Surviving Earth: Makayla's Journey (13 page)

All of us exchange worried glances before I follow Logan into the bathroom. "Logan, are you ok? This isn't you." I sound confused even to my own ears.

Pulling me tightly into his arms he whispers, "sorry, baby. Get used to the new me."

Looking up into his eyes, I notice they've changed from his beautiful chocolate brown to a muddled grey.

"Have I told you lately that you smell delicious?" He asks, sniffing the air around me.

Stepping from within his arms, I know deep within my heart that the man I love no longer resides in the body before me. Sadness clutches my heart in a tight grip as tears wash my cheeks. I've lost this battle, now I have to deal with what is left; Logan.

"You get your shower. I'll be waiting for you when you get out." I say turning for the door. Before I can make it two feet, I'm grabbed and pulled backwards, landing hard against Logan's chest. "What are you doing?" I yell out, stomping my feet.

"I don't know. It's almost as if something has come over me. Oh my God, Makayla, you need to kill me now." Logan says, as he releases me. He walks over to the shower and sits on the edge, running a shaky hand through his overlong hair.

Sitting down beside Logan, I pull his hand into my lap. "We're in this together. I'm not going to kill you. Besides, I think you can control yourself once you get used to that alien feeling that is trying to take over." I say.

In a flash my hand is in front of Logan's lips, his mouth opening, saliva dripping from his teeth. "You smell yummy, Mak. I just want one bite." He says with an evil grin.

The evil of the hybrid is winning out over my beloved. "Logan, fight it. Don't let this thing beat you. Come on, baby, I know you're in there." I whisper, trying to jerk my hand from his grasp.

He releases me only to reach for the Glock tucked in the waistband of my jeans. "I can't do this. How can I learn to control the uncontrollable? It’s like a light switch going on and off. One minute it's me, the next I'm this flesh starved crazy. Please, Mak, end this existence. I no longer have the will to fight." His disheartened plea tears through my heart and silent tears fall from my face onto my lap.

Taking the gun from his hand, I rise from the tub, my hands going to his cheeks, "I love you, Logan. I can't let this be the end of you." I say before rushing from the bathroom.

"Lock Tessa and Ricky in one of the bedrooms and don't let them go anywhere near Logan until he gets this under control." I yell to Lainey as I run by her.

Reaching out, she grabs me by the shoulder, turning me so I'm facing her. "Oh my God, Mak. Please tell me my brother isn't one of those things." She sobs out as she crumbles to the floor.

My patience was nil at this point, but I lower myself to the floor, rocking Lainey as she sobs on my shoulder. "You have to get it together. Logan will need all of us to get through this." I tell her as I brush the hair from her face.

"Tell me he's not one of those things." Lainey begs softly.

Struggling for words, I stand, brushing my hands off on my pants. Biting my lip, I turn to face the window and watch as the sun continues it ascent into the sky. "Lainey, Logan isn't what you think. He's struggling to control the beast within. Yes, the hybrid infected him, but he has moments of complete normalcy, then like a switch is flicked within him, he's a flesh craver. I'm so sorry."  I know my voice is a barely audible whisper as I tell her this while tears run down my face.

At a loss for a way to comfort her, I walk to the window and gaze out. Finally, we'd found a safe place, but now the danger lurked from within. Hearing a door bang shut at the end of the house, I turn and see Logan, walk out of the bathroom.

"I can't fucking do this. Someone give me a gun before I hurt or kill one of you." He growls. His eyes continuously shifting from his normal brown to a burnished copper. "Lainey, come give me a hug." He looks at his sister, snapping his teeth.

"Logan please come back. This isn't you." Lainey cries out, tears running down her face, before she runs from the room. Moments later I hear a door slamming behind her.

The copper leaves Logan's eyes as he falls to the sofa, defeat written across his handsome face.

"You can do this. I know you. You're strong and you can beat anything you're up against." I tell him, falling by his side.

"Not this, Makayla. Even your nearness makes me crave the taste of your flesh." He informs me, sounding even more defeated than before.

Grasping his hands, I hold them in mine and gaze into his beautiful brown eyes. "Logan, listen to the sound of my voice. Don't think about anything other than the love we have for each other. You can conquer this. I believe in you." Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I draw him into a tight hug. "Baby, we can do this together." I tell him, before I'm roughly shoved away.

"Are you fucking crazy? You just put yourself into the hands of a hybrid zombie." He quickly stands, his hands going to his already mussed hair. "I need to get out of here. I need to get away from the amazing smell of your, and everyone else's, flesh." Logan runs from the room before I can stop him and seconds later I hear the sound of a door slamming.

Two days have passed and there is still no sign of Logan. We have kept the house on lockdown just in case he did come back because I didn't want Tessa or Ricky to be out playing and him catch them unaware. They only went outside if Blu, Clara, or I could watch over them. Lainey is a complete mess. She is worried about Logan, even more than I am, but I know in my heart that once he has the beast within him controlled, he will return to us. I only hope he doesn't return if the beast wins.

After a while the days start to run together and Logan has yet to return. Everyone is settling into the home and we finally feel safe. Yes, we saw zombies wandering by, but none come close to the house.

"Mak?" Blu says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hmmmm?” I answer, without looking up.

"Are you ok? I can't have you and Lainey both falling apart." He says, brushing the hair out of his face.

"I'm fine. Just deep in thought." I respond.

"Mak, I need to show you something." He tells me quietly.

Looking up, I allow hope to filter in my heart for the first time in days. "Ok, lead the way." I stand and follow him.

Leaving the house, we walk towards the lab. I'd completely forgotten about this awful place. I didn't want to remember what had happened in this building.

"Mak, please. I need you to come see this." Blu pleads, holding onto my hand.

Wiping at the sweat that appears on my forehead, I continue following Blu. He's punches in the code swiftly and we walk through the doorway. The first thing I notice is that someone has been in and cleared out all the zombies. Even the hybrid is missing from where she had fallen.. My eyes quickly flash to the last cage and I see the evil doctor is still behind bars, but what is two cells away from her steals my breath.

Rushing to his cell, I grab the bars and he immediately backs away, his eyes flickering from chocolate to copper instantly.

"Why would you bring her here?" He yells at Blu.

"Because she was worrying herself to death about you. Now she knows you're safe." Blu responds, wearing a slight frown upon his face. 

"Dammit! I asked you to help me in confidence! I wanted to try and beat this fucking monster before I saw her again." Slipping into the small bunk, Logan rubs his eyes.

Walking from the lab, I clear my throat, trying my best to keep my tears at bay. If he didn't want to see me, then I'd honor his wishes.

Three days of no sleep and I am mentally and physically drained. I am sitting here, my head lulling on the sofa and my eyes drooping of their own accord when a loud banging of a door jolts me awake. What the hell? I think as I shift positions.

"Get up! Come on, Mak, get your ass up! We need you to help Logan, he can't do this without you." Clara says angrily.

"He doesn't want me around, can't you see that?" I ask, letting the sadness grip my heart tighter.

"Makayla, quit your moping and let's go or we're going to lose him to the dark side!" Clara shouts, leaning over to pull me up.

Logan seems angry when I walk into the lab and the good doctor Cilley, is gleefully happy. It seems she thinks she has a new pet. She’s pacing her small cell, gripping and un-gripping her fingers. "Yes, this could work." She is repeating over and over again.

Marching over to her cage, I reach in and jerk her forward. “You will not have him, bitch.” I tell her softly before I slam her face into the bars of the cage, knocking her to the floor.  "Let him out. He's not going to hurt any of us." I shout to Blu, who is standing to the side of Logan's jail cell.

"Are you out of your mind, Mak? I could infect you all with one bite! Blu, don't you dare open the door." He says, glaring at the young man.

"Get out of my way. I'll open it myself." I was beyond sick of the whole thing and it would end today.

"Makayla, please don't do this. I don't have a handle over this thing." Logan begs, one hand in his hair the other on the cell door.

Grabbing the key from Blu's hand, I turn the lock. Once the door is open I jump in the cell and throw the keys back to a startled Blu before I slam the door behind me.

"Mak, get out!" Logan rages.

Standing my ground I say, "No," simply and quietly.

"Clara, get your best friend out of here while I can control myself." He demands, cutting his eyes to me.

Moving the two short steps that separate us, I'm now standing in front of a furious Logan as his eyes flipped once again to burnished copper then come back to his beautiful brown.

"I don't think you'll hurt me. I trust you, even like this. You can rage and bitch all you want, but we're ending this today." I say, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Oh, Mak, you're a fool. You can't trust me like this." Logan runs a hand through my hair, frustrated.

Standing on my tiptoes I kiss his cheek and say, "I love you, Logan, and I need you to survive this fucked up world; so snap out of it.”

Lifting me into his arms, he pulls me tightly to his chest, "I need you so bad, Makayla, but I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle." He confesses, before laying his head on my shoulder. "Mak, we can beat this together, but we can't be a couple anymore. I can no longer kiss you, and we definitely can't make love, I would infect you and that's something I will never chance. I love you too much to see this happen to you." He whispers almost silently in my ear.

Silent tears fall from my eyes. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this would happen. "I know. I'm going to miss this; us talking, you holding me, and having someone I can lean on. I love you, Logan. Never forget that for one second." I tell him as I slide from his arms. Once again I stand on my tiptoes and brush my lips briefly across his cheek before I turn to tell Blu to let me out. "Let Logan out, too. He's going to be fine," I tell them before I walk from the building.

I walk just a few feet outside the lab before I crumble into myself. Sobbing, I fall to the ground, tears blinding me. I am so broken I just want to lay down and die. Hell, I'd let the zombies have me at this point. I didn't care. Now that I'd found Blu, Tessa and Gage a safe place, I could walk away and leave them all behind knowing they would be safe.

After laying there for a few minutes, I feel myself being lifted and carried against a strong chest. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I know whose arms I am being held in. Whose chest I am resting against. It is the man I love. The man I can no longer have hopes of any kind of future with. Even if my future looks bleak, he makes it brighter by being in my life.

Laughing at myself, I wonder what my dad would think of the mess I am now. I know he'd tell me to toughen up, that I wasn't a wussy girl and to get back on your feet girl, lead these people like I taught you, snap to it. I can hear him so clearly in my mind and I wish he was here safe with me. Those are my last thoughts before I fall asleep.