Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Thirty Two - It all fell down

Carter went through the double doors first, holding a gun in one hand and a combat knife in the other. The hallways were lined with blood, splatters and bursts covering every inch of the walls. Bodies scattered against the concrete, most were tore limb from limb, barely even identifiable.

"The lab" I whispered heading up the stairs to the one room I knew would be occupied, I knew in my gut this was him, maybe this was my fault for exposing him but I couldn't see that right now, all I could see was red. Red hot scorching anger, burning me from the inside out.

Once we reached the top floor Carter turned to me, stopping my path with his larger frame. "I don't know what we're going to find Katie" his hands rested on my shoulders softly "Let me go first".

I knew there was a chance Hayley was one of these bodies, there was always the chance she could die in this world, I guess I never truly excepted that. The one thing I promised her was to keep her safe and I could feel that promise shattering each step closer to the lab. I nodded slowly pushing back the slow crushing of my heart, the last thing I felt was his lips on my forehead before he slowly pushed away.

His footsteps slow and careful as he held his gun in front, the door was already slightly ajar, the same bright light peaking through the cracks.

She was alive. Safe. She had to be.

The words were played on repeat in my head, trying to overpower the anxiety riddling my brain.

Carter waved a hand over silently forcing me from my thoughts, I didn't hesitate, hell I didn't breathe as I stormed through the doors. Laindon had a face full of guilt, blood covering every inch of his white lab coat as he held his arms up in surrender. My march didn't stop until I was in front of him, throwing my fist across his face as I felt his nose crunch beneath my knuckles.

Red. Red. It was all I saw.

The blood seeping down his face joined the rest coating his body as he dropped to the floor "Where is she". Laindon cowered, covering his face with his soiled hands, his weak pathetic body shaking. I sunk down with knees either side of his waist, my blade pressed against his jugular firm enough to break his skin. "I won't ask again".

"Katie" Carter shouted but I couldn't hear him, I could feel his hands on my shoulders trying to pull my weight from the coward of a man but it was no use.

"I had to" The man cried "it was the only way to see".

Carters hold fell limp "See what" his voice was harsher than I'd ever heard before.

I pushed the blade deeper watching as blood coated the metal, his whimpers growing excruciating under my hold "The only way for a cure is to find someone with a specific genetic" I shook my head slowly "I took blood work from all the guards on the island, the one with the highest immunity I injected with the blood of the dead".

Carter pulled me off Laindon, only to replace my body with his own as he slammed his fist across the man's cheek "You know how many fucking people are dead out there".

"I know" He cried "It happened to fast, just like the first time. He came back, got out the lab. So I thought of something else" it was like I already knew what he was going to say as I sunk against the wall, sliding down until my head fell into my knees "Children produce more antibodies, if there was an immunity it would most likely be in one of them. I swear I wasn't going to try it, you have to believe me".

Carter had his hands wrapped around the man's neck "What did you do. Tell me or I swear to god I will rip your throat out".

Tears were staining my jeans, I hadn't realised I was crying, not until it became hard to breathe.

"Two doors down".

A huge crack echoed across the room, I didn't need to look to know Carter had slammed his gun across the man's head to knock him out, mere seconds later he was kneeling in front of me. "Katie" his voice wobbled, his shaky hands on my shoulders as I leaned back into the wall.

"I can't, I can't do it again" I cried "I promised her we would keep her safe, just like I promised my brother. I can't do it again Carter".

"Two seconds" Carter said, pulling me into his chest "Two seconds we get to break down, we don't know if she's okay, but we are the only people she has and she needs us" I pressed my face into him, letting out a loud sob, I could feel everything we worked for crumbling and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My husband pulled me to my feet before wiping the fresh tears streaming down his face "I love you" his voice was broken.

"I love you".

Each step closer to the room was agonising, all I wanted to do was run, wipe every memory from my brain until it was a clean slate.

When we pushed the door open, Hayley was laid in a bed, her skin pale, fresh droplets of sweat coating her face. The small girl was asleep until she noticed us, a small grunt echoing as she turned towards us. Carter ran first scooping her into his lap, before I managed to get my feet to move from the trance I was stuck in.

I sat next to them as gently as I could, running a hand through her dark locks. Her smaller hand reached out to mine, linking her tiny fingers in between each of mine. All I saw was her, her sweet soul, a face full of kindness and innocence.

That was until I saw the small indents wrapping across her arm, gashes slowly oozing with blood.

Hayley was bitten.