We had decided walking all the way to Washington would be a little much so instead we decided to take one of the many cars deserted on the highway and loaded up on gasoline. We even put some spare gas in the trunk in case we ran out. When news of the apocalypse struck everyone fled searching for refuge. Most people fled or at least attempted to flee to areas with little to no population. The less people originally there the fewer zombies, they'd think would occupy the space. They were wrong, very wrong. As the overall human population decreased the walkers decided to 'migrate' to other places finding more meals for themselves. When a large 'herd' or 'pack' of them of them traveled onto the freeway people were forced to flee their cars due to the huge pile up that had occurred because everyone had the same brilliant idea.
I took on the liberty of driving the newly acquired vehicle since I didn't necessarily trust Renee's driving skills when she was under so much pressure. I remember once she was driving me to dance and was so stressed I wouldn't be on time that she ran through three separate red lights, barely making it through potential major collisions as all the drivers slammed on their brakes and angrily honked. The world going to hell seemed a lot more stressful than that so the decision was unanimous. She had wanted to catch up on lost sleep anyways.
She slept pretty soundly for someone living through the end of the world, even managing to snore a bit. I envied that fact. I rarely had peaceful sleeps these days. Even before the world went to crap I had nightmares. I only wished when I fell asleep that I could have a few hours of peace but that was never the case. Huge purplish bags were incredibly visible under my eyes. I could almost pass for one of the walkers with the way I looked if it wasn't for my scent, or lack of scent technically. I had figured out that they recognized whether you were one of them or not based on scent. If you're alive you don't reek of death like they did so they knew you'd be a potential meal. Due to having no scent as long as you weren't seen or heard you'd be safe.
After a day and a half of constant driving, only having taken one rest stop when we were absolutely sure a biter wouldn't get us in our sleep we arrived at the small town of Forks. The 'Welcome to Forks' sign barely hanging on to its hinges as a couple bullet holes were visible on it. I continued driving with my left hand down the deserted street as I gently shook Renee awake with my right one. "Hey, we're here" I told her when she began to stir. She mumbled something unintelligent as she rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. When she finally came to her full senses she looked out the windows and examined the wreckage that was my second home. "Wow, they really got hit hard didn't they?" She stated quietly, more to herself than to me. The old school building had several windows broken and shattered, its fragments laying on the ground and graffiti covered the walls.
As I continued driving down the road I noticed something strange. There appeared to be bright orange spray paint in the shape of arrows pointing me towards further up ahead. Out of curiosity I decided to follow them. They ended up leading to the Reservation. I was shocked by what I saw. Renee let out an audible gasp beside me. "Oh my" was all she could manage. "Guess we came to the right place" I stated as I took in the scene before us.
A massive area appeared to be fenced and blocked off by a series of tires and barbed wire. Large horse-like wolves stood above, no doubt the Quilettes, beside people holding large firearms. I briefly skimmed the wolves figures searching and hoping to see the familiar face of Jacob but unfortunately he was nowhere in sight. A huge pitch black wolf caught my eye however. Could that be Sam? I thought. I had only ever seen him in his wolf form once and the memory was foggy. I drove the car up to the large gates and the big black wolf tilted its head up and let out a short howl. Soon enough the large gate was opened and we entered the heavily guarded perimeter.
"Amazing" Renee said with a small smile playing at her lips. I was speechless. All I could do was nod in response. Inside the enclosed area were houses and streets. People were walking up and down the sidewalks without a care in the world while others tended to gardens or sat on their porches. I pulled over the vehicle and turned off the ignition, I didn't have much fuel left in the car anyways. We emerged from the truck and slammed the doors shut.
"Bella!" A voice I was all too familiar with boomed. I spun around to be face to face with Jacob, my best friend. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt and a pair of jeans that were covered in dirt and blood stains and his dark brown hair was a dishevelled mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in quite a while as huge bags hung below his eyes. I couldn't be happier to see him. "Jake!" I squealed as I ran over to him pulling him into a long hug. I couldn't help the tears of joy that ran down my face. "I thought you were dead…" I mumbled as I tightened my grip around him. When I finally pulled away he gave me one of the biggest smiles. "I could say the same for you yet here we are alive and well, well for the most part I guess" He responded with a short laugh. "Where are we exactly?" My mom questioned as she cautiously walked over towards us. "Hey Renee, long time no see" Jacob stated politely. "Likewise, I see you've grown quite a bit since the age of six" Renee stated with a smile on her face. He only smirked in response. "Welcome to the Rez" He stated matter-of-factly as he motioned around him.
"How—" I began to question but he cut me off knowing my question before I finished the sentence. "Sam and I had the wolves block off and help protect the area while people helped form a wall as protection against the biters. You'd never guess who we're allied with though.." He trailed off. This was so much to take in. I assumed I looked like a fish out of water my mouth constantly opening and closing as I internally debated with myself on how to respond. With this type of living people could definitely have hope of survival, they'd have a reason to live. I finally settled for stating "Wow".
By now Renee had decided to wander the area surveying everything in sight leaving me and Jacob alone, losing interest in the conversation. I was surprised she made no remark about the horse sized wolves pacing the walls, I guess our life was weird enough already there was no point in questioning it further. Renee would always be Renee. She'd probably bombard me with a game of twenty questions later on. "So um, is-is my father here?" I questioned in a soft voice not trying to convey too much hope. As soon as he opened his mouth I automatically winced waiting for the impact of the horrible truth which never came. "He's alive Bells. If you want to see him he's about three houses to the left. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic that you're here. All he ever talks about is you and how he wished he knew if you were okay. We're a little crammed for space since we have a population of 57, well 59 now if you're planning to stay. He's living with the Clearwaters and—" The last part he said in a whisper that I couldn't comprehend. I was suddenly filled with hope, he was safe. Really and truly safe. "Sorry Jake, I didn't hear, can you repeat the last part?" His face fell and my request and I briefly wondered why. "Cullens Bella, I said Cullens" By now I'm sure my face was distorted in some sort of mask of pain. Edward was here? With the rest of his family? I thought. And they're living with my dad?
So there you have it the Cullens officially joined the party! What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the reviews. WARNING: I have no problems with character death so at any given moment a character you love dearly may become a victim and have a tragic death. I'm sorry in advance but if I killed them off I had my reasons or I just reallyyyyy hated them and wanted them to SUFFER! *evilly laughs* Oh and one more thing, don't think Bella's safe from death. I can easily switch character perspectives and continue on with the story so EVERYONE BEWARE! *evilly laughs some more* Okay, my evil rant is over. REVIEW! (:
