Her back arched and another tremor racked her body. Her eyes opened wide, turning a stark and vivid yellow before she fell back to the ground, letting out an exaggerated sigh as the air left her lungs in a whoosh.
Her name left my mouth as I leaned down to put my ear next to her opened mouth. There was still air coming in and going out. She was still alive. “She’s still breathing.” The words left me before I realized it, and as soon as I looked up I was met with wide and frightened eyes. They were just as clueless as I was. Before I had a chance to utter another word the purplish veins underneath her skin began to recede, flowing back towards her heart as new blood began to pump through her and bring new life to her nearly dead form.
Chase bent forward and looked at her, not sure what to think as we watched her transformation from near death to what we were hoping was renewed life. Her breathing was shallow and barely audible, but as we sat there and watched her skin turn from a pale gray color to porcelain I knew what was happening. Well, more like I felt I knew. The energy in the air around her had changed. Only a few seconds ago it had buzzed with the thrumming energy of something dead, causing the fine hairs on my arms to stand on end. Now it was moving in rhythm with the heartbeat of a living being, working in tandem with my own. Her eyes snapped open, as blue as the day time sky and practically glowing in the darkness as we watched her body convulse.
Sam nearly screamed if it wasn’t for the hand she put over her own mouth to stifle it. We were all scared. I could feel it in the air around us as the house burned down behind us with the heat on our backs. Beth shot up to a sitting position, a silent scream billowing from her parted lips, and her body went limp.
When I glimpsed Chase he was taken aback, sitting on the ground scrambling away from Beth as if she had grown a new head. Sam was frozen in place and Gordon was next to me, hand on mine as it rested on the cool ground being pricked by the luscious grass. I gripped his hand tightly. Beth let out a loud raspy breathe and slumped even more. I caught her before she had a chance to hit the ground and began to hear another round of vampire and crawler howls coming from the distance. They were relentless and I knew Beth wouldn’t be able to get up and move on her own. Someone would have to carry her until she woke up. As if she had heard my thoughts her eyes sprung open and took me in like she was trying to memorize me. She was back and she wasn’t anything else but herself. This would be something we would need to figure out as quickly as possible because, from what I had seen, no one was immune to the effects of the bite of Lilith’s direct lineage. Well, everyone except Beth, and I needed to know why.
Chapter 24:
Immunity
Chase had swept Beth into his arms and moved away from the mass of undead children that were headed in our direction. I was beginning to think they would never stop coming and would always be chasing us no matter how quickly or how far we moved. Lilith would never stop. She would never back down. This was a fact I was getting used to even more steadily each day, but it wasn’t one that I wanted to become a reality for us in the long run.
We had been running for at least half an hour and l couldn’t find a reliable place to stop. My legs burned with the effort to keep going. Chase had dropped Beth to her feet when she gained enough strength to keep up with the rest of us. Sam was on the other side of her. What we really needed was to find a place to let her lie down and to find more ammunition. Or weaponry that didn’t need to be reloaded. I didn’t need a gun. I had all the firepower I needed, and Gordon had power of his own. Sam was strong, but she needed to regain her strength, which only happened with each kill she made directly. Well, she was going to be strong enough to demolish a building without any explosives soon enough. While I didn’t know much about her power as a whole, this much she had explained. From what I could tell this was all she knew about it as well, but today we were learning a lot of new things.
The rest of us could barely breathe as it was, but Beth was truly struggling. Her feet were beginning to drag. If I could I would take her off of Chase’s hands, but the nausea was already starting to creep in and it was only partially from all of the running. Our little bean was beginning to make me sick for the first time that day and, before I knew it, I was leaning against the side of a building vomiting a lot more than I had actually eaten. The sour taste of bile and saltine crackers filled my mouth, leaving a disgusting film on my tongue with nothing to rinse it away.
Beth spoke, her voice cracking. “I can’t run anymore.”
I couldn’t do it anymore either. Gordon’s hand was resting on my back, rubbing in slow and deliberate circles as I spit onto the ground a couple of times trying to rid my mouth of the taste.. I stood t and wiped the sweat off of my forehead with the back of my hand only to wipe it on my jeans. We hadn’t realized it, but we had ended up at the Beverly Center. I hadn’t thought we had gone that far, but we had and I didn’t think we would be staying there. The entirety of the structure had to have been overrun with crawlers and I didn’t want to take any chances. We were all scared and hungry and those reasons would be the only ones that would make everyone believe that we needed to stay here to at least get our bearings.
We had done what we could to stay in the shadows to keep the crawlers and vampires from seeing us. I knew it wouldn’t, but we had to do something and something was better than nothing. When I looked up Chase had set Beth on the ground where she leaned against the side of the massive building. I could see a small grimace on her face as she moved to adjust herself against it. She would need a better place to rest and the only places I could think of were either a department store that sold everything we could need or a hotel. I decided it would be best to lay out the options. Beth couldn’t go much farther and the nausea in my belly was beginning to eat at me again, causing me to heave and wretch in dry waves as I stood there. Sam’s face was twisted in concern and disgust at the contents of my stomach on the ground.
My stomach burned with unease. Stopping for respite anywhere was going to be pushing it if we stayed out in the open like this. I couldn’t watch Chase drag Beth around like a rag doll anymore. And her immunity was baffling.
Chase moved towards Beth and I could tell that a relationship I didn’t come close to understanding had been forged between them. Were they friends? Were they companions? Were they lovers? I hadn’t seen anything to hint towards the latter. They had stayed in separate rooms after our return, but that didn’t mean anything. It could have been a façade to help ease us back into life on the surface with the changes at Lilith’s hand. Chase was sitting in front of her, a hand on her thigh in a comforting gesture that I had only seen amongst those that were intimate. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he stroked her limp hand. Okay, it wasn’t just a smile. I was beaming as I averted my eyes to the filthy ground.
I had met Gordon during a time where Beth was struggling with being alone and we thought it was because of the energy that her gift as a witch had put off. We could still be right in. We would probably never know. I was able to tell before this moment was that Chase had developed feelings for me in the small amount of time I had known him before everything changed. It looked like I was wrong on so many levels. How did I miss this? They were just too good at hiding it.
“How long?” I asked, making sure they knew that their actions no matter how small didn’t go unnoticed. I was still bent over but turned my head to look at them again, hands on my thighs. Both of them were shocked by my question and I could tell by the sheen in Beth’s eyes it had upset her. She wasn’t ready for me to know about them. Beth deserved all the happiness in the world even though it didn’t have much of it to offer these days.
“Since you were gone.” The words flowed out of her mouth with ease like she had rehearsed them. I was expecting her to be a stammering mess, but that didn’t happen. She had nothing to be ashamed of. “We didn’t want to make things harder on you then they already were when you came back, so we decided to keep it to ourselves for a little while.”
Chase finished off the speech with, “We didn’t want to overwhelm you. And you came back with someone new. We weren’t sure what to make of it, and we didn’t know her at all. Who was to know what she would do with information?” And there it was. The ugly truth that they thought their relationship would crush me. But why? My eyes went to Sam and she was nodding like she understood it entirely. I knew she would. Anyone new in these circumstances is always so hard to trust.
I wanted nothing more than for them both to be happy. It was a plus they had found joy in each other. Granted, I didn’t think Chase would stick around after what had happened before, but he was still here and he was there for Beth. How could I not expect something to form between them?
“I’m happy for you two. You guys deserve to be happy. Now, if we could find a safe place to crash for at least a few hours.” I was more than ready to sit down somewhere with a cushion on it and get off of my tired and aching feet. While running was something I had to do often, it wasn’t something I liked to do.
“There’s the Beverly Center,” Chase pointed out as he looked off into the distance.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Gordon came to my rescue. “We don’t know what kind of shape it’s in. Unless you guys know something we don’t.”
I finally felt like I could come to a standing position. When I did so there came a lingering feeling of reflux, but as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared. I took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. That gave me enough time to see the look on Beth’s face and to interpret it. They knew something and I would push as hard as necessary to get it out of them. I had a feeling that safety meant more to them than keeping things from us at this point. Plus, why would this even be an issue?
“Then let’s go for it,” I said, rubbing sweaty palms on my jeans again. It was hot and I had a bad case of morning sickness that was gone now, but I had a sneaking suspicion would come back once we started moving again. And we would need to run to get there with a small chance of invisibility. Nods from all around let me know everyone agreed. Thank god. Being out in the open wouldn’t be the best place to have a disagreement about where to go next.
Chase moved to help Beth up, but Gordon interjected; mumbling something about how Chase needed a break and the he could take it from here. As soon as he had one of her arms draped over his shoulders and his wrapped around her waist, we were on the move, making sure each step we took didn’t make a sound. It took a while before we found our way to the door, trying to stay out of sight. Beth and Chase had scoped the place out a few times obviously. They knew where the door was and took us straight to it. From the state of grounds outside I didn’t have high hopes for what it looked like on the inside, but if they were correct about nothing being able to get inside of the store I didn’t see any reason I should be skeptical. Crawlers didn’t have the presence of mind to pick locks and vampires didn’t need anything. The door opened easily and a cool wave of air passed over us as we made our way inside. Chase grabbing the small folded slip of paper that kept us from being locked out. With cautious steps, we glided down the hall.
As I watched, Sam was the epitome of silence. Her shoes never made a sound as she moved through the stillness; a knife at the ready. She had put her gun back in the holster. She had to have been out of ammunition. We all had to be. The house had turned into a blaze of gunfire and I would be surprised if anyone had one bullet left.
Nothing moved in the store. Not even a mouse or a bug had managed to make its way in. There were some objects on the ground that had been ransacked when everything fell to ruin outside. I could imagine the people panicking, trying to grab anything they could that they though would save them. Tears sprang to my eyes as images flashed in my mind. The emotions moving through me as we searched the store for any sign of crawlers or vampires were overwhelming and they came in a rush moving from one to another.
Once we made it to where bedding sets were kept, I noticed a mattress that had been set up, fully made, but the sheets and comforter were in disarray, like everything else we had passed before now. Gordon lowered Beth onto the bed, a grimace causing her face to contort like she was in pain.
I sat down next to her as Gordon, Chase, and Sam worked through the rest of the store, leaving us alone. I adjusted the pillow behind her back, leaning them against the makeshift headboard the display provided. She lay against the pillow and sighed. The rest would do her some good. What she said next came out of nowhere as I took her arm in my hand, checking her wound.
“Did I die?” she asked.
I wasn’t prepared for the question. I wasn’t even sure if I had the answer. Had she died? Hell, I had no idea if she actually had or not. All I knew was what I had seen and which didn’t make sense. Both Beth and I had been bitten by vampires before and had to be cured, but when a crawler bit her, there was no need. Her body cured itself. I cleared my throat and inspected the wound, unsure of how to answer her. Like if I ignored the question it would go away.
The bite was one of the worst I had ever seen. Crawlers obviously latched on and didn’t let go, like a rabid dog that had tasted fresh blood for the first time. Blood was still flowing from the wound slowly and needed to be cleaned. I would have to see what kind of first aid kit they had in the store and see if it would be good enough. The skin and muscle were torn so badly I wasn’t sure whether her nerves would be damaged. There was no way to know for sure unless she started experiencing signs of such damage. For her sake I hoped she wouldn’t.
“Robin.” I looked at her and her eyes were unreadable because of fatigue. She was so tired but she refused to close her eyes. “Please. I need to know.”
I didn’t look away from her as I answered, “I don’t know.” I looked back down at her arm, leaning even closer at the gash in mock concentration. Her eyes were on me. I could feel it, but I didn’t want to look back up at her.
“You don’t know?” There was frustration and confusion in her voice, but that was the only answer I had for her. I was sure that was the only answer she’d be able to get from any of us at this point. “How do you not know?”
My gaze shot to hers and her eyes bore into mine. “I couldn’t tell if you had stopped breathing or not. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try me,” she whispered. How would I start to explain this when I had no idea? I guessed I’d have to try. Her eyes were searching mine like the answers would be buried in them, but I had bad news for her. They weren’t. We were all as confused as she was.
A sigh left my parted lips before I was able to say anything. “When we got you outside you were okay at first. I didn’t see what happened for at least a minute after we got out of the house, but when I turned around you were on the ground. I guess you had blacked out.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I could see your veins underneath your skin turning black and purple like bruises and it was like you were having convulsions. When you screamed I thought that was going to be it and when it all stopped I wasn’t sure if you were still alive your breathing was so shallow. Then the bruises disappeared and you were okay. That’s all I know. All any of us know.”
She looked at her arm like she was trying to imagine the neat network of black veins that had sprouted over her skin not even an hour ago. Confusion and wonder were all over her face and I could tell she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to feel first.
“What do you think it means?” she probed.
“Well, I think it means you’re immune.” I wasn’t sure how or why, but in my heart I felt it was the absolute truth.
Chapter 25:
Running for our Lives
Once Beth was settled I made my way to the cash registers where I thought a first aid kit would be. Bed, Bath and Beyond wasn’t exactly known for carrying first aid supplies so we would have to make do with what they had in the kit. I had my bow in hand with an arrow cocked and ready to go just in case with my silver tipped machete tucked snuggly into its sheath on my back.
I went off alone, knowin
g that it probably wasn’t the best idea but doing it anyways. Gordon, Chase and Sam hadn’t gotten back yet from scoping out the rest of the store and Beth was bleeding too badly for me to wait. She needed stitches. If Chase happened to find the kit before I did that was okay. That would just mean I took a second round to make sure we were safe and sound in our hideaway. I passed the section of the store that displayed dinnerware and glassware; glass and ceramic crunching underfoot with every step I took. I tried to be as careful as I possibly could be under the circumstances, but the Converse sneakers weren’t exactly made for stealth.
My breathing was ragged and I was starting to sweat from the anxiety. Nothing like the end of the world to suddenly get you to exercise. Even if it only meant being so scared it was like exercise, right? That was how I was choosing to see it. I would be all right seeing the anxiety any number of ways as long as the perspective helped squelch the terror I was feeling.
I was nearing the cash registers so slowly I felt I would never make it there. Putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my eyes peeled in all directions, I passed the large bin in the middle of the floor that held plastic water bottles of different colors at what they said was a great price. To be honest, I was more interested in the Dyson bladeless fan towards my right. I could feel sweat trickling down my back in rivulets, soaking my clothes and causing my hair to stick to my forehead and neck. It was annoying but it would have to stay until I was sure I could get to the kit without incident. Once I came to stand in front of the counter, I lowered the bow and arrow, keeping them both in one hand as I sat on the counter and spun to the other side. I jumped off of the counter, my Converse sneakers making a soft plastic thump on the floor as I landed, and turned to search on the shelves underneath the countertop. Within seconds the kit was in my hand and I was standing to hop the counter again to go back to Beth.
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