left for dead ♡ gabriel #Wattys2019

five

The four standing kids slowly inched towards the capsule, swallowing heavily and trembling with fear. Their curiosity overran their anxiety and suddenly they were getting closer and closer to the hole in the shuttle.

"Hello? Is..is anybody in here?" Gabriel called into the capsule, it echoed around ominously. Felicity tried to scoot forward to get a better view inside, slowly squirming out of Gabriel's protective grip. She stepped a foot closer, peeking into the capsule when someone's hands shot out and Felicity jumped back into Gabriel's chest. The kids all stumbled back, away from the mysterious figure crawling out of the capsule.

Alex hopped forward,"Guys!" Felicity followed him and grabbed onto one of her arms, Gabriel right behind her. They worked to pulled her from the capsule.

"I thought space was supposed to make you weightless," Dariush complained, groaning as he used his minimum strength to help pull the woman out,"What the hell?"

Felicity gritted her teeth, sharply passing back,"This summer camp not Jupiter, dumbass."

"We're not in space, dude," Alex followed up Felicity's wit with a more calmer approach, as he would find himself doing a lot as he spends more time around the bookworm.

The woman collapsed on the ground, curling into a ball and holding her stomach in pain.

"Miss?" Felicity called the woman, stepping forward to crouch down by Alex.

"Where am I?" She questioned, almost inaudible from beneath her heavy breaths .

"At Rim of the World Adventure Camp,"Alex answered her,"Near Big Bear!"

"This is a camp?" The woman looked disappointed, like someone had taken the last m&m from the trail mix. Her while world looked as though it crumbled to nothing, Felicity could see the despair in her eyes.

Dariush couldn't see it though and reassured the woman of the place they were in,"Yeah, I was disappointed too, but-"

"Coordinates all wrong..."

"Coordinates? To where?" Felicity questioned, leaning forward.

"Pasadena-" The woman looked around at them all  scanning their faces,"-Dr. Fielding."

"I'm sorry," Dariush stuttered out, interrupting the woman,"but we're not near Pasadena right now."

The woman groaned, brushing off Dariush. She screamed,"JPL!"

"JPL? The Jet Propulsion Laboratory," he looked at his friends, a know-it-all attitude peeking out from under his words,"it's part of NASA."

Gabriel stopped the woman, urging her not to move, that it would only get worse if she kept squirming. Something seemed to click in her eyes and Felicity jumped back as the woman's arms flailed around. She grabbed the necklace she had on rapidly, muttering to herself,"The key!" She reached out and dragged Alex forward, Felicity stepped forward to pull him away, but quickly saw she meant no harm. Her words were urgent, and Felicity could tell something was not right. "The key. Take it to JPL, Dr. Fielding. It has everything on it. Excalibur, evedything. Go!"

Felicity looked around, her nose scrunched in confusion. What was that noise? She whipped around quickly as something was forming on the side of the capsule,"Oh shit!" She dropped down and grabbed one of the woman's arms,"We gotta go!"

The woman shook her arm from her, drawing to herself. "No! Go! Hurry!"

Gabriel looked at her shocked, screaming over the noise,"You're gonna die if we leave you here!"

The woman only shook her head in potest,"We'll all die if you don't!"

Felicity stared at her, the woman turned and met her eyes. Felicity felt something twinge inside of her, she saw her mother's face in the woman's. She saw herself in her eyes.

"I can't leave you," Felicity grabbed her hand and tried to tug,"I can't leave you!"

The woman squeezed her hand, between her own she reassured Felicity. "You have to. Run!"

Felicity was dragged away, Zhenzhen had a hold of the collar of her shirt until she caught up enough for her to shove Felicity to Gabriel who grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Was that an alien?" Dariush howled, glancing over his shoulder. Gabriel kept taking worried glances at Felicity's distraught face; the tears in her eyes, the furrow of her brow, the redness flushed across her cheeks. Something had stabbed at her, something had twisted her heart. She had something on her mind, and Gabriel was gonna keep her and himself alive so she could tell him.

"Run!"

"Keep going, come on!"

Felicity ran reluctantly, her breaths were shorter than usual. She only breathed through her nose and she needed to blink away a curtain of tears every few seconds. Running from a monster after going through a short mental breakdown was not ideal.

She snapped around when she heard Alex's voice rip through the air,"It has a dog!"

Gabriel shoved her inside and ran away quickly, Felicity stayed beside the door when Gabriel had left her to wait for them. Her hand on the door, her nails digging into the wood; itching to slam it as hard as she could.

She examined what Alex had dubbed as a 'dog'. It was certainly not. It was monstrous, dripping in slime and a disgusting greenish brown color. The size was not that of a Great Dane, but bigger. Felicity slammed the door as soon as Alex and Gabriel were in and ran after them.

The got to the sitting area, aiming to keep going until Dariush stopped them all. "Wait, wait, wait! Alex! How big was it? Was it, like, puppy-size? 'Cause maybe it just wants to cuddle!"

Felicity clenched her jaw and raised her finger at him,"The only thing that monster will want to cuddle is your esophagus when it rips it out!"

Dariush had a look of fear slapped across his face then the "dog" busted into the cafeteria and he was off. Alex snatched her hand and dragged her with them to the kitchens. The races inside and looked around for a hiding spot until whispers got to them,"Alex! Felix! C'mere! Over here!"

Felicty dived down next to Gabriel and scooted close to him, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She pressed their shoulders together and gripped at the ends of her shorts.

"Dariush! Dariush, over here!"

But it was too late, the dog had found them and was charging into the kitchen. Zhenzhen motioned for her friends to follow her around the counters and they made it just in time for it to whip around and them to not be there.

Felicity pressed her back into the counter, slowing her breathing. Then she heard clatter behind them and her heart jumped out of her chest, immediately picking up the pace again. She Dariush scream before they were up and backing into a corner. Dariush crawled out of a vent space,  the dog behind him, and ran over to his friends.

"Help me, help me! I'm comin'!"

The kids pulled him into the huddle, waiting for the dog to come for them. When it did, it jumped to latch onto anything it could bite, but the kids dodged and ducked out of the way. Zhenzhen and Felicity pulled the lever as the dog disappeared into the other side of the wall, shutting the latch.

"Fuck! Go, let's get out of here!"