Zombies 5

Come Home

"Wynter?"

Her name was barely a whisper on his lips as Walker backed further into the entrance of the den.

"You shouldn't be here."

Wynter stepped closer. "Neither should you. Your friends are worried, my friends are worried, I'm worried. Walker, what is going on? Talk to us."

"Please." Walker pleaded. "Please just go home. Both of you."

Wynter shook her head firmly. "No. I will not just leave you here, and clearly neither will Wade. Whatever is going on, we'll fix it together. You helped me feel better after Willa snapped at me. Now it's my turn to help you. Go get Wren and let's talk this out."

The color drained from Walker's face at the mention of Wren's name and he immediately shook his head. "No, I- I can't do that. Just leave us alone."

"Walker--"

"I said leave!" Walker snapped, glaring at Wynter as his moonstone began to pulse with energy.

Wade took advantage of the distraction and made a run for the den, darting inside before Walker could stop him.

"Wade, no!" Walker called after him as he disappeared inside the den.

Wynter stared at the den's now barren entrance before making her way towards it. She stopped just inside the entrance and peered into the dimly lit cave. Inside, Walker was standing off to the side as Wade kneeled next to Wren. Her face was pale and she trembled despite the blanket wrapped around her small frame.

Wade placed the back of his hand against Wren's forehead before flinching away as if he'd been burned. He turned to Walker, his eyes full of questions, but he only asked one. "Why?"

Walker looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. "I didn't know what else to do, Wade. You saw how quickly the illness spread through our pack. I couldn't risk it killing the Lykensen pack too. I figured the only way I could keep you and everyone else safe was by taking Wren and leaving."

Wynter placed a hand on his shoulder and Walker jumped in surprise, turning to look at her with wide eyes. Wynter met his gaze and could see the flood of emotions he was holding back: worry, anxiousness, concern, sadness, fear.

"You made a difficult choice to protect those you care about." Wynter stated gently. "There's no shame in that. But now that we're here, let us help."

"What can you do?" Walker asked. "Our elders and healers could do nothing against this illness. What makes you think that you can help?"

"The Great Alphas of the past came to Addison in a dream." Wynter explained. "The first Great Alpha, Wajiha, told her the blood of the Lupus Clan's Alpha is the key to curing the illness. That's you Walker. You, could help us stop this illness."

Walker stared at her in disbelief. "Is that true? My blood could stop this? It--It could save Wren?"

"It is." Wynter nodded. "But we need to go to Z-tech. They have the experts and technology to make the cure from your blood. They can also help Wren until the cure has been made. The people there are good, you can trust them."

Walker nodded, newfound determination in his eyes. "If it will help Wren, let's go. This illness moves fast and we've already wasted enough time."

"Let's get going then." Wynter replied, nodding in agreement before turning to Wade. "Can you go back to the Den and let the others know to meet us at Z-Tech? I'll make sure Walker and Wren make it Z-Tech safely."

Wade nodded slowly and left the den without a word, disappearing into the forest. Walker watched him go before scooping up Wren in his arms. She whimpered softly and buried her face in his chest as he adjusted his grip around her small frame. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered to her soothingly. "You're gonna be okay Wren, I'm right here. I'll always be right here."