by Crist, J. D.
Emily then pushed the desk so that the hidden control panel was behind it, and she could access everything without having to move around. Once she was done, she carefully looked at each of the art statues she had taken down. While she was sure Robert loved them, she didn't like any of them. Hope was still playing with Marley on the floor while Emily worked. Next, Emily removed some of the pictures from the walls and added them to the couch. Looking at the empty wall, she could see family pictures hanging on them.
"What do you guys think?" Emily asked as she looked around. She looked down to see that both Hope and Marley were ignoring her. "Thanks for the help." Emily bent over and picked up Hope. "Let's go get…."
"Delivery!" Shawn called as he walked through the door.
"I didn't schedule a delivery," Emily smiled as he walked in carrying the playpen and dog pillow.
"I take it that means that I'm not getting a tip. Well, where do you want these?" Shawn tried his best to look defeated.
"Over there is fine," Emily pointed behind the couch. Shawn walked over and set everything down.
"There are a few frames in the playpen along with a box of nails and a hammer." Shawn was looking at the couch. "What are you doing with this stuff?"
"It wasn't me, so I was going to send it to the store for someone else to have if they want it."
"I was going to take the cart back. I can load it in there and take it for you."
"You sure?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, I probably should get some food anyway."
"I'd appreciate it. You want some help loading it up?"
"No, I think I got it," Shawn smiled.
Shawn grabbed some of the statues and started to make his way to the door. Emily set up the playpen and found the stuff inside. She grabbed the pictures from the table and secured each of them in the frames. Emily then put a nail on the wall for each of them. Shawn continued to carry the stuff from the couch out as she worked. Emily had the pictures on the wall by the time he finished.
"They look good," Shawn remarked.
"It's the start of something, I think," Emily smiled.
"I think so. I better get this stuff to Jessica before she heads out for the day."
"I'll see you in the morning," Emily smiled at him.
"Remember to call if you decide to do a late-night walk."
"I will." Emily could not help but roll her eyes at him.
Shawn just laughed and headed out. Emily finished setting up the playpen and put the dog pillow in place. Emily picked up Hope once more and placed her in the playpen.
"This will keep you from getting into trouble while I cook," Emily smiled at her. "I'll go grab some toys from your room before I start."
Emily quickly made her way upstairs and grabbed a few of the tiny toys she had for Hope. Once back downstairs, she gave Hope the toys and started to work on dinner. Emily had done everything to make the house feel more like hers but having the playpen helped more than she could imagine. It was easier and faster to get dinner ready without worrying about what Hope could get into while Emily was cooking.
Emily could see Hope from the kitchen, and she was not quite as thrilled with the new arrangement. It was probably because she had always been able to do things differently than other babies because of her mom's job. Hope was used to always being on the move and having freedom when she wasn't in the carrier. Part of Emily worried if this life was going to have a negative effect on her. Emily forced herself to push the thought from her mind. Hope would grow up seeing that her mom was strong and figured out how to make an impossible situation work.
Emily headed to the living room, picked up Hope from the playpen, and carried her to the kitchen. Hope was eating regular foods more often. Emily was careful to ensure that everything was soft enough and small enough for Hope to eat. Emily still held Hope while she fed her, though she knew it was more than time for Hope to be in a highchair and perhaps trying to feed herself. Emily just wasn't ready to let go of this time together just yet.
Hope didn't fuss and ate her dinner without complaint, allowing Emily to take bites of hers as they went. Soon everyone was finished, and Hope was back in the playpen while Emily cleaned up dinner. Once she finished, Emily went to the books she moved earlier that day and took a look. After a few minutes, she grabbed "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" from the shelf. It may be a bit too much for a child Hope's age, but Emily was sure they would re-read the series many times.
Emily then picked up Hope from the playpen and sat on the couch. Marley jumped up and joined them as Emily got comfortable and opened the book. Hope sat quietly, staring at the pages as Emily began to read the story. Emily read the first few chapters to Hope, waiting for Hope to become restless or show that she was done with this particular activity. However, by the time eight o'clock came, Hope had done neither.
"We will read some more tomorrow," Emily smiled as she closed the book.
Hope began to rub her eyes, and Emily knew she had to be exhausted. Emily stood with Hope and returned the book to the shelf. As she did, Marley jumped down from the couch and waited for them to head upstairs. It didn't take Emily long to get Hope ready for bed. Emily was soon closing the door as Marley and Hope were both heading off to sleep.
Emily grabbed the baby monitor and headed back downstairs. While this was a reasonable bedtime for Hope, she was nowhere ready herself. Emily walked around the house searching for something to do but found herself sitting on the couch. Emily reached and pulled her walkie from her waist, surprised that no one had radioed all day. She smiled to see that it was set to channel one.
"I'm bored," Emily said into the walkie after pressing the button.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that before," Shawn replied.
"Well, I am," Emily laughed. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"You are welcome to come to keep me company on the wall if you want."
"So, just to be clear, I have permission to come to the wall?"
"Permission granted," Shawn replied.
Emily quickly returned the walkie to her waist. She grabbed the monitor from the table and headed out the door. She never thought she would miss having things to do outside of her home. Emily made her way down the street to the armory. Once she had her rifle, Emily began to walk up the stairs. She found Shawn waiting for her at the top.
"I'm on the far side tonight if you want to join me," Shawn smiled.
"Let's get going then," Emily said as she began to walk.
Shawn shook his head and followed Emily as she began the walk around the wall. They walked in silence until they reached Shawn's post for his shift. Emily leaned her rifle against the wall and looked out into the distance.
"We should probably clear back the tree line to give us more of a line of sight," Shawn remarked as he walked up beside her.
"I've been thinking the same thing," Emily replied. "Hopefully, we will have more people next spring and can get that done."
"I agree." Shawn placed his hands on the ledge and looked at Emily.
"What?" Emily asked while laughing.
"You said you were a glorified receptionist before the flash."
"I was," Emily smiled.
"I just find it hard to believe," Shawn said without looking away.
"Why?"
"You seem to have a deep understanding of not only how to run this place but for security and strategy."
"I just do what I think is right." Emily realized that her knowledge of the situation was strange.
"I think it's just proving that you were meant to lead this place." Shawn looked back out into the distance.
The sun eventually disappeared, and the temperature began to drop. Emily suddenly regretted not bringing her jacket with her. Emily wrapped her armed around herself and tried to hide the fact that she was freezing.
"Come here before you freeze to death," Shawn said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. Emily welcomed the warmth and felt the shivers begin to slow.
"I thought you would tell me to go home," Emily laughed.
"Would you have gone if I did?" Shawn asked.
"Probably not," Emily smiled. "Do you want it, or can I take it?"
Shawn turned his gaze back to the tree line as a zombie walked out towards the wall. This person was turned by the bites that covered their body.
"You take this one," Shawn said as he released her.
Emily grabbed her rifle from where it leaned and took her time lining up the shot. A few moments later, the sound of the shot rang out, and the corpse fell lifeless to the ground.
"We are starting to see more and more of them. There was a time when we could go weeks without seeing one."
"Well, there's less and less living every day," Emily replied.
"True, but I still don't like it."
As soon as Shawn finished talking, they heard a shot ring out from the west side of the wall.
"I don't like it," Shawn said, looking in the direction of the shot.
"We can handle it," Emily smiled. "I will check and make sure everything is okay on my way home."
"You had enough of the wall tonight?" Shawn smiled.
"Just a little cold, and if I don't get rest, someone will force me to." Emily skeptically looked at Shawn as she spoke.
"Damn straight," Shawn laughed.
"Goodnight," Emily said as she started to walk towards the west.
"Goodnight," Shawn replied. Emily made her way to the west and found Cole staring into the distance.
"Just a dead one," Cole said as she approached. "Now it's dead."
"Glad to hear it," Emily replied as she walked by. Emily made her way home and gladly snuggled into her warm bed next to Marley for the night
Chapter 14
The cold November air whipped through Sanctuary the following day. Emily had made sure to bundle up Hope before heading out into town for the day. Things at the farm were quiet as most of the crops were done for the season. Everyone seemed to be doing well and in high spirits as she visited. Several people were even talking about celebrating Thanksgiving.
Emily was surprised to find Sarah standing by the gate as she reached the end of main street.
“What’s going on?” Emily asked as she approached.
“I was reviewing some of the wall blueprints and found that there should be another panel here to enter the codes. I thought if I could find it or maybe hook one up, it would help save you from running up the steps all the time.”
“My legs would greatly appreciate that,” Emily smiled.
Emily helped Sarah look at the wall, and, almost at the same time, they both noticed four screws that formed a square and seemed out of place on the metal sheet. Emily watched as Sarah removed the screws and revealed a bunch of wires behind the plate.
“The keypad must be here. I will see if I can get this hooked up.”
“I’ll ask everyone to keep an eye in case they come across it.”
“Could you ask them that any electronics like that be brought to the COM building? It would be better if I knew what I had to work with to help enhance our situation.”
“Sure,” Emily smiled.
“I have almost nothing to do these days since the calls stopped coming in.” Emily could tell that Sarah was still not happy about the decision not to check on the stations.
“Sarah, we talked about this,” Emily started.
“I know,” Sarah interrupted. “I just wish I knew they were okay. I hate the idea of people freezing out there over the winter.” Emily knew that Sarah would be worried all winter if the stations were not checked at least once.
“I’ll see if I can arrange a party to go out and check,” Emily finally said.
“Really?!” Sarah jumped around and looked at her.
“Really,” Emily breathed. “We probably should do one more run before winter sets in to make sure we have everything we need.”
Emily knew they had more than enough of the essentials to get through winter but knew this would help her justify the run to
herself.
“If you need me to go, just let me know.” Sarah quickly screwed the plate back into place and ran back to the COM room. Emily shook her head as she grabbed her walkie.
“Shawn, are you available for a meeting?”
“I’m currently at security,” Shawn’s voice replied.
“I’m on my way.” Emily returned the walkie to her waist and made the short walk to the security building. Once inside, she saw Shawn and Sam sitting at a table. Emily took Hope out of her carrier and went to join them.
“We have an emergency, boss?” Shawn asked as she approached.
“No emergency,” Emily replied as she sat down. “I have decided that it would be okay to do one more run before winter sets in. We should sure up our supplies and check on the stations.”
“Really?” Shawn smiled at her.
“It’s not the hunting mission I know you were hoping for, but I think we need to go out.”
“I’ll take it.” Shawn looked at Sam. “You never know what or who you may find.”
“Shawn, you have to promise we will stay focused on what we are going out for.”
“Wait, are you planning on going?” Shawn asked with concern on his face.
“Of course,” Emily replied. “I have gone on all the runs outside the wall, and I don’t plan to stop now.”
“I hoped you would until Jeff was no longer out there,” Shawn admitted.
“I’m not going to let him scare me into hiding. We need to go out, and you’re not leaving me behind.”
“I think it will be fine,” Sam spoke. Shawn turned and looked at Sam with anger on his face. “As long as she agrees to stay too close to either you or me the entire time.”
Emily knew there had to be a catch to Sam agreeing that she would be fine. While she didn’t believe she needed a babysitter,
Emily knew that this was the only way she could end the debate.
“I agree,” Emily interjected. “Can we move on to planning the run now?”
Emily could tell that Shawn was not happy but knew that he had to let it go. The three of them sat for the next few hours and planned their route, areas they would be looking to scavenge, who they would be taking, and the wall team put in place while they were gone. They decided to head out the following day if the weather cooperated.
Once they finished, Emily left Shawn and Sam to complete the planning and let everyone know what would happen. Emily headed towards her house. Marley walked beside her as if understanding what they were planning. Emily had considered leaving him at Sanctuary but knew that he would never stay.
Once inside the house, Emily fed Hope a quick lunch and got her tucked into bed. Emily returned downstairs and updated her journal with their plans. She wanted to keep some kind of record just in case something happened to her. Once she finished, she went through the house quickly and did some chores.
Once she finished, she got Hope and Marley up from their nap and spent the rest of the day at home. Everything was quiet the rest of the day. After dinner, Emily grabbed “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and read Hope a few more chapters. Emily then got Hope ready for bed and tucked her in. However, Marley refused to take his usual position under the crib and insisted on staying with Emily.
Emily closed Hope’s door and walked with Marley back downstairs. Marley seemed to be glued to Emily’s side and followed her everywhere. Emily grabbed a jacket and the baby monitor. She then headed outside with Marley. She hoped that the fresh air might help to calm down a bit. Emily made her way to the wall and started her walk around. She hadn’t grabbed her rifle but didn’t have any intentions of working tonight.
Emily worked her way around the wall with Marley at her side. After a while, she spotted Shawn looking over the fence. Emily expected Marley to take off at a run to great Shawn, but Marley remained close to her side.
“Anything tonight?” Emily asked as she grew closer to Shawn.
“
We’ve killed seven tonight,” Shawn replied as he turned to face her.
“So, they are coming more often,” Emily replied.
“Yes, but nothing we can’t handle,” Shawn smiled. “I expected him to be with Hope,”
