Fracted (Book #2)

Chapter 57: Zipping Past Us

With no hesitation, Zach lunges at the clone, rapidly punching its face. "Go!" he yelled. "Guys, get outta here!" "No, we're not leaving you here!" Sarra said. "No one dies again, alright?"
"Dang it, Zach, don't kill yourself trying to save us. That's my job!" I said. I am so tired of scolding people.
The clone falls on the floor, bloody-faced and unconscious. Zach takes the gun.
"Since when?" He raised both arms, wondering how I got so powerful. More gunshots were heard, and Zach shot them back.
The adversaries retaliated, shooting twice as more as him. Zach winced, grabbing his side and grunting. But he never stopped shooting. He slowly shifts to our direction, and started running instead of shooting.
"Come on, come on, let's go!" he shouted, pushing me through the hall.
"I tried to warn you, dude. But you just have to be rebel, huh?"
We kept running until we reached the inside of the control room. It completely warm inside, cozy enough to sleep in. Benjamin shut the door thusly, simply locking it in one sleight of hand. A series of banging and bullets ricocheting against the door pulses through my ear drums.
"Do any of you kids have parents?!" he shouted in exaggeration.
"I have one infront of me right now," Jackson said.
"Not you, Jackson. Same with you, Jess."
I ignore dad's rambling. I rush over to Zach, who was loudly exhaling from his mouth at the corner of the room. He leaned against the wall clutching his side.
"Let me see," I said. He moves away, his forehead crunched up in an anguished expression.
"No...it's okay. I'm fine," he sighed.
"No you are not okay. You are shot and you're in serious need of rehabilitation. Now stop being fussy and I'll look for some twizzers and some bandage. Hang in there...we can't afford losing someone again."
"No need," Sarra said, holding up a first-aid kit to my face.
"Thanks, Sare. Where'd you find this anyway?" I ask.
"We found some weird room by the back door. Wanna come check it out?" "Woah, woah, woah...slow down," dad said. "This is no time for exploring, you kids already know we're under attack, right?"
"But this isn't just "exploring", it's called finding a way out."
"Tell me, Jess. What are we even doing here?" he asked cluelessly. Who should have asked that question before reacting to what Sarra had said.
I sighed while picking up the twizzers from the kit.
"Maybe later," I whispered to Sarra.
"Don't worry, Jess. I'll explain to him. You aid Zach and we'll be in the other room," Jackson offered.
"Thanks." I kneel down infront of him.
Zach looks at me in agony. It's like he never got used to this type of pain. A gunshot wound is not as painful as losing someone you love.
"It hurts..." he said with a lot of breath.
"Don't worry, you'll survive a gunshot wound. Hope it doesn't go near your ribs."
"It's not that." He sniffled. "It's because I saw it all happen with my two eyes."
"Saw what?" I lift his shirt up, pick up a piece of cloth, and press it against the wound. He flinched, struggling to be soundless.
"Robert get shot multiple times." There goes the tears. I'm sure the wound doesn't bother him anymore. I choke back a few tears also, trying not to shake.
"How was it?"
"Brutal...but devoted."
"Too bad I turned back and ran instead of helping you guys."
"It's not your fault. He did it to save you."
"So it is my fault, kind of."
"Stop blaming yourself!"
"But it's true! You have to stop denying the truth, Zach. Accept it."
"What if it's not worth accepting?"
I was quiet for a moment. Then I said, "Defy it."
He sniffed hard, and sighed again. "Please tell me it gets better, Jess," he sobbed. I'd never expect a tough guy like him cry like that. I kept quiet until he stopped crying. But his eyes served as geysers.
"Well say something!" he said.
"Do I have to?" I remove the cloth and started picking at his wound. He clenched his fists until they turned white.
He wasn't hesitant on screaming in pain. He wasn't hesitant on anything at all. A true meaning of bravery.
"Please...say something. I don't want to die surrounded by deafening silence. I don't want to die feeling like it's the end of me."
"There will never be an end of any of us. Trust me, it gets better," I said.
"You sure about that?"
"Hey, things always get better."
"Thanks, bro." He managed to make a crooked smile in the midst of pain.
I felt something scrape against the twizzers, and I tensed up immediately. Believe me, I have never done this before in my life. I am not good at saving people's lives, only ending them. But with my conversation with Zach says other-wise. I could hear the light sloshing of his flesh as I pull out the lost bullet out of his waist.
"Stay with me, dude, stay with me," he cried in pain as if he couldn't hold back his urine.
The bullet slips off the two metals that squeezed it tight. It made a small clinking sound on the floor as it fell. The blood dripping down his wound still flowed rapidly.
"We need to stitch you up."
"Ugh...so much pain in one day," he groaned. I laughed at it.
"I told you you'll make it."
"Yeah, thanks again."
I wipe off the blood that covered most of his waist and prepared the needle and the long thread.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked. A part of me says yes, another part of me says, "No, dude, absolutely not!"
"Yes," I reassured him.
I looped the needle around the wound until I got to the very edge of it. I cut the piece of thread out. I admit, that was the most about-to-fall-off-the-cliff moment.
"Jess, hurry! We found something!" Sarra excitey said as peeks her head out of the room she's inside of.
"Shall we check it out?" I asked Zach.
"Why not?"
He holds on to my waist and I put my arm around his shoulders as I escorted him to the room full of mystery.