AN: Sorry it took longer than I expected, but this is my favorite chapter that I've written so far! I hope you guys like it!
Ben was thinner, gaunter, his breathing loud and labored. His sweat had matted his hair to his forehead. Ben's eyes darted between me and Thomas.
"B-Ben?" I managed. Ben took a small step closer. Thomas tensed up and took a step closer as well, placing himself almost between me and Ben. At the moment, I didn't question it. Mostly because I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
This couldn't be Ben. This couldn't have been where the screaming had been coming from. Ben wouldn't...he...but I hadn't really seen him since I woke up. It was Ben. And Ben had gotten worse. Much worse. Why hadn't this happened to me? Was that still a possibility?
Ben stepped closer and Thomas and I carefully took a small step back. Ben seemed cautious, like a wild animal approaching humans.
"How...how're you feeling, Ben?" Thomas asked. Ben reacted instantly and started snarling at Thomas, dripping blood and saliva. I felt like crying and screaming. I wanted to remember my version of Ben. The one who wasn't looking at me like I was-
"Shut up!" Ben growled. I watched anger and rage take over his already wild eyes. I didn't want to look at him, but I couldn't bring myself not to. Veins bulged, a stark contrast against the pale skin stretched over his frame.
"B-Ben, j-j-j-just-" I tried. I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating. Thomas reached back and placed his hand on my shoulder for a moment. I stopped talking, trying to control my breathing. My chest felt tight.
"Shhhh." He whispered, keeping his eyes on Ben. I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me. Ben looked between me and Thomas, a wild curiosity now etched into his features. He looked like a monster circling its prey. Ready for the kill. A kill no one would hear because we were in the middle of the woods. Ben scowled, his teeth clenched together.
"He's...bad." Ben said slowly. Thomas and I took another step back. Seeing this, Ben advanced again.
"Bad!" He roared.
"Wh-wh-who's b-"
"Him! HIM!" Ben screamed. He pulled out a knife and pointed it at Thomas's face. We stumbled back and Ben edged forward once more, his knife still trained on Thomas. We were going at this the wrong way, we had to calm him down. I stepped forward. Thomas looked at me like I was crazy and he held out his arm, stopping me from getting any closer. He shook his head.
No
"B-B-Ben. Ben it's ok-okay. T-T-T-Thomas is n-nice. H-h-he's a f-f-friend. Friend. Friend." I clenched my hands. I could feel my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands as I tried to form the words correctly.
"Don't come any closer!" Ben screamed, swinging his knife. We stepped back. Thomas still held his arm out in front of me. He was watching Ben carefully.
"You're just as bad! Bad blood! Bad, bad, bad..." Ben trailed off and his gaze fell to the ground, following an invisible trail. He continued muttering, his voice growing dangerously softer with every word.
"Look, Ben." Thomas started. "We don't want to hurt you. We also don't want you to hurt us. Ben, could you put down the-"
"Bad!" He screeched, snapping his head back up. Thomas made eye contact with me, his expression clear. Run.
On three he mouthed. One
Unfortunately, the changing hadn't made Ben a complete idiot. Seeing this plan, Ben lunged at Thomas and tackled him to the ground. I jumped back, but didn't have the sense to run away. Thomas thrashed as Ben pushed him down. Thomas was losing. Swallowing how terrified I was, I surged forward and yanked Ben off of him. Thomas scrambled to his feet and we ran. We ran, ducking under tree branches and dodging roots that had grown above the ground.
We grew closer to the edge of the deadheads, the light that filtered between the branches became brighter and more frequent. We were so close. Then I was slammed to the ground. I shrieked. There was a crack and felt rocks break my skin in at least three different places. Somehow, I managed to turn over and found Ben leering over me. Terrified, I tried to move away but he lunged and grabbed my arms, pinning them to my sides. That was combined with his full body weight crushing the life out of me as he moved himself to sit on my stomach, leaving no escape route.
I struggled to breathe. Ben grinned wildly, shifting to hold both my wrists above my head in his left hand. I could already tell it would bruise. Using his right, he took the knife and brushed a lock of hair from my face. I winced as he cut my skin in the process. He grinned viciously, seeming to take pleasure in my fear. I shivered. It's not Ben. Its not really him. It's not Ben.
Ben ran the blade of his knife along my jawline and I felt blood drip from the cut. Angling away from the blade, I tried to press myself into the ground. He drew his lips back into a snarl, his bloody teeth clenched together.
"Thomas is bad." Ben leaned closer, whispering through his teeth and into my ear. "Bad blood. Yours is bad."
"Ben. It's me. It's Sam. Please. It's Sam. Ben. Please. Stop. Ben." I pleaded, the speed at which I said the words blending them all together. With each word, my voice became faster and more frantic. He pulled away from my ear and twisted the knife until it was against my throat. My breathing hitched and I restrained myself from crying out. In the state he would in, it was sure to only make him angrier. Where was Thomas. Thomas. Thomas.
"Thomas is bad." Ben said. The blade slipped down and I felt the skin on my neck slice open. This isn't Ben. This isn't Ben. This isn't Ben.
"I'm not Thomas. Ben. Please. It's Sam. I'm not Thomas. Ben. I-"
"Shut up!" He screamed in my face. I choked back a sob. I could feel blood, sweat, and dirt mixing together on my skin. It's not him. He doesn't know what he's doing. It's not him.
"Bad blood. It's all bad. All of you are bad." Ben muttered, his eyes wild with fury.
"Who-"
"Sam is bad." He grinned wolfishly.
"Ben!" A voice rang out through the trees. Ben whipped his head toward the sound of Alby's voice. I didn't dare take my eyes off Ben. I didn't dare move.
"Let her go or you ain't seeing tomorrow!" Alby commanded. Ben snarled, his teeth bared in a disturbing grimace.
"I'm giving you a count of three. One!" Alby shouted. His voice sounded closer. Ben's head whipped frantically between me and the direction of Alby's voice.
"Two!"
Ben grinned at me like a psycho, pushing the blade to dig further underneath my skin as he leaned forward. I could feel his hot breath next to my ear. I whimpered as I tried to edge away.
"Wicked is bad." Ben whispered sharply through his teeth. He reared back, knife in hand.
"Three!"
There was a split second filled with the sound of something flying through the air, then came a sickening thunk as the arrow buried itself in the side of Ben's head. There was a horrible moment where nothing happened. Ben stared at me, the arrow lodged in his head.
He dropped the knife, and it fell onto my chest. My breathing hitched as the knife slid to rest against my throat. Then he crashed to the ground. He was off me. He was gone. The weight on my chest was still there. I couldn't find it in myself to move. My eyes were clenched shut. I could feel my nails digging into my skin.
I heard different sets of footsteps rushing over. Relax. Relax. Relax. Thomas. Relax. I opened my eyes. Alby, Newt, and Thomas stood over me. I swallowed, trying to slow down my breathing. The three of them kneeled down. I flinched as Alby leaned down and took the knife, examining it before standing back up and tucking it into his belt. Thomas looked at me, concerned.
"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm really sorry, but I knew I wouldn't be able to help and I just tried to..." Thomas stopped. "Sam?" He asked, worried. Slowly, I sat up and looked over at Ben.
"You're just as bad! Bad blood! Bad, bad, bad..." He continued muttering, his voice growing dangerously softer with every word.
"Sam."
His eyes were glazed over. His fingers twitched.
Sam is bad.
"I-" I managed. I felt like I was going to be sick. The edges of my vision were blurry. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't focus.
"Sam, I want you to look at me, okay?" Thomas said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "I'm gonna count to ten, I want you to count with me, okay? One."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Newt staring at me, visibly and hopelessly upset.
"You don't have to say it, just mouth the numbers for me. Two. We're just counting, that's all we're doing. Three. Four. Five. Focus on your breathing. Six. Seven. Eight. You're okay, I promise. Nine. Ten." Thomas watched me as I started to mouth the numbers with him. Order. Control. Order. Newt. Order.
"Ten." I muttered. Convinced I had reverted to slightly more normal breathing patterns, Thomas let go of my shoulders and moved back slightly. Newt watched us carefully, cautiously observing.
I looked away and turned towards the others. Newt moved closer and I let him wrap his arms around me. He ran a hand through my hair. My mind jumped to Ben doing the same thing with his knife. My breathing hitched as I fought the urge to start sobbing. I couldn't. Not in front anyone. Especially not in front of them.
"We'll send Baggers for him in the morning." Alby said, seeming surprisingly indifferent. "Do your legs work?" Taking a deep breath, I pulled away from Newt slightly and looked at Alby. I nodded.
"Let's get you to the MedJacks"