Chapter 3

I stopped driving when I reached the next small town over not far from where we were camped out with the others. I didn’t know what to do. I just parked in the middle of a street, turned the truck off and sat- my eyes glued to the vast land sprawled out in front of me.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I was practically gone, mentally exhausted.

I rubbed my eyes, red and sore from crying for what felt like hours.

He’s been bitten. I kept thinking. I started saying it over and over again in my mind and suddenly the words started spilling out of my mouth.

“He’s been bitten. He’s been bitten. He’s been bitten.” I said out loud.

It was as if I was trying to make myself understand what had really happened, like I had to tell myself the brutal honest truth, like I hadn’t actually been there to see it happen.

“He’s been bitten. He’s been bitten.” I said again quietly under my breath.

I was quiet.

“FUUUUUCK!” I screamed as I pounded my hands on the steering wheel. “F**K. F**K. F**K. F**K!”

I pounded and pounded as I screamed out in frustration.

Then I broke down in tears again for another cry. I honestly couldn’t believe that I had any tears left.

How the f**k did I have any tears left?

Was he even alive back there?

Should I even check?

Do I really want to know the answer to my questions?

Yes.

Yes. I do.

I needed to know.

I ran my hands through my hair and wiped the tears off of my face. I glanced up at the rear view mirror at myself like my appearance mattered or something.

Now or never. Preferably never.

I took a deep breath, grabbed my sword for extra protection, although we seemed to be alone, and opened the driver’s side door of the truck.

I cautiously made my way to the back of the truck and unlatched it.

The door slowly rose up.

Eric laid in the same position that I had left him, the ground and walls stained with his blood.

I was so nervous, I could practically hear my heart thumping in my ears.

“Eric?” I called out, softly.

Silence.

I swallowed hard. “Eric?” I said, slightly louder.

Nothing. Not even the tiniest of movements.

I took a deep breath and slowly climbed up into the back of the truck, weapon still gripped tightly.

“Eric!” I called out, one more time.

Nothing.

“S**t.”

I began to crawl over to him.

I kneeled beside him, straining my ears for even the faintest sounds of breathing.

There was no sound.

Everything was so eerily quiet, more than usual.

I dropped my sword, letting it fall beside me.

I could feel tears gently falling down my face as I realized what was going on.

“Oh god.” I sobbed quietly.

I stared at him through my tears, noticing how peaceful he looked.

My chest felt heavy, like a giant dead elephant was sitting on me, pushing the air out of my lungs.

I reached up and placed my hand gently on his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb.

“I’m so sorry.” I cried quietly.

I sat there, crying in silence for what felt like an eternity.

I pushed the hair that hung in his face away when suddenly Eric’s eyes sprung open and his hand grabbed onto my other wrist.

I screamed loudly and jolted backwards thinking instantly that this was it, that it was over, that he was about to bite me.

He let out a grumbled noise as I struggled to get out of his grip.

I reached frantically for my sword lying beside me, but his grip was getting tighter.

“Stop!” I heard a voice strain to get out.

I stopped realizing that it was Eric’s voice.

“I’m not dead!” He yelled, with more force behind his voice.

I stared at him as I realized that he was still alive.

“What the f**k?!” I managed to get out.

“Why in the hell did you grab me like that?” I shouted, still shaken up.

“I thought you were trying to kill me.”

“I thought you were trying to kill me!” I replied.

We were silent for several moments.

“Fair enough.” He finally said.

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing.

“It’s not going to happen that fast.” Eric said.

“How the hell do you know how fast it will happen?” I snapped.

“I see you’re still pissy.” He replied as he gently touched his bite wound.

I shot him a look. “I thought you were about to eat me, Eric.”

“Give it time, and I will be.” He joked.

“Not funny.” I snapped again.

“You’re right, it’s not.” He replied. “Help me up?”

I nodded and helped him up to a sitting position, trying to not touch his bite.

“Cass, I’m sorry. That was my stupid attempt at humor.” He said. “I just-“

There was a long pause.

“I fucked up.”

I stared at him, trying to not let anymore tears come out. My eyes burned as a result.

“We both fucked up.” I replied quietly.

We locked eyes and I could see the pain and guilt all over his face.

“What do we do now?” He asked.

I sighed. “I have no idea.”

“Should we go back to camp?”

“I….I don’t know.”

“You want to just stay out here?” He asked.

I looked at him in response, not sure of what to say.

“We can’t stay here, Cassie.”

“Why not?”

“They need to know what happened.”

“Why?”

He looked at me and let out a small chuckle. “Why?

Come on, Cass. You can’t be serious. We can’t just disappear.”

“I can’t take you back there after what just happened.”

“And why is that?”

“I don’t what them to see what’s going to happen to you. They aren’t prepared for it.” I replied.

“I’m pretty sure none of us are prepared for it.”

“You know what I mean. They haven’t seen what’s been going on out here like me and you have. They won’t be able to handle it.”

“Give them some credit, will ya?” Eric laughed slightly.

“Look, I don’t know how long you’ll have, and I want to cherish each moment. If I take you there, and they see you’ve been bitten, they’re likely to just kill you right that second. I won’t let that happen. They’re so afraid, and wrapped up in their own fears, they won’t get where I’m coming from. I’m not taking you back there.” I said.

“But we can’t disappear. We can’t.” He repeated.

“Why not? I mean given the circumstances, one of us…won’t exactly be around for the long haul anymore.” I replied.

“I realize that.” He started. “But what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re just going to never go back?”

I shrugged.

“That’s your sister, Cassie. How can you just want to abandon her? Abandon all of them?”

“I’ll just do it.” I replied.

“They’ll die without you. You know they will. You have to go back.”

“I’m not leaving you!” I said.

“I’m not asking you to. All I’m saying is that they need you. Like you said, they have no idea what it’s like out here. You can’t just leave them to fend for themselves.”

I was quiet. I knew what he was saying made sense, and he was right, but I didn’t want to think about any of it.

“They rely on me and you to do so much for them, and I know you’re sick of it, and I know you didn’t want to even come out here this time, but they’re your family, they’re our family. And they need us.” Eric said, trying to get me to see his point of view.

“I don’t think I can. I won’t even know what to say to them.” I replied.

“Tell them the truth. Just be honest and tell them what happened.”

“God, this is so fucked up.” I breathed, as the dam broke and my tears started flowing freely again.

“I know, I know. But you can’t let what happened to me, happen to them.”

“Me being there won’t make a difference. It didn’t make a difference an hour ago with you, and it won’t make a difference a month from now with them.” I replied, trying to suppress how angry and upset I was.

I was failing, miserably.

“Trust me, you do make a difference. Don’t let this stand in your way.”

I shook my head. “We’re all screwed.”

“I may not be around for it, but with you there, you can all survive.” He said.

I sat and tried to sort through all of the things I was feeling. My head and the world felt like it was spinning. Everything went from semi-normal to a complete jumbled mess in a matter of minutes. All I felt was hopelessness. It consumed every inch of me.

“Maybe I don’t want to survive anymore.” I whispered.

“Maybe you don’t.” He started. “But you will.”

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems.