Faith In The Wild •CARL GRIMES•

An Answered Prayer

The scream turned to quiet cries, weeping in the shadows.

Then it hit me.
Now I realize why the sudden scream was so familiar.

I trembled as tears filled my eyes.

"Carl..?" I whispered in question.

I don't even think I wanted him to answer at this point.

Something behind me was... Feasting?
I could hear it tearing into flesh and devouring it's meal.

My stomach twisted and I couldn't get the sound out of my ear, it gave me chills.

I turned to see what I had my back to, and there was a deer laying limp with a biter kneeled at its stomach, my eyes scattered across the scene I had just witnessed and I stumbled backwards, tripping over my feet, and falling onto my hands and lower back.

The biter snapped it's head around and my eyes locked with his foggy, white glazed blue eyes.

My face dropped and my heart shot up in my throat.
I froze, in both fear and deviation.

"All this time," I whispered, "You were.. roaming out here, suffering for something you can't control...?" My eyelashes fluttered, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He just blankly stared at me, his pale skin glistening in whatever the random light came from.

Every breath up until this moment, I took for granted. Now? It felt selfish to even have life, when he couldn't. He didn't get to experience everything he ever deserved, all because I wasn't there to protect him.

"I'm.." I started to get choked up. "I'm so sorry.."

My lips parted, the last breath I took, before his blank stare shifted and he lunged at me.

I flinched, though I didn't stop him.

Don't do this, Bella. Is this really where you want to end up? Just another emotionless, monster roaming around the remains of earth, waiting to devour whatever your next meal is.. even if...

Don't even go there. Don't do it.

I tried talking myself into fighting back, but.. why?

The other half of me, everything that I made myself believe was actually out here... Somewhere, looking at the same moon as me, turned out to be in the wilderness feasting on a dead deer.

He loved deers, his whole life, he absolutely adored nature and animals, just like me. We bonded so well over getting to go feed the deers on road trips, throwing rocks into rivers and even doing things he didn't like, because it made me happy.

He was the most selfless, kind hearted, genuine person and he deserved better than.. this.

My hands dug into his collarbones, holding him inches away as he gnashed his teeth towards me.

"I'm sorry." I said, just above a whisper.

"I'm sorry.." I repeated, struggling to keep him off of me. I don't know what I was fighting for, but I wanted to give up so badly. Right then and there. Just for the endless nightmare to be over.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you.."
I grunted, with my back to the ground, a stick was digging into my shoulder blades and it hurt, but nothing could ever hurt worse than trying to keep someone you care about.. from taking your life.

Finally, moments before I just gave in..
I mumbled something that was almost inaudible,

"I love you, Carl.." I said, my wrists giving in and my body being crushed under his.