While We Fall (The Eva Series #2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

A loud rumbling brought me back from the darkness.
For a moment, I thought it was me, that I had turned and was already growling with hunger.
But I still felt human.
The burning heat had disappeared and the pain had faded enough for me to be able to move.
I mentally checked every part of my body for any signs of change.
I didn’t know what turning into a zombie was supposed to feel like, but I was expecting something painful. But the only pain I felt was a stinging in my shoulder, where I was bitten. Every other part of my body felt fine, exhausted, but fine.
But what is that rumbling? I wondered.
Perhaps I was still lying on the ground, and the rumbling was the sound of zombies gnawing on the people I love all around me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.
Bright, glowing light shone in my eyes. As my sight adjusted, I realised the sun was setting.
I was surprised to find that it wasn’t the sky above me, but a cream coloured ceiling, and it wasn’t the ground I was lying on, but a couch.
The rumbling wasn’t me or a hoard of hungry zombies, it was the sound of an engine.
I was in the RV.
I turned my gaze to see Wyatt sitting by my side, his head resting in his hands. It almost looked like he was praying. Dixon was sleeping on the floor next to him.
“What happened?” I asked, the weakness of my voice surprising me.
Wyatt’s head snapped up and relief washed over his face.
“Eva! You’re awake!” He smiled.
“Are you crazy?” I asked, furious at him for putting everyone in danger by having me in the RV.
“What?” He asked, confused.
“Why did you bring me with you?” I asked.
“Do you really think I would leave you behind?” He looked hurt, but I was too angry to care.
“You should have! I’ve been bitten! I could turn any second!” I said, trying to sit up. I winced in pain as the movement stung my shoulder. “Ben! Stop the RV!”
The RV screeched to a halt, but Wyatt held me down, being careful not to touch my infected arm.
“How could you put yourselves in danger like this?” I yelled. “You have to leave me behind.”
Ben and Jo stood next to the couch, both looking at me with confused expressions on their faces.
“Eva, it’s okay!” Wyatt said. “You weren’t bitten.”

I stopped struggling against him and looked into his eyes, searching them for truth.
“It’s true.” He said. “You weren’t bitten, Eva. You were shot.”
I looked at Ben and Jo, who nodded, confirming what Wyatt had said.
“But… how?” I asked, trying to piece it all together in my memory.
“When Elliot shot himself, the bullet went straight through him and into your shoulder. We got out of there just before the entire house was overrun with zombies.”
I looked down at my shoulder to see a bandage wrapped around it.
“Don’t worry,” Ben said, seeing my worry. “I already took the bullet out and cleaned it. You’ll be fine, just go easy. We can get it checked out properly on the rescue ship.”
“Rescue ship?”
“We’re going to Sydney, Eva.” Said Wyatt as he took hold of my hand and squeezed it tight. “We should be there by sunrise the day after tomorrow, we’ll find somewhere safe to hide out for a couple of days until the ship arrives. We’ll be safe, truly safe, this time.”

Ben and Jo went back to the driver’s cabin, and within seconds we were back driving along the road.
“I’m so sorry, Eva.” Wyatt said, kissing my hand.
I looked up at him, confused as to why he was apologising.
“If it wasn’t for me, we would never have gone to Elliot’s. We wouldn’t have driven all this damn way out in the middle of nowhere. We wouldn’t have been in danger. You wouldn’t have been in danger. It’s all my fault. You nearly died, and it’s all my because of me.”
Tears filled his eyes as he dropped his head in his hands. My heart broke as I watched him fall apart in front of me, full of a burden of guilt that wasn’t his to carry.
“It’s not your fault.” I said, holding back tears. “You saved us, Wyatt. If it wasn’t for you, we would have died a long time ago, back in Melbourne.”
“But, Elliot…” He started, but it hurt too much for him to continue.
“Elliot was not your fault. He was sick. You had no way of knowing how messed up he was, none of us did. But even though he was crazy and dangerous and almost killed all of us today, that place kept us safe for as long as we needed it to. We wouldn’t have survived anywhere else for nearly as long. And now, we have a chance to be truly free from all this. Forever.”

Wyatt took a deep breath and nodded, and I felt relieved to see that my words had lifted some of his guilt.
“We’re going to be okay.” I smiled, squeezing his hand tight. “We’re alive, we’re still all together, and there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. We’re so close to the end now, Wyatt. We can do it.”
Wyatt smiled as he leaned forward and kissed me softly. “I love you, Eva.”
“I love you, too.” I smiled.

Once again, I was filled with hope.

In just a few days, we would be safe aboard the HMS Saviour, leaving this hellish place behind.

I closed my eyes, imagining myself standing on the ship, the ocean breeze blowing in my hair as we sailed away to safety. I could almost smell the salty air, taste the freedom.

“We’re so close.” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep, Wyatt’s warm hand intertwined with my own.

Soon, this nightmare would be ending, once and for all.

THE END.

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Author’s Note:

Thank you so much for reading! Wattpad readers are the BEST!

Your support, enthusiasm and patience means the world to me, and has inspired me to start writing many more stories.

Head to the next page to find out what’s in store for Eva, Wyatt, Jo and Ben in BOOK THREE!