Oblivion {n.h.}

Chapter 9.

In so much of a second the wooden door on the mysterious log cabin was opened, revealing a blonde woman there, shotgun in hand and pointed straight at Carly and I. Her voice was thick with a Geordie accent and aggression laces between her syllables.

A smaller girl with black and blue hair stands on the left of her, also threatening us with her weaponry, while on her right is a larger figured brunette with a long knife stuck out in front of her.

A wave of realization washes over the blondes face before she speaks.

"Carly?" Her shotgun falls to the ground as she steps forward to hug Carly. "How did you make it out?!"

The other two girls run over and they start to get into conversation of how she made it back as I just awkwardly stand off to the side.

"Who's this?" The blonde girl, who must be Perrie gestures to me with a smile.

"This is Danielle, she has quite the story of how she's here with me." "Well get on with it!" The black and blue haired girl laughs, also gesturing towards me.

Carly pushes past them to sit on the couch as they all gladly follow. She pats the spot next to her and I sit on the edge, still feeling a bit awkward in this situation.

The log cabin was warm and dust sparkles the air above us as the setting sun rays clash with them and the smell of a new car or old people scents the room like candles.

"When you guys had to leave me behind... I thought it was the end." Carly's voice quivers. "I escaped through a hole in the fence and ran. Of course I was followed... By quite a few at first, but I lost them further along the way." She turns to me and sends a small smile.

Perrie, and the two girls who must be Jade and Jesy listen intently, blank faces as they strain their ears.

"I only had about five or six of the dead following me before I see two massive trucks coming down the road towards me." Her hands gesture as she talks and I awkwardly rub my elbow. "In that moment I thought, 'great way to fight so hard and run so long to survive just to be raped and murdered by strangers.'" She laughs out; I didn't find her analogy so funny.

The black and blue haired girl; Jade gasps and sticks her arm out onto Carly's thigh. She smiles, she's most likely the mother of this group.

"No but it gets better, you'll like this." She smiles in Perrie's direction and her eyes widen in suspense.

"The truck contained this beauty; Danielle and her group" She smiles, "but not only her group.... Luke's group." Her voice trails off and she bites her lip, waiting for a reaction from the three women.

"YOU'RE KIDDING!" Perrie jumps up, laughing and smiling as if we'd just cured the apocalypse. Her eyes dart between Carly and I before she pulls me into a hug.

My eyes pop in confusion, this new woman holding onto me for dear life, for seemingly a reason I don't understand.

"Thank you so much for finding them..." Perrie's voice shaking by my ear. I hug back and smile at Carly pathetically, the whole situation getting more awkward as the seconds pass.

"Who was all in the trucks? Luke's group sure as hell can not all fit in two." Jesy asks from off to the side.

"My group was a population of six before Luke found us." I speak out, Carly finishing for me.

"Only Harry, Liam, Louis, and Niall could tag along with Luke; but don't worry Perrie, Zayn is fine, Luke left him to look over the group at camp." Carly states gladly. "But that's not it..."

The new name 'Zayn' swirls through my mind and I find myself getting more anxious to meet who all await our arrival.

"We are scraped and bruised from the accident that just happened a few hours ago. The truck holding Niall, Luke, Danielle, Danielle's brother Jackson, and people from her group Emily and Alex had crashed." Her eyes start to brim with tears and she looks down at her fumbled fingers.

"We're lucky to be alive, although Luke was not." I finish for her.

"No..." Perrie whispers.

"I'm sorry." Carly murmurs back at the women before they all group hug once again without me.

"Should we be going?" Jade asks, "I can't be the only one excited to be reunited with our dear old friends."

"Yes they're just waiting outside, but watch out, because Steven is one hell of a looker." Carly calls, already making her way out of the door, and I find myself actually laughing at something the girl has said.

I only hope the other three girls realize that she isn't kidding.