Gory Glory // l.t au

15 - Leila

Leila

I sat cross-legged at the entrance of our tent, watching over Louis – awaiting him to wake. My trusted rifle sat in my lap as I let out a long sigh. Before I fell asleep last night, a thought was constantly playing on my mind. I tried to swat it away but it continued to return. After what Helen had said about moving upstream, I began to think. I had agreed to meet my dad by the river – although I wasn't anticipating him to actually turn up. But even if he didn't, it was up to me to rid the world of this infection. I was the only one besides my dad who knew the whereabouts of the lab, and I needed to find it before Breathers took over the Living human race. Although I'm unsure of how long I have. The clock is ticking, and I can't stay here forever. We can't stay here forever. Sooner rather than later, we are going to have to move. I simply cannot wait for my dad much longer.

The shuffling of blankets brought me from my daze, as Louis' eyes blinked heavily, before flittering open. His gaze met mine as a soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His lids were still droopy as he sat up. “Hey Leila,” his voice was scratchy and guffawed from lack of speaking.

“Alright,” I nodded. He stumbled over to me, and reach his arm out to unzip the tent. I surprised him when my hand shot out and grabbed hold of his wrist, halting his movements.

“Wha-”

“What aren't you telling me?” I spat, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He visibly paled as the colour drained from his face. His mouth gaped open before closing again. “I, uh, I-”

“Spit it out”.

“It's nothing”.

“I'd think twice before lying to me, Stripes. I can see right through you. I'm meant to be protecting you but I can only do that if you're honest with me”.

“Please, Leila-”

“We're meant to be a team, remember? How can we work together when I know you're keeping things from me?” my voice sounded more hurt than I had intended.

He exhaled slowly and shakily. “Okay, okay I'll tell you”. I gestured my hand in a circular motion, urging him to continue. “Last night, I heard a noise from outside our tent. I left to find Helen and Rob packing all our supplies and heading to the Jeep. They were going to steal our supplies, Leila! I grabbed your gun and threatened to shoot them, but you and I both know I couldn't do that. They seemed to know that too because Rob threatened me. He told me that if I blabbed to you, they would kill us, and I don't want anything to happen to you, Leila. I'm so sorry I lied to you, but I didn't want to see you hurt. Or worse...”

I stared at him in silence, absorbing all the information he was feeding me. His eyes were big, as he observed me with a worried expression. “Leila? Say something, please”.

“Those bastards! I fed them, gave them a place to stay, healed his fucking wound and this is how they repay me? I swear to God I'll-” I rose onto my feet, but Louis swiftly pulled me down again.

“No, Leila! You can't tell them I told you or they'll kill us both!”

I smirked, “I'd like to see them try”.

“Leila, please, this isn't funny. You can't give out any indications that you know”.

I nodded slowly as Louis continued to stare at me desperately. “Alright, fine. I won't. But I swear they won't get away with this. When were they planning on nicking our gear?”

“Well, they were obviously going to do it last night, but when you woke up they knew their chances were blown. So if I were to guess, they'll probably try tonight as well”.