A Family

Loss

When they get upstairs, they stop abruptly in shock, horrified at the sight.

  Where all the survivors had set up their stuff and has lived the last month is all now evidence of a struggle. A bloody struggle at that. Both zombies and humans are lying dead around on the floor. Husbands shouts for their wives and children. They all immediately take off running, looking around for all of you.

  Ethan run to where you sleep on the other side of this room and look around for Parker on the way, which includes Maria. When he reaches your sleeping bag and doesn't see you anywhere near, he lifts it up and finds your knife. It worries him that you haven't had time to grab it and protect yourself with it. He takes it and stand up to look around.

They suddenly hear a heartbreaking pained cry and whip their heads to see one of the husbands clutching their dead child. Ethan sighs in sadness but keeps looking around for you.

"Yn!" Ethan calls out for you.

The others are in shock at seeing a father with his dead son. Unfortunately, Ethan has seen a lot from his time in the military and knows how to block it out and focus. Him and Virgil finds the survivors in the small room. He breathes out in relief when he sees Parker and the children are all okay.

However, when Ethan doesn't see you, he gets anxious again. He asks them where you are and they tell him what you did for them. His eyes widen and he scrambles to run to look for you. When he gets to the other open area on this level, he sees a figure sitting in foster position on the top of the reception counter among a bunch of bodies on the floor.

Carefully, he walks closer. "Yn?"

With a slow motion, you turn your head away from the young child zombie you had to deal with. Its dead eyes are looking right at you. It's not natural and it's a horrifying sight. You're just frozen on your spot, traumatised. Though it's not the first this month, it's definitely the worst.

You're also in disbelief at the fact that you're still alive. You were prepared to die for the others and even expected that to be the results of your actions.

Ethan takes in your state and appearance. All the slashing and stabbing has you covered in blood. You're shivering from the shock, fright and adrenaline all still trying to calm down inside you.

With a gentle and caring gesture, Ethan outstretch his hand to you with a soft expression. "You're okay." He tells you.

Though, technically he doesn't know if you're bitten or not. But he doesn't want to interrogate you right now and just focuses on you.

With a shaky hand, you hesitantly take his. Ethan close his hand around yours with a firm but gentle grip. He helps stabilise you as you walk over the bodies and to him. You stumble and he catches you.

You look at the blood you now accidentally left on him. "Sorry."

He tells you to not worry about it and doesn't let you go. Holding you close for support and comfort, he walks you back to the other survivors. Which he now wish he waited with, because they immediately pull their weapons out and say that you might have been bitten. Ethan tells them to put it down and covers you protectively. You try to explain you're not bitten. Not everyone trusts you, so they demand you prove it.

Virgil calms them down by saying he'll go with you to prove it and Cruz goes too. You understand their concern and don't argue as they join you into the girls bathroom. Ethan waits outside to give you some privacy. They watch you wash off the blood and checks you over for any bite marks on your clothes.

"We need to check the legs and your back too. Take off your shirt and pants." Cruz actually tells you.

You whip your head to him with a shocked frown. "Excuse you?" You actually thought he was a decent guy so it surprises you that he would be so perverse.

"We don't need that." Virgil argues.

He shrugs. "We need to be sure. We didn't know about that pilot. He kept it secret and it almost got us all killed back then."

You scoff. "I'm not stripping down for you. And I would never keep something like that away from any of you."

"And you don't need to, Yn." Virgil reassures you. "Cruz, get out."

You glare at Cruz as he walks out. Virgil apologises and you nod. As he leaves the bathroom, you see Ethan standing outside. He looks in just as you turned to the sink again to deep clean off the remaining blood stains. He frowns worriedly as you scrub and scrub, harder and harder while your breathing gets quicker.

Tenderly at first, he steps into the girls bathroom. But when you aggressively scrub your fingers to the point you're scratching it desperately and you might break your skin, he hurries over to stop you. He takes your hands, reaching around you from behind.

His strong arms envelopes you. It makes you feel safe. Your lip trembles and you feel your adrenaline wear out. You feel exhausted. He helps wash your hands gently and you almost loose balance from loss of strength. Ethan wraps his arms around to hold you up and comfort you. Unintentionally, but unable to help it, you start crying in his arms. Ethan soothes and reassures you.

...

  Agnes collected a change of clothes for you. Her husband died the first day and she's been with her daughter, son-in-law and their two young children. Luckily the five of them all made it today. When she gave the clothes to you, she thanked you for saving her grandchildren, who was in that room with you. They got separated from them and had to hide somewhere else. You're still struggling a bit from the experience and just nod in thanks. To your relief, most has left you alone after the incident. Everyone is dealing with their own things. And you don't want any attention for what you did.

When you get to your sleeping bag, you just lay there, staring at the ceiling. There's soft crying from more than one person around. Mothers and fathers, children, friends, most are grieving over someone. You swallow a thick lump down your throat. A few tears slowly shed down the sides of your face.

Unfortunately, many of the ones that took initiative for emotional support in the group, died today. They were good at making people feel better even when they were sad. Wonderful people died today. Incredible children with great potential died today. Men and women become widows and widowers. Mothers and fathers lost their children or other family members. It's been a somber mood ever since the incidents.

Someone approach you and you turn to see Ethan. He brought it with him now. He stops beside you, looking down in concern.

  "Hey.. You okay if I stay here tonight?" He asks, gesturing to a spot beside you. You nod and watch as he gets settled on the floor beside you.

  After a long moment of silence and him just staring at the ceiling, he hears some shuffling beside him. You close the distance between you and he whips his head to you in surprise when you lay all the way into his side. He tenderly moves his arm to wrap around you and you adjust yourself to lay into him even more. The two of you lay comfortably into each other's embrace. Your arm is resting on his chest.

  "You're gonna leave.. aren't you?"

  He turns his head slightly to look at you again. You don't look at him and just lay in his arms.

  "You've been looking outside the windows differently this last few days.. It's like.. Like you're making a plan." You answer his unasked question about how you knew. "I thought you said it's too dangerous without enough people for that original plan you suggested weeks ago."

  "I don't know yet. I think I might have to try. I don't know how to make them understand, Yn.. But.." He whispers as he just gazes up at the ceiling again. "No one's coming for us."

  Your hand on his chest fiddle with his shirt and then move to find his. You hold his hand till you fall asleep. Ethan lays awake a bit longer, frowning at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. His thumb strokes your hand's skin until he falls asleep.

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