“I went outside but I hid next to the other building but I covered up my footprints.”
“Oh that’s my clever girl. You did a great job baby. That’s why mommy and daddy couldn’t find you.” Christa noticed Bree’s hand was bleeding. “Did you cut your hand on something?”
“No mommy,” Bree proceeded to pull her glove off and there it was, “Papaw bit me and it really hurt.”
Christa’s heart dropped and she collapse to her knees with Bree in her arms. The tears rolled down her face as she found it hard to catch her breath. “Oh my God Damion….Oh my God. My baby.”
Bree was starting to get upset, “What’s wrong mommy? You’re scaring me.”
Christa looked up at Damion and she saw the horror in his eyes. Damion tried to compose himself for Bree, “It’s okay baby. Mommy’s ok. She was just really worried about you. That’s all.” Damion reaches down and picks up Bree from Christa’s arms. “Come on baby, let’s give your mommy a minute. Let’s go bandage that wound.”
It was all Christa could do to watch Damion walk down the hallway with Bree in his arms. This numbness took over her whole being. It was as if time stood still and nothing mattered anymore. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her baby would soon turn into one of those things and she might have to put her down. The more that thought sunk in the more she started to cry. The pain tore through the numbness and when it hit it really hit. Christa opened the door and ran outside in the middle of the front yard. She screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed in the snow in a heap. Laying there uncontrollably sobbing the cold was slowly taking over her body. Through her bouts of uncontrollable sobbing she would have a calm moment of numbness. It’s in that moment she could feel each individual snowflake hit her face and melt into her skin.
She kept praying this was all just a nightmare and she’d wake up at any moment to find Bree lying next to her safe in bed. Bree would wake up and do what she usually did which was play with Christa’s hair and kiss her face until she woke up. How would she deal with the fact that she’d never know that feeling ever again?
“Christa, come on. Get up. This is doing no one any good. If there really is no hope for Bree. You should be in there making the most of the time you have left, not out here crying in the snow. Right now more than ever Bree needs you. She needs her mommy. You can’t lose it now. If something does happen then you can lose it all you want afterwards but don’t you dare leave her when she needs you Christa. Now get up.” Gerard places his hand on Christa’s arm and pulls her to her feet. He pulls her in for a hug before letting her go. “Christa, if I could trade places with her I would.”
Christa pauses, “I Know.”
Chapter 7
Christa walked back in through the door and proceeded to look for Damion and Bree. She found them in the bedroom upstairs laying on the bed. Beneath Bree’s eyes they had already started to darken. Christa wondered if the darkness under her eyes was for real or her mind was playing tricks on her. She hoped it was the latter.
Bree’s eyes lit up when she saw Christa, “Mommy! I missed you. Look! Daddy cleaned up my boo boo and gave me a Scooby doo Band-Aid.” Bree held up her hand and smiled at that fact. This only made Christa that much more upset. Even though it was killing her inside she put a smile on her face and didn’t let on to Bree.
“That’s awesome baby. I’m sure Daddy did a great job. He always does.” Christa went over to the bed and laid down on the opposite side of Bree. Christa took her hand and brushed aside Bree’s hair and tucked it behind her ears. “How are you feeling baby? Is your hand okay?”
“It hurts mommy. It actually kind of burns. I’m tired and cold too.”
“Well you were outside a good while baby. Come here and snuggle with mommy. I’ll keep you warm.” Bree wiggles over into Christa’s arms as Christa leans down and kisses her forehead.
Bree looks at Damion, “Daddy? Are you going to snuggle with us too?”
“Of course I am baby. Of course I am.” Damion moves closer and puts his arm around his girls. Damion and Christa lock eyes and a thousand words are said without one actually spoken. Christa laid there just watching Bree float off to sleep and then long after she was sleeping she still couldn’t help but watch. A part of her was afraid to sleep because she thought she would wake up and find that Bree wasn’t Bree anymore.
As hard as she tried Christa couldn’t help but eventually close her eyes. The minutes ticked by followed by a few hours. Reality came rushing back to Christa as she suddenly opened her eyes.
Christa let out a loud gasp, “Bree.”
“Shhh, she’s still sleeping sweetie,” Damion whispered.
“What? How long have I been out?”
“Three hours now.”
“Oh baby, have you stayed awake this whole time?”
“Yes. I wasn’t about to let anything else happen to either of you. I had to make sure she didn’t….I just had to make sure you were ok. I don’t know if I could take it if anything happened to you on top of everything else. I’m barely holding on Christa as is. I couldn’t bare that. I couldn’t.”
Christa places her hand on the side of Damion’s face, “I promise, nothing will happen to me.”
Bree slowly starts stirring. The sudden intense tension in the air is more than evident with every move Bree makes. Christa can feel her heart beat accelerate as she waits for Bree to open her eyes. Just then Bree slowly starts to open them. Christa watches intently. She catches a glimpse but isn’t sure until Bree fully opens them.
“Mommy, I’m hungry.” Her eyes were perfectly fine and with that Christa let out a sigh.
“Oh pumpkin, I’ll make you something. You feeling ok?”
“My tummy hurts but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m hungry or I’m sick.”
“I’m sure it’s because you’re hungry. I’ll make you something. What do you want?”
Bree quickly climbed over Christa and ran to the bathroom.
“Bree are you ok?” Christa got up and walked towards the bathroom. Bree started to vomit in the toilet. Christa went over to Bree and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.
Between vomiting and a faint crying Bree spoke, “Just give me a few minutes mommy. I don’t feel so good.”
“Ok baby. Mommy will be right in here.” Christa went back into the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Damion. Christa wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come out. Damion placed his hand on her thigh and she covered his hand with hers. It was so quiet in that moment. The only thing they could hear were their thoughts. Lost in the middle of a moment Christa realized what was missing. Noise. It was too quiet. Christa looks at Damion.
“Christa, do you think she’s ok? It’s awful quiet in there. Maybe you should check on her.”
Christa stared at the doorway terrified of what she might find in there. She hadn’t moved a muscle. Her breathing got deeper and more labored as she slowly moved off the bed. Every footstep was slow and methodical. As she got closer and closer to the bathroom she could hear Bree making this hoarse noise as if she was coughing up something.
Christa could make out Bree still bent over the toilet. She walked a few feet from her and noticed she was making this groaning noise. As she closed the remaining distance between them, Christa noticed the toilet bowl filled with blood. She immediately knelt down beside Bree and pulled her hair back on the right side of her face.
“Oh...my…god…Bree…baby…are you ok?” Christa noticed the drastic discoloration on the side of Bree’s face. There was this darker tone to her skin and it wasn’t everywhere but in random blotchy spots.
“Mommy….I don’t feel so good,” Bree turned to Christa with a desperate look. It took all Christa had not to show her sheer terror at what she saw. Bree’s left eye had turned colors. The blood vessels in the eye were more prominent and the smaller ones appeared to have burst. There was a dark ring around Bree’s iris and it seemed to be slowly growing. Christa wanted to believe Bree would pull through this but deep down inside she knew the inevitable outcome and what it meant. She knew that if that time came she wouldn’t have it in her to put Bree out of her misery.
Christa motions Bree around till she’s facing her and places her hands on the sides of her face, “Baby, I know you don’t feel good. You want to lay in my lap?” Bree shakes her head yes. Christa turns Bree around till her back is facing her, pulls her close and wraps her arms tightly around her.
They stay there for what seems like forever. Christa runs her fingers through Bree’s hair as she sleeps there in her arms. “I never noticed how soft her hair was until now. Funny some of the things you don’t notice until the world stops turning; until your world is falling apart.” A tear rolls down Christa’s face as she realizes beneath her one hand she can’t feel Bree’s chest moving anymore. Christa tries to hold back the tears to no avail all while fighting the realization that her daughter was gone.
Leaning her head down, she places her nose on top of Bree’s head and smells her hair as the tears roll down her face at a rapid pace. Christa places a kiss on Bree’s cheek as she continues to hold her rocking back and forth.
“Christa? Is everything ok?” Damion couldn’t help but inquire due to how long she had been in the bathroom with Bree. Christa didn’t respond and when she didn’t Damion headed for the bathroom. There he saw her. Christa on the floor holding Bree rocking her back and forth all while crying. Damion put his hand over his mouth, “Oh my god. No, no, no, no, no, no…NO! This isn’t happening!” His legs couldn’t hold him any longer and he collapses to them right beside Christa. “I should’ve kept her safe. This is all my fault. If I had kept her by me at all times this never would’ve happened. This is all my fault, my fault.”
Christa came out of her inconsolable haze and turned to Damion, placing a hand on the side of his face and wiping away his years with her thumb. “This isn’t your fault Damion. It’s not. Don’t do this to yourself. It’s a tragic, horrible circumstance that in no way was because of you. Bree couldn’t have asked for a better father than you. It does no good blaming anyone. She’s gone and nothing we say or do will change that. I realize this, I don’t want to but I do. We are going to need each other more than anything right now. I know I need you more than words can say. You are the only thing keeping me from absolutely losing it. Don’t take that away from me when already so much has been taken away.”
Damion looks up at Christa, “I need you too. I promise I’ll never leave you again.” Those words gave Christa an ounce of solace when she had none.
“I know you won’t baby. I know.”
Just then Bree’s foot twitched ever so slightly. Christa’s hands, already wrapped around Bree, clutched her tighter as if trying to stop what is coming. The tension in the air was thick as every second seemed like an eternity. Bree’s other leg twitched for a moment, then her body started to jerk. Christa held onto her tightly so she wouldn’t get loose. Her body kept convulsing and then came to a dead stop. Christa looked at Damion not knowing what to do. A faint noise could be heard. It was Bree or at least it was coming from Bree’s body. It was a deep, hoarse moan. It was so low that it was barely noticeable. Christa turned Bree around and laid her down on her back on the floor. She placed her hand upon Bree’s chest and the other on the side of her face.
Bree’s eyes started to flitter and then they opened. Her eyes were totally transformed. They were totally bloodshot and the circle around the iris was larger than before. There was this opaque look about her eyes as well. Christa and Damion knew that their daughter was long gone and this flesh hungry monster was all that was left.
Bree’s expression was emotionless, almost confused. Then when her eyes locked with Christa’s her face contorted as she showed her teeth and tried to lunge for Christa. Christa pushed down harder on her chest, with two hands now, so she wouldn’t get up.
Damion reached for Christa’s wrist, “Come on Christa, let’s hurry and shut the door and leave her inside for the moment. There is nothing we can do.”
Christa tried to let go. She wanted to let go but was having a hard time as she sat there just staring at Bree. Christa was in sheer shock. She ‘just’ got her baby girl back and it seems as fast as she got her back she lost her. Staring one last time at Bree’s face she relents to Damion’s tugging of her arm and let’s go and quickly shuts the door behind her. Not long after that they can hear Bree clawing at the door as she moans.
Christa leans back against the door and looks at Damion, “I can’t stay here. I just can’t. I can’t leave her like that either but god help me I can’t put her out of her misery either.”
“I know baby, I know. I’ll take care of it and then we’ll gather some supplies and leave.”
Christa wanted Bree to be put out of her misery but she didn’t feel that was a good image for Damion to have in his head. That was a lot to ask of him and a lot to endure. Christa grabbed Damion’s arm as he went to put his hand on the doorknob, “No baby, don’t. I can’t ask that of you and I couldn’t live with that image so how would you possibly endure that yourself? Let me get someone else to do it.”
“No. She’s my daughter. I was there when she took her first breath and came into this world and I’m going to be there when she goes out. Please Christa. I couldn’t live with myself if someone else did it. That’s how much this means to me.”
Christa gave in to Damion’s wishes but couldn’t help but feel that it was a terrible choice. All she could do is hope that he was right and that he could live with it. Damion grabbed the knife off the dresser and proceeded to open the door. The opening of the door knocked Bree backwards which gave Damion an opportune time to grab her. She was laying on her back on the floor as Damion straddled her so he could hold her down. He raised the knife above his head, “I’m so sorry Bree. Daddy loves you baby girl.” After his last word he brought down the knife with great force and stuck it deep into her forehead. After the knife was in Bree’s forehead her head flopped to the left and her body was lifeless. Damion caressed Bree’s cheek one last time before he opened the door and shut it behind him. Christa looked at Damion with tears in her eyes. She knew it was over with and by the look on Damion’s face he wasn’t handling it the greatest. Christa walked over to Damion and put her arms around him as he sobbed into her shoulder.
“I don’t want to stay one more night in this place. Let’s gather our stuff together and go baby.” Christa knew this day was hard for them both but especially for Damion. Not only did Damion lose Bree but he lost both his parents as well. Christa squeezed Damion tighter as she thought about that. Christa closed her eyes and wished she was back in the cabin but with Damion and Bree. For a brief moment in her mind she found peace and thought to herself that maybe she would just pretend they all were back there somehow. She would remember Bree’s smiling face and pretend she was somewhere safe waiting on her. She would see her again.
The room was silent as they gathered some clothes. Damion walked over to Christa and took her hand. Slowly they walked down the stairs and noticed Gerard, Darren and Tara sitting in the living room.
“How is Bree doing? She sleeping?” The moment Gerard asked the question he wished he hadn’t. He could tell by the look on Christa’s face that Bree was gone. It was hard for Gerard to fathom that he would never see her smiling face again. He couldn’t help but stare at Christa. He could see the pain in her eyes, in her face. “Christa, if you need anything-“
“She’ll ask me,” Damion stood in between Christa and Gerard as he spoke up. Gerard didn’t say a word. He just looked away. “We’re gathering supplies and heading out shortly. We can’t stay here anymore.”
Darren and Tara looked at one another confused. Tara inquired, “Why? I mean, this place looks pretty secluded and there aren’t really any undead around here, not to mention there are supplies to last a while here. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Gerard interjected, “Tara, please. They just lost their daughter and staying here is the last thing they want to do. Can’t you understand that?”