RUN ✔️

Chapter Twenty Three.

For someone who claimed to be a feminist she sure did continued to let men save her and tell her what to do. But let's be honest though, this was her way of saying she was slightly jealous that I was taking initiative and she wasn't. It was her deflecting the blame Calvin put on her, turning the situation on me. It was her messed up version of tough love.

I let her words roll in one ear and out the other until she'd come to her last sentence.

"It's good that it wasn't a bite and that you're still here with us," I think that was the best apology I was going to get from her, "However, I don't approve of the relationship between you and-" Yet again everything had been brought back to Brad and I.

Why are they making this such a big deal?

"Eden, come on now," My dad had cut in, "Sydney's a big girl now, she can take care of herself and date whoever she wants." He grabbed mom by the arm and hauled her away, whispering back over his shoulder that he was sorry and that he still loved me.

Not long after Nevaeh skipped her way over and told me that Marley loved me and wanted to help heal my ankle and knee with her 'special barbie powers'. Of course, this instantly cheered my downwards mood.

By nightfall, everyone was exhausted, and we were quick to drift off into much needed sleep especially given the day we'd had. We shared sleeping bags and blankets, couches, and makeshift beds on the floor. We'd probably picked the worst place to camp for the night (that being of an office building with a non-working elevator and millions of stairs) finding a very large but lavish breakroom with couches and partially carpeted floor.

There were two entrances/exits, making for a quick escape if needed. The toilets were across the hall so we couldn't exactly block ourselves into the room, but I didn't mind. Brad and I were the last to fall asleep. I shared a blanket with Savannah (not by my choice of course) laying side by side as Brad shared one with Reed who was snoring loud enough to stop our conversation from reaching ears that it didn't need to.

We whispered to one another for an hour or so, reflecting on the day we'd each had. The news of our adventure shocked Brad, considering he and his group had only encountered a total of ten zombies after the first mob, which they didn't even need to kill and just outran. Besides having to make their way the long way around some buildings because of all the rubble and debris, they didn't have any other problems. Lucky them.

"No fucking way. You we're all in that building that just went wooshhh?" I recalled him saying dramatically, "Jesus, Sydney. We watched it fall onto the other building and then a few minutes later watched it crumble... No wonder you all looked like shit." I couldn't help but laugh knowing he was right.

We did look horrible. And I knew the second I woke up this morning that everyone else felt the pain and stiffness in their bodies as I did.

I'd woken up four times after originally falling asleep, nightmares plagued my closed eyes as replaying scenarios from that had happened today rolled over and over again in movie formation. The only way I could distinct them from reality and dreamland was by the way they ended. A bullet to the head.

After waking up the fourth time, the sun still not having risen and everyone else still being cast into their own dreams, I moved from Savannah's side and crawled into Brad's front. Wrapping his arms around my waist as I snuggled my back into his front, hands wanting to touch him, but it was painful rather than comforting, and finally breathed. His grasp grew tighter, and I heard his breathing stop for a split moment, but he remained asleep. Reed had rolled over and out of the blanket they shared. From what I could see through the dark he was now asleep and cuddling my brother.