4 months later
Echo POV
I swung Olli around, his giggle echoing through the hall. I made inaccurate plane noises as I made him fly around- which he thought was hilarious.
His giggle eventually became infectious and I started to laugh too until we both stopped what we were doing and just laughed. It'd get silent finally and then one of us would laugh again making the whole process go over again.
A gunshot rang suddenly from outside and all joy vanished. It was so close that I felt it ring in my chest. Olli's eyes turned from joyful to wide and scared, "It's okay, i'm sure everything's okay, " I reassured trying to keep myself calm so that he'd believe me. I grabbed his hand gently and walked him toward his room.
"Did you hear that?" I heard Clover say in a panic as she scurried down the hall with her two sons clung to her side.
"Yeah, i'm gonna go see what it was." I said placing my hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Please stay here." Olli said with a frown.
"I have to go see if everyone's okay, but i'll be back, I promise. Clover will stay with you," I said looking at her and she nodded reassuringly.
"I luv you echo," he said sweetly as I was about to make my way outside.
My heart gleamed, "I love you too Olli." I gave him a big squeeze and a kiss on the forehead.
Taking a deep breath,I made my way down the hall and outside.Everyone was grabbing guns and loading them quickly. I ran to Molly, "What's going on??"
Her voice broke, "Someone's outside the gates, they almost shot Brandon off the watch post. They said they'll kill all us if we don't open the gate.They say they wanna talk." She said in a panic as she handed me a rifle.
We both bolted to the gate with everyone else and waited for Lincoln to give orders.
"We can talk. But I won't open these gates!"Lincoln shouted.My eyes stung and I felt so many emotions at once, like at any moment I'd explode.
"We...are in charge now. I'll give you five seconds or I'm opening the gate myself!" a deep voice boomed.
Lincoln motioned with his hand to take cover. Everyone hid behind a car, garden bed, or beside the guard post; ready to fight. I ran closest to the entrance of the building taking cover behind the police station sign and waited.
I tried to focus on my breathing, focus on staying calm. I felt someone grab my hand and when I looked over it was Cody. "We wont let them near Olli," he stated, his eyes filled with fortitude.
I nodded once, needing to hear that, because now I wasn't focused on my breathing. I was focused on Olli, on Cody's reassuring hand in mine, on my family, my home. I squeezed his hand waiting for the chaos to start and as soon as the gate was driven into, we let go and began to shoot at the armored trucks and the people hiding behind them.
After what seemed like hours of shooting back and forth a smoke grenade smacked on the ground in the center of the yard. "Take cover!!" we heard Lincoln shout as the smoke began to consume the whole area in an instant. Everyone began coughing as the smoke entered our lungs and then a voice could be heard,
"Enough!! Hold all fire!!" a women's voice shouted through some sort of speaker. "If you want us to leave your home,Hand over the girl. The one responsible for killing my soldiers...my husband! That's all I want!"
"I don't know who you're talkin bout!" Lincoln yelled through his coughing, through the collar of his shirt that was used as a mediocre gas mask.
"Echo." she hissed deeply. Cody and I looked at each other to make sure what we heard was right and unfortunately it was. "I want Echo!" How does she know my name? I went to get up but Cody pulled me down by my arm and shook his head.
"If I can stop this, I've got to." I whispered.
"They want you gone." he said looking in my eyes like he was pleading with me.Like he was telling me not to be stupid.
I looked down at the ground then allowed my voice to carry, arduously ignoring Cody, "I'll turn myself in, but not here! These people.. they had nothing to do with any of what I did. I need to know for sure you'll leave them be!"I shouted.
After a minute of silence she spoke, "I'll meet you at the cabin...where you shot my husband!...Show up alone! If you and your friends plan anything, if you try to leave, we will blow everything you love to pieces! And if you try to run.. I'll spend all of my days hunting you down... DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"
I close my eyes in disbelief, "Yes!"
"You have till sunrise!" and with that, the engines of the trucks dimmed as they parted. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath,
"C'mon we need to let Olli know we're okay," Cody says weakly. We ran inside and down the hallway to Clovers room, where Clover, Jorden, Wyatt, and Olli were cuddled in the corner. Olli ran to us with tears running down his face. We both dropped to our knees and let Olli wrap his arms around the both of us.
I hushed, "We're okay, everything's okay..."
"Hey," I heard Caden behind us in the doorway, "Licoln needs you two and Clover in the cafeteria, an have kids stay here for a minute."
"No," Olli cried and hugged us tighter.
"Give us a minute." I said rather tense to Caden and heard him walk away.
"C'mon bud lets go sit down," Cody spoke softly an directed Olli sit on the edge of the bed. I sat beside Olli and Cody knelt in front of him.
"What happened was scary and I don't want, you to go," Olli pouted with his head down in anguish.
"We are just going to talk with Lincoln to make sure this never happens again. I can promise you that you're safe." I said almost in a whisper.
"But what about you guys?" he almost began to cry again but Cody grabbed his hand which seemed to soothe him.
"We're gonna be okay Ol, I promise." As soon as Cody said those words I remembered what had taken place. Our home was attacked and it was because of me.
On the corner of my eye I saw Olli's bear. So I reached to grab it and set it in his lap which he gladly excepted with a hidden smile.
"Talking to Lincoln wont take too long. Afterward we can eat dinner and then color together until bedtime. Ill draw you whatever you want."
"Whatever I want?"
"Yep," I nodded.
"Can you draw...a rocket ship made out of, of clouds?" I smiled.
"Absolutly, that's a great idea."
"..okay," he smiled slightly, his spirits lifted.
"Stay here with Jorden and Wyatt, and we'll bring all the art supplies we can carry, a'right?" Cody ruffled his hair making him snicker. Olli nodded assured.
Cody an I each gave Olli a kiss on the head as we made our way out. Clover did the same with her two kids and followed us down the hall. When we got away from the kids hearing range Clover asked, "How bad was it?"
I have no idea how to answer that. After some silence Cody answered, "I don't know yet."
It had just occurred to me that we don't know if everyone made it. My stomach churned. I started walking a bit faster praying that they're okay. I heard voices outside so that's where i was lead.
The first person I saw was Cali, and when she saw me she weakly motioned for me to come hug her. She kept sniffling compressing her urge to cry.
She hugged me tight, "Brandon got grazed but no one else got hurt," I sighed and thanked God.
"-everyone's lungs are just hurtin." I realize shes right, every breath stung and felt hoarse. Im just glad no one got killed over a vengenous that wasn't there's.
We got to the cafeteria and Caden was trying to calm down a blubbing Clover as soon as we entered the cafeteria.
I peered out the window. The fence was being pounced on by walkers, the gate they had broken only being secured by zip ties. A few walkers laid dead inside the fence.
It was like every jagged breath my heart became more burdened. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was my fault. That they came here because of me.
I did what I had to, to survive. At the cabin I didn't have any other choice but to fight. This is one of those moments where you wish you could go back and change what happened. But every moment counteracts with another.
If I hadn't gotten lost, went to that Cabin, shot that women's husband, I would never have met Olli and Emma. If I didn't get injured and have to stop at that house, Olli could have not been reunited with Cody. Everything happens for a reason but a lot of the time its hard to find that reason while you're in it.
I have to keep believing Gods got a plan because I feel like I don't know anything anymore. And I cant lose my family this time. I wont lose my family this time.
Molly snapped me out of my thoughts by putting her arm around Cali and I. She spoke softly, "Lets sit."
"Everyone have a seat." Lincoln said.
Everyone took a seat at the round tables and waited for Lincoln to speak. "Echo...can you explain what she was saying about the cabin?" everyone looked at me and I nodded unsettled.
"Before I met Em an Olli I got lost so I was lookin for shelter. I came across a cabin an I let myself in; it was gonna get dark soon. I heard some trucks pull up to the front and the back door was bolted from the outside so I had to do something. I tried to get them to leave by taking a guy hostage but they didn't care. They shot em. I had to fight my way out...she said one of the people I killed there..was her husband.." I looked down feeling guilty for no apparent reason. I still feel like its my fault.
"Do you think we can talk to her? Meet up like we said and tell her that, but also have a backup plan." Caden suggested. I shook my head.
"She doesnt care the reason..she wants to hurt me because, I hurt her. "
"There's gotta be a way," Cody said as a direction to think harder, him eyeing everyone.
"They have military trucks. They threw a damn smoke bomb in here. My guess is they have much more than that." I answered flustered.
"So we strike first, when they don't expect it." Molly exclaimed.
"We need a plan A, B, and C. Because they are expecting it," Lincoln said an took a deep breathe resting his hand on Mollys shoulder apologetically.
"We find an escape route then, plan it out real well. Find more weapons." Brandon said gripping his wrapped wound on his shoulder.
"We only have till dawn." Cody answered restlessly. Everyone started blurting out ideas, even Clover in the midst of her crying.
"Stop!" I explained and everyone went quiet. "You're making it so complicating, when its so simple."
"What do you mean?" Marty asked.
I looked at Cody, "She said she'd come after us if we ran. She has weapons, soldiers. Said she wouldn't rest till she gets me." I looked down at the floor hastily, "If I turn myself in and you guys flee sh-"
"No we're not doing that." Cody snapped.
"It's the best chance we have," I stated.
"We cant just..leave you to them," Molly began to raise her voice.
"You said it yourself, she wants to hurt you. That means shes not just going to kill you Echo! It's gonna be worse then that," Cody exclaimed.
"I know...I just don't want anyone to die," I choked back the tears I didn't know I had left. I thought I cried every tear out the day I lost my dad.
"I don't want you to die," Cali said choking back her own tears.
"No. We are doing anything else but that." Cody stated looking at Lincoln like he was telling him to not even think about it.
"What do we do then?" Clover sniffed.
Molly began to pace competently, "We clear the walkers outside the fence. Then we get there before they do, we can hide in the trees, have Echo meet them there and when they think they have her we attack them. The kids and Clover can start driving east and we could meet somewhere afterward. Whatever we do, we do together, we're a family and we aren't leaving anyone behind." As they began to make this elaborate plan I zoned out completely.
I can feel deep down that I have to do this alone. I have to make the choice for them without them knowing it or else someone is going to die.
They would never turn me in on their own, but if I don't give them a choice, they can get away and start building a new life. Olli will be able to grow up and Cody will be able to watch. Clover gets to watch her boys grow up. Molly can start becoming a leader so Lincoln can rest. Cali can continue to brighten everyone's day. Brandon can start a family with Molly. Caden can finally tell Clover that he loves her.
They can do all of this without having to keep running. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that happens even if that means killing that women myself, even if it means them hating me. I know she doesn't want me dead, she wants me to suffer. I know that well.
"--We'll leave at 3am." Molly finished.
Lincoln nodded and continued on, "Molly, and I will get the weapons ready, Caden use the map, find the best place to hide for awhile, you've lived here your whole life, you gotta know of a place... Cali, would you mind getting us good meal, we're gonna need it, " She nodded with a tight lipped smile with strong stature. "Marty pack up all the medicine we have, Brandon help him. Cody, Echo, Clover, you guys find a way to explain this to the kids." My chest feels hollow and rained on.
We all took charge of our orders immediately. The three of us agreed that we tell them we are moving to a safer place, that they have to trust us. Clover went to cleaned her self up as Cody and I grabbed all the coloring supplies we could carry like we had promised.
We made our way to the kids and set out all of the supplies we carried. They all thanked us and didn't hesitate to start coloring. "Can we talk to you guys, about what happened?" Clover said soft as a feather. They all nodded simultaneously eyes still glued to their coloring pages.
I could see Clover and Cody struggling how to tell them despite us talking about it before, "We are going to move somewhere safer and I know its a bit scary but we need you to trust us." I said. The three of them looked up in thought.
"Why isn't it safe here, what happend?" Wyatt asked.
"Do you remember when Echo and I got stuck at that town with the bad people?" Ollis eyes seemed worried, and they all nodded. "The bad people don't want us here, so to stay safe we goin somewhere else." Cody said perfectly.
"Where?" Olli and Jorden asked in unison.
"Caden is working on finding the safest place possible, we are going to leave early in the morning so after dinner we all gotta go to bed early," Clover explained.
"I'm scared," Jorden whispered
"Me too," Olli said.
"Everything's gonna be okay," I ushered with a reassuring smile.
"Caden an Clover are going to take you guys to the safe place until we meet you there,"Cody explained.
"We have to be apart??" Olli asked startled.
"Just for a little while, we'll be there before you know it," I assured, feeling awful that I had just lied to my favorite person in the world.
"Can you guys be brave for us?" Clover asked. They all nodded; on a mission to be brave.
"Hey, Dinners ready." Cali peeped from the doorway.
"You guys hungry?" I asked and they nodded. "I bet I can beat all you to the cafeteri-- hey that's not fair I haven't even gotten up yet," I laughed.
They giggled as I tried to catch up, them beating me to the cafeteria. The least I could do is act like I'm not worried.
After they ate I drew Olli a rocket ship made out of clouds just as I promised. Cody an I colored with Olli until he began to yawn.
I sang him a song as Cody tucked him in and then kissed him on the head saying: sweat dreams.
Before I walked out I looked at Cody,"Goodnight."
He gave me a small forced smile, "Goodnight Echo."