Last Girl

Chapter 8

I sit in the car for awhile, stroking Titans rough fur.
The cold air has seeped through the windows and through my clothes.
My breath billows out in front of me.
I decided to go back inside.
It's useless to sit out here in the cold.
I exit the car and open the door for Titan.
He excitedly leaps out of the car and hurries inside.
As I walk inside, I glance back.
I've gotten used to the darkness that comes with night. There's are no streetlights or headlights that light up the night.
The stars are stunning.
Millions of tiny pinpricks of light scattered across the deep black sky.
The crescent moon smiles gently down on me, before I go inside.
I close and lock the metal doors.
They clang noisily.
I usually don't do this, but I'm feeling paranoid about the things that Jacob has told me.
As I walk back to my room, I hear voices.
It's Jacob and Tessa.
I peek around the corner and see that Tessa has been moved to the couch.
The dirt and grime have been cleaned off her face, and she is wrapped in several blankets. Jacob is taking good care of her. Her wounds are freshly bandaged.
"Damn" I think to myself
"How long was I in the car?"
He's feeding her soup, which she seems grateful for. He's also squeezing her hand occasionally.
Jealousy washes over me.
Umm. Excuse me? Not ok.
I clear my throat loudly, and walk into the room, head held high and not looking at Jacob or Tessa.
I brush my hair and teeth, and slip into my warm pajamas.
Jacob has gone to find somewhere to sleep, presumably another couch somewhere in the store.
I check on Tessa and make sure she's comfortable.
"How do you feel?" I ask.
"Like shit" she mumbles.
"You're safe now. Don't worry." I say encouragingly.
"But for how long?" she asks.
I don't have an answer for that.
"Get some rest." I say
"One question..." I trail off.
"How old are you?"
"I'm 17" she says.
I nod my head.
Of course she is around Jacobs and my ages.
He'll probably like her more.
My hopes of not dying a virgin slowly crumble to dust.
"Lights out!" I yell loudly, hoping Jacob will hear.
I click off the generator, and am plunged into darkness.
I stumble to my bed, but sleep doesn't find me.
I lay awake in bed, listening to the sound of Tessa's breathing as she sleeps.
I stare at the dark ceiling, and let my thoughts wander.
I reminisce. Remembering my old life of friends and worrying about what to wear.
That life died a long time ago.
My parents were still gone, and nothing would bring them back.
A tear runs down my cheek.
Sometimes I don't feel that sad about it all, but other times, it hits me like a wave.
I stifle a sob, not wanting to wake up Tessa.
I can't remember the sound of my mothers voice, or her smell.
I wish that I had cherished all that I had, before it was yanked away from me.
I let the tears flow freely now.
I sniffle quietly in the dark.
I suddenly hear movement.
I glance over and see Jacob slipping into my room.
It's very dark, but I can tell his silhouette, outlined in the dark.
"Gracie?" he whispers. "Are you ok? I heard you crying...and I..well I-"
"I'm ok. Just sad." He walks over to my bed and lays beside me, wrapping his hands around me.
"It's going to be ok" he whispers in my ear, kissing my cheek.
"I'm sorry about earlier. We will figure out what to do later." he says. 
I snuggle up against him. The warmth radiating off of his body soothes me, and I slowly drift into a deep sleep.

I wake up. Tessa is still asleep on the couch, her back turned to me.
I watch the steady rise and fall of her breathing. Her golden hair is splayed on the pillow.
I look over at Jacob. His back is also turned to me.
I happily stare at the back of his blonde head, waiting for him to wake up.
He's so cute. I see his toned back through his shirt.
It's late in the morning, so I gently tap him.
He doesn't stir.
I shake him gently.
"Jacob wake up!"
He still is motionless.
Finally I shake him firmly.
"Jacob!!!"
His limp body rolls toward me.
I scream in pure fear when I see his face.
Mottled flesh is slowly rotting on him.
His cheeks are gone, leaving him in a constant eerie smile. Yellowed and rotting teeth greet me. Disgusting flesh peels off his nose.
Maggots eat at his flesh.
His eyes are milky.
Suddenly I can smell him.
I gag as I smell the scent of a rotting body.
His rotting hands reach for me.
I scoot away as fast as I can.
Suddenly, another set of rotten arms grab me by my hair and yank me backward. I smack on the ground hard.
It's Tessa.
She is similarly rotting. Her eerie face grins down at me.
I try to sit up, but Jacob pushes me down.
"Help! Stop!"
I yell but it's no use.
I scramble backward, but soon hit a wall. They slowly close in.
I scream as loud as I can, then Jacob hits me across the face.
My head smacks against the ground, and everything goes black.

I wake up, gasping for air. My face stings from where I thought Jacob hit me.
I look around. Jacob and Tessa are sitting there, looking very concerned.
My heart slowly clams as I realize that I just had a nightmare.
"You ok?" Tessa asks.
"Just...just a nightmare." I say, disoriented.
"You were screaming and kicking." Jacob said.
I've never really done anything in my sleep, and this is the first nightmare I've had in a long time.
I flop back onto the bed, wiping sweat off my brow.
Titan has come to see what is going on.
I pet his black fur, and completely zone out.