Outbreak


17. The Truth


Red, white and gold. Gabriella called this room the Wildcat Room. Its colour scheme reminded her of East High.

It was yet another bedroom and probably the grandest of them all. The walls were papered with a striking, red pattern with white detail. The large double bed had clean, white sheets and bold, scarlet cushions. The wood of the bedstead was painted gold and had great pillars that stretched to the ceiling. An entire wall was taken up by a vast, gold, walk-in wardrobe with a countless number of drawers and doors. A calming, dim light shone through the thin curtains which hung at the bay window and cast a yellow shadow on the white floor.

This was where Gabriella came to get away from it all. Taylor had her library. She had the Wildcat Room. It was perfect to get lost in; either lying on the luxurious bed or gazing at the unbelievable view from the window. There was just a welcoming atmosphere that would hit you as soon as you stepped through the door. It was the perfect place to be alone. However, as Gabriella entered, it became apparent that someone else had had the same idea.

Chad sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. His shoulders were so tense that they almost touched his ears and his tight grip on the bed sheets crumpled the entire white cover. There was clearly a lot on his mind and Gabriella considered walking away and leaving him to his thoughts, seeing as he didn't seem to have noticed her arrival anyway, but then she realised that this was the perfect opportunity to get the answers she so desperately needed regarding Troy.

She opened her mouth to speak but her thoughts were too fast for her and another thing came into consideration. Chad was in her hide-out. Hiding. He'd clearly come here to get away from something. And Gabriella would bet any money that the something was Troy. Her curiosity only grew. As did her hesitance to talk. She stayed by the door and cleared her throat.

"Did you speak to Troy?" She asked quietly, not wanting to shock him.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem at all bothered by her presence, though maybe it was just that his shoulders couldn't get any higher. He slowly nodded his head but did not turn around.

Gabriella hadn't expected to be so bluntly snubbed and was even more deterred. "Oh-…" She stammered, unsure of why she was becoming so nervous. Something about Chad was bothering her. And he'd changed the atmosphere in the room from calming to the complete opposite. She decided to get out of there and find another place to camp. "Well, I'll just-…I'll leave you to-."

"No," he said unexpectedly. Gabriella thought that she might have imagined it until he turned around partially to face her. "No," he repeated. "It's okay." He softened, regretting giving Gabriella a cold-shoulder that she didn't deserve. "You can stay."

This invitation somewhat relaxed Gabriella and she stepped carefully into the room. Walking around the bed, she noticed that Chad's gaze remained anywhere but her. She sat close beside him on the edge of the bed and waited.

She wanted him to speak first because she already felt as though she was intruding. After a long stretch of silence though, she realised he had no intention to make conversation and glanced at him expectantly. It was the first time she had looked at his face properly since entering and she couldn't help but be slightly taken aback by his appearance. The skin around his bloodshot eyes was red and damp and his cheeks glistened with a thin sheen of tears. Gabriella had never seen Chad cry. She'd never thought him the type to submit to a display of emotions that he'd probably consider weak. But there was evidence, plain and obvious, that he had shed some tears. And she knew that it must have been something awful. And she knew that it was about Troy.

"Have you been crying?" She asked before thinking. Although she already knew the answer, she hoped he would elaborate as to why. She needed to know what was happening with her boyfriend and she knew Chad had the answers.

He sniffed and turned away. "No." He lied, knowing it was a pathetically obvious denial but not yet ready to admit to his weaker side. "Just-…" And for a moment he considered telling her everything. "Something in my eye." He wiped his face on the back of his sleeve.

Gabriella considered asking more questions. But as desperate as she was to know about Troy, she wasn't going to push the subject at the expense of Chad's faltering and fragile emotions. The poor boy was going through enough; he'd been shot, there was something wrong with his best-friend and his girlfriend was bruised and scratched and close to broken. So, rather than delve further into the matter, she attempted to change the subject to take both their minds off it.

"Of all the rooms in the house," She began with a forced smile. "We just happened to pick the same hiding place…."

She continued, though Chad wasn't listening. He'd never been good at keeping secrets. And there was something so huge that he was hiding from Gabriella, he couldn't stand to sit so close to her and keep it locked up. The truth that only he knew was swirling around in his head, begging to be shared. And the more Gabriella spoke, the more comfortable she became in his presence and the closer they got, the more the barriers of his willpower began to break down. And eventually, he just couldn't stop himself.

"Troy's been bitten." He blurted out, stopping Gabriella mid-sentence. He mentally chided himself for letting it slip and for the blunt way in which he did it. But at the same time, nothing could stop the relief that lifted the biggest weight from his shoulders. He could only bask in the sudden flourish of freedom for a moment before he realised the effect his words were going to have on Gabriella.

She looked at him though he still could not meet her eye. "Wh-what?" Her words came out in a breathless and disbelieving, high-pitched voice. Of all the things she had prepared herself for, all the things she had expected, this scenario had never entered her mind. Everything else had a solution. Everything else was reversible. But not this. Of all the things, not this. As the news sunk in, Gabriella's world began to fall apart in small chunks.

"That's why he wouldn't stop." Chad explained, allowing a miserable chuckle before recalling the shocking words that Troy had used in defence for his actions. "He was hungry."

Gabriella was shaking her head as if her denial of the truth would make it a lie. She tried as hard as she could to not allow the words to sink in. As long as she didn't accept it, it wouldn't be real.

Chad put his hand on her back and began to rub up and down supportively. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

She stood, knocking away his hand, and walked wordlessly out of the door, leaving Chad alone in the Wildcat Room once more.

Unsure of where she was going, perhaps in search of another hiding place, Gabriella travelled through the house in a slow, daze-like walk. When she got to the backdoor of the house, which led to the acres of gated land, her hands unlocked and opened it on autopilot. Her thoughts did not protest.

Night was falling on yet another eventful day and the late evening air was cool and refreshing. The grass was wet with dew under her bare feet and its soft blades tickled between her toes. Normally, a time like this would be accompanied by chirping birdsong, but all the animals were dead. By the time Gabriella had reached the stables, goosebumps had formed on her skin from the developing cold. She decided to enter the decrepit, wooden building to shield herself from the light breeze.

There was little light inside, but she spotted him right away. Amongst the hay and wood, Troy sat alone in the centre of the floor on an overturned, metal bucket. His left hand lay on his lap, the bandage unravelled and discarded beside him on the ground. In his other hand was a gun. The barrel of it was in his mouth. And his finger was on the trigger.

The regular beats of Gabriella's heart stopped completely for a split second. "Troy?" Her voice was close to inaudible as she had the hopeful belief that this was just a creation of her imagination.

Troy's dead eyes snapped to life and he looked up at her. Almost reluctantly, he slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth. The purpose of him doing so was not to rid himself of the danger but only to be able to speak. "You shouldn't be here." He told her dismally. His gaze remained on her accusingly as if he expected her to just turn around and leave.

She did the opposite. Taking unhurried and deliberate steps, she walked timidly towards him. "What are you doing?" She asked the obvious, desperate for another explanation. Though what other reason could there be. He was killing himself. He was ending his own life, alone in the stable. "You can't-…" She wondered what would have happened if she'd never gone for a walk this evening. Who would have found his body? "Why would you-…?"

"Leave, Gabriella." He demanded bluntly. He sat completely still, showing her that he had no intention to change his plans. "You don't want to see this."

He'd been 'in the zone'. She had no idea how much courage it had taken for him to go out there and stick the gun in his mouth. He had been so close to pulling the trigger. So close. A matter of seconds away. And now he knew he'd need another while of self-assuring.

Gabriella was taken aback by his careless determination. "See what?" She asked, taking her final steps towards him. "You can't do this." She crouched in front of him so they were at the same eye level and he finally tore away from her gaze. "I won't let you."

With that, she grabbed the gun and attempted to prise it from his hands. She was wrenching his arms this way and that, swinging the fragile barrel in every direction. Her nails dug into his skin as she yanked and he yanked back in this deadly game of tug-o-war.

"Get off, Gabi." He ordered. "Stop." He spoke between exasperated pants and forceful pulls. "I have to." His grip began to weaken as his mind and body started to surrender. "I don't want to hurt you." Was his final plea as he stopped struggling. "I have to." He said again.

All was suddenly still. Gabriella lifted the weapon from his open hand and threw it into a pile of hay. Troy looked at her and began to cry as all the pent up emotions, the secrets and the lies came crushing down on him as soon as the shield of adrenaline was gone. He hunched over on the bucket he sat on, sobbing and babbling incoherent words of apology. And although his tearful speech made little sense, Gabriella understood completely. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"I love you." She told him. She pulled out of the embrace so she could look him straight in the eye and, when he tried to look away, she took his head in both hands and held it right in front of hers. "And I will always love you, Troy Bolton."

Too much had happened in the space of forty-eight hours for any of them to register real emotions. Their minds were exhausted, so all their thoughts were unreliable and jumbled. However, one thing was certain at that moment. Troy knew that he had the support he needed to go on. Gabriella knew that she was never going to allow Troy to give up.

She pressed her forehead to his and shut her eyes. "We can find another way." She promised. "We'll find another way."


A/N: The most thankful of thanks to the wonderful people who reviewed; ILuvZacEfron, HisDelilah, bex-sharpay tisdale-evans, pumpkinking5, chaylorXtraylorlover101, mzwendy85 andMaxRideRox. You guys are preview is for y'all!

Coming Up; Troy awoke from his twelve-hour sleep, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all. His mind was in a constant state of unbearable buzz as his brain futilely demanded him to fill the bottomless pit that was his stomach. He could smell them. His friends. He could smell the ripe, juicy meat that clung to their bones, begging to be devoured. If he could only quench this agonizing hunger…

Oh, and a warning, we're nearing the end of the story. Hope you guys enjoy the conclusion.

xX M Xx