Saorsa

Twenty-Seven -- Kory

His eyes fluttered open, feeling a warm liquid make his hair wet. He wobbly stood up, his sweaty palm feeling for the back of his head. A feeling of stickiness made his hand recoil away, his once dazed demeanor turning panicked. Kory looked at his palm, seeing thick blood staining his palm. His breath hitched, quickly wiping the blood from his palm onto his shirt. He looked around, his attention scattered around. He was still in the forest, yet nobody was with him. Zeke wasn't here. A sense of guilt ate at him, before he felt the need to touch the back of his head once more. Something didn't feel right the first time. His hand that was now dry of blood reached for the back of his head. His hair felt slightly sticky , though it was mostly crunchy on the middle part of his head. He felt for a potential wound, yet nothing ached him as he pressed his fingers down against the back of his head.

Kory huffed, confusion filling his thoughts. He didn't know where his friends were, at this point he thought that they had left him for good. He looked down at the ground, seeing footstep tracks going in a direction. A sliver of hope spiked his heart rate, his eyes widening. A smile turned his lips, a soft exhale of relief escaping his throat.

His legs would barely work if it wasn't for the adrenaline that made him keep following the tracks. He hoped that it was Zeke's tracks. He was the only one he wanted to see right now. He missed him. It didn't matter if Zeke was mad at him or not. He needed him right by his side.

As Kory walked through the forest, solely following the tracks; he tried remembering what had happened before he woke up. Or, at least why he had blood on the back of his head. His memory was foggy, the only 'help' was the blood stuck to the back of his head. He wondered what happened to the military officer. Were bugs eating him? Was he still alive, on the hunt for his friends? It made his skin crawl to think about seeing bugs eat a human little by little, and the stench was unbearable. He never knew the smell of dead human, yet he had always imagined it. He knew it might be portrayed as 'insane' to imagine someone dead, or develop a sense of what a dead body smelled like, but did it matter right now? He was getting off-track. He needed to find Zeke.

***

He didn't know how long he had been walking for, but he knew that his ability to walk wouldn't stay forever. He was hungry. Starving, even. He hadn't eaten in hours, his empty stomach slowing him down even more. The tracks were still going, until they stopped for a spot. They continued somewhere else, all next to each other as a row. A tired groan rumbled in Kory's throat, grumbling softly. Could they walk any for any longer? How much energy could one group have? It was probably Raymond who made them walk for what he assumed to be hours.

He sat down, his knees giving out as he lied down on his side, feeling the dirt stick to his clothes, the leaves sticking to his curls. As much as he wanted to keep walking, in fear that they had already left their 'current spot,' he needed some shuteye, didn't he? It was important to sleep before having a long journey. His eyes bore into the tracks that led on for what seemed to be forever. He felt an ant crawling on his hand, making him recoil from his resting position. He wiped his hand off, standing up before he fell back on his back. His spine started to hurt, a pained grunt escaping his lips. His throat felt dry, and he didn't know if his voice would sound raspy or not. Another huff escaped his lips, one of annoyance. He sat up, his dislike of bugs only worsening when he realized that bugs would be crawling on him if he laid down again. Zeke would know what to do, Kory thought to himself. He found himself missing him once again. The more he thought of him, the more he forgot about his features. Kory had forgotten that Zeke's nose was hooked, his hair was curly, but not as curly as his. He had forgotten his voice in such a short amount of time. He barely remembered what any of the others looked like. He knew that Aaliyah had long, straight black hair, and her pale skin gleamed underneath the sun whenever she was exposed to the outside. His memory was too foggy to remember what the others looked like.

He stood up, using nearby trees to support his inability to properly walk. Following the tracks, his eyelids felt heavy, it was obvious to him that he wouldn't hang on for much longer without potentially passing out. His hands pressed against the rough bark, feeling it nearly pierce his delicate skin. As much as he wanted to see Zeke one more time, his legs felt like the bones inside had suddenly disappeared the more he kept walking. It was dark out; he could barely see. The tracks were the only thing that were simply guiding him, to hopefully where Zeke was. He just needed to see him. Nobody else. Not another person came to mind when he thought of who he wanted to see the most. Hope was the only thing making him stay conscious, hanging by a thread. He continued to try and remember Zeke when he wasn't tense all the time; the way he covered his mouth when he laughed, how he would run his fingers through his hair as a sign that he was nervous. He knew it was a nervous habit, even if Zeke tried his hardest to hide the fact.

***

The Sun was rising, Kory had walked for hours. His legs ached more than ever; he wondered how he was able to walk this far. Was the need to see Zeke so strong? He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, looking up to see the orange-tinted sky, the moon slowly leaving, for it was the Sun's turn to take its place.

He leaned against a tall, wide tree, softly mumbling to himself. A twig snapping put him out of his daze, panic rising inside. He peeked from behind the tree, his hands trembling as he gripped the collar of his shirt. He looked around, seeing Zeke sluggishly walk towards a tree across from where Kory was hiding. A shocked smile turned Kory's lips, suppressing the urge to call out to him. He inched closer, watching Zeke sit down and lean against the tree, burying his head between his knees. Leaves quietly crunched underneath his dirty white shoes that had dry droplets of blood on the toe pads.

Zeke marginally lifted his head to see who was approaching him, his eyes widening in disbelief. He backed up into the tree he was leaning against. "Kory?" He breathily muttered, tears welling in his eyes. Kory quickly nodded, the smile still on his lips.

"Yeah, it's me." He stepped forward, his hands loosening on his collar. "It's me." He repeated, crouching down to face Zeke. Zeke backed away, shaking his head.

"No, no. You're not real. You're not real." Zeke insists, tears overflowing in his eyes. His voice was quiet, yet it ever so slightly rose when he repeated his words. Kory's smile faded, shaking his head.

"No, it's me. It's me, Zeke. I promise." Kory said, his trembling hand reaching to grab Zeke's hand. Despite Zeke's panic, he let him grab his hand, feeling his warmth almost immediately. A feeling of relief washed over, visible from the way he looked at Kory.

"Get away from me." He whispers, pushing Kory away. "You're tricking me. Stop lying to me." Zeke's brows furrowed, his breath hitching as Kory tried getting closer.

"Please believe me. I promise I'm not lying. It's me, Zeke." Kory huffed, grabbing Zeke's wrist. Zeke shoved him off, pushing him to the floor.

"Stop lying!" He raised his voice, making Kory visibly cower. Zeke's scared yet angry expression softened, tears streaking down his face. "Promise me."

"What?"

"Promise me that you're real. That this isn't a trick."

Zeke was met with silence temporarily. 

Kory nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I promise."

An exhale of relief escaped Zeke's lips, as if he was holding his breath. His knees gave out, pulling Kory in for a hug. His lips quivered, sniffling as he tightly held Kory close.

"I missed you so much. I'm so sorry for what I said to you."

Kory hugged Zeke back, feeling his chest shake against his own.

"I missed you too." He says, unresponsive to Zeke's last sentence.