The Movement of the Earth

Chapter 11: Options

"Sam!" Emily called, her voice an octave higher than normal. "Sam!"

I ran out the door and promptly stumbled down the steps of the front porch. Emily stood by my truck, staring into the forest. "Emily?" I said hesitantly. What was I supposed to do? The first step was to get her out of the yard."Emily, listen to me, you should come back inside. I think-"

"There's something wrong with Sam," Emily said, still staring. "Something was wrong before and I didn't want to worry you but now something's really wrong and I can't..."

I came to her side and wrapped my left hand around her forearm, tugging hard. "Emily, please, listen, if there's something wrong the others will help, I'm sure he'll be okay." She shook her head. "Yes, he will, now come on!" The discomfort in my chest grew again - my breathing felt shallower and shallower. Was it Jacob? Was there something wrong with him, too? Could he breathe? The anxiety felt like a living thing with teeth and claws, ripping up the lining of my lungs.

Emily froze again, her left eye widening while her right eye remained as immobile as ever. I followed her gaze, looking out into the trees... and immediately saw the large, dark figure approaching from the shadows.

I heaved a sigh of relief - part of me had been preparing to see death coming at us in the form of wild red hair and cat-like grace. "Look, Emily, see, it's Sam, I told you-" But even before I finished my sentence, I knew I was mistaken. The figure was too large, and it was moving all wrong...

"Can I get some help over here?" a hoarse, angry voice yelled at us.

With a choked noise, Emily ripped her arm out of my hand and took off into the forest. I followed as quickly as I could, losing ground as I tried not to stumble over rocks or fallen branches. Then a thick, rusty iron smell hit me like a slap to the face; my vision tunneled instantly; bile rose in my throat. I bent over at the waist and swallowed hard.

There was blood everywhere.

I heard Emily's sobs and a wet sound, then the angry voice again - "Bella, grab her! I can't hold him and fight her off too!"

I managed to look up.

Paul had one arm wrapped under Sam's shoulders, holding his limp body off the ground. Emily pressed against them both as she tried to take Sam from Paul, but there was no way she could support her fiance's weight; Paul was trying to hold her at bay with his free arm and staggering with the effort of handling them both. He was slippery; Emily's hands were slick; red rivers ran down Sam's naked skin.

"Damn it, Bella," Paul said desperately, catching my eye, "help!"

I forced myself to take a deep breath, then stood upright. The smell of the blood made my light-headedness worse by degrees of magnitude, but the rush of adrenaline helped keep me on my feet; I wrapped my arms around Emily's waist and pulled her away from Paul. She struggled against me, reaching for Sam. "Emily," I said, trying to sound both soothing and firm, "stop, stop it, calm down-"

"Sam Sam Sam..." The words came out of her mouth in a whispered mantra that scared me more than if she'd been screaming.

Then, to my utter shock, Sam raised his head - I hadn't even realized he was conscious. "Hi, Emily," he said. He tried to smile at her, then spat a mouthful of blood and something else onto the ground.

Emily moaned.

"Man, come on, work with me here." Paul's enormous frame was shaking under the effort of trying to force Sam's dead weight in the direction of the front door. "I can't carry you anymore, you have to walk, come on-" Sam obeyed, taking painful steps across the yard. At least Sam was working with Paul; I was fighting Emily every step of the way, her hands pushing at mine and her body twisting to escape my embrace. In the end I simply tightened my grip around her stomach and tugged her as hard as I could. It probably only took ninety seconds to get into the house, but it felt like an hour.