Chapter 9
My eyes flutter open to the sound of snoring. My head feels like someone's hitting it with a hammer. I bring my hands up to my forehead, and to my surprise, I feel stitching holding my skin together. The area is raw, and even the slightest touch sends pain across my whole face.
Where am I?
I try and look around but all I see is black. I can tell that I'm laying on something plushy. It could be a bed or couch, but I can't tell. I stretch my arms out. They feel like they haven't moved in hours. My muscles are heavy and stiff. It feels nice to get my blood moving. I sit up and move to the edge of what I've been laying on. I set my feet onto the ground. It's cold. I can feel the wood grain on my toes. Where ever I am it's somewhere nice enough to have wood flooring. I stand up, balancing myself with my two shaky legs. My right foot takes the first step. My left takes the second. My right trips on something and I fall forward, landing on something hard.
"Ouch!" I hear from the thing I landed on.
Oh my gosh. It's a person.
There's only one person it could be.
"Cameron?" I ask. My throat stings when I talk. My cottonmouth tells me that I could really use a glass of water.
"Why did you jump on me?" He moans. I feel him move under my body.
"I'm sorry." I say, " I didn't jump on you. I fell." I lift off of him, using what I slept on to steady myself.
My eyes are adjusting to the darkness. I can make out the figure of Cameron's body lying on the floor. I can see a shadow of what I'm leaning on and it's definitely a bed. I can make out some curtains on the other side of the room. Light just peaks out the center of where the two curtains split. I use the bed as a guide and hobble my way over to them. Slowly, I open the curtains and let the harsh light beam into the room.
My eyes flinch at the sunlight, which makes my head pound even more than it did before. Once my eyes fully adjust, I look outside the window. In the distance, I see a cute red barn that sits in the center of a clearing. Behind it is a green pasture filled with livestock. Surrounding the field is woods that go as far as my eyes can see. I look back into the room. It's decorated with country decor. There's a lace cloth placed on top of the dresser and three candlesticks placed neatly in the center of it. The bed I was laying on also has a lace detail lining the bottom of the bed frame. The pillows have lace details as well as a huge rooster in the center of them. They're the ugliest pillows I've ever seen.
The sunlight makes my body feel warm. My fingers trace down my arms. I feel the roughness of scrapes and the puffiness of cuts run down my skin. Something must have happened to me. I don't really remember. I look down at the cuts, and my eye catches my hips. They're bare. I'm in my underwear. The bra I'm wearing is slightly stained with blood.
"Close the curtains." Cameron moans from the other side of the bed.
"Uh, why am I naked?" I ask raising my voice a little. I cross my arms around my breasts to hide them a little bit.
Cameron sits up from the floor with a quick motion. His curls flop in the way of his eyes and he flinches away from the sunlight. "Don't be loud. You'll wake everyone." He stretches his arms above his head.
"Everyone?" I say. "Where are we?"
"Remember the guys that popped our tires?"
I try to remember but my mind's fuzzy. However, I do have the faint remembrance of something being wrong with our car. "Kind of," I say.
"Well, they brought us back to their place. You passed out and there were infected. We had no choice." He sighs. "We're leaving once you're healed. I can't have you running away from infected with a head wound and the possibility of you passing out again."
"Oh," I say. "Who's the guys that brought us here?"
"The jackass's name is Robbie I believe. The other's is Scooter. I met Robbie's wife last night. Linda, she helped stitch you up."
I bring my fingers back to my forehead to feel the stitches.
"Are there any others?" I ask.
"Yeah, I haven't met them yet."
Suddenly, I feel a wave of dizziness overcome my body. I reach out to the bed and climb on it. I cover myself with the blanket and rest my head on one of the ugly rooster pillows.
"Woah. Are you okay?" Cameron asks.
"I don't know," I say and hold my head with my hands.
Cameron stands up off the floor. The blanket he was using slides off his abdomen and falls to the ground. He's in his underwear as well. His boxers are blue and the waistband of them stops just before his happy trail ends. I try not to look for too long, but something keeps my eyes fixed on him. The middle of his boxers sticks out straight. I know exactly what's happening and I can't help but start to chuckle.
"Excited to see me or something?" I say and point down at his crotch.
With wide eyes, Cameron looks down at himself. His hands quickly block my view of him and his cheeks blush with embarrassment. "No! This happens every morning."
"Sure," I tease.
Cameron picks the blanket off the floor and wraps it around his body. He sighs, "Don't make fun of me."
"I'm not." I laugh. "I'm just teasing you."
Cameron rolls his eyes. He sits on the edge of the bed. "Happily changing the subject, how's your head?"
"It hurts but it's nothing I can't handle," I say.
Cameron scoots closer. "Let me look at it." His fingers touch the skin around the area lightly.
"Be careful," I say.
His face gets closer to mine. "I will. Don't worry."
I can feel his breathing on my skin. With nowhere else to look, I find myself studying his face. There's stubble coming in on his jaw and chin. The hair is dark and it makes him look way older than he is. His eyes are aqua blue. I've always been jealous of his eyes. For a guy, his eyelashes are extremely long. They compliment his eye shape. I watch as they move when he blinks. He touches one of my stitches and I flinch back a little.
"Sorry," He says.
My eyes find themselves at his lips. They look pinker than usual. They're almost a salmon color. The skin looks plump and soft. Kissable, even. I bet kissing them would be amazing. They would probably feel like pillows. Very soft pillows. Instinctively, I move my head closer to his. He notices. His hand drops from my forehead and his blue eyes look down at me. I look up from his lips. I can tell by the look in his eye that he knows I was looking at them. With a slight smile, he licks his lips.
Does he want to kiss me?
My stomach fills up with butterflies. The heat on my cheeks rises. I bet they're as red as apples. I can feel my heartbeat faster. With the adrenaline increasing in my body, my breathing becomes short but heavier.
No way. Am I about to have my first kiss? Oh my gosh. I am. I'm finally going to kiss someone!
I put my hand onto his. His skin is rough but it doesn't bother me. I begin to trace circles with my index finger. A smile forms on his face. It's contagious since one forms on mine as well. He leans closer. Our lips are only inches apart. I can feel the excitement grow inside me. I close my eyes and pucker my lips.
"Cameron, sweetie. Are you awake yet?" The voice sends shockwaves through my body. Out of fear, I jump back. The loud noise makes my body tense up and I bring the blanket up to hide. Cameron also jumps back, but instead of hiding himself he stands up and backs away from the bed.
He nervously clears his throat. "Yeah, I'm awake."
"Great! Breakfasts ready in five." The voice is cheerful. They have no idea what was about to happen here.
"Oh," The voice says, "There should be some fresh clothing in the closet and drawers. Help yourself to whatever you need." After that, I hear faint footsteps lead away from the door.
...
While searching the closet, I was able to find a black tank top and jeans that were just a tad big on me. Cameron found a white t-shirt and a red checkerboard flannel in the closet and jeans with a couple of holes in them in the dresser. We put on our shoes and cleaned up the room a bit. We didn't want to come off as slobs.
"You ready?" Cameron asks while finishes making the bed.
"Yeah." I let a breath of air come out of my nose. I'm kind of nervous to meet everyone. especially if the people who took us here ruined my car.
What if they don't like me? Do they have a grudge against us since we wanted their supplies? What if they're murders? They can't be murders. If they were we'd be dead by now, right?
I glance at myself in the mirror above the dresser. I see the necklace my mother gave me before she died dangling off my collarbone. I run my fingers over it, feeling the divets and diamonds that make the shape of a dragonfly. I smile at the remembrance of her. But, it soon fades and is replaced with the disturbing images of her death. Blood flashes in my head. Red thick blood. Dripping. Making a puddle on the floor. My hands are covered in it. No! My screams flashback into my head. Mom!
"You okay?" Cameron's question makes me jump out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I say and give the necklace one last squeeze.
"Alright then. Let's go and meet everyone." He says with a nervous smile.
Along the walls of the staircase are many pictures. One is of a little girl standing next to a horse. The horse stands about four feet taller than her. She grabs onto its saddle with a goofy smile on her face. Another picture shows an older lady sitting in a chair. She's posed in a way that makes her look mature. Like she's of importance.
The wooden steps creak under my weight. I can tell this house is old. The railing is riddled with scratches and dents. It's well used.
The stairs lead us into a living room that has a nice brick fireplace and fancy-looking sofas. I don't get a good look at it since we immediately turn the corner and find ourselves in the dining area. The number of people in the tiny room makes my anxiety shoot to the roof. I wasn't expecting to see so many people at once. Four people are sitting at the dining table. The table is set nicely with plates, napkins, and silverware. There are candles in the middle of the table but they're not lit. They look like they were before though.
"I'm glad you're awake." The lady that knocked on our door earlier says to me. Her long blonde hair braided to the side with a cute purple hair tie holding it all together. Her blouse is covered in a floral design that's way too out of my comfort zone to ever wear. Her jeans are stylish and flare out at the bottom. Cowboy boots peek out from under them. She's dressed young for her age. I can tell she's older by the slight wrinkles on her forehead.
She puts down her fork and stands up from her seat. "I'm Linda." She says and outstretches her hand. I shake it and give her a slight smile. "Summer."
"I'm sorry we didn't wait for you guys." She motions to her plate with food still on it. "We're awfully hungry this mornin'."
"It's alright," Cameron says with a smile.
"Wheres my manners," Linda says, her southern accent prominent. She points to a little girl that's sitting across the table. Her almond hair is brought up into two perfect pigtails. The purple dress she's wearing is vibrant and youthful. It brings out her ocean eyes. She doesn't look a year over ten. "This is Pheobe, the youngest of the West's." The young girl looks up from her plate nervously and gives a half-smile.
Linda points to the man sitting next to her. He looks familiar. He's the jackass that pointed a gun at me. His long brown hair is messy and tucked up into a baseball hat. He's wearing a t-shirt and a jacket that looks too big for him. His facial hair is dark. You can tell he hasn't shaved in a week. "I presume you've met my husband Robert, but you can call him Robbie. He likes to be called that." She nudges him with her elbow. He doesn't say anything. Hell, he doesn't even look up from his plate. He just continues to eat his eggs.
Linda clears her throat. "This here is Scooter. You've met him too." Scooter's eyes look up from his plate and through the blonde hair covering his face. He smiles, showing off his crooked teeth.
"There's two more people that you'll need to meet. They're out hunting right now. They'll be back soon." Linda says.
"Thank you for letting us stay here," Cameron says.
"Oh honey, it's no problem." Linda smiles. "Why don't you join me in the kitchen to get you two some grub huh?"
I watch as Cameron and Linda disappear around the corner. I take a seat next to Phoebe.
"Hi," I say while giving her a big smile.
She shyly smiles back.
"Are your parents out hunting right now?" I ask.
"Just my dad." She says in between bites. "And my other brother."
"I'm looking forward to meeting them," I say sweetly.
Cameron comes back with a plate of food for me, and we all sit down and enjoy our meal. We find out from Linda that her father-in-law owns his farm and is the father of all the children. We explain what happened at the hospital and how we were stupidly trying to make my sister a birthday cake. I tell her how I hurt my head and how we ended up at the hospital.
"I hope your parents aren't worried about ya," Linda says, finishing the last bite of eggs on her plate.
"My father's probably worried. But I'm more concerned about my sister. She looks up to me and honestly, I'm the one who takes care of her." I say.
"Well, Robbie will get you two home soon." She smiles at him. He doesn't say a word but gets up and leaves the table, taking his empty plate with him to the kitchen.
"Don't mind him. He can be cranky sometimes." Linda teases.
"How old did your sister turn?" Pheobe says with her soft voice.
"Twelve."
"She's old." Pheobe laughs.
"If she's old then I must be ancient," Linda says.
"It sucks that you didn't get to spend her birthday with her," Scooter says, setting his fork on his empty plate.
"Yeah," I lower my eyes. "I feel like a crappy sister. I'll make it up to her though, once we get back."
"Positivity. That's the way to think." Linda smiles.
Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening gets everyone's attention.
"Looks like your daddy's home," Linda says to Pheobe.
Phoebe jumps up from her seat and runs into the living room. I can hear her shoes clanking across the wood floor as she runs. A manly voice comes in from the direction Pheobe ran. "Hey Pheobe, how's your mornin' been?"
"Good." I hear. The next moment a tall man appears from the archway. He's carrying Pheobe on his hip. His camo jacket looks big and comfy. His beard is thick and takes up most of his face. Sitting on his upper lip is a small mustache. A cowboy hat rests on the top of his head. He looks to be in his late forties, but he looks good for his age.
"Good-mornin' you two." He says as soon as he sees Cameron and me sitting at the table.
"Good morning sir," Cameron responds.
"Oh, don't call me sir. Just Daniel." He says as he sets Phoebe down on the floor. "Might I ask your names?" He adds.
"I'm Cameron and this is Summer," He points to me.
"Nice to meet you two, finally." He chuckles.
I can hear the front door swing open again. I'm guessing it's the brother we haven't met yet. Phoebe runs out of the room to tell her brother hello. "We have eggs waiting for you." I hear Phoebe say.
She walks back into the dining room and her brother follows. The boy moves his blonde hair out of his face and looks up to greet everyone.
"Hi, I'm Layke."