Status: Try out my story ya'll!
Radioactive
Chapter Sixteen;
"Am I better off dead? Am I better off a quitter?"
---
Amaryllis woke up, cringing as she tried to roll over and her aching back protested. She forced herself to her knees and managed to crawl out of the tent, only briefly glancing at Harpers sleeping form. She zipped the tent back up and made her way to the car, fishing out the first aid kit. She opened it up, pulling out the bandage. She glanced quickly around her, making sure nobody was nearby. Although she didn't notice that as soon as she turned back around, the boys tent unzipped.
She carefully peeled off her shirt, draping it over the open car door. She raised her arms up enough to reveal the bandage, placed just below her lacy bandeau, using her right arm to reach around for the end of the bandage. "Ah," she breathed as she reached for it, her fingers brushing the bandaged tip, but unable to grasp it. "Oh, the paaaain." She groaned dramatically.
Someone cleared their throat from behind her, and she whipped around in alarm, her hands flying up to cover herself. Taniss rubbed the back of his neck a bit awkwardly, "erm, do you need help with that?"
She stood frozen for a moment before she finally relented. She turned her back to him so that he could reach it for her, brushing her hair over her shoulder with her fingers so that it wouldn't be in the way. She noticed his fingers felt a bit shaky as he fumbled over the bandage. Finally, it loosened around her, and he helped her unravel it. "How bad is it?" She asked, turning to use the side mirror to look at it.
It was pretty deep, but not something that wouldn't heal over time. She'd probably have a scar from it for a while. "Sorry this happened to you."
Amaryllis shrugged, "not your fault. Although you should've taken the shot and atleast tried to hit him."
"I didn't want to hit you." Taniss said as he unrolled the fresh bandage.
"You've gotta take risks."
"I did, by rescuing you."
"Whatever." She breathed airily. He rolled out the bandage, and put his arms around her to grab the end as he wove it carefully around her waist. The movement brought their faces only inches apart. His breath caught in his throat, his gaze flickering up to her blue eyes that only gazed back at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't quite sure what.
Ruining the moment, Amaryllis sighed, "I don't know what to do with Harper."
"Oh, um," Taniss drawled awkwardly, trying to collect his thoughts, his mind suddenly whirring although he couldn't explain why.
"I can't believe they would do that to us, you know? We wouldn't do that to them. That's just--" she trailed off, squinting at him suddenly.
"er, sudden?" He finished for her.
"Yeah, extremely sudden." Amaryllis said with a nod as he finished wrapping the bandage around her slim waist. He wrapped the bandage back up, tossed it into the first aid kit, and straightened up. She still hadn't moved, so they remained only inches a part.
His gaze flickering involuntarily towards her lips, but if she noticed, she didn't say anything. "You know, I could just wear this if I wanted too. It's pretty comfy."
Taniss forced himself to laugh, careful not to betray any hint of the fact that he'd find it quite pleasurable. "You need a shirt. Otherwise it might get infected."
"You're probably right." She said with a sigh, "I should do that."
"yeah." They both stayed still for a moment until she cleared her throat and reached passed him for her shirt, pulling it on over her head.
"Thanks." She said with a smile, standing on her toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek before returning to the camp site where Matt was waking up and trying to relight the fire.
He watched her go, his stomach stirring with feelings that he ignored, slamming the car door shut with more force than necessary.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Over the next three weeks, Amaryllis refused to sleep in the same tent as Harper, sitting outside until her and Matt agreed to switch places. Although they still weren't talking, everything else went pretty smoothly. No zombies attacked them, and they didn't run into any other people. The main problem was that their food stash was dwindling. Matt and Harper acted a bit more intimate, but they didn't announce they were in a relationship, and they didn't act too obvious about it. Taniss had taken charge, although Amaryllis wasn't giving up so easily. They fought most of the time, but at least they managed to be slightly civil to each other.
"I've figured out some things." Taniss announced as they sat around the fire to eat breakfast. "Looking back on everything we've done, I think i've figured it out."
"What?" Amaryllis asked through a mouthful of dry Captain Crunch.
"Do you guys know how long it takes for the whole zombie thing to happen? Once they die, how long is it before they go all zombie?"
"I thought you hated the word zombie?" Matt brought up, grinning in amusement.
Taniss rolled his eyes, "walker, whatever."
"I don't know." Harper said thoughtfully, bringing attention back to his question. "Not long, a few seconds?"
"Fifteen seconds, I believe. I'm not 100% sure, but I've counted a few times."
"When?" Amaryllis asked curiously.
"Um, when my neighbor changed, and when Matts--"
"Don't." Matt snapped, suddenly sounding furious.
Taniss looked alarmed at first, and then he seemed to realize he had done something wrong, and they all went silent again.
"I'm really hungry." Matt said, surprisingly being the first to break the silent tension in the air.
"Me too." Harper groaned.
Taniss fell backwards onto his back, one arm beneath his head, the other on his stomach. "I could really go for some pizza."
"Pizza." Amaryllis sighed dreamily, as if pizza was something only heard of in fairytales.
"Or some pasta. With extra spaghetti sauce." Matt added, not noticing that Harper had slowly set down the box of Captain Crunch and pushed it away from her, out of reach.
"No, what I want is chili. Filled with juicy meat and beans of all kinds." Taniss continued, staring up at the sky through slitted eyes, a crooked smile on his face.
Amaryllis leaned back on her hands, tilting her head back to follow his line of sight. "Sprinkled with cheese, melted just right so that it mixes in with the tomato and--"
"Oh gosh," Harper interrupted. In an instant she was on her feet. She only made it to the edge of the clearing before she doubled over, coughing and gagging as she emptied her stomach behind a tree.
Matt only made a face, grabbing the box of cereal. "Are we sure this isn't bad?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss tiredly pushed himself out of bed, glancing towards Amaryllis' sleeping form. She breathed deeply in her sleep, and he carefully unzipped the tent, knowing that any little sound could wake him up. She rolled over behind him, and he glanced back, sitting back on his heels. She was considerably less tough-looking when she slept. He found himself cracking a smile and he quickly wiped it from his face, pushing through the open flap. He zipped it back up and started across the clearing when something moved out of the corner of his eye. He reached for his gun, spinning towards it, his heart pounding, but it was only Super. The dog stood still at the edge of the clearing, tilting his head when Taniss trained the gun on him. He sighed, shoving it back where it belonged. "What are you doing awake?" He asked the dog, as if unaware that he couldn't answer. "Okay, now i'm talking to a dog." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Did Matt let you out of the tent? You want back in with Harper?" He started towards the other tent, but Super only turned around and bounded back into the woods.
"Wait!" Taniss called, a bit softly so it wouldn't awaken anyone. "Harper would kill me if something happened to you!" With an annoyed sigh, he followed after the dog. He was stepping over a fallen log when he registered the sound of someone being sick, much like Harper had been only that morning. The sound stopped, but he followed Super around a bend, coming almost face to face with Harper.
She was sitting with her back against a tree, her head tilted back and resting against it, one hand resting on her stomach. "Harper?"
She started, getting to her feet. "Oh my gosh, Taniss." She held a hand over her heart, relieved.
Taniss closed the distance between them, "are you alright, Harp? This is the second time today you've been sick. Are you not feeling good?" He pressed a hand against her forehead and then her cheek to check her temperature. She felt normal to him, although it was a bit chilly outside, so it was hard to tell.
"I'm fine." She shrugged, and made to push passed him, but he grabbed her wrist, turning her to him.
"You can tell me, Harper. People get sick." Taniss told her, keeping her from walking away. "We're your friends, we're here to help you. You can tell me things, I promise."
She sniffed and stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him, catching him by surprise. "Taniss, will you do me a favor?"
He hugged her back, smoothing down her hair, "yeah, of course, Harper. Anything you need."
---
Amaryllis woke up, cringing as she tried to roll over and her aching back protested. She forced herself to her knees and managed to crawl out of the tent, only briefly glancing at Harpers sleeping form. She zipped the tent back up and made her way to the car, fishing out the first aid kit. She opened it up, pulling out the bandage. She glanced quickly around her, making sure nobody was nearby. Although she didn't notice that as soon as she turned back around, the boys tent unzipped.
She carefully peeled off her shirt, draping it over the open car door. She raised her arms up enough to reveal the bandage, placed just below her lacy bandeau, using her right arm to reach around for the end of the bandage. "Ah," she breathed as she reached for it, her fingers brushing the bandaged tip, but unable to grasp it. "Oh, the paaaain." She groaned dramatically.
Someone cleared their throat from behind her, and she whipped around in alarm, her hands flying up to cover herself. Taniss rubbed the back of his neck a bit awkwardly, "erm, do you need help with that?"
She stood frozen for a moment before she finally relented. She turned her back to him so that he could reach it for her, brushing her hair over her shoulder with her fingers so that it wouldn't be in the way. She noticed his fingers felt a bit shaky as he fumbled over the bandage. Finally, it loosened around her, and he helped her unravel it. "How bad is it?" She asked, turning to use the side mirror to look at it.
It was pretty deep, but not something that wouldn't heal over time. She'd probably have a scar from it for a while. "Sorry this happened to you."
Amaryllis shrugged, "not your fault. Although you should've taken the shot and atleast tried to hit him."
"I didn't want to hit you." Taniss said as he unrolled the fresh bandage.
"You've gotta take risks."
"I did, by rescuing you."
"Whatever." She breathed airily. He rolled out the bandage, and put his arms around her to grab the end as he wove it carefully around her waist. The movement brought their faces only inches apart. His breath caught in his throat, his gaze flickering up to her blue eyes that only gazed back at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't quite sure what.
Ruining the moment, Amaryllis sighed, "I don't know what to do with Harper."
"Oh, um," Taniss drawled awkwardly, trying to collect his thoughts, his mind suddenly whirring although he couldn't explain why.
"I can't believe they would do that to us, you know? We wouldn't do that to them. That's just--" she trailed off, squinting at him suddenly.
"er, sudden?" He finished for her.
"Yeah, extremely sudden." Amaryllis said with a nod as he finished wrapping the bandage around her slim waist. He wrapped the bandage back up, tossed it into the first aid kit, and straightened up. She still hadn't moved, so they remained only inches a part.
His gaze flickering involuntarily towards her lips, but if she noticed, she didn't say anything. "You know, I could just wear this if I wanted too. It's pretty comfy."
Taniss forced himself to laugh, careful not to betray any hint of the fact that he'd find it quite pleasurable. "You need a shirt. Otherwise it might get infected."
"You're probably right." She said with a sigh, "I should do that."
"yeah." They both stayed still for a moment until she cleared her throat and reached passed him for her shirt, pulling it on over her head.
"Thanks." She said with a smile, standing on her toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek before returning to the camp site where Matt was waking up and trying to relight the fire.
He watched her go, his stomach stirring with feelings that he ignored, slamming the car door shut with more force than necessary.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Over the next three weeks, Amaryllis refused to sleep in the same tent as Harper, sitting outside until her and Matt agreed to switch places. Although they still weren't talking, everything else went pretty smoothly. No zombies attacked them, and they didn't run into any other people. The main problem was that their food stash was dwindling. Matt and Harper acted a bit more intimate, but they didn't announce they were in a relationship, and they didn't act too obvious about it. Taniss had taken charge, although Amaryllis wasn't giving up so easily. They fought most of the time, but at least they managed to be slightly civil to each other.
"I've figured out some things." Taniss announced as they sat around the fire to eat breakfast. "Looking back on everything we've done, I think i've figured it out."
"What?" Amaryllis asked through a mouthful of dry Captain Crunch.
"Do you guys know how long it takes for the whole zombie thing to happen? Once they die, how long is it before they go all zombie?"
"I thought you hated the word zombie?" Matt brought up, grinning in amusement.
Taniss rolled his eyes, "walker, whatever."
"I don't know." Harper said thoughtfully, bringing attention back to his question. "Not long, a few seconds?"
"Fifteen seconds, I believe. I'm not 100% sure, but I've counted a few times."
"When?" Amaryllis asked curiously.
"Um, when my neighbor changed, and when Matts--"
"Don't." Matt snapped, suddenly sounding furious.
Taniss looked alarmed at first, and then he seemed to realize he had done something wrong, and they all went silent again.
"I'm really hungry." Matt said, surprisingly being the first to break the silent tension in the air.
"Me too." Harper groaned.
Taniss fell backwards onto his back, one arm beneath his head, the other on his stomach. "I could really go for some pizza."
"Pizza." Amaryllis sighed dreamily, as if pizza was something only heard of in fairytales.
"Or some pasta. With extra spaghetti sauce." Matt added, not noticing that Harper had slowly set down the box of Captain Crunch and pushed it away from her, out of reach.
"No, what I want is chili. Filled with juicy meat and beans of all kinds." Taniss continued, staring up at the sky through slitted eyes, a crooked smile on his face.
Amaryllis leaned back on her hands, tilting her head back to follow his line of sight. "Sprinkled with cheese, melted just right so that it mixes in with the tomato and--"
"Oh gosh," Harper interrupted. In an instant she was on her feet. She only made it to the edge of the clearing before she doubled over, coughing and gagging as she emptied her stomach behind a tree.
Matt only made a face, grabbing the box of cereal. "Are we sure this isn't bad?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss tiredly pushed himself out of bed, glancing towards Amaryllis' sleeping form. She breathed deeply in her sleep, and he carefully unzipped the tent, knowing that any little sound could wake him up. She rolled over behind him, and he glanced back, sitting back on his heels. She was considerably less tough-looking when she slept. He found himself cracking a smile and he quickly wiped it from his face, pushing through the open flap. He zipped it back up and started across the clearing when something moved out of the corner of his eye. He reached for his gun, spinning towards it, his heart pounding, but it was only Super. The dog stood still at the edge of the clearing, tilting his head when Taniss trained the gun on him. He sighed, shoving it back where it belonged. "What are you doing awake?" He asked the dog, as if unaware that he couldn't answer. "Okay, now i'm talking to a dog." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Did Matt let you out of the tent? You want back in with Harper?" He started towards the other tent, but Super only turned around and bounded back into the woods.
"Wait!" Taniss called, a bit softly so it wouldn't awaken anyone. "Harper would kill me if something happened to you!" With an annoyed sigh, he followed after the dog. He was stepping over a fallen log when he registered the sound of someone being sick, much like Harper had been only that morning. The sound stopped, but he followed Super around a bend, coming almost face to face with Harper.
She was sitting with her back against a tree, her head tilted back and resting against it, one hand resting on her stomach. "Harper?"
She started, getting to her feet. "Oh my gosh, Taniss." She held a hand over her heart, relieved.
Taniss closed the distance between them, "are you alright, Harp? This is the second time today you've been sick. Are you not feeling good?" He pressed a hand against her forehead and then her cheek to check her temperature. She felt normal to him, although it was a bit chilly outside, so it was hard to tell.
"I'm fine." She shrugged, and made to push passed him, but he grabbed her wrist, turning her to him.
"You can tell me, Harper. People get sick." Taniss told her, keeping her from walking away. "We're your friends, we're here to help you. You can tell me things, I promise."
She sniffed and stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him, catching him by surprise. "Taniss, will you do me a favor?"
He hugged her back, smoothing down her hair, "yeah, of course, Harper. Anything you need."