Overtaken: Chapter Two

I didn't even care. I had gotten punched in the face by the guy I thought I liked, forced to walk home, and soaked in the rain. Being abducted wouldn't even bother me at this point. I kept walking. The vehicle came towards me a bit faster, then turned sideways halfway out of the road. At that point I realized it was a truck. Someone slung open the door and came out of the truck. I could tell it was a fairly muscular and tall male.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" As soon as I heard the voice I knew who he was. I kept walking anyways.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm on my date!" I had to raise my voice to be heard over the rain. He followed me as I walked past the old black Chevy.
"What did that bastard do?" He sped up to get in front of me and block my path. I kept my hand over my cheek and went around him.
"I'll be fine, I just need to go get a shower." I chuckled as I spoke, I had been in a constant shower for the past twenty minutes or so. He got in front of me again.
"Alright ma'am, you asked for it." He picked me up at my waist and threw me over his shoulder effortlessly, then began to walk back to his truck. I automatically started kicking and screaming.
"Ethan! Put me down! I'm fine!" I yelled at him. He didn't even acknowledge me. We made it to the truck and he threw open the passenger door, still holding me with one hand. He slid me from over his sholder to hold me in front of him, one hand behind my knees, and the other at my waist. He took a second to look at me.I assumed he was looking at the massive bruise on the side of my face, but when I looked up at him, he was looking deeply into my eyes. Ethan had never shown me this side of him. He had always been the best friend that was there to help whenever he could, but I had never seen him look at me like that. To top it off, I liked it. The way his strong arms held me, ready to protect me from the world, his dark hair dripping wet and falling in his face, and his sparkling blue eyes staring into mine. I felt as if a calming fire had been lit inside of me. Even in the freezing rain I felt complete warmth. He gently placed me in the seat and shut the door behind me, then jogged around and slid into the drivers seat, finally closing the door that had been open the entire time. I quickly shut down the sudden feelings that had overtaken me as he got in.
He reached behind the seat, digging around a bit, and finally came up with a camoflauge jacket. He wrapped the jacket around me along with his arms as he pulled me to the middle seat. I didn't even realize how much I was shaking until then. Mostly because of the cold rain, but also because of the horrid ordeal I had been through. Having the warmth of his arms around me caused the flames to return. Which I quickly shut down again.
"Now, tell me what happened." He wasn't going to let me go without telling him every detail. I kept quiet. Ethan sighed.
"Skye, darlin'. You're gonna have to tell me what happened. Please." He gave me that look. Ugh. The look. He only did it when he really wanted something from me, because it almost always worked. He looked so pitiful, yet his eyes still had that bright blue sparkle. I cracked. There was no way I could resist.
"We- we went to the drive-in." I was still shivering, but not as bad as before. "It was a lame horror." Ethan resisted a chuckle, knowing how much horror films bored me. "He held my hand, then he put his arm around me." I continued as Ethan's face fell into a stern look. "I had to go to the restroom, and when I came back we sat on the hood of the car. He used his stupid pickup line, then he kissed me. Then he started acting like he wanted me." Ethan mumbled something under his breath, and I assumed it was a few words that weren't exactly nice towards Carson. "I told him no, but he wouldn't stop, I fell. Then once I stood up he came towards me and I tripped. He was going to kiss me, so I hit him." Ethan gave a bit of a crooked smile.
"Way to go Skye." He whispered. His warm breath rushed over my ear and sent chills up my spine. I was having a more difficult time resisting myself. I shouldn't think of my best friend like that. I decided to distract myself with my story.
"He hit back. So I told him to leave, and somehow I ended up here. I finished.
"He what?" I felt anger radiate from Ethan. I shrugged away from him, considering I ended up with a bruise on my face when that happened last time. He instantly relaxed himself.
"Skye you know I would never hurt you darlin', don't you worry about a thing." His southern accent was even more obvious when he was worried. I couldn't help but crack a smile. he smiled in return.
"You're freezin'. I'm takin' you home right now." I nodded and leaned into him as he put the truck in reverse and got back on the road, keeping one arm around me the entire time. I envied his driving skills. That old truck could do just about anything with him behind the wheel. I kept my face hidden in his camoflauge jacket for the entire ride. Once he stopped and shifted into park, I lifted my head, expecting to see my house. Instead, we were sitting in the driveway of his house. All the lights were off and his truck was the only one there. I glanced at him.
"I told you I was takin' you home." He gave me his genuine smile. His smile always made me smile. "This is okay, right?" He suddenly looked a bit nervous. I nodded, and didn't quit smiling. "Stay." He commanded. I gave him a confused look, and he held up his hand. I shrugged and decided to listen. He jumped out and ran inside. i saw a light come on near the middle of the first floor, his living room. I had been in his house many times, I had even stayed there overnight before. Our parents understood that we were just friends. The upstairs light flipped on, and after a few minutes, Ethan ran back outside, carrying an umbrella. He opened my door and slid his hands underneath me, picking me up again. He somehow managed to open the umbrella and hold it above us as he carried me inside.
He carried me all the way up the stairs despite my protests. he gently stood me up in his room and left for a moment, returning with a fluffy white towel. I attempted to dry my hair, but my dripping clothes made me give up. Ethan frowned, relizing he didn't have any clothes that fit me.
"It's fine Ethan, I'll just borrow one of your shirts." He blushed a bit, but nodded.
"Take whatever you would like, I'll let you have the whole upstairs. The bathroom is right over there, feel free to take a shower or whatever." He was nervous as he pointed to the door that led to the bathroom, as if I didn't already know where it was.
"Thanks. One more favor?" I asked. "Can I dry these?" His blushing became more obvious and he swallowed hard.
"Uh, I guess so. Just leave everything outside the door and I'll fix you up." I couldn't help but giggle at him.
"What is it? Have you never seen a bra?" I teased. He laughed a bit, then sort of waved as he walked out of his bedroom and closed the door behind him. I walked over to his closet and dug out one of his old tshirts. It was a blue plaid one that buttoned down the front. I held it in front of me, realizing it would basically be a dress on me. I pressed it against my face, taking in his captivating smell, before I pulled away due to the pain in my cheek. I really had to see how bad it was. I took the shirt with me and went into the bathroom closing the door without the lights on. I was almost afraid to look, but I had to. I felt the sink in front of me and dropped the shirt on the counter top. I ran my hand up the wall until I felt the light switch at my fingertips. I took a deep breath and flooded the room with light.
My own reflection scared me. There was a grotesque black and purple mark on my face, extending over my entire cheek, which was now swollen. I gingerly touched it, grimmacing when anything made contact with it. As I held my hand up to my bruise, I realized the full extend of my injuries. Both of my delicate hands had been cut and scraped all over the palms. I noticed the rip in my jeans, and so I slowly removed them, feeling all of the pain in my knee. I decided to take off my shirt as well, and cracked the door to toss them into the hallway. I felt a bit better after removing most of the wet fabric, although my whole body ached. My knee was gashed, my hands butchered, and of course my face was just horrid. Even through all the pain I managed to laugh at my "lucky" bra as I slipped off the rest of my wet outfit and stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to run over me. The water stung in all of mu cuts, but I still felt good. I believe that was the one of the longest showers I had ever taken.
I stepped out onto the sandy colored tile floor and picked up the wet towel I had used before. I noticed another fresh white towel had been set out for me, probably when Ethan went on his frantic cleaning spree. I wrapped my hair in the old one, then covered myself with the fresh towel, tucking in the corner so It wouldn't slip. The tshirt of Ethan's was still beside the sink, so I picked it up and carried it with me. The door squeeked just a little as I opened it and stepped into the hallway. I could hear the television from downstairs, so I assumed Ethan was tryin to stay out of my way. I went into his room to find my clothes neatly folded on his bed. I flipped my head over and gave my hair a good towel dry, then let the damp waves fall around my face. I put on my "lucky" bra and the matching panties, then buttoned up the blue plaid shirt over them. It really was a dress on me, but it was so comfy and smelled just like Ethan. I wasn't sure what to do with the towels until I found the clothes hamper, which I tossed them in.
Running my hand down the hand rail, I slowly made my way down the stairs that led to the front door. I turned to my left into the living room, where Ethan was watching television. He had changed into a pair of black and gray plaid pajama pants. That was all. His exposed chest revealed his deep tan he had recieved from working outside. He was such a hard worker. I was shocked to discover that he had fairly nice abbs, I looked him over for a moment, but realized what I was doing and looked down. I can't think of my best friend like that. Fortionately he hadn't seen me yet. I took a deep breath and let it out, imagining that all of those bad thoughts went with it.
I came over to the couch and sat beside him. He was watching a random comedy show rerun, and I could tell he wasn't really paying attention to it. There just wasn't anything on I guess. He looked at me and a smiled a bit.
"Have a nice shower?" He laughed. I smiled.
"It was the warmest one I've had all day."
He smiled and looked back at the T.V. I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I'm so sleepy." I mumbled. He looked down at me and then moved his arm, letting my head fall on his bare chest, and then placed his hand on my shoulder. I happily snuggled into him. His scent surrounded me and I felt his warmth radiate from him. It caused the feeling of a fire being lit inside of me again, but I was to tired to restrain it.
I woke up to find myself in a large bed by myself. It was dark, but I could see the outlines of things in Ethan's room. To my left a digital clock told me I had been asleep for about an hour. Ethan was laying on the floor, with a small pillow and a blanket.
"Ethan," I whispered. Not getting an answer, I spoke a bit louder.
"Ethan!" His deep breaths faltered and he moved, then sat up.
"Skye?"
"How did I end up here?" I questioned.
"I carried you of course. Now go back to bed, you need some sleep." I gave him a fake angry look, but I knew he couldn't see it.
"Not until you sleep in you're own bed. Get out of the floor!" He sat there for a minute, then shrugged and stood up. I moved over a bit for him to get underneath the quilt with me, then I layed back down with my back facing him.
"Your room is cold." I commented. He turned over and wrapped his arms around me in silence. His warm body pressed against me. I felt his strong chest press against my back and the softness of his fleece pants press against my bare legs. This was perfect. I fell asleep in his arms for a second time.
When I woke up again sun was beaming in from the window. I squinted at the light and soon realized that Ethan was missing. I sprung out of the bed and opened the bedroom door, trying to be quiet for no apparent reason. I crept down the stairs as I heard the television again, and also the sound of something frying. The smell of bacon drifted up to me, causing my mouth to water instantaniously. I came to the end of the stairs and made a right turn into the kitchen. Ethan was standing over the stove proding the sizzling meat with a fork. I could tell he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. I reached around him and grabbed the fork, nudging him out of the way.
"Move, let me do it." I said, trying to avoid laughing at him. He was startled by me sneaking up on him, but followed my orders and moved to the side. I finished up breakfast, amazed that he remembered that I hated eggs. I placed the bacon on the empty plate sitting next to the stove and carried it over to the kitchen table. There was a pile of pancakes with a bottle of syrup and some sausage already on the table, along with two empty plates and two glasses of orange juice. I sat in the chair next to the window as Ethan came back into the kitchen, this time wearing a shirt. I hadn't even noticed him sneak off. He sat across from me and stabbed a pancake with his fork, then slid it onto his plate.
"I called your parents and told them where you were." He told me as he poured syrup all over his pancake. I froze.
"Don't worry, I didn't tell them what happened with your pretty boy boyfriend." I glared at him.
"He is not my boyfriend." Now I was pissed. I nibbled on a pancake and a piece of bacon for a while, all in silence. Once I had had enough I stood up and dropped my leftovers into the trash and then placed my plate in the sink. Without saying anything I went upstairs to Ethan's room. I put on my black top and ripped jeans. I noticed my clutch sitting on his dresser, so I opened it, amazed that my phone had survived the drenching. The low battery symbol was blinking, so I threw it back and closed the latch. I walked into the bathroom carrying my bag, and was shocked to see how bad my face looked. I reopened my bag thankful I kept concealer with me, along with some mascara and foundaton. I managed to cover the bruise for the most part, but not without some wimpering.
I slipped on my heels and walked downstairs. Ethan was still sitting at the table, but it was cleaned off and he was reading the newspaper. There was a picture of a man with gashes and cuts all over his face on the front page. I guess there was another fight at the water park or something. I looked around.
"Where are your parents?" I asked him.
"Theyre in South Carolina. A cousin of ours is gettin' married. I'm not really a fan of big, poofy, overdone weddin's. He didn't look up from his paper. I shrugged it off.
"Well I think I'm going to go home. Thanks. For everything." I wasn't sure what to say. He folded his paper and dropped it on the table as he stood up. He took a low bow and was smiling before he was finished.
"Anytime, my lady." That crooked smile and his beaming blue eyes coaxed a smile to my lips. I tackled his with a giant hug, and he picked me up and spun me around. After he placed me safety back on the ground I took a step back and gave an awkward little wave. He did the same and laughed a little, and I turned and let myself out. Walking home from his house was almost second nature. I took the left at the end of his driveway, and started walking down the sidewalk. Right after I passed by the park, I noticed a homeless man sitting on a bench. As I walked by he snarled at me, which made me jump and spin around to face him.
His face was lacerated. It was if his skin was rotting off of him. His hands were the same underneath his dirty and torn tan jacket. His oily hair peeked out from underneath a navy beanie, and his ragged green shirt was covered in blood. He stepped towards me and grunted. I ran. I wasn't sure what else to do. I didn't know what I had just saw. All I knew was that I had to get away. I sprinted down the sidewalk until I saw Collin's house. I ran straight through his yard and cleared the front steps with one jump. Frantically, I beat on his door until i heard it click and his face peeked out. I shoved it open and jumped inside, slamming and locking the door behind me, I leaned against it breathing heaviliy, then slid down to sit on the floor. Collin stared at me quizzically.
"There. Was. A. Man." I managed to get out between breaths. "He growled at me." Collin's face went from confused to worried. He held his hand out and helped me to stand.
"Oh no." He mumbled. He dragged me up the stairs and up to his room, which was filled with everything technological. Computer monitors filled his large desk along with a single keyboard. Collin let go of my elbow and sat at the desk, then swiftly moved his hands across the keyboard, finally stopping to click the enter key. A picture of a man that looked similar to the one that had scared me popped up on the screen. I gasped.
"That's what he looked like." I told him. He nodded.
"Liquefactive necrosis. It's mutated and now there is a soon to be pandemic sweeping the nation. Now instead of the usual rotting flesh and brain, side effects also include rage, and extreme hunger, in most cases for living flesh, especially human. Did the man touch you?" My mouth was agape from all of the information I was trying to process. I shook my head at Collin's question, but I was also curious why he asked.
"The bacteria is spread though touch, particularly body fluids. if someone who has it touches you, you have to wash the area immidiately, so that there won't be a possibility of contamination. For example if the person had touched your leg, and you scratched your leg and then touched your face, you would be infected." Collin's words had me in awe. From fear to fascination.
"How does this happen?"
"Well, it starts out with a cough, and your whole body itches. You're eyes look sunken in, and then your skin starts flaking, then it basically peels off of you, which is ecruciating pain I might add. While all of that is happening, your brain is slowly deteriorating. You forget who you are, you loose all feelings, and you're left with nothing but basic instincts, epecially that of the need for food. Not to mention you lose the sense of touch." Collin explained. My face seemed as if it was in a permanant grimmace at the horrors he was telling me.
"I need to sit down." I crumpled onto Collin's bed. He stood up from his chair and came to put his hand on my shoulder.
"Its fine Skye, I'm sure they will find a cure soon. That man didn't hurt you." He made me feel a bit better. I stood up.
"I think I need to go home." He nodded and went to open the door for me, and I went out and down the stairs. He followed.
"Well hello Skye! I didn't know you were here!" Collin's mother noticed me as I was leaving.
"Hello Mrs. Dawson, I was just getting Collin to help me with a math question. I was Just leaving." I had to lie. There was no possible way I could scare that sweet woman. Her short sandy hair was the same color as Collin's and curled under at her shoulders. Her Hazel eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. Collin looked so much like his mother. I bid her goodbye and exited through the door that Collin held open for me. I managed to make it home without any more ordeals.