Fracted (Book #2)

Chapter 46: Will But Can't

"No! I have to go back!" I yelled in hysteria.
"Geez, dude, what's your deal?" Patrick complained. "There's no way you're goin' back!"
"But I have to--They were there. I saw them!"
"It's not them, dude. It's just an illusion. It's not real."
I did whatever I can do to free myself, however, he was holding on to my right arm instead of my left, so I detach myself and run back.
"Even if it were the two," he said. "It's too late to come back."
I hurl a punch to his face and he freed me from his powerful grip. I dash for the smoking trees, towards the landscape glowing in fire ember.
"Eiffel! Benjamin! Guys, please, say something!"
"Jess, stop...they're dead."
I shook off his hands when he tried pulling me away.
"Jess, we have to go," he said. "Really, come on."
"No."
"Jess, we--" His voice stopped at one occasion, his head pointed directly at the tree above us.
He froze in that position until we heard the crackling of its branches. I felt a sudden urge to run, but I haven't scavenged the dead-looking bodies laying on the slanted ground. We had not much choice but to run downhill before the enormous beanstalk-like tree crushes us.
The ground shook when it fell, and we dropped to our chests and flipped our way down.
"Dude, come on. Let's get outta here!"
More shooting was my motivation to keep moving. But just stop, please. I just lost two of my loved ones, I don't want to leave.
We reached the edge of the island, the cliff. Jason and Hunter were preparing the yacht for departure below us. The humongous smoke arise from the trees behind us.
"Let's go!" Hunter yelled for us to get.
I leaped down and landed on the wooden floor close to the boat's railing. As the men got closer when running, we sailed off by ourselves, bringing all the regrets with me.

"Where do you think we're going?" Patrick asked Jason.
"I don't know...away, I guess. As long as it's far from North Brother."
"How long since we departed?" I ask.
"An hour ago."
"What direction are we even heading?" Clare asked this time.
"East, I think. Pretty foggy out here," Jason said, steering the boat.
"You guys get some sleep," Hunter suggested. "I know a safe place to hide."
Sounds suspicious. A Zip steering a boat with three unconscious Innates. I couldn't help but think he's planning on not letting me see morning's light again, because I left Benjamin.
I grab a blanket from my backpack and head down on the yacht's lower deck, at the small lounge where they have a small cushion. I lay down for a bit, but I fell into an endless death-like slumber. If only I can create my own world inside my dreams.
Come, come closer, a masculine voice called out to me. That's it, you're close. Don't stop, you're there.
"Where?" I asked aloud. He seems to be inside my head--there's not much space inside, it's all clamped up.
You're in our domain so you're safe, for now. The world beyond our domain is a dangerous place.
"Yeah, no kidding--Wait a sec, who are you?"
It's me, your old friend. Jackson?
Then my eyelids shot straight up coherently. Everywhere I go it's a horrendous nightmare.
'Come closer, come closer'? What's that mean? Is Jackson telling us where to go? Does he want me back? He sure recovers fast from deep hatred. I'm not sure if it really was that deep though.
I felt like bawling. It's like they're forced to help me only because they have sympathy, not because I'm good enough to be with them. Not this again, please.
I pulled my head inside the blanket and let my eyes burst into geysers of sorrows. He's gone, my father. She's gone, the girl I love that loved me back and wasn't really honest about it. Maybe I'll just stick with people I hate. Could Hunter really be my only source of survival?
So I'm actually gonna kill myself so I can live? So everyone I love can be safe? The thing that hurts the most is, did they actually love me? Or did they just force themselves to do it?
I will go back at some point, but I can't let myself be caged inside the zone.