Never Close Your Eyes

ZBD ✨ : C. 9

|| Chapter Nine ||

After twenty more minutes of soaking up our resignation of life, we finally began to shift back into our own personal shells of a human.

His waterworks had long stopped before mine, and the rock we had started wasn't as forceful. It had slowed to a softer, more collected rock that could sooth a disturbed baby.

In a way, I was a baby. I shouldn't have cried so hard. I knew what was going to happen as soon as I turned around, running back to 10K.

The only thing we were fighting against was another Z; that had the face of a woman we both loved.

Yet, the way he held me showed more love for me than I felt in the last moments with Mack. What a sickening thought, but it was true.

It's sad when a stranger can feel more like home within a couple of months than the man I've lived under the same roof since I was born.

10K was gentle with me, he was careful, but he also let me press my luck and my limits. He wanted me to reach pass my stars, pass my fake ambitions.

"I'm sorry." I whispered back, feeling like this whole situation was my fault and me coming back only worsen any decisions made.

Maybe if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have been so rough, but she must've felt outnumbered in some way. 10K had no choice, at least that's what I kept telling myself.

She wouldn't stop coming after us, even after we knocked her down after every single assault she made. If we hadn't put her down, she would've slaughtered us like pigs.

No sorrow would've been felt like we are performing now for her; no mercy would've been given to our organs. She was a machine.

She wasn't even suppose to be back on Earth, walking with her head held high and her body straight with some kind of pride.

"Listen to me," He leaned his forehead from mine, moving his hands up to caress my cheeks with the dirt still on his palms from falling and having to get right back up.

My attention was completely on his glacier eyes, which I'm sure he wanted it that way.

"This is not your fault; none of it ever was. I do not blame you. Cassandra, she would've wanted this."

She didn't want to die, though. Just because she accepted her fate back at the underground lab, did not mean she wanted death.

She settled, and you don't ever settle. I kept my mouth shut, finding reasoning in his words and knowledge to back it up.

Before Murphy bit her, Cassandra was in so much pain: from the fevers down to the aches throughout her whole body.

Her dying, her biting a bullet, would've cured everything. She didn't have that option, though. She didn't get the chance.

"She's dead, 10K."

When my eyes tried to divert to the lifeless body of our mate, he forced my head to stay in place so I couldn't see my best friend.

"I had to. It was either you or her, and I made that choice."

I stopped breathing the instant he said that, my hands looping above his to cover my mouth as tears watered over my eyes again like they were preparing to water a thirsty lily.

"This-This is my fault?"

At the realization of his words, the blue orbs in his sockets went wide as he quickly tucked his head back into my neck.

His large hands moved from my face, but was placed on the back of my head to force me back to his shoulder bone.

The other wrapped around me in a tight embrace over my back.