The Walkers (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

As I sank to my knees, I felt my subconscious siphon through all my memories of Edward. I could recall the way his skin had sparkled under the radiant sunlight in the meadow… our meadow. The way his lips had curved as he called me his own, personal brand of heroine, made me shiver right there in the dirt. Lastly, my body tingled as I recalled the first time he had said those three words to me: I love you. I didn’t care if they had been a lie perpetuated by a vampire looking for a distraction in life; that statement had made me the happiest I had ever been. Regardless of the pain they caused me, I embraced my memories of Edward willingly knowing I was about to die.

There was no use in running, just as there was no use in hoping for anyone to come for me. There would be no last minute rescue as there had been with James; Edward wouldn’t intercede on my behalf as he had with Jasper. No, I was on my own.  A part of me wanted to panic, scream, and dash through the woods like any normal human being would—but I didn’t. Nothing I could do would stop her from killing me; the least I could do was die with my dignity still intact.

She slowly glided forward and stopped a few feet in front of me. I was still on my knees, and although I wanted to stand with my head held high, I had lost all feeling in my body. As I looked up at the person who I had considered a friend, the very same girl I had laughed and talked with, I managed to choke out one word: “Why?”

Why hadn’t I seen her for what she really was? When I’d first laid eyes on Edward and his siblings, I had felt that there was something off about them; why hadn’t I felt it with her? She never ate during lunch, and the only time I had seen her outside was when it was raining. Why hadn’t I picked up on that before? Why had I allowed myself to be stalked by a vampire? I knew the answer to all my questions without even trying. I had been so devastated by Edward and Alice’s rejection; I had refused to allow myself to think of anything related to the Cullens. In my quest to quell my suffering, I had opened the door for my own destruction. I had set myself up for death.

How ironic.

Jillian took another step forward, her gaze unwavering. However, as I repeated my question, there was a flicker of emotion in her face, a sliver of recognition. Hoping to somehow appeal to any residual human qualities she had left, I pleaded, “I’ll never tell anyone about you, I promise. Please, let me go, Jillian.”

 “I can’t do that, Bella.” Before I could blink, she reached down and grabbed me around my throat, her vise-like grip closing off my airway in an instant. She lifted me off my knees, and while I coughed and gasped for air, her other hand encircled my body. “As I said before—I’m sorry it had to be you.”

I stared at her in horror while she focused on my exposed throat, and I felt my body start to go numb. She closed her eyes momentarily, sniffing the breeze that blew strands of my hair in her direction, and I tensed in anticipation of the coming pain. My eyes squinted as I tried in vain to shirk away from her, and I thought about the one thing that would bring me one ounce of peace. The ones, whose secret I would now carry to my grave, filled my every sense. Their images burst through all the walls I’d built to contain the memories of them. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice. I was going to die. It shouldn’t matter if I thought of them… if I thought of him.

Edward… I love you.

I watched as Jillian paused in the act of inhaling my scent, and she whipped her head abruptly to the left, almost as if she had seen something. I was afraid to look away from her, to see what she was seeing. I denounced the hope blossoming in my chest, the one that insisted I fight and survive. Jillian was a vampire, and I knew what that meant; she could easily overpower me should I attempt to run.With no way to escape and no hope for help, I dangled there in her arms and waited for the end.