Alone 2

Chapter 8: I'm sorry

Firess's P.O.V

I suffocate in the stalkers reaching and clawing for me. They smell like death. I hear a grunt and finally see light again. I'm screaming and squirming around. I'm finally free. I lay on my back. My breath heavy as I breathe in fresh air. I look at Austin, who is also panting. I smile at him. He smiles back. I start to laugh. I laugh and cry at the same time.

Austin pushes his hand in front of my face. I grab it and he pulls me up. I stumble to my feet.

"You okay?" He asks me. I just nod my head. He looks at his feet. I follow his gaze. He has on big boots that are black, but something catches my attention. The dried blood on his shirt where he was bit.

I quickly look up to him and take a step back. He shakes his hands at me.

"I was bitten weeks ago." I glare at his shirt. He steps closer to me, I quickly pull out my gun and point it at him. He steps back with his hands up.

"Firess, its not what it looks like." I'm still glaring at him. Unable to respond. He grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls it up. The wound looks better than when I saw it at the house.

I smile with fear. "You... you're immune."

•••

My mouth drops to the ground.

"I can't believe this, we could stop this whole disease... " I push myself and rush towards his. I grab his shoulders, and hug him.

I smile. He smiles.

"Why are we smiling?" He says with a laugh.

"I really don't know."

I stop laughing as he puts his hands on my waist and pulls me close.

"Shh." My heart beats fast as I hear his breath in my ear and his hands stings on my side. I hear feet shuffling around us.

I hold my breath and listen to his. I feel like a child.

The way he's holding me close, and keeping me away from danger.

I close my eyes and feel myself falling asleep. My eyelids sink down over my eye, but im not falling asleep. I can't breathe, he's holding on too hard. I wiggle, but he doesn't move. I grab his arm and try to pull it off, but he only holds on tighter. I gasp for air, but I'm too late.

•••

I shiver on the ground. The cold ground. Austin is sitting on a stump, his face in his hands. I turn over onto my side and see grass, as far as the eye can see. I breathe slowly as I push myself off the ground and stand up.

I look at Austin, his face still in his hands. He starts to cry.

"I'm sorry...." He has a gun in his hand.

"No, its okay, you didn't mean t-"

"YES I DID!" I take a step back. I trip over a branch and land on my back.

"Shh, calm do-"

"CALM DOWN? CALM.... DOWN! YOU CALM DOWN!" I nod my head at him, agree with him. His face is still in his hands.

"Austin.. Is something wrong with your face?" I tilt my head as I see blood dripping from his finger tips.

He shakes his head. I bite my lip as I stand up and dust myself off.

"I'm coming over there, okay?" He nods his head.

Whenever I am close enough I grab his hand, but he turns his head to where I can't see his face.

"Austin, look at me...."

"No...." I grab his head and turn it to me. I let go of him and step back again.

"Austin, what did you do?"

I look at his face, study it. Across his forehead, he wrote 'I'm sorry'. No, he didn't write it, he carved it into his head with a knife. I shake my head and fall to my knees.

"Why.... Why would you do that? You're going mad...." He stands up to where he is looking over me. His gun is still in his hand.

He places the gun to the side of his head.

"Austin, put it down." Like a child, he shakes his head vigorously. "Put it down, honey." He steps back as I crawl towards him.

I watch his lips mouth 'I'm sorry' as the loud noise makes my ears ring and Austin falls to the ground.

My mouth drops. I begin to cry. He was mad. Crazy. Insane. I fall to my side, crawl up into a ball. I can't live now. I'm gonna die.

I look at Austin's bloody hand. I grab the gun and put it to my own head. 'I've been in this situation more than once' I say to myself. I push the gun away.

I crawl to Austin's body. I wipe away the blood from his face.

"Austin.... I should've done something... I- I'm sorry."