Everyone But You- Book One

Seven

Luiceel sighed dramatically, rolling down Cassidys window. "There's a spare pack in the door. Don't use 'em all."

He internally let out a sigh of relief, quickly sifting through the glove box to find the pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and placed it between his lips, lighting it and taking a much-needed drag, the smoke filling his lungs. He exhaled, the stress in his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Thanks..." He mumbled.

The sun was setting, leaving the sky in a beautiful orange glow. Cassidy couldn't help but admire it. The scene was so vast, all fields and only a few abandoned houses rolling past every now and then. Where the sun began to dip, he could see the silhouettes of some barns, and he wondered just how many other survivors were out there.

Cassidy took another drag, feeling as his heart rate decreased. He felt exhausted, and couldn't wait to be back in his bed in the cabin.

He sat, leaning partially out the window for a while as he took a few more puffs from the cigarette. He felt the tension in his body start to loosen a bit, the nicotine helping to calm his nerves. He still had a strong sense of annoyance, though, and the silence quickly became irritating. He turned to look at Luiceel, his voice monotone as he spoke. "I'm sure you have some more smartass comment about me you want to get off your chest, so go ahead and say it already."

His eye twitched, but he shook his head. "No. Not this time Cass. Just shut up and let me focus."

He huffed silently. Shutting up was not his forte, but if it spared him from dealing with any more of Luiceel's attitude for now, he would take it. He remained quiet for a few beats, taking another breath from his cigarette before he broke the silence once more without thinking.

"How much farther do we have to go anyway?"

Luiceel visibly stiffened at the question, his eyes darting around the seemingly endless road. "Uh, not long."

He noticed Luiceel's shift in demeanor at his question, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Why do I have a feeling you're lying?" He drawled.

Silence followed, and the sun had set further. The road seemed to stretch on and on, and everything seemed to look the same. Luiceel gripped the wheel tightly with both hands now, chewing on his lip.

Cassidy leaned his head back against the window, growing slightly impatient. The sun was setting and it felt like they'd been driving for hours. Everything around them seemed to blur and blend together, time passing in a mindless haze. He sighed audibly, glancing in Luiceel's direction. "You have no idea where we're supposed to be going, do you?"

"Nope." He choked out at last. "We must've taken a wrong turn when trying to get away from the Shells." His voice was strained with stress, slowing down the truck now to try and get his bearings. This was a new road to him, and everything seemed distorted and scarier in the dark. Another hour passed. They were deep in the countryside now, and completely lost.

Cassidy groaned in an exasperated manner. This road trip was turning out to be a complete disaster, and the endless silence was becoming mind-numbing. He fidgeted in his seat, his patience running low. "You're supposed to be good at this, aren't you? How the hell did you manage to get us lost?"

"Shove off Cass! I'll figure it out!" He snapped back, his short temper really coming out in this already stressful situation.

The black haired man huffed in annoyance, his own irritation building up. "Figure it out faster, then. We've been driving for hours with no sign of stopping. You'd think a trained soldier like yourself would know where they're going."

Luiceel huffed, but didn't argue back. His mind was too focused on the task ahead. But as he turned the front lights on to illuminate the way, a figure appeared in the road a few yards away, swaying on its feet. Cassidy's eyes widened slightly. He leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a clearer view of the person in the road.

"W-Who is that..? And why the hell are they just standing in the middle of the road?"

"It's just a shell," Luiceel murmured, keeping his voice low. He slowed the truck further as the figure came more into view. "We'll just skirt right past it..."

Cassidy glanced nervously between the strange figure and Luiceel, anxiety building in his chest.

"Are you sure about that? Shouldn't we just avoid it entirely? What if it comes after the car?"

"Then I'll run the bastard over."

He let out a nervous scoff. Luiceel's nonchalant attitude worried him as usual, although in this case it was sort of reassuring.

"Okay... just be careful. I don't want you smashing up the truck."

"It's my truck. Shut up." Luiceel retorted, stepping on the pedal to speed up the truck gradually again.Cassidy grumbled under his breath.

"You're never not in a piss poor mood, are you? It's exhausting."

"I'm about to injure your other arm if you don't shut u-" His retort was abruptly cut off as another shell jumped onto the hood of the truck.Cassidy's eyes widened at the sudden interruption, his heart rate quickening rapidly. He swore under his breath, his hands gripping his chair.

"What the- Get it off, get it off, get it off-!"

Luiceel mirrored Cassidy's panic, twisting the wheel as the truck veered side to side. The back wheel of the truck burst, sending the truck veering and spinning out of control as it smashed through the bushes on the road side, landing on its side. Glass shattered from Luiceels window side as his head was slammed into it. Gas oozed into the compartment where they sat, the shells out of sight now. The darkness of the night was no help as the lights flickered off, leaving them in the pitch black. Cassidy grunted in pain as the truck rolled and spun, his head hitting the back of his chair and then the window. A pained sound left his mouth as he lifted a shaking hand to his face, a warm, sticky liquid covering his fingers as he pulled them away.

"F-Fuck... are you okay in there, Luiceel?" He croaked out in a raspy voice, adrenaline coursing through his veins like wildfire.

No response. The soldier was out cold, and they would both be dead soon if they didn't get away from the gas leak in the truck. Cassidy cursed, trying to keep the panic in his chest at bay. He frantically tried to release his seatbelt, but it was stuck from the crash. "Fuck..." He muttered again, taking in the severity of the situation. If they stayed here any longer they'd be blown to smithereens if the gas ignited. He swallowed thickly, pushing away his panic to think logically. "Think, think, think..."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. As he exhaled, he pushed against his seatbelt, desperately trying to unbuckle it. After a few tense moments, it finally came loose, and he fell forward slightly. He steadied himself, looking over at Luiceel and taking in his current state.

"God... you better be okay..." He mumbled, reaching out to him and pushing gently on his shoulder.

The side of the soldier's head had bits of glass sticking from the skin, but nothing too deep. His blood trickled down the side of his face and dripped on the glass. Cassidy had to act quickly. He struggled with Luiceels belt for a moment, then managed to pry him free. He grabbed his arm, trying to yank him up so they could climb up and out of the passenger door. He struggled to hoist the other man up, the weight of his body not helping. He was weak in comparison, which only fed his feeling of helplessness. Pushing through, he finally managed to pull him up and towards the passenger door. The smell of gas was starting to make him queasy, the danger of their situation becoming more apparent.

Once Luiceel was relatively free, Cassidy looked over himself. His head and chest were aching, and the blood on his arm had reopened.

He had to drag his unconscious body down from the truck and across the grass, trying to get as far away from the truck as possible. Once a safe distance away, Cassidy felt the adrenaline loss, mixed in with the lack of blood and oxygen finally catch up, and he collapsed on the grass next to Luiceel.