Tracking Faith 》 Alicia Clark/OC

Chapter Ten - Long Time Ago

《 ZACHARIAH》

Living in Alexandria was different than the Sancutary had been. Too different for me to even explain. There was a sense of community that the Sancutary had been lacking.

My brother was also different here, he was apologetic for yanking me away from Alicia the way things had gone down. He seemed genuine with his apology too.

We had been a part of the community for a while now, ever since the war had ended. I watched as my brother lived his life with Rosita, and as my sister ended up with Siddiq. All the while I stayed alone in my own house, not even really trying to get that close to anyone.

Nothing against the people of Alexandra and the Hilltop - my head was just still a couple thousand miles away. Which was exactly where I knew my head shouldn't be. Yet it was that far away and far in the past everytime I was alone.

Texas and Mexico was so long ago, yet I found my thoughts still there. Though nowadays it was more so in a questioning way. Cause I wondered what happened to the Clark's. I wondered if they were still alive somewhere out there. If they had found a community.

We had finally found a community so I hoped that they had too, we finally had a sense of family again. So it was a thought in my head that they had to have found somewhere just the same as we had.

I had to eventually force myself to stop hoping everytime I found out one of our communities had new members. Because hoping it would be them just led to more disappointment when it wasn't. Because it wasn't going to be them, I knew that. The chances of them ending up where we were was low, very low.

I should just move on, get over the entire thing. It was in the past along with a bunch of other shit. At this point it seemed like even my time with the Saviors was in the past - forgotten about. And Ryan and Leah had started their new lives now, yet here I was alone.

But in an odd way, it almost made sense that I was alone out of us three. Because I hadn't been when this whole thing started and they had. So it almost worked out in my head that of course I would be the one alone right now.

I took as many supply runs as I could, to keep myself busy. It helped, being busy, to stay out of my head. Away from the thoughts of the girl who I had loved and lost. Especially helped when I couldn't picture her face anymore - a realization that came with a heartbreaking feeling.

《●》

I had been trying to get away. From them. The ones who moved amongst the dead as if they were part of them. Thats when the wreck happened.

When I finally came back to. I knew I was dead. Cause my eyes fell open slightly - just enough to give me a glimpse. Of her face. Before they shut back and I was trapped inside the dark again, where all I could sense was pain.

I was gone, I had been stupid gotten stuck out and surrounded. The car was the only option. But when I lost control of the car, and skidded off the road and into the tree. The piece of metal had practically impaled me, shutting me out of the world. And now I was dead.

I had to be, if I was seeing her.

Did this mean that she was dead too? I couldn't tell. Not now with the pain radiating so strongly.

But if I was dead, why was I feeling pain? Shouldn't that have stopped? I always figured everything stopped when you died, everything. Feeling stopped. But the pain was very much still there.

"Luci - is he still breathing?" The panicked voice reached my ears, although it sounded so far off.

"Barely." The other familiar voice replied.

I felt the piece of metal lodged into my abdomen move and a scream ripped out of my mouth. "If you remove that, you'll be making sure he does die." A voice said - I didn't recognize that one.

My breathing got shorter, and then it hit me. I wasn't dead yet, but I would be soon. And somehow, she was here.

"Zach, stay with me." Her voice pleaded near my ear. Something pressed against my stomach, causing more pain.

"Please. Stop." I forced out, unable to focus on anything - barely getting my eyes open to look at her.

It was her. Somehow she had found me, laying here practically dead. If I was being honest, I probably was dying so maybe the reunion wouldn't last more than this. But somehow through the pain, I felt a smile tug at my mouth at the sight of her. And her face was all I could focus on as my eyes slid shut.

Alicia represented many things in my mind. Before. Love. Friendship. Family. Loss. And somehow it all made sense in my head that of course she'd find me when I was almost dead, as she had always done before.

When my parents had died and I shut everyone out, wishing I wasn't there - she forced me to let her in. When my blood sugar dropped on the boat, she found me and then forced me to lay in that bed until I was 100 percent again.

It had always been Alicia and I had been kidding myself anytime I thought I was over her. Because at the end of the day, when things mattered, it was her.

It was just too bad that this time she had been a little too late.

《●》

So up at the top of this chapter is actually a tribute video that I found of the faceclaim for Zach. I feel like it actually kind of fits Zach throughout this series.
So I just kind of thought I'd add it in for that reason.