Chapter Nine - Emory

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Special thanks:

My editor obvs, seriously he's one of the most creative ppl I know and I'm so proud to be able to work on my projects with such a talented person.

I seriously can't believe I've only got one chapter left after this, I've been working on this series for so long!

Also I will probably be inactive on Wattpad until next February or March. I will still take commissions before then but I post all my commissioned fics on my AO3 account, I only use Wattpad for my passion projects lol.

I've been waiting for this for a while, I should make a playlist.

Also sorry if my romance scenes suck, I'm demiromantic so cut me some slack and just know that these hurt me more than they hurt you.

Pretty sure both this and chapter nine of Starship Mafia were both partially written under the influence of lidocaine that's wild.

Anyway let's fucking start!

Chapter Nine - Emory

"How far are we from the border?"

"Probably only a few more days, a week and a half at most." Charley says, grinning.

"You looking forward to being there?" I ask, smiling amused.

"Absolutely! I've never been back since I moved when I was really small, I barely remember it at all."

"That's crazy, I can't imagine not remembering the place I grew up." I reply wistfully.

"I can't imagine not." They say back, happy.

I grin back and stare out the window. Gazing out at the dusty fields and plains that seem to stretch on forever, occasionally dotted by sparse patches of pine trees. The sun shines so bright I have to squint to be able to see and the constant heat beating down has made us spend most of our time during the day in a vehicle. We drive on for what I assume is a few hours but with this almost alien landscape I couldn't be sure if it was mere minutes or entire days. The air has begun to cool down and the sun sets, making the sky a beautiful sheet of purple, orange, and gold. The dazzling colours fade into a deep blue before fading to navy and then finally black. We stop and get out to set up camp. I sit down at the base of an old tree and stare up at the night sky. The stars pierce through the roof of the sky like diamonds, clearer than I've ever seen them. I can't help but imagine someone on a planet orbiting one of those stars just like me, staring up at the stars. I hear something echo across the plains, like a whistle or a howl but somehow deeper and older.

"What do you think that was?" I ask.

"Probably a coyote or a wolf, I wouldn't be worried."

"I hope you're right." I murmur.

"Hey, trust in me, Em. I got you, love." Char reassures me warmly, sitting next to me and hugging me comfortingly. We sit together like that for a bit, too soon Charley gets up and beckons me along.

"Come on, we got work to do before we rest." They say, helping me stand.

"No fair." I pout. She laughs and I drag myself to get supplies set up.

"Hey, can you get some firewood? I'm having trouble getting the fire to start."

"Sure. I love you Charley." I kiss her on the cheek.

"Love you too Emmy." They try and give me a kiss back but I swerve and grin.

They then pin me down to the ground, lying on top of me and peppering my face with kisses. I look at her and kiss them once more on the lips, causing them to stand in satisfaction. I pick up a flashlight and head out, smiling the whole time. I wander a bit, picking up dry branches lying on the ground and humming Czerwone Jagody. I head out a bit farther trying to find more wood until I can no longer see the camp. That's when I hear it. A sharp crack. So loud it echoes across the plains and almost brings me to my knees. My heart screams. Less than a second after the crack I hear a scream. A scream of pure pain, unlike anything I've ever heard before in my life. Three more shots echo out. Then one last one. Then another terrifying ungodly howl. Then silence. Fuck, no. I rush back to where I left Charley, praying that they're okay. When I get to them I choke on my own fear. They have a bullet hole in their shoulder and another just above their hip, both of which are bleeding pretty bad.

"CHARLEY- Shit, Charley, are you okay?"

"I doubt it." She says, tears all over her face, their voice ruined by screams.

"Charley- please. Fuck fuck fuck fuck I knew we should've gotten medical supplies. C'mon I'll carry you, we'll drive to a hospital or a rest stop or something. I'm not going to let you die, just please hold on. Charley-"

"We won't make it." They stop me. I freeze, terrified, my mind and whole body hurting.

"What!?"

"You heard me. I'm hurt too bad. I'd only slow you down."

"CHARLEY! Nonononononono- it CAN'T end like this! We CAN'T, I promised you!"

"I'm sorry Emmy, just promise me one thing."

"I promise- What?" I hold her hands tight to stop mine from shaking. It doesn't work.

"Promise me you won't stop. Promise me you'll keep going until you reach safety."

"I promise." I whisper, unable to hold back tears.

" I love you Emory."

I see the life fade from their eyes and I break down sobbing. How is it fair? I lose my partner and best friend only days before making it to safety. I take one of the blankets we have and cover their body with it to stop the wild animals from getting them and wipe my eyes, getting behind the wheel and driving off into what I hope will be safety. Don't stop, they told me. Don't stop. And as the sun begins to peek over the horizon I make a silent promise to myself not to. If not me then for them. I shed one more silent tear as I drive into the morning light, numb and blind in the warmth of the sun, and on I'd go.

End of Chapter Nine

Authors note:

Hey guys, this is the end of Emory's arc and I really hope you enjoyed it! The original plan for this book that I made years ago actually didn't include Blaise at all so this arc of aftermath is probably the project I've worked on the longest. I'm sure plenty of people may not like this ending and I am truly sorry to them but I am truly happy to finally have completed this story. I do plan on revisiting this universe at some point but it probably won't be from Emory's perspective although I'm not sure. A large theme of this book has been loss and sacrifice and how we deal with these things and no matter what an aftermath sequel is about it will certainly be about those topics as well because I feel like these elements are deeply fused to this series's soul. A large reason for this is that most of the planning for this book and the writing of the first few chapters happened in the wake of one of my friends attempted suicide and the feelings I had during those awful 48 hours when I was unsure what had happened were what inspired me to finally write this story down. I'm incredibly thankful for everyone who has supported me through this even if it has just been by reading this fic or sending it to someone else, it truly means the world to me. 

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