It's a girl,' she beamed.
Maggie looked even more weak, I knew she'd lost a lot of blood, but I had not expected her to look this frail.
'I-I feel tired,' she mumbled.
'Here let me take her, you need rest,' Olivia said gently.
Maggie's eyes fluttered, she struggled to speak.
'J-Jensen,' she murmured.
'What about Jensen?' I asked, was this the moment she would decide she wanted to find her family?
'Our son, call him Jensen-,' she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes fluttered once more. I called out to her but there was no response, her head lolled to the side, she was unresponsive. Olivia handed me our daughter as she tried to determine what was wrong with Maggie, I stood helpless, holding my children as Olivia tried to save my love. Both my children began to wail, I felt lost, confused, I didn't know what to do.
'They're hungry, feed them. I'll take care of Maggie,' Olivia commanded.
'O-okay,' I stammered. I placed my babies in the cot, as I ran downstairs, trying to remember how to make a babies bottle. Thank god, I'd managed to get the generator working, I thought in a panic. I grabbed the bottles as the kettle boiled, I wasn't sure how big a bottle to make them, so I put four ounces of water in each bottle, then put four scoops of the powder in each one. I poured some cold water in a large pan and put the bottles in to cool down, I could still hear my babies crying upstairs. I raced back up, being careful not to drop the pan. I paid no attention to what Olivia was doing, I didn't want distract her. I picked up my children, cradling them in my arms as I waited for the bottles to cool down.
'It's alright kids, everything will be alright,' I told them softly. I looked at them crying, they were almost identical. Both of them had their mother's flaming hair, pale skin and pool green eyes. I let the tears fall as I held them, they were my world now, my everything.
Once the bottles had cooled down, I somehow managed to hold them in the crooks of my arms while I held their bottles in my hands. I kept my eyes off Olivia, my mind couldn't handle anything else other than taking care of my kids. I wiped my face on my sleeve to rid myself of the tears, I just had to have faith that everything would be alright, Maggie would not die today, she couldn't. As those thoughts left my head, I heard Olivia cry.
'I'm so sorry,' was all she said. I turned to look, Maggie's lifeless body just lay there, it just looked like she was sleeping. I got up and told Olivia to hold the twins.
'Just give me some time,' I mumbled tearfully.
She took them out the room while I sat by Maggie's side, I didn't know how to feel, I was just, so very lost.
'I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I never should have taken you away from your family, they wouldn't have let you die,' I cried into her chest.
As if expecting a response, I waited, silently.
'I love you, I swear I will be a better man. For you, for our children. They will not live lives like ours, they will be safe, they will be good,' I wept.
I held her hand, waiting for her to turn. I knew it was coming, it always did. Until then, I could not move. I kept watching her, looking at her pale face, I stroked her hair as I let the tears fall. It was some hours later, when the sun fell beneath horizon that she started convulse, I held her down making sure she couldn't bite me. It was lucky that I was as strong as I was. I kept my hands on her chest, I watched her eyes turn black, I searched frantically for any sign that she was still in there. Even though I knew she was gone, my heart didn't want to believe it.
'I'm so sorry my love, please forgive me,' I told her as I reached for my knife that I kept in my belt.
I pulled it out and without a second thought, I stabbed her in the head. I sat there, with her dead body as I wept the night away.
Sometime later, Olivia came back in. She was alone.
'Where are the twins?' I asked worryingly.
'Don't worry they're asleep, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save her,' she replied tearfully.
'What happened? Why did she die?'
'She was torn quite badly down there, I couldn't stop the bleeding or stitch her up in time,' she said quietly.
'What am I going to do? How can I do this without her?' I asked fearfully.
'I know I can never take her place, nor would I want to, but I'm here to help you with the twins. You're not alone,' she told me.
'Thank you,' was all I could say. I wrapped Maggie's body in a sheet, and took her outside. Olivia brought one of the baby monitors down so she could hear if the twins woke up, she helped me dig Maggie's grave. It was pitch black by the time we'd finished digging, I continued to cry as I put her body in the ground. I'd loved only two women in my life, and they'd both died.
I wondered if I was cursed, if I was doomed to lose anyone I loved, would I lose my children, would they be safe with me? What if losing Maggie was my punishment, for all the awful things I'd done? As Olivia covered the grave, I stood by the side. I picked some flowers that grew in the grounds, and placed them on her grave. I made a cross for her out of spare wood we had, I carved the words, 'Maggie Lee, an amazing woman who died too soon.'
'I swear to you, I'll be a better man,' I wept.
For a moment in the midst of my grief, I could have sworn I heard her voice. She said to me, 'you already are,' I looked at Olivia but her face showed no sign that she'd heard Maggie's voice. A million thoughts raced through my mind, but one thing was for sure. I would make her proud of me, I would truly leave behind my past and be the man she
wanted me to be. My kids were now my whole world, I would protect them with my life. As I left Maggie's grave, I wondered how my life would ever be the same.
Chapter 21
Delilah
I woke up in the morning feeling more refreshed than I had in a while, my head felt clear and my heart wasn't aching. Everyone else was already getting up and preparing for the memorial, little Violet had gotten some flowers from the woods, Eli had spent the morning etching the names of Dom, Lex and Tessa into a tree. Frankie was helping Jensen get out of bed, he still seemed a little shaky on his feet, Trudy and Audrey were trying to make the area around the tree look like a memorial by making wreaths out of twigs. By the time Jade was ready to begin, the tree looked like a real tribute for our fallen friends. We all packed up the camping equipment and our supplies so that we would be ready to leave once we had finished our funeral.
How long had been, since we'd been able to have an actual funeral for those we lost? Too long, I thought sadly. I'd known Tessa for nine months, she was a brave, smart and kind woman. Though she'd struggled with her dad's death, she was finally getting back to her old self. We had only known Dom for a few months, but we all liked him. It was hard not to, he was a funny, bright and loving man.
As for Lex, we had only know him a very short time, but again you couldn't help but like him. I looked over at everyone else, poor Violet clung to Jade as she wept for her dad. Marcel was trying to be strong, but I could see the sadness in his eyes.
'So who wants to start?' Jade asked the others.
'I'd like to go first, if that's alright?' Marcel asked.
'Certainly,' Jade replied. 'My little brother was the joker of our family, he was forever getting me into trouble and playing tricks on my parents, but he had a heart of gold. When the outbreak first happened, he drove the car round to all of our friends to see if they needed help. He was the bravest most loyal young lad that I'd ever known, and to know him was a privilege. As the older brother he was supposed to look up to me, but I looked up to him. I'll miss him,' Marcel couldn't keep from crying, I put my arms round him and led him away from the memorial site.
'Thank you Marcel, I think Violet would like to say a few words about Dom,' Jade said softly. 'Dom wasn't just like my dad, he was my dad in every way. He taught me how to fight, but also how to stay human. I would not be here if it wasn't for him, because it was Dom who gave me the strength to carry on. He told me that my mum was watching me from heaven, now he's with her and they get to watch over me together. Goodbye dad, I'll miss you,' she tearfully placed the daisies at the bottom of the tree.
'I'd like to say a few words about Tessa' Jade told us. 'She was one of the bravest young women I have ever met, each and everyone of us owes her a massive debt of gratitude because it was through her courage and determination that we have the vaccine that protects us all, she was the one who insisted on being the guinea pig and the world is a sadder place now she's no longer with us, Goddess bless you Tessa I know that you are with your dad now.'
We all took it in turns to say goodbye to those we had lost, it felt right honour them in this way. It wasn't like a traditional funeral, but it was the kindest way to remember them without thinking about the sadness of their deaths.
We left our offerings at the tree and I vowed never to let a moment go by without making the most of the people in my life, now it was time to move on. We picked up our things, but left Tessa's tent as we couldn't carry it. I walked the road to Manchester with my family knowing now more than ever that every moment in this life is precious, I would do whatever it took to keep them alive no matter what challenges this world put before us.
I was worried about Jensen, I felt that we'd set off too soon. He looked a little pale, but he'd insisted on not holding us up. As we walked passed the place where the others had died, I felt my heart grow heavy. I couldn't help but look at Kyle, it because of his stupidity that they'd died in the first place. Rowena had insisted that he didn't mean for it to happen, but I didn't care. He was stupid, irresponsible and a complete arse hole. I wish we'd let Frankie kill him. Tessa and Dom were our family, they were a part of us. Marcel had lost his only remaining family, and that prick was still walking around with that smug look on his face. It was me who'd made sure than none of the others came back, I stuck my knife in their heads refusing to allow the others to do it. It was usually Frankie who took that burden, but I hadn't wanted her to bear it this time.
'You alright?' Frankie asked quietly.
'Why do we have to keep HIM around?' I asked bitterly.
'I know how you feel, but the truth is, we need everyone to help us on this mission. We can't do it alone,' she replied sadly.
'I know that, but he deserves to die,' I mumbled angrily. She put her hand on my shoulder and stopped walking for a moment, 'Trust me, I'd like nothing more than to kill him right here. But I won't lose my humanity because of that little prick,' she told me fiercely.
She was right, that much I knew. We'd all worked so hard to keep our humanity, so many people too easily became cruel and harsh, but somehow we'd stayed human. I didn't want to lose that part of me, I nodded to Frankie as we kept on walking.
'How are you doing?' I asked Marcel.
'I'm dealing, I just- miss him you know,' he replied sadly.
'It might not mean much, but I wish he was still here too,' I told him, trying to smile.
'Thank you, and it does mean a lot,' he smiled gently. We carried on walking, each of us lost in our grief. Well all accept Kyle, he just walked along with that smug, pretentious look on his face. I felt my fists clench as he slowed down to walk next to me, go away, I thought, just fuck off.
'You alright sweetheart, you look upset?' He asked attempting to sound caring.
'I'm fine,' I replied through gritted teeth.
'You sure,?' He asked almost mockingly.
'I just want to be alone,' I told him, trying to sound polite.
'Okay,' was all he said. We walked for hours, none of us speaking another word. Out of everyone, it was Violet I sympathised with the most. She was just a child, she'd already lost her mum, now she'd lost her dad. I looked at her walking next to Jade, she looked at the floor as she walked. Her tear stained eyes watching the pavement, I just wanted to hug her.
As we neared the city edge, the sun was low in the sky. It had been another warm day, we felt tired and exhausted, especially Jensen.
'What's our next stop, we need to find a place to stay?' Finn asked tiredly.
'There's a shopping centre, a small one just as we get into the city. We could go there,' Marcel replied. We talked about it, Eli, Trudy and Audrey didn't want to go, but the rest of us did. Marcel had said it had four floors, there was about four or five small shops on each floor. There was two entrances, one which would no doubt be closed as it was the one that had shutters on. There would be plenty of room for us to sleep in, we just needed to hope that it wasn't full of walkers.
'Is there any where else to go, if this place is overrun?' I asked Jade as we neared our destination.
'There's a few places around, but I'm hoping we won't have to go anywhere else,' she replied tiredly.
'So am I.'
I was so lost in thought that I bumped into Kyle, I mumbled sorry but clearly I'd set him off.
'You should watch where your going sweetheart,' he growled.
'Piss off,' I hissed.
'Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,' he mocked.
In that moment, I lost it. Every bit of anger, hatred and sorrow I felt, I took it out on him. Before I knew what I was doing, I dropped my bag and slammed him into the wall of an old vintage shop.
'You fucking bastard!' I screamed at him.
'Get off me, you crazy bitch,' he shouted. I rammed my fist into his face, full pelt. I forgot where we were, I forgot about the need to keep quiet, I just kept hitting him.
I saw the blood pour from his face but that didn't stop me. He tried to fight back, he even got a punch in. My f
ace whipped sideways, but I just kneed him in the balls. He fell to the ground, clutching his crotch.
I didn't know where I got the strength from, but I picked him up by the collar and slammed him back into the hard, brick wall. 'Listen you little prick, if I had my way, you'd be dead. I'd kill you myself, but as it stands we need everyone on this mission. But from now on, you keep your mouth shut, if I hear you so much as breathe the wrong way, I will fucking gut you myself. Do you understand?' I screamed at him.
'Yes, now get the fuck off me,' he yelled. I gave him one last punch in the face, I made sure it was a hard one, before letting him go. I was surprised that none of the others had stopped me, they all looked shocked and worried though. I walked next to Frankie and Jensen as we neared our destination.
I didn't look back to see if Kyle had caught up with us, or if he was alright. I honestly didn't care.
'You alright?' Frankie asked kindly.
'My hand hurts, but other than that I'm fine,' I replied.
'When we get settled, we'll patch you up,' she told me.
'Thanks, how are you feeling Jensen?' I asked softly.
'My head still hurts a little, but I'll be alright,' he smiled weakly. Marcel took us to the back entrance, as the front one's shutters were down. He went in first, then Eli, then me. We told the others to wait until we signalled them to come in, they nodded. I went inside, keeping close to Marcel.
'Thanks for that,' he whispered.
'For what?' I wondered.
'For giving him a good kicking,' he smiled.
'Any time,' I laughed.
We all stayed together, Eli went into a shop first. I found one biter stuck under a fallen shelf, I swiftly stabbed it before it could make noise.
'Oh shit,' I heard Eli say.
I looked in his direction, there was half a dozen walkers in the corner of the room. The shop was small, it would be easy for them to surround us. 'I'm going to get Frankie and Finn,' I told them quietly. They nodded, keeping quiet. The dead hadn't noticed us yet, we needed to surprise them. I ran back outside, to find them dealing with a handful of corpses. I took out one that was getting too close to Rowena, she smiled at me as she turned to help the others. It took only moments to deal with them all, after making sure everyone was alright I told Frankie and Finn to come with me. We raced back to the shop, Marcel and Eli had kept quiet and out of the way.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 21
