HeartBreak

~Chapter 3~

My eyelids open slowly. Sunlight pours in through the open window. The bed creaks as I sit up. I look around and take in my surroundings. The room around me looks like it was hit by a tornado. I hear the front door slam shut downstairs followed by shouts. Inch by inch, I make my way to the edge of the bed and place my bare feet on the floor. I tiptoe across the floor to the door. When I'm a few feet away from it, it swings open with Creed on the other side.

"Bella. You...you're up...that's good..."

Something seems different about him. He looks down as I take a step closer to him. Accidentally stepping on the hem of my dress, I fall forward. Acting quickly, he catches me in his arms. My face goes red as I stare up into his eyes. He smiles and laughs softly.

"Smooth moves."

I manage to smile at him. There's another shout from downstairs. He sets me back down and turns to go downstairs.

"Come on. You might want to follow me. You need to know what's going on." "Yeah. Just give me a moment to change out of this dress."

A few minutes late, we enter the kitchen to a chaotic scene. Holding his shoulder, Timmy lays on the island while Brooke tries to examine his bloody shoulder. Around them is Curtis, Jonathan, Jordan, Meliyah, and Garrett, all wearing some kind of armor. Avoiding eye contact with Garrett, I look up at Creed.

"How long was I out for Creed? What is going on?"

His soft eyes glance down at me.

"You've been out for about a week Bella..."

His voice goes quiet.

"...None of us thought you were going to wake up..."

Timmy's moaning in pain cuts him off.

"Timmy! I want to help you, but I need to look at your shoulder, okay? Now all I'm going to do is wash off the area to prevent infection..."

She looks towards Meliyah.

"We still have fresh water, right?"

She nods her head before Brook looks over at us.

"Hey Creed? Can you go get me a wet washcloth with just a pinch of soap in it please?"

He nods before going to the sink. I move next to Jordan.

"Jordan, what in the world happened?"

She looks over at me, her expression unreadable.

"We were out trying to find some supplies when one of them bit through Timmy's armor's strap on his shoulder."

She glances over at Timmy who has to be held down by Creed against the table so Brooke can clean off his shoulder. I stare at Jordan in confusion.

"One of them? What are them?"

She gestures outside with her head.

"You know. Them. The things or corpses that walk around out there, feeding on whatever humans they can sink their teeth into..."

She looks back over at Timmy.

"...just a scratch or a bite from one of those can turn you into one."

I walk over and stare out the back window. The city behind us is engulfed in flames. A crashed helicopter rests in a building. I turn around as I hear Timmy wince. Brooke sighs as Creed lets him go.

"Okay. There's good news and bad news. The good news is that even though you were bitten, it didn't penetrate your skin..."

We all sigh in relief. Timmy looks up at Brooke.