SURVIVORS ↠ ZACH MITCHELL ✔️ [EDITING]

Chapter 2

     The snow covered ground was disturbed by the clawed foot of an ordinary bird, chirping away before it flapped its wings and flew off. Karen Mitchell, who was in the drive way loading up the Nissan minivan with luggage turned towards the yellow two story suburban house, and yelled up to the building.

     "Boys, let's do this!" Her voice had fallen on deaf ears.

     Her son, Gray, was in his room looking at slides of dinosaurs on the blue view master toy, an Allosaurus fighting a triceratops, then glanced at two Ceratosaurs fighting in a scene from 'The Animal World'. His room was covered completely in toys ranging in colours of dinosaurs and monsters as well as a few posters. Karen knocked on the door.

     "Gray?" She entered the room. "Honey, what're you doin'? What is this here?" She took the toy and put it down on his desk. "Let's go. Come on, honey your flights in two hours." She walked over to his bed and counted that he had everything while packing up most of his bag.

     "Dane County Airport is thirty six minutes away, sixty with traffic," he told her as he turned to look at him mum who smiled.

     "How many minutes to get your little butt in the van?" Gray smiled back at her. "Hmm? How many of those?" She picked up his bag and they both walked to the door. "Feed the monster under your bed?" She asked.

     "Yes."

     Gray went charging out of the front door of the house a minute later and ran obliviously passed his older brother, Zach, and his girlfriend.

     "Call me every day. And text me pics, so I don't forget what you look like."

     Zach's mum walked out of the house as his girlfriend held onto his upper arms, his arms on her waist, not really caring that much.

     "I'm only gonna be gone a week," he told her. His dad, Scott, sat in the drivers seat, his face showing amusement, but impatience at the same time.

     "Zach, you're not going off to war, here. Please. Come on." Zach and his girlfriend look at each other. Scott motioning for them to hurry up.

     "I-" He started but she cuts him off.

     "I love you," she interrupted.

     "-Will see you later." She grinned at his apparent inability to tell her the same. Not thinking of the possibility that maybe he didn't, in fact love her the way she loved him. That was the thing with Zach, he was unable to show his emotions, he never really cared, he was apathetic.

     "Vamanos!" Scott spoke up.

     "Bye. Okay," Zach told her again, without hugging her or giving her a proper goodbye.

     "Bye." She smiled as he ran to the van as his father started the engine.

     "You in buddy?" Karen asked Zach as his girlfriend waved to him, everyone but her in the van. Their parents turned to look at them, particularly the sullen Zach. "I know it hurts, sweetheart." Karen looked to him.

     "Are you gonna be okay?" Scott teased, Zach responded by putting his headphones on, before looking out the window. Gray smiled at his brother before looking out his own window.

-

     While at the Dane County Airport, their parents said goodbye to Zach and Gray at the gate of their plane. People were walking about, catching the line early so they didn't have to wait as long, some saying goodbye, others hello. Karen was going over the plane ticket with Gray while Zach ignored them. Looking around hoping that there was something there to distract him. Scott watched the two as they talked.