Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Thirty-One - Missing

The reactions were what I expected.

The crowd of soldiers and civilians were screaming at Laindon as he spoke from the stairs of the lab, their voices echoing over every inch of the island. The guards retreated from the lab leaving it with no protection for his secrets, some families even took a few boats and retreated from the island, they would rather risk it out there than live with the lies here.

Matt was furious that we didn't tell him, I tried to reason with the fact he was still healing but he didn't calm down until Sarah pulled him aside. The last thing we wanted was him in the middle of danger with a baby on the way. Ben and Maddie were more understanding, Ben was still grieving Brent and his anger was more focused towards that.

"You did a good thing" Ryan stood beside me with his arms crossed against his chest "They deserved to know".

My hand was still linked with Carters, his soothing circles on my knuckles were the only thing keeping the anger at bay. "Yeah. They did".

"The guards still here are going to watch over him, make sure he's really working on a solution, try keep these people from rioting" That would be easier said than done, already a few people were eyeing up the lab "You both have free rein to enter that lab, I'll make sure everyone else is in check".

With a nod from me Ryan dispersed to the others and I turned sinking into Carters embrace "Do you think we will ever find peace" I looked up to him with misty eyes, his finger trailing up to wipe a lone tear.

"I do" The boy smiled kissing the place he'd just wiped the tear from "I already have mine" For the first time today I truly smiled "We could be sitting in the middle of a war and I would die happy knowing I found you, you've been my peace since the first time I met you" .

I tilted on my tip toes to press a chaste kiss against his lips, smiling against him as he did the same "No more talk about dying Lucifer, I never want to imagine that".

Carter nodded holding me tighter "Everything will be okay baby".

Carter smiled pulling me into a quick embrace, his hands running down the small of my back before a weight ran into us. Hayley wrapped her arms around the both of us, us both lifting an arm to welcome her in. "Are we safe here" the small girl looked up with beady eyes.

I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to scare her either "you are safe, we will always protect you".

Night came around quicker than we expected, the group was still on edge. We all shared one of the larger tents, Matt and Sarah huddled in one side under a sleeping bag, Ben and Maddie slumped by the doors while Myself, Carter and Hayley laid in the middle on two cots pushed together.

While my eyes lulled I thought over everything, each moment running through my mind before sleep took over. Did we really trust
Laindon to make a cure? After everything, his word was next to nothing. We all thought this place would be it, a safe place that wouldn't be destroyed but it had been slowly cracking from the inside out.

I tossed and turned for hours, in and out of sleep until distance screams haunted my ears. The cries and pain echoing through the night, all of us jumped up grabbing a weapon each looking to each other in fear. Matt had a protective arm across Sarah pulling him behind her "What the fuck was that".

"I don't know" My body slowly inched towards the tent door, before looking back at Carter. His face was pale, his brown hues watering as he looked over each one of us.

"Where's Hayley?".

My breath caught in my throat, my hands shaking against the wooden handle of my knife. "She was here" I cried running through before my mind could focus, my feet hit the damp soil watching as people ran across the island. Corpses trailing behind them as more screams filled the night "HAYLEY" I screamed, my voice cracking as I thought the worst.

"Come on" Carter intertwined my fingers with his pulling me from the mound of dirt "Lets find her".

We ran through the chaos, a corpse creeping to our side, its teeth baring as it reached for us. I didn't hesitate to twist my body, sinking the blade through its rotting skull. I screamed her name until my voice was dry, my lips cracked as I used every part of my last breath.

Our people were dying, calling for help but all I could think about was her. Carter stopped harshly, my body crashing into the muscles of his back as he sucked in a deep breath.

I didnt want to look but I knew I had too. Ryan was laid in the dirt, his stomach ripped open as blood poured from his mouth, I dropped to my knees next to him. "I'm so sorry" I cried.

His face softened "Its not your fault. This would have happened eventually, its inevitable" his green eyes were slowly fading "Hayley went towards the Lab, I tried to go after her".

I looked to Carter who was already inching closer to the building "Do you want me to do it?" My knife was shaking in my hands "I can stop the pain".

Ryan used the last of his strength to shake his head "Go get your girl" He coughed, thick blood falling from the side of his lips as I started to stand "And Katie. You have all the good parts of your dad, use that to build this place back up".

I nodded wiping the last few tears as determination covered me like a mask. "I promise".