Marcid

Thirty-Five - Zeke

He could never find a word that would describe how he felt after Aaliyah's suicide. Zeke could provide a list of words that he could relate to, but all in one word? It couldn't be done.

Guilt. Confusion. And something else that lingered. He couldn't identify it clearly.

Zeke took deep breaths to relieve the heavy feeling in his chest, his fingers pressing up against his chest. He ran his fingers up to his neck, immediately feeling the warmth of his own body. Somehow, it made him shiver. He lifted his head up to find Kory. He wasn't there. His brows furrowed, his heart rate spiking as nervousness sunk into his blood. He looked down at Raymond, who had fallen asleep, soft snores coming from him. They were barely audible, only able to be heard if Zeke carefully listened.

He stood up, a wave of dizziness hitting him like he was being electrocuted again, this time without the painful shock. This felt like the aftermath to him. Zeke huffed, his hand immediately clutching at the tree for support. His knees gave out, his legs trembling as he involuntarily sat back down. Why couldn't he just get up? What was wrong with him? He was acting dramatic, was he not? It was embarrassing to be seen like this. But he needed to wake Raymond up. Where was Kory? He gave a fleeting glance to the couple, Ophelia and Konrad, who were both still buried in their own conversations. He was glad they didn't see him fall back down.

Zeke leaned back against the tree, his nails picking at his palm. He wasn't sure of what to do. He lifted his body up slightly, using the giant tree as support to stand up properly. He was a bit wobbly while standing still in one spot. The tree was a big help to him. He thanked the tree in his head. He wouldn't say that out loud. It was embarrassing. Small threads of his shirt clung to the bark of the tree. He hadn't realized it yet until he attempted to walk towards where Raymond was sitting at. He forcefully pulled his body forward with a quiet grunt, feeling the little threads snap off easily. Zeke shuffled towards Raymond, cautiously approaching him. He wasn't sure how Raymond would react to being woken up so quickly. He must have dozed off mere minutes ago. He crouched down next to Raymond, his thumb rubbing at the end of his shirt. Zeke felt nervous again. His overwhelming sense of anxiety that loomed over him may never leave, it seems.

"Raymond?" Zeke weakly whispered, his hand gently nudging his arm. Raymond didn't wake up, his chest slowly rising up and down. At least he wasn't dead, Zeke thought. He nudged Raymond's arm a little harsher. "Raymond, wake up." Raymond quickly woke up, a slight flinch making him sit up and straighten his posture.

"What? What's goin' on, kiddo?" Raymond looked at Zeke with worry, his voice softening almost immediately.

"Kory's not here."

"What do you mean? He's right—" Raymond's voice died in his throat once he pointed at a random spot. He lowered his hand. "There. Where the hell is that kid. He was right there a couple of seconds ago." His voice started to shake slightly. Zeke noticed quickly, but kept his lips zipped. He wasn't sure how Raymond would react if he pointed it out. Zeke fidgeted with his hands, a sense of guilt starting to gnaw at the back of his mind. If he hadn't had trouble standing up before, they would have been searching for Kory right about now. Instead, he was just now telling Raymond that Kory was missing.

"You fell asleep." Zeke muttered.

Raymond suppressed an eye-roll, though he let out an annoyed sigh instead. "Thanks." He grumbled. He stood up, dusting off dirt from his clothes before grabbing Zeke's arm to lift him up to his feet as well. "Go tell that lovey-dovey couple the situation, and then we'll go and find him."

Zeke nods, walking towards Ophelia and Konrad before stopping in his tracks. What was the 'situation,' exactly? He turned his body to face Raymond. Raymond stared in slight confusion. "What, kid?"