Where Your Loyalties Lie (On hold)

Chapter One: Part Five

Her concentration was on the task at hand. The relentless groans made it obvious of her not so successful accomplishment. Another grumble with another piece in the wrong spot as she began to start over for the fifth time. The pieces of wood and slates laid out across the floor as she attempted to screw in one piece to another she couldn't help but notice the ridiculous amount of loose parts lay across the floor. It seemed like a never-ending task and Emmy had never been one of the handiest of people she had always struggled to fix things even changing a lightbulb wasn't in her ability but Brady was her best friend and they finally had time to put the crib together which is exactly what she was going to do.

"You want some help?" Brady asked as she sat slumped in the small cushioned single-seat chair in the corner of the room that was slowly becoming a nursery.

"Nope."

"How about a break?" Brady suggested once more.

"Nope."

"Okay, how about we just stop and talk for a minute?" Brady again suggested her large emerald eyes watching Emmy as she muttered to herself.

"Alright how about we talk about the fact it's ridiculously hard to put together a crib" Emmy spoke in a huff.

"Or you could tell me what's going on with you and I don't know... Troy" Brady flashed a wide smile at the shorter brunette.

"Smooth..." Emmy rolled her eyes at her best friends terrible probing "how about I just finish this hmm..."

"Come on, Em" Brady pleaded "we are best friends you're supposed to tell me what's going on with you" the blonde continued to plead with her large eyes it had always been a struggle to keep things from Brady but it made it harder when she knew something was wrong and immediately her puppy eyes would come out.

"Pulling out the big guns huh? The best friend card" Emmy couldn't help but sigh as she turned her gaze to the pile of wood she had been working on "fine... I did something."

"Vague. What did you do?" Brady pushed for her to continue.

"I sort of kissed Troy" Emmy remained staring at the floor not even able to bring herself to see her friends reaction.

"You kissed him? When?"

"The day everything fell apart" Emmy sighed again and let her head roll back to stare at the ceiling.

"Awkward timing. Was it just kissing?" Brady asked with a sly smirk gracing her plump lips.

"Ugh, Brady!"

"What? Troy isn't you know..." Brady couldn't even contain the childish giggle that came out the information was far more entertaining than the blonde anticipated.

"Troy isn't what?" Emmy questioned as she looked at her friend through narrowed eyes.

" Troy certainly isn't ugly" Brady laughed once again.

"Brady..." Emmy groaned letting her body drop to the floor with a thud then letting her hands tucked behind her head, fingers enlaced through her brunette waves of hair.

"I'm just saying besides the fact he's weird but he isn't bad to look at" Brady explained with a simple shrug over the matter "so what was it just the once?"

"Yes, he came to talk to me and I kissed him" Emmy shook her head and forced her eyes closed but all it did was bring the imagery of that day flashing before her eyes "I don't know..."

"Did you maybe do it cause you like him" Brady spoke as though pointing out the obvious of the matter but the idea only made Emmy groan more "Emmy, we are in a world where the dead are walking around eating the living and if we are lucky enough we get to hang onto our loved ones for just a little while before they inevitably get ripped away and we are lucky we don't get stuck on our own. Take it from me, Emmy..." Brady's voice suddenly weakened and her eyes were quick to blink as though trying to hide tears from forming "in this world if you like someone and you get to hold onto them it's something amazing" Brady explained barely getting through the words.

Emmy sat herself up onto her elbows as she finally turned her gaze to her friend who struggled to smile "do you really believe that?"

"Of course. In this world is there a point of not taking a risk. Let's face it none of us knows how long we have" Brady answered as she brushed the tips of her fingers across her swollen belly "even if it's not long sometimes it's worth it."

"Even if they've done questionable things." Emmy hesitated to ask but she couldn't help the words slipping out.

"Haven't we all done questionable things though" Brady laughed. It was nice to see Brady more herself even if it was on an uncomfortable subject for Emmy the short brown-eyed girl liked seeing her best friend smiling and laughing again. "Just think about it okay."

Emmy slowly nodded but asked, "since when are you so wise?"

"Since now I guess" she answered causing both the girls to laugh.

:::

It was late into the night by the time Emmy began heading home. She held a torch steady in her hand to guide her way along the dirt path being careful as she stepped. It was always quiet when it got late the only people up were the people on guard so Emmy could hear every tap of her boots hitting the dirt but as soon as she got closer to her own cabin something felt off the silence suddenly felt sinister and not just because of the distant moaning of the dead but something else that left an uneasy feeling in the pit of Emmy's stomach and she couldn't help her eyes searching the darkness for something, anything. The thickly wooded area covered most of the surroundings outside the fencing which hid anything but Emmy couldn't help this feeling something was wrong.