The World Ended (The World Is Ending: Book Two)

Lightened Forest

I sat by the fire, even though it didn't really matter anyway. I was never cold, plus, the cold never bothered me anyway.

The others slowly came and sat next to me... Even Nate, who was further away from the others. We all sat in silence, observing the beauty of the fire.

The flames that crackled reminded me of Blackout... I missed him. I missed the pack.. But, I was glad that they didn't have to suffer like everyone was right now...

I awaited for someone to speak up. I wouldn't speak up... I didn't want attention. I never started conversations, but I usually finished them.

"S-So, you're Nate, right? NateWantsToBattle?" Thomas looked over to Nate. Nate had this sad expression on his face as he stared into the intense fire... I didn't know what he was thinking.

"Yeah, that would be me." Nate faced Thomas. I was concerned for Nate... Whatever he had seen, whatever he went threw... It was because of me. He would always have that scar of that moment inplanted within him...

...We all would.

"I'm Thomas, Thomas Sanders. These are my friends Joan and Tayln." He pointed to each one of them. They waved when they were referred to...

Nate nodded and slightly waved back. I could tell that we were all a little hurt on the inside... Not just because of what just happened, either. Our pasts... That's what brought us together.

Our paths crossed.
Now I had to make sure that they got to Paradise...

After that, everyone stayed silent. I tried to look for answers from each one of them, but they just stared into the fire... I sighed.

"L-Look, I know we are all damaged... But that doesn't mean we have to go through it alone. Trust me, I've learned that. We need to stick together through these times..." I spoke quietly... I put my hands behind my back, supporting my sitting position.

"'These times?' You haven't even explained to us why you had dragged us here, or why you are even who you are!" Tayln shouted at me. I expected that. I deserved that.

I really gave no explanation. They deserved one...

"Tayln! Shadow is also hurtin-" I cut Thomas off before he could finish his sentence. I looked at Tayln...

"You're right," I sat up straight and looked straight past Tayln with the straightest face. I had no emotion in that moment... For I would be recalling everything that had happened before... "You guys do deserve an explanation..." I sighed.

"...This, this is the end of the world." No gasps, no sounds, just everyone waiting for me to tell what I had to say.. I knew they would understand...

...That's all I've ever wanted... For someone to understand...

"It all began about a month ago," I explained the story about Team Wolf. I had no control of my words, they just came out without hesitation. Once the memories finally reached my heart, I had tears in my eyes.

The faces of my old team mates filled my mind. Joey, Meghan, Daniel, Crystal... Everyone... I hoped that they were well right now.

I clenched my left arm. The memories of Team Wolf dragged me into the memories of my past before Team Wolf.

I explained everything... It took a while, but I explained it... Once I was done, I looked to the ground.

Teardrops hit the soft, white, cloud-like snow. Everyone was speechless, as there was no sound coming from anyone.

I just wanted this suffering to end.
I just wanted to go  h o m e.

I then felt a hand on my shoulder.
I turned to see who it was, and it appeared that it was Nate.
The moonlight was beaming on both of us.

"Shadow, no matter what, we'll be here for you... I know it seems like right now that there is no light in the darkness, but I promise you, we all promise you, we're going to be here with you. Until the end. Until Paradise." He looked at me in the eyes. My jaw slightly dropped open in awe. I noticed that the others were nodding in approval.

It all happened slowly, but all at once. I fell into Nate's arms.
...For once, I felt comforted.

He put his arms around me. The others all came together and joined in, just like before.

"T-Team W-Wolf." I smiled through the tears and put my hand out in front of everyone. Everyone piled their hands on mine, and we all did the team motion.

The rest of the night was restless.
None of us slept.
Me not sleeping wasn't really a big deal, since I was used to it. I was a professional insomniac.

The next day, we all decided that we should have some breakfast. Food was important during the end of the world..

We got lucky that Thomas and the others had packed food in their backpacks before retreating to Los Angeles... I really didn't want to go hunting. Not at a time like this.

Thomas had some prepackaged steak that he just threw on the fire. The fire crackled and consumed the steak within it's flames.

None of us were real cooks, well, except for maybe Joan. ...We didn't bother cooking properly. I mean, who has time for that? It's the end of the world. No one has got time for being fancy.

I laughed at how Thomas threw it into the fire wearily. It was like he was poking a stick at a bear.

Once we thought the steak was cooked enough, I grabbed a stick and quickly avoided the flames from catching the stick on fire. From there, I grabbed the steak and set it on the ground with swiftness.

Believe it or not, the steak was actually cooked perfectly.
"See? We don't need to be chefs to make food like this." I put my hands on my hips and I observed the steak.

Nate chuckled as he watched nearby from the grass. Thomas was sitting next to Nate, as they were talking about music... One of their favorite hobbies.

Tayln then came up from behind, and she put an arm around me. She was a little taller than me, but not very tall.
"We're the smol squad!" She shouted, and I quietly laughed and nodded.

I was smol, 4'2 to be exact. Tayln was older than me, but I had the same maturity as her. She was about 5'0.

Then there were the others...
They were super tall...
Especially Thomas...
Being smol is hard, but fun.
I was a professional smol child.

"Alright, breakfast... Or lunch? Is served." I then remembered that Tayln was a vegetarian, which reminded me of Joey and the others...
Oh, how I missed them.

I looked over to Tayln, "Is it okay that you're eating meat?" I asked her, but she held up her hand as if to say: 'Say no more.'

"It's fine. You have to eat anything you find when the world is ending. Trust me, I have experience..." My head tilted. "....In video games, of course! Duh!" We both bursted out laughing from this.

Tayln and I got along super well... We had the same interests like trees, animals, etc. Speaking of trees, when we sat down and began eating, Tayln and I talked about trees and plants. I recommended different herbs for healing and she listened intently.

The others just talked about music.
I had forgotten, Joan was the one to teach Thomas how to plau different instruments... They were all music lovers.

Whilst Tayln and I were eating and talking about trees, something... Or someone stopped out conversation.

Among the trees, there appeared another figure.

Who were they?