AN: I would like to dedicate this chapter to 3 people. 1) My pre-reader babylopez2008 for sticking with this and being so super quick. 2) My WC partner in crime DreamOfTheEndless for being so awesome with your reviews and comments, as well as pushing me to be a better writer, and 3) kimbo06, for joining in with the WC's. Everyone needs some zombie love.
Thank you to DreamOfTheEndless, juney83uk, ellaryne, sujari6, JLS0823, april666king, team jazper, traceybuie, khartgrove513, and IcarusToSun for reviewing.
I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.
Enjoy...
Edward
I decide not to take the car, believing that I'll be faster on foot. I'll just have to stick to the wooded areas so no one sees me. Good thing I can hear their thoughts coming from over a mile away.
I manage to run for just under ten minutes when I get a phone call. I decide it's best that I answer it, thinking that it could be to do with the nomad we're after. I hope they still know where she is.
I expect to see Jasper's name flash up on the screen of my cell phone. Instead, it's Alice. My sister and I haven't spoken much at all since last week when she decided to play God with Bella's life. She's kept her distance and allowed Bella and I to have some space and time alone together. I've been grateful for that.
I answer my phone.
"Edward! Stop! You've got to... Bella! She's, he's-"
"Alice? What? Bella?" I ask confused.
I stop dead in my tracks.
I hear a rustle down the other end of the phone.
"Edward?" Jasper asks.
"What the hell is happening, Jasper?"
"She had a vision of Bella and called you as soon as it was over. Now she's stuck in another one."
"What about Bella?" I'm starting to lose my patience.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure. I think you need to go to her."
I turn around and start to run in the direction I came from, using as much speed as I possibly can.
"Edward?" asks Alice.
"Alice? What's going on?" I almost yell down the phone.
"It's Bella. Some nomad has taken her. Esme dropped her off just like I saw, but now her future has changed."
"What do you mean someone has taken her?"
"Please, you need to run. You have to save her. I saw him taking Bella to the one that attacked her. You can't let that happen," Alice practically sobs down the phone.
"Where are they now?"
"In my vision he was heading north."
I hear Alice breathe in a sharp intake of breath. I can also hear Jasper in the background trying to soothe her. I think she's having another vision.
"Trees... fight... Bella!... bleeding. No!"
"Come on Alice, snap out of it..." I say mainly to myself.
This can't be happening. I can't lose her. She's my life. I'm nothing without her.
"Edward?" Alice brings my attention back to our conversation. "You're on the right track. Just keep going. You'll catch his scent and Bella's."
"Is she alright?"
"It looks like she's out cold."
"Alice, you mentioned blood! What has he done to her?"
"Just keep going. We'll take care of the vampire here."
She hangs up.
I run. I've never run so fast in my entire existence.
Approximately two agonising minutes later, deep in a forest of trees, I come across a scent. It's not one I've smelled before, but it definitely belongs to a vampire, and it's mixed in with Bella's.
I follow it. The scent gets stronger the faster I run. I must be getting close. I just hope I'm not too late. I can't get the image of Bella bleeding to death out of my head. I need to know she's alright. I hope she can forgive me for this; I can't help but feel that this is my fault completely.
If anything has happened to her, I'll never forgive myself.
Bella
I'm jostled awake. I find it difficult to open my eyes due to the fact that my head is banging. Was I hit by something? I reach up to the back of my head and immediately feel a bump forming there. It's painful to touch.
The pain forces my eyes open, and straight away I wish I was still unconscious.
James.
He's carrying me over his shoulder as he runs with a vampire's speed. The pain from my head and the fear that bubbles up inside of me causes bile to rise in my throat. My stomach expels its contents.
James makes an exasperated noise.
"You humans are disgusting!" he shouts as he comes to a stop. He looks down to his feet. I follow his line of sight and see that I've managed to vomit on his shoes.
At least it got him to stop.
He throws me onto the grass below. I land on my back with a thump.
That's going to bruise.
I try to get up on my hands and knees. I manage it on my second attempt and start to crawl away as he cleans his shoes. I head for the shelter of the nearby trees and sit up against the truck of the closest one.
James stiffens up and I hear him breathe in loudly, as if testing the air. He growls and turns to face the forest from the direction we came in.
What's he looking for?
It takes less than five seconds for my question to be answered.
In a blur of movement, a figure comes out of the trees and heads for James. James has already crouched down into some form of protective stance, like he's preparing for a fight. The blur crashes into him but doesn't do any damage. Instead, the nomad has grabbed onto it and thrown it into the trees.
Now that it isn't moving, I can see who it is.
Esme.
I begin to stand up. I need to know she's alright.
"Esme!" I call out as I do.
"Shut up, you!" James shouts back.
"Stay where you are, Bella," Esme says as she gets to her feet.
She runs toward James again, this time jumping out of the way of his hands, and landing behind him. She places a kick swiftly into his back which sends him flying into the canopy of the trees.
"Bella, run!" she shouts over to me.
"I can't leave you!"
"Please, look after yourself. You need to-"
Her speech is cut off when James jumps down from a tree and lands on top of her, sending her to the ground. Now she's pinned.
"No! Stop! Please, it's me you want!" I beg the nomad but he isn't listening.
Instead, he grabs a hold of one of her arms and pulls. I hear a loud ripping sound, followed by a screech coming from Esme.
No!
I begin to run towards them in the hopes of distracting the nomad. Instead, I feel myself being picked up by another pair of cold hands. In a rush, the newcomer deposits me by the trees.
"Please, stay here."
Edward.
I nod at him while blinking away the tears that have formed in my eyes.
"Help her!" I shout as he runs towards his mother.
Edward barrels head on in to James's side. This knocks him off of Esme. She gets up, picks up her arm, and stands back while Edward goes after James.
Edward picks James up by his collar and pins him against the tree, lifting him off of his feet. I can see the nomad sadistically smiling at Edward, as if he's enjoying what's happening. I look back over to Esme who is holding up her unattached arm to where it was removed from her. I must be seeing things, but it looks like it's reattaching itself. How is that possible?
My attention is diverted back to the nomad once again when I hear him shouting out in pain. I see Edward spitting something out onto the floor. I think he's just bitten off a chunk of his flesh.
Somehow, James manages to get out of Edward's grasp. I wish I could see more from where I'm standing. I start to move closer to where they are. It looks like James's clothing has been ripped as Edward throws what he was holding onto the grass.
The nomad moves too fast for me to see him before it's too late. I can feel that something is wrong before I see it.
Esme.
I can't see through the blur, but I can hear how much pain she must be in as she screams.
Edward runs to his mom. The blur stops when Edward grabs a hold of James's jacket and throws him away.
Esme's arm has once again been taken off, as well as one of her legs. They're just lying lifeless beside her.
I run over to her in the hopes that I can do something to help. I saw her arm reattach. It can do it again.
I reach her as Edward goes after James.
"Esme!"
She looks like she's in agony as she lies on the floor.
"Tell me what to do," I beg her as I get down on my knees.
"I told you to run," she replies with a raspy voice.
"I don't always listen," I try to joke.
I look at her torn off limbs. I should be freaking out, but I'm not. She needs my help. I pick up her arm. It moves when I touch it. I lay it down at the joint where it was taken from her body. I move down to her legs so I can do the same for the lost appendage.
As I line up her leg, I hear a yell coming from behind me. I would know that voice anywhere.
Edward.
I stand up and turn around to see that James has him in a headlock. It looks like he's trying to take off his head.
No!
There must be something I can do to help. I scan the area. I don't even know what I'm looking for until I see it. I run over to the trees and pick up a thick stick from the floor. I snap it so the edge becomes rough and sharp.
Without thinking about it too much, I take the sharp end of the stick and use as much strength as I can to cut the length of my arm with it. I cry out in pain as the rusty smell of blood assaults my nostrils.
I fall to my knees as I look up in time to see James running for me. I can see that he's pushed Edward face down on the floor.
I did it.
I saved him.
Edward
No!
What has she done?
The smell of her blood... I can't let it distract me.
I push myself up from the floor and run in their direction. I know I'm already too late as I hear Bella scream.
I run faster.
I reach them in time to see that James has bitten Bella's right wrist. He leans over her body as he laps up the blood running down her self-induced cut down her left arm.
This time, I don't hold back the monster that I usually try to keep at bay. I easily snap off one of his arms, fuelled by the anger I feel and the sound of Bella screaming. This distracts him long enough for him to stop feeding. He looks back at me just as I get him into a head lock.
"Esme! Can you start a fire?" I ask my newly reformed mom. She shakily tells me she can.
I apply more pressure and shout out as I manage to detach his head from his body. I throw it in Esme's direction and kick away the rest of him so I can get to Bella.
I kneel down next to her as she writhes around in pain.
No, it's too soon. She wouldn't want this life. She deserves the choice.
Can I trust myself to do this?
"I'm going to make the pain go away, Bella," I tell her as I stroke her hair away from her face.
I pick up her infected risk, hold my breath and bring it to my lips.
"I love you," I tell her before biting.
Bella
Burning... my whole body is on fire. I think I hear myself screaming. At least, I think it's coming from me.
"I love you," I hear an angel say.
My angel, my Edward.
I want to return the sentiment but I can't bring myself to form a sentence.
Then I feel a pulling sensation coming from one side of my body. With it, I can feel the fire being dowsed slowly.
When the fire dies down, I can still feel the pulling. I'm too weak to open my eyes, and too tired to do anything about it.
"Edward... I love you," I slur before finally succumbing to sleep.