To survive without them

chapter 23 CHACE POV

ch.23 Chace POV.

It has been 1,2,3 days since Abby woke up, saw me and scared the shit out of herself. The way she looked at me as if I am an axe murderer, the horror on her face still sticks in my mind.  Through all the work I am doing, the building and chopping wood, only one thing sticks in my mind. HER. My girl.

She walks around the village, finally loosing the look of pure fear on her face. She talks to people, everyone except me and Jacob. She looks almost happy, as she works collecting food and learning from Ben our ultimate greenie, he has been living in the bush ever since the virus and managed to survive without any hassles. He is a nice kid, kind of tall and gangly, with black short hair and tanned skin..

She talks to Ben like I don't even exist, laughing with him and having small conversations. Maybe it would be easier if she forgot about me, it would kill me, but if it made her happy, oh boy I would do anything to make my girl happy. But that’s not the problem, she remembers me perfectly fine, she thinks I am a ghost. A freaking ghost!. Even though I touched her and held her hand, all the time when she was recovering, while Ben tried to fix up her shoulder.

I slam my axe down on the log, splinters fly everywhere as the wood splints in two. I reach up and wipe the sweat beading on my forehead, looking around the village. Beth is sitting next to Abagail, wrapping an arm around her explaining something as Abagail nods. Some hunters are just getting ready to go out for the afternoon and Patch and Curly play in the river, some of the Nellie braids Curly's long curly hair, but as I have been told specifically by Curly, she likes the way Abby does it best. They miss her. I miss her.

She is back to normal, but she is not back to me. yet.

"Dude, looking at her doesn't make it any better" A gruff voice speaks up behind me. I turn around, Jacob leans on his shovel, his pile of dirt half on the ground, half all over his body.

"Yeah I know" I mutter.

"Hey she is my own f**king sister and she thinks I am a ghost, how do you think that makes me feel huh?"

"I guess your right, I'll stop complaining" I return to setting up my wood on the ground. I raise my axe and a satisfying crunch comes from the wood.

"You love her don't you?" I turn around to face Jacob, he is still leaning on his shovel. The question completely got me off guard. He looks at me with a happy look on his face like he has just accomplished something. I open my mouth to speak.

"I.............." Beth runs over, cutting me short. I love her.

"It's time" she puffs, resting her hands on her knees as she puffs.

"What time are you talking about" I ask, thanking the lord that this conversation is over, how awkward telling Abagail's brother that I love her.

"She wants to talk" I drop my axe and take a step forward, excitement building up inside me, Beth holds a hand to my chest." not you, just Jacob" she looks over my shoulder towards him.

My heart sinks in my chest, is it really over, I mean I know we didn't really have anything, well I did I just kept it inside me, scared that I could love someone as much as I love Patch and Curly.

Jacob drop his shovel and breaks into a run across the clearing, over behind the big boulders, which I have noticed is Abby's favorite spot to sit, she even sleeps there some nights.

 I slowly sit down on my split wood.

"Give her time" Beth whispers, coming to sit next to me.

"She has had time, she has had three days, to think, she must know I am not dead by now"