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Chapter Thirteen

Are You Okay?

Melody's P.O.V

Falling through darkness. A never ending abyss of gloom. That's all it was now. The bliss I had hoped for, prayed for was now dead and gone. And all that replaced it was a shroud of darkness that never seemed to end. And the pain. Sharp stabs of pain that echoed throughout my body. The euphoria I had come to love was now dead. This was hell.

It felt like an eternity before I was able to open my eyes. Open my eyes into another hell. There was no escaping it. The impending doom, the escalating fear, the endless misery. It followed me wherever I went. And now, as I stared up at the grey ceiling in the police station, soaked in blood, realisation dawned on me. We were in hell. All of us.

I sneered at the thought and mentally scolded myself for even thinking such a thing. Heaven's just a fucked up holiday anyway. Groaning silently I slid off the table I was lying on and collapsed on the floor. I winced in pain as I lay sprawled out on the cool linoleum floor. Every inch of my body hurt in some way or another. Grimacing, I pushed myself up off the floor and unsteadily wobbled out the small office room.

The echo of quiet voices swam through the air and met my ears. The distinct Bajan accent noticeable even in the echos. I looked down the corridor and shakily walked towards the voices. I looked over my shoulder, towards the front of the building where I had collapsed. Even in the confines of the police department I didn't feel safe.

I looked down at my arms, both were wrapped tightly in blood stained bandages. A dull ache was all that remained of the scorching pain I had felt earlier. The red shirt I was wearing was now a much darker shade of red than I remembered. Rips and tears were spread out across the fabric and revealed most of my pale skin. The same could be said for my jeans.

A veil of self consciousness settled over me as I observed my very revealing outfit. I brushed the thought away before it had time to fester. The majority of my body was painted in dry crusted blood anyway. Weakly walking the last few steps I limped round the corner of the corridor. All voices dissolved as every pair of eyes centred on me.

Alan and Carl sat side by side on a cushioned sofa. Rogue bandages were scattered across their bodies. Like mine, their clothes were drenched in holes and splatters of blood. Both of them looked deathly ill, as if they were about to pass out. I could only imagine how I must have looked.

Robyn stood still with her arms firmly crossed, leaning against a brightly coloured, empty vending machine. Her eyes were wide and worried as she looked me up and down. Her dark hair hung around her shoulders and clashed with the bright red of her dress. Overall she looked untouched.

Zoey was slumped in a soft looking chair. A heavy leather jacket hung from her shoulders and appeared to be an immense burden. The black leather swallowed up her small frame and hid most of her body from my sight. She was the only one not looking at me. She looked to be lost in tranquility as she stared off into the distance.

The room was obviously a break room. A small ping pong table was pushed against the wall in the far corner of the room. A stream of sunlight poured in from a small window and lit up the small kitchen area in the room, revealing a fridge, microwave, stove, sink and counter. Chairs and sofas were placed facing a large flat screen t.v. After observing the large break room I returned my attention to the three people staring at me intently.

No one said a word for what seemed like an eternity. They all just continued to stare at me. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, the burning ache in my legs intensifying with every moment I remained standing.

"Are you okay?" Alan asked, his voice scratchy yet soft.

I parted my lips to reply but no sound escaped me. Trying harder a strangled wheezing noise had me spluttering out coughs. Slowly recovering I leaned my body weight against the wall. Licking my cracked and dry lips and swallowing nothing but air I tried speaking again.

"I'm okay." My voice was raspy and unpleasant as I replied. Each word forced my throat to grind together like sandpaper. I clutched my throat as the irritation escalated. Robyn held a glass of water out to me. Smiling gratefully I took it from her grasp and gulped down all of its contents. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and guided me towards a soft chair, opposite Alan and Carl. Sitting down I sunk into its tender embrace. The soft cushion massaged my muscles and almost had me falling asleep. Leaning forward I rubbed my eyes to prevent that from happening.

"Carl was just about to tell us everything he knows." Robyn exhaled a breath as she perched herself on the arm of my chair, her gaze focused intently on Carl. After noisily clearing his throat, Carl nodded in acknowledgment. He pushed himself away from the sofa and stood in the center of the room. After glancing quickly at all of us he cleared his throat once again.

"Okay I'll uh, start from the beginning." He croaked, clearing his throat a third time. "A few months ago, cases similar to this were popping up. They were erratic and far apart, we didn't think much of it at the time." He explained, running his hand through his short brown hair soaked in sweat. "And then it happened at the school. The teachers and kids were all terrified so I had agreed to patrol the school every day at lunch. At this point more and more cases emerged. The news began talking about it, calling it a new disease and that everyone should take precaution." He sighed loudly and dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Like an idiot we all ignored it, brushing it off thinking it was just another case of swine flu." He creased his forehead as he frowned at the ground. "News reports started showing people, dead people getting up and eating other people!" His voice rose at the end as his eyes widened. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I looked up at him.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." I waved my hands in the air attracting everyone's attention. "What do you mean dead people? Those people outside are very much alive! They're running around!" I exclaimed throwing my hands in the air.

"I know it's hard to believe but those people outside, are dead. They're infected with whatever new fucking disease this is!" He cried, thrusting his finger towards the window.

"Is it airborne?" Robyn asked, her eyes narrowed at Carl.

"The last thing I heard, was that its passed on by saliva and blood. That's what the lieutenant said. So if one of those things bite you, you're infected with the disease." Carl stated calmly, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath he took. I looked up at Robyn who appeared to be shooting daggers at Zoey. I nudged her arm and sent her a quizzical look. She shook her head and returned her attention to Carl.

"So where is everyone?" I asked, directing the question towards Carl.

"Standard procedure is to gather everyone into the city centre. If the situation continues to decline they'll evacuate the whole city. I can ask the lieutenant for more information once we get there." He explained, sitting back down in his original position next to Alan.

"Whoa! What do you mean once we get there?" Alan exclaimed, his eyes widened as he turned his body towards Carl.

"We can't just stay here, everyone will be at the city centre. It's the safest place!" Carl raised his voice as Alan looked at him with disbelief. "I know what you're thinking, but there's another squad car out back, we can get there in less than half an hour!" He exclaimed, looking at Robyn, Zoey and I for back up.

"Those people out there are trying to kill us! And you wanna go back out there? And the people at the city might all be infected! What then?" Alan shouted as he pushed himself off the sofa only to stand and glare down at Carl.

"It's a chance we'll have to take." I sighed, brushing strands of hair away from my face. Both men looked at me. Alan looked at me with rage while Carl seemed relieved. "What if they have to evacuate the city and we're not there? We'll be left alone in a city full of infected." I stated, trying to reason with Alan and make him understand.

He shook his head, sighing heavily. "If we get there, and the city is full of those things. It's on you. Both of you." He hissed, glaring a Carl and I. He huffed out a breath and glanced at the two of us. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He grumbled, leaving the room shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Carl.

"There are showers here?" My voice was almost back to normal, a scratchy tone was all that remained.

"Yeah, I'll show you where they are." He replied, standing up and gesturing for me to follow. I groaned as I left the comfortable chair. I stretched my arms in the air as I followed Carl out of the room. The allure of a shower was far more tempting than sitting down.

He led me down a few halls before we entered a locker room. Majority of the lockers piled up against the walls were open, revealing their contents. I looked down past the lockers and caught site of a shower and toilets.

"You can probably find a new change of clothes in one of the lockers. Showers and toilets are just down there. If you need anything just shout, I'll be down the hall looking for any guns that have been left behind. I must have left mine in the car." He chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck, looking down at the floor.

"Oh!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small pistol, handing it over to him. He took it hesitantly and looked down at it. Fumbling with it in his hands he pulled out a part of the gun. Frowning he looked up at me

"There were six bullets in here?" He muttered, looking at me confused.

"Yeah I, there was a little... trouble." I sighed avoiding his intense grey eyes. I desperately tried not to think about everything that had happened. The glass. The infected. I didn't want to think about any of that. I wanted to forget it all.

"I don't know what happened, after we passed out," I looked up at him. His expression was solemn as he looked into my eyes. "But I know you saved us. Thank you." He squeezed my shoulder gently as a small smile spread across his lips. I tried to smile back but failed in the end. I nodded my head and looked away, down at the clean floors. He left the room and shut the door behind him. I stood still as I listened to his footsteps fade away.

I walked into the shower area and peeled my shirt and jeans off. I dropped them on the floor as I pulled both my shoes off. Stripping down I turned the shower on full blast. Bullets of water crashed into my body and cleansed me of the blood. I watched as red water swirled down the drain and disappeared. The water seeped into every gash on my body and stung me mercilessly. It felt as though my entire body was on fire. I ignored the pain as I began to rub the dried blood off my body.

I didn't notice the tears that left my eyes. Parting my lips slightly I could taste the salty liquid. I shook my head as I washed my hair. A stampede of gruesome memories trampled me as I rubbed soap over my body. Clenching my fists I punched the wall in front of me. I winced as spikes of pain shot up my arm. I stood under the water for what seemed like hours. Even after the warmth was replaced with freezing cold water I refused to budge. Only after the memories stopped did I turn the handle and step out of the shower.

I found a towel and dried myself off. Walking round the rows of lockers it was near impossible to find clothing that wasn't a police uniform. I pulled on a pair of blue skinny jeans similar to my old ones and a black tank top. Looking around once more I found a red jacket and a pair of black boots. I pulled them on and ran a comb threw my hair, grimacing at the many knots I encountered. I brushed my hair behind my ears and went to the toilet before I left the room.

I walked down the corridors back to the break room. Zoey stormed out and marched past me, bashing her shoulder against mine along the way. I watched her disappear into one of the rooms before I turned around and walked into the break room. Robyn stood with her arms crossed, breathing heavily.

"What was that about?" I asked, throwing my hand over my shoulder gesturing towards Zoey. She looked at me, her lips pressed into a thin line with her nostrils flared.

"Nothing." She sighed, continuing to look off where Zoey had gone. I stood still for a few moments before shrugging it off and walking towards the fridge. I tugged on the handle and pulled it open. The growl my stomach emitted reflected the frown that creased my lips. Nothing but emptiness. I slammed the fridge door shut with more force than intended and huffed out an exasperated breath.

"You know you don't look half bad when you're not covered in blood." I looked back at Robyn. Her eyes roamed over my body and stopped when they reached my feet. "And you finally got rid of the converse! Girl I'm proud of you." I rolled my eyes at her. Even with everything that was going on, she still found it necessary to comment on my fashion.

"You know I think I saw a pair of high heels in one of the lockers." I replied, twirling a lock of hair between my fingers. She looked at me, her eyes widened considerably.

"No shit?" I shook my head at her. In an instant she spun around and raced down the corridor towards the locker room. I chuckled at her response. Leaning against the counter I looked out the window. Trees danced in the wind gracefully while birds swam threw the air. It looked so peaceful, besides the burning buildings and crashed cars that is.

Alan walked into the room wearing nothing but black cargo pants. My eyes lingered on his body longer than they should have. Fixated on the golden hairs that covered his chest and trailed down his stomach I jumped when he cleared his throat. I snapped my head up and blushed at the devilish grin that resided on his face.

Embarrassed beyond belief I quickly averted my gaze to the large t.v. Focusing intently on its black screen I couldn't help but smile sheepishly as he chuckled. I prayed silently that he wouldn't say anything.

"Melody." His deep voice sent shivers down my spine. I bit my lip and clutched onto the counter. If he brings it up this is going to be one hell of an awkward situation.

He walked over and stopped in front of me, mentally screaming in my head I looked at him. The evil smile he held had vanished. Instead his lips were pressed into a grim line. Focusing on his lips and cleanly shaven face I gulped. My gut told me that I wasn't going to enjoy this conversation.

"Are you sure you want to go into the city?" He whispered, his eyes serious. I sighed a breath of relief.

"Yeah I'm sure, why?" I pursed my lips as I watched his face crease in disappointment.

"There could be thousands of them in the city, if we get stuck there." I held up my hand, efficiently silencing him.

"We won't get stuck there. And if there are thousands of them, we can easily turn the car around and come back." I explained, pressing my hand down on his chest and gently pushing him back. I walked away from the small kitchen area and slumped down on the sofa. He sighed audibly and turned around, walking out of the room.

"Where are you goin'?" I asked, watching him leave.

"To find a shirt." He called as he disappeared from sight. I smiled at his response.

Standing up I walked out of the room. My stomach growled with hunger but I ignored it as best as I could. If there was no food in that room, there was no reason to stay in that room. I may as well go look for Carl and see if I can help him with anything. A small clatter in the room beside me caught my attention. I looked at the blank white wall and listened intently.

"Zoey?" I called out. No reply.

I walked over to the door and tugged it open. My forehead crinkled in confusion as I peered into the dark room. Tentatively I stepped inside, my heart beat quickening in my chest. Tables and chairs were sprawled out across the room in no particular order. I figured it must have been a storage room. My head quickly turned in the direction of a choking sound.

Zoey was crouched in the corner of a room, her back facing me. I froze to the spot as I stared at her still form. My hands began to shake uncontrollably as my breathing picked up in speed. Unsure of what to do I stepped back and exhaled a low breath.

"Zoey?" A sickening crack reverberated around the room as her head snapped in my direction. Her lifeless eyes stared at me as a moan drawled from her lips. Her paper white skin contrasted with the dark room and gave her an image of a ghost. My eyes widened as slowly she stood up from the floor. Growling quietly she ran towards me.

I shrieked in fright as her small body raced towards me. Without hesitation I threw my leg out in front of me. My boot connected with her face and sent her spiralling backwards. Without wasting a second I ran from the room and slammed the door shut. I gripped the handle and pulled on it with as much strength as I could muster. In seconds she was bashing her body against the door, pulling on the handle desperately trying to rip it open.

"CARL!" I shrieked, holding on to the handle of the door like my life depended on it.

"Step back!" I looked over my shoulder to see Carl pointing a gun towards the door. I let go of the handle and dived to the side. The gunshot rang down the hall and was followed by a loud thud. Shakily I stood up, my arms ached as new blood appeared on the white bandages. I looked down at Zoey's deceased body, my mouth agape in shock.

"How?" The word was shaky as it left my lips. How could she have been one of them? She was fine an hour ago!

"She got bit when you guys were gone." Robyn looked down at Zoey's body with no emotion, her eyes cold.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Carl growled, his expression a mixture of frustration and annoyance. Robyn looked up at him, her eyes burning with a ferocity I had never seen before in a person. Her intense gaze was enough to ignite fear within me.

"Cause I promised her I wouldn't." She stated, stepping over the body and walking into the break room. Carl and I exchanged a look before we both followed after her. I hadn't noticed Alan behind us until he sat beside me on the sofa.

The sooner we left, the better.

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