Chapter 21
I threw my forearm up at a gapping mouth in my last efforts to defend myself.
A set of bloody broken teeth dug into the flesh on my arm. No. This isn't real. I've passed out and this is all just a bad dream.
I squeezed my eyes in pain, hoping I would open them to find myself back at the hotel.
There was no use. The pain was real, the monster biting into my arm was real, and the screams shaking my eardrums were real.
"Oh god, Arizona!" Callie ran up and stretched her arm back before bringing a knife to the infected's head. Its body went limp and fell to the floor, leaving me standing on shaky legs and my insides flipping as my heart pounded against my chest. Callie was joined by the rest of the group as they all stood back in shock. I leaned over the dead body and emptied the contents of my stomach onto the pavement.
Avery jumped through the crowd and whipped out a belt. "Back up! Everybody just back up!" All followed his commands except Callie who remained by my side rubbing my back.
"You have to cut her arm off, right?" Someone yelled from the group.
"No, I think we can save it and save her." Avery tied the belt at the top of my arm above the bite.
I could hear Callie mumble cries and soft "no's" to herself in the corner. Once my head became too heavy, I fell to the ground and landed on my side.
"Hey." Avery moved my head to look at him. "I cut off your blood circulation and quick. Your arm is going to go extremely numb, but I promise you, I'll be back with that vaccine and you'll be the first to get it."
"I'll go with you." I tried to push myself up but Avery stopped me.
"Are you crazy? I know this thing isn't too fast moving, but the more you move around, the more it's going to move through your body."
"We don't even know if it works after a bite, Avery. This vaccine guarantees prevention from getting the disease after the vaccine is taken. If I'm going to die, let me go out fighting. And I'm sorry about what happened to Stephanie. I didn't mean…"
"No one's dying today." Jackson met me eye-to-eye. "You hear me? You're not dying today."
I nodded and shuffled up onto my feet. One arm went around Callie and the other around Avery so they could carry me out of the bathroom. The group had set up a bed made of cigarette cartons and cases of beer for me to lie on. Callie took of her jacket and balled it up into a pillow and stuffed it under my head.
"We'll be back in record time." Callie announced.
"Whoa, who said you were going?" Our map guy spoke up from the back.
"Excuse me? This is my fiancé; I'm going after whatever is going to save her life."
"Sorry, honey. One of you already slowed us down, we're not letting you and miss ponytail over here compromise our mission anymore." He pointed to Jo who showed a stunned expression.
"Hey, man. Shut the hell up. Just…go, I'll catch up." Jackson shooed the guys out of the store then handed Callie and Jo the biggest bag he had on his back. "Here are some blankets, water, and bandages. I would cover her would up, but be careful. If she…you know…" Callie gulped and turned herself back to me.
Jo nodded. "I'll handle it."
"Okay." I could hear Jackson inhale deeply before running out the door.
Callie brought over a step stool that was left in the middle of the store and sat down beside my head, digging her fingers through my hair and pulling out stray locks out of my eyes.
"I should have gone with them." I mumbled.
"Hush." Callie continued to brush her fingers over my head.
"My mom needs the vaccine Callie."
"You need it too."
"It's not even going to work. I was bit and now I'm going to get this disease and Jo's going to have to kill me."
"Stop. Just stop, okay?"
"I had so much planned for our relationship and our lives I just…." My arm throbbed and I could feel my head warm up.
Callie must have noticed herself, like a sixth sense. "Jo, go wet this please." She handed her an old bandana from Jackson's bag.
"Sure." The smaller brunette disappeared into the back.
Callie stood from her spot and dropped her weapon before straddling my hips only to push herself to the other side of my body. The bed was next to the wall so Callie's back was flat against the window of the raggedy gas station. She slid close into my side so her arm could rest across my chest.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm lying with you."
"Get up." I demanded.
"Arizona."
"I'm serious Callie. GET UP!"
"I'm not moving."
"I could turn into one of those things any minute and I will not have you near me when it happens."
"It's not going to happen."
"You don't know that!" I pushed Callie's arm off my stomach and shifted away from her. "Go!" I pointed away from me, not making any eye contact because that would just be too hard. I didn't have enough strength to look at her disappointment or hurt.
Callie slid of the bed then passed Jo as she came back with the bandana. In a fit, Callie threw a stand of potato chip bags to the floor.
"What's going on? I heard you guys yelling all the way in the back."
"It's nothing." I reached out and took the rag and unraveled it to cover my entire face.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. I'm not sure how long I was out, but my senses were still on edge which let soft sobs and sniffles worked their way into my ears. I'm still alive; I'm not dead yet.
I kept my face covered and tuned into the distant conversation, realizing the cries were coming from Callie.
"She's going to be okay, Cal." Jo reassured her.
"Arizona was bitten." She coughed after a few rough cries. My stomach flinched at the sound of her sadness. "I didn't think it would ever happen. She's so strong, quick, and smart, and... I never thought she would be bitten."
"I know, I know. Arizona's going to be fine though. The guys are going to come back with the drug and we're going to give it to her. Then… she'll come back. She's a fighter; I don't have to tell you that. And you know she's not the type to give up."
"Wouldn't it be easier though? Wouldn't it be so much easier to give up now? There's nothing to look forward to anymore."
"You're killing me. You have plenty to look forward to. You just got engaged! You have a wedding to look forward to."
"Yeah, but Arizona wants all these crazy things and I'm scared I won't be able to give them to her. I say we have to make the best of what we're handed, but I'm not sure I can follow my own advice anymore."
A coughed escaped my body and interrupted their conversation. I tried to keep myself from coughing again, but there was no stopping. As my fit continued, I rolled onto my side and coughed towards the floor. Callie and Jo ran over to the bed, Jo removing the bandana and Callie checking my forehead.
"She's burning up." Her hand lifted my shirt up and tested my temperature again. "Her whole body is on fire."
"I'll wet this bandage with some cold water again."
Finally, a pain hit my chest and a spray of drool mixed with blood covered the floor. With another cough, more blood dripped down from the corner of my mouth.
"Oh god! Jo, get in here!" Callie rushed to sit by my face. "Arizona? Arizona?!"
I worked up enough power to lift my arm and push Callie away from me "Callie, get… get away!" I pushed her out of the way just in time as I coughed up more blood.
The entire room began to spin and all of my limbs ached.
Jo ran into our area and grabbed Jackson's bag. "I think there's an icepack somewhere… ah ha!" She pulled put an instant icepack and cracked it so the cool would start.
Jo lifted my shirt over my flimsy arms and laid the icepack on my stomach. She took another towel from the bag and wiped my mouth. Once my face and stomach were covered, she tried to remove my pants. I could barely think, so I knew I had no strength to help rid my clothes.
"Callie, come help me get her jeans off." When there was no response, she turned to Callie who was huddled to the side with her knees under her chin. "Callie!"
She jumped up and helped Jo remove my pants. The sudden rush of air hit my legs and was the last thing I felt before my eyes closed.
A scratching noise made its way to my ears. It sounded extremely close so my instincts kicked in. I removed the piece of cloth away from my face and realized it hadn't helped my fever. I turned my face slightly towards the window only to be nose-to-nose with an infected from the other side. It was getting a little dark so it seemed more scary than usual for me.
"Oh shit." I rolled off the bed, onto the floor and landed on my left arm, the arm that was bitten. I loosened the belt Avery left around my arm to gain some of the feeling back. With a heavy head and irritated eyes, I peeked over the bed. Outside were dozens of infected pilling up against the doors. I opened my mouth to say something but noticed a white foam drip below me. Callie was across from me, curled up in Jo's arms.
When I came to the conclusion that words were not exiting my mouth at all, I reached out for Callie's leg. The tips of my fingers raveled up in the end of her jeans and I tugged on the pants until I saw an area of her leg poke out. My hand reached under her pants and wrapped around her ankle.
Callie jerked from my grasp and reached for her weapon.
"Cal…" I was able to mumble out for a second before another coughing fit erupted.
"What? Wha…" her eyes went from me to the front of the store. Infected pushed on the doors which made a huge rattling noise and I could see Callie's eyes widened in fear.
"Jo! Wake Up!" Within seconds, Jo tensed up and grabbed her weapon.
"What's going on?! Is it Arizona?"
"Look." Callie whispered. She pointed towards the doors which were now budging under the weight.
"Let's uh…" Jo began to run around trying to find some type of solution. "We don't have anything to hold them back. These shelves are weightless and wouldn't hold for long." She picked up an old candy shelf before throwing it to the ground.
"What about the roof? There has to be some way to the roof, right?" I could tell Callie was more worried way more than Jo.
"Yeah, I'll go look."
As she ran off, Callie went around picking up all of our belongings and stuffed them back into Jackson's bag.
"Callie, I found the ladder!" Jo shouted from the back.
"Okay." Callie shouted back. "Can you walk?" When I didn't respond, she lifted me up onto the bed. "Jo, come help me!"
My body felt heavy so all I could do was slouch over. Once Jo arrived, they divided my weight between their shoulders and carried me through the store. We were met by a small ladder that lead to the roof.
"You go first." Callie said.
Jo climbed to the top before taking my hands and pulling me up. Callie's hand gripped my hips and lifted the other half of my body through the small opening. I fell to the rocky ceiling of the gas station and let my arms spread out beside my head. The cool air felt amazing as it hit my shaky body. I took a few deep breaths and suddenly remembered I didn't have any clothes on. It didn't matter though; I was in a safe place for now.
I tightened the belt up again and closed my eyes. When something was flung onto my body, my eyes twitched open to see a blanket covering me. I threw it away from me. "I don't want it."
"You're shaking, Arizona. You need something over you." Callie placed the blanket over me once more.
"I don't want it Callie!" I threw the blanket off me and rolled over. She sat on the roof beside me and placed her hand on my side. After she gathered up enough courage, she laid down beside me and tried to hold me to her. "Callie! I don't want you near me!" She didn't move. "Callie…"
"Arizona, just stop it." She stretched a piece of her jacket so it covered me too.
"You're the one who needs to stop." I took every ounce of energy I had to stand up and limp away from her. On my way to the other end of the roof, I started to cough again and fell to my knees then my back. My entire body quaked with chills and pains. My eyes were closing but before they did, I saw Callie place the blanket over my body again. It was followed by the familiar warmth of my fiancé's body pressed against my back. Soon, I was out.
I heard distant conversations as I stirred around in my sleep. I'm still alive; I'm not dead.
"It's probably the disease." Jo said.
"She's just not herself and I hate it. I hate the way she pushed me away and yelled in my face." Callie's voice was followed by soft cries.
"It's okay, I'm almost certain the guys should be on their way back by now."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Haven't we already discussed this? You need to get some rest. Arizona is going to be fine, and I will make sure of it."
Soft footsteps approached from behind me before the warmth returned to my side.
I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but I was just glad I woke up with a full conscience and with what still made me… me.
"Is it…?" Callie stood up and looked off into the distance.
"Oh my god, it is! The guys are back!" Jo was almost screaming over the roof. "Guys, up here! The front is compromised!"
Minutes passed that were filled with silence until footprints vibrated the ground around me. I could smell the sweat and blood dripping off the soldiers standing around me.
"Arizona? Can you hear me?" I didn't know who was talking, but I'm sure Avery was the one squatting down beside me.
"What did they say Jackson? Is it going to work?"
"They didn't know. I guess it's now or never."
Voices began to speak around me, and I'm starting think it's all in my head; I'm going crazy.
"Look at her eyes!"
"I know, we did the best to keep her cool, but her fever was outrageous."
A prick of a needle going into my vein caused more pain than it should. This wasn't like any other shot I've got from the doctors. A rush of energy burst through my body, causing all my muscles to tense up and a sharp pain erupted in my stomach.
"AHHH…stop….ehhh!" My backed arched up as I yelled out in pain and everyone stepped back from me. Spit flung into the cold night and my breath formed clouds of hot air.
I rolled over and over trying to find comfort but the pain was indescribable. The tips of my fingers burst with heat, my head spun, and my kneecaps popped before I finally felt my body collapse onto the ground.
Soft whispers sounded distant as two arms wrapped around me and held me tightly.
"Please work, please work, please work…"
Callie's POV
"Please work, please work, please work…" Arizona collapsed into my arms after a massive fit which no one tried to contain. All the soldiers backed up with their weapons aimed. "Avery…"
"What?"
"I don't think she's breathing!"
"Lay her down." After I sat Arizona's body on the rocky roof top, Jackson leaned down and put his ear to her chest. "Callie… back up."
"Is she… I mean is she really…?"
"Callie, back up!" Jackson laid his hands over each other and began to push down on her chest.
"Jackson, you can't let her die. Do you hear me?!"
"Someone get her away from this." He continued to do compressions.
"Come on." Jo opened her arms for me, but I wasn't going to move under free will.
"I'm not leaving her." I stared Jo in the eyes, tears running from mine.
"Let's go." Jo stepped behind me and pushed hard against my shoulders.
I finally moved my feet together until we were on the other side of the roof and my vision was blocked by an air vent. Arizona's whole body was hidden except the very ends of her and Jackson's feet.
It felt like hours, what was probably only thirty minutes, I sat there watching the end of that vent where their feet hung out. Jo restrained me in her arms as I cried and prayed aloud to the skies. If Arizona dies, there's no reason to live, no reason I know for me to stay here.
Jackson stood up on the other end and began to walk towards us. Jo tried to hold me back from doing something stupid. It didn't work.
I ran up to Jackson and bunched the front of his jacket up into my fists.
"Is she okay? Tell me." My voice was deep and almost at a growl. So many possibilities and horrible outcomes rushed through my head at once.
"Calm down."
"Don't tell her to calm down." Jo stepped up and separated us.
"Yes, she's fine. I think she could be unconscious or something. We need to get her back and let Bailey have a look."
"Shouldn't we let her rest for a night?" I asked.
"I'm not even sure she has the night."
"We'll leave in the morning then." I stated. There was no way I was carrying Arizona through the woods in the dead of the night.
"Since when did you make calls?" Jackson sassed me back.
"Since the true leader of our group is unconscious and since that person also happens to be my fiancé. I'm not taking her through the woods tonight. We'll leave at sunrise."
I began to walk past Jackson as he asked another question. "What if she's not awake?"
Without turning around I answered, "We leave at sunrise." I turned around only to find where my best friend had gone. Jo gave Avery a smirk before running to catch up with me.
Night was turning into even more night. Away from the city of Seattle, Texas and Georgia have showed me the meaning to pitch black. It was nice to finally see the sky filled with twinkling stars, but it didn't mean much when the person you watched the stars with is unconscious in a sleeping bag beside you. Jo and I had huddled up together next to a heap of Jackson and Mark. All the soldiers had caved in and decided body heat was more important than making fun of the idea of guys cuddling one another. It was actually a very calming site; manly soldiers all grouped together close to stay warm.
"Dude, your beard is all in my face."
"I wouldn't be complaining."
"Both of you shut up."
All the soldiers agued until snores filled the air.
"Jo?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you still awake?"
"Yeah. If I was asleep, you wouldn't have got an answer to the first question."
"I love you. You've put up with my shit for so long. The way I go on about Arizona all the time and how protective I am over everything…it must be hard work."
"It is."
I laughed to myself.
"I don't mind though. I'm sure you get tired of me and Alex." I could hear the distance in her voice.
"He's out there. I'm sure he's doing just fine with the other guys."
"I wish he would have came with us though. I understand that he had to wait at the checkpoint for us, but…I really wish he was here to hold me. I wouldn't mind his little stubble-covered lips against my chilled neck. The way he would…" Jo laid her head on my shoulder then pulled the blanket over her neck as she continued.
I wondered to myself if he was really okay out there. It would suck to get back to the checkpoint and realized our ground transportation was gone. The choppers were our way in, but the truck was our way out.
"Callie?"
I shook myself mentally. "What?"
"Did you hear me?"
"You lost me after 'stubble lips'. That's just… ew."
"Oh hush. You need to get some rest."
"I can't sleep."
"Yes you can. I seen and heard you sleep the other night. It sounded something like… snoOOHHHAHH…" Jo continued to make disgusting snoring sounds in my face to make me laugh."
Once we were finally able to calm down, I began to close my eyes for the long day ahead of us.
"Callie?"
"Yeeesss, Jo?"
"I love you too, chick."
I grinned to myself and scooted up closer to Jo's side.
Monday, October 6th
"Okay. We're taking the route around the woods. If we keep up the pace, we'll get there about the same time we would if we went through the woods." I looked down at the map in my hands. Today, I was going to be leading my girl and this group home.
"The woods provide coverage though." A soldier spoke up.
"I don't care. The only time we resort to the woods is if we encounter a large group that we can't handle."
"What if…" Another soldier started.
"We're going around. That's final." I watched as Mark and Jackson picked up Arizona in the hand-made stretcher they made earlier.
We went to the back of the building and looked over the edge where the ladder was placed. A few infected were stumbling around.
"I got it." One of the men climbed down and beheaded the diseased.
I watched everyone else go before me including Mark who had to tie Arizona to his waist before going down.
"Look at Callie Torres taking charge." Jo said as she smiled and passed me to climb down.
We walked for hours, but it was nowhere near as bad as the woods. As infected popped out in random places, I distributed my anger between them. I kept looking for the smoke signal that was supposed to take place at noon. If Arizona didn't have her watch in her pocket, we would all be lost by now.
"There." Jackson said. I turned to see him point at a small cloud of pink smoke that twirled into the atmosphere.
My eyes fell down to the path in front of us and found a small group of infected staring back.
"Let's just take it safe and go through the woods, Cal."
"Why is the signal over there? It was supposed to be over there." I pointed to the direction we were previously traveling.
"I don't know…" Jackson stepped beside me and squinted past the infected.
"Let's go." I walked right into the group and began to swing my weapon around, cutting off arms, heads, and legs. Each grunt that left my body made me weaker, but I didn't show it. "You gross… things!" I swung again.
"Callie, I see the truck!" Jackson ran up and pressed his back against mine as I pushed through. I realized there were more infected than I originally saw, but we made it to an open field where they were more stranded out. In the distance, I could see Alex and one other soldier standing on top of the truck with the flair thrown on the road.
Alex waved his hands in the air but there was no need. We all ran to the truck and filed into the back where Karev met up with us. As he took a seat, I noticed the amount of blood that covered his shirt.
"What the hell happened, Karev?" Sloan asked.
"I was coming up on the highway when this massive hole in the road appeared." He continued despite his heavy breathing due to the lack of air in his chest. "So we went off-road and got stuck in a huge mud puddle mixed with a large group of those things. We lost two other guys, but me and Russell here managed to kill enough of the damn bastards to get through. By that time, I remembered the signal. I wasn't at the right checkpoint, but I figured you guys would see it."
"Are you okay?" I asked as Jo lifted his shirt to check for wounds or injuries before placing a kiss to his lips.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. What happened to Robbins?"
Everyone remained silent in the back of the truck.
"She was bit." I finally spoke out.
"Wha… Robbins? There's no way."
"Jackson gave her a dose of the vaccine, but we're not sure how affective it will be. Let's just get out of here, huh?"
"For sure." Alex and Jo went towards the front of the vehicle.
I leaned down and kissed Arizona's forehead before whispering in her ear. "Just hold on, we're going home."
I didn't intentionally use the song lyrics at the end, it just happened. It feels like a bad pun or something. I don't know.
Grey's was amazing last night! A Jo and Callie friendship?! I've been waiting FOREVER for this to happen! What do you think?