—
Your group is back inside of the train, in one of the carts, preparing to jump off like scheduled. The train has gone past the desert now and you were reaching the forest area where it should be possible to hunt, and it's where you've left the cars when they went out of fuel. The fuel cans and other baggage gets checked over for any leak or other damage and get prepared by tying it together. When you get the fuel to the cars you'll be driving through the desert again, just in another direction.
"Alright, are you sure you're coming?" Ethan asks Foster being the leader of the team now.
He nods. "I sent Pike back to our plane. He'll let everyone back home know we ran after you."
Pike was just another guy that joined them on the mission. When they all ran after Ethan and he saw they were getting on a train, Foster told Pike to stay behind and wait with the plane. So he stopped running and turned around. But they hadn't come back there yet, so there is protocols for them to fly back and report what happened. Pike would let them know the team went after Ethan.
Unfortunately the rest back where they came from and Ethan's family won't know anything, until they find a way to communicate or just get back themselves. They were willing to risk that to follow Ethan, and to get him back with them, that now meant his family too. Then they'll just have to figure out what to do next when things settle down. Right now too much is happening and they just follow you.
"If you're coming with us, you do everything I say, when I say it, alright? Which starts with putting those guns away, safety on and do not shoot anything no matter what."
They frown confused. "What?"
"The noise attracts the predators in a weird way compared to other noises, it gets them excited and they hear it from miles away." He explains.
"That's sounds stupid. And the train or driving a car won't attract them?" Gabriel asks and Ethan look at him.
"What's your name?"
"Gabriel."
"You're stupid Gabriel." Ethan then says feeling petty, also been affected by having children. "Don't use it out here or we'll leave your ass, I don't care what you do. You want to survive, you do as I say."
Gabriel shakes his head in disbelief, but reluctantly raise his hand, relenting. He shares a look with Lenny. The rest of the team had no problem listening to Ethan, trusting their former captain. And used to following his orders.
Ethan points at Foster. "I'll hold you responsible for everything they screw up." He tells him and he nods in understanding. "About half an hour from now we're jumping into the river. It splits into two streams, one safe and one not. We're taking the Left. Do not go Right."
...
You're jumping in pairs, the two attached with a line to each other. Jason and Molly take Mia, so you and Ethan can focus on Parker.
"Alright, you ready?" Jason asks Mia and she smiles. He lifts her and hold her on his hip and walk with Molly into the line. "Don't worry, I got you." He reassures her.
"I know, I trust you Uncle Jay." She hugs him. Jason smiles and kiss her cheek.
Foster and his team stand in line behind them. Edward and Jake is attached to each other with a line and stand next after Jason and Molly. They hear crying and notice Parker crying in your arms as you try to soothe him. When you turn around, they see your face for the first time, and when you hold Parker, they recognise you.
"Oh, shit." Jake says. The others behind look at him. "She's the mother we met with Mom, she was singing and Parker was there." He points at you.
Their faces show surprise at the revelation when they recognise you. Also feeling a bit annoyed they were so close to Ethan back then, if they hadn't had to leave so soon they might've reunited earlier. Ethan takes Parker from you, trying to soothe him while you put your backpack on.
"Is everything okay?" Edward asks Mia gesturing toward Parker crying in Ethan's arms.
"My brother is scared. A bad man almost drowned him a few months ago. Dad saved him. But because we had to escape, we didn't have time for Parker to get over the fear. And Mom says 'If you fall off a horse, you have to get right back up on one or you'll be too scared next time.' So he's scared.. And he's sick.."
"Sick?" Jake asks.
"He's getting sick from starving." Mia tells them. The team glance sadly at each other. "But we're gonna get more food when we get to the cars."
You and Ethan get in the middle of the line. "Don't loose the pack. You're too light, and will get sped away uncontrollably by the stream." Ethan reminds you. You nod as you tighten all the straps.
Parker is crying into Ethan's shoulder and he has to pry the teddy loose from his tight grip to put it in your pack. You soothe Parker as much as you can until it's time to jump.
Then the ones up front in the group slide open the carts door and get ready to jump. Getting to the bridge, pair by pair jump out after each other. Ethan holds Parker tightly as he jumps out of the train beside you.
...
Swimming back up to the surface, Ethan gasps for air and immediately checks on Parker as they starts floating with the stream. Parker coughs up water. Then the lines tug and he looks around, the line puts in to a stop and he sees no sign of you.
Underwater your backpack had gotten caught in a tree branch from an old tree that had fallen into the river. You tug and rip at the material, but it's stuck. Before going out of breath, you unclip yourself and turn to pull the backpack loose. It comes loose but it throws you back and makes you loose the pack. It floats to the surface and follows the stream. You swim up yourself.
"Yn!" Ethan shouts for you.
"I lost the pack!" You inform him as you look around for it.
You then spot Molly as she manages to grab it, she tries to reach you but can't, they float faster and pass you.
"Mom!" Mia shouts worriedly as she clutches to Jason but they have to focus on themselves when they couldn't get a hold of you or Ethan while the stream pulled them.
With you being so much lighter, and since you haven't had time to get far enough to the left side to make sure you get in that stream, you're now about to crash into the middle part separating the two streams. On that middle part there is a broken down three, the ripped up rots are pointed sharp toward you. Your eyes widen and you try to swim toward the left side. But the other stream has already caught you, making it too hard for you. Ethan tries to pull on the line, but with one hand it's useless.
"Yn, swim!" Ethan yells and uses his free arm to frantically swim backwards toward the Left stream with you in tow.
The team who had jumped out last and are floating in the back hears him and now see your predicament but are too far away to reach you in time. Looking at the sharp roots, you glance between yourself and Ethan, he wasn't caught by the Left stream yet. Even if he got closer, he wasn't going to get caught by it in time and you would still crash into the tree before you could get past. The only thing that's going to happen now is that he and Parker would float straight into the tree and get impaled. Hurriedly you dig for your pocket knife and start cutting.
Ethan realises what you're doing. "No! Yn!" He looks at the tree and sees how close they are getting, he turns his body to shield Parker.
The line cuts just before and Ethan gets caught by the Left stream. It pulls them underwater from the force of the sudden pull toward the Left. When he gets back up, he can't see you.
"Yn!" Ethan yells for you, but you're underwater, pulled under by the Right stream.
—
YOU ARE READING
A Family (x reader)
AdventureA stranger leaves her child for Yn and Ethan to take care of in a new and dangerous world. Two strangers taking care of a traumatised child, while surrounded by zombies. Author Note: Book cover is not mine, just found something on Pinterest I felt s...