Kamille pulled out the onions from the soil and smiled at how big they were. She'd done a good job at planting them to say it was her first time doing so – the gardening books Oliver had found weren't complete shit after all!
"They'll go nice with the potatoes and leeks."
Kamille looked up and saw Mía standing over her, before kneeling down beside her on the grass.
Kamille smiled at her, humming in agreement. "You're right. How does soup sound for dinner?"
"Sounds perfect," Mía answered with a knowing smile, before helping Kamille to pull out the rest of the onions they had grown.
Kamille was picking soil from her fingernails with mild annoyance when Mía spoke up again, sounding timid.
"Do you think we'll stay here forever?"
Looking up with curious eyes, Kamille saw the nervousness woven into Mía's gaze. Using her forearm to push hair from her eyes, Kamille straightened up and offered a small smile at the younger girl.
"Not forever, but it's the safest place we've got," she answered truthfully, noticing the way Mía's shoulders sank with disappointment. Curiously, she asked, "Why? What's on your mind?"
Mía looked up thoughtfully, as if debating whether to share her thoughts. Kamille nudged her playfully, offering a supportive smile, making Mía return the smile and straighten up a little.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess, I can't help but wonder whether this is all it will be. My life. I've never been anywhere but here really. I want to meet people, you know?"
Kamille sighed quietly. "Oliver is doing his best. He's taking it a day at a time."
"I know, and I'm so grateful," Mía quickly said. "I love him for what he's doing. Both of you... I just, I thought it would be nice to make more friends. Who were maybe my age."
Kamille raised an eyebrow playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "What, am I not enough of a friend for you, Mía?"
Mía rolled her eyes, but Kamille saw the smile tugging at her lips.
"Of course you are," she reassured. "The best I've ever had."
Kamille smiled with satisfaction. "Knew it."
Mia let out a small laugh. "I just mean, it would be cool to go somewhere else, too. Explore."
Kamille relaxed her shoulders, losing her playfulness. She understood what Mía meant, and of course she'd love to let her see the world, but she also knew Oliver was too afraid, something Mía wouldn't understand.
"It's not pretty out there, Mía," Kamille admitted. "It's rough, people aren't what you think they are, and the food sucks."
"But you were out there," Mía pointed out. "You met the Clarks and they were kind to you."
At the mention of the Clarks, Kamille felt that familiar heartache. It had been a little over a year and she still missed them like crazy, but she had accepted their loss.
"I was lucky," Kamille answered. "They were good to me. But I can't guarantee that same kindness from others if we leave here. At least not right away."
Mía sighed. "I just don't want Ollie to think that this is it. This is all we can have. He deserves more."
"He says the same about you."
Mía leaned back on the palms of her hands. "He takes care of me, and I love him for that, but my love can't be enough... you had Alicia. He deserves to find someone, too. Or at least deserves to have the chance. He can't have that if we stay here."
Kamille was surprised at Mia's true intention for wanting to leave. Not at the fact that she was wanting it for her brother – that was very in character for her – but at how much she'd thought about it. It was clearly eating her up.
Kamille leaned forward and met Mía's gaze with certainty. "Your brother is going to be fine, and you don't need to worry about him, okay? Of course he won't stay here forever, but for now, it's the closest thing we've got to heaven. And he's not gonna throw that away for anything."
"I just want him to be happy..."
Kamille smiled. "Mía, he's the happiest I've ever seen him. He has you and that's all he wants right now. When he wants to find someone, he will... I got lucky. I wasn't looking for someone, it just happened. Alicia..." Kamille breathed out at the mention of the girl she'd lost. "...Alicia is the most profound woman I ever had the chance to meet. Her and I getting together was pure chance."
Mía nodded, before nervously asking, "Do you miss her?"
"Always," Kamille answered in a heartbeat. "Every day. She was my world at one point." Kamille felt her heart skip a beat when she thought about the sparkling green eyes and easygoing smile of the Clark girl. What she would have given to see that again. "I'll always love her."
Mía grabbed Kamille's hand and squeezed it gently. "I wish I could have met her. The way you talk about her... she sounds amazing."
Kamille smiled sadly. "She was. You would have got on... she was intelligent, always asking questions before diving into anything. Curious, too. Like you."
Mía smiled. "You hate my curiosity."
Kamille chuckled. "Only when it's at the wrong time."
Mia rolled her eyes playfully.
"She impacted my life for the better," Kamille finished with a deep breath, holding the pendant on her necklace subconsciously. "She was the first person I've ever loved. I just wish I got to tell her that before she... before I lost her."
Kamille pressed her lips together as she glanced at her shoes. She wasn't going to cry – she'd done enough of that – but sometimes, it hurt to think about the what if's. She'd imagined a life with Alicia, even in this post-apocalyptic world. It was hard to just forget something like that.
"I think she knew," Mía suddenly said, pulling Kamille from her thoughts. "And she's not gone, remember? She's with your family. And my parents. They're all with us."
Kamille couldn't help but smile, already feeling at ease with Mía's cute little reassuring smile.
"You're right."
Mía grinned. "Always am." Kamille rolled her eyes, making the young girl laugh before staring at her with hopeful eyes. "I hope that I find someone like that someday. Someone who talks about me the way you talk about Alicia."
Kamille smiled at her. "You deserve that and more, love. You'll get it."
Kamille wished she had...
–
Kamille was sure life wasn't real at that moment. The face that was permanently etched into her mind, the face that she'd spent so long trying to accept was gone, was staring right back at her, alive and well.
Alicia's eyes widened slowly when they met Kamille's, and that's when Kamille knew it wasn't a dream. The girl she'd spent the past two years mourning was alive, all this time.
"Get on the ground, all of you," a voice ordered, and Kamille realised it was Strand, yet another she assumed was dead.
Heart aching and mind gone numb, Kamille joined the others and kneeled to the ground without question. She was stunned, unable to look beyond the ground before her as she tried to play catch up.
"Tie them up," Nick said, and a fourth person suddenly moved into action.
When Kamille glanced behind her, she locked eyes with Luciana, another she thought she'd never see again. Luciana hesitated for a split second, recognition flashing in her eyes, before tying up Kamille's hands behind her back.
Kamille focused on her breathing as she tried not to overthink everything. Her mind was still reeling, trying to catch up with what she was seeing. Meanwhile, Strand and Luciana were heading in the truck to have a look around.
As if to double check she wasn't hallucinating, Kamille glanced upwards to the Clark siblings, the both of them already looking her way. Kamille looked to Alicia, feeling like her heart stopped when green eyes pierced through her.
She looked the same, yet so different. Kamille recognised the same sadness she saw in herself staring back at her. Her eyes held the same anger at the world, and Kamille wondered what had happened to make her like that. They all looked like they'd been through hell and back, expressions void of anything positive.
Alicia was momentarily startled, her mouth opening a little, as if she was going to speak. Kamille held her breath, tuning everything out as she waited. But then Alicia breathed out and closed her mouth, and Kamille thought she'd imagined the whole thing.
Al nudged Kamille gently from beside her, pulling the Brit from her reverie.
"Are you okay?" she muttered, concern in her expression.
Kamille breathed out suddenly, heart hammering in her chest. She nodded. "Y-yeah."
Al furrowed her eyebrows, discreetly glancing between the Clarks and Kamille. "Do you know them?"
Kamille swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. She didn't have to though, as Strand and Luciana returned, tossing all of their bags on the ground loudly. Strand took position behind them as Luciana headed back to the truck. All eyes were on Nick as he rooted through the first bag.
"We're not who you think we are," Morgan said calmly.
"Hey, help yourself!" John called out sarcastically, as Nick moved to his bag next.
Nick glanced at John before continuing to rifle through his bag as if expecting to find something incriminating. As he moved onto the next bag, Al tried to stand up.
"Leave that one be! Leave that one–"
Alicia moved forward quickly, stopping Al from going any further, as Strand directed his gun towards her threateningly.
"Hey, okay, okay," John tried to calm everyone down.
Kamille shook her head gently at Al, trying to tell her not to make a move just yet. Clearly the others weren't the people she remembered them to be, and she wasn't sure what exactly they were capable of. Skin grimy with dirt and clothes looking the same, they'd clearly suffered through a lot. They seemed desperate, and Kamille didn't want to assume they would hold back because of memories they shared.
Nick opened Al's videocamera, probably the one she interviewed people with, Kamille realised. Al looked like she wanted to rip it right out of his grasp, but the weapons aimed her way were stopping her from doing so.
"You're with them!" Luciana shouted, returning from the truck and standing before everyone. She held out a white sheet with the number '51' spray painted on in black.
Kamille furrowed her eyebrows, unsure as to what she was even looking at.
"With who?" Al asked, looking up between Luciana and Alicia.
"The Vultures," Strand answered from behind them all.
"I don't know what that means," Al answered truthfully, before rolling her eyes at Strand. "Maybe if you assholes put your guns down, we could help each other." She looked back to Luciana. "Who put that flag up? What did they do to you?"
"How about you answer our questions?" Alicia stopped her from continuing, staring down at Al threateningly. Kamille swallowed hard at how terrifying she looked. "That flag isn't yours?"
Al shook her head.
Alicia exchanged looks with Nick, before nodding slightly and looking back to Al. "Alright. Show us where you found it."
Without waiting for a response, Alicia grabbed Al and forced her to stand up, before leading her to the back of the truck. Kamille and John had no choice but to follow as Nick helped Morgan up because of his injured leg. The six of them piled into the back of the truck as Strand and Luciana jumped in the front to drive.
Kamille closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts, before opening them again when she felt the truck move off. Alicia and Nick were sat before the four of them, staring at them all with unreadable expressions. Kamille couldn't understand why they were acting like this – they had never been the type to shoot and ask questions later. And where the hell was Madison in all of this? Something wasn't right.
"Well, clearly you all know each other," Al suddenly said, making everyone look to her. She nodded to Kamille and the Clark siblings. "You enemies? Long-lost friends? What's the deal?"
"Al, maybe now isn't the time," John said, trying to keep the situation calm.
Kamille glanced at the Clarks, seeing them glaring at Al with frustration.
"What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking," Al said with a shrug, not the slightest bit fazed that she was clearly disadvantaged in this situation.
"This is the company you like to keep nowadays, huh?" Nick said bitterly, directing his question to Kamille.
Kamille was so surprised at the hostility in his voice, and the fact that he'd even acknowledged her at all, that she didn't know what to say.
"Nick, don't," Alicia stopped him, voice soft, how Kamille had remembered her to sound.
"It's better than ghosts," Kamille finally spoke, heart pounding in her ears. Her eyes met Alicia's, the brunette clenching her jaw.
Nick didn't reply after that, instead standing up and moving to the back, where he began to look out the small window. Kamille didn't break contact with Alicia's gaze, trying to understand why she was acting like this. She had a million questions, a million things to say, but none of it felt right anymore.
"I see you're going through something there," Al said, looking to Nick. Nick returned to his seat and narrowed his eyes at Al as she continued. "I mean, you gotta be, right? You took my van." Nick didn't speak. "Lookin' for some people? What'd they do to you?"
"Al," Morgan warned. "He's not talkin'. So maybe we can leave it be, huh?"
"Look, I'm really just trying to help," she settled, looking between the Clarks. "We're all breathing here. Means we're on the same team."
Nick eyed her suspiciously before standing up and moving to the front, leaning over Luciana and Strand's seats.
"Where is this turnoff?" he asked them.
Strand, who was looking at a map, said, "We should've reached it by now."
"Did she tell us the right way?" Luciana asked loud enough for Al to hear it.
"Yeah, I did," Al called back nonchalantly. "Just not all of it."
Nick turned around with annoyance. "I don't think you understand the situation here!"
"Al, it's not worth it," John said to her with a frown.
"No, this is gonna go our way," Al said with certainty, before looking to Nick. "You have something I want – your story. And I have something you want. Where I found that flag. But I'm not gonna let you take my van. And I'm not gonna let you threaten us anymore."
"Well this is how it's gonna be!" Nick shouted.
Al smiled to herself, rolling her eyes. "You know how many times I've been zip-tied?"
Nick was furious as he edged closer to her. "What?"
Suddenly, Al moved forward and kicked Nick between the legs before spinning him around, holding a knife to his neck, free of her restraints.
"Easy, easy," John said calmly, looking between Alicia who was pointing her weapon at Al, and Al who was looking pretty smug.
"Nick!" Luciana yelled from the front, causing Strand to turn around and point her gun at Al.
"Drop it! Drop it!" Al shouted at him, still gripping Nick tightly.
"Drop it!" John repeated.
"Hey, hey," Alicia said gently, earning Al's attention.
She lowered her weapon as Strand put down his gun. Kamille was staring wide-eyed, surprised at how quickly Al had broken free of her restraints and got to Nick. Clearly she could take care of herself.
"Don't move," Al warned, before shouting to Luciana, "pull over!"
"Don't Luci, I'm fine!" Nick called to her, struggling in Al's grip.
"Listen to her!" Morgan shouted.
"Let's just take a pause," John stated calmly. "Better be nothing more than this."
"Come to a stop, take your hands off the wheel," Al ordered.
"Don't do it, Luci," Nick said quickly.
"Listen to her," Kamille called out to Luciana, before glaring at Nick with mixed emotions. "Just be quiet, Nick."
As confusing as the whole situation was, Kamille didn't want to see anyone get hurt, especially Nick.
"Luciana!" Strand said with a panicked tone.
Kamille snapped her head to the front and saw what everyone was looking at – a group of infected hobbling about by the side of the road they were on.
"Change of plans," Al stated. "Keep driving, go around."
Before Luciana could react, Nick elbowed Al in the gut, making her drop her knife. Al moved forward to get to him before he could grab it, sending Nick tumbling to the front. It all happened so quickly as he hit Luciana and the steering wheel, making the truck suddenly veer off the road. Kamille tried to hold onto something as everyone went flying around, but her tied up hands prevented her from doing so.
Her head hit the metal behind her as they finally stopped rolling, making her groan in pain. Aside from a possible headache though, she was okay. As she looked around, she couldn't say the same for everyone else.
"Fuck," she heard Al mumbling as she tried to sit up. Her eyes looked around and met Kamille's. "You okay?"
Kamille nodded, ignoring the echo of pain in her ear. "I think. You?"
Al cleared her throat as she rubbed her head. "I guess. Come on."
She moved to open the back doors of the truck as John and Morgan sat up, too. Alicia, Nick, Strand and Luciana were still shaking off their daze, clearly taking the brunt of the damage.
Al helped the three of them out the back and cut through their ties, before nodding to the truck.
"Grab them. Tie 'em up," she ordered quickly.
Kamille nodded and John moved to the front with Al to grab Luciana and Strand. Morgan and Kamille went to the back, grabbing Nick first. He was heavy to carry and still partially conscious, making it even more difficult to lug him outside. But soon enough, they had him on the grass and were tying him up.
"Shit!" Al's voice said, and Kamille and Morgan looked up to see what was wrong.
The group of infected from the side of the road had taken an interest in them and were making their way towards them, slowly but surely.
"Get the girl, I'll deal with this," Morgan told Kamille, before standing up and limping towards them with his stick in hand.
Kamille wondered how much damage he could really do with a stick, but she immediately regretted that thought when she saw him swiftly stabbing the infected in the head and keeping them at bay enough to not get touched. With Al's handiwork, the two were good enough to deal with the group as John tied up the others, who were beginning to wake up. Kamille turned to grab the last person, only to realise it was Alicia.
With a quick deep breath, she moved forward and climbed into the truck and leaned down to grab the semi-conscious brunette. Hooking her arm under her knees and the other under her back, Kamille lifted Alicia up with a grunt and brought her outside, before lowering her onto the grass. Gritting her teeth nervously, she began to tie her up with the zip-tie just as she opened her eyes.
It took a moment for Alicia to adjust and wake up, eyes flickering around with confusion as she tried to take in her surroundings. She soon met Kamille's apologetic gaze and a realisation crossed her expression. She looked down as Kamille was tightening the zip-tie and clenched her jaw with frustration.
Kamille made every effort to avoid touching Alicia's skin, being delicate with her motion. But her fingers accidentally brushed her wrist and Kamille felt like her hand was on fire. She wondered if Alicia had felt it, too.
She finished up and began to stand up, only to widen her eyes when she realised her necklace had fallen out of her jacket when she bent down, dangling before them both. She was embarrassed as she scrambled to tuck it back into her jacket. When she looked up, she saw green eyes following her, and judging from Alicia's face, she'd already seen it.
Kamille felt her face grow warm and heart ache as she cleared her throat and walked towards Al and Morgan, leaving the others with John watching over them.
"You know them, don't you?" Al asked quietly when Kamille approached them.
Kamille glanced behind her, seeing John watching them closely, directing a rifle their way. They were all awake now, apart from Nick who was still laying in the grass.
"I did," Kamille admitted, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Not anymore."
Al stared to Kamille with apologetic eyes. "You think we can trust them?"
Kamille shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. They seem desperate."
Al sighed, pushing her short hair out from her eyes. "Okay, we'll sort that after. First, I want my van back."
Kamille glanced at Morgan before following Al back to the others. Morgan took a seat on a rock as Al jumped into the driver's seat.
"I'm gonna try and reverse it out," she said, poking her head out the door to tell them.
Kamille stood back, changing places with John as he tried to help Al. Kamille hated holding a rifle in her hand, but she especially hated directing said rifle at people she used to know and care about.
Al began to reverse the truck, but it was dug in deep as the tyres spun quickly, digging into the mud.
"Stop, stop!" John called loudly over the engine.
Al stopped and jumped out to see what was happening.
"Just forget it, you're digging a ditch," he told her regretfully.
Al sighed as Kamille moved forward, giving John the rifle back. He glanced at her with concern before taking his position as watch. Kamille settled with her crowbar and leaned against the truck, watching as Nick was beginning to wake up.
"Well, if she needs a tow," Al began loudly, looking to the others, "we gotta get her one."
Strand raised an eyebrow from his kneeled down position beside Alicia and Luciana, all with their hands tied.
"We?" he asked with confusion.
Al gave him a knowing look. "Yeah, we got it in this ditch, we gotta get it out."
"And then?" Alicia asked with disinterest.
"And then we talk about whatever it is we have to talk about," Al answered. "Your story, where I found the flag. Or not. Or you can just go on your way."
Kamille noticed how they rolled their eyes at this.
"I saw some trucks at a service yard a while back," Luciana said quietly, taking everyone by surprise. "We could use one to tow it out."
Al straightened up with interest. "How far back?"
Luciana glanced at Strand and Nick, before saying, "Untie us first."
"The start of a negotiation often requires an act of faith," Strand clarified, before holding out his tied hands.
"You think we can trust 'em?" John muttered to Al.
Al glanced at Kamille before shaking her head. "Probably not." Nonetheless, she pulled out her knife and moved forward.
"Okay..." John mumbled, before watching them closely as Al began to cut their ties off one by one.
When it got to Nick however, she helped him stand up and led him to the back of the truck, tying his hands to the door.
"What the hell?!" Luciana said angrily, about to move forward with the others in tow, but John shook his head, aiming his gun their way.
"Nope," he said, grimacing.
"This way, maybe you'll come back, and you won't do anything crazy," Al explained, before glancing at Nick with a pissed off expression. "Again."
Kamille straightened up as Al grabbed her gun.
"You okay?" Luciana asked Nick with concern, who nodded in response.
"I'll stay here with him," Morgan said, gaining her attention. "I'm only gonna slow you down." He pointed to his bandaged leg.
"You gonna be here when we get back?" Al asked him quietly, which Kamille picked up.
"If I'm not, something went wrong," he replied with a shrug.
"If he gets to go, so do I," Kamille half-joked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Can't force one of us to be here without the other," Morgan agreed, giving Al a knowing look, who almost smiled.
Kamille was beginning to like it with the strangers, though she was still conflicted about seeing the Clarks again.
"We should get a move on if we wanna get this truck out before dark," John reminded them, before looking to Morgan. "You be careful with him, he's squirrel-y," he said, referring to Nick.
Morgan smiled and nodded reassuringly.
"Come on," John said to Alicia, Strand and Luciana, motioning for them to follow him.
Kamille and Al walked behind them, with Al aiming her gun ahead as Kamille gripped her crowbar. She hoped she wouldn't have to use it.
–
When they reached the service yard, it was decided that John would attempt to get a tow-truck started whilst the others searched for any petrol they could stock up on. Alicia, Strand and Luciana didn't attempt to run which made everything easier, and they didn't have any weapons on them so there were no threats being made on their part. Everyone stayed within a five metre radius of each other pretty much, so Al, Kamille and John could keep an eye on them just in case.
Kamille was screwing a lid on a newly-filled container when she felt a presence beside her. When she stood up, she tensed up at the green eyes peering down at her.
Now that they were the closest they would get to being alone, Kamille was sure Alicia would hear her heart beating out of her chest. Seconds that felt like minutes passed as they stared at one another, neither of them biting the bullet and speaking first. Until:
"I don't know what to say to you," Kamille said quietly, second-guessing that she'd even spoke at all, until Alicia released a shaky breath in response. Kamille waited, but still, Alicia said nothing. Kamille was still tense as she said, "I planned to say so much if I was given the opportunity to see you again. I had so many questions, so many things to tell you. But now... nothing."
There was always that what if... what if Kamille found the Clarks those years ago? What would she do and say? She'd be insane if she didn't envision what it would've been like to hold them all again, her second family. She had rehearsed her questions in her head, wanting to know everything they'd been through, how they'd been separated. She wanted to share about her new family, Oliver and Mía. She'd imagined the encounter too many times to count. But she'd never imagined it like this.
Alicia pursed her lips, eyes still staring into Kamille's brown ones. Kamille frowned, a lump forming in her throat.
"Are you–?"
"I don't know what to say either," Alicia cut her off, voice hoarse. "I... there's no time."
Kamille didn't know what she meant. "Why not?"
Alicia seemed troubled, jaw tightening with uncertainty. Kamille may not have known this new version of her, but she still had the same tells. Her eyes spoke millions, but her mouth wouldn't.
"We got it!"
Kamille turned around and saw John sat in the driver's seat of a towtruck, waving his hand out the window. Glancing at Alicia, Kamille saw her put her guard back up and walk away as if the conversation hadn't happened. With a heavy sigh, Kamille followed after her and went to John and the others.
After placing what petrol they could in the back of the truck, they all jumped on and hurried back to Al's van, only to hear an ear-piercing horn stuck and blaring loudly. The closer they got to Al's van, the louder the horn was, but that wasn't anybody's concern. The group of infected scratching on all sides of the van, attracted by the sound, was.
"Nick!" Alicia yelled, running from the truck to move forward with Luciana and Strand, but John stopped them.
"Wait! Wait!" he called, getting their attention. He pointed to the ground where some sticks were laid out in the shape of an arrow. "They went this way, see? This way."
Luciana followed John's hand which pointed in the direction of the arrow. She nodded slowly, moving forward, but Al spoke up from behind them all.
"We're not leaving," she decided, eyes turning serious.
Kamille looked to her with confusion, as did the others.
"We'll come back for the van, Al," John reassured. "When the batteries die down... and the passed just wander off... we'll come back."
"No," Al said instantly, shaking her head. "No, I'm not leaving." She looked between Strand and the others. "Which means you don't find out where the flag came from. Least not from me."
Strand placed his hands on his hips and sighed dramatically.
"Morgan's not gonna get far on that leg," John reminded her. "He might need us."
"You owe him that, Al," Kamille said gently, nodding at her. She wanted to add that they should help Nick, too, but figured that wouldn't go down as well.
Al nodded slowly, looking between John and Kamille. "Fine. You guys go. I'm not leaving."
Kamille groaned quietly as John raised his eyebrows at her determined expression.
"It's just a van, Al!" he said with disbelief.
"Yeah, well I got some things in that van," she defended. "Go. I'll be fine."
John pursed his lips, turning around. He hesitated, before nodding her way and walking in the direction Nick and Morgan were. Kamille held back however, still reluctant to leave Al.
"You can go," Al repeated, glancing at Kamille. "I know you want to."
Kamille was reluctant. "You can't do this alone..." She breathed out before deciding, "I'll help."
As much as Kamille wanted Nick and Morgan to be okay, they were in a much better position without Kamille compared to Al, who was planning on somehow getting her van back from a dozen or so infected. She could use all the help she could get.
"We'll do it!" Alicia suddenly said, marching up to Al and pointing to the van. "We'll get the van out now."
"A deal requires an act of faith," Strand reminded Al. "This is ours."
"What about Nick?" Luciana asked with worry.
"You go look for him," Alicia told her, before looking to an uneasy Al. "You really think we'd try anything with two of our people out there?"
Al exchanged looks with Kamille, before nodding to Luciana. Luciana looked between Strand and Alicia before following after John down the road.
Al looked to Strand. "Your turn."
Strand straightened up. "We do this, you don't just tell us where you found the flag, you take us there. Then you help us find these people. We talk, you drive. All of it. All the way. Until the end."
Al nodded slowly, before adding, "You'll answer all of my questions. And you'll let me film you doing what you do."
"Deal," Alicia agreed reluctantly, before heading to the tow-truck.
Strand nodded with confirmation before following after Alicia.
"I'm starting to second-guess whether coming with you was the right choice," Kamille said, offering a small smile.
Al grimaced. "It's not usually this hectic."
Kamille glanced at Alicia and Strand who were trying to get the cable from the back of the truck.
"You said you didn't know them anymore," Al said, noting Kamille's distracted gaze. "Why were you separated?"
Kamille shook her head, eyes meeting Al's. "I thought they were dead for two years. I mourned them, but now they're back. And they're not who I remember them to be."
Al looked like she wanted to say so much at once, but she held back, and Kamille appreciated it. In fact, she felt a little better knowing somebody else knew how she was feeling.
"I guess sticking with me benefited you somehow then," Al settled, a small smile on her lips.
Kamille breathed out, mirroring her expression. "I guess... come on. Let's get your van."
The four of them formed a plan to hook the cable onto Al's van in no time, settling on Strand staying with the truck, Al using her sniper to shoot from afar, Alicia going in with the winch, and Kamille helping distract the infected.
When everyone was in position, Al gave Alicia her weapon back – some weird exhaust pipe-looking object – and let her go on. Kamille felt strange being back by Alicia's side in a fight, not imagining it would be something she'd do again. But when both girls moved down the hill, weapons raised, it was beginning to feel all too real.
"Hey! Over here!" Alicia shouted down at the infected, earning some of their attention.
Kamille joined in with the shouting, making most of the dozen turn around and stumble towards them hungrily. Kamille looked to Alicia, the two exchanging determined looks, before moving forward for the kill. Kamille could just about hear the shots from Al over the sound of the blaring horn, and noticed a few bodies fall around her.
"Now, Alicia!" Kamille shouted to her, before whacking an infected with her crowbar.
As Alicia began to move to the van, lowering herself underneath it to attach the winch, Kamille called out to the infected to focus them on her and not the brunette behind them.
"We're good!" Alicia called, and Kamille caught sight of her in the driver's seat of the van, waving to Strand.
Kamille ran back up the hill, the infected losing interest and returning to the van, as Strand hit the gas pedal of the tow-truck. The van didn't budge at first, and Kamille was convinced it wouldn't work. But then it slowly started to move backwards, the cable holding as it was pulled out inch by inch.
Al breathed out in relief from beside her, and Kamille smiled reassuringly at her before looking back to the van. It was beginning to come out and Kamille tried to forget about what would happen afterwards when the others shared their story with Al.
–
After recovering the van, the small group followed the arrows left by Nick and Morgan and found themselves at a desolate farm. Alicia and Luciana were quick to race out of the van and to find Nick. Kamille grabbed her pistol and crowbar and followed after them with Strand, John and Al in tow.
"Nick? Nick!"
"NO!"
Kamille ran towards them with the others, heart dropping when she saw Nick laying on the ground, blood seeping from his chest. Morgan was standing up as Luciana kneeled beside him, fear in her eyes as she saw him bleeding out. Alicia was trying to chase after whoever had shot him, but she gave up when she saw nobody.
"Hold on, Nick," Strand said calmly, leaning down beside him and pressing a cloth to his wound. Kamille saw the worry in his expression though. "Come on, buddy, hold on."
Luciana was tearing up as she tried to get Nick's attention, and Alicia was running to his side in an instant, panic in her expression.
"Hey, Nick, look at me, come on," she was saying, resting a hand on his cheek. Her eyes darted to the blood which was seeping through the cloth. "Please."
"We've got to have medical supplies," Kamille said suddenly, heart beat increasing the longer she saw Nick struggling. She looked to Al, Morgan and John. "Anyone?"
"They're all in the van," Al said quietly. "He won't..." She shook her head apologetically, not wanting to finish, but Kamille knew what she meant. He won't make it.
"Look at me, hey, you're gonna be okay," Alicia said with a shaky voice, and Kamille turned to see the three of them watching Nick helplessly.
He was crying, too, as Alicia watched over him with tears dripping down her cheeks. Kamille felt a lump forming in her throat as she watched the Clark boy struggling, gasping for air painfully.
"Look at me, Nick," Alicia continued, voice breaking. "No, no, Nick, no..."
Nick's struggling slowly stopped, and Kamille swallowed hard, a tear slipping from her eyes as she saw him take his last breath.
"Nick...?" Alicia called, shaking him gently.
Strand sighed and wrapped an arm around Luciana as she began to whimper. Alicia wouldn't look away from Nick's dead body, disbelief dancing in her glassy eyes. She began to cry again, which turned into full blown weeping as she broke down over her brother, body racked with sobs.
Kamille felt her heart ache as she saw the younger girl letting down any guard she had up, instead mourning the loss of her brother. Kamille had done the same when she thought she'd lost him in the dam explosion, and again when she accepted the rest of the Clarks' deaths those years ago. But now, she had them back in one way or another. Only to lose Nick again. It was cruel how the world worked.
"What the hell happened here?" Kamille muttered angrily, spinning around to look at Morgan. She wasn't angry at him, but clearly something had gone down that led to Nick's demise.
"He wouldn't stop chasing him," Morgan said, carrying some guilt. "He wouldn't leave it."
"Leave what? Who?" Kamille questioned, voice breaking slightly.
"I don't know. Someone," Morgan answered. "I don't know who shot him, Kamille..."
Kamille clenched her jaw, looking back to Nick. She said a prayer in her mind for him, knowing Allah would take care of him like He would with her family. Even though Nick and her hadn't ended on good terms – for what Kamille still didn't know why they were acting so differently – she still cared for the Clark boy. And he didn't deserve that end. Just as Alicia didn't deserve to lose her brother.
//
okay so i know i only updated a day ago but all of your guys' enthusiasm in the comments got me super happy so i thought i'd update a bit sooner 🥰
i tend to leave about 5-6 days between updates so i don't get to a point where i have nothing to post because i've not written anything, but yeah, i felt bad leaving y'all on a cliffhanger so here we are; hope you like it and thanks so much for the support!! 😄♥️