Chapter 17 Emery
Chapter seventeen
Emery
We picked up the trail, which mostly ran along the Hudson River, and started toward the Bridge.
I’d been over here plenty of times in the past. It was a popular place to take a romantic stroll along the river.
Not so much now. The threat of the dead walking around trying to eat you kills any romantic vibes a walk along the river might evoke.
As we walked, I looked around for anything that might make it easier on my parents.
By my estimation, it was about ten miles to the bridge.
That was going to be plenty challenging for the guys and me; it might be too much for my parents.
I started to fall behind slightly as I slowed down to look around us as we walked.
I didn’t want to miss something useful because I wasn’t thorough.
I was also looking for tool sheds or maintenance buildings that might house a golf cart or side-by-side.
Hell, at this point I’d take one of those bicycle taxis.
Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. This was a more touristy area; there had to be a stand nearby somewhere.
“What are you doing?” Nico asked. “Why did you stop?”
“I hadn’t realized I had,” I admitted. “I was thinking that ten miles is a long way for my parents to walk, but what if we found one of those pedicabs? Do you think there are any stands nearby we could check?”
“I’m not sure,” Nico replied, “but I know who would know.” Nico whistled to the others, who stopped and waited for us to reach them. “Luis, do you know if there are any pedicabs nearby?”
Luis thought about it before shaking his head. “The closest ones are probably Central Park.”
I looked at Mami and Papi. “Do you think you can make it that far at least?”
“Emery,” Papi replied with an exasperated sigh, “my dear darling daughter, when did we ever say we couldn’t make it to the bridge without help? We are fine. Let’s keep going.”
We started walking again, but I hung back to talk to Nico. “I want to make a quick detour to Central Park when we get closer. I know he says they are fine, but by then, they might welcome the rest.”
“I don’t know if there is time for that, Em. What if we get caught by a horde and have to detour? Or there aren’t any bikes there at all? We have to keep moving forward.”
“And we will keep moving forward. You and I can cut off toward the park early. The two of us are more than capable of sneaking through the city. We’ll grab a couple of pedicabs, and then it’s a straight shot back toward the path to meet up with the others.
If we make good time, we might even beat them to the meet-up spot.
It would take less time than any delay caused by either of them getting a cramp or blister, or by slowing down from exhaustion. It’s a solid plan, Nic. Please.”
“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “But if we run into any delays, we come straight back to the path, no questions, agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Then I’ll talk to Miguel about the best route for us to take and where we should plan to meet, provided you stop falling behind and stressing me out.” The last part was said teasingly, which made me smile.
“I could try,” I joked.
“Try hard, Princess.”
We caught up with the others and pushed on.
Now that we had a solid plan in place to ease my parents’ travels, I was anxious to get it done.
Miguel whistled and pointed ahead, where two zombies were staggering.
Nico gestured for my parents and me to hunker down behind a bench.
Once we were as safely stashed away as we could be, the three guys moved in on the two zombies to take them out.
They worked together, efficiently taking them down, but as they were doing so, a third came out of the darkness behind them.
“Stay here,” I whispered. I crept forward, and when I was close enough, I clicked my tongue to get the zombie’s attention.
When it turned toward me, I plunged my knife into its head through the throat.
All three men whirled around as the body fell to the floor.
“What would you do without me?” I teased quietly.
Once we were sure there weren’t any other zombies nearby, we waved my parents forward to join us.
Papi helped Mami to her feet, and my heart pulled when I saw her struggle.
This was already too much for them. I spotted a pavilion ahead, and a new plan began to form in my head.
“Hear me out,” I said as we walked toward it.
“What if we went for the pedicabs now and the rest of the group hides there?”
Nico looked to where I was pointing, but he was already shaking his head. “We’d lose time. We have to keep moving toward the bridge.”
“But we’d make up time with the bikes,” I argued.
“She has a point,” Miguel said. “Plus, being on wheels, we would be able to ride past the zombies instead of having to take them out first.”
“Not the pavilion. It’s too open. If we come across a more secure building, then fine,” Nico reluctantly agreed.
“You mean like the bathroom on the other side of it?” I asked sweetly. Instead of waiting for an answer, I jogged ahead to check out the bathroom. When I reached it, I knocked on the door to see if it was empty.
“I don’t think you have to knock anymore, Sweetheart,” Luis joked when he caught up with me.
I rolled my eyes at him. “If there are zombies inside, I’d rather they come to us than go in there with them,” I replied.
As if on cue, the door pushed out an inch, then fell shut.
“Ready?” When Luis nodded, I pulled the door open and stepped out of the way as two zombies came bursting from the bathroom.
Luis took one out, and as I stepped from behind the door to handle the other one, Nico suddenly appeared and got to it before I could.
“Why do you seem to struggle with staying with the damn group?” he demanded.
“I was with Luis!”
“Only because he ran after you!”
“Semantics,” I replied. I stepped inside the bathroom and shone the flashlight around to make sure it was clear. I bent down to check under the stalls. “All clear,” I announced when I didn’t see anyone.
Nico moved in to do a more thorough check, pushing each stall door open to check it. “All clear,” he repeated.
I rolled my eyes but didn’t comment. Men. I helped them carry the bags into the bathroom and set up the blankets on the floor, giving my parents a nice cushion to sit on while they waited. “Nico and I will be back as fast as we can.”
“Actually, I’m coming with you,” Miguel said.
“Luis can lock the door behind us. They’ll be perfectly safe in here.
” He turned to Nico. “And before you argue with me, three bikes will be better than two. Then everyone will be on wheels. And I know the streets better than you do, which means if I go, we’ll get back even faster.
And most importantly, I’m not asking for permission. ”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I’d never seen Miguel or Luis challenge Nico. He was the leader, and none of us ever questioned that fact.
Nico looked just as surprised. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
“Let it go, man,” Luis said, stepping between them.
“The fuck I will,” Nico growled, shoving Luis out of the way to go chest to chest with Miguel. “The world may have gone sideways, but I’m still in charge. That hasn’t changed.”
“Look around, bro. Everything has fucking changed. Our little gang doesn’t fucking exist anymore!
All that matters now is our family, and you aren’t the only one who can decide what’s best for us.
This is the right call, whether you agree with it or not.
” He punctuated his sentence by pushing Nico away from him. “Now get the fuck out of my face.”
Nico pushed him back, and I stared dumbfounded as they traded shoves like they were on the playground at recess.
“Are you two fucking kidding me right now?” I asked.
“We don’t have time for this, so why don’t I settle this now.
I’m in charge. My family, my call. If Miguel thinks he can get us there faster, then he’s coming with us.
He makes a good point about having three bikes.
If you can’t handle that, then you can stay here, and Luis can come instead. ”
“Or maybe you stay, and the three of us will go,” Nico suggested.
“My plan. My family. I’m going,” I replied. I kissed my parents goodbye and left the bathroom. Whoever was coming with me could catch up, but I was done waiting for them. “It’s the fucking apocalypse, and they’re having a fucking pissing match,” I mumbled to myself.
“You know, talking to yourself could be considered a sign of insanity,” Miguel joked as he caught up to me.
I looked over my shoulder to see Nico following us a short distance away. He still looked pissed. I glared at Miguel. “Why the hell are you pushing his buttons?” I hissed.
Miguel shrugged. “Because I’m tired of being ordered around. Because if the four of us have a shot, we have to start on even ground. No one can hold more power than the other, except for you, of course. But the three of us have to be equals, or resentments will grow.”
I sighed. Miguel raised a good point.
“I would have explained this to him if he hadn’t acted like an asshole. Now he can stew for a little while.”
“Or you could be an adult and talk to him now,” I suggested. “We have the time, it’s a long walk.” I gave him a stern look to emphasize that it wasn’t as much of a suggestion as it sounded.
“Yes, ma’am,” Miguel replied, stopping in his tracks to wait for Nico to catch up to him.
I shook my head and kept walking. They wouldn’t let me get too far ahead of them, and the streets were pretty dead so far. I snorted at my little joke. I hadn’t meant to be punny, but raw talent is impossible to suppress. About halfway there, they caught up to me. “Did you boys sort out your shit?”
“We did,” Nico replied. “And we realized that we owed you an apology.”
“What for?”