The End is Near

Chapter Twenty-Two

~Keith's POV~

     I gently rub my thumb across Cassie's hand as she sleeps, watching the road ahead of me. Cody is really starting to get on my nerves. He needs to back off. I tighten my grip on Cassie's hand as she stirs in her sleep.

     "Has she really not slept for three days?" Karson asks quietly from the back. I sigh, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

     "This is the longest she's been asleep in a long time." Is all I say before turning my gaze back to the road.

     "How'd you get her to smile?" Cody says from the back. I refrain myself from glaring  at him and keep my eyes on the road ahead of me. We've been driving for about three hours and Cassie has slept the whole time, thankfully. She needs the rest, her sleepless nights are starting to take a toll on her. Hopefully she stays asleep longer than she usually does.

     "I told her the truth." I say, briefly looking over at Cassie. She looks so peaceful, no frown on her face, and her hand tightens around mine. I smile briefly at her, the glare on my face softening.

     "Do you love her?" He asks, his voice sounding resigned. I meet his eyes in the mirror and nod.

     "Yes, I do."

     "Does she love you?" I glance at Cassie, who's still asleep.

     "I don't know." With that, we continue driving in silence.

~Cassie's POV~

     I look around, confused with my surroundings. I'm back in my dorm room, everything is destroyed and covered in blood.

     "Keith, Karson?" No one answers. I walk through the rooms, trying to find my friends. But I don't find anyone. "Wyatt, Cody?" Still no answer. I walk out of the apartment and across the hall to Julia's apartment. "Hello? Is anyone here?" I call, walking through the rooms.

     "Cassie!!" I freeze when I hear the voice. Julia. "Cassie, help me!" I follow her voice, tears entering my eyes.

     "Julia! Julia, where are you!" I scream, going through every room before I find her in her room at the end of the hall. Opening the door, I run in and stop dead in my tracks. I'm not in her apartment anymore, I'm back at the lake with Julia dying on the ground. "Julia?" I ask, my voice breaking. I can't go through this again. I close my eyes, and when I open them again, she's right in front of me, her eyes the opaque white of the monsters I have come to despise.

     "This is your fault. Everything is your fault. I would be alive if you had been smart and run after me. You're stupid, useless, you aren't fit to be leading anyone, let alone a huge group. You're going to get them killed. You should be the one dead, not me. You don't even deserve Keith." Tears freely flow down my cheeks at her words and the scenery changes again. This time it's Keith in front of me, he's fighting a horde of walkers. I go to run to him, but I'm frozen in my spot, forced to watch. A scream catches in my throat as a walker gets a hold of him and bites into his shoulder.

     "You could've stopped this." I turn to find Keith standing next to me, blood dripping out of the bite on his arm and his eyes slowly losing their chocolate brown color to that horrible opaque white.

     "Keith?" I ask, my voice breaking again. This can't be happening.

     "You could've saved them all, you could've saved me." He gestures back to where I first saw him. I turn and gasp, tears falling down my cheeks. In front of me is everyone I have come to know and love, all being bitten by walkers, all dying. They all turn to me, their white eyes staring at me relentlessly. Keith joins them, staring at me with his horrifying eyes, nothing like how they were before. No trace of the Keith I love.

     "You could've stopped this. You could've saved us all. This is your fault, everything is your fault." They all say in unison, taking one step closer with every word. With the last word, they surround me, closing in until they all attack. I feel every scratch, every bite as they rip into me. My eyes start to close as my screams get quieter, and one thought enters my mind as I die.

     "It's my fault."

     "Cassie! Cassie wake up! Please wake up! Cassie!" I'm being shaken, hard. I open my eyes to find Keith hovering over me. I look up at him with wide eyes, tears still trailing down my cheeks and to the ground.

     "Keith?" I ask, my voice hoarse. "Where am I? What happened?" I whisper, looking around. Everyone is asleep, in the living room of a house, unaware of anything. They're all alive, it was just a nightmare.

     "You were having a nightmare. You were crying, almost screamed before I woke you up. Cassie, are you alright?" I look up at him, into his chocolate brown eyes, no trace of the opaque color they were moments before in my subconscious. Tears blur my vision again and Keith pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I bury my face in his neck, heaving with silent sobs as he whispers soothing words in my ear. Several minutes later, I've stopped crying, but I stay where I am in Keith's lap.

     "I'm sorry." I say into his neck. His arms tighten around me.

     "What for?" I take a deep breath.

     "Crying on you." I whisper. He pulls me gently from him and brushes the hair out of my face, keeping his hand cupping my cheek.

     "You can cry on me anytime you need to. But I'd like it better if you were happy." I smile, laughing quietly. I look up at him, maybe now is the right time to tell him. I take a deep breath.

     "Can I tell you something?" I ask, quietly. He nods, looking confused. I take another deep breath. "I love you. I know you probably don't feel the same but I just had to tell you because I don't know when I-" he cuts me off by putting his finger on my lips. He stares at me with wide eyes.

     "Are you serious?" He asks.

     "Yes." I whisper against his finger. He pulls me closer to him.

     "I love you too." Then his lips are on mine. He kisses me softly, his lips softer than I could ever imagine as they move against mine. I kiss him back with everything in me, my breath hitching when his tongue traces my bottom lip. He pulls away, both of us breathing heavily. He smiles down at me and leans in again, pressing his lips to mine in a quick, soft kiss. "I love you." He whispers again.

     "I love you too." I whisper back, smiling up at him. He smiles, leaning his forehead against mine. He pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

     "Go back to sleep, love, we'll talk in the morning." He says, laying down with me, my head resting on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his thumb rubbing patterns into my skin. "I love you, Cassie." He whispers again, as if he can't help himself.

     "I love you, Keith." Is the last thing I say before I fall into a deep sleep, this time with no nightmares.