A Family (x reader)

Separated

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It's just over a year since the apocalypse started. (But it's not that long since the last chapter of Part One. I haven't made up my mind on how long yet, but maybe around two or three months.) A group is going on a supply run. It's far away, but necessary. They need you to join them because of your knowledge about medical plants and the doctor was more important than a nurse. Ethan is very hesitant about you going alone, because he will then have to stay with Parker.

He tries to argue that he can take Parker and come with you. Martinez tells him no, not wanting a child to be put in unnecessary danger. And he says needs him on something here, and he makes sure it's a job Parker can be around for, since he still struggles with being alone. The two of you have carefully practiced for him to be alone with others, but it hasn't been successful, it was gonna be a long process.

Parker was a mess these last few days, not wanting you to leave at all. You basically had him on your hip at every second of the days up until you have to leave today. Reassuring words has only helped a little and you're worried about leaving him, but you know Ethan will help him through it. You reluctantly pry your son off you and Ethan takes the crying child into his arms.

"I'll be okay, baby. I love you. Enjoy some quality time with Ethan, alright?" You kiss his head, then turn to Ethan and kiss his lips. "I love you."

"I love you more." He tells you. With one last lingering kiss, you go to the truck.

They wave you goodbye as they watch you leave through the gate. Parker is still crying, clutching to Ethan. He looks sad too, worried about you leaving, but he's trying to trust everything will be okay. They know you can take care of yourself if you got separated from the others and would find your way back home from the place you were going. Ethan had gone over the map over and over again and reminded you of everything he has taught you, mostly to reassure himself.

...

You travel for two days until you reach the location. When you get there, you immediately start on collecting the plants, wanting to be done as soon as possible. While some soldiers help, the rest stands guard. As you're doing this for a few hours, you suddenly hear an airplane in the distance and look up in shock. There was an airport close by and you see they flying toward it.

They decide to get closer and check it out. Though Jason is hesitant, he is outnumbered and outranked by the ones that want to go. You try to tell them that the airplane's engine noise will have attracted whatever zombies are close by, but they tell you they haven't seen zombies in this area all day not even when they traveled here. You argue that there's no way of knowing how many they are, but they are too curious and ignore your warnings. You and Jason share an uneasy look.

Getting closer, they park and go further on foot, but you and Jason stay behind with the vehicle. Half an hour later, zombies appear and you are forced away from the truck while fighting them. At this point, the others had met and talked with the people already. They had tried to sneak up on them, to get a look first, but they were many that had come with the plane. And they had already had time to check out the airport and saw them coming. They were on their way back to you with some of them, then see your predicament.

They run to help out, but there's more zombies coming. Jason tries to keep an eye on you during the struggle, but as he fights the zombies he loses sight of you. When the zombies are dead, it's unfortunately only him left alive from your group. He looks around, but can't see you. Then he hears the plane powering up, so he runs to see if you're there. Getting there, he's still at a distance, but sees you being carried limply over someone's shoulder as they take you into the plane. His eyes widen and he takes off running and yelling for you, but the engine is too loud and the door is closing. They leave, not knowing that Jason also survived during their escape in the zombie attack. If they knew, they would've taken him too, but knowing they had little time from when they landed, they were rushing to go before more zombies arrives. They were only there to fill up whatever gas was left at that airport for the plane.

Jason watch helplessly as they take off with you. You were unconscious, if not you would've never left with them.

During the struggle you had saved one of their people, but then another one of theirs accidentally got pushed into you. The fall hit your head hard and knocked you out. They saw, immediately lifted you up and took you with them as they were rushing to escape.

Jason hears zombies in the distance and run back to the truck. On the way he hears a soft groaning among the bodies where the attack just happened. One from your group was still alive, but fatally eaten on the ground. Silas gasps and groan in pain as he dies, but manage to tell Jason where those people came from and that they seemed okay. They hadn't revealed the exact location of their safe haven, wanting to wait until they knew more about them. Silas dies and Jason has to fight a few more zombies on the way to the truck but nothing he couldn't handle. He then speeds back home.

...

Seeing the truck, the guards at the gate are shouting about the truck's arrival.

Ethan and Parker go to greet you along with many others. The truck speeds all the way in, which is unusual. So Ethan's smile fades and he walks closer. The truck comes to an abrupt stop almost right in front of Ethan and looking up at the driver he sees the look on Jason before he jumps out of the truck.

"Where's Yn?" Ethan immediately asks, looking around for you or any of the others.

Jason swallows nervously. "Something happened." He starts carefully, watching Ethan's expression, concerned about his reaction.

"Where's Silas?" Someone asks for their husband when no one else gets out from the truck.

Jason glance at the crowd with a distraught look. "It's just me." They all start shouting with questions.

Ethan fists Jason's shirt and gets in his face. "Where is she?" He grits out.

"Let me explain." He tries to tell him.

Martinez now arrives and calms the crowd, they take Jason to talk with the people in charge first. Ethan lets Parker sit in with them instead of waiting outside alone when he was anxious about you not being back, but he gets soundproof work headphones for now. He anxiously sits on the floor, waiting for Ethan to tell him why you're not here. But he does what he's told and keeps the headphones on. Hearing nothing at all, he just stares at Ethan and the people in the room while fiddling with his plane toy.

Jason tells them everything that happened. Ethan has to restrain himself from attacking Jason in frustration, he knows it's not his fault. Jason hadn't wanted to let them go so carelessly to check out the new people. He was in charge on the run, so he was the one who was supposed to decide, but in the moment, with so many of them being curious, one of them had pulled rank just to win. And you were the only one agreeing with Jason, so he was outnumbered too. If that guy hadn't pulled rank and even if he didn't, they were supposed to do what Jason said, but they didn't listen. And since it's safer to stay in a group and with the vehicle in that area, reluctantly the two of you just had to go with them. If it wasn't for the zombies in that area had been attracted to the airplane noise and that they hadn't enough people with them and a plan, the meet could've gone better. But there was no way of knowing if those people coming with the plane was good or bad, and the biggest issue was the unknown number of zombies in that area.

After discussing for a while, they all look at Ethan who is staring at the map. He glances at Parker, seeing him staring at him with watery eyes.

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