This Beautiful World - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 22

Once Caitlyn and I woke up again, it was already daylight out. I was under the impression that we would have been woken up to give Arin and Stella a break, but that didn't seem to be the case. Neither of them came to get us, which worried me. But if something would have happened, then we would have heard something. Right? 

I stood up first, then held my hand out to help my sister up. She groggily grabbed my hand, then let me pull her up. We both were still exhausted. If this was how life was going to be for us, then I doubted that we would ever have a restful sleep again. Though we had only been experiencing this for a few days, I was already getting tired of running away from those monsters. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I couldn't run away anymore. By then, I hoped that there would be some solution to this problem. Or I would simply cease to exist. 

But I didn't want to think so negatively right now. I needed to keep moving forward while I was here with Caitlyn and Riley. There was no way that I could give up now, even when things seemed to be looking so bleak. 

"We should find the others. It's light out now, so we shouldn't stick around here for too long," Caitlyn broke me out of my thoughts. 

She was right. We needed to get out of here and with daylight on our side, we needed to return to our other group. I knew that my mother would be angry with us once we returned. We were gone for longer than expected, plus my sister tagged along when she wasn't supposed to. My mother wouldn't have wanted us to leave in the first place, especially with all the danger we faced. Plus, I had only returned to her recently. I felt like a terrible son for forcing us to separate this soon. 

We found Arin and Stella at the front of the store. They were whispering to each other as they glanced out the window. From what I could see, the coast seemed to be clear. This would be the perfect time for us to make our escape. 

Since they hadn't noticed us yet, I cleared my throat to get their attention. When the two looked back at me, I asked, "Whatever happened to waking us up?"

Arin gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. He responded, "We were going to, but we saw how peaceful you two looked. We thought it best to let you sleep."

I did appreciate the sentiment, but it also made me feel bad. These two stayed up the whole night to make sure we were all safe. While I may have still felt tired, I could only imagine how they both felt right now. I knew that it had been a while since Arin rested last. Once we returned to the apartment buildings, I hoped Arin and Stella would take a much-needed break. Everyone else could pitch in and watch over everyone's safety. 

Shortly after, Riley and her father joined us. They must have noticed us gathered at the front, then came over to us. Riley didn't say a word of greeting. She kept her head down. She had been crying, and I could tell that she didn't get any rest. How could she after what happened to her mother?

I wanted to console her, but I was worried that I would only make things worse. We were all shaken up by what happened. As Caitlyn mentioned last night, Riley's mother was close to us. Our families had always been close, so this loss weighed heavily on all of our hearts. I didn't say anything as I reached out and gently grabbed Riley's hand. This wouldn't make her feel better, but I wanted her to know that I was there for her.

With everyone gathered, Stella asks, "Is everyone ready?"

We were all in silent agreement that it was time to go. Once Arin and Riley's father cleared the front door, we checked that the coast was clear, then left the thrift store. I didn't let go of Riley's hand as we began to walk through the streets. We were cautious with each step. The town that I had grown up in for all of my life now seemed unfamiliar to me. In the short amount of time that we had been living through the outbreak, there was already so much destruction. The hardest part was seeing the dead bodies. I didn't look at the faces of the victims. I didn't want to see someone that I recognized. Almost everyone knew each other since we grew up in a small town. I couldn't look at the faces of old friends, classmates, or neighbors. 

I continued to stay on alert just in case something showed up. Some streets we passed had the dead wandering around, which we avoided. At one point, I couldn't make out exactly what I saw, but a few blocks away, something did catch my eye. It was only for a brief moment, but I thought that I saw something watching us. It could have been my imagination, but it made me grip Riley's hand tighter. No one else seemed to notice it. But now, I couldn't shake this feeling that there were eyes on us. I looked back multiple times to see if something was following us, but there was nothing. 

Eventually, we were coming up to the block where the apartments were. Due to the detour last night, it did take us a little longer to get back. I felt relieved that we would be reuniting with the others. I wanted to see Alex and my mother again. I knew that my mother would be angry with us, but she would be more relieved that Caitlyn and I made it back in one piece. Though, I knew that would be short-lived after she learned what happened. 

Once we reached the front doors, Arin knocked. We waited for a few seconds as we heard movement on the other side, then the door opened to reveal Xavier on the other side. He let out a sigh when he saw our faces. I may not have known Xavier well, but I could tell that he cared about everyone. I was glad that we were able to make it back here alive as well. Though, it cost too much. A life had been lost because of us. I wondered if we never would have shown up, then would Riley's mother still be alive? Or was her fate inevitable? 

Before entering, I looked back once more time. There was still nothing there, but why did it feel like there was? I didn't get the chance to keep looking as I was pulled inside when my sister grabbed my free hand. Now that we were all safely in, Xavier shut and barricaded the door once more. 

I didn't have time to settle in when I saw Alex. Without saying a word, Alex rushed up to us, then threw his arms around Riley and me. As he hugged us, he said, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry for being an asshole and letting you go alone. I should have been there with you. The three of us are supposed to stick together."

Riley squeezed my hand and put her free arm around Alex. Then she finally began to cry.