Dead Love | Michael Clifford

ten.

Day two of avoiding Michael begins when Kyra gets out of bed. I follow her into the main room and this time the open seat is between Jas and Luke.
Today I go hunting with Michael and Amanda. Great. I might have to talk to him...
We're all silent as we eat, and when we're finished we get ready to go. I ask Kyra for my usual katana, handgun, and two daggers. The four of us who are leaving grab backpacks and walk out the door. I sigh, looking down at my hands which are turning pale from holding onto my katana so tightly.
I walk through the forest with my head down, following the others with Luke walking by my side. It stays silent as we walk, tension hanging in the air. Everything feels wrong... I continue walking, trying to ignore the lingering feeling when I hear a whispered profanity.
"Shit..."
Looking up from the dirt ground, I see Amanda staring wide-eyed at none other than a large horde of zombies.
"Everyone be quiet and still," she whispers to us. We're all focused now on the group of undead monsters. "Okay, slowly turn around and walk back to the hideout."
Luke and I nod and do as asked but Michael obviously thinks his way is better and decides to walk backwards. I glare at him but he just shrugs with a smirk and continues on his backwards path.
We make it a few feet when, of course, Michael steps on a stick causing a loud SNAP sound.
He looks up, the fear evident in his eyes, and we all look back at the zombies to see a bunch of dead, glossy eyes staring back. Amanda glares at Michael before yelling at him.
"RUN ASSHOLE!" She grabs my hand and we take off back through the forest. I can hear the boys running behind us.
Amanda, thinking ahead, runs in the opposite direction of our hideout and hides behind a large patch of undergrowth. We watch as at least 30 zombies slow, look around cluelessly, and continue moving.
Once they're out of sight I breathe out a small sigh of relief.
"Okay... I think we're safe. What were you thinking Michael?! Amanda said turn around first so you could watch where you were stepping," I turn back and look at Amanda who's looking past me and in the direction of our hideout where a cloud of smoke is rising.
"Lijy... Michael isn't with us..." Luke mumbles.
I look around and see that he's right. "He must've accidentally led them right back to the hideout!" Amanda shouts, standing up quickly.
We're on our feet instantly, running toward the smoke. Once in the clearing, we see that only a small part is actually on fire but the scene is chaos.
There are probably 20 zombies trying to get in. Pulling out my katana, I fight my way past three that are standing by the door.
Inside is just as chaotic.
Once we're spotted by Jasmyn she begins shouting orders to grab stuff. I run off in a different direction and go to retrieve my journal and everything else I can carry out of the bedrooms before going to help Kyra and Ashton in the inventory room.
Running back out of the house, I find everyone but Amanda and Luke outside.
Jasmyn is fighting off the only two standing zombies left in sight. I think the rest must have fled from the fire. I set the stuff down and pull out my katana, running to help her.
After stabbing my katana as deep into the zombie as possible, it finally gives in and falls to the ground where I then shoot it in the head.
Breathing heavily, I look up and see Jasmyn staring in disgust at the zombie she had killed. I walk back and pick up the stuff I had brought out before Amanda runs out of the house along with Luke, holding Chip and Buyo in their arms. Lucy is standing next to Amanda's legs.
Kyra screams and runs over to Chip, pulling him in her arms and I breathe out, relieved and grateful to see my cat. He jumps out of Luke's arms and rubs against my legs.
I smile despite everything and look around.
"Is everyone okay?" I ask, looking toward Michael who's standing with his head down. My chest tightens because I can't help but feel bad for him.
"Ashton might have a concussion, while in the rush to get the food, a box of glass bottles fell on his head," Jas answers.
"I'm fine..." He mumbles after stepping forward from behind Calum and Joe. But I can see that his eyes are dilated and his face is rather pale.
I pull Kyra to the side.
"Make sure Ash doesn't pass out, okay?" I ask. She nods and walks over to him.
"Okay," Jasmyn starts. "It appears we're not in any imminent danger as of now but I do think it's best that we leave this area completely..."
She looks at our hideout which has now caught fire in multiple rooms. Amanda nods in agreement.
"Let's just try to find somewhere to get situated for tonight before we actually look for a new place," she suggests, knowing the chances of finding somewhere to stay are slim.
Everyone agrees and we begin walking. We go slowly since we're all exhausted and carrying so much weight from food, bedding and weapons.
We walk for at least two hours in the same direction before we come across more old building debris. No one has talked at all and I think I'm about to go crazy.
There are no standing structures around, just rubble and giant chunks of cement, brick, drywall, and other building materials. Random strips of asphalt which were once streets run through the scene.
I climb up onto a larger slab of wall and stand up to look around. Hmm, nothing.
We all walk through the rubble until we reach a steel, shed-looking thing. It's not big enough for nine people to stay in, but...
"Hey guys, wait!" I exclaim, walking up to the structure first. Then I pull on the handle and the door opens. I step inside and there's a circular hatch on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Kyra asks, following me inside.
"I know what this is," I explain. The hatch opens after I tug on it a few times. The door swings up on its slightly rusted hinges and I push it all the way back so it doesn't fall back into place.
"And what would that be?" She questions, watching me.
"An underground hideout."
I sit down on the edge of the circular hole which is about a yard in diameter and is pitch black.
My foot hits something that's sticking out and I stand on it to see if it's sturdy.
"Lijy, don't go down there," Kyra warns. "It could be dangerous and you can't see down there. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Okay," I get up and walk back out to the others. "Who has the matches?"
Calum slips off his backpack and pulls out a box of matches. I take it from him with a "thank you" and then grab a candle from my own backpack.
"Here, is this better?" I ask Kyra as I go back into the metal shed. She rolls her eyes but doesn't try to stop me as I climb into the hole again. I find the thing again and shine a light on it. It's a metal rung connected to the concrete wall of the hole. There's one above it, probably about one and a half feet away, and I can only see one below it so I guess I'll take my chances.
I step down onto the rung from before and then the one below it. Taking a deep breath, I feel with my other foot for a fourth one. When I feel it, I step down and let out the air in my lungs.
I hold the candle in one hand and the rung above with my other, while I climb downwards and count the rungs. Eventually, when I reach 9, I step down to find my feet on solid ground.
I hold out the candle and look around at what I can see. There's a large room with two couches in it. I walk around the room to find two doors attached to it and a full sized fridge.
"Woah," I breathe, smiling at what I've found.
I climb back up and Kyra watches me come out of the ground.
"What's down there?" She asks.
"An underground hideout," I smirk and she smiles back.
We both walk out of the shed to tell the others.
"What did you find?" Ashton asks, seeming the most excited.
"A place to stay," I answer. "Everyone in, come on."
Jasmyn goes first with Sydney on her shoulder, bringing the candle with her. She stays at the bottom to help people down. Next Kyra goes, carrying Chip in one arm. Ashton follows her, then Joe goes, then Michael.
"Luke, can you help me out by bringing Lucy down?" Amanda asks.
"Uhh... Can you have Cal do it?" The giraffe of a boy responds.
"Um, yeah, I guess," she turns to the brunette who reluctantly agrees and they both go down to the new hideout.
All that's left is Luke and me, with Buyo at my feet. Luke looks really pale and nervous, his eyes darting around randomly.
"Hey, are you okay?" I ask, placing my hand on his shoulder. He jumps at the contact, but relaxes when he sees it's just me.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he lies, rubbing his hands on his jeans.
"Well... You coming down?"
He looks into my eyes finally, his gaze filled with pure fear.
"I'm terrified to go down there," he states calmly, his body starting to tremble. "I'm claustrophobic."
"Oh, Luke," I frown, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. "I wish I knew more about psychiatry..."
"It's okay, it's a stupid fear," he tries to sound confident but his voice is shaking too.
"I'm gonna help you get through this," I assure him, squeezing his hand once more. "Would it feel better if you held Buyo on the way?"
"He doesn't like me," he shakes his head.
"Let me show you something," I let go of his hand and bend down to pick up the cat. I stand closer to Luke. "Scratch right here, behind his ears."
He does so and Buyo leans into his touch, meowing loudly when he stops. Buyo reaches out his paw and Luke pets him again in the same spot. When he stops, the kitty does it again, making him laugh.
"See? He likes anyone who knows how to get on his good side," I smile at Luke. "Now do you want to carry him?"
"Sure," he takes Buyo from my arms.
"Okay, let's go. We can do this as slowly as you need," I start towards the shed and he follows, grabbing my hand again.
We get inside and his breathing becomes shaky again.
"Why don't you try closing your eyes? Imagine that you're on a beach or in a giant, open field," I suggest.
Luke nods and closes his eyes as I lead him towards the opening in the ground.
"Come on, it's dark down here and you won't even be able to see where you are," I tell him soothingly. He nods again and opens one eye, his face turning white again. "Luke, take it easy, you've got this. Is there anything I can do that would help?"
"Yes," he squeaks, nodding. He sniffles as a tear falls from his eye.
"What is it?" I ask.
He sets Buyo down and pulls me into a hug, everything about him shaking. His frame trembles in my arms, being racked with sobs as I hold him, rubbing my hand up and down his back.
After a few minutes, he pulls away slowly and wipes his face under his eyes.
"If you just heard a loud cracking noise, that was my heart breaking," I mumble, frowning as I look up at him.
He's still shaking and crying in front of me.
"C-can you sing f-for me-e?" Luke asks through his panic attack.
"Of course. I hope you like All Time Low though, because that's pretty much all I know," I tell him.
"That's f-fine," he nods, Buyo rubbing against his legs.
"Okay..."
I start to sing Weightless, rubbing his back still. His breathing becomes slightly more steady. At least, as steady as someone facing their biggest fear can breathe.
I ease him slowly towards the hole and he takes a deep breath before taking the first step down.
"There are ten steps," I tell him, stopping my song. "Including the one you're on. And not including the ground."
He nods and breathes deeply, and I start singing quietly again. Taking it slowly, Luke makes his way down.
I grab Buyo and follow him and we eventually make it to the bottom.
"You did it!!" I exclaim, hugging him tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks," he mumbles. He pulls away from the hug and rubs his face with his hands, then smiles at me. "And thank you for helping me."
"Awww," Kyra coos from the side. I turn to see all of the others watching us.
My eyes land on Michael and our gazes lock but I look away, towards Joe.
He steps forward and hugs Luke.
"I was worried, I wanted to go up there and help but Ashton said to leave it to Lijy," Joe says, having to stand on his toes to wrap his arms around Luke's neck.
The blonde blushes and hugs him back.
I look up at Ashton, who shrugs with a guilty look on his face. Then I realise there are lights on and I look around at the room.
"Did you guys go into the other rooms?" I ask, walking over to one of the two doors after sliding off my backpack and dropping it next to the others'.
"No," Kyra answers. "We were waiting because we know you like exploring new places first."
"Aw, thanks guys," I smile before opening the door. On the other side is a kitchen-like room. There's a microwave, an oven/stove, and many cabinets and drawers.
Connected to this room is another, with many computers and tech stuff.
I go back across the first room and to the other door. There's a hallway with three doors on the left and three on the right, with one at the end. Five of those seven rooms are bedrooms with actual real life beds in them. They each have a closet and a dresser.
The other two rooms are bathrooms. I wonder if they still work...
We all gather in the new main room and sit on the two couches. In the light I can see a table with six chairs around it.
"It's getting kinda late now," Jas says, holding out her hand for Sydney to climb onto. "Let's choose who we wanna room with."
"I choose Kyra!" Ashton shouts, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She laughs and agrees, then they go off into one of the rooms.
"I guess we'll share a room," Joe says, meaning him and Luke.
"I wanna sleep with you," Amanda tells Jasmyn.
I look over at Michael nervously. He stares back, not showing any emotions.
"I'll room with Cal," he speaks up, breaking our eye contact to look at Jas.
I get up to go to the room at the end of the hallway and grab a blanket from our supplies on the way there. I pull my phone out of my pocket and go to the photos app, knowing there are pictures of Jareth there.
Scrolling through them, I find many of us together and almost all the rest are either band members or photos I had taken of scenery or pretty things.
I find one random picture of 5sos that I don't even remember saving.
Michael has dark purple-ish blue hair and is wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt. Calum has a streak of blonde in his hair which is nearly as long as Michael's but much less messy and much more full. He's wearing a striped grey sweater. Ashton's wearing a black Led Zeppelin shirt with red lettering and a black jacket on top of it. His hair is a bit shorter than it is now but just as curly. Luke has his hair mostly hidden in a beanie and the front is longer than it is now. He's wearing a black denim jacket over a black shirt.
I smile for no reason and turn on my music to fall asleep to. There's a working lamp on the dresser next to my bed which I'd had on, so I turn it off.