Earth: Book One (Elemental Series) by Taeya Adams Page B

that was supposed to be injured. She felt no pain when her fingers brushed her wounded shoulder.
    Forres looked around. She was in a small white room, on a bed. There were four walls that surrounded her, no door. Ben sat at the foot of the bed.
    He flashed a smile that brightened the room even more. “Morning, beautiful,” his voice came in a whisper.
    Forres felt her cheeks heat up with redness. She couldn’t remember the last time she was called that by anyone.
    Ben smirked at her red cheeks. “How do you feel?”
    Forres licked her lips and opened her mouth to talk but closed it. She didn’t know the answer though. She shifted a bit to test how she felt. She let out a breath of air and looked at Ben. “I feel… light as if… I’m flying.”
    Ben beamed. Forres wondered how someone’s smile could be from ear-to-ear because Ben’s was. “I never got the chance to tell this but I liked you,”
    Forres stared at him a bit confused. “What do you mean?”
    “Forres,” He started and took her hand into his. His hand felt cold, not warm at all. Forres scowled at his hand but looked at him. “I liked you from the start. It’s sad that I didn’t have the chance to get to know more about you.”
    Forres took her hand from his icy hand. “Why are you talking like that Ben?”
    His sparkle that was in his eyes left as sadness spread in them. “You shouldn’t be here. You can’t be here.”
    “Where are we, Ben?”
    He stayed silent.
    “Ben, tell me where we are!” Forres yelled as the white paint on the walls began to peel off. Underneath was a rotted away wall.
    Ben bit him lip as a familiar voice came: “Forres! Forres! Don’t you do this to me too!”
    Zander’s voice.
    Forres stood from the bed just as the walls finished peeling. A decayed form of walls surrounded them. “What is he talking about?”
    “Just go to him,” Ben stood from the bed. Behind them, the bed started to rot away.
    “How? Where are we? Why are you and Zander talking weirdly? What’s going on?” So many questions swam around in Forres’s head and not enough answer. She turned to Ben. His hand started to rot away like everything else did. “Ben!” Forres tried to take his hand but it turned to ash and dust from her touch.
    She gasped as Ben looked away. “You have to go,” He said in a voice that – Forres could tell – was full of pain.
    “What will happen to you?” Forres reached up and touched the part of his cold face that wasn’t rotten away yet.
    Ben’s brown eyes meet Forres’ misty eyes for maybe the last time ever. “What happens to all those who are lost… Wither away…”
    “Forres Tanner, please wake up!” Zander’s voice came.
    Forres suddenly noticed that this was a dream and she would get to see Ben’s beautiful face again. Or was this a nightmare? Ben started to wither away into ash and dust right into the palm of her hands. The wind started to blow the ashes away.
    It was a nightmare. Forres started to breathe heavily as she let the ash be blown away.
    “Forres, please…,” Zander’s voice came.
    Forres looked around and was trapped in the decayed room. She didn’t know what else to do but to scream loudly. She screamed because she was trapped. She screamed because of the pain she could now feel. Her body felt as it was on fire and all she felt was pain.
    The pain of losing Ben in this nightmare.
    The pain of being stuck here.
    The pain of wanting to wither away with Ben…
    The pain of being lost.
    The pain of being dead.
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Twenty-Three
     
    Day Two: March 28 th , 2020; 10:19 am
    Jackus carried Parker as Eleanor shot at the zombies chasing them.
    They all ran into a room. Jackus sat Parker down, noticing that he was pale and a bit green. “We can’t stop,” Parker groaned, trying to get up.
    “Take a break,” Eleanor suggested, not looking at Parker. Her red, puffy eyes stared at all the televisions in the room while Jackus pulled out a water bottle