•sequel to glitched•
Two years after the destruction of the Machine (and in turn, the destruction of the world as we know it) humankind has adapted to survive- forming large gangs that were constantly at war with one another in the fight for food a...
A/N I will admit I've missed writing this. Here's another update— I was feeling inspired tonight lol.
But I can't with those deep quotes right now so here you go instead-
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Yup that's me. Improving your day.
••• District_310 year 02 post great shock •••
Logan POV
"Lo... I can't do this any longer. I...I need to sit down."
"No, Em, you gotta keep walking. Okay?" I wrap an arm around Emma's waist, helping her stay upright, and look to Dani for help.
She's not paying attention, marching along, staring stormily ahead.
Great. Just great.
"I wanna go home. I wanna go back to my house, when my sister was there, and little Hunter... Can you take me home?"
"I wish I could, Em. I really do. But right now you just need to put one foot in front of the other. We should be shopping soon, the guards are looking tired."
If I was being totally honest, I was scared straight. Something was off with Emma. I mean, even more so than usual.
She was declining quickly and had thrown up two times already. Her skin was pale and had a grey tint to it. Her expression was listless, as if she was a million miles away.
"I wanna sit down on the couch and turn on a movie. Amara will come downstairs, complain about what I'm watching, but watch it with me anyway. She'll get bored halfway though and pull out her phone, laughing hysterically over something that's not even funny."
I listen to her speak, giving her all my attention as I support her weakening body, watching every one of her little facial expressions, studying the way she smiles that sad little smile. She so rarely talks about the before, about her family, that every time she opens her mouth on the subject I hang onto every word.
"Than we will go upstairs. I'll go into my room but feel lonely a few hours later, and go to Amara's room like I've done ever since I was young. She will be there, still awake, looking exhausted. I'll pretend I don't notice, because that's what she wants. She wants me to think she's okay. I'll sit down next to her and she'll make a face at me, but I know she's happy to see me."
Another one of those small smiles. Emma stumbles and I quickly reach out to steady her, tightening my arm around her waist. "Keep going, Em."
"She will talk to me. Never telling me what's actually wrong, but always giving little clues. Mentioning some kid at her school, something Mom did, or rather, didn't do. Than she will get flustered over worrying me. She'll stroke my hair and sing to me until I'm half-asleep. Than she'll guide me to my room. And than I wake up. And she's gone. Forever, Logan. She's gone forever." Emma turns to me, her eyes round and tear filled.
My heart breaks. This girl is my life. Maybe she doesn't know it, and I doubt I'll ever be brave enough to tell her, but she is the only thing that gets me off the hard ground in the morning. She's what inspires me to keep laughing and joking. Seeing her this broken... I wrap my arm tightly around her shoulders, noting how much thinner they've gotten.
"Shh... you're fine. Look, the guards are signaling for us to stop. We can rest, Em."
"I don't want to rest. I want to die."
My heart skips a beat. Not in the oh-my-gosh-she-just-looked-at-me-I'm-freaking-out way, in the terrified way. "No, no. Don't say that. Look at me."
She glances away, a strand of her dirtied blonde hair hanging in her face.
"Look. At. Me." I repeat.
She glances at me. "You have to keep going. There is a future out there for us. And just because we are being paraded through a dark tunnel with a bunch of rats doesn't mean that this will go on forever."
"It feels like it is..." she whispers.
"Look at me. I'm here. Dani is here. Maybe everyone else you had is gone, but look around. Many of these people lost everyone too. And we can either go about this two ways. We can give up, or we can fight back."
"I've fought so much, Lo."
"I know you have. And you've done so good. But you've just got to fight a little more. Okay?"
"Okay."
I smile, leading her over to a wall to sit down. "Good. Because I don't know what I'd do without you there to call me out on things."
She grins, a weak little smirk. "You'd probably drive everyone crazy without me keeping you in check."
"Probably." I laugh softly, pulling her into a hug. It doesn't take long for her shaky breaths to steady into ones of slumber, her head resting on my chest.
Dani raises her eyebrows. "When are you going to tell her?"
"Tell her what?" I cough, avoiding eye contact.
"Tell her that you're crazy about her. It's painful to watch, Logan-boy. Even more painful than walking all day for a week in a row, and that's saying something."
"I'll tell her when I'm ready," I mumble, moving a bit of her hair away from her face and feeling her forehead. It's a little hot, but not nearly as bad as yesterday when she was raving about how much of a tragedy it was that Chick-Fil-A imploded.
Oh... and how she kept calling me Logie One Kenobi.
Hopefully she doesn't remember that. Ever.
The guards walk buy, tossing out the usual rations. Dani catches the small, slightly stale loaf of bread out of the air and rips it into chunks, dividing it as evenly as possible between the three of us. I set Enna's piece on her lap, unable to wake her up when she finally looks peaceful.
Although, when the second round of guards comes around with water I have to shake her awake. The friendly guard just happens to be the one passing around the water cup, and I catch him pouring a little extra for Emma.
She smiles. "Piggyback ride man."
I notice the corner's of his mouth twitch and he winks at her. As he leans down to take the cup back he whispers in my ear, "Take good care of that one, bud. I can't promise it'll get any easier, but stay strong for her, until she can work up the strength to stay strong for you again."
What does he mean, 'stay strong for me'? I mean, I know I'm a bit longer, but I'm not a burden to her... am I?
