It all happened so fast. Disaster. Widespread panic.
A Pandemic.
It wasn't long before the Infected were everywhere.
When Hayley Brookes near-perfect life comes crashing down around her - due to a new, widespread, incurable strain of virus and she...
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I just stared at him, his words running through my head - 'Elliot Gray'. How strange, the way his last name matched his eyes. I wondered if it really was his last name or if he had changed it after the world went to shit.
He moved away slightly, retreating his outstretched palm as he realised that I wasn't going to take it, the smile dropping from his face.
"What do you want from me?" I asked him, both incredulous and agitated at the same time.
"Nothing." He held up his hands again to show that he meant no harm, "I told you that I don't want to hurt you, quite the opposite actually. I want to help you." He said softly, completely different from how he sounded only hours before, his tone now conveying both honesty and compassion. I still didn't buy it.
"Why?" I interrogated quietly, still suspicious of his motives. I glanced down at Lily, surprised that she hadn't woken up yet, though I hoped she wouldn't. She needed her sleep and I didn't want her to wake up scared.
He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not like them, the others. Especially Dave. They're barbaric and cruel. You've seen what they're like, do I seem even half as bad?"
"How would I know? Prove that you aren't like them." I demanded, still sceptical.
He sighed again, seeming somewhat frustrated that I didn't believe him and reached backwards, holding out to me what I could just make out in the dim light as my backpack. "I figured you'd be hungry." He murmured, dropping the bag full of food and drink onto my lap.
I grabbed it quickly, for fear of losing it again and out of hunger. I grabbed the first bottle of water I saw and ripped off the lid, gulping it down greedily, then tearing open a cereal bar, eating it in almost one bite. I tossed some biscuits to Ace who wolfed them down and set some food and water next to Lily, contemplating whether to wake her or not. I decided against it, she needed as much rest as she could get.
I turned back to Elliot, who seemed to be watching me scarf it down in amusement. "They don't know I gave it to you," He muttered, "they wanted to let you starve." A hint of anger laced his voice, ringing truth into his earlier words.
"Thank you," I mumbled quietly, grateful for his kindness. The water had seemed to help my throbbing headache, the dizziness seeming to have mostly disappeared.
"Don't worry about it," He shrugged, "although," he nodded towards the bag, "I did take out the knives you had. Can't have you stabbing me now, can I?" He chuckled lightly as if I weren't still a prisoner. His smile fell when he saw the austere expression on my face. "Do you still not believe me?" He sighed, disheartened.
"I just... I don't understand why you even care." I told him honestly. He let out yet another sigh, moving to sit next to me and lean against the wall. I fought the urge to move away, hyper-aware of the little amount of space between us. We weren't touching, but we were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
