Seafoam //Completed//

Chapter 23

The world stopped for half a second and immediately began spinning too fast for Lulu to keep her footing. Relief flooded through her body, almost making her cry when she heard his voice, as she realized she wasn't completely alone. It didn't matter that the voice belonged to Zac.

"Zac! Zac, I can't see anything. Something fell behind the door and there's no way out. I don't know what happened and I've tried to open the door but it won't budge!" Lulu knew she sounded shrill but she didn't care. She was terrified and the howling that had begun just behind the door only exacerbated her fear.

"Lulu? Calm down. What are you talking about?"

"Don't you hear that?" she asked. "Something's happened outside. The storm, I think it's worsened."

Her words rang through the room, and Zac, wherever he was, stayed silent.

"Maybe I can try to open the door," he said finally. "Just come down here so I can go up."

"I can't see anything, Zac. I'll fall."

"Okay, stay there. I'll come get you," he promised. In the dark, she heard his soft steps approaching. Slowly, he made the ascent up the stairs until he was finally in front of her. Her hands were outstretched, searching for him, afraid he would accidently bump into her and make her fall, but his hands found hers and he laced his fingers with her own. His grip was warm and instantly, she felt safer.

"Slowly, now," he cautioned just as her foot slipped on the first step.

"Damnit. Wait." Lulu reached down and took off her heels, holding onto them with her free hand. "Okay, let's go." Her voice trembled, her nerves still on end. "I can't see anything," she repeated for the third time.

"I've got you. Don't be scared," Zac's voice came from her left.

"How are you so calm?"

He gave a soft laugh. "I've been in the dark long enough to not fear it anymore."

He led her down the steps safely and guided her through the room. When they stopped, he helped her sit down on a bench and he sat next to her. It wasn't until she let go of his hand that she realized just how hard she had been holding onto him.

"Nice grip."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried," he scoffed, some of his usual snark back.

"Funny. Just so you know, I'm rolling my eyes at you," she shot back, and slid across the bench, away from him a little. The dark really was oppressive and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even see her own hand in front of her. Despite being underground, the howling of the wind was blowing a constant rhythm, drowning out the rapid beating of her heart.

"Here." Zac's hands reached out to hers again, pushing something rectangular into them. "On," he said, and the object in her hand lit up, illuminating the room. Lulu let out a sharp breath and smiled, grateful, as sight came back to her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, looking down at the phone in her hands. A little red circle with a line through it at the top of the screen crushed her hopes of calling for help.

"There's no signal."

"Figures."

Looking back at the phone, a picture of a smiling Selene looked back at Lulu. Curiosity got the better of her, and since she wasn't sure how long they were going to be stuck together, she thought it was best if they tried to get along. For sanity's sake.

"How long have you been with her?"

Zac laughed shaking his head in disbelief. "Is her picture set as my wallpaper? Of course it is. It's just like her to do something like that." He sighed deeply, still shaking his head. "We've been friends since we were kids."