Out of the Woods

by Sunshine1220

Something evil happened that night, under the canopy of trees, but Bella's foggy memories are too terrifying to be believed. And the texts from her husband have left her with more questions than answers. The only thing she knows for certain is that whatever destroyed her life that night is still lurking. Her escape will be more difficult than just being pulled out of the woods.

31. Chapter 31

**Happy Halloween! And the playlist is up! Search for me on YouTube and you should be able to find it.

This is the final regular chapter. The epilogue will go up later tonight or tomorrow. xo

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31.

The surrounding forest is an amalgam of brown and green as I run, following the scent trail left behind. I can only hope and pray to a god who abandoned me months ago that I'm not too late.

If my stone heart still beat, it would be pounding out of my chest.

I spot the white of Marisol's blankets through the spaces in the trees, a stark contrast amongst the muted earth tones of the forest. It propels me forward. I close the distance before she can let out another weak cry.

Falling to my knees, I don't stop to think about the fact that I've never held her before—never even touched her.

She needs me.

I pick her up, cradling her like spun glass, and she stills. Her watery eyes meet mine, and even though we're on borrowed time to find her mother, I'm rendered momentarily transfixed, in awe of the trust I see shining back at me.

"Hello, my sun," I whisper.

She's listless, worn out from crying. She's also cold. So, I bundle her in her blankets and hold her close. Despite the cold of my body, she curls against me and closes her eyes, drifting to sleep.

Holding Marisol to my chest, I take off in the direction of her mother. The enticing smell of her blood is like a beacon. As I get closer, her faint, irregular heartbeat forces me to move impossibly faster.

When I finally spot Bella, I find a suitable place to lay a sleeping Marisol and scramble to my wife's side. She's been fed from, but she's still alive. I run my hands over her still, chilled body, much like I did when I picked up Marisol. One wrong move and I could do even more irreparable damage.

"Baby," I rasp, placing a palm on her cheek. Venom burns my eyes and I choke back a sob. "It's okay. We'll get you to the hospital and—"

I'm cut off by a swirl of leaves and the scent of two vampires.

I spin around and crouch, ready to defend my family.

"It's okay, Edward." Alice holds up her hands in an effort to placate me. "We aren't here to hurt anyone."

"You," I snarl. "Why didn't you see this?"

Image after image flashes through her mind.

Blood.

Death.

My wife and child taken from me before I could save them.

My own destruction.

"I'm sorry," she says softly. "We wanted to stay, but every time we decided to stay and help, her future disappeared. James would have killed all of you."

At war with my only options, I turn away and close my eyes. "But I don't want this for her. I don't know what to do."

"It was always going to happen," Alice says. "You know what you need to do."

And I do.

With enough regret to fill a lifetime, I lean over my wife. "I'm sorry, my love," I whisper before sinking my venom-soaked teeth into her neck.