Lost World

Ch 25: I make a promise to a dead man

"Audrey, wake up," Ty says, shaking me awake. 

"Hmm?" I say groggily, wiping the sleep out of my eyes. 

"We've got to get a move on. We're not far enough from the Institute, and they're sending out search parties. We need to get off the map as fast as we can, do you understand?" His eyes are searching mine, looking for any indication that I understood a word that he was saying. I just nod my head in response and crawl out of the sleeping bag. Tyler had already packed up the essentials, and left just a few things out. 

I nodded and stood up, gathering my sleeping bag from the ground. However, when I was shoving my sleeping bag into the stuff sack, Tyler couldn't stop laughing. And when I looked at him, he just laughed harder. As I was trying to figure out what was so funny, his phase of hysteria went away. He waltzed over to me and took my sleeping bag from my hands. He began to pull it out of what was not the stuff sack, but a dirty, used, backpack that didn't belong to either of us. 

I suppose I made a disgusted face, because Tyler only smiled at me and giggled a bit more. "Looks like someone took their cup of coffee for granted," he snickered. I only nodded in response. 

By lunch, we had settled in a small, ruined town on the outskirts of a demolished city. Ty was skipping rocks in a puddle of sewage. I smiled in his direction. It was exciting to see him truly happy, at least at one point in his life. 

But, it didn't last long. With a bang, Tyler came crashing to the ground. I can't remember if I screamed or not, but in a flash I was at his side. He was wheezing, a pool of blood surrounding his left shoulder. One, lonely tear trickled down his cheek. "Ty," I whimpered. 

"Promise me you'll survive?" he said quietly, "Promise me you'll live through this?" 

"I promise," I stuttered, tears stinging my own eyes. 

"I love you," he grunted, "don't you ever forget that."

"I-I love you too," I stammered, my voice cracking. His death wasn't like those that you saw in movies. He didn't have a dramatic last breath, or closed eyes. He was just gone. I had never felt true emotion until that point. Until I saw the love of my life die in my arms, until I felt his cold body rest on my own, until I looked at him for the last time. I never felt anything until I made a promise to a dead man.