Lone survivor {completed}

Chapter six

       "Hey" "hey wait" Zach called running up behind me, he grabbed my arm to stop me. I spun around to face him "what was all that"? He looked at me like I had grown three heads. "What do you mean"? I crossed my arms "you just got back and you don't even take a second to stop, your acting like you don't trust us" he scolded me looking hurt "it's not like that" I tried to turn away. He grabbed my shoulders "then what is it"? He asked, I shoved his hands off "I don't know okay" I said loudly. "I don't know" I repeated much much quieter "I had a lot of time to think, I don't know what's wrong with me; all I know is that I can't lose you guys" I looked at the shop where the others were at, I could see them through the door bustling around. "Your not going to lose us" he told me reassuringly "you don't know that, I thought Cody and May wouldn't leave, I thought Bex wouldn't die, we all thought we would be living normal lives but look at us now" I looked at him.
        "Just let me do this, I jumped off that car for a reason, I drove away for a reason, I came back... for a reason" I paused "you told me outside the courthouse that I had come there for a reason and you were right, this is that reason" I continued. Before I knew what had happened Zach had pulled me into a hug "that's not your job, we keep each other alive" he said and I started tearing up. However I wasn't crying because, I was sad; him saying that finally made me feel like I knew where I was meant to be. We stood like that for a while until the others came up to us, we pulled apart and I looked at them "are you okay" Carly asked me and I laughed nodding "I'm fine, just fine" I looked at Zach we smiled at each other.
       We all gathered some pieces of furniture and whatever we could find and grabbed a couple supplies from the RV. Matthew found an old ladder and put it against the side of the building "who's first" Emily said jokingly looking up the rickety metal ladder.  "I will" I volunteered walking forward I reached up to grab the wrung but a pain in my side made me stop. I looked down to see dried blood on my shirt and Zach's Jacket still tied around my waist; in the confusion and chaos of the last few days I completely forgot about the gash on my side. "What's wrong"? Cody asked talking to me for the first time since I came back, "just a cut, I'm fine" I shrugged it off.
      "I'll go" Matthew said walking to the ladder he stopped "are you okay" he asked and I nodded before he started his ascend. Everyone went up one by one, I waited to go last so I wouldn't hold the others up. I was about to go when May stopped me, her and Cody still standing down there with me "can we talk"? She asked and I looked up at Zach who was halfway up the ladder. "Sure, I suppose we need to dont we" I replied shrugging "yo guys I'll be up in a minute" I called up, Zach looked over the edge at us. Mainly at Cody though, sending him daggers; we walked over to the RV and Cody leaned against the side.
       "Cassy I am so sorry" May said tearing up already "I, we shouldn't of left you guys without telling you but once we did" she paused "we didn't think you'd want us to come back" Cody finished for her. "That's all I wanted, Bex was furious but she would've forgave you" I told them "I was crushed when I read that letter, I waited for you guys, I didn't sleep.. but you never came back" I continued. "Then Bex" I stopped looking down "what happened to her"? May hesitantly asked me. "She got bit" I looked up at her "I- I thought she would be okay but that night, she wasn't okay" a tear slipped down my cheek. "Look guys I don't blame you for her dying, If anything I blame myself" I shook my head "what do you mean"? Cody said coming closer to us now. "When she- when it happened I was upstairs. She wanted me to go with her but I couldn't, I was in shock still from you leaving" I took a deep breath "I couldn't save her" I continued glancing at the roof top to see Zach still watching us.
     "I couldn't save her but I'll do whatever I can to save them, look what happened happened all that matters is keeping them alive" I thought back to what Zach said, no matter what he said I'm still going to protect them "I forgive you guys but that doesn't mean I trust you, it's going to be a while before I can do that again. Just don't screw up again" I finished walking to the ladder, I looked up and took a breath. I put one foot on the bottom and grabbed the rung, I started to climb and got about halfway before the world started spinning. I wrapped my arms around the bars hugging it to keep myself from falling I squeezed my eyes shut tight to try and get rid of the dizziness.
       "Cassy are you okay"? I heard Emily ask from above but I couldn't answer right away, I just felt nauseous; I feel like if I look up I'm going to fall off. "Yeah" I said after a minute "just give me a second" I mumbled opening my eyes again, the world had stopped spinning. I sat there for a couple seconds before climbing up to the roof, Matthew came over and helped me onto the roof. "How'd that go" he asked looking over at May and Cody who were just now coming towards the ladder. "Not terrible, not good" I said shrugging my shoulders, I went and sat beside the others. "You seem.... better" Carly said once I did and I gave her a questioningly look. What does she mean better I'm fine, heh who am I kidding right? I'm a mess. "No offense, you seemed off earlier" she continued when I said nothing, "Uh yeah, I just missed you guys so much" I said overly dramatic and she laughed.
I smiled, the sun was now setting and the fire was glowing in front of us, it would almost be relaxing if there weren't decaying monsters roaming the streets and people who will kill you just to take the little you have. May and Cody came and sat across from me, we met eyes causing me to instantly looked away. I leaned back and looked up at the stars, the millions of twinkling stars. "That's one thing I don't miss" I said breaking the silence, the others looked at me "the polluted, smog, light covered New York skies" I continued still staring at the bright stars.
"You remember when we went to the planetarium for your ninth birthday"? May asked me and I looked over at her across the fire. "Yeah and the door to the bathroom got stuck so me and you were stuck in the girls bathroom half the party" We laughed together for the first time in a long.. long time. "I miss that, I miss when we could laugh together" she said shaking her head like she was trying to forget it and honestly I have to admit I miss it too. "There's a lot of things I miss" I said aloud but to no one in particular. "I miss pizza, hanging out with friends, I miss drawing, I even miss going to school" I smiled thinking about how life was before; but without all of this crap I wouldn't have met these guys, and I don't know what I'd do without them.
"I miss chocolate" Carly added "I miss family reunions, and running around the yard chasing my dog" she continued. "I miss karaoke, I miss Netflix, ooh I really miss going to the water park with my brother" Emily chimed in. "I miss vacations to the beach, I miss skateboarding, playing football" Matthew said as well "I miss clubs after school, baseball, I miss my family, I miss ramen noodles" Zach said laughing. I looked at Cody "how bout you"? I asked and he shrugged "what's the point of missing things you'll never get back" he said spoiling the fun.
"There has to be at least one thing you miss" I kept pushing surprised I was actually trying to start a conversation with him. "Uh I mean, I miss camping, I miss sitting around a fire watching the stars; yet here we are sitting around a fire surrounded by the stars" he looked into the embers. We spent a few hours telling stories about our past, all of us but Cody anyway. "Who's on first watch" Emily asked the group, "I will" I said jumping up, "you sure"? Zach asked like I was so fragile, I would shatter any minute. "Yes I'm sure" I said defensively and he nodded still seeming unsure, we all grabbed a blanket from the bags and laid it down by the fire. Everyone laid back either staring at the sky or eyes closed, I doubted anyone would fall asleep any time soon.
Surprisingly after a while the others started breathing deeper as if they had drifted off. I sat just staring at the empty dark road stretching across the land on both sides. I stood to walk around for a bit but immediately fell, the world beginning to spin yet again. I felt as if I couldn't feel the ground beneath me, squeezing my eyes clothes and holding my head in my hands. "Cassy..." a hollow voice above me made me open my eyes. I looked around to see someone standing near the ladder, when she turned I saw Bex's face staring back at me. She gestured for me to come towards her, I stood up and quietly made my way towards the edge. I turned to see the others still laying by the fading fire "Cassy" Bex's emotionless sing Singh voice said again.
I turned but she wasn't on the roof anymore "down here" she said and I rushed to the edge looking over. She was standing at the bottom now, without hesitation I swung my leg over the edge and made my way down the cold ladder. It creaked with every step I made, I went to jump off at the end but was met with the hard ground. I pushed myself up looking around to see Bex now in the road staring at the trees, "Bex"? I asked but she didn't look at me. I stumbled dizzily to the road, I stopped a foot short of her, "Bex" I reached out grabbing her shoulder. Suddenly a gun shot shattered the air, I ducked down covering my head when I stood up once again I know saw a biter laying still on the ground a bullet hole in its head.
I swiveled around in a circle seeing no sign of Bex, what I did see was Emily behind me holding a gun and the others running up. "Cassy are you okay"? She asked running over to me, it felt like her voice was a million miles away. "I was calling your name but you ignored me" she looked past me at the biter "what the heck was that"? She yelled gestured at the biter. "Bex, where did she go"? I asked just as the others ran up "Bex is dead, you told us that" she looked at me a terrified expression over taking her face. "No, no I just" I looked at the biter laying on the ground and realized what I was saying. "You what"? Zach put a hand on my shoulder "nothing, it's nothing" I turned back to him but there stood a decaying face with Zach's dead eyes staring back.
I shoved him away backing up, I closed my eyes and when I opened it was gone. "Are you okay"? Carly asked worriedly "your breathings really rapid, and your sweating" she continued. "It's just hot out here" I shrugged it off trying to forget the image of Zach as a biter. "It's freezing, I can see my breath" Cassy said before pushing past the others. She grabbed my shirt pulling it up far enough to see my stomach "hey"! I exclaimed. She moved so I could see the cut on my side which was now a sickly black color. "God Cassy" she stepped back "it's fine, I'm fine" I tried to force a smile.
My head began to spin again and next thing I knew the ground was coming towards me.. that's when it all went dark.