Don't Be Afraid

Chapter 33

Hunter's POV

"How can she have the symptoms of a bite if she's not even bitten?"

Sam rolls her eyes. "Hunter, you don't have to be bitten to catch the symptoms. A scratch or a cold can turn into this if it goes unnoticed for a while. Do you know if she was sick or felt sickish?"

I close my eyes and look back on our time together in the cages and on the supply run, but she shows no sign of a cold at all. "No. She's never been sick."

Maple raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." She shakes her head in exhasperation and continues checking Linda's body.

After pacing for what seems like forever, I slide down the trunk of a tree and pull my knees close to my chest. She's not bitten and she's deifintely not infected. She's going to get better soon and everything will be fine. Nothing to worry about.

"Hunter!"

I jump up and run towards Maple and Linda. When I reach them, I see Maple yelling at Aspen and telling her to get the kids back. The girls are crying, some are even screaming. If they keep it up, we'll attract every zombie for miles.
I gently grab Aspen's arm. "Calm them down. We can't be loud."
"I'm trying."
I point towards the river. "Take them swimming or something. Tell them everything is fine. It's not hard to calm a kid down." She looks annoyed, but takes them to the river.

When they're out of ear shot I rush over to Maple. "Maple! Maple, calm down. What's going on? What happened?"

"It's Linda! She's scratched and it's infected badly," she pauses and leans in close to me. "Hunter, it looks like a human did this. If an animal had done it, it would've been deeper. I-I'm sorry."

I look Linda over, but she looks the same. She still has color to her and her breathing isn't too shallow. I open one of her eyes and sigh in relief. They're not glazed over. They're still the beautiful eyes I'd gotten lost in the first time I met her.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me. She's surprisingly warm and her scent reminds me of rain.

"Hunter!" Maple grabs my arms, trying to pull me away, but I won't budge. "She's infected. Don't touch her."

"She's not dead yet Maple. Now get the kids to calm down or she won't be the only one who's infected." That seems to snap maple out of it. She stands up and quickly walks into the river with the kids.

I watch the kids for a minute and then something catches my eye. Aspen's holding one of the younger girls and singing to her. Her eyes meet mine for a second and I can feel my heart melt. She smiles, almost like she knows what she's doing to me, and continues singing to the kid, while rocking her back and forth.

Watching Aspen with that kid makes me think about the future. Maybe when all of this is over me and her can settle down and start our own family. We could get a house and have a white picket fence. We could live a normal, boring life. Maybe I could give her the life she deserves.

-

The sun's starting to set and it's quiet, except for the rushing of the river. That noise seems to never stop. Maple and Aspen put the kids to bed and Issac finally came back. He hasn't said a word, which is the best option for him right now, and he hasn't tried to make a move on Linda. She still hasn't woken up, but for safety measures, we tied her up to a tree. We don't want to make any rash decisions incase she pulls through and we worried for nothing.

"Are you tired?" Aspen sits beside me and lays her head on my shoulder. I take her hand in mine and kiss her knuckles.

"No. I'm wide awake. Are you tired?"

"A little. Those kids wear me out, but I'll take them anyday over a zombie." I laugh and pull her closer to me.

"Go to sleep. Everything's okay now. I promise."

"Are you sure?" I nod my head yes. She gives me a quick kiss and lays her head in my lap. Not to long after that her breathing slows and I can hear her snoring. It's like music to my ears.

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A/N

Hey guys! I'm back. I'm feeling a lot better and can start updating again. I know I promised two updates last week and I broke that promise, but I'll make it up to you guys.

QOTD: What's your favorite type of book? Mine is Dystopian. Let me know what yours is in the comments. Bye :)