Chapter 32: Escape
JASPER
I stood in the shadows as Bella was dragged into the apartment building by Caius and another guard. Caius was a sadistic fucker, which caused my fear for Bella to jump exponentially. But I couldn't run after her. I didn't know how many people were on watch, so even if I did reach her, I probably wouldn't be able to get both of us out.
I wasn't even sure that Eleazar had made it. Sue lay dead in the street and I saw Eleazar limping away from the line of fire.
Gunshots were being fired from every angle and I had to get out of shooting range. So instead of going after them, I ducked into a building close-by that had broken out windows. From there, I could shoot any guards left on watch while remaining hidden.
Seeing a shadowy figure hiding out in the building across from mine, I took aim. But before I squeezed the trigger, I froze. If I fired a shot, the other guards that may be hiding would know I was there. Therefore, I crept out a side door and circled behind the building so that I could come up behind whoever it was.
After hunting for survival the last few years, I was sure-footed and quiet, which allowed me to get close to the guard without being noticed. I waited until I was close enough to hear his breathing before I made my move.
Stepping up behind him, I cut his throat.
As the body of the man fell to the ground, I wanted to throw up.
I looked at my victim on the floor and couldn't stop myself from wondering if this man had a wife, girlfriend, children. However, I couldn't go down that road of thoughts. He'd been one of the people shooting at us, so he was a danger. I had to kill in order to protect my family.
My sanity for their safety.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped outside myself, becoming only an observer of my actions and not a participant.
Before I left the dead man, I made sure that he wouldn't turn into a zombie. If nothing else, I had to stop him from being a threat to me and my family when I got them out.
Then, I crept out the side door and moved quietly towards the building that housed James' crew.
By the time I'd reached the fourth floor, I'd killed another guard, but at that point it became difficult. On the bottom floors, there were windows where the light of the moon lit my way. But on the fourth floor, where the apartments were located, there were no windows so I entered pitch blackness. As I crept along the hallway, feeling my way along the wall, I suddenly heard a gunshot, followed by two more. The sound was loud enough that I was pretty sure that it was happening on the floor above me. Then, I heard the sound of running.
I ducked into the first open door that I could find and quietly shut the door until there was only a crack open. Slowly my eyes became adjusted to the darkness, but still I could only see the outlines of things.
When there was nothing but silence, I opened the door carefully and began to creep down the hallway. I had to kill any guards that were on this floor so that they couldn't come up behind me.
As I approached the end of the hall, I heard voices. Pressing myself against the wall, I tried to blend into the shadows.
"Goddamn it!" a voice, presumably a guard, said. "Where did those shots come from? I thought we'd taken care of them. Caius got the girl and that bitch Sue is dead."
"There's still Eleazar. I only winged him," another voice said.
So there were only two of them.
I quickened my pace.
Lights bounced off walls from around the corner as the guards approached with flashlights. I quickly looked away, not wanting my eyes to get adjusted to the light.
Before I had the chance to quietly deal with them, I heard someone behind me shout, "Stop where you are fucker!"
Whipping around, I aimed my gun. With people approaching me from both directions, I couldn't kill them quietly but I didn't know where to aim. In the pitch black hallways with no windows to guide my way, I could barely see my hand in front of my face.
In split second thinking, I spun around again and fired towards the end of the hall with the two approaching guards and then I fired in the opposite direction. I knew I probably wouldn't hit them, blind as I was, but I didn't need to. I only needed them to think that there was someone shooting at them from the dark.
The guards rounded the corner, flashlight beams zigzagging off the walls. I fired again and then dropped to the ground. From the floor, I fired again in the opposite direction at the man who shouted at me. With the beams of their flashlights blinding them, I knew that they would have no idea that it was one of their own that was on the receiving end of their bullets.
Shots and startled shouts rang out from the two rattled guards, causing whoever was at the other end to fire back.
A stray bullet struck me in the upper thigh as bullets began zinging back and forth.
A flare of pain shot through my body, but I struggled to stay silent.
I felt more than heard the thumps of one and then two bodies drop to the ground, followed by silence. The beams of the two flashlights shone from where they'd fallen to the floor, causing me to be illuminated. Quickly, I rolled out of their beams of light praying that the man that was alive at the opposite end of the hall hadn't seen me.
I remained pressed against the floor and focused on listening.
Hyper-focused on any sound, I waited. It was the sound of breathing that warned me that he was near.
Holding my breath, I waited till he was close enough that I could hear the faint sound of his shoes creaking on the floorboards and I could see the shape of him in the light. However, this meant that he could see me too.
"I see you motherfuc-" the man began, but before he could finish the sentence I shot.
The man collapsed and then there was silence.
Hearing the sound of footfalls coming down the stairs, I climbed to my feet with difficulty and rushed down to the flashlights, clicking both of them off.
I couldn't see anything, but I forced myself to remain still even amidst the pain as I waited, pressed up against the wall.
When the footfalls slowed down and I heard the sound of heavy breathing at the end of the hall, I took aim and began to squeeze the trigger.
"Jasper?"
I froze.
"Is that you?"
I heard the click click of a gun being cocked, but I spoke before a shot was fired.
"It's me, Eleazar," I said as quietly as possible.
"Oh thank god," he said, barely above a whisper.
I picked up the flashlights and put them into my backpack before meeting Eleazar half way down the hall.
"We have two more floors to go, but I've taken care of two of the guards," Eleazar said.
"I killed five. How many others?" I said.
Hearing the number, Eleazar was silent for a moment, clearly disturbed by the amount of death that I'd committed.
Shifting on my feet, I grunted at the pain that shot up my leg.
"Are you hurt?" Eleazar asked.
"It doesn't matter," I said. "How many are left?"
Because of our whispered conversation, I didn't even hear the footsteps of the person who slipped up behind me until it was too late.
A body slammed me face-first against the wall with such force that I felt sharp pain and heard a crunch as my nose was broken.
I hissed in pain and my knees suddenly felt weak, but I pushed myself away from the wall and tried to fend off my attacker.
"Jasper! What's going on?" Eleazar asked, not being able to see clearly in the dark.
I couldn't respond as I grappled with whoever was trying to get me in a strangle hold. As the man practically lifted me off the ground, I raised my feet and braced them against the wall, shoving backwards with all my strength.
My attacker let out a cry of pain as we struck the wall and his grip loosened on me. I struggled out of his grasp and ripped my knife out of my belt. Turning towards him, I stabbed with all my might and prayed that I'd hit my attacker and not the wall.
With a gurgling sigh, I saw the shape of the man slump to the ground and then go still.
Unzipping my backpack, I hauled out one of the flashlights and clicked it on.
I shone it at my attacker and saw that not only did he have a wound in his gut from my knife, but also a bullet wound in his chest.
I shone my light at both ends of the hall and saw only one body at each end, meaning that one of the guards hadn't died during the gunfight. In my foolishness, I never checked to make sure that they were all dead.
"Help me take care of them," I said to Eleazar who was standing by my side in shock.
"What?" he asked in a distant voice.
"Eleazar! Snap out of it," I hissed. "We need to make sure these three don't come back as zombies."
I leaned over my attacker and slid my blade into his temple, hitting the brain.
Eleazar came out of his daze and went to the opposite end of the hall to do the same with the guard as I took care of the other.
He came back to my side and I could see in the light of the flashlight that he was looking at me with cautious concern.
"Are you alright? Your nose is bleeding like a stuck pig."
I rubbed the back of my hand underneath my nose, grimacing at the pain and the amount of blood that was dripping from it.
"How many guards are left?" I asked.
Eleazar looked at me for a few seconds and then responded.
"Six, not including Caius and James," Eleazar whispered. "The two of them will stay close to the rest of the group. They wouldn't want to separate themselves from their human shields," he continued bitterly.
"How many of the group are against James?" I whispered. I didn't want to kill any more people than I had to, but I couldn't risk being ambushed.
"The majority of them don't want to be here, but they're just too scared to leave. Carlisle will know better than me, so we should rescue him first."
"Okay," I said. "Let's go."
"Jasper. A few of the guards left upstairs don't want to be a part of it either. They're only doing it to protect their families… I became one of them when they threatened Carmen."
"I won't kill them if they lay down their guns," I said although I knew in my head I'd probably have to kill them anyway.
"Follow me," Eleazar said and we moved on in silence.
EDWARD
My head was swimming with pain and anxiety.
I felt an inkling of hope that Jasper was here, but there were many people between us and him.
Left alone in the room with Bella for a moment, I had the chance to speak with her for the first time.
"Bella, are you okay?" I asked hoarsely. I desperately wanted to go her, but my bonds felt tighter than ever.
In the faint light of the gas powered lantern, I could see that she was lying on her side on the floor, her hands pulled tightly behind her back. Wiggling back and forth, she was trying to get to her feet but wasn't having any success. Giving up on that, she began to worm her way towards me, but at my words she looked up at me.
"I'm okay. How are you?" she asked, concern filling her voice.
"I don't think anything is broken," I said. I couldn't say I was okay because I didn't want to lie to her.
"I have a Swiss Army knife in my pocket," she said to me, which caused hope to ignite in me.
"Can you get to your feet? I might be able to get it out," I said to her.
Finally, she reached my side. With her hands tied behind her, Bella needed to use my legs to push herself up to her knees and then her feet. But without her hands to help her, she needed to use her chin to pull herself up inch by inch. It was a painfully slow process and when finally she was able to get her legs tucked under her and then get to her feet, she let out a groan of relief. She then crouched slightly so that my hands were at the level of her hips and I tried blindly to get my hand into her pocket. It was painful because of the awkward angle and eventually I had to give up because I just couldn't do it. I tried to use my hands to untie Bella's rope. I tugged on it, trying my hardest to pull the knot apart, but all I succeeded in doing was pulling threads from the rope and cutting my fingertips on the rope's rough texture. There was no hope in her untying my own ropes because I'd struggled so much they were practically embedded in my skin.
More gunfire erupted from downstairs.
"You need to go, Bella. Did you notice how Caius brought you in?" I asked, but no sooner had the words left my mouth Bella was shaking her head.
"I'm not going. We fought our way to get to you and I won't leave without you," she said. "Jasper and Eleazar are coming."
I fell silent because I knew that the chances were slim with all the gunfire happening downstairs, but I also knew that it didn't matter what I said Bella was not going to leave me.
People were panicking in the hallway, running back and forth screaming and whimpering.
Before anything else could be said between us, someone strode into the room.
In the glow of the lamp, whoever it was was only a silhouette with a shotgun.
"Bella, get behind me," I hissed. With my dying breath, I would protect her.
Bella came beside me, but not behind. I hissed in frustration because I knew she was probably positioning herself so that she could throw herself in front of a bullet for me.
"Are those people coming for you?" a voice from the darkness asked.
I didn't say anything.
"I'll help you if you take my girlfriend with you. She's innocent in all of this," the voice said and this time I recognized it. It was Ben.
Of all the guards, he seemed to be the one that was the most disturbed by the violence that James inflicted on people. He never went against James, but when it was his turn to watch me he didn't taunt or even stop Carlisle from feeding me which was strictly forbidden.
Ben wasn't a large man, probably around 5'7, but lean. That's not to mean that he was weak, but he didn't have the size that Caius and James had. He would have been no match to stand up to them on his own.
Knowing that we didn't trust him, it seemed like Ben made the decision to act.
Walking towards us, he set his shotgun down and hauled out a knife.
I stared at him apprehensively as he walked towards me.
"No," Bella gasped as he came around behind me.
I held my breath waiting for the killing blow from his blade, but it didn't come. Instead, I felt him begin to saw at the ropes that tied my hands. With a final tug, my bonds ripped apart and they were free. I practically cried out in relief. Then, he walked in front of me and did the same to my feet.
I tried to stand at that point, but my legs couldn't hold me, causing me to slump back in my seat. As I struggled to regain my footing, Ben cut Bella's ropes as well.
Before even taking a breath, Bella's arms were around me. Knowing that I was in pain, she didn't hold me tight. She just held my face and peppered it in light kisses, infusing all the love she had into her actions.
"I love you," I choked out and through her tears she voiced her love as well. There was so much more that I wanted to say to her, but it was all too much.
"We don't have time. James will be back soon," Ben said, looking nervously back towards the doorway. "I'm letting you go, so you need to save Angela. She needs to survive. I don't care what you do with-" Suddenly, his words were cut off.
At first, I couldn't tell what was happening. One minute he was speaking and the next he was pulled backwards, his body lifted practically off the ground.
Ben made a gurgling sound as he tried to breathe, clawing at something around his neck.
Two more people entered the room and suddenly there was a flurry of commotion.
"Stop," someone hissed.
"Let him go," the other said.
Each one was pulling on a man's arm that had Ben in a strangle hold.
Bella grabbed the lantern and lifted it into the air and it was then that I saw a loop of chain was being twisted ruthlessly around Ben's neck and the bloody face of Jasper was looking over his shoulder. There was an emptiness in his eyes that chilled me as he continued to tighten his grip on the chain.
Finding the strength, I climbed to my feet and stumbled over to them.
I grabbed Jasper's arm and tried to pry his hand off the chain, but he was too strong.
"Jasper… Jasper… Let him go…" I said, but my voice didn't register with him. So I did what Alice would often do when Jasper separated from reality. I grabbed his chin and yanked his face in my direction.
Staring into his eyes, I said. "It's okay, Jasper. Let go."
I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes and his grip loosened slightly, allowing Ben to take a few breaths. But all the fight had left Ben as his body sagged.
Then, Bella was at my side.
"Edward's safe. I'm safe, Jasper. You did it. Now, let him go," she said, soothingly. At her words, Jasper's hands relaxed and the chain loosened completely.
Carlisle who had been one of the people fighting with Jasper to save Ben, quickly lifted the chain over Ben's head so that he was free.
The minute the chain was off his neck, Ben jerked away from Jasper and staggered towards the opposite side of the room. Carlisle rushed over to him and began checking his neck for damage.
"Let's go," I said. We needed to get out before the other guards came to check on me.
"We need to deal with James and Caius," Jasper said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Edward can barely walk," Carlisle said. "He certainly won't be able to fight or run."
"I've taken care of most of the guards and I'll deal with James and Caius," Jasper said in a detached voice.
The room filled with silence for a moment before Carlisle broke it.
"If you've killed most of the guards, then we need to get everyone else and get out of here. James and Caius are nothing without the other guards," he said.
"I'll take care of James and Caius," Jasper said. "But we're not taking anyone else with us."
My energy was draining fast. It was hard to follow the conversation because pain and exhaustion were becoming too much for me.
My legs were shaking from being so long held immobile and I was dizzy causing me to weave back and forth unsteadily.
Bella was suddenly at my side, pulling my arm over her shoulder. I leaned heavily on her, knowing that I couldn't do it alone.
"What about my girlfriend? I helped you. You need to take Angela with you," Ben said hoarsely, rubbing his neck.
Jasper's eyes narrowed as he looked at him, "Yeah, right. You're the savior. You waited until he got beaten to a pulp to do it. Did your conscience finally get the best of you?"
Instead of responding to Jasper, Ben turned to me.
"Please Edward. I wanted to help you earlier, but James always threatened Angela if I showed the slightest amount of resistance."
I looked at him for a moment, trying to make a decision.
"If we let the good people die, how are we any different from James?" Carlisle asked in a quiet voice.
I looked at Jasper and said quietly, "Camden Head apartments."
It was a compromise. We'd help him and Angela get out, but we wouldn't take them home with us. We'd take them to the apartments that Alice and Jasper had cleared.
"What about Sue? Where's Sue?" Carlisle asked, looking around the room.
Jasper went still at his words.
"She didn't make it," he said.
Carlisle practically swayed on his feet at his words.
"We owe it to her to take her children with us," Carlisle finally said in a choked voice.
Jasper frowned, but then shrugged dismissively. Walking over to me, he pressed a gun into Bella's hands and a knife into mine before turning back towards the door.
"While you guys play hero, I'm going to hunt down our enemies. Tell Alice that I'll be back when it's all finished," Jasper said in a detached voice before slipping out the door.
No one talked as the rest of us moved quietly down the hall, taking Ben's lead. It was eerily quiet inside the building now. It was almost like it had been emptied of people, but I knew it was really that people were hiding in their apartments, hoping that whoever the shooters were would pass them by. Finally, Ben stopped at a door and reached out to try to turn the knob.
Almost immediately a woman began to cry inside. Ben softly knocked on the door and said, "Sweetheart it's me." But the woman on the other side of the door was crying loud enough that she didn't hear him.
"No!" the woman cried. "No! No! Go away! We didn't do anything!"
"Angela! Sweetheart! Open the door. It's me. It's Ben," he said more loudly.
Silence followed and then the knob turned and the door slowly opened.
A tall woman with long brown hair looked timidly past the door, but when she saw that it was Ben, she pushed the door open and pulled him to her with a cry of relief.
Angela was quite a bit taller than Ben, but as she wrapped herself around him she looked almost fragile.
"Shhh," Eleazar hissed, stepping into the apartment with the rest of us. "Do you know where Caius and James are?"
Angela shook her head as she clung to Ben.
Then, out of the shadows three people emerged. I immediately pushed Bella behind me and pointed my gun.
"No! Don't hurt them. They're Angela's family," Carlisle said, stepping forward.
"Ruth, Isaac, Joshua. It's me, Doc," Carlisle said soothingly.
I was shocked when I heard the sound of children crying.
Fuck, I thought. Things just got a hundred times worse.
"Doc. What's going on?" a woman asked.
"We're leaving," Carlisle said.
"It's too dangerous Carlisle. You know that. James will kill us," the woman said.
"Mrs. Weber. This is our one and only chance to get away from this place. You know that eventually James and Caius will kill us all now that the food is running out," Ben said gently.
After a moment of hesitation, the woman responded.
"Okay. We just need to pack," the woman said.
"There's no time," Bella said in frustration.
Until this moment, she'd remained strangely silent since finding me. I couldn't tell whose side she supported. Did she agree with Jasper?
I pulled her to my side again and squeezed her shoulder.
"Where's Seth and Leah's room?" I asked, feeling nervous that we were taking so much time.
"Two rooms down from this one," Carlisle said.
"All of you stay here," Eleazar said. "I'll go get them."
"I'll help you," Ben said, stepping away from Angela.
"Be careful," I said as Carlisle and Bella helped me to sit down in a chair.
As we waited in silence, Ruth Weber quickly tried to gather a few things to take with her while Carlisle tried to soothe Angela and her twin brothers.
Left alone for a few brief moments, I took Bella's hand and pulled her towards me.
We both held on to each other. There was too much to say and too much trauma to voice it now. I knew if I started I would fall apart and I was pretty sure that Bella would too.
The only thing I asked was, "Is the rest of the family okay?"
"Rosalie and Emmett are taking care of Esme, Alice, and Chris. They're fine, but they're scared," she responded.
Carlisle spoke out of the darkness at Bella's words. "Esme is okay?"
"Yes. She's good. She's in a safe place."
Suddenly, there was a loud commotion in the hallway.
A series of grunts and thuds were coming from right outside the door.
I tried to get up, but my legs just wouldn't cooperate.
Bella hauled out the gun and said, "Stay here."
I wanted to stop her, but I was in no shape to fight and out of the rest of us she was the most capable of shooting.
Quietly, she moved towards the door and opened it a crack.
The sound of fighting was louder now, full of muffled curses and the sounds of fists hitting bone.
Suddenly the door was flung open and a group of people practically fell into the room. In the tangle of arms and legs, I saw Eleazar and Ben fighting for their lives. Then, a third person became recognizable. It was Caius.
I flew out of my seat and tried to join the fight. However, Carlisle grabbed a hold of me as I stumbled, holding me away from them.
It looked for a moment like Ben and Eleazar had gotten the best of Caius, but suddenly with a strength that was amazing as well as horrifying Caius let out a roar and fought his way to his feet.
Ben was the next one to stand, but was no match for Caius when he lifted him off the ground and then slammed him down onto the floor.
Drawing back his foot, Caius slammed it into his stomach.
Angela cried out at the way Ben curled in upon himself in agony.
With only Eleazar to deal with, Caius face broke out into a cruel grin.
Rage boiled inside me like a gnashing monster.
Not caring that I was hurt, that I could barely stand, I threw myself at Caius.
I didn't feel the pain in my body when I drove my fists into Caius' gut or when his knee caught me in my bruised stomach. Even then, I strained with every fiber of my being to fight him.
In his eyes, murder gleamed bright as a newly polished knife, but I didn't care. All the pain and fear, all the anger was overshadowing my pain.
I knew that there were people around me fighting to gain control of Caius just as I was, but it was like no one else mattered except for the two of us. His hatred for me over Alistair and mine over what he'd put me and my family through was clear as day between us.
For a moment, Caius was able to get his hands around my neck, squeezing as tight as he could. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes as I fought to pry his hands off my neck. Suddenly, he reared back with a scream as a sharp blade was raked down his arm. One of his hands let go of my neck as he flung Bella who had slashed him with her pocket knife away from him. With his attention pulled away from me, Eleazar got him in a headlock, giving me time to reach for my own knife. I didn't hesitate. I just reached for my knife on my hip and then pressed it against his flesh.
I didn't think. I just pressed the blade into his stomach.
Time stopped as Caius eyes opened wide in realization.
It was so much harder than I thought it would be to slide my knife into his body. It wasn't like stabbing the dead whose skin was thin like a stretched balloon or even Bella's skin as I stitched her wound. It was so much harder to force the blade to slice skin, cut through muscle and glide along bone.
Caius' whole body went rigid as my muscles contracted, driving the blade deeper. I felt the heat seeping from him, the damp spilling onto my chest and stomach. We were suspended just that one heartbeat; him and me and nothing else.
Then, the strength went out of him and he sagged against me.
The others moved away from us and Caius slowly fell backwards sliding off the knife and dropping to the floor.
He wasn't dead. I could hear the breath bubbling in his chest in a death rattle.
Carlisle knelt at my side and turned Caius face towards him.
"Where's James?" he asked.
Caius grimaced an approximation of a smile and his eyes rolled towards me.
"He'll make you all pay," he said and that was all as the life left him.
I fell to my knees, the pain surging back to the forefront as my bruised and battered body screamed in protest at what I'd just put it through.
Without even really being aware of it, Bella and Carlisle helped me to my feet as my body continued to rebel at the pain I'd put it through.
I was aware that I was placed on a couch and that hands were poking and prodding at me. I tried to protest weakly, but to no avail.
I wasn't aware of the commotion happening around me as Carlisle, Ben, and Eleazar organized the rest of the survivors of James' group to leave. The only thing I was able to focus on during that time was Bella's soothing touch and her calming whispers.
It wasn't until morning that I was capable of rational thought and by this time a plan had already been set in place to rescue the 25 survivors.
Two school buses had been found to carry the people and most of their supplies. There wasn't much. Food was pretty limited and without knowing where they would settle people couldn't bring much with them.
A few hours before everyone was set to leave, I heard Bella and Carlisle having a heated conversation.
"No!" Bella snapped. "It's not your decision. We never agreed to this."
"They deserve to have a safe place to live," Carlisle responded. "There's plenty of space within the walls."
With a groan, I stood up and limped over to the two of them. It was quickly evident that Carlisle planned on bringing all of them to Elmherst.
I stepped into the conversation and spoke.
"I'm glad you're able to rescue these people from James. But they're not coming back to the community with us. You cannot make a decision like that after we've shed blood and tears to make it safe for our family."
Carlisle began to argue, but I cut him off.
"It's not up for negotiation. We cleared the place of the dead, so it's ours. We want you with us because of Esme. The rest of these people were not part of the deal. I don't know them. I don't trust them. Also, we only have enough food to feed ourselves, not 25 extra people."
"So are we just going to abandon them? We can't just take them out of here and leave them to fend for themselves. There are children and elderly people here that won't survive on their own," Carlisle said in protest.
"I get it. I do. We have an option that may work. Jasper and Alice cleared out a set of apartments in a building called Camden Head. They cleared the top floor, but I don't think it would take much for people to clear the other floors. Jasper did it alone, so I'm sure some of the people in this group could manage to clear it themselves," I said, firmly. I was not about to give in on this issue.
"Okay, okay," Carlisle said, finally although he didn't look happy about it. Carlisle had known and cared for these people for months and was quite close to them.
After that, Ben and Eleazar brought a few men to meet Bella and me. We went about explaining to them some of the ways that we'd learned to fight the dead, how to use zombie muck as camouflage, how to distract them with music from a radio, etc. Many seemed capable of defending themselves, after all they wouldn't have still been alive if they were incapable of doing it. We also told them about looking for seeds and gardening equipment. Bella even offered to copy her notebook full of notes on vitamins and minerals and to make a copy of Alice's book on planting. I was surprised to find that two of the families had been farmers. That was the reason that they'd survived until now, staying on their farm until the winter forced them out.
A small voice in my head thought about the possibility of trade in the future between our groups.
However, the most dominating thought that haunted me was that James was still alive and Jasper hadn't returned.
I should have stopped him from leaving on his own, but I was too weak and Jasper was too strong-willed. I worried for him and I also worried for Alice who was having a hard enough time with her pregnancy.
It took the group two days to get to Camden and two more before they were able to clear out the apartments. Carlisle didn't want to leave until the group was settled which drove Bella crazy because she was desperate to get home.
However, for most of that time, I was barely conscious. Ben and Angela let Bella and I stay in their apartment while they helped clear the others. Once I was laid out on the couch, I barely moved. My lucid moments were usually when Carlisle came to check on me. Without Caius and James breathing down his neck, he was able to give me a thorough examination. He determined that one of my cheekbones was fractured and two of my ribs were bruised and one broken. I also had a sprained wrist and fractured finger on my left hand. On top of all of this, I was severely undernourished. He couldn't tell if there was any internal bleeding without proper medical equipment, so he told me and Bella that I had to rest and try to avoid exerting myself.
There wasn't a lot of food, but I couldn't keep much down anyway. So, Carlisle insisted on me getting plenty of fluids which still wasn't much because the supply was limited.
I saw in Carlisle's eyes that he needed to get me home soon.
Finally, Carlisle and Eleazar decided that it was time for us to leave.
That was easier said than done. I couldn't walk, but I was afraid that the engine of the car that they'd chosen would lead the dead to our home. We were also concerned that James could be following us, but there wasn't much we could do about it.
Eventually, it was decided that there was no other choice but to make our way home by car and if there were any dead that followed us we would have to try to lose them or kill the ones that we could.
"We" was a term that was used, but I was very aware that "we" didn't include me because I was useless at the moment. I felt completely helpless. I was usually the "doer," the "protector" and now I was at the mercy of the people around me. I didn't have the strength, or the stamina and I still found myself losing focus at times, not able to follow conversations around me.
Bella tried to reassure me, but it didn't help much. I just needed to get home.
The car ride was painful with all the bumps and stops and starts, but eventually we made it to the gates of Elmherst. Tears pricked my eyes at the sight. I never thought I would see this place again.
Bella got out of the car and left us. She would go around to the back of the compound where we had hidden the step ladder and climb the fence in order to let us in.
However, no sooner had she left the car and disappeared around the corner than a loud booming voice came from above us.
"Stay where you are assholes!"
I knew that voice.
"Roll down my window, Eleazar," I said.
The window lowered halfway, and I raised my voice to call out.
"Emmett! It's me Edward!"
He didn't respond, but there was a loud thud only a few feet away.
My door was yanked open and Emmett filled the doorway.
"Edward!" Emmett choked out. "Oh my god…"
"Emmett…" was all I could get out, overwhelmed with relief.
"You look like shit, bro…" he said, tears filling his eyes but with the ghost of a smile.
"I know," I said with a tearful laugh.
Crouching down next to me, he reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. However, his head jerked up suddenly, noticing the people in the front seat. His eyes squinted suspiciously at Carlisle.
"Emmett, this is Carlisle," I said.
Emmett's eyes widened and then he stood up.
"We need to get you behind the gate," he said, looking down at me.
Then the look in his eyes changed to one of horror.
"Where's Bella? Where's Jasper?"
Just at that moment, the clanking of the gate opening reached my ears.
"Jasper hasn't come back yet. Bella's opening the gate," I said, and he nodded and went to help her.
The minute the car was behind the gate and it was closed securely, I saw Emmett lift Bella up in a bear hug, spinning her around in a circle.
Bella laughed with happiness, which again made me tearful. I never thought that I'd hear that sound again.
Putting her down, Emmett and Bella came to the side of the vehicle with me in it.
"Eleazar, you can drive the car to our house. Then, we can help Edward inside," Emmett said, wrapping his arm around Bella's shoulder and leading the way.
I saw Bella look behind her, making sure that the car with me in it was following.
I knew that the two of us were going to have separation anxiety for a while. I could feel my breath getting a little shallower as she walked away.
When we reached the fence of our house, Emmett bellowed, "Rose! Open the gate! They're back!"
It was mere seconds later that the gate was thrown open and Rosalie hurried outside.
"Oh my god… Bella," she cried, wrapping her arms around Bella. "Oh thank god."
"Rosie, come here. You won't believe what I've found," Emmett said with a huge grin.
Rose let go of Bella and looked at Emmett with tempered hope in her eyes.
Almost tentatively, Rose approached the car.
When she saw me, her eyes filled up with tears.
She pulled my car door open and began to reach for me before seeming to notice my injuries for the first time. A whole conversation passed between us with just one look. Carefully, she reached forward and touched my head and then gently cupped my cheek.
"Let's get you all inside-" she began but was cut off by a noise.
"Carlisle!" Esme wailed as she ran towards Carlisle who had stepped out of the car.
At the sight of her, Carlisle let out a cry and held out his arms just in time to catch her as she flung herself into them.
Together, they fell to their knees, both overcome by their shared longing and relief.
Emmett blocked my view as he filled the doorway of the car again.
"Can you walk, or should I carry you?" he asked.
"Just help me stand up," I said, shifting forward on the seat with a hiss of pain.
Carefully, Emmett helped me to stand up and then with Bella's help, they half-carried me into the house.
I barely made it to the couch before exhaustion took over me. I barely felt the soft cushions under me before sleep took me.
I had no idea how long I'd been sleeping when I heard soft conversation around me.
"He wouldn't just leave me…" I heard Alice say, a tinge of despair in her voice.
I tried to wake up at the sound, knowing that this was an important conversation to have.
"Alice… Alice…" I mumbled, trying to clear my head.
I forced my eyes open and looked around the room for her.
I was shocked. In the few weeks that I'd been gone, Alice's stomach had grown a lot. She looked like she could give birth at any moment which was not a good thing. As she looked at me, I saw her eyes were hollow with smudges of purple beneath them. Her skin was sallow without the pink tint of health.
Thank god we have Carlisle now, I thought.
"Alice," I said, hoarsely. "Jasper believes that to keep you and the baby safe he needs to get rid of James once and for all. And he's right. As long as James is living, we'll never be completely safe. If I hadn't been so injured, I probably would have continued hunting with him… He hasn't abandoned you. He'll come back."
I infused my words with all the confidence I could muster. I knew that Jasper would return if he could, but there were so many dangers out there that could prevent that.
Alice looked at me in sadness. I could see in her eyes that she believed me, but it didn't take away the fact that her other half wasn't with her.
I looked around the rest of the room and saw that everyone was here, some sitting in chairs others on the floor.
When my eyes landed on him, Chris pulled himself out of Esme's arms and bolted towards me. Before he could jump on me, I raised my arms in front of me protectively.
"Hey, bud! Long time no see…" I said with a grin.
"You hurt," Chris said with a frown.
"Yeah, I am buddy, but I'll get better. I just need to rest," I said, ruffling his hair which earned me a growl as he pulled away.
"No leave… don't leave again…" he said and this time he was glaring at me.
"I won't, Chris. I'm sorry, bud," I said with a reassuring smile.
With a grunt, Chris turned away from me and stomped back over to where Carlisle and Esme were huddled and burrowed his way between them.
After that, the story slowly unfolded. I began the story, explaining how I'd become separated from Emmett and the others and I'd hidden myself in a culvert pipe. Then, I spoke about how I was caught by Caius as I tried to return home on foot. Of my time in captivity with James, I kept it simple. No one needed to know how brutally he beat me.
However, Rosalie, who was sitting in a chair next to my head, touched my cheek that was swollen and bruised.
The kindred pain in her eyes made me realize it would be a long time before I'd be able to put this behind me.
On more than one occasion, Emmett had to leave the room, whispering his apologies until he could return, somewhat composed. The guilt was evident all over his face, but this wasn't the time to set him straight about his lack of fault. I needed to do it in private.
Bella sat on the floor next to the couch, holding my hand as she took over the story.
When she spoke of Sue's death, Charlotte let out a sob. Peter pulled her close and whispered soothing words into her ear. But I could see the shared grief infuse Carlisle, Eleazar, Peter and Charlotte's faces. Sue had been loved.
Eleazar spoke up then, explaining how Jasper had almost single-handedly gotten the two of them to the top floor where they rescued Carlisle and then Bella and me.
I watched Alice during that part of the story. My heart hurt at the look of pride and sadness that caused tears to well up in her eyes.
Finally, the story was over, and everyone was exhausted.
With a quiet farewell, Carlisle, Esme, and Chris took their leave. Before they left, Carlisle made sure to explain to Bella how she should send someone to get him if certain symptoms appeared.
Then, Eleazar, Peter, and Charlotte left for their house across the street.
That left Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Bella and me.
Alice then excused herself for bed. While we were gone, Emmett and Rosalie had set up a room for Alice in the small office off the kitchen.
Then it was just the four of us.
"Edward, do you want to sleep here or upstairs?" Emmett asked in a subdued voice.
"I want to be in my own room," I said.
"Okay, let's get you settled. I for one am exhausted," he said, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.
When we finally made it up to our room, I looked meaningfully at Bella over Emmett's shoulder as he helped me sit on the bed, nodding for her to give us a minute alone.
"I can't reach my boots on my own. Emmett can you give me a hand?" I asked.
"Sure, bro. No problem," Emmett said, again not looking at me.
Taking my meaning, Bella had slipped out of the room, giving us time to talk.
"Emmett."
His eyes flickered up to mind, but then his hands returned to pulling off my boots.
"It's not your fault."
There was a slight change in his expression. Surprise, maybe. I wasn't sure, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"It's not," I said firmly.
"I left you behind…" he said harshly.
"You had no way of knowing that I survived. Finding my way into that culvert was a miracle. After seeing me fall under that horde of dead, there was no reason that you should have believed that I survived," I said. "I wouldn't have."
Emmett shook his head vehemently.
"I should have looked more. I should have been sure," he insisted.
"No! You did everything right. It was your job to get the rest of you home safe and it wasn't like you completely gave up hope. You left me the dump truck. It got me half -way home, Emmett. It was the dead that stopped me from taking it the whole way," I said more firmly.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes, which caused me to become slightly angry.
"It's the dead! It's James and his gang! It's this new fucking world that is to blame, not you," I snapped, but then calmed myself down.
"Emmett… you're my brother. You did what you could to keep me safe and then you kept the rest of our family safe. No one could ask for more. I understand how you might feel guilty, but I want you to understand that I'm not angry, I'm not resentful, I'm thankful for what you've done," I said, surprised that I'd become choked up.
At the emotional tone to my voice, Emmett's eyes snapped up to mine.
"Okay, bro… okay… Things are good. Take it easy," he said, gruffly.
"Okay, boys. It's time for Edward to get out of the rest of those clothes followed by a sponge bath. Doctor's orders," Bella said in a sing-song voice from behind us.
"And that's my cue to go…" Emmett said, climbing to his feet with a slight grin.
Once Emmett retreated from the room, Bella helped me pull off my filthy clothes that were covered in blood and zombie gore. Then, she unwrapped my ribs.
Down to nothing but my skin, Bella paused, staring at me.
"Like what you see, darling?" I said with a smirk.
But I saw quickly that Bella wasn't admiring me, instead she was cataloguing every bruise, every scratch.
"I'm okay, Bella," I said, gently.
With a shuddering sigh, she looked up at me and gave me a quivering smile.
It was surreal, laying here in my own bed. A part of me worried that this was just a dream and that soon I was going to wake up to a sharp blow to the head and James' harsh words.
It wasn't long before Bella was back in the room with a steaming bowl of water and a bunch of cloths.
"You don't have to help me. I don't need a bath right now," I said, firmly.
"Edward, you stink..." she said matter-of-factly.
"I know," I groaned.
"We can give you a quick wash right here on the bed," she said.
I grinned wickedly at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Edward, you can't even raise your arm over your head. Wipe that look off your face."
I shrugged. "A man can dream."
Fully clothed, she climbed onto the bed next to me, which caused me to pout.
"Let's start with your hair, Romeo," she said with a smile.
The process wasn't as embarrassing as I thought it would be. It was actually quite cathartic to have the remnants of my time with James washed away by Bella's gentle touch.
Once I was clean, Bella re-wrapped my ribs and then helped me into bed, pulling the clean sheets up around me.
I watched Bella as she left and came back with a fresh bowl of hot water and proceeded to wash herself.
I wanted so much in that moment, but Bella was right. I was too hurt to follow through with any of my salacious thoughts.
As if she could read my mind, Bella met my eyes and gave me a smile that said as soon as I was able we wouldn't leave our bed for a week.
I let out a sigh and began to drift in and out of sleep.
At some point, I felt Bella crawl into bed next to me.
"You have no idea how much I love you," I whispered to her but then was asleep again.
At some point in the night, I bolted awake, my heart thundering in my chest.
"Shhhh. It's okay… You're home. You're with me," Bella whispered, gently running her fingers through my hair in soothing strokes.
My heartbeat slowly returned to normal as I focused on the soft lilt of her voice as she sung to me and the feeling of her hand in my hair.
However, it was not the only time that night that Bella had to chase the nightmares away.