Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

Infected

Chapter 15 - A Sweet Escape

I staggered out into the dying sunlight, gasping for air. I collapsed as soon as I’d made it out of the door, and lay in a crumpled heap on the asphalt. My head swam with a nauseating dizziness as I curled up, balling my fists and pushing them into my eyes. Viola’s voice crept in, but it was too distant and fuzzy to make out her words. The tinnitus in my ears was roaring, washing everything else out. I felt my stomach twist in on itself and managed to shakily push myself onto my hands and knees just in time to empty the contents of my stomach onto the grit below me. I heaved over and over again, well past the point of anything coming up. When the wretching had finally passed, I sat back on my haunches and tried to gather myself. Every time my mind caught up enough with me, thoughts of Esther’s last seconds of life would send me reeling again. I could feel the pressure of hands on my shoulders, but my mind couldn’t focus on anything but the piercing, hot panic that was drowning everything out. Despite my mind being completely paralysed, my body continued on by itself. My fingers were wound into my hair, gripping tight and a noise comparable to the cry of a wounded animal escaped from my lungs without permission.
“Marina?”
How was I ever going to live with myself, with what I’d done? How could I ever look at Viola again, or Hallie? I wanted to rip my skin off, pull out my own heart, throw myself against the floor again and again until I’d marred every inch of my being.
“Marina.”
My lungs pulled huge gasps of air in, as though I were drowning in the ocean of agony that surrounded me, and then pushed them back out in a dizzying harsh manner. My whole skin felt alight with a scorching regret. What have I done?
“Marina.”
The voice was louder. I looked around wildly, struggling to focus on the face in front of me. The grip on my shoulders tightened, shaking me gently.
“Marina! Did you… Is she… What happened?” Viola’s voice began breaking through the fuzz that had enveloped my head. I couldn’t react, I couldn’t reply. I was petrified like a mosquito in amber. But slowly, the real world began creeping in as my breathing slowed. My senses prickled with flashes of reality, like I was waking from a deep sleep.
“Marina,” Viola pleaded, “Please look at me.”
My eyes climbed her form, painfully slowly, until I reached her face.
“Esther,” Viola pressed, urgently, “Is she…?”
All I could manage was to nod solemnly, before turning away from her broken heart. I curled up on the floor again, trying to hide from myself. From my position against the asphalt, I made out the sound of Viola rushing through the doors of the building. Her grief-stricken cries followed shortly afterwards, filling the air and wrapping me in another suffocating layer of torment and guilt.


Hallie had been settled into a double bed upstairs, but I’d neglected to join her just yet. The illusion of pre-virus life had been too tempting, and before I knew it, I was indulging in it heavily. The years of abstinence had helped the alcohol to go straight to my head, causing my cheeks to flush lightly and my words to start running into each other. I’d switched to cider, which was head-swimmingly sweet and far too easy to drink. Combine that with Jimmy proving to be a most persuasive host ever, and I was somehow halfway through my fifth bottle. We were nestled into the gigantic L-shaped sofa which had been moulded into perfect comfort by years of use, flicking my bottle caps back and forth at each other as Jimmy regaled me with tales of his group’s antics. The other members were trickling in one by one from outside to join us, though they were nowhere near to catching up with Jimmy who was 9 cans deep at this point. He leaned into me in the midst of a nonsensical story, which due to its flip-flopping nature I couldn’t really claim to be following.
“And then Matt, or Shadows as you know him, just smiled and lifted this bottle...” he trailed off, suddenly snorting with laughter, unable to hold himself together over whatever he’d been planning on saying next. His glee was infectious, and I found myself joining in with his childish giggling, even though I wasn’t entirely sure what he was laughing at.

“Fucking hell,” Brian, the last to enter the room, announced as he eyed me. “She can laugh!”
“Ha ha,” I retorted sarkily, before shutting the hell up. I was instantly livid with myself for allowing my mind momentary happiness. I didn’t deserve it for a second. Chewing my lip, I tried to rein in the self-loathing – as it would surely be something that Jimmy’s philosophy didn’t allow – but it was useless. My elation had escaped, and I was back to my usual state of emotional flatline.
“Anyway,” Jimmy started up again, “So Matt was holding this beer with Johnny’s-”
“I think we can knock that one on the head, Jim,” Matt interrupted, his cheeks flushing. “I’d rather not relive the moment.”
“Spoilsport,” Jimmy pouted, before tipping his can back once again. I set my bottle down, smiling weakly at him.
“I think I’m done,” I mumbled as I stood to leave, stifling a yawn and trying to ignore Jimmy’s sheer disappointment.
“But we’ve only just started,” he protested, trying to shove my bottle back at me.
“You’ve had, like, 9 cans already,” I replied, raising an eyebrow as I pushed the bottle back at him.
“Exactly,” his eyes shined, “the night is young, Marina!”
I wanted to answer him, but the alcohol was hitting me all at once and I had to focus on standing up. He watched me sway, amused by my embarrassingly low tolerance.
“Fuck off,” I managed with a little titter, which only entertained him further. Taking pity on me, Zach stood up and slipped an arm around me.
“I’ll help you upstairs, lightweight,” he teased, propelling me forwards before I could mouth off about his quip.

Climbing the stairs did nothing for my condition.
“Oh my god,” I gasped, slurring my words, “I’m so sorry. I haven’t drank for a while.”
He chuckled, “It’s fine, we’ll be doing the same for Jimmy in a few more cans time.”
I tried to cackle, but instead tripped on a step and, despite Zach’s attempted support, landed in a heap of arms and legs. My previous hatred of my happiness melted away as I dissolved into a fit of giggles. I should drink more often.
“You ok?” Zach asked, smirking at my sprawled limbs.
“I’m cool,” I reassured him, trying to pick myself up.
“I don’t know about that, you dork,” he quipped, helping me to my feet. As I struggled up the last of the stairs, I grabbed his arms and tried to look him in the eyes. Once I was mostly focused on his face, I gave him a wonky grin.
“I don’t think Hallie should see me like this,” I giggled, as I tried to keep a straight face. “Is there somewhere else I can sleep?”
“I got you covered,” Zach smiled, shoving me down the hall. He opened a door for me and I stumbled into a large bedroom.
The size of the bed made my eyebrows shoot up, and I managed an “Oof.”
“Oof?” Zach repeated, with a guffaw. Ignoring him, I turned back to the bed.
Fuck me, that looks sooo comfy. It had been a long time since I’d slept in such luxurious conditions. I ripped my jeans down, so focused on my impending date with the mattress that I completely forgot about Zach’s presence. A sharp intake of breath reminded me that he was still in the room.
“Oh fuck, I-” I frantically tried to cover myself up again, “Don’t look.”
“What happened to you?” he asked, the alarm etched on his face as he reached out.
“I said don’t fucking look,” I snapped, “what part of that means 'go ahead and touch me'?”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled quickly, withdrawing his hands.
“Get out,” I said, bluntly. "Please."
Zach held up his hands as he took a couple of steps backwards, “I’m going.”
He turned on his heel and quickly disappeared. I slipped my jeans back down and pulled my top over my head, flinging it away before sitting myself on the bed and letting the shock sober me. Running my fingers over the map of scars on my thighs, I heaved a sigh. I threw myself back onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling for a second before rolling quickly onto my front. I was not going to waste this opportunity. I crawled up to the pillows and wriggled myself under the duvet. It didn't take long to get comfortable. Fucking bliss.

The morning light crept through the windows, rousing me. I turned over, bringing my hands up to rub my eyes. Thankfully, I was not plagued by a hangover - probably thanks to being out cold all night. As I started stirring, I heard shuffling footsteps. I sat bolt upright in a panic, forgetting where I was for a moment.
“You can’t keep out of my bed, can you?” he said with a smirk. Oh great, Zach had kindly sent me into Brian’s room last night. A semi-naked Brian. Wonderful.
“I thought he’d put me in an empty room,” I mumbled, pulling the covers up in a poor attempt at saving my own decency. “Did I put you out?”
“I took Jimmy’s room," he shrugged. "He never left the sofa,” he snickered, “and you’re looking worse for wear too.”
“Gee, thanks!” I grumbled as I tried to smooth my hair down a little, though I was pretty sure that I couldn’t have looked too bad after the amazing sleep I’d had, right? I tilted my head, watching him rifle through the drawers in search of a fresh t-shirt.
“So, you have fun last night?” he asked, digging out a black long-sleeve tee and holding it up to appraise it. I groaned, falling back and pulling the duvet over my head.
“What?” he laughed from outside the blanket.
“Don’t say it like that,” I whined, “You’re making it sound like I did something humiliating. I didn’t... did I?”
“No,” he answered, with a chuckle. “You were, uh, different, though. You seemed happy.
“Mmm,” I hummed in response. “Well, alcohol can do wonders to make you forget.”
“And what is it that are you trying to forget?” he challenged, suddenly beside me and pulling the covers away from my face. He was now clothed, and he’d even put effort into his hair. He styled his hair. In an apocalypse. Who is this guy? I shook off the distraction of Brian’s perfect coiffure and pulled a face as I tugged the covers back up.
“Go away,” I called from my dark cave, though taking care not to say it harshly.
He laughed, thankfully taking it in good jest, “Take your time joining the land of living. The Rev sure will.”
“The what?” I poked my head out from under the covers, bewildered.
Jimmy,” he corrected himself, “Jimmy will certainly take his time, so, you know, don’t rush.”
He traipsed back out of the room, leaving me by myself again. I took the opportunity to get dressed whilst I had privacy, and then inspected my appearance in the mirror. It turned out that a full night’s slumber had not done me any favours, which disappointed me greatly. I didn’t look any worse than usual though, so I guess that could be counted as a plus. I pulled my hair tie away and unravelled my braid with my fingers, tousling my blonde waves a little before pulling them up into a ponytail. Lord, did I miss showers. And straighteners. Oh, and hair spray. I could have spent all day thinking wistfully of hair products, but I thought better of it. I’d abandoned Hallie last night - though that was probably a decision I’d made for the best – and felt that it was good idea to go and make sure I hadn’t upset her. Of all the evil things in today's world, a preteen’s wrath was still one of the worst things man could face.

Notes

Oh ffs, don't ask me who. I just can't pick a love interest in this story.

Comments

How did we get to fifty chapters?!!?? That fucking flew!!!!
But, most importantly...
REVRINA!!!!!!!!!

kiss my sas kiss my sas
6/15/19

Woot! Revarina is official!!

Buggaloo Buggaloo
6/12/19

@RamonaFoREVer
FUCKIN' YEAH THEY ARE

fyction fyction
6/11/19

@fyction
OFFICIAL Revrina <3

RamonaFoREVer RamonaFoREVer
6/11/19

REVRINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

fyction fyction
6/11/19