Eli was barely staying afloat before the apocalypse. Working long shifts, taking care of his younger brother, and just trying to figure out what to do with his life.
When he finds his mom trying to take a chunk out of her youngest son though, Eli...
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I finished Sara before she could reanimate.
Sliding the knife from her neck, into her brain as I left it there. Unable to take the knife that she told us belonged to Bens father when he was a boy.
We buried the two of them together before we hunkered down in the room, where the baby finally got fed. I was holding her now as Red looked after everyone else's wounds. She worried Mason would get an infection and had forced him to take a pill before she came out to save me.
I ran a scarred finger down the soft face of my child. Her dark hair and complexion were mine as she got her mothers curls and stunning blue eyes that peered up at me now, blinking lazily as Luna was curled next to my side.
Even now, as I held the baby who Red had fed, the woman herself wouldn't sit still. Cleaning wounds, making rounds to check on everyone, making sure the door was still barricaded.
We all knew we wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon, we needed enough time to recuperate before we live on the run again.
Mason was weary as he sat next to me, his hand light as he ran hid equally small fingers through the babies' thick mass of curls. He had chosen her black onesie, the color matching her hair as it stood out against her eyes.
"Do you want to hold her?" My voice was soft, so I wouldn't spook anyone in the quiet room.
Mason tore his eyes from her form as they grew. "Are you sure?"
My lips lightly pulled up into a smile. "'Course." Laying the small baby in Mason's arms, I corrected his arm, placing her head in the crook of it as his other hand held her body.
The child's eyes closed as she sucked on the pacifier, warm in her clothing and blanket. Rising from the ground, Amelia and Wolfe took my place, coddling Mason and my daughter as I made my way to Red who was glancing out of the blocked off window.
Lightly pulling her away from the light, I wrapped my arms around her. "You need to rest." My words were mumbled against her cleaned skin.
"I can't," Her slight whimper had my head raising. "I can't just sit here and relax as if none of this is happening Eli. We just brought a baby into this world. That isn't fair."
"But it happened," The words familiar as we've talked about this many times before, each of us on the opposing end. "And we can't stop that now, all we can do is take care of her and everyone else."
"Now," I whispered against her ear as I pulled out the light green bandana from my back pocket. "I think its time you told Mason her name."
Her smile was unmistakable as she untangled herself from me, nimble fingers taking the cloth from me as she approached both of the small children, Jasper talking to Viv and Javier quietly as he played.
She sat cross-legged from Mason who was still clutching the girl to his chest, his posture perking up at the bandana he deemed for the baby.
"I think its time we allowed Ember to be apart of the family ritual." Her teasing words almost slipped past everyone as she tied the bandana around Embers neck.
"Wait, Ember?" Wolfe was the one who reeled back in shock as the others collectively got the attention Wolfe put on himself.
"Yes," I spoke up. "Ember Delilah."
Amelia cooed at the sleeping beauty as Javier smiled from across the room, our eyes meeting for a brief moment as he nodded at me.
When Mason said Amelia could hold her, she glanced at Red before accepting once she saw Red wouldn't protest at the idea. I don't think we would protest at anyone in the family helping with the child. We were going to need all the help we could get, as I knew Red, and I knew she wasn't going to sit around and do nothing.
With the baby here now, she was going to get back into action, helping to protect the people that so selflessly protected her in her time of need.
"Mason, Ember, and Jasper." Caspian chuckled, running a hand through his short hair. "Man, yall are going to see some crazy shit in the world. Gonna turn into some bad ass kids." Jasper smiled from across the room as he left his toys and came to get a closer look at the baby.
A week flew by quickly. Winter was swiftly approaching, the sudden last bursts of heat leaving as the frigid weather let us know that snow would be coming soon. Clothes within the house were altered and made to fit as everyone was dressed in at least three layers, the most we could do without cutting off our mobility.
Red sat against the wall as she fed Ember, the small baby looking vastly different, in small ways, compared to the day she was born. She was still a quiet little thing, whimpers and whines the only thing to leave her before she would begin to wail. Her body taking on the chunk she needed for the winter that was coming.
Luna had almost completely healed by now. The bullet only skimming her skin, taking off quite a bit, but we kept it wrapped and clean as the flesh scarred over.
Mason, on the other hand, was working hard on repairing the muscles in his arm that the bullet went through. Red was worried that the damage it would lead to as he was still growing, but we weren't sure about anything. He worked it daily and at this point that was the only thing we could do.
He could hold and stab his knife and pull the trigger on his gun, to me that was all that really mattered. That he could defend himself, anything else we could work through. But it was still hard seeing him hold his arm up in front of him at night as he struggled to move his fingers without pain.
As I worked with Mason, I also included Jasper in the sessions, deciding that it was time he learned to defend himself and stop relying on everyone else, because if we ever did get separated he would only have himself to rely on.
Javier couldn't stand to be cooped up, so he Wolfe and Caspian tended to leave the house and branch out, scouting areas that will be good for us to head in while avoiding those we were running from.
I admit I was going stir crazy as well, not used to sitting still for so long, we were used to constantly moving it was odd to stay in one place for so long, but we knew it was changing tomorrow in the morning.
We decided to still head North, branching off to the West to give ourselves a wide berth of anyone that may still be looking for our bodies.
Laying down for the night, we settled in for cans of chili. Thanks to Sara and her knowledge of the kitchens, they got quite the stock, enough to hold us over until we found somewhere a bit more permanent.
As Ember began to whine in Reds arms when I was on shift, I carefully unwound my loves arms, as I collected our child in my own. Letting Red rest for as long as she could.
Embers stunning blue eyes peered up at my own, her whimpers dying off as she just wished for attention. Everyone had come to love the little girl, as she got more attention than a child would even know what to do with.
Mason and Jasper were good sports about it, giving her just as much love.
Looking down at the swaddled girl in my arms, a smile tugged at my lips as I pushed her curls back with a finger. "You're going to be a fighter, my little Ember." I grinned down at the child who I helped create. "Just like your mom, no one is ever going to diminish that fire in you, I'll make sure of it." Placing my lips on her smooth forehead, I breathed in deeply, hoping that this trip wouldn't be too hard on any of us.
