GWEN
11:25 A.M.
SECOND BASEMENT HALLWAY
-X-
"Okay, so Trent and I will go down door number—"
"Hell, no!"
My eyes widen at Duncan's outburst. What the hell?!
"All that's going to do is cause some major fucking distractions. I told you that Geoff and Bridgette are already dead. Do you want his lips to be the nail on your coffin?"
WHAT?! I glare at him. Contrary to popular belief, Trent and I do NOT make out every five fucking minutes! Just because we want to do everything together does NOT mean we're going to be making out on this fucking rescue mission!
"It's cool, Gwen," Trent speaks, taking me by surprise. "Besides, I need to have a word with Duncan in private anyway."
I scoff, rolling my eyes. Still, I trust Trent, so I let him go with Duncan. "Fine. I guess I'm with Le—"
"I-CALL-LESHAWNA!!"
WHAT THE HELL?!
Izzy explains herself, but I don't pay attention to a damn thing she says… except for the last part about considering myself lucky. Why am I lucky? HOW am I lucky? I'm stuck with…
Ah, damn it…
He's smiling at me. That gap-tooth grin… "UGH! FINE!" Yeah… I know that came out rather harsh… but…
Okay, look. It's not that I hate him. Really! I don't hate him at all, actually. But… I'm just sick and tired of… of hurting him. I don't want to… He's such a great guy, and I don't want to… hurt him anymore…
Damn it…
"…Dammit…" FINALLY!! Noah caught up. Maybe he'll keep Cody out of my hair. "I said I was coming, didn't I? Alright, now what's going on?"
"Come on, Elvis! Let's go!" And with that, my boyfriend and my punk friend disappear through door number four.
"…Well?" Noah seems rather agitated. Join the club, Brainiac.
"We split up into groups," Cody explains to Noah.
"…And Trent and Gwen are separated… why?"
Ugh… "I'd like to know that too," I mutter, honestly hoping no one heard me say it, especially not Cody.
"Well, let's see…" Noah begins to check our group, and Leshawna's group, and our group again, before confronting Leshawna and Izzy. "…Alright, I guess I'm with your group, Izzy."
"Ugh…" I groan again, and I can just feel Cody breaking down behind me. Fuck…
Leshawna's group goes through door two, and I whimper. Softly, yes, but still a whimper.
And Cody heard it, I'm sure…
"Come on, Gwen. We better get going."
I scratched the side of my neck. "Um… yeah… Let's get going…" I'm about to reach for the doorknob, but Cody quickly reaches for it first and offers to open it for me. Ugh… "Alright." Grinning sheepishly, he opens the door, and I enter first…
-X-
11:27 A.M.
SECOND BASEMENT "DOOR THREE" HALLWAY
-X-
We're silent. Yeah, silent. My dream come true, right?
Well, it would have been a dream come true several weeks ago. But now… I actually wanted him to speak. I wasn't sure why. I mean, we need to be on the look-out for zombies and everything, but… maybe it's the fact that we… we may not get out of here alive, that… that makes me want him to speak, you know? It makes me want to clear the air with him.
But… he's not speaking.
…
Damn it. I guess I'll have to start.
"Cody?"
We stop, and he looks at me, giving me a surprised look. "Huh?"
I sigh, trying to find the right words. "Look, I'm… sorry for hurting you." God, why does this have to be so awk—?"
"It's okay, Gwen."
…What? "What do you mean it's okay?"
"It's okay. You don't have to be sorry." He walks away.
Okay, now I'm confused. I grab him by the arm, stopping him. "Cody, listen to me. I've been down that road before, trust me. It hurts to feel rejected, I know. But please, Cody… You have to let it go, okay?"
"Gwen, it's fine. I'm good, okay?" he tries to reason, but it's not working on me. "It's just hard for a guy like me to get over a girl like you, that's all. Soon I'll be back on my feet and… and wooing the ladies… again…" He had been slowly backing up toward the wall as he said that, and after speaking, he slowly falls (using the wall for support) to a sitting position. Tears start to form.
Oh… shit…
I kneel down next to him, hoping to comfort him in some way. "Cody…" He pushes me away, despite my efforts.
"Who am I kidding? I'm just a poser… a wannabe… a nobody…"
"That's enough."
He turns to me, tears still falling from his face. "And I'll die a poser. A wannabe. A nobod—"
"That's enough!" I repeat, louder this time. He stays silent, but continues to cry.
…Damn…
I sit down next to him, sighing, hands on my forehead. This was going to be one long rescue mission, that's for sure. "Cody," I begin, "you're not any of those things. Believe me."
"Bullshit."
"Oh yeah? Because if you ask me, you didn't describe yourself just now…"
"Oh, really? Then who the hell did I just describe?"
"…Me."
Silence follows. Maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt about it… but it had to be said. I may as well confide in someone before I die, and if that's Cody, then let it be Cody.
"Gwen…" he tries to object, but I won't have it.
"No, Cody, it's true." I sigh and hit the back of my head on the wall behind me before I continue. "I'm no fucking Goth. I mean, shit! If you look at me and my friends… I'm the black sheep. And that's fucking saying something!" I rest my head in my arms, which are resting on my knees. "The only reason I really act this way is because of my asshole father…"
"…Yeah, dads can be real pains sometimes…"
"Yeah, well at least your father stuck around, right?"
Another awkward silence follows, but once again it had to be said.
I'm just surprised that it's Cody that I'm revealing this all to. Really, I wanted to tell Trent all this before anyone else, but… I probably never would have. He just seems so… perfect, and if I share any of my flaws with him… I'll just feel less and less worthy of being his girlfriend.
But Cody… he wasn't perfect to me…
And maybe that's why I'm able to confide in him so much.
"I'm sorry, Gwen."
This broke me out of my thoughts. I turned to him, realizing he had stopped crying. He reaches over to wipe one of mine… wait… I was crying? I wipe my face. Sure enough. I didn't even notice it.
"You… got a little eye shadow running, Gwen. Need a tissue?"
"N-n-no… I'm fine…" I say, wiping my face with my hands.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know your dad left you."
I nod. "Yeah… but that was when I was little. Still, it made quite an impact on me, I guess. People would pick on me… and I'd beat 'em up. I'd prank 'em, too. Then people started picking on my brother, and I'd help him fight his battles. I guess being without a father kinda made us…"
"Hey," Cody interrupted, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Gwen. It's none of my business anyway. Besides, we should probably get going."
"…Okay…"
He gets up first and helps me to my feet. "Thank you…"
"You're welcome, Gwen."
…Damn… Why does he have to be so nice to me?
…
Wait… there's something I need to ask him… And if I don't, it may be too late to ask him later. "…Cody?"
He stops again. "Yeah?"
"Why do you like me?"
Silence… again. Man, I hate these cliché awkward silences…
Thankfully, Cody breaks it. "You don't give yourself enough credit, do you?" he said with a smile, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're a lovely person, Gwen. You're artistic, you're witty, you're… just amazing in every way." I stare at him in shock as he continues his praises. "You're very smart and funny… Girls like you come around… very rarely, that's for sure. Trent's a really lucky guy to have you."
…Wow…
I don't even know what to say, really…
Is that what Cody really thinks of me?
Is that what Trent thinks of me, too?
It takes me a moment, but I'm finally able to choke out these words: "…Thank you…"
His smile widens. "Only stating the truth."
For the first time in… a while, really, I smile a genuine smile. "Cody… if we get out of this… I am so going to make up for everything I put you through. I promise."
"Don't promise anything," he says softly. "I'm just happy being on your good side."
I chuckle a little, despite myself. "Well, trust me, Cody… You're more than just that." Then, I embrace him in a friendly hug. "You're a good friend."
"I guess I'm lucky, too, then, huh?"
I lean my head on his shoulder. "No, I'm the lucky one, Cod—"
A gun cocks.
Slowly, fearfully, we turn our heads toward the sound.
"…T…T…Trent?!"
"Duncan… Duncan was right," he mumbles in a crazed manner, pointing the gun at us. "You… asshole… Cody…"
Cody and I glance at each other, and then stare at my boyfriend in fear. What the fuck is wrong with Trent?!
"Duncan… said you'd steal her… from me…" My eyes widen. Oh, dear God! He thinks Cody and I…
"Trent, please! It's not like that! Cody and I are just frie—" He points the gun at me, and I freeze up.
"Stay out of this, Gwen," he commands before pointing the gun back at Cody, who quickly lets go of me to hold his hands up.
"Please, buddy! I swear, I wasn't—"
"Bullshit, asshole," Trent interrupts. "Now I'm going to give you to the count of nine, and you better get the fuck out of here before I fucking pull this trigger and send your incubus ass straight to hell."
Cody doesn't run. Oh, dear God… he's too scared to run!
"One… two… three…"
Cody!
"…four… five… six…"
Oh, God…
"…seven… eight…"
"CODY, RUN!!" I pull back Trent's arm and try to hold him off. My eyes now lock on Trent's gun.
Trent shoves me down. "I SAID STAY OUT OF… Oh, God! Gwen!" He looks down at me in fear… as he now realizes what he's doing. "…Oh, G-God… wh-what have I done? Gwen, I'm so sorr—"
BANG
Time stands still.
I can't speak.
I can't breathe.
I can only watch…
…as Trent's eyes glaze over…
…and his body falls limp to the floor.
Blood begins to pour from the massive wound in his head.
Shaking, quivering, I look up at the culprit.
Cody is shaking as well. He stares at his gun with wide eyes, and drops it.
He looks at me.
My mind is blank.
I don't remember anything from only a few minutes ago.
All I see before me now is a cold-blooded killer.
I scream.
I run.
I hear him call my name, but I don't stop.
I just keep running…
Fearing for my life.
Not long after, a typewriter is being used.
-X-
Thus, the cliffhanger from two chapters ago has been resolved… only to lead into some even worse problems.
And at the rate we're going, will ANYONE survive in this facility?
Only time will tell…