I just want to take this moment to apologize for such a long wait and thank you all for being so unbelievably patient with me and this story.

I don't want to take up too much of your time but I know that all of you deserve an explanation as to why it took so long and to put it short i went through a very bad break up, like REALLY BAD.

And although it was mostly my fault it didn't lessen the pain of it so I had decided to take some me time and travel a bit, this of course lead to an absence of both my writing and most importantly my wifi access.

Anyway that's my excuse and once again I apologize for the wait! Enjoy the chapter!

CHAPTER 14: Liza

A loud scream rocks through my body, bringing me out from my human safety blanket. It's Chris, he is down below us on the staircase that leads to the beachfront and to where Travis and Mom are clinging to one another my gaze then drifts to the dead body of Liza.

My heart breaks as more cries of confusion and anger leave my semi-step brothers lips and I make quick work of pulling away from Elyza and heading straight for the stairs beside us. I have a pretty good idea where the path will lead me.

Elyza is on my tail and we take atleast two steps at a time. When we reach the exit door i quickly push against the cool wood and practically throw the door off its hinges in my rush. By the time we reach the spot Chris had once stood, he is already down by the shore.

Travis is attempting to pull his very distraught son from the body of his mother but Chris continues to push him away, while one hand gripping to the yellow blood stained material of Liza's shirt.

"Travis let him go!" Mom tries to pull him off Chris' arm but Travis seems to be lost in his own thoughts.

"TRAVIS!" She tries again, yanking on his beige jacket. Insane with grief, Travis turns to my mother and pushes her off. Hard.

The force sends her flying to the floor with a thud. Already I'm on edge but then I see Travis make one more movement and this is what causes my whole vision to go red. His gun now trained on my mother my body once again feels like I have no control over it.

Just like before, like a protective instinct, I race down the remaining stairs and charge at the unsuspecting older man. I tackle him to the floor with ease, surprised that my small stature was enough to throw the rather built man to the ground. My attack was obviously a surprise to him as well, because his gun is once again raised and aimed right at me not really registering that I was just a really pissed off girl and not one of those monsters we have fight for the past week.

His eyebrows scrunch up in confusion and his mouth reminds me of those poor little fish my dad and I had caught all those years back, opening and closing in an attempt to say something.

The gun is slowly dropped from its position but not before my fist is meeting the right side of his jaw. My left hand joins in and one by one I'm punching him straight in his pretty little face.

My mother is the one to pull me off.

"Alicia! Baby he didn't mean it, please stop!"

In the back of my mind I knew she was right but seeing the gun pointed at my mother was not something anyone should ever have to see and I was livid. I hated guns, ever since I could remember I always associated guns with horrible things and living here in America just meant that everyone and their damn mother's could own one.

I'm pulled off only because I allow it, knowing that my anger needs to be controlled before I kill my future step-dad.

Being pulled back and held within my mother's arms I watch as Elyza advances and bends down to help pick up Travis. I caused more damage than I thought.

His nose is obviously broken, bent in an unnatural manner and blood freely flowing and smeared across his face. He only stares back at me with his one eye, the other closed and already I can tell that for the next few days it will be swollen shut.

The cries from ahead help me to break my gaze and immediately my mind is forced back on track. Chris is still dropped lazily over his dead mother's body, unaffected by the pool of blood under her. Close up I can see that it was a clean shot straight to Liza's forehead.

Before, this sight would have sent me racing away to empty the contents of my stomach but now it is almost normal, the thought that I had grown unaffected by this chaos sends Chills down my spine.

My voice is shake as I speak.

"Why?" It's all I can say.

"She was bitten back at the hospital.." Mom says resulting in an even louder sob to leave Chris.

"I had to...I had to...she made me do it..why..why Liza.." Travis is in no state to be dealt with right now and Eliza agrees.

Without a word Elyza brings him to his feet and escorts him back back up the stairs and back to the rest of our party.

Mom leaves to more concerned about Travis than the devastated teenager.

I don't know how to approach Chris but his cries are getting more and more frantic and my heart begs me to do something, anything to comfort him.

Approaching slowly I crouch down to his level and place my right hand gently on Chris' trembling shoulder, immediately he's goes stiff but he continues to hide his face from my view.

"Chris." As if just my voice broke him from a spell, he quickly turns startling me for a second and before I know it his arms are around me.

Reacting once again before thinking, I return the embrace wrapping my own arms around his form and holding him close. He cries out louder than before and all I can do is guide his head to my shoulder in order to shield him away from this reality, if only for a minute.

Hearing his sobs claws at my heart and I can't help returning to the day we had gotten the call in the middle of the night, informing us that my daddy wasn't coming home either. Losing just one parent was bad enough but with Travis basically abandoning him, it's almost as if Chris had lost both parents.

I remember Chris being there at the funeral of my dad, he was the only one to find me hiding behind the old run down shed of the cemetery crying my eyes out. I had hid away from the pity filled eyes of our family friends, tired from hearing how 'sorry' they were and that 'things would get better'. It was Chris who found me and unlike the others he didn't say a thing, no pity, he just sat down next to me in his dark loose hand-me-down suit and stayed with me until I had no more tears to shed.

Chris and I aren't best friend, not even close but we had an understanding and so It was a no brainer that I would be here for him.

I cry with him. I cry for his loss, for my loss, for this world that we now have to live in that seems to be even darker than it was before.

"Alicia...I-I can't live like this ...I cant!"

"Shhhh," I comb my fingers through his shoulder length hair, something that my dad used to calm me whenever I awoke in the middle of the night due to an extremely bad nightmare, " Chris he had to do this...I hate to say it but he had to."

"No! Alicia-"

"Chris we both know what happens...it would hurt even more if your mother...if Liza had turned.."

He pulls away only to fall back against me, a new onslaught of tears soaking my already tear stained shirt.

"But at the same time, Travis had no right to make this decision without you and for that..I am so very sorry Chris."

He burrows into my neck closer and a shiver travels through me at the feel of his breath there.

"We need to be strong Chris," I pull him away so that we're now eye to eye, and suddenly the words Elyza said to me back when I was getting my tattoo echoes in my head. "The dead are gone and the living are hungry."

Walking Chris back to the house is easier said than done, what with his constant need to turn around and gaze desperately back at the shrinking image of his mother.

Thankfully Nick and Daniel had volunteered to take over the care for Liza, wrapping her in a clean white sheet and saying a few prayers. It was in everyones best interest that I get Chris out of there.

We walk in silence, my arm wrapped around his slumped figure. It takes longer than it should what with Chris continuously taking glances back behind us at the three figures but soon enough we're at the top and I allow Chris to put all of his weight on me as I basically drag him to the room Elyza and I were just moments ago in.

As soon as we reach the bed I assist him in sitting down and almost immediately Chris slumps forward and I am just in time to catch him, his head falling heavy on my shoulder. I allow myself to indulge in this moment, my eyes clenched shut as an overload of emotion seems to take over the both of us.

The ache in my lower back reminds me of my present position, crouching forward in order to comfort the young boy and with a light push I position us in a better position.

Chris lies flat on his back, his head dropped heavily on the pristine white pillows and I'm about to back away when I see that lost look in his eyes return and I can't help the way it pulls at my heart.

Without much though I hop into the bed beside him, my back flat against the headboard and almost immediately his arms wrap around my waist and his head falls into my lap. I adjust a bit to accommodate the extra weight and clinging arms.

"thank you...Alicia.." his voice is strangled and all I can do is sit there running my finger through his long sleek black locks.

"Shhhh. I'm here Chris and everything is going to be just fine." He leans in closer and I hum a slow tune.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with me comforting the boy but I guess from someone else's point of view it would seem less platonic and more romantic, and boy was I not prepared for the later.

I'm awoken by a loud thud on my right jerking me from my restless sleep, and stirring an emotionally exhausted Chris in the process.

Turning to the cause of the sound I find myself being glared down at by those lovely pair of blue eyes. Just the sight of the blonde reminds me of what had almost happened in this very bed and the wide grin on my face is hard to miss in this moment.

My grin soon drops when I realize the usually playful blonde is not returning the sentiment.

"Elyza-"

"C'mon Clark, get your ass moving we're out of here."

I'm taken back by the harsh tone and remain still, too shocked to really move. Oookkaayy what did I do?

"Elyza are you ok?"

" Oh yeah I'm just peachy!" The tone of sarcasm is definitely not lost to me, "Let's go. The boat isn't just gonna wait for you and your boyfriend to get up."

Boyfriend? I follow her piercing gaze down to my lap where a fast asleep Chris lies and it is there where I find my hand interlocked with his.

Realization hits me and I am just a mix of emotions. Hurt, because how dare she assume Chris and I were a thing especially after the moment we had shared earlier. Anger, because obviously after what happened down by the beach Chris would need some sort of comfort. Then an emotion of just a little bit of happiness because Elyza being jealous just confirmed that she had genuine feelings for me.

A scoff retrieves my focus back on the now even angrier girl, if life was a cartoon I could just imagine steam spilling from her ears, it seems I took too long to answer and that was not what Elyza wanted to hear.

Without another word she leaves in a blur of yellow and blue, leaving me seated here with my mouth agape struggling to figure out what the hell just happened. The door slams shut behind her sending vibration throughout the room and jerking Chris awake.

"What was that, 'Licia?"

All I could was drop my head back against the headboard utterly pissed off over the fact that I may have just fucked shit up.

"Alicia! Get it moving!" I can barely hear Nick over the sound of the raging waves.

The cold winds are enough to shake anyone from their thoughts as I trek through the salt soaked sands of the beach below Strands home.

Nick, Strand and I were making a run for his boat, the Abigail, which was a good distance away from shore and could only be reached by a small motor boat docked ahead.

After Elyza had awoke me Mom was the next to enter the bedroom, explaining that it was in everyone's best interest to get out to sea as soon as possible and so the hectic packing began. Speaking of Elyza…

I take a quick glance behind me and find the woman standing near Mom and Travis, helping to carry some of the supplies as well as helping a limping Raven down the rough terrain. Ofelia and Daniel not far behind carrying luggage of their own.

I have to stop my jog when I notice movement coming from Elyza and I soon find our eyes locked.

Elyza and I haven't spoken since her little storm off and telling by the way she is staring me down I can see she is still pissed. I try hard to relay my emotions to her with just a simple look but it's all for nothing, she looks away and so do I.

Reluctantly I continue my trek, finding that Nick and Strand are already on the motor boat and just waiting for me to join them. Heaving my rather large bag of clothes and food over my shoulder I run as fast as I can.

"Finally!" Nick says as I reach the boat, throwing the bag down onto his lap before leaping in.

Strand doesn't even wait til I'm completely seated, taking off at high speeds and heading straight into the rough surges ahead.

The pull in my chest is just enough to remind of the blonde still on the beach but my head tells me that I will only be leaving her side for a moment and that everything was going to be fine.

But it wasn't because not a second later that I hear the sound of gunshots followed by a loud scream coming from the shore.

TBC

Short chapter but more to come soon :)