Helloooooo. Hope everyone is having a good weekend! Just want to thank those that have read and reviewed - and to promise that I will continue with the story no matter how few and far in-between the updates end up being.
Anywho, happy reading! Well, as happy as can be seeing that Effy has been shot.. :O
Chapter Eleven - Blue Eyes, You're The Sweet to My Mean
"Effy!" I run hard against the pavement as my body screams for me to stop, aching along with my thumping head as I hear Freddie call out to me - but I choose to ignore all of these things. All these distractions won't deter me from what I know to be true; it won't stop me from going to her. And when I finally make it to the end of the street, with my eyes roaming the ground almost feverishly to locate Effy's body, I feel a wave of satisfaction encompass me with a staggering backlog of unadulterated happiness as I see that it is her, and that I was right. Yet before I can even act, Freddie sidesteps me and uses his ever lanky body to block me.
"It's a walker, Naomi."
"No it's not, Freddie! It's Effy. You fucking shot Effy!"
"Naom-" He stops speaking when a groan sounds, and turns to look at her body slumped on the ground. I don't wait for him to comprehend his error as I push Freddie aside, ridding of the bug-out-bag as I crouch down to her and remove some of her hair so I can see more clearly. I'm welcome with Effy's flushed face which is very much human, and very much not dead.
"I told you, you fucking shot her!" I push him backwards, watching as he stumbles down to the ground with his bug-out-bag on. He stares at Effy with a degree of confusion, not quite processing that he did infact shoot my friend. Fucking twat, if only he listened to me then we wouldn't be in this predicament now, would we. I cast my attention back to Effy as I try and rouse her, all the while examining her body to find where she's been shot. I notice quite quickly blood seeping from her upper arm, and though it's bad, I can't help but exhale with relief.
"You could have killed her, you fucking idiot."
"I'm sorry, I thought-"
"It doesn't matter right now; we have to get her back to ours. We have to make sure she's okay." It's as I finish that I hear a disturbance from behind me and turn to see a crowd of walkers trudging down the street, with their sights on us. I frantically scan the area, looking for any form of transportation that can aid us out of this and promptly notice a car a couple yards away.
"Get the car."
"Naomi, we don't wanna draw attention-"
"I think it's a bit too late for that now, don't you think? Fucking get it now, Freddie!" I shout at him as he stands up, staring off at the impending walkers. He then bursts out into a run until he gets to the car, flinging the bag inside before getting into the driver's side to ignite the engine. I turn back to Effy and stroke her face tenderly, not quite believing she's actually here, and that only a moment before I saw her blue eyes – god I've missed those eyes. I grab my bag and put it on, hearing the car come to life. I stand up and try to lift her up with me as I hear the walkers' presence close to us now, though I don't dare look. I pull Effy up yet again and try to drag her into the road to where Freddie is with the car, finding it harder to continue with every second that passes. But I eventually reach the car and open the door, placing Effy down onto the seat rather awkwardly as I try to get her into the car.
"Just drive!" I demand as I gently move Effy over before sitting down properly, my senses overwhelming me. I go to close the door only to see a walker fast approaching us with some friends trailing behind; his mouth agape to emit a snarling sound as he reaches out, just as Freddie presses his foot down onto the accelerator to force the car forward and into motion again. I slam the door closed and allow myself to breathe for a second, staring straight ahead at Freddie as he clutches at the steering wheel with his hands, visibly tense. I then look to Effy who remains unconscious next to me; her body sprawled helplessly across the back seat with blood seeping out of her arm. I swipe a few curls from her face and acknowledge with growing trepidation how pale her skin is becoming before I rip the material from my long sleeved shirt and apply it to her arm, making sure to tighten it around several times to apply pressure so it will prevent further blood from spilling. It causes Effy to whimper and flutter her eyes for a moment before she continues resting her eyes. I can hear her faintly call my name as I pull her close to me, caressing her head in my lap so I can stroke her hair.
"It's okay, Eff. It's okay, I'm here. You're going to be alright."
Freddie kills the engine and gets out, making sure to park the car a safe distance from home in case anything goes down - which is smart, at least his head seems to be functioning again, for which I'm grateful, but Christ I could fucking kill him right now. As I try to sizzle down, I carefully extract Effy from the car and rest her body down against it in the night air as I climb back into the backseat to grab the bag. Freddie must misinterpret the situation because by the time I'm out with the bag in tow, he's leaning down ready to lift her up like he's not the reason for this at all, which really pisses me off. I can't help but shove him away, not wanting him to be be anywhere near her right now. I shrug off the bag and thrust it to him instead as I descend down to the pavement to support Effy with my arms.
"You take the bags." I know I shouldn't be so harsh on him - we nearly lost our lives and all - but having Effy come so close to nearly losing her own because of Freddie's recklessness just as she's come back into mine, I can't even fathom the enormity of it right now. I just can't. Freddie bows his head as he takes the bags, walking down the road slowly as I pick Effy up in my arms, cursing under my breath at how deceptively light she appears to be. Now I know otherwise.
"All those nights I said I wouldn't be hurling your arse back after a night out.. This is the exception, yeah Eff? This is the only exception." I keep an eye out on the road as I follow Freddie, only to feel my breath hitch slightly when Effy's head falls to the side.
"Eff? Fuck, Freddie, hurry up!" Freddie picks up his speed as I do, and we approach the shed in no time. He fumbles with the code as the door to the shed opens, basking us in light.
"Oh whizzer, you're back! We were-" Panda's voice ceases the moment she sees Effy in my arms, and widens the door as Freddie opens the fence door. We scramble through and rush in to the shed as Freddie pushes all of the contents from the kitchen island onto the floor. I gently place Effy down onto it and look around me; my eyes seeking out Emily who looks on at Effy rather curiously.
"Em-"
"I'm on it." She rushes into the kitchen and opens a cupboard to withdraw a compact first aid kit. I feel someone pull on my bare arm where my sleeve used to be, but I don't look, refusing to leave Effy out of my sight. I can hear Freddie yammering away at Emily, telling her of the details as she goes about trying to find items that will help.
"Come on, dweeb. You're no good like this, let Emsy do her job, yeah? She'll make her okay." She almost sounds kind as she speaks in a soft tone, but as quick as that thought arrives it leaves, for she's tugging on my arm again. I'm about to erupt when I happen to catch Emily's gaze, our eyes connecting for the first time since I got back, and as sudden as I feel the rage arise, I feel it dissipate. I actually feel the shift. She somehow has the ability to systematically disable all the anger inside of me, before soothing my consciousness back to the foreground with just a look. Jesus. Those eyes, she really has no idea what those pools do to me. No idea at all.
She shoots me a reassuring smile before tending back to Effy, removing the ripped material to scrutinise the wound.
"It went through, that's good." Katie tugs on me once again, and I allow her to pull me away to the bathroom, all the while keeping my eyes on what is happening. I see Panda emerge and join Emily, holding some equipment and preparing to help her as she pours something on the injury. Katie slyly closes the door behind us so we don't see what's going on, and drags us to the sink. She plugs it and produces a couple bottles of water. I watch as Katie gingerly grabs my hands and pours water over them, which startles me when I realise that they are covered with blood. I look down and see red, lots of it. I then take note of it on my clothes and digest that it is infact Effy's blood.
"It's not the first time I've seen this red." She gives me a repulsed look, contemplating all of the possibilities of what I could mean by that.
"If you're some sort of serial killer, then you better fucking back away from my sister, because I swear-"
"Effy, she… This isn't the first time I've seen her blood. I thought maybe I'd be able to cope better a second time around, but it all happened so fast. And she didn't, I mean- her eyes… She's alive. She's living. She saw me. And now.. I just-"
"Naomi.."
"I need her to be alive. I just found her. She can't die, she just can't."
I remain in the bathroom long after Katie leaves, perhaps because I'm too afraid to find out whether Effy is dead or not. I keep going over the moment our eyes meet; how her blue eyes register me and I swear she smiled – and not her usual patented Effy smile – the one she rarely allows anyone to see. The one where she is so happy, that even she can't refrain from keeping it from her lips. It was small, and it was there. It was. And now, now there's a very real possibility that just as she comes back into my life I may lose her again. I allow myself to glance into the mirror and note for the first time the pure fatigue that reflects back. I have no recollection of how I have come to be like this, it just feels strange and never ending.
"Naoms?" I look into the mirror again and see Emily standing near the door, which is now ajar. She shuffles on her feet a little, a habit which she expresses when she's nervous.
"Just tell me." I feel my hands grip the sink to the point they ache, but I don't care. I really don't, not when my best friend could be dead. She shoots me a tender smile, her hand dropping from the door handle.
"She's resting right now. She's doing as okay as someone who's been shot and who's lost a lot of blood, I'd imagine. I'm no doctor but I cleaned the wound; it went through and through, and I bandaged it up. She did go into a bit of shock, but we managed to calm her down. We'll have to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't overheat or chill. But she's okay right now, Nai. She's breathing and living and fighting it." I drop my gaze from the mirror as I release my hold from the sink.
"You sure she won't need any blood transfusions or something?"
"Well your sleeve managed to provide direct pressure, it was good thinking on your part. I'm pretty sure it saved her life, otherwise she would have bled out and.." We fall into silence for a moment before Emily speaks up, her voice rather timid.
"So that's Effy?"
"Yeah, that's Effy." I push myself from the sink and turn around to look at Emily. She stands up straight and offers me a small smile.
"She was calling for you.. It's obvious that you two are close."
"Yeah, she's important to me." I sigh and look down, once again acknowledging the stained, torn shirt. I remove it without thinking and throw it into the tiny bin in the corner, not bothering to make sure if it lands straight in. I go to walk out of the bathroom, my eyes connecting with Emily's as I do which causes her to drop her gaze immediately, her face burning up. She coughs a little and dips her head, making her hair fall forward.
"I should, well.. see uh, how Effy's doing? She's been moved to my room if you want to…" I nod and walk by her, feeling my shoulder brush with hers, and I swear I feel electricity pass between us. It makes me suddenly feel very self-conscious of my body, which I've never really been before. I wrap my arms around my waist and nod, lowering my head also.
"Yeah, just gonna get a top. I'll be right back." I then march out and into the lounge to where JJ, Freddie and Katie are. They don't really bat an eye lid at the flesh on display as I rummage from through my clothes for something to wear, shedding my trousers as I go. I pull on some black skinny jeans as I look at some tops, choosing a silly but much loved shirt with a picture of a pig on. I put it on and I swear I can still remember the first time I had worn it at a protest with my mother all those years ago, it brings back so many memories as I run my hand over the image.
"Naomi?" I look up to see JJ standing in front of me, staring as he fidgets with a coin in his hand.
"I just wanted to say thank you. I appreciate the effort you went to today - for me, for all of us. And I hope you realise that you are an integral part of this group." I nod, and allow a small smile to grace my lips, taking a moment to feel something other than stress. He continues to look so expectantly at me that I decide to swiftly reach out and pat his shoulder, watching as he smiles at me in return before I force my hands to rest in backs of my pockets.
"It's fine, JJ." He nods his head the once, meeting my eyes one more time before turning on his heels and walking into the kitchen to look through the bags that we have brought back. I turn my attention to Freddie and Katie who sit on the other end of the couch, looking anything but happy. A disheveled looking Freddie is bent over with his head down as Katie runs her hands up and down his back, trying to console him it would appear. I exhale deeply, which seems to garner his attention as he looks up at me with profound remorse.
"Naomi."
"I know.." I'm still very angry, but I understand what happened, I do. But right now I need to be there for Effy. Right now I just need to get through this moment before I can focus on anything else, because that's just insignificant right now. We continue to stare at each other until I back away, disconnecting our gaze as I turn around and head into the girls room. I find Panda sitting on her bed watching Emily as she kneels on the floor, watching over Effy. I close the door behind me and lean against it heavily, feeling just about ready to collapse.
"It's okay, Naomi, she's just sleeping!" I cast my eyes to Panda who is trying to act her usual chipper self, but I can tell that this is having a sobering effect on her. She gives me a small smile, her eyes so kind, so innocent; much like Emily's when I think about it, but in a whole different league. She's entirely pure of the world's horrors, like she hasn't seen what's out there, and therefore it can't taint her. Emily though, she has witnessed things, I can tell. She feels it, carries it, but she doesn't allow it to shape or harden her. If Effy needed to be surrounded by bright and enthusiastic people right now, then she definitely has the best people around for the job. I push myself away from the door and take a seat beside Panda, my eyes never leaving Effy's form. It takes me half an hour to realise that Panda's hand is entwined with mine as she squeezes it, and feeling as vulnerable I am right now I return the gesture, tightening my grasp, hoping that I will remain grounded in this light and not disappear in the darkness that I feel slowly encasing me.
Panda and Emily exit the room after a while leaving me to watch over Effy, sensing that I need it; need to be alone with her. I draw a chair to the bed and sit down, leaning forward to rest my hand on her cheek, tracing it softly.
"I can hardly believe you're here right now.. What happened, Eff? What happened to the world? Where's Cook and mum? Why were you there?" I bring my hand up and draw my finger across her eye brow, allowing it to trail back down to her cheek. I cup it gently and stroke it with my thumb. The skin is warm, she's alive. I can't help the smile that possesses my lips at this fact.
"I missed you so much, Eff. And seeing all that blood again… You promised me that you wouldn't ever let me see it again. You promised."
"I know." I bring my eyes up to hers, wide with shock as I watch her eyes flutter open to stare at me, her face incredibly worn but functioning. It's enough to comfort me. I can't help the smile that stretches my face; it feels so foreign for I can't recall the last time I've ever smiled like this. I adjust my grasp on her cheek and lean forward, resting our foreheads together.
"Good to see you, Naoms." I can't prevent the tears from welling up in my eyes as I watch Effy, noting the return of her renowned smirk and the way her eyes coat over with her typical perception. I chuckle at the familiarity of it, allowing the lone tear to fall.
"You're an angel."
"Don't shit me, Eff."
"I'm dead.. and you're here. We're here, together." I frown as she reaches out with her good arm, placing her hand on my cheek, mimicking me. She stares at me with her sharp blue eyes that I've missed so much.
"Eff, you're delirious.. It's okay, just rest. We can talk soon. You're going to be okay." She continues to watch me before gracing me with yet another smirk. She then tilts her head, pressing her lips against mine, if only to confirm that I am real. I don't respond, seeing that there really is no need to, because she can feel me as I feel her. We're here together, and we're going to be okay.
I draw back when I hear something, and I turn to see what it can be but there is nothing. Sighing softly, I direct my attention back to Effy who is now lying back on the bed with her eyes closed, and a small smile on her lips.