Got bitten fingernails and a head full of the past
Julianna woke up.
She... woke up?
Her eyes fluttered open, the dim, hazy light of the gym filtering in. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, her fingers twitching slightly as she registered her surroundings. For a moment, she thought maybe this was the afterlife—hell, or maybe some kind of purgatory. But the familiar sound of murmured voices and the faint clinking of cans broke the illusion. Nothing had changed. She was still here.
Her hand flew to her forehead, expecting the burning heat of a fever, the telltale sign of infection creeping through her body. But there was nothing. No fever, no chills. Just her normal, clammy skin.
Her heart pounded as she rolled up her sleeve, the bite mark on her arm still very real. The edges of the wound were tender, but it wasn't the oozing, grotesque mess she'd expected from an infected bite, especially after yesterday. She stared at it for a long moment, the confusion almost unbearable.
She reluctantly stood, her knees shaky beneath her, as if the universe itself was waiting for her to fall apart. She half-expected someone—or something—to jump out and prove this was all some cruel joke. But no, the room stayed quiet except for the distant hum of idle conversation.
Julianna's eyes found Jeff across the room. He was sitting on the bleachers, eating a can of peaches he must've scavenged from somewhere. She walked toward him, her steps slow and deliberate, her mind spinning.
Jeff glanced up as she approached, his expression unreadable. Julianna plopped down beside him, feeling the weight of her body settle into the wooden bench.
"I thought I told you to shoot me," she said, her voice flat but tinged with disbelief.
Jeff didn't miss a beat, taking another bite of peaches before responding. "Yeah, if you turned, which you haven't yet, by the way."
She shot him a sideways glare. "Thanks for pointing that out," she muttered dryly, crossing her arms as she stared out at the gym.
Before Jeff could respond with one of his usual half-hearted quips, Misty popped up seemingly out of nowhere, her usual upbeat energy in full force.
"Morning, Jules!" Misty chirped, her voice a little too cheerful for the situation. She had that wide-eyed look on her face, the one that made people uncomfortable but, somehow, Julianna didn't mind it as much as she used to.
Over the past week, she'd started to find Misty oddly... endearing. There was something about her desperation to have a friend here, her unrelenting enthusiasm for helping, that reminded Julianna of herself in a way. Except Misty's approach was all intensity and wide smiles, while Julianna preferred to hide.
Misty plopped down next to her, her knee bouncing with nervous energy. "How are you feeling? You're not, like, craving brains or anything, are you?"
So. Jeff told Misty. Seemingly because he didn't want to shoot Jules himself.
Julianna stared at her in horror, before she was unable to hold back a small grin. "Not yet."
"That's good!" Misty said, clasping her hands together. "You're probably fine, then. I mean, if you were infected, you'd totally be a runner by now." She leaned in conspiratorially. "But just in case, I'll keep an eye on you. You know, for science."
Julianna rolled her eyes but didn't push Misty away. "Thanks, I guess."
They talked for a bit, the conversation surprisingly normal despite the circumstances. Misty rambled about something she'd read in a survival guide, and Julianna found herself actually listening, her mind momentarily distracted from the confusion in the back of her head.
Eventually, Misty convinced Julianna to walk with her to the water station, where they refilled their bottles in silence.
As they were walking back, Taissa approached them. She looked tired, her face smudged with dirt and her eyes distant, but there was a flicker of something, maybe gratitude, in her expression.
"Hey," She said, her voice low and a little awkward. "I just... I wanted to say thanks. For yesterday. You know, with the whole helping me thing."
Julianna glanced at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "It's okay," she said simply.
Taissa smirked, nodding slightly before slowly stumbling off, back to Van.
As Julianna made her way back to the bleachers, her mind still buzzed with questions. Why wasn't she sick? What did it mean? She didn't have any answers.
Julianna made her way back toward the bleachers with Misty at her side, the two of them carrying freshly filled water bottles. The gym was buzzing with muted activity, the group moving around in disjointed little clusters. Jackie was sitting cross-legged near the mats, brushing dirt out of her hair with a quiet, irritated expression while Shauna cleaned her boots with a rag. Van was tending to Taissa, who sat stiffly on one of the benches, wincing every time Van prodded at her ribs. Julianna caught glimpses of Van's voice softening, though she couldn't make out the words.
Jeff was still perched where Julianna had left him, lazily finishing off his peaches like the apocalypse hadn't just nearly taken half of them out yesterday. Julianna had almost made it to the bench when Natalie crossed her path, her shoulders slightly hunched and her hair damp from what must have been a shower.
"Hey," Natalie called out, her voice casual but her eyes holding something deeper.
Julianna stopped in her tracks, her grip tightening on her water bottle. "Hey," she replied, unsure where this was going.
Natalie shifted on her feet, glancing down for a moment like she was weighing what to say. "I just... I wanted to say thanks," she finally muttered, her words slower than usual. She had her hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets, her posture guarded. "For yesterday. You didn't have to do that."
Julianna let out a short laugh, her voice tinged with a self-deprecating edge. "Don't mention it"
Natalie's lips twitched upward in a brief, almost imperceptible smile. "Yeah, well, not everyone's willing to put themselves on the line like that. Especially for someone they barely know."
Natalie studied her for a moment, her expression unreadable. "You good?"
Julianna's head snapped up at that. "What?"
Natalie's eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to read her. "I mean, after everything yesterday, I get it. But if there's something going on—"
"Nothing's going on," Julianna cut her off a little too quickly, her voice sharp enough to make Natalie blink in surprise. Realizing her urgent tone, she softened. "I'm just tired, that's all."
Natalie didn't look convinced, but she didn't push it. Instead, she nodded, taking a step back. "Alright. Well, if you need anything, let me kn-"
Before Natalie could finish, Misty piped up from behind her. "She's fine!" she chirped, far too cheerful for the moment. "Aren't you, Julianna?"
"Amazing," Julianna muttered, shooting Misty a half-hearted glare.
Natalie gave them both a long look before walking off toward the mats, where Jackie was now arguing with Shauna about something to do with rations. The tension in the air was palpable, but Natalie didn't seem to care as she dropped onto the floor beside Shauna, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with shaky hands.
Julianna watched her for a moment, her stomach twisting. She didn't like lying to Natalie, or to any of them, really, especially when she was pretty bad at it, but what choice did she have? If they knew, it would just make everything worse.
"Hey, what's with the brooding?" Jeff's voice cut through her thoughts as he sidled up next to her, his empty can of peaches dangling from one hand.
"I'm not brooding," Julianna said defensively, though she didn't sound convincing even to herself.
"Sure you're not," Jeff replied, smirking as he plopped down on the bleacher beside her.
Julianna rolled her eyes, leaning back against the wall behind her. "Shouldn't you be helping someone or something? Or are you just going to keep eating everything you can find?"
"Hey, I helped Shauna earlier," Jeff shot back, mockingly offended. "And for the record, peaches are a vital source of nutrition in the apocalypse. You're welcome."
Julianna let out a snort despite herself, shaking her head.
Across the room, Van was still hovering over Taissa, who had her arm slung protectively around her torso. Misty had now migrated to them, talking animatedly while Van's patience visibly wore thin. At one point, Van glanced over her shoulder and caught Julianna's eye, offering her a brief nod that seemed to say, You alright?
Julianna nodded back subtly, her throat tightening. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind her that these people—her brother included—weren't just a bunch of random survivors. They were people who had people caring for them. And for now, they didn't need to know what she was keeping from them.
"I'm gonna go check the water again," she muttered to Jeff, standing up and brushing imaginary dirt off her jeans.