The Eden Projects (EDITING)

Chapter 30. Soul, meet body.

- Zak -

"God." Zak left the truck, its engine quieted, the vehicle sitting huddled in a silent murk between two looming buildings. He had driven in with a sense of urgency but opted to go by foot when he heard the clicking that echoed ominously in the darkness. "God... don't take him away. Not him too." The sound of his boots slapping against the pavement in rubbered thuds sent life into the oppressive silence, each step feeling heavier than the last. "I know you're listening." He wasn't a believer, but in this moment of desperation, he found himself willing, even if it felt foreign to him. For this, he would be anything, he would do anything, he would give everything he had for the chance at one more try. "Don't do this." He remembered Kasper's face, the way it lit up with laughter so rarely, the warmth of their shared moments, and the profound feeling of trust he harbored for his lying friend. Yet, as he stood there, he thought in that moment that maybe he didn't know his friend like he thought he did, or perhaps there were layers to Kasper that he had yet to uncover. This idea, as unsettling as it was, he pushed away, unwilling to entertain the possibility that their bond could be anything less than just that. Trusted. "God- God- please. I'll do anything." 

First he checked the buildings, shot down a Flicker that drew too close, it got to its feet and ran into the night with a knowing sense of just what Zak would do to it. Then he made for the tower. The streets were a quiet sort of empty and the air felt alive and electric. The city was as loud as a birthing room, it was a sacred space. Things writhed and pressed at him. Even when he thought the creatures would attack, they didn't. It was as if they were waiting for input. To be told what to do and he wondered if it was because the Alpha had been culled. Were they a hive mind? Zak knew he was covering less ground than he could have if he had allowed Ace to come along but now that didn't matter. He had chosen.

"Come on Kas." 

He would go it alone.

"Just hold on." 

When he reached the tower, he stopped short of entering, his heart pounding in his chest as he took in the scene before him. Blood soaked the floor and streamed out in rivulets into the relentless downpour outside, glass was whipped in all directions, glinting like jagged stars scattered across the ground. One look and he knew, deep in his gut, that something vital remained intact. "He's alive." A sureness he couldn't explain filled him, wrapping around his thoughts like a vice, pushing away the doubts that threatened to creep in. A shudder ripped at his resolve, a visceral shudder that teased him. Stay here. Stay here and see what he can do. He turned back, feeling an urgent pull in his chest. It was all that mattered now—he could sense it, the undeniable truth that transcended anything else. He's alive and he's out here somewhere, hidden in the shadows, waiting for me to find him

Moments stretched into minutes, minutes to the hour, and even then, he didn't stop. 

He searched cars, under outcroppings, in the rubble, upper floors, and basement levels until his light had reached every recess there was in the small town, each flicker illuminating fragments of what once was—rusted metal, shattered glass, and remnants of lives interrupted. When he had finally circled back to the truck, he did so slowly, almost reverently, before turning the ignition and listening to the engine rumble to life, this sound that felt like a pulse against the stillness. Beat, heart don't stop. Time was a thing that slipped from his fingers, a relentless river that flowed on while he remained anchored between two stones. "As long as it takes," he muttered to himself, each word a promise and a plea. "As long as it takes." Time couldn't touch him. His hands shook as he turned the wheel and crept slowly down the streets, navigating the shadows that loomed like silent sentries.