The Walkers [editing]

Drowning - Claude

Chapter 13

Drowning

Claude

My heart sunk as I listened to her words. My hands curled tightly around the steering wheel, nails sitting into the rubber.

"I-Is there anything left of her?"I asked my vision starting to blur, from the hot tears which filled my eyes.
"Ah, y-yeah."I felt a little bit of weight be lifted from my shoulders, as I heard Faye's answer.
She walked over to me handing me a small red scrunchy that Suki always had with her. I Immediately couldn't handle it anymore.
"Here, Claude let me take over," Scarlette offered, her pale face, changing driving shifts.
It felt as if the whole world was crashing down on me, the walls closing down on me, making it impossible to breath. Katrissa immediately rushed over to me engulfing me in a hug. I gripped the hair tie, close to my chest as I continued to cry, my chest tight, making it hard to breath in-between my sobs. Alice, Echo and Dawn stood aside with Ender, their eyes filled with tears. A wave of darkness flooded over me, drowning me slowly. My chest tightened as I gasped for air, almost making it impossible to breath, my whole body shaking as I gripped Katrissa's shoulder, my cries pouring into Katrissa's shoulder.
An hour passed of crying and shaking until I finally parted myself from Katrissa's shoulder. My vision was still blurry though, my eyes so swollen that it was hard to even open my eyes fully. I still didn't let go of Katrissa, with my shaking hands. I had an awful throbbing headache, probably from all my crying and clenching of my jaw. I noticed Blake was still sobbing into Dean's chest. I didn't understand what he meant, saying that he'd killed her. But I know Blake didn't literally kill her but somehow did. It was so confusing. Faye sat with Ace, Ender and Dawn as Alice and Echo tried to treat her hand. I didn't know how she ended up like that, but I'd to ask her later. Right now I just wanted sit quietly... I never really showed it to her, but I really did love her. As a friend. Sister. Or even more than that at times.
"P-Please."was all able to get out of my salty lips.
All I ask is for her to be back with me, just one more time... please.
Tears started to pour down my face again my hands shaking violently. All the walls started to creep closer to wards me, I tried to break out of it. Tying to break down the walls, yet a part of me wanted this. I felt as if I was going to drown in my own tears and sadness. But only then did I try to imagine what Suki would say and do.
'Hey Claude! C'mon you can do it! Don't worry about me! Worry about the future not the past! I'll be right beside anyway!' and she'd flick me in the forehead.
'C'mon give me that stupid innocent smile of yours again!' she would tell me.
I felt a ray of hope shine over me. As if all my weight was thrown of my shoulders, as my hands stopped shacking, lifting my head off Katrissa's shoulders, I turned to her and gave her my usual 'innocent' smile. 

Eventually after a full day of just driving, resting and eating, Alice finally stood up and spoke up to everyone.
"Hey, don't you think we should actually start heading somewhere. Like anywhere, 'cause we're just driving round and round and round in circles."Alice commented as she made her voice loud and clear.
I agreed with her words, it didn't really make sense, us just driving for, who knows when this'll end. We can't just drive until we die or until this is sorted out by other people, that might not even exist anymore. Who knows, who could be the last people on earth!
"Blondie does have a point." Scarlette pointed out from the drivers seat.
"Well then let's turn on the radio."Faye suggested as she plucked the small radio out of Ace's hands and fiddled around with it.
"How's that suppose to help us?"I asked.
"Well maybe some people may be trying to board-cast something to survivors, to meet somewhere. Maybe to even try and make an antidote."Ace suggested, as he stood up from sitting next to Echo.
"Positivity! Yeah! I didn't think that existed in your vocabulary!"exclaimed Scarlette her Words soaked with sarcasm.
"Shut up Scarlette."Ace snapped back.
"Hey, why don't you suggest something then."Faye defended him.
Scarlette just raised her eye brows and fingers off the steering wheel lightly. Finally loud static started to come from the mechanical box in Faye's hands. She pressed a single button, resetting the static every time.
"See, dumb asses. We won't get any reception, plus all the radio stations are probably burned or destroyed."Ender said with a sigh as she pushed her hand into her face, in frustration. 
Suddenly there was some muffled words amongst the static, but Faye must've no heard it, cruising straight to the next station.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Go back!"Ace, Blake and I all butted in, almost crash tackling Faye.
My heart leaped with hope as Faye Immediately changed back to the last station. The bus went silent as we all tried to listen on in what they were saying through the static.
"Hey, Faye, pass it to me." Dean offered as he leaned over, Faye handing him the radio.
He walked around in the bus climbing over the chairs, trying to find a place with good reception. Finally she came to one point in the bus and for that one second there were clear words.
"Canberra, CSIRO." were the only words we heard before everything completely cut out, just changing back to static.
"Crap." swore Echo frustrated, as she thew her hands in front of herself as if she was shacking someone.
"Damn..."Ace murmured as Dean went back to sitting with Blake.
"Well then we know where we're heading now."Faye said, trying to be positive as Ender face palmed beside her.
"Yeah but, how're we even suppose to get there? Like does anyone here know by memory the way to Canberra, CSIRO?" Katrissa added, her tone dripping with doubt. 
"And why the hell would they want us to go there?" Ender added.
"Well, like I said about ten billion times before, most likely because they're trying to make an antidote and the CSIRO like a massive science place thingy, right?" Ace answered after he finished laughing.
"Yeah but mostly just environmental stuff!"I pointed out.
"Hm, but all they really need is a lab all the body medical shit and other health related chemicals and shit, as well." Blake answered, he sounded energetic but not as energetic as usual.
Plus his eyes were all swollen and red, probably just like mine.
"Did some one count how many times you just said 'shit'?"asked Dawn her head tilted, words laced with sarcasm.
"Yep, 69."Ace stated with half of a smirk on her face.
Everyone turned to her responding with an unimpressed look saying 'really?'. Except for Echo who just laughed and me, I don't really get why 69 is such a funny number.
"Shut up Ace!"Alice snapped at him but with a smile.
"ANYWAY! Back on to topic! We'll just head there anyway, 'cause there are other survivors there.. Plus it's not like we have anything better to do or go,"Faye said with a sigh as she fixed her dirty zebra glasses.
"Yeah... But do we really want to team up with people that we don't know. Like, I kinda have trust issues, to be honest." Echo answered as she fiddled with a black hair tie around her wrist, as Ace let out a cough with a smirk, causing Echo to death glare him. 
"You couldn't have said anything ore obvious." Scarlette smirked, everyone knew about Echo's trust issues, and made fun of it now and then. 
"Yeah, good point, who knows who we can trust." Ender agreed, a little bored, in her hands she held a can of peaches.
"But still we should go there, so we are actually aiming somewhere. And when we do reach there just be heavily armed, stay close to someone you trust. 'Cause if they are trying to create an antidote we gotta go help them out."Katrissa commented looking up from a can of tuna.
After a heavy sigh Echo gave in. I wondered why she had so many trust issues but didn't question it for I hardly talked to her.
"Fine then. But like Katrissa did say before, how the hell are We suppose to get there like... Directions? There's no wifi, Internet or whatever."Echo said with a sigh as she massaged her temples.
"Ever heard of a street directory?"asked Scarlette her words dipped in sarcasm like usual.
"Duh, I know but how're we suppose to get our hands on one, like where do you get one?"Echo responded as she rolled her eyes.
"Well... Wouldn't there be like a street directory around the driver steering wheel area thingy. Like what happens if you're a bus driver and you get lost and then you're all like." Ace said but instead of finishing his sentence he followed it with a weird dance, by flailing his arms around awkwardly, similar to Blake's dance.
I laughed at the weird dance and face he made.
"Ever heard of adjectives and nouns?"Blake commented, while looking at him blankly. 
"Then go check." Dean ordered gesturing over to the front, ignoring Blake and Ace fighting each other.
Ace got up with a loud fake groan, pushing Blake off. He walked over and reached over Scarlette trying to reach the small shelve like area near her legs and feet.
"Kyaaaahhh.... Ace don't put your head down there!" squealed Scarlette making her sound like some girl from an anime.
But she moved her hand down to Ace's head hitting and pushing his head, kicking him a few times as well. Echo and the others immediately covered their mouths and burst into laughter... Not sure why.
"Well I need to fricken check if there's a street directory!"Ace snapped back half laughing as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Bad language!"Faye scolded as she hit him in the back of the head.
"Here I'll drive while you look. Like you just stay where you are and I'll just lean over."Ender suggested.
"This is a horrible idea."Scarlette, Ace and Echo all said as they face palmed.
But Scarlette did what she was told anyway, ducking down and searching while Ender reached over, taking hold of the steering wheel.
"Nup nuthin." Scarlette stated, slightly annoyed, her face a little red.
They took the chance to swap driving shifts as Katrissa hopped in the drivers seat.
"Yeah, but won't there be like a lot at a bus depot?"I asked curiously, it was common sense.
"Hm, yeah. Well then let's got here."Dawn agreed as she started to head back to her seat.
"YEAH BUT THEN! How the hell are we suppose to know how to get to the nearest bus depot?"Blake pointed out as he waved around his finger.
"And who actually knows that shiz?"Faye asked curiously as she sat next to Ender.
I'd noticed that even though Faye had never actually sat with us before, she fitted so well in our group and was pretty close with Ender. She talked with all of us and fitted in perfectly which was really good!
"Well luckily you have an amazingly fabulous person right here!"Ace smiled as he gestured to Alice who leaned back quietly with Dawn, they were usually more talkative.
"Uh, well I don't know this place well at all. But a while ago I actually came around here and I remember walking into a tree, chipping my tooth." Alice said as Ace smiled.
"And well I remember we actually lived around here but not anymore... Yeah well I remember there was a bus depot around here. But I can just like direct you there sought of."Alice said, constantly going slightly off topic.
"Good idea."Dawn pointed out as everyone else nodded in agreement.