Infection Z Beswick, L. (books for 8th graders txt) 📖

no one left behind" I nod in agreement, my guilt eating at me for leaving mum behind, she definitely said that as a dig, “I’ll be downstairs" I reply and swiftly leave the room.

“So?” Sam asks when I arrive downstairs again, “we’re going, she’s just getting ready" I force a smile, “I’ll just go grab my stuff I’ll be right back” I disappear into my room closing the door behind me, all the built up sadness, guilt and anger finally seep out all at once, my tears fall down my face and I cry silently cupping my hands over my mouth so the others don’t hear me, I slide down my door until I’m sat on the floor, my mother’s face flashes in my mind telling me to leave her behind, running home with April screaming at me and those monsters closing in on us, and a faraway memory of a man in his late 20’s “you’ll be okay, your mothers strong and so are you, you’ll take of each other, you don’t need me with you" his face leaves and is replaced by my mother’s tears, I don’t remember that man well but I know I loved him.

Chapter 3

April’s POV

With a deep sigh I leave my room for the first time in days and descend the stairs to a beaming Sam, “are you ready?” she asks, I just nod in response Damon nods at us and we leave the house together, a sense of Deja vu washes over me with only an absence of my mother, we walk in silence in the eerily quiet street, weapons in hand and ready for the danger ahead of us, my mother’s face flashes in my mind begging us to leave her behind, I shake my head ridding myself of the image and grip my bat a little tighter, I breath in and out deeply to calm myself.

One of the monsters is all alone and spots us, it hurriedly drags its limbs towards us with a growl, with a gulp and my blood pumping fast in my veins I grip my weapon, before it has a chance to reach us I charge towards it, “April!” Sam yells in panic, I ignore her and deliver a strong smack to the monsters head splitting it open, it falls to the ground in a heap, I don’t stop like, it’s like I’m no longer in my body, I swing and hit it roughly creating a disgusting squelching sound from the soft body being hit again and again, blood splatters all over my face and through the air, I hit it until there’s organs and blood being splattered, “stop!” Damon demands but I drown out his authoritative voice, he grabs me as I scream for him to let me go, “it’s dead already!” he yells, I breath heavily and he holds me tightly until I’m calm again, “we don’t have time for this, we’re here to get food and leave" Damon lets me go and marches off, “April are you okay?” Sam asks in a timid voice, “I don’t think I am" I answer quietly, she offers her hand and I gladly take it, glad for something kind.

I don’t remember much of the trip after that, I was in flight mode until we arrived home again and the noise of the door closing jolted me back to reality, “what are we going to do?” Sam asks, I feel very confused and just listen “well with the food gone we don’t have much choice but to move on" Damon says, “but this is our home" I state feeling angry he would even suggest leaving, “we have no choice, we can’t survive without food, we’ll leave first thing tomorrow with the food we have, we’ll have to find somewhere new to live with food nearby” I sigh and decide it’s better not to argue, I’m too tired to protest further and decide to call it a night.

“I don’t think she’s okay" Sam says as I’ve left the room, I linger on the stairs to listen “none of us are okay" Damon says, “I know but did you see her with that monster, it was dead and she just kept hitting it until was nothing but goo, she’s really not handled your mother’s death well" Sam says I can hear the concern in her voice and feel guilty for making her worry, “well what are we supposed to do, she needs tough love or she’ll just be stuck being depressed, she needs to just get over it and move on like I have" I can imagine Damon crossing his arms as though trying to make a point, “but are you though?” Sam asks, “I heard you earlier, you were crying in your room, I know you’re not okay and you’re just pretending because you think you have to" it’s quiet for a moment, “I don’t uh...” he trails off not quite sure what he should say.

“You’ve not handling your grief, you need to accept what’s happened, to grieve and understand April is grieving too, you guys need to be there for each other now more than ever and not pushing each other away", I decide to not listen any longer and head upstairs to bed, the sooner I can sleep the sooner this nightmare is closer to being over.

Damon’s POV

Sam corners me in the kitchen looking at me with her kind pleading eyes "you’re not handling your grief, you need to accept what’s happened, to grieve and understand April is grieving too, you guys need to be there for each other now more than ever and not pushing each other away" she tells me stepping closer, I try to avoid her eyes, her presence makes my face heat up in embarrassment, “you’re very close" I mumble, “does that make you uncomfortable?” she asks I can sense her smile before I see it, “a little" I respond quietly sliding away