𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 (𝗢𝗡𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮)✔

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆

Cebell could feel her heart pound against her chest. The blood started to rush through her veins and to her fingertips. This was it. She was going to show her disgraceful face to her group, knowing that she was the only one who made it back. How was she going to explain this to her group? Especially when her leader was the Father to Andrew. How was this going to look, knowing that she ran and didn't go back for them?

Cebell gathered up the courage to enter the home. She turned the silver doorknob and entered the home. Small candles lit up the entrance room. In front of her was a small hallway, and to the right, there was a set of stairs leading upstairs. To the far left was a separate room leading to the living room. To the far right of the entrance was the kitchen.

Cebell closed her eyes and took a slow, but a steady breath in and exhaled. She could hear small conversations between the people of her group, in the living room. With slow and steady steps, she stepped into the dim-lit room, making her presence known. The conversations among each other soon came to a halt. A cold, but awkward silence suddenly filled the room. All attention was turned towards Cebell as she locked eyes with her leader. His gold eyes locked with her brown ones.

"Where are Andrew and the others?" Maverick spoke with the voice of the dead. There was no emotion behind his voice. Cebell opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. She soon stared at the floor and shook her head. Her chest burned like it was on fire, Andrew and Mary were some of her best friends and the only friends she had.

"No. This can't be. My son, Andrew has been stolen from this world." Maverick, the leader of the group, placed his face in his hands. Some of the other group members couldn't even look at Cebell.

"What happened?" A woman in her twenties spoke. She was Lilith's twin. The only difference between the two was, Helena was more down to Earth than the other.

"We were attacked." Cebell couldn't dare to look into the eyes of Maverick as he stared at her.

"And you were the only one who made it out alive." Maverick hissed. His words were dripping in venom. Right there, he lost his respect for Cebell. Cebell's chest burned, even more, she felt guilty that she was the only one who made it out.

"Yes. I was the only one who made it out. But they left me behind.-"

"And you somehow came back alive." Trying to get his point across, Cebell felt like he was going to rip her head off any moment.

"Moving on. . . How did you get back alive?" Hanna, the dark-skinned woman, who was Mary's sister, spoke.

"I took refuge in a library, three blocks away from here, and then I met him." Cebell didn't want to tell too many details to the group.

"Who is 'him'?" Maverick asked, digging his nails into the armchair. His brown locks were messy and his face was scrunched up in anger.

"He didn't say his name, but he helped me get back." From there everyone was silent. Cebell couldn't help but think about the consequences of running away from her group. The unknown consequences were just eating at her.

Maverick couldn't help but shake his head.

"You're out." Cebell suddenly knitted her brows together.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cebell's heart continued to smash against her chest, the blood was starting to get to her head. She felt small beads of sweat start to form. Her gut started to twist. 'Please tell me this is not what I think it is.'

"You heard me. You're out. I am going to have to ask you to leave, right now." Cebell suddenly brought a hand up to her mouth and gasped.

"No. I will not allow this to happen to my daughter!" Cebell's Father shouted as her Mother started to break down and cry.