Zoe’s POV (Zoella)
An agonizing pain surfaces at the back of my head, and I let out a small groan. Even doing this action sends jolts of pain through me, but I push the feeling aside and force my eyelids to slide open.
I feel a warm hand on my shoulder suddenly, and that’s what forces my eyes to snap open properly. At first, my eyelids had weighed a ton. Now I can’t even blink. I open my mouth to speak, but my tongue is too dry and I choke on my words.
“Zoe, Zoe, calm down,” I hear Alfie say, and it is only now that I realize I am on the verge of hyperventilating. I let my eyes trail over to him, and I ball the hem of his plaid shirt in my fist. “You’re alright.” He tells me softly, placing his arm around my back and pulling me up to sit in his lap.
“Joe?” I ask, my voice cracking when I do. I hadn’t realized that it would be so weak, and the thought of losing my voice makes me panic a little. “Where is he?” I question further, looking closely into Alfie’s eyes in hope to read them.
“He’s fine.” He says slowly, almost as if he is testing the words on his tongue. It sounds like a lie when the words slip past his lips.
“Don’t lie, Alfie,” I say, swallowing the lump that is beginning to form in my throat. “What’s happened to him? Is everything alright?” I ask Alfie, my voice raising in pitch as my pulse sky-rockets and the panic escalates. It’s at this point where I try and take deep breaths to calm myself down.
“No, really, he’s fine,” He tells me, nodding his head as he says it. Almost like he is trying not only to convince me, but himself. “He’s just a little shaken up after what happened.” He explains, and I nod my head.
“What did happen?” I say, a little calmer now that I know Joe is fine. At least, after what Alfie told me, it seems that way. “Why was I… on the floor?” I question, frowning as I try to dig deep into my memories and remember what happened. I only get a throbbing headache from doing this.
“It was your Dad,” Alfie chokes out, and I look up into his eyes to notice tears forming there. At any other time I would be concerned, but, right now, I’m too scared for that. “He… I don’t even know what really happened, Zoe. He just became… wild, aggressive. I didn’t know what to do after he knocked you out.”
“Dad knocked me out?” I ask wildly, shooting up and out of his grasp. Every fibre of my being sparks with adrenaline, and I get up onto my feet the second his arms aren’t wrapped around me. I place a hand to my head, where the dull throb turns into a sharp stab of agonizing pain. I pull my hand away to see my fingertips flaked with dried up blood. “Oh, God.”
My knees no longer seem to be able to support the weight of my body, and I feel them shake beneath me like jelly. Before I can collapse onto the ground, Alfie’s secure arms are around my waist.
“Take it easy, you’ve been out for a couple hours,” Says a familiar yet distorted voice, and I snap my head to the source. Joe stands, his face drained of colour, holding three, large backpacks. “I got all the necessary stuff and called Louise. She’s waiting for us at the quarantine zone now.”
