The Killer In Me / Troy Otto

Chapter One: Part Eleven

Alan had avoided Emmy for days. She couldn't help but feel guilty for what he had been through and pestering him with questions but she wanted answers and occasionally her pestering brain of curiosity would get the best of her.

"Can you pass me that?" Brady asked in an oddly stern voice shaking the brunette from thought.

"Here," Emmy said softly unravelling the cool metal wire between her fingertips.

"Thanks..." Brady mumbled taking the wire, kneeling by the garden bed.

"Brae, are you okay?" Emmy questioned kneeling beside her blonde friend, the dust from the dirt beneath their feet covering the bottoms of her jeans.

"In a world overrun by the dead is being okay possible anymore?" Brady sighed as she focused on her work.

"Wow, aren't I usually the deep thinker between us.." Emmy joked before her dark eyes wandering "I wonder what his plan is" she asked as soon as she spotted Alan.

"Dude, you sound crazy" she suddenly said blatantly.

"Yeah, and when was the last time you said that?" Emmy looked unimpressed with her friend.

"When you said you saw a guy eating another guy" Brady muttered.

"Two days before everything fell to pieces, Brae. You even told my parents" Emmy huffed.

"Well I was worried about you" Brady defended her emerald eyes looking sympathetic towards the brunette.

"And they wanted to get me in a psych evaluation to see if I was crazy" Emmy argued in annoyance "and then... And then I argued with my mum..."

"Em, what happened with your mum isn't your fault" Brady reached out placed a hand on the shorter girls shoulder.

"If I didn't argue with her... If I didn't run off she wouldn't of come looking for me... She would still be here" Emmy's gaze fell sadly to the ground.

"Em..." Brady spoke softly but was quickly cut off as Sarah approached the pair.

"You guys need a hand?" Sarah's voice barely a squeak as the shy girl stood beside the pair. She had been there almost as long as Emmy but usually kept to herself.

"Yeah, yes of course" Emmy was quick to clear her throat. Her mother always being a sore subject.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around to help much my mum..." Sarah spoke joining the girls on the ground.

" It's okay, Sarah. We understand" Emmy was quick to answer. She did understand Sarah was only sixteen and her mother was one of the most overbearing women Emmy had ever met so with a newcomer suddenly coming into the picture she was quick to pull Sarah back. No sooner had the girls started working there she was Sarah's mother Bonnie. A scowl on her ageing face Emmy wasn't sure she had ever seen the woman with a different facial expression "Sarah! What are you doing?" She shouted.

"I was... I was helping" Sarah quickly grew nervous a panic look crossing the teenagers face.

"Sarah is giving us a hand Bonnie, relax" Brady was quick to dismiss the woman's overreaction.

"And I want her at home... If you had parents, Brady I'm sure you would understand" her harsh tone shot at Brady using the perfect words to leave the blonde wounded.

"Sarah is here helping because that is what we all do here, Bonnie. Help. Not sitting around on our pampered ass" Emmy added getting to her feet to face the older woman.

"Don't get me started on you, Emmaline" she practically spat at the girl.

"No, no please do. I wanna hear it" Emmy's arms crossed over her chest becoming impatient with the woman.

"Em," Brady just shook her head.

"It's fine... I'm coming.." Sarah sighed getting to her feet "I'm sorry" she mouthed to the girls before her mother practically dragged her away.

"I really dislike her" Emmy followed them through narrowed eyes.

"Everyone dislikes her" Brady dismissed.

:::

"There are more than usual..." Brady groaned glancing over her shoulder to the fence the pounding against the metal sheeting had become louder.

"Probably a passing heard" Troy commented.

Brady gave a simple "mm" to the man she was still unfamiliar with.

"Hopefully they pass soon. We don't need them pushing on the walls especially with the weak spots that are getting repaired" Emmy turned her gaze to the blonde. "You should be up there guarding since you're the perfect marksman."

"Have you met Brady" the trio looked hearing Scott's voice who suddenly approaching "shes always perfect" he flashed a grin and Brady smirked as kept focused on fixing the garden bed. Emmy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the nauseating pair.

"What are you doing here?" Brady questioned.

"Just checking up on you" he gave the blonde another smile. Their flirty eyes were enough for Emmy to bare.

"Got it?" Troy asked the brunette as she yanked on the fencing.

"Yeah... Yeah, I got it" she said her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on the task.

"Here," he knelt down beside Emmy taking a hold of the fence and firmly setting it into place.

"Thanks" Emmy glanced over her shoulder to the man. Her dark eyes squinting from the harsh sunlight, sweat was already beading from the heat."Did you grow up on a farm or something?"

"A ranch. I spent most of my time there" he spoke glancing over to the short brunette.

"You were still there when all this happened?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it got overrun" he spoke flatly.

"Is that when you lost your family?" Emmy questioned a slight twitch in her brow knowing it was a touchy question.

"No, they were gone before" his blue eyes stared to the ground. He was dismissive about a lot of things but the mention of his family always guaranteed an almost sorrowful look to cross his face.

Emmy didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say something as cliche as saying she was sorry wouldn't help anything. It never did. Instead, she did something she hadn't brought herself to do with Troy. She reached out. Her small dainty hand gave his forearm a gentle pat. The sleeves were rolled up and his arms were warm from the hot sun above them not to her surprise but for a man who seemed like a boy and was raised with clearly nothing but a firm hand, Emmy couldn't help herself with her gentle demeanour, she was always there to comfort someone even if the young man was new to the group he wouldn't be an exception. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment as he turned her action just by his face he wasn't used to a comforting hand but with Emmy around he would certainly have to get used to it.