Chapter 9: Crystal Clarity

BELLA

I'd been following him for a few days before I got up the courage to talk to him. He was fascinating to watch as he wandered through my town. He had such confidence in his physical strength and skill, but many times I saw near misses where he could have wandered into a situation that he couldn't get out of.

I felt pride when I saw that he recognized the signs I'd left on the buildings I'd cleared. However, my pride quickly turned to anger when he started to eat up all my stores.

Didn't he know that we needed to ration? How had this guy ever survived?

But I couldn't let him distract me from my job, so I only followed him during my off hours.

After saving him from his attempt at annihilating all the dead in my town, I realized that there was a good chance that he was crazy. That was part of the reason that I'd run away. I wasn't sure whether being around a crazy person was better or worse than being alone. It was just my luck that the only other living person that I'd found had a few screws loose.

Charlie always said that being idle made him stir crazy. Everybody needed a job to do, he'd told me.

Grandma Swan said that idle hands were the devil's workshop.

That's why I took up clearing. I couldn't be idle.

Do you think this guy just needs a job too, Dad? I asked Charlie in my mind.

Why don't you ask him, Bells? he responded, like he did some times.

So, I'd decided to approach him.

The minute I spoke to him, I realized that I didn't sound right. I hadn't spoken to another person in so long that the things that were coming out of my mouth were "off." Everything I said to him seemed to make him angry.

I tried to explain to him that he needed to be more careful, but instead we began to argue.

The boy was arrogant and mean, so after a bit of useless arguing I ran away again, thinking that he wasn't worth my time.

But even after our confrontation, I still found myself some nights when I couldn't sleep going to the law office where he'd set up a home. I'd watch him through the crack in the window coverings that he'd tacked up. It was almost soothing to watch him carry out the same routine every night. He'd start by latching the front door, then, he would check the back door and every window to make sure that they were still locked. Next, he'd check to see that all the windows he'd covered were still blacked out. I'd have to hide at this point because I couldn't let him see that we were only separated by a blanket and a pane of glass. After that, he would wedge the back of a chair under the doorknob to the room he was sleeping in.

Only then did he sit down to eat something. As he ate, he would always stare at the white blank wall on the opposite side of the room. There were plenty of things for him to read in the room, but he never did. He would just stare.

What is he thinking about, Dad? I asked Charlie.

The past, Bells. What else? Charlie responded.

After that, he would meticulously clean his shotgun and then load it.

He always checked one or two times before going to sleep to make sure that his shotgun was loaded even though he'd only checked ten minutes ago. He couldn't have forgotten that quickly.

Why does he always check twice, Dad?

I don't know, Bells. It looks like he's had it hard, Charlie murmured.

He'd sometimes lie awake, shining his flashlight on the ceiling making shadow puppets.

He's wasting his batteries, I mused.

Do you remember when we used to do that, Bells? Charlie asked, softly.

Yeah, I do Dad, I thought, staring at the dancing shadows on the ceiling longingly.

It was at these moments when I would want to knock on the window and ask the boy if I could join him.

He didn't seem like an asshole or a jerk at these moments. He seemed lonely like me.

Why don't you do it, Bells? Charlie asked.

He's mean, Dad, I explained.

No, he's not. He's just broken, Charlie explained.

But I didn't approach him. I just watched him from afar.

He had a handsome face—a sharp jaw, high cheekbones, long straight nose, heavy eyebrows that sat above brilliant green eyes

I liked how his tangled copper hair shone red in the faint beam of his flashlight at night.

Charlie didn't like the fact that I even thought that the boy was handsome. He practically had a conniption fit every time I would admire his looks as I spied through his window.

It's a crime to be a peeping Tom, Bells. Go home, Charlie admonished.

However, when I saw the boy face to face again, our encounter wasn't any better than the first time.

I'd decided on that day to clear the local grocery store. The automatic glass doors were closed, so I had to use a crowbar to pry them open enough for me to get in. It was hard work, but finally I was able to wedge it open enough to get inside.

The grocery store was trashed. I'd known that it would be, but I needed to clear it anyway and look for any supplies that hadn't been taken.

You should have cleared it earlier, Charlie lectured.

I know, Dad, I thought with a sigh.

I grabbed a can from one of the shelves and rolled it down the aisle, waiting for the dead to come searching for the sound. It skidded down the tile floor with a tinny scratchy sound.

I waited in silence for the familiar groaning and wasn't disappointed. From the darkness at the back of the store, I heard scraping and breathy moans. So, I pulled out my ice pick and waited. I wouldn't use my gun. I used in sparingly because it only attracted more of the dead.

When the monster finally emerged from the dark, I smiled. It was missing its legs, so this was going to be easy. Its milky white dead eyes found me quickly and it began dragging itself towards me more quickly, groans leaving its lips in drawn out breaths.

I casually walked up to it, not even hesitating as I rolled it over and slammed my blade down through its eye socket.

It looked vaguely familiar, but I shut that part of my brain off.

Don't think of them as people, Bells. They're monsters, nothing more, Charlie said.

While I was yanking my blade out of its head, I heard a noise from behind me.

Whipping my head towards the front of the store, I saw the bronze haired boy watching me.

With a gasp of surprise, I began to stand up.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes widened in alarm. Before I could process what that look meant, I was jerked off my feet by something grabbing my leg.

I slammed to my knees and fell forward onto my stomach. I was so jarred by the impact that my blade flew out of my hands and slid down the aisle away from me.

I flipped over onto my back, reaching for the bowie knife on my tool belt, but it was jammed behind my left hip and I couldn't get the right angle to pull it out.

I hissed in frustration, kicking at the dead thing that was trying to bite through my army boot.

Suddenly, my ice pick skidded towards me, its handle hitting my leg. Without even thinking about where it came from, I flew into action. Grabbing the handle with two hands, I rolled to my knees and slammed the knife down into the monster's right eye. And like that it was over.

"Well, well, well," I heard the boy's voice from nearby. "I guess you really can kill them."

I looked up with a glare at the smirking boy.

"No thanks to you jackass," I hissed, climbing to my feet.

I chose to ignore the fact that he was the one who threw my knife to me because I wouldn't have needed his help if he hadn't distracted me.

The smirk dropped from his face as I strode past him in order to search the rest of the store.

It was a shame, so much produce turned to mush. Charlie was right. I should have cleared the store first.

I grabbed a shopping cart and started to stack it full of stuff that hadn't been taken during the first wave of the outbreak.

Once I was sure I'd gotten everything I pushed the shopping cart to the front of the store and noticed with chagrin that the boy was still there.

"So, what's your name?" he asked casually as if he hadn't almost gotten me killed.

I huffed, but didn't respond.

"Mine's Edward. Thanks for asking," he said as if I hadn't just ignored him.

It's only a name, Bells, Charlie said. You can tell him that.

"Bella," I muttered.

"Bella… Bella… Nice name," he said with what I imagined he thought was a charming smile.

Charlie and I weren't buying it.

"Stop following me, weirdo," I said, annoyed by his presence. "I have to clear this quadrant by tomorrow or else I'm behind schedule."

He glared at me, but then a smile spread across his face.

"Wouldn't want that," he said with a barking laugh. "Do you get paid time and a half if you work past your normal 9 to 5?"

Ignore him, Bells. You're doing good work, Charlie said, comfortingly.

When I didn't respond, he stepped in front of me.

"You know, you're not a real police officer… right?" he asked. He didn't say it in a mocking voice. He just looked curious.

I stopped and glared at him.

"I have a job and that's what I'm trying to do," I said. "So, I would appreciate it if you would get out of my way."

"Do you need help? I could meet you at your place tomorrow and we could divide up the work," he said in a false friendly voice. He was so transparent.

Don't tell him where we live, Charlie warned.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good on my own," I said, turning away from him. "Well, it's been fun, but I have to get going. Things to do."

"I could help you get your supplies back to your place," he said, following me out of the store.

I spun on him, angry now.

"No! Get away from me asshole!" I yelled at him.

He took a step back from me, his hands raised in front of him in surrender. His eyes sparkled in amusement, crinkling around the edges, his mouth upturned revealing his dimples.

"Geesh. Okay, okay, have it your way," he said and then strode away.

I watched him leave until he turned the corner a block away.

I waited to make sure that he didn't come back and then went to the nearest safe house. There was no way that I was going to go home now because he clearly wanted to find out where I lived.

I'd get the supplies stashed and then I would decide what to do next.

For several days, I didn't see him. He hadn't even gone to his safe house at night time, but I knew that he was still in town.

As I cleared houses, I saw that some had already been done and these houses had gigantic smiley faces on the front door done in magic marker.

He could be an ally, Charlie said.

An involuntary smile touched my lips at the sight because it suddenly felt like I wasn't so alone, even if he was an asshole.

One thing concerned me about his help. He wasn't leaving stashes of supplies in different houses. He was keeping it all in the law office which wasn't smart. If that part of town was overrun, we would be cut off from the supplies.

So, I decided to approach him again.

I crept up behind him one morning as he drew a smiley face on a small bungalo.

"What are you doing?" I said with a smirk as he yelped in surprise.

"Jesus Christ, Bella. Give a guy a little warning," he hissed in anger. "I could have stabbed you."

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," I said.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rubbing his hand over his face. "Thank you for your pearls of wisdom."

I smiled.

"To answer your question, I'm clearing. Isn't that what you call it?" he asked with a crooked smile.

My heart sped up at the sight.

Why did your heart just speed up, Bells? Charlie said in a concerned father tone.

"Yes, that's what clearing means, but you shouldn't leave all the supplies in the law office," I said, seriously. "That's not smart."

He scowled at me, but didn't snap.

Instead, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, that's a matter of opinion," he said as he cracked his knuckles.

"According to any military or police strategies, contingency planning means setting up multiple safe houses in case of an ambush," I said, slowly and clearly.

"You're a little off you're rocker. Missing a few from your deck…" he said, one eyebrow raised.

I wanted to smack the look off his face.

"Takes one to know one. It was completely sane to try to take out a horde of monsters in town square hand to hand, right?"

"I survived, didn't I?"

"You're really mean and arrogant, you know. Were you a bully in school?"

"I'm not mean. I'm honest," he said with a scowl.

"There's a difference between being honest and being an ignorant douche," I retorted.

"Shut up, bitch!" he snarled, his friendly façade gone completely.

"Takes one to know one," I said.

"Oh, that's mature…" he said.

"I assume, you're an only child. A brother or sister would have kicked that douchiness out of you…"

When I saw all the color drain from his face, I knew I'd gone too far.

"Edward, I'm sor-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Fuck your clearing, fuck your contingencies, fuck you," he snarled and strode away.

That was unkind, Bella, Charlie admonished.

I'd clearly brought up a painful memory from his past. It was clear he'd had a brother or sister and that they were dead.

I teared up at the thought.

How could I dredge up his past when I couldn't face my own?

As I watched him walk away for the last time, I decided that I would clear the police station tomorrow.

It's time, Bells, Charlie said to me softly.

Once before I'd tried to clear the police station, but when I'd had to kill Billy and Jake, I'd fallen apart and had to leave.

When I'd first entered the police station, I was able to take down a few of the police officers that I'd known when they were alive because I was able to turn off my memory and just focus on the moment.

Gaining confidence, I ventured further into the police station, feeling like I might be able to clear it without much difficulty.

But then I turned towards the back of the station where the cells were and saw a sight that broke my heart.

Billy was almost unrecognisable because of how grey and swollen his features were. But I knew that it was him because he was as familiar to me as my own father.

A sob escaped my throat as emotions bubbled up inside me. This man had been like a second dad to me. Now he was a bloated corpse dragging himself towards me because of his paralysed legs.

He's just a monster, baby girl. That's all he is, Charlie whispered sadly in my mind.

I couldn't look in Billy's eyes when I did it, so I stepped around him and shoved my ice pick into the back of his neck and up into his brain.

I'd just taken a deep breath of relief at the fact that I'd been strong enough to give mercy to one of my family when I heard scuffling to my left.

At first, I almost thought that Jake was okay. He didn't look hurt. Yes, his skin was pale, but the darkness of his brown eyes had only turned slightly milky.

As he staggered towards me, he didn't even seem to have the vacant look of the dead. His brow was furrowed with what I thought was a pained expression, like he didn't want to attack me.

Bells, he's dead. You need to put him down, baby girl! Charlie said with alarm.

"Jake," I croaked. "Are you dead?"

He didn't respond, but his mouth fell open in a moan, drool pouring down his chin.

I bit back a sob and circled behind him quickly as he tried to swing towards me.

I kicked him behind his knee, causing his leg to buckle, but unlike most of the dead, Jake pulled himself up straight without collapsing.

I remembered vividly how strong he'd always been. He could lift me up like I weighed nothing and swing me around until I was dizzy.

"Jake, please just let me put you out of your misery," I begged.

Spinning around him again, I dodged out of his reach.

I kicked behind one knee and then the other in quick succession which finally brought him to the ground.

I shoved against his back with all my might to knock him forward onto his stomach.

Landing on his back with my knees pressing down on him, I tried to push his head forward so I could shove my blade up into his brain. But he kept raising his head, turning it to the side to try to reach me.

Whenever he'd turn his head, I couldn't stab him. I saw my Jake's face and just couldn't do it.

Do it, Bells! It's not Jake! It's the thing that killed Jake. NOW BELLA! Charlie shouted, his voice reverberating in my skull.

With a shriek of despair, I used one hand to twist his head by his hair and shoved my knife up into his skull.

I jumped to my feet, but left my knife buried there as I backed away.

Panting from the onslaught of emotions, I pressed my back up against the wall as far from the body of my friend as possible.

That was when I heard the growling coming from Charlie's office. I felt a wave of vertigo flush through me as panic rose inside of me.

Charlie, Billy, and Jake had all been together when they'd left my house that last morning.

"No, no, no, no," I sobbed, shoving myself off the wall and running towards the exit.

I should have noticed the cracked glass that spread like a spider web across the front door of the police station, but I'd been in too much of a panic to notice.

EDWARD

Why hadn't I left weeks ago? I thought angrily. My plan was to rob her, not buy into her ridiculous mission.

Every night, I'd gone back to the law office with the conviction that I'd leave the next day.

However, the thought of wandering aimlessly through the countryside killing the dead for no other reason but to let out my rage didn't seem so appealing anymore.

So, I'd decided to help the little crazy person in exchange for the food that I was slowly accumulating.

After my initial attempt to get her to lead me to her home base, I realized that I didn't need to steal her cache of food.

For some miraculous reason, the people of Forks hadn't cleaned out all the food in their homes when they'd run away from the outbreak, so there was plenty of food to be found as long as you were willing to clear out the houses. And clearing was what I was good at even though Bella would say differently.

Bella intrigued me as well as enraged me. From afar, I had to admit that I admired her. She had a strength and determination that made her a force to be reckoned with. However, the minute she'd open her mouth I wanted to kill her.

I had no idea why she got to me so badly. She was just a girl. Why did I care if she thought I was dumb? I knew I wasn't. I'd always been top of my class. I'd always excelled at sports and music. I shouldn't care what a crazy girl said… but I did.

I'd sometimes follow her when she was working.

She amazed me by how strong she was. I loved to watch her stalk the dead on silent feet and then calmly take them down with a well-aimed jab.

I knew that she'd watch me sometimes too because I could feel her spying on me. So, I'd purposefully hide from her as she searched for me.

It was like a game of cat and mouse in which both of us were predator and prey.

I'd follow her to her home and watch her from a tree outside her window. I could tell that it was her real home because of the way she seemed so relaxed in her environment. I never felt that way in any of the houses that I'd crashed in. I couldn't ever be comfortable sleeping in someone else's bed or eating at someone else's kitchen table.

At times, she'd spend hours reading and listening to her iPod.

What she was listening to? Was it something lame like Miley Cyrus?

From the way she'd bang her head as she listened, I doubted it.

Other times she'd go into the forest behind her house.

She was so carefree as she'd stop to catch grasshoppers, climb trees, and even swim in the frigid water.

At those times, I'd make sure to kill all the dead that tried to approach her, wanting to give her the time to enjoy what I could not.

She wasn't stereotypically beautiful. I compared her to Tanya which was the kind of girl that most guys fawned over. However, Bella was interesting. I'd never met a girl like her before.

I wondered whether I was fascinated with her because there were so few people left and I was just lonely. I just wasn't sure.

Then, one day another conversation with Bella put everything into perspective.

We'd argued like we always did when we'd run into each other. At first, it was just name-calling, but then she called me out as an only child and everything inside of me imploded.

For some reason, during my time in Forks, I'd been able to somewhat forget about the trauma of the past year. Yes, I'd had to kill the dead here, but I didn't feel dead anymore. I'd even stopped having the nightmares about Anna attacking me in my sleep every night.

However, Bella ruined all of that and I hated her for it.

It was time for me to move on.

I couldn't stay anywhere near the lunatic girl who thought there was nothing wrong with talking about things she didn't understand.

So, I hurried back to my temporary home and packed my shit.

The next day, I headed out of town early, wanting to put as much space between me and Bella as I could.

I'd just passed by the town square when I heard an odd sound in the distance.

It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. It was similar to the moaning of the dead, but louder and more powerful.

It was a kind of wailing, a full-on desperate sound. It was a sound too full of devastation to be one of the mindless dead.

I couldn't stop myself from going in search of the sound.

I hadn't gone far before I came upon the source.

Bella was sitting on the ground in front of the Forks police station with her legs drawn up to her chest and her face pressed against her knees.

She didn't move or flinch as a group of dead police men approached her.

She just rocked back and forth whimpering and crying.

Without thinking, I ran towards her, yanking my axe from where I had it bungee corded to my back pack.

"No, no, no," I heard her whimpering as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

I swung my axe taking down an older police man with one downward swipe. Yanking my axe free, I turned towards the next and with a wide arc cut it down.

Soon I was left with only one who was quickly approaching Bella with arms outstretched and hungry moans.

I stepped close to him and raised my axe, but was pulled up short by Bella's voice.

"Edward," she whimpered. "Please no."

She looked up at me with eyes full of such pain that it made me take a step back.

"I can't, Edward. Please don't do it," she begged me.

I shoved the dead away from her, knocking it to the ground.

"Bella-" I began, but she cut me off.

"He's my dad, Edward. Please!" she wailed.

Then, she let out another wail of anguish as she stared at the dead man that was climbing to its feet again.

Everything became crystal clear in an instant. While his hair was streaked with gray, it was still a deep brown like Bella's and underneath the milky residue I could tell they shared the same eyes.

My heart clenched in shared pain with the girl in front of me.

Crouching down, I scooped her up in my arms and headed in the direction of her home at a brisk pace. As I held her tight against my chest, she buried her face in the crook of my neck and sobbed.