riptide- outer banks

seventy-two | the little things

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Logan finished brushing the last bit of glass off of the bench before slumping down on it. He felt shaky, but he was okay. They had all miraculously survived, which was a good thing. He didn't even care if he was missing out on key information that Neville was seemingly giving. He just needed a second. One second to catch his breath.

He bent down, unzipping his backpack to retrieve his phone. It had managed to only get a little damp, so everything inside was still perfectly intact and working. As he turned his phone over, though, his eyes narrowed. He had one new audio message from Wheezie.

Clicking on the message, he brought the quiet audio up to his ear. "Logan? Logan, are you still in the OBX? I need your help. I'm really scared. I ran away and dad sent Rafe to find me. Please help me. I need your help." There was a pause, her voice lowering to a more scared tone. "I'm scared. I'm really scared, Logan. Please. I'm at our rental condo on Greensboro street, but I think he found me. I—"

The audio subsequently ended, his heart dropping. A wave of nausea suddenly came over him as he got to his feet. It was dull, starting in the pit of his stomach, but there was this ache. Quickly working its way up, rapidly spreading throughout his chest.

"I'm gonna get some air." He managed to get out before exiting the cabin and turning the corner— becoming hidden from view.

Kori glanced back, eyes narrowing. His voice had sounded entirely detached, no emotion associated with what he'd said. Her brow knit together, realization slowly setting in. She turned to JJ and John B, head gesturing to the opening. "I'll be right back."

Neither of them thought anything of it as she exited the same way Logan had, hesitantly coming around the corner. As soon as her gaze fell on him, she felt her breath catch in her throat. Logan was pressed up against the wall, eyes tightly squeezed shut. Either one of his palms were pressed into his temples, breaths coming out forced and slightly uneven. As if he was trying to prevent the attack from coming.

But it was.

She carefully walked towards him, stepping in his line of sight just as his dark eyes opened, flickering down to her attentive green gaze. "Go back inside." He urged, a sense of pleading entangling in his words as his hands lowered to his chest. The tremor in his hands was noticeable as his left hand curled around his right fist and he inhaled.

Kori refused to break eye contact with him, gaze not even bothering to shift down to his panicked hands. "Do you remember when we played Truth or Dare?" She asked, keeping her tone calm and even.

Logan's brow came together, eyes restlessly shifting from either of hers. "What?" He paused, face contorting as his heart continued to beat— no, pound inside of his chest.

"That third night on the beach." Kori clarified, green eyes never leaving his softened gaze. "You chose truth. I asked you where you wanted to go most in the world. You said Rome." She paused momentarily as he inhaled sharply. "I said that that was dumb. That it was boring. But it's not. And then you asked me where I wanted to go. I said—"

"The Maldives." Logan sputtered, swallowing hard. His chest was tight, pain still prominent as he locked onto her light eyes. "You said— the Maldives."

Kori's brow furrowed slightly, surprise crossing her face. "You remember that?"

He nodded his head, wholly unable to do anything else.

She pushed aside all of her swirling thoughts, taking a deep breath herself. "Well, that next round, I chose truth. And you asked me what my biggest fear was. It's snakes. I said snakes." She continued, shoulders raising a bit as the corners of her mouth lifted. "You don't like small spaces."