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New one of the horror story! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this Emily chapter :)
Emily settled herself in the window seat of the sitting room in the inn. The only light was the dim light given off by the candle in the center of the room. Looking down at her gun, she began to think. Think of everything: the well-being of the child upstairs, the safety of Derek and Penelope, whether or not they could trust the couple they had just met. She glanced over towards the center of the room where William and Grace had set up their places to sleep.
As she was looking vigilantly out the window, William came up to her and crossed his arms, looking out the dark window with her. His face was set in an unreadable expression. "Any movement at all?" he whispered.
She shook her head. "No," she replied. "None at all." She turned away from the window and looked up at their traveling companion. His eyes were still trained on the outside. Cocking an eyebrow, she asked, "How long would you like me to stand watch?"
William shook his head. "I only need a few hours. Give me four maybe. We'll also want to get going at dawn, when first light hits. We need all the daylight we can get to keep traveling to the border."
"Do we know how many Infected are in the area?" she asked in a hushed voice. "We only just found out about this yesterday morning, so we don't know much about what happened. Before I left work they told me I had to get to an airport. They told me that, and that the army blockades weren't holding. Other than that we don't know anything."
He sighed. "I guess we know a little more than you," he said. "Not much, though." He sat down next to her and continued to stare out the window. "What I heard was it was a bunch of animal activists who broke into a lab in Cambridge."
"I knew that much," she interrupted.
"Well then you know that it was a genetically engineered virus that some mental scientists decided to create," he huffed in disgust. "There are limits to this shite, you know? I don't under stand how people don't see that when you mess with viruses, there's bound to be a consequence or two." Grunting, he paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. "I suppose the activists are equally to blame for this, though. If they hadn't decided to try and liberate those chimps, none of this would have happened." He rubbed his face, and a dark expression took over his whole face. "The Infected travel so fast that they started spreading…everywhere. There's no way to describe it: the blood, the rage. Something about that virus makes them go insane."
Emily frowned. "Rage? How do they harness an emotion with a virus?" she questioned. "Is — is that even possible?"
"Who knows?" William muttered. "I'm just a history teacher, and Grace owns a shop. We've never understood these advancements in science. But I would guess the research and experimentation those Cambridge bastards were doing was the illegal kind."
She snorted. "I would guess you're right about that." Questions began to whirl around in her brain about the border they were attempting to get to. So many things could go wrong, and as much as she tried to ignore them, the thoughts kept invading her brain. For awhile, though, she kept her mouth clamped shut, afraid to talk about her fears. The two of them sat in silence another few minutes before she voiced one of the possibilities that would lead to so much wrong. "Do you think this virus will stay out of Scotland? I don't see it crossing the Channel and onto the Continent, but Scotland is connected to us."
"I would be more concerned with them not letting us in," he admitted. He glanced towards where his wife was curled up on the floor beneath quilts. Lowering his voice some, he added, "I didn't want to worry Grace; she worries so easy, you see. I also didn't want to say anything in front of the girl, but I don't know if we'll be able to get through the border. The Scottish government will want to keep us under quarantine."
Frantically she shook her head. "This virus takes hold in like…twenty seconds!" she protested. "Wouldn't they know that we're not Infected immediately?"
"The fear of contamination in their borders would make them too fearful," he said solemnly. "They won't want to let us pass in all likelihood."
She could feel the blood drain from her face. Oh, God. How hadn't she thought of this? What William was saying was in fact logical, and likely the truth. She put her head in her hands. How was she supposed to tell Penelope and Derek they might not be able to get to safety? And Eliza? How long would they be able to last with food and water so scarce at the moment? They didn't have much as they needed, and if they were stranded in the anarchical mess Britain was in because of Infection until the country was deemed fit to be done with quarantine, there was little hope.
"We still have to try for Scotland," she said fiercely. "We have to try and get that little girl to safety."
William nodded. "Does she have any family to take her?" he asked.
"I have no idea," she said. "Her parents were Infected, and if any of them lived in Britain — which seems most likely — they're probably…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't know how to wrap her tongue around the word "dead" at the moment. Usually Emily Prentiss wasn't at a loss for words, but right now she was lost she didn't know if she could find her way out of the predicament.
He decided to finish for her. "Dead?" he suggested.
Gulping loudly, she bowed her head. "Yeah," she choked. "That." Thoughts of her friends asleep upstairs, probably sleeping fitfully, filled her mind. She saw Penelope's trusting face, so full of hope that they would get out of the country without meeting any Infected; Derek's fierce protectiveness for the woman he loved, his good friend; the young girl scared out of her mind and lonely because of the loss of her family. Concern for herself was hardly on her mind.
It was all about the three people sleeping.
"How long has that bulky man been in love with your friend? Penelope is her name?" he asked, seeming to try and make small talk.
She blew her hair out of her face. "Ugh," she groaned. "Way too long. I remember when I first met them when I joined the BAU back in the States. That man looked at her like I've never seen another person look at someone. The sad part is she dated another guy for so long that I thought it was the end of them. Then…she broke up with the guy, and I thought they would get together finally. Didn't happen." A sad smile covered her face. "They came to their senses just now, though."
"Ah, well. The end of the world makes things seem like there's no time left," William pointed out with a small smile. "Although I'm thrilled they worked that out. The way they were acting in the car was frightening. You could cut the tension with a knife."
Emily snorted. "That may just be the understatement of the year," she laughed. Glancing at the candle, she nodded towards it. "You should get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."
He sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "When I'm done with watch at dawn, I'll wake you all. We should probably look for any supplies around the inn before we get on the road again."
"Yeah. Sounds good." She nodded in the direction of Grace. "Go get some sleep," she repeated.
William rose from the seat he was perched on and whispered, "Good night, Emily." He headed back to the area where his wife was and curled up beside her. Emily returned her gaze to the window, proceeding with her watch. She stared out into the darkness, her spirits slowly sinking until she felt more despair than she had felt in her entire life.