sherbet - a stosuh fanfiction

Gone

the pictures above are just completely self-indulgent and not even connected to the story at this point

also this chapter hasn't been marinated or completely edited so sorry if it's weird ;-;

"Where are Dan and Jay..?"

Stephen and Ann blink, as if just realizing they weren't around.

"Weren't they just there?" The purple-haired boy points behind me dumbly, mouth agape, and I almost laugh if I weren't so stricken with worry.

The small girl looks around the parking lot, making a full 360 as she turns in a show circle. Her eyes narrow. "How..? Where did they go?"

"Oh no..." I mutter, the biting wind blowing in my face and making my eyes water. I helplessly squint at the store, and then turn to look at the large field that's way in the distance.

"They gotta be around here somewhere," says Ann in the silence, eyebrows furrowed. Her complexion seems a little pale and she's on the verge of biting her nails, hand brought up to her lips. "They couldn't have gone far."

"Where could those idiots be, though?" Stephen huffs. "Like, actually."

I shrug stiffly, fidgeting with my hands as I look around.

"What the.. heck."

"Hey, your censoring," Ann points out.

"Yeah, whatever," Stephen responds with a scowl. The zombie next to us garbles, and Stephen kicks it again. 

He sighs, looking around. I quietly watch the sky for a moment as the clouds start clearing up.

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Ann starts biting her nail, knitting her eyebrows in confusion. "Why would they go away?"

I shift, about to get up from the floor, until a sharp pang comes from my ankle and I remember my injury. Deciding to stay seated on the cold floor, I cast my eyes to the floor for a second, bangs falling over my eyes.

"I can call them," Stephen suggests, patting his pockets. I realize I have the device he's searching for, and quickly fumble with the phone, holding it out to him. He gingerly takes it.

He presses the power button. I watch as his expression turns sour. He presses the power button again.

"Hosuh!" His head snaps to me. "You used up all the fucking battery?"

"Wh- I'm sorry!" I sputter back. "I didn't know the flashlight could drain so much power.."

"You're actually an idiot, how-" He cuts up the words like he usually does. "Couldn't you have just turned on the actual store's lights?"

Ann puffs up her cheeks, stepping in. "How would we know where the lights are?"

The boy grumbles to himself as he tries the power button again, holding the phone closer to his face. I look carefully around our surroundings again, as if hoping I'd see Dan and Jay in the distance this time.

"I mean, they could always be in the store," Stephen suggests as he pockets his phone defeatedly. "There's no way they just ventured out on their own for no fucking reason, right?"

Ann tilts her head, thinking hard as to why they just disappeared. "Or.. they could be in the trailer?"

Or in danger.

"Should we check the store?" I meekly suggest, still trying to get used to the pain in my ankle. I had to bite my lip to somehow cope just slightly with the intense burning.