“She’s fine, I swear! The doctor said she’ll have no permanent damage, and he was able to remove the bullet. Jasper joined him, and they did such an excellent job on both the bullet wound and the dog wounds that you can’t even tell she was bitten.”
Nakos took a long breath. He hadn’t realized he was spitting information out so fast. It left Bellamy feeling dumbfounded.
“Let’s go, I want to see her. I don’t hold you responsible, even though I can tell that’s what you’re thinking.”
Nakos let go and hugged him. He was overwhelmed with relief, since he’d been beating himself up over the whole incident.
“I swear to you, Bellamy, had I known that a bullet would go through the beast’s guts, I’d never have shot it. I was just trying to save her from being torn apart.”
“I don’t blame you, really I don’t.”
They made their way to the sickbay. Bellamy rushed over to Lily’s side. Bending down, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. Turning, he spoke with Doc, who filled him in precisely as Nakos had, almost word-for-word. Relieved that she’d be okay, Bellamy pulled the chair closer to her and held her hand, while Nakos took another chair and pulled it beside Bellamy.
“Were you able to get home all right?”
“Yes, and I left a note with the map you drew for my brother. I just hope they hadn’t already been and gone. I really miss him, and I need to know he’s okay.”
“I’m sure he will be. If he’s anything like you, he’s a survivor.” Nakos smiled big and wide at Bellamy. “Did you have any troubles?”
“Matter of fact, I did. Remember those sores I was telling you about on the dead?”
“Yes. It’s not something any of us could forget.”
“Well, turns out that they mean something.”
“They do? What?”
“Those people are zombies now. If you have the sores, at some stage you turn into a fucking walking reanimated thing.” Bellamy held his gaze on Nakos before shifting it back to Lily.
Nakos was more than shocked, he was disbelieving. Having not seen it with his own eyes, it seemed impossible. And the notion of having to battle dogs and now humans, too... Suddenly he thought of his brother-in-law George, and got up to leave.
“What’s your hurry?”
“George.”
“Wait, Nakos. How long has he been sick?”
Nakos thought hard about it before answering. “Close to three, no, nearly four months. Why?”
“I think, given the limited amount of zombie humans that there are, there must be a fair length of time between getting sick and transitioning into that form. I’d say at least five months, maybe six or seven. We can worry about George later. Right now, I want you to sit with me a bit longer.”
Nakos pulled the chair back in and sat down heavily, stewing over what Bellamy had said. Part of his mind believed, while another part didn’t. Not wanting to doubt his friend, he’d give it more thought later. He sat clutching his hands together as he looked at Lily lying like Sleeping Beauty.
“What else has happened since I’ve been gone?” Bellamy asked.
“Well, let me see. Before Lily was accidently shot, she took a few people out for crossbow training, but it didn’t go too well. Five dogs came in through a breach in the perimeter. Emma and Juliet were victims. I dug graves for them. We boarded up where they’d entered and have been fixing two other areas. I haven’t had time to search the entire town for all the weak spots yet. You’ve only been gone a little over twenty-four hours.”
“So, pretty much run of the mill stuff?”
“Yeah, pretty much. How about you? How easy was it out there, or wasn’t it?”
“Sad to say, it sucked out there, my friend. You have no idea.” Bellamy shook his head as he paused, then continued.
“I thought I’d seen it all with the dogs, but now with the humans, it changes the game. I saw at least three human zombies, and what appeared to be an endless number of dogs. I did my best to thin the herd down, allowing a safer passage for my brother to gain access to my house. But my street... Holy shit, my street was filled with those dead things!”
“Sounds like we have a good thing going in here, then? Will you go back to Sleepy Hollow if your brother doesn’t show up here?”
“I haven’t given it any thought. For now, I’m just going to focus on Lily getting better. Are the girls with Anya?”
“Yeah, they are.”
“Hopefully, they haven’t been too much trouble for you all. Thanks for looking out for them.”
“Any time. We treat them like family – and you are family, you and Lily and the girls.” Nakos flashed his brilliant white teeth with another smile. Bellamy smiled back, quickly covering his stomach. It growled so loudly, it could have been heard across town.
“You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“No, there wasn’t anything back at my house to eat.”
Nakos got up. “I’ll get you something to eat.” Bellamy grinned with a nod, then picked up Lily’s soft silky hand and held it tightly. He sat staring at her, deep in thought.
Nakos returned twenty minutes later with a hearty plate filled with corn, beans, and crackers. Afterward, Bellamy went to see Ruth and Beth, who were very happy to see him. They latched onto him with liquid streaming down their tiny faces. He played some games with them and talked with Anya. A few hours had passed, so he went back down to sit with Lily. He spoke to the doctor some more, and took a nap.
It was just after ten p.m. when he woke, so he went for a walk before returning to Lily’s bedside. There, he eventually fell asleep.
He woke to commotion. Looking at his watch quickly, he saw it wasn’t even six a.m. yet. There was a mix of conversations and someone demanding to be let in. Bellamy’s eyes grew wide when he recognized the voice. Stealing a quick kiss with Lily, he bolted out the door and rushed outside.
Stopping dead on the steps, his eyes slowly filled with tears. His brain couldn’t formulate a thought, at least not one based on any known language. And if he didn’t touch him soon, his atoms would tear themselves apart. How the ground between him and his brother was erased, he’d never know, but one moment they were apart and the next they were morphed into a bear hug. Tears fell, and neither bothered wiping them away. Bellamy pulled Timothy in for a three-way hug, unwilling to let either of them go.
“It’s so good to see you, Uncle Bell,” Timothy said, squished between his dad and uncle. He was hardly able to breathe, let alone get those words out. Bellamy pulled back to inspect them, looking them over head to toe and then bringing them together for another bear hug.
“You have no idea how good it is to see you two! Where are Julie and Tiffany?” Bellamy looked over their heads searching for them, his eyes landing on Oliver.
“Who’s the giant?” he whispered into Calloway’s ear.
Calloway pulled away from the bear hug so he could be heard.
“Bellamy, meet Oliver.”
Bellamy thrust his hand outward and firmly shook the giant’s hand, feeling a strength that was double that of his own.
“Nice to meet you, Oliver.”
“You too, Bellamy. I’ve heard so much about you.” He beamed wide and Bellamy grinned back, then pulled Timothy and Calloway in for another hug.
“Hey Oliver, this fella here is my good friend Nakos. My other friend to your left is Harry.”
With the introductions out of the way, and then the explanation of how the town used to be a location for a filming company, he told them about Reed. So much talking needs to be done, and there’s a lot to cover, thought Bellamy. He led them inside to meet Lily. Though she remained asleep, Bellamy felt a need to introduce her. After that, he set them up in a room and they talked for hours. Nakos was given instructions to inform Bellamy about any changes in Lily’s condition.
Bellamy was so beyond ecstatic that he could hardly contain himself. Feeling like he’d won the lottery, he couldn’t stop grinning. Being reunited with his broth
er made him euphoric. He found out about the possibility of Tiffany transforming into one of those dead walkers. It was a difficult subject to discuss. He hated seeing his brother and nephew in such emotional turmoil.
They made plans to retrieve Tiffany and Julie, accepting the strong possibility that it would just be Julie. They’d go once Lily was awake and walking around. Calloway and Oliver were happy with that as they got comfortable in the town. Agreeing that it would be better suited than the General’s house, Oliver was happy to make this his new home.
Over the next four days, the men and Timothy got to know everyone in town. Timothy connected with Anya better than he had with anyone else his own age, bringing him out of his depression somewhat.
CHAPTER 10
FAITH
“Doc, it’s been four days. Why isn’t she waking up?” Bellamy asked.
“It’s not unusual. Trauma such as this can cause the body to involuntary shut down. But rest assured, all her vitals are good.”
“Yeah, but Doc, she’s a strong-willed woman, so this doesn’t make sense.”
“I’d be more worried if her reflexes and other vitals were abnormal. For Lily, they’re all working as they should be. Even her blood pressure is normal.”
Bellamy sat by her bed every day and night, barely watching over the girls. He interacted with Calloway during breaks by showing him around and talking – lots and lots of talking.
Time stood still for Bellamy. He found himself often reliving the day he lost his ex-girlfriend, unable to shake the vivid images of her blowing up right in front of him. Unable to release himself from that prison, he barely slept and hardly ate. His focus was on Lily. He would talk to her, telling her about Calloway, Timothy, and Oliver.
After two more days had passed, Lily started to show signs of waking. Bellamy hovered over her, delicately kissing the top of her head. “Please wake up,” he pleaded. A lone tear trickled down his cheek and landed on her forehead.
For the next two days, she’d again show signs of waking, and then nothing. It was as if Bellamy dreamed it. The doctor said it was normal, she was improving each day, and soon she’d wake.
Bellamy struggled to believe it. Eight days had passed in total. Admittedly, the changes he saw were evident. Her body was trying to wake up. She would turn slightly, moan some, and then go silent. Her legs would twitch and her arms would stiffen. Her eyelids fluttered, but never fully opened. After one more day, she finally opened her eyes, to Bellamy’s surprise.
“Thank God!” Bellamy almost yelled as he jumped up with joy when Lily’s eyes fluttered open. He grabbed her hand and watched the corners of her mouth curve up into a bright smile. She tried to talk, but her throat was too dry. Bellamy got her some water, and after a few sips she was able to speak, though her voice was still hoarse. She reminded Bellamy of a jazz singer with a raspy voice.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“Who are you?”
“Come on, Lily. It’s me, Bellamy.”
“Who’s Lily?”
“It’s you, don’t you remember?”
“No. Are we married or something?” She looked at her ring finger, but seeing nothing she gave Bellamy a strange look as she timidly looked around the room.
“No, oh God! Doc!” He yelled for the doctor, forgetting that it was two a.m. and he’d be sleeping. He looked back at Lily and saw her flushed cheeks, and then an explosion of laughter burst from her. She laughed so hard that her wounds hurt.
“Jesus, Lily, you were just messing with me?”
“I’m sorry, it was too easy.”
“Shit, hon, that was too much for me. I think I nearly had a stroke.” Bellamy’s face showed a mixture of deep concern, longing, and happiness in the mix.
“I could hear everything, just so you know.” She gave him a wink, as she looked into his different-colored eyes.
“You could? Really? Everything?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“You love messing with my mind, don’t ya?”
“Yes, too easy not to.” She smiled sweetly, flirting with her eyes.
“Let’s focus on getting you out of this bed.”
“And here I was, thinking you wanted me in the bed.”
She gave him a seductive smile that sent an urgency to his groin. Ignoring the urges, he helped her out of bed. She was unsteady on her feet. Wrapping a strong arm around her waist, he walked her back and forth until she was ready to stand on her own. She walked to the tiny window and peered out.
“It’s so dark out. What time is it?”
“Just after two in the morning.”
“Oh.”
Walking back toward the bed, unable to go far with the IV bag, she got back in and sat up. She looked directly at Bellamy, who was watching her sweetly. Without asking, he gave her another glass of water.
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?” he said, confused.
“Read my mind. I didn’t even get to ask for the glass of water, yet you automatically knew. How?”
“I don’t know. I’m just strangely connected to you, more than I even knew.”
He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. It had become his thing with her and she loved it.
“So how are the girls?”
“They’re good. I have to admit I haven’t been the best surrogate father. I’ve been by your side, unable to tear myself away. Nakos and Anya have shared caring for the girls, so I promise you they’re fine. I do have some pretty amazing news to tell you.”
“You’re pregnant with triplets?”
Bellamy laughed hard, giving her an eye roll and jiggling his head up and down, before carrying on.
“Stop that! I’ll laugh and my stitches will pop,” she said, pointing to his jiggling head.
“For you, I’ll stop. Now listen to this, babe. My brother made it. He’s here, hon. He’s finally here!”
“Are you paying me back for my pranks?” She studied his face to see if he was for real.
“I kid you not, I’m dead serious. And in the morning you’ll be able to meet him and my nephew Timothy.”
“But how?”
“The note I left, turns out he wasn’t far behind me. Shit, there’s so much to catch you up on.” His look collapsed into one of severe concern.
“Remember, it’s me you’re talking to. I’m tougher than I look. So whatever it is that worries you, you can talk to me about it.”
Bellamy spent the next half hour explaining his trip, what he’d seen and what he’d fought. Then, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, he fell asleep alongside Lily.
Lily woke to screams followed by a succession of gunshots. Bellamy wasn’t in the chair. She looked around groggily, trying to adjust her eyes to the streaming light that was seeping through the gap in the curtains.
Determined to get up, she swiveled her legs around as she kicked off the sheets, but she forgot about the IV-bag and accidently pulled the IV out. Blood gushed from her vein. Quickly applying pressure, she made her way toward the window. She tore the curtain a little as she pulled it back too hard.
The sun was so bright that she had to squint as she looked out the window.
CHAPTER 11
NOT FORGOTTEN
“I want to go see Mommy!” Beth cried.
“I want to as well!” Ruth hollered.
“Okay, girls, I can do that for you. Let me turn the portable gas oven off and then we can go.”
“I’m taking my kitten. He told me that he wants to see where Mommy is. Is that okay with you, Anya?”
“Sure thing, sweetie. How about you, Ruth? Do you want to bring your kitten, too?”
“Uh huh, thanks,” she said sweetly, holding her kitten snugly in her arms and beaming a gap-toothed smile.
“Oh Ruth, when did you lose your front tooth?” Anya quizzed her as she looked up.
“It came out yesterday. It just wiggled and wiggled, then popped right out. I
lost it. I looked and looked, but I think my kitty ate it,” Ruth said while skipping to the stairwell. She waited there for Anya and Beth to catch up.
“Well, the Tooth Fairy might be late, but she’ll visit you. I’m sure of it.”
“No, Anya, she can’t. I told you I lost the tooth.”
“The tooth fairy doesn’t need your tooth. I’ll write a note and leave it under your pillow. You’ll see in the morning that she visited and left you something special,” Anya said while they made their way downstairs. It was warm outside. The sun was shining brightly, practically kissing the earth.
At the gravesite, Anya held both kittens and let the girls talk to their mother’s grave. Anya admired their strength. She was proud of the girls for being so strong at their ages. It wasn’t easy to know that your parents are dead. Yet both girls seemed to handle it like super troopers, thought Anya.
Wriggling itself free, one of the kittens toppled from Anya’s folded arms. Once it was on the ground, it took off. Beth tried to catch it, but it was too fast. They chased it, but while they ran after it the other one broke free of Anya’s arms and took off in the other direction. Ruth raced after that one. Without thinking, Anya followed Beth. She didn’t like the idea of a five-year-old running after the kitten alone. It was hard enough letting Ruth rush off and out of sight.
“Kitty, come here!” Beth called out, rushing around the back of Studio E. Anya couldn’t believe how fast she was. She caught up in time to see Beth squishing her tiny body under a gap in the fence line. Quickly, Anya grabbed Beth’s ankles.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Anya said, pulling a squirming Beth back inside.
“Let me go!” she yelled hard and loud.
“Come on, Beth, it’s not safe out there. Let’s get some of the big men to help us find your kitten.”
“No!” she screamed even louder.
Beth kicked her feet out, catching Anya in the forearm. She released her hold and Beth hurriedly tried to get back under the fence. Anya grabbed her ankles and pulled her back in again.
Hounded | Book 3 | Hounded 3 Page 7