Everything was a blur as I just kept running. My shoes were slamming against the roads as I didn't have a single thought in my head of where to go. Nowhere felt like the right answer. Nowhere felt safe. My backpack banged against my back as I slid to a stop in the middle of town square. My head whipped back and forth as I looked down the roads, trying to create a clear thought in my mind.
Where do I go? Where the fuck do I go? They just said run. Run where?
My heart was in my throat as my chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. People gave me odd looks as they passed by but said nothing. They all know who I am. They know I'm on patrol. They'll have their gossip and theories later in the day but that's the least of my worries right now.
That woman, Bex, wanted me dead.
I shut my eyes tight and shook my head before taking off again but not before taking a sharp turn in the opposite direction I came from.
It felt like I couldn't breathe. My whole body was tingling as if I was about to black out any second. The only thing I felt was the wooden gate that I slammed into before opening the first door I found and frantically searching.
The heat of the greenhouse hit my face as my eyes quickly scanned the place but coming up with nothing but plants and crops, I did a 180 and moved on to the next house only to find the same thing.
The third greenhouse I entered; I finally found my voice. "Mom?" I didn't even recognize my voice as I called out for my mom. It sounded like a scared little kid.
"Mom!" I tried again as I opened the door to the last greenhouse in the row.
Someone yelped and dropped a pot at the sound of my voice, but it wasn't my mom.
"Oh, Kate." It was Kristin. She let out a sigh as she placed her hand on her chest, but her shock was quickly replaced with uncertainty as she turned to look at me. "What's wrong?"
I took in a harsh breath, "Where's my mom?"
Kristin's eyebrows scrunched up in worry, "I told everyone to come in late today. We don't have much to do with replanting some of the houses the other day." She paused as she slowly walked in between the aisles to reach where I was standing. "Kate... what's wrong?"
"Techno's dead." I just spit it out. My hand was shaking on the doorknob. No, my entire arm was trembling. "Some people from Pittsburgh came and... and murdered him. And- and they want me dead too. Because of what happened."
"Kate, breathe, honey, breathe." She was directly in front of me with her hands on my shoulders trying to calm me. "Let's take this back to my house. I bet Phil is there."
I shook my head violently. "Everyone is at the gates! The whole patrol team. Morning and afternoon. We were trying to get together a search party when the gates were ordered open from the outside and then Techno was just kneeling there with guns pointed to his head." Kristin tried to shush me to get me to swallow some air, but I just kept talking. "She killed him and then started going on about wanting to kill me and Nick told me to run so I did! They are all still there!"
"Okay, okay," she nodded. I could tell she was scared too but she was keeping it down to not freak me out any more than I already was. "We'll still head to my house. The guys will probably head there first after everything is figured out." She slowly started to twist me around in the doorway and pushed me in the direction of our neighborhood.
It wasn't a long walk to her house, but I guess I must have looked worse than I thought since people were starting to stop and open their mouths. However, the moment Kristin waved her hand they swallowed whatever they were going to say and continued on about their day. For the entire walk, Kristin had her arm wrapped around me and one of her hands rubbing my arm like it was a silent way of telling me 'We're almost there, hold on'.
The second Kristin opened her front door, I couldn't help but blurt out the question, "Where's your bathroom?" as I fumbled through the doorway, trying to place the rifle down only for it to tumble down and crash against the hardwood floor.
Her eyes widened in alarm as she hopped to the side while pointing down the hallway, "Second door on the left."
I nodded as I clamped my hand over my mouth and fucking sprinted to the bathroom, making it just in time to lose whatever food I had in my stomach from the night before.
Kristin came in a minute later, placing a glass of water on the bathroom vanity. She kneeled down next to me and collected my hair, pulling it into a makeshift ponytail and swiping my baby hairs away from my forehead.
"Easy, don't force it." She said softly as my body heaved and shuttered. "You're okay."
I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that as my knuckles were starting to turn white from the grip I had on the porcelain. "Are we sure about that?" My mind flickered back to Techno, picturing him all slumped over with a part of his head gone and bleeding, and I was back to dry heaving and gagging.
"It's okay," Kristin was now rubbing my back after she slowly removed my backpack that I forgot I still had on as I leaned my forehead against my arm, trying to get air through my mouth and into my lungs. "You all barfed out?"
I nodded, "I think so, but I think I'm just gonna sit here for a second." My face was all clammy and my hands were sweaty, and I really just didn't want to move from my current position.
"Okay, honey, take your time and try and sip some water." She rubbed my back once more as she rose to her feet and walked out of the bathroom with my pack in her hand, but not before moving the glass of water on the floor next to me.
Sighing as I rubbed my face against my shoulder to try and wipe the disgusting sticky feeling from my skin. I took a couple breaths before leaning over to take the tiniest of sips from the glass to rinse my mouth out.
Techno's dead. I have a target on my back. And here I am in a bathroom vomiting. I'm such a fucking coward.
I should have done something. I should have just walked straight through those gates and let her kill me so her and her group would leave and go back to Pittsburgh. Techno and I were the only reason why she's here. Phil and the others shouldn't be risking their lives to protect me when Techno just paid the price for doing that. He shot and killed that fucker all those years ago and now he got killed because of it.
Taking a deep breath and drowning the rest of the glass, I flushed the toilet and stood back up on my feet. Exiting the bathroom and taking a pause in the hallway, I could hear some tinkering and small clangs of pots from the direction of what I could only guess to be the kitchen.
I've never been in Phil's house before. I've stopped by a couple times to drop things off or said hi when passing by if someone was sitting outside on the porch, but this was my first time past the front door. There had to be rooms connecting to each other from the inside since this hallway seemed to be nothing but closed doorways.
Wandering into what looked like a dining room, I placed my empty glass on a cabinet that probably used to hold chinaware but now it was filled with photos and small journal-like books. There was a door slightly ajar that had no handle; the kitchen had to be past there and it must be a double hinged door.
The back wall was nothing but windows that had various knickknacks and plants in front. My arms were folded, and my hands were flat against the sides of my torso as I walked over to the window. I didn't know if they were still shaking or not, but I wasn't going to pull them away to find out.
The gates were still open.
From my view through the window, I could see the top half of the gates. Everything was quiet though. No more gunshots. No more death... for the moment at least.
"Here, hun," Kristin emerged from the kitchen with two mugs in her hands, the door swinging back and forth behind her until it settled in the archway. She handed me one with a small smile. "I put some mint leaves in there for you. They should help calm your stomach. I also know how much you love mint."
I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as I accepted the mug of steaming tea. Of course, she knew. She worked at the greenhouses with Mom and whenever we'd run out of mint leaves at home, I always request that Mom brings another bunch home.
"Thank you," I let out meekly, my throat still tight and sore from losing the contents of my stomach. The steam from the tea hit my face and the corners of my mouth lifted automatically as the mint scent flooded my senses.
Kristin let out a sigh as she pulled out a chair from the dining table. "You feeling any better?"
I nodded as I took a tiny sip from the cup before placing it on the windowsill. My fingers still wrapped around the ceramic, letting it warm my palm. "A bit, yeah."
I didn't even want to let my mind wander back to what I saw. Disappointed in my actions and I'm not gonna lie, I think if I see the picture of Techno's head or body in my mind again, my stomach will twist back up and the urge to vomit will make a reappearance.
"I'm guessing that asking if you want anything to eat is just going to be denied," she lets out a small chuckle, but I catch how her eyes linger on my right leg that is still slightly trembling even though I was leaning against the wall with no weight on it.
"The tea is perfectly fine, thank you though." I gave her a small smile as I lifted the mug back up to my lips before settling it down again, afraid that I'll spill the liquid all cover the place.
She stood up and walked to stand next to me at the window, "This is how I can tell whether Phil's going to be home late or not." I turned my head to face her. "If the gates are still open."
I swallowed the burning feel of bile licking at the bottom of my throat before I responded. "I wonder if they are still there."
The second my words died; the front door slammed open. Jumping at the noise, my whole body started to shake again. I could barely feel it. My only indication that I was shaking was the baby hairs that had fallen on my forehead were shivering in front of my eyes. My hand flew to my hostler, ready to grab my pistol even though I doubt I could shoot straight.
Kristin quickly raised her hands to rub my arms as I could hear Phil's voice, and it was clear he was not happy.
"Son of a bitch, she's smart." Phil gritted his teeth as he tossed his rifle on the table. Clay and Nick were right behind him, closing the door and stopping the cold air from getting in the house.
"Phil," Kristin scolded. Her hands were still running up and down my arms as she tried to ease me out of acting like a scared little fawn. "No weapons on the table."
He just gave her a look but listened to her words anyway, grabbing the rifle off the table and turned to lean it upright against the wall behind him.
"Is she gone?" I said in a quiet voice and immediately cleared my throat the moment I was done speaking. Phil, Clay, and Nick all exchanged looks but Clay nodded.
"Yeah, she's gone for now."
"For now?" I leaned away from Kristin to walk over to the table with my arms back around myself, leaving my tea on the windowsill where it was growing cold.
Phil rubbed his temples before taking a seat at the table with Kristin following right behind to sit in the chair next to him. Nick also had his arms folded over his chest as he leaned up against the wall across from me. Clay had his head bowed as he rested his hands on the back of another chair and let out a huff. They all looked exhausted and spent.
"She backed off and her little pack of bitches followed her back into the tree line to go wherever their hideout is." Clay's voice was tight, and his face hadn't softened since the moment he walked in here. It's probably the same expression he had on his face since those gates opened.
"Did- did she say anything else?" I asked.
"Only that she's not leaving the area until she sees you dead in front of her," Clay responded.
I swallowed thickly and took a deep breath, "Okay, so what's our next move?"
Clay glanced over at Phil who was staring down at his hands as he picked at the nail beds. He then turned his head over his shoulder to look at Nick only to sigh when he saw that Nick had his gaze locked on his shoes. "Don't know," he finally answered.
"What?" I breathed out. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean we don't know." He huffed and ran a hand through his hair before leaning back against the chair with his hands folded in front of him. "We know nothing about her, and she seems to know everything about us."
"There isn't even a clear place to start," Phil cut in as he spoke through his teeth.
I tilted my head back and ran my hands over my hair. Come on, Kate, think. Think of something. Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and placing my hand on my hips, I started to speak, "Alright, so, how about-"
"No." Phil cut me off without another word.
My mouth was still open as my eyes shot over to Phil. I closed it awkwardly as I tried to look over at the other two guys, but I was met with a blank look and the other one was still looking down like his shoes were the most interesting thing in the world. "Okay..." I tried again, "Then we-"
"No." Phil said again but his voice was even harsher this time.
I scoffed and shook my head. I glanced over at Kristin like she was going to help me out and she just shrugged her shoulders. Looks like not even the missus can help me out here. I tucked my hair behind my ear as I asked Phil, "No, what?"
"There is no 'we'. The rest of us will think up a plan and you'll stay here where it's safe," Phil said. It was probably the most serious I've ever heard him, but I wasn't letting this go so easily.
"I'm going out there and I am helping you," I folded my arms over my chest as my heart started to race again, but this time from frustration. "Whether it be for daily patrols or searching for information, I am helping."
"No, you're not. I'm with Phil on this," Clay butted in.
My body reacted faster than my brain could process and I slammed my hands down on the table. Ignoring the stinging in my palms, I fought back, "I am not going to be forced to stay here."
Clay slowly moved to match my stance. He placed his hands on the table and stared me down. While his movements were much slower than mine, like he was trying to remain the person in power in this dynamic, I wasn't going to fall for any of his psychological bullshit. If anything, it pissed me off more.
"Like you can fucking stop me," I spit back at him.
"Kate, you are on lockdown until further notice and if you even get within thirty feet of the stables, I'm taking you off advance patrol," Phil spoke with authority.
My head whipped towards him, "What the fuck! Phil!"
"It's for your own good since you refuse to listen to us," his face was hard, but he refused to look me in the eye. He didn't want to have to resort to this. I know he needs me, I'm one of his best people.
"You can't take me off patrols. Find a way around it. Techno died for what he did for me back in Pittsburgh and I'll be damned if I'm just going to hide in here and let his death be for nothing," my jaw was starting to hurt from how tight I had my teeth clenched.
"If you die, his death would be for nothing." Nick finally spoke up as he tilted his head up to look at me just under the brim of his hat, barely making eye contact.
I couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh, "I don't need any comments from the peanut gallery, okay?" I turned my attention away from him. I didn't care about anything he said at the moment. Right then and there, he was just a body in the room, taking up space. "I won't allow myself to be holed up here and be useless."
Nick pushed himself off the wall and took a few steps to speak directly at me, "Don't be a fuckin' martyr. I won't let you."
My eyebrows shot up as a scoffed escaped from my throat. Somehow there was a smirk on my face, but it wasn't like one I've ever given him before as I took a step to the side to point at him, "'I won't let you.' 'I won't let you'? You're the one who has ignored me for a week claiming that you needed time to yourself, and you fucking think you have the same importance in my life as you did last week. Fuck off, Nick."
I shook my head in annoyance as Clay raised his arms to get us back on track. "Okay, okay, let's not have a lovers quarrel right now. At the moment, our main priority is Kate's safety and apparently keeping her within the city."
"My safety? I can handle myself. Let's go find their camp right now. I'll gladly go pop a cap in Bex's head." I shrugged with my arms thrown out, tired of these men thinking I can't keep myself safe. "Kristin, where's my pack? Let's go, everyone, come on. Field trip."
Phil just shook his head at my antics and immediately shut me down, "Kate, she's looking for you. She knows what you look like. Not to mention she's been watching us for months, so she knows our system and our patrol routes." I took a deep breath as Phil let some of his emotions back in, catching on that serious and deadpan wasn't reaching me. But apparently, he wasn't going to budge on his decision. "She wants you dead, so you are not going past those gates."
"For fucks sake," I threw my hands down against my legs, "give me a bottle of bleach and a pair of scissors then because I am. Going. Out there."
Before we could continue fighting, a knock sounded at the door which made everyone jump and pull out their guns to point at the entrance as the door opened.
"Aye! Easy, don't take my fucking head off!" Alex screamed as he was met with the barrel of my pistol, Clay's revolver, Phil and Nick's rifles, and even the barrel of Kristin's .22 that I didn't know she had on her person.
"Well, then announce yourself before you open the door, you fuck!" Phil sighed as we all relaxed our shoulders and holstered our guns as Alex opened the door a bit further.
"What the fuck do you think the knock was for? Who would knock before coming in to kill you?" Alex fired back.
I raised an eyebrow, "A person who likes to taunt an entire group of people before killing one of their men and then putting a death sentence on another?"
Alex blinked, "Okay, fair. Anyway, Dylan, come here."
Dylan came in with his hand wrapped around the shirt of a blond guy and shoved him forward. The guy stumbled to the floor right inside the dining room and landed on his knees as Dylan wiped his hands on the front of his jeans, "Found a straggler."
It was the guy that spoke up when Bex was doing her little villain monologue. He was the only one that was reacting to the whole thing. Looking back on the fatal event that happened not too long ago, he had his eyes closed when Bex pulled the trigger.
The blond sighed and stood, straightening out his shirt as he spits back at Dylan, "I'm not a straggler, I wanted you to find me."
"Whatever, man," Alex waved his hands at him, "He wanted to see you, Phil. Claims he has information to tell you. He's clean of any weapons, just had a handgun on him before and he willingly handed it over."
Phil nodded as Dylan threw his thumb over his shoulder, "We're gonna head back out there and watch the perimeter."
Alex nodded as Dylan promptly turned and went back out the door, "We'll come back in a bit with an update." Alex was about to turn and follow Dylan out, but his gaze fell on me and he gave me a small nod, which I immediately gave back. It was like he was silently telling me everything was going to be okay. I wasn't sure if I believed him just yet, but the gesture was nice enough to bring the smallest of genuine smiles to my face.
"Okay," Clay started right as Alex closed the door, "so who the fuck are you?" He asked the straggler.
"Name's Luke, and Bex lied to us." We all glanced around, completely confused. "I can tell you everything she's told us and what we've been planning. I left her and the group. I have no intention nor want to help her complete some revenge plan for the death of a random girl."
From underneath the table, Phil kicked out a chair and nodded at Luke to sit. "You have no desire to help in the revenge plan to kill a girl but what about the death of our other man?"
Luke licked his lips as he grabbed the back of the chair to pull it out a bit more before sitting down. "She lied about the reason why she wanted him dead in the first place. I didn't put it together until she started talking about her," Luke glanced over at me. "I'm sorry for the loss of your man, if I knew the true story, I wouldn't have had a part in his death."
"What did she tell you?" I folded my arms as I backed up to lean against the windowsill, trying to put as much distance between me and this dude as possible. Even though he showed remorse, I didn't want to be anywhere near him.
"Pittsburgh has grown to hate the Fireflies. No one in the zone likes them or the military, since those were the two groups that tried to put an end to the rebellion six years ago. Bex had been begging the head of our defense teams to get a group and come out here for years." Luke began. His head was twisting and turning to see the reactions of everyone, but we all pretty much kept a straight face.
"Well, she obviously got approved," Clay huffed as he finally took a seat but turned the chair to face Luke directly as he crossed his ankle over his knee.
Luke nodded, "I think he was just tired of listening to her and cut his losses just to let her go. He allowed her to have people sign up and take whoever put their names down."
"How many of you are there?" Phil asked as he leaned forward.
"Thirty, well, twenty-nine now with me gone."
"But you put your name down. Aren't you loyal? And why should we believe a word you're saying if your loyalty can be broken?" Clay raised an eyebrow as his hand gripped around his ankle.
Luke turned his head over to Clay, "I'm not loyal to anyone. I lost my family in Boston a year into the outbreak. I'm lucky I've made it this far without having something to live for, so I signed up." The room got even more silent somehow. If you focused hard enough, you could probably hear someone's breathing. "Everyone else had the same thought process. This gave them something to do and if they died, they died. We all knew it was pretty much a suicide mission. No one in Pittsburgh is expecting us back, so there won't be any other people coming, there's no backup. A journey across the country with no horses and just our backpacks doesn't yield the best results. We lost nine people to infected along the way."
"What story did Bex tell to get so many people to sign up?" Somehow, I found my voice to ask a question. "How did she manage to get thirty-nine people on board?"
"Thinking back, the story doesn't make much sense but the moment she mentioned Fireflies, she got signatures. The story mostly revolved around your man; Techno was his name?'
"Yes." Phil said stiffly. "I knew him since he was a boy."
Luke swallowed awkwardly, "Again, I'm sorry... She would always become enraged whenever she would talk about Jon- her friend that died. She talked about how this Firefly just came out of nowhere and emptied his entire clip into Jon's back as Jon was trying to get rid of this girl," Luke nodded up at me, "her, who was trying to escape, not even trying to help out the Wolverines. 'She was a traitor and a coward, Jon was just following orders' is what Bex used to say, but she never said anything about wanting to kill her as well."
A shiver painfully went through my spine at the mention of Jon's name. It was the first time in years that his name came out of someone else's mouth. But of course, she would spin the story to make Jon look like the victim. It made sense and the urge to vomit was back again, but I swallowed it.
"Wolverines?" Kristin questioned.
"That's what the group calls themselves," Nick chimed in.
My eyes flickered over to him for a moment before going back to Luke. I guess he was listening to me that night. Whatever, it doesn't change anything right now.
"Okay, so this is filling in some of the blanks but, why should we trust your word?" Clay asked.
"Well, I kinda don't really want to die or just be used as someone's pawn... I heard from some people a while ago that this was a place of rehabilitation. A town to start anew, and I would like to do something with my life." Luke raised his eyebrows as he tried to give us a little bit of a smile to match his now light tone of voice. He sounded genuine, but I wasn't completely sold, and it didn't look like anyone else was either. He let out an awkward cough before continuing, "So, umm, to hopefully start building up your trust I can tell you what we've been doing these past couple months."
"How about you just tell us that either way, hmm?" I gave him a small sarcastic smile and a tilt of my head. If he starts talking then maybe I can find a way to let Phil and Clay help them out and to be confined to staying behind the walls.
"Alright... so, these people signed up for a suicide mission to give them something to do with their lives?" Phil asked Luke, grazing over my previous comment. Luke nodded. "So, I'm going to guess these people are gonna do whatever they can. Nothing is too extreme for them?"
Luke nodded again, "Pretty much. While they are not specifically loyal to Bex, they are loyal to Pittsburgh and have a common hatred for Fireflies. So, for Jackson to have an enemy who is one of their own and to have connections with the Fireflies, it's ride or die for them. It's either death or they're going to keep going until they finish what they signed up for, which was killing Techno and now, her," he pointed over at me.
"So, they won't ever consider or want to join Jackson like you?" Kristin asked, her voice low and sullen.
"No, I doubt they even have an inkling about that being an option for them to consider," Luke shook his head.
"Y'all have been around here for months? Doing exactly what?" Phil asked as he leaned on the table with his arms folded.
"We have our base set up in an old supermarket not too far off from one of your trails," Luke said.
I looked over at Clay who sighed and rubbed his forehead before glancing over at me. "There's a grocery store about a mile off of the Creek Trails. Kate and I's usual patrol route."
"In the offices on the second floor, all the doors are guarded. We transported all the infected in the area and stored them there. Every now and then, when Bex felt like it was the right time, we would move them inside your hideouts to see if we could pick off any of your patrollers," Luke took in a deep breath. "We fucked up once while moving some and I think that was when one of your guys had to jump through a window of a house or a ski lodge?"
My eyes widened. "Alex jumping through the dining room window of the Baldwin place," I commented. "That's why the logbooks have been 'all clear' for months, it was you guys."
"Bex wanted the town to start feeling safe and let their guard down, but you caught on eventually and we had to change around some plans. So, we started to leave prints and left some infected around since we knew you guys were starting to figure out we were in the area. Not like it really mattered since we had your patrol system figured out for weeks already."
"Techno found prints at the lookout a couple weeks ago." Clay's head was now in his hands. "She wanted us to send scouts. We ate right out of her hands."
Nick sucked in a breath, "About a week ago, Kate and I were scouting southwest of town. If she wants Kate dead so badly, why didn't she take the chance then? We were out in the open for days."
"I... we didn't know about that scouting trip." Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "We had all of our attention on Techno. Bex tried her best to get him to crack for days and apologize for what he did, but he never folded."
Phil chuckled as he ran a hand down his face, "Of course, he didn't." He let out a sigh as he placed his hands down on the table before standing up, "Alright, I think that's enough for right now. Luke, obviously, we can't completely trust you, so you'll be on a tight leash for a bit. Right now, though, I think you've proved yourself for a couple nights sleep here. Any objections?"
Phil glanced around the room, but no one said anything.
"Okay, Kristin, would you show up Luke to the bathroom and get him some spare clothes? I think the man earned him the right to a warm shower."
Kristin got up and Luke was following right behind her, "Thank you. And thank you for the chance." Phil nodded as Kristin placed her hand on Luke's shoulder blade, guiding him out of the room and down the hall.
Phil waited a couple seconds before speaking again. The moment he heard a door open and close, he opened his mouth, "Clay, I want you to get whatever you can out of Luke, but do not threaten. He is valuable and like he's stated- this is Jackson. We welcome anyone who wants a new start, and that pertains to Luke as well."
Clay nodded, "Got it. I don't trust him at all yet, but it didn't sound like he was lying though."
"I don't think so either. He might tell us some more tomorrow but let's show him some hospitality. We need to gain his trust as well," Phil sighed and tilted his neck to the side, a crack sounding after the movement. "Nick, I want you to keep an eye on Kate."
My head whipped over to Nick for a second before going back to Phil, "Uhh, where's my say in this?"
"You don't have one right now with the attitude you pulled. But because I know I don't really have a choice when you have your mind set, Clay and I will figure out some way to get you back on patrols or at least doing something. Just... give us some time to tweak things, we need to keep everyone else safe as well. Bex has to know that Luke is here with us, so she is most likely changing up plans as well," Phil scratched the back of his neck before running the hand over his head in exhaustion. "I'm going to let everyone know there will be a town meeting tonight in the main hall. We can't keep everyone in the dark anymore, there were already whispers going on when we were on our way back here."
We all nodded as Phil took a deep breath. He looked like he aged ten years in the past hour.
"So, yeah, town hall tonight. Clay, get information out of Luke tomorrow. Nick, babysit Kate. And Kate, don't do anything rash," Phil summarized as he sat back down in his chair with a sigh.
I pressed my lips together as I nodded, "Yeah, sure, sounds like a brilliant plan." Without another passing word, I rounded the table and walked out of the room.
"Kate." Nick called out, but I didn't stop.
My backpack was sitting on a bench next to the front door, so I grabbed it and slipped it on as fast as possible and yanked the front door open, closing it behind me immediately. My feet barely touched the sidewalk when the door opened again.
"Kate, please."
I kept my head up high as I walked towards town square with Nick practically chasing after me.