Chapter 12: Distraction and Distrust

EDWARD

As I dragged Bella into the woods with me, I seethed with anger.

How could she do it? What was she thinking?

I could hear the dead moaning behind us, following the scent of Bella's blood like a homing beacon.

This just proved to me that depending on another person meant death. How could she have thought that cutting herself was the right move? I told her to run for the trees and she ignored me. It was sheer stupidity. She'd probably killed both of us by trying to save me.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that it was painful. If we escaped the dead, she could still die from blood loss, infection, or any number of other things.

I wasn't just angry at her. I was angrier at myself for all of this. I'd gotten us into this situation. How could I have ever thought that taking Bella into the unknown in a vehicle that I could barely drive was a good idea?

Now, everything we had, everything we needed to survive was sitting in a crashed car on the highway where any other survivor could get to it.

I'd killed both of us, just as much as Bella had.

I had a hold of Bella's wrist just below the slash mark and I could feel her warm blood dripping on my hand.

I needed to get us somewhere safe so that I could wrap it or else she'd probably faint from loss of blood.

The longer we ran, the more I felt Bella slowing down, being harder to pull along with me. She was fading fast. However, we were out in the middle of nowhere.

Normally, if I were in the woods any large tree would be a refuge for me, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hoist Bella into a tree.

Bella tripped and nearly took both of us to the ground.

"Stay with me, Bella," I gasped, as I righted both of us.

"Okay… okay…" she muttered quietly, trying to keep up with me.

Desperation was making me feel light headed. I could hear the moaning of the dead from all around us and I felt like they were closing in.

Finally, I saw a break in the woods ahead. When the woods opened up in front of us, I was surprised to find that we'd come upon a river, probably the same one that I'd been following so many months ago.

I scanned the area and saw what looked like a small, crudely built shack.

Seeing a possible safe haven, I pushed hard for us to get there faster. With a final burst of speed, I practically dragged Bella with me until we reached the shack.

It was small, but looked sturdy. However, it wouldn't have mattered if it was falling over because at this point it was our only refuge.

Throwing my shoulder against the door, I shoved my way into the darkened shelter, pushing Bella in ahead of me.

Bella stumbled in the dark and I heard her fall to the ground as I spun around and slammed the door.

As soon as my eyes adjusted to the darkened room, I looked for anything to block the doorway.

It was a pretty basic cabin with minimum furniture, but there was a couch across the room that could work as a barricade.

Risking the dead breaking through the un-barricaded door, I quickly dashed to the couch.

Using my adrenaline-fuelled strength, I dragged the couch to the door.

Shoving with all of my might, I was able to push the couch up against the door which was now being beaten on by any number of dead.

With panting breaths, I scanned the one room shack for other places that the dead could break in.

There was one window on the opposite side of the room, but it wasn't all that big. The person who had built this cabin hadn't built it for a summer home. It was probably nothing more than a fishing or drinking shack; it kept the rain out, but little else.

I grabbed anything I could find, boxes of liquor bottles, a milk crate filled with newspapers, the cushions off the couch. Using these things, I stacked them over the window. It wouldn't stop a horde, but it could slow down one or two of them.

Finally, there was nothing left to do to protect us, besides pray that the dead would lose interest before they were able to break in.

By then, my eyes had adjusted completely to the gloom and I rushed to Bella's side.

With her head tilted back, she was sitting on the floor against the wall with her eyes shut. While I'd been busy barricading the window and door, Bella had ripped off the sleeve of her father's police shirt and wrapped her arm in it and was now holding it against her chest. Blood was already beginning to soak through the wrap even though she had her arm elevated.

"Bella, are you okay?" I asked, in a hushed voice. The anger that I'd felt toward her had dissipated as worry replaced it.

Her eyes opened, but the look in them wasn't a good sign. Her eyes were feverish with pain.

"I'm going to bleed to death…" she said, just as quietly. "I'm sorry."

"What? Don't say that!" I growled, but then quieted my voice in order to not attract the dead. "You're not going to die."

She smiled at me faintly, closing her eyes.

"Okay, I won't say it," she said with a chuckle.

"Fuck off, Bella. Don't laugh at me. Give me your arm," I hissed, pulling her arm to me too hard which caused her to flinch.

I immediately eased up on my grip and gently un-wrapped it.

I sucked in a hissing breath when I saw that it was still bleeding heavily. It was a clean cut, slicing a straight line down the back of her forearm, but it was long, too long to just heal itself. I was sure now that it needed stitches.

"It's okay, Edward. This is my fault not yours. I was the one who cut myself. You shouldn't feel guilty," Bella said, kindly.

"Bella, stop talking ridiculous crap. You're not going to die, so quit trying to make me feel better."

She smiled faintly at me.

"The cut needs to be stitched up and sterilized but all of our stuff is in the car," she said, matter-of-factly, like she was reading out of a textbook.

Her tone pissed me off.

Taking off my belt, I tied it tightly above the wound on Bella's arm. I'd seen it done in movies and assumed that it was probably a real first aid move to stop bleeding. Not everything on TV rotted the brain.

Then, I used the torn piece of shirt to cover the wound and tie it.

"Edward, you should get out of here. My blood dripped all over the ground out there. It's going to attract the dead from miles around. I'm going to die anyway, so let me be your distraction," Bella said.

I just wanted her to shut up as my mind frantically tried to think of a way to get us both out of this. I needed the first aid kit, that was a certainty, but how was I going to get there? And when I did, how could I guarantee that Bella would be safe while I was away?

"Edward…" Bella began, interrupting my thoughts.

"Shut up, Bella. Let me think." I snapped.

"I'm going to have to go back to the car…" I said quietly to myself, but Bella heard me.

"No. You'll die, Edward," she gasped, sitting up quickly which caused her to flinch.

"I've fought a herd before, Bella. Don't you remember? I took down dozens on the first day you saw me," I said.

Her brow furrowed at that and a frown of frustration spread across her face.

"That was different, Edward, and you know it. The dead were focused on the stereo playing music, so you were able to come up behind them. You don't have a stereo now, unless you're hiding one in your back pocket," she said, sarcastically.

A distraction… I needed something to distract the dead from Bella and from me while I made my way to the vehicle.

I felt more than heard the dead thumping against the wall of the cabin as they tried to get to the source of the blood.

Blood…

"Bella, I need your bandage," I said.

Leaving the belt on her arm, I removed the sleeve of her shirt that she'd been using as a bandage. It was soaked with her blood and was warm to the touch as the blood was still fresh.

Ripping off the sleeve of my own shirt, I wrapped it around Bella's arm and tied it securely.

Then, picking up the blood soaked bandage, I stood up.

"I'm going to lead the dead away from the cabin and then I'm going to double back to the car and get the first aid kit," I said in a tone that meant that it wasn't open for negotiation.

"No, you're not," Bella said, glaring at me.

I heard a louder thump outside.

"Bella, don't be an idiot. I'm going. You know it's the only way. They're going to get in here sooner or later and then we'll both die," I tried to say reasonably although the idiot comment was probably going to work against me.

"So, you're just going to waltz out there and run like hell? You need a better plan than that, Edward," Bella said in her condescending tone that she'd sometimes get.

"I do have a plan Miss Know-It-All. I'm going to leave by the window and follow the river, marking as many trees as I can with the blood on this bandage. I'll lead the dead a good distance away before doubling back through the water which will mask my scent. Then, I'll slip in behind the dead and backtrack to the road where we left the car," I explained.

When I said it out loud, it didn't sound as suicidal as I'd thought. It sounded almost like it might work.

Bella didn't respond to my plan. She just stared at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What?" I asked. "Say something."

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped before continuing in a small voice.

"Please, don't go," she said.

I looked at her in surprise, not expecting it. I thought that she'd argue with me, not show fear.

"Bella, we don't have a choice. I have to go, but I promise that I'll come back as soon as I can and then we can treat your arm," I said, walking over to her and crouching down next to her.

"You can't die, Edward. I can't-" she began, but then stopped with a slight tremble to her voice.

That tremble in her voice tugged at something in me.

"Bella, I lived on the road for months on my own and survived. I'll be all right. I'm not really the idiot that I sometimes seem to be," I said with a smirk, wanting to soothe her.

She didn't respond to my joke. She just kept looking at me with a pained look in her eyes.

Reaching out, I put my hand on the shoulder of her uninjured arm and squeezed. I realized in that moment that I felt anxious about leaving her too. She could bleed to death before I got back.

"I'll be back. Keep your arm elevated and don't move around too much," I said, gently.

I couldn't wait any longer. Bella's life depended on how fast I was.

However, before I was able to climb to my feet, Bella grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me towards her.

The force with which she pulled me rocked me on my heels, knocking me off balance. Falling forward, I landed on my knees with my face only an inch from hers.

I didn't know what was happening. One minute I was looking into Bella's eyes, startled by being so close to her and the next she kissed me, right on the lips. Her mouth was hard on mine and our noses smashed together painfully.

But then just as fast as it had started, it was over and I was frozen, looking at her in shock.

With a smirk, she spoke.

"I couldn't die without having a first kiss even if it was terrible," she said with only a slight tremble to her voice. "If you're going to go, you better get going. The monsters are getting louder out there."

It was my first kiss too. I'd never been much for chasing girls when I was younger and I'd only started becoming interested in any of the girls in my class shortly before the apocalypse. Most of my friends made fun of me because I'd been fourteen and never been kissed, but I hadn't cared about any of it.

And while Bella was right that our kiss had been terrible, it suddenly made a part of me look at Bella in a new way... the part of me that wasn't freaking out about the zombies looking for us.

Time to go.

Without a word, I stood up and walked over to the window that I'd barricaded with boxes and pillows and began gingerly lifting them away a little at a time.

When the window was finally uncovered, I slowly leaned forward so I could look out.

With a sigh of relief, I saw that none of the dead were pawing at the window to get in. However, I soon realized that it was probably because the scent of Bella's blood was near the door of the cabin, not the window.

Carefully, I raised the window, trying to make as little noise as possible.

It was going to be a tight fit and I couldn't make any noise while doing it.

Looking back at Bella one more time, I tried to smile.

"I'll be back soon," I mouthed, and she nodded stoically.

Sliding out the window, scraping my stomach and back the whole way, I realized too late that the back of the cabin was on the edge of a hill.

There was one terrifying moment when I felt my feet begin to slip as I let go of the window edge and had to windmill my arms to steady myself.

Once I was on sure footing, I froze and barely breathed as I waited for signs that the dead had heard me.

Carefully, I crept along the wall to the edge of the shack that faced the clearing and saw that there were eight or nine dead thumping against the walls and door.

I needed to be fast while the blood was still fresh on the bandage I was holding.

Creeping a few feet away, I quietly rubbed the bloody cloth against a tree and then did the same a few more trees farther away.

When I felt like I was far enough away and had marked enough trees to keep the dead interested, I took a deep breath.

"HEY! HEY! OVER HERE!" I shouted.

Nothing happened for a few moments and I thought about getting closer. But then, I heard moaning becoming louder.

Through the trunks of the trees, I saw one, no three dead, lumbering in my direction.

Not enough…

"COME ON! FRESH BLOOD OVER HERE!" I shouted louder as I tried to get the attention of more of the dead.

Some of the dead were getting uncomfortably close as I waited for more of the dead to appear through the trees.

Four… five… six…

They were close enough now that I could smell their odor of decay on the wind and see the various injuries that had killed them. Severed limbs, decaying faces, the empty hungry eyes searched for me.

Seven… eight…

I couldn't wait any longer. One of the dead was faster than the others and was practically within reaching distance. He looked like he'd been a business man and was surprisingly put together for being dead. His suit was covered with minimal gore and besides a slightly crooked tie he looked like he'd just left the office. That was until you looked at his face. Half of it was gone, a twisted mangle of raw meat while the other side was a distinguished looking middle aged man. The normal side of his face was actually the creepiest part because it looked so normal.

Nine…

With one deep breath, I turned and began to run towards the river. I had a better chance of escaping out of the trees where I wouldn't get caught up on branches and roots.

When I reached the water's edge, I took a moment to twist the bandage, bringing more blood to the surface.

Smearing it on an old oak, I moved to the next tree and the next.

I heard the dead following me, but they needed to be closer.

"COME ON! I'M OVER HERE!" I shouted and waited long enough to see the businessman and six others stumble out of the woods.

Their heads were tilted up to the sky, like dogs smelling the air for the scent of their prey.

They were able to move more quickly out in the open, but so could I.

Running further down the beach, I spun around to see how many were following me.

It looked like all nine of them had made their way to the beach and were now staggering after me.

I smiled in relief that my plan was working. However, it was then that something happened that I hadn't considered.

Two more dead stumbled out of the woods only a short distance away from me and I heard some coming from other directions too.

"Shit… I'm dead…" I muttered.

I considered my options.

We were still too close to the cabin for me to double back, but I couldn't attract more dead that would be able to block my path.

Stepping into the water, I backed up until it reached my thighs.

I was a strong swimmer, but I needed for them to continue following me for just a little while longer.

As I stood in the water, three or four more dead stumbled out of the woods their heads wobbling on their necks as they searched in all directions for me.

Business guy stumbled towards me, taking a few steps into the water before the current caused him to stumble but not fall.

He looked at me with his half face, seeming to almost scrutinize me. Then, he took a few more steps forward and this time he didn't stumble.

Now, there were twenty to thirty of them lining the river's edge arms outstretched as if they could reach me if they just tried hard enough.

And more dead were arriving every minute as the movement and sounds of others attracted them.

I stepped further back into the water, now up to my chest. The current was stronger here, threatening to pull me off my feet.

Should I swim further upstream?

Suddenly, I felt a sharp yank on my pant leg which pulled my legs out from underneath of me, submerging me completely in the water.

I kicked at whatever had a hold of me and opened my eyes in order to see what it was.

In the murky water, I saw that it was an elderly dead woman who had been caught on a piece of a submerged tree.

She was horrifying, a bloated corpse, swelled by being trapped under the water.

One of her hands had a hold of my leg and the other one was reaching for me as the current carried me towards her gaping mouth.

A scream tried to escape me, but instead I choked down a lung full of water. I was in a panic now. My lungs were on fire and I couldn't seem to dislodge the woman.

I kicked and fought, but it was no use.

Then, I felt someone grab my arm and yank me towards the surface.

The immediate relief of breaking the hold of the dead woman was short lived as I breached the surface and found business guy staring down at me, hungrily.

With a loud moan that reverberated deep in his chest, the businessman yanked me up out of the water and practically had me within biting distance.

Fighting seemed useless because my legs were floating out behind me in the current.

However, just before the businessman had the chance to bite into me, there was a loud thunk and the dead man's hold on me was gone.

Fighting for sure footing, I coughed and hacked brackish water out of my lungs all the while looking for other dead.

It took a few panic filled moments before I realized that someone had rescued me.

Looking towards the beach, I saw just at the edge of the trees a man shooting down corpse after corpse with a gun.

I watched in fascination as the dead fell one after the other until the herd had been thinned out enough that I could approach the shore.

As I reached the water's edge, I joined the man in killing the dead with my bow that had thankfully remained securely strapped to my back in the water.

When it was over, I stared in shock at bodies of the herd floating quickly down the river as well as the others crumpled lifelessly on the shore.

Stepping out of the water, I hesitantly took a step towards the man who had rescued me.

I couldn't run away yet because my lungs were burning and it was still hard to breathe.

As I approached, the man stepped forward first and then I saw that there was a woman standing in the shadows of the trees.

"Hey kid. Nice to meet you," he said in a strangely cheerful voice.

I didn't respond, staring at him suspiciously.

My silence didn't seem to bother him as he stepped closer, reaching out his hand.

"My name's Emmett and the beautiful lady behind me is Rosalie. We heard you calling and thought that maybe we'd find a group of survivors. Imagine our surprise when we found a kid facing down a herd of zombies," he said with a laugh. "What was your end game, kid? Were you planning on going out in a blaze of glory or are you just crazy?"

I hated him instantly. His dancing eyes and dimpled smile were just the things that made people let down their guard enough that they could be killed in their sleep.

"You could at least say thank you," the blonde woman Rosalie said as she stepped forward.

I just glared at her and didn't respond.

"Rose, it's okay," Emmett responded, dropping his hand. "Where you headin' kid?"

"Why?" I asked, threateningly.

"Just curious," he said, with another friendly smile.

"Don't follow me," I said, beginning to back away. "I'll kill you if you follow me."

The big guy looked surprised by my threat while the girl just looked furious.

"That's the thanks we get?" the girl snarled.

"Rose…" Emmett said before turning towards me as I backed away from them.

"Kid, wait… are you with a group?" he asked and I saw a look of hope in his eyes.

Thoughts of Bella flickered in my head, which made my tension grow. I needed to go.

"Oh… hey… I was just thinking that maybe you were part of a group that might be looking for new members" he stuttered, realizing that I was five seconds from bolting.

I continued to back away.

"We can contribute to your group," he said as I turned away from him and hurried off into the woods.

"Just give us a chance," I heard him call as I made my way back in the direction where the highway was.

I didn't take a direct route towards the road in case the two of them tried to follow me, but I couldn't go too far off course. I'd already been away from Bella too long.

About three miles to go… I told myself.

It was late afternoon which meant that I had to move quickly if I planned on getting back to Bella before dark. I tried to push the thoughts that I'd been gone too long already from my thoughts, but they kept worming their way back in.

Was she already dead? Would I get back to the cabin only to find her dead with her blood poured out on the floor?

I continued to look behind me, praying that the couple wasn't following me. I didn't have time to take another detour to keep them off my trail.

As I got closer to the highway, I was relieved to catch a whiff of burnt oil in the air. It meant that I wasn't too far away from the wreck that had caused Bella and me to have to abandon our car.

I was brought up short when I heard the snapping of bushes ahead of me.

Raising my crossbow, I focused on the approaching noise.

Between the trees, I saw one or two dead stumbling along bumping into trees in their mindless way.

I sighed in relief at the fact that it wasn't the couple. I didn't want to have to kill anyone, but I wasn't going to risk them following me.

Without missing a shot, I quickly dispatched the first two dead that I came across. Then, I dropped down and took out another one with my knife.

With a disgusting squelch, I yanked my knife out of the body and continued moving towards the break in the trees that was only a short distance away now.

When I finally reached the road, I was relieved to see that I was only a few hundred yards from our car.

Crossing the distance, I quietly slipped onto the highway, moving between cars until I was within arm's reach of our vehicle.

Taking a deep breath, I prayed one more time that no one had pillaged the vehicle of our supplies.

There were a few dead meandering on the road, but not enough to be a real danger so I carefully opened the trunk of our car, hoping the hinges wouldn't squeak.

With a sigh of relief, I saw that our supplies were still neatly stacked under the dark blue blanket that we'd used to conceal them.

I quickly pulled my backpack off and started filling it with supplies, first one being the first aid kit. We needed survival rations that would keep us for a few days until Bella healed enough to travel, so I grabbed water and some of the packets Bella had made.

She was so smart. It was like she'd anticipated the fact that we might have to abandon our supplies at some point, so she'd made up what she'd called "boxed lunches" that had a little bit of everything in them.

My stomach growled at the sight. I'd gone all day without eating which meant that right now Bella was bleeding to death with no food or water to replace the energy that she was losing.

Shoving a few more in my backpack, I covered up our food and prayed that we'd be able to return to get the rest.

Making my way back to the side of the road, I oriented myself towards the direction of the cabin and started the journey back.