𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝐜.𝐛

14

Isabella

We're sitting on the couch and he still has me in his arms.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks softly. His voice brings me comfort. 

"I don't know," I stutter. He nods and kisses my forehead.

"Okay, take your time." I sit up and look at him.

"What if someone from the camp comes after us? What if he's not dead?" I rush. He cups my cheeks.

"They won't. I promise. You're okay, he's dead. He can't hurt you anymore," he assures. He wipes under my eyes and kisses my forehead.

"I don't know if I killed him," I admit.

"He can't find you."

"He did so much," I whisper. He pulls me close to him.

"You're safe and I'm going to keep saying that until you believe it." He rubs my head. "Breathe, Bella."

"Thank you," I whisper. He lays back and brings me with him. He pulls a cover down over us and rubs my back. Slowly, I feel myself falling asleep.

When I wake up, Colby's face is nuzzled into my neck. Smiling, I kiss his head and run my fingers through his curls. He snuggles into me more. Laughing, I place several small kisses on his head. When I stop, he looks up at me sleepily.

"Why'd you stop?" he rasps, poking his bottom lip out.

"We should get up," I sigh. 

"We should go check the place out."

"If you want to," I agree. We stand up and leave the house. His hand is in mine as we walk. We walk to the right side of the camp. People smile at us as we go by and I smile back. "Do you want to go see Sam?"

"Yeah," he nods. We walk a bit farther until we reach the hospital. We go in and ask what room Sam is in. After searching for a bit, we find it and go in. Sam's awake and Kat is sitting next to him. "Hey."

"Hey," Sam smiles.

"How do you feel?" I ask, sitting next to Kat.

"I've been better but I could be worse. Thank you," he grins.

"No problem," I smile. Colby sits next to me and takes my hand. Sam and Kat share a look before smiling.

"See, we told you that you all would get together," Kat teases, making us all laugh.

"Yeah," I laugh, kissing his shoulder.

"You okay?" Kat asks kindly.

"I think so," I sigh. Kat takes my other hand.

"We're here for you," she assures. Nodding, I give her hand a squeeze.

"I know. I'm gonna go check on Lenny and Kara," I excuse. Colby nods as I stand. Kara and Lenny are in the room next door. "How are you all doing?"

"Good, thank you," Lenny smiles. Kara smiles at me softly.

"Get some rest," I smile back. They both nod as I walk out and back into Sam's room.

"I think we're gonna go check out the rest of the town," Colby excuses, glancing back at me. We say our goodbyes before leaving the hospital. The sun is setting as we walk down the dirt road. Colby leads me into an old library. There's barely anyone in here. An old woman browses books and smiles at us when we walk in.

"You two must be part of the new group that came in," she rasps.

"Yeah, I'm Isabella and this is Colby."

"I'm Rose. It's so nice seeing some fresh faces around here."

"I hope to see you soon, Rose," I excuse. She smiles and walks away. Before she's gone, she turns and grabs Colby's arm.

"Take care of her," she whispers to him.

"I will," he assures, making butterflies appear in my stomach. We walk off down the aisles of books. My fingers brush along the dusty spines.

"I used to love reading back in Florida. I'd sit out on our porch when it was raining and read until my mom told me to come in."

"Sounds nice," he grins. A book title catches my eye. 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.

"This was one of my favorites."

"I think I remember reading it in high school," Colby nods. 

"Do you think someone reads to the kids here?" I ask, putting the book back on the shelf. "I mean, these look untouched."

"I don't know," he shrugs. "Maybe you could ask April if you could."

"Maybe." The golden light of the sun hits the books, making it look like a movie.

"We should probably head back, it's getting late."

"Yeah," I nod. We walk out of the library and back down the road. A few children are still outside playing. They run along the path, chasing each other in their own world. We reach the house and Colby opens the door, allowing me to step inside. "Such a gentleman."

"My mom raised me well," he smiles, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"I'm glad she did," I grin, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kisses my nose and places his hands on my hips. We begin swaying to a song that isn't there. "I never saw you as a dancer."

"Strange the things the right people can bring out of you." He lifts his arm above my head and I spin. He pulls me against him and we sway. A laugh escapes as he leans me back in a dip. His eyes drink me in. Before I know it, his lips are on mine. My arms wrap around his neck and he pulls my hips closer to him. His hands squeeze my hips lightly. He walks backward blindly before falling. There's a bed underneath us. He flips our positions, putting me under him.

"Fuck," he curses lowly. His lips are on my cheek before he lays down next to me.

"I could get used to that," I laugh, sitting up. Quickly, I dig out some clothes in my bag. I slip off my pants and change shirts. The new one is an oversized band shirt. My eyes land on my thighs. They're scratched up. Colby is behind me in the mirror. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my shoulder.

"You're beautiful," he whispers.

"One of the guards beat me with a belt," I say shakily. He turns me around and sits on the edge of the bed, keeping my hands in his. His thumb traces my knuckles. "Michael shot him and took me into the bathroom. He made me undress in front of him. Then, he bathed me and..."

"Hey," he coos, pulling me into his lap. "It's okay."

"He touched me," I whisper. Colby inhales deeply before kissing my temple. "And did it every day after that."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," he whispers. He lifts my hand to his lips. "But that bastard is dead and can't hurt you."

"I see him in my dreams, Colby," I whisper, my voice breaking at the end. "That's why I couldn't sleep last night."

"Do you see him when you're with me?"

"No," I waiver. 

"Okay, you'll stay with me then. Okay?"

"Okay," I cry. He pulls me into him and I bury my face in his neck. 

"You're safe. You're okay," he repeats assuringly. Before I know it, I'm asleep in his arms.