Interaction [Dreamnotfound]

13 | Escape

I... I mean... you could like vote, i guess... if like you wanted to...

-Cas...?

Darryl was tired, Zak just knew it. He could see it in his face, even though Darryl denied it - he was exhausted.

Zak grabbed Darryl's arm gently. "Wanna take a break?"
Darryl shook his head frantically. "We can't risk stopping - they'll catch up to us in no time -"
Zak pulled Darryl down to a fallen branch, seating himself. "It's fine, Darryl. I know the forest better than they do, and we've got a good head start anyways."
Darryl hesitated, but sat down beside Zak, yawning. Zak tilted his head towards the sky. The stars were visible, and it was gradually getting colder.

They sat in silence for some time. Finally, Darryl turned. "Zak?"
"Yeah?"
Darryl hesitated once more. "Do we... have a plan? Like where we're gonna go?"
Zak frowned slightly. "I was thinking we head into town, or something, and steal a Sleekmobile -"
Darryl sat up. "Steal?"

Zak winced. "Yeah -"
Darryl shook his head. "We can't steal, Zak! That's against the rules -"

Zak groaned under his breath. "We already broke the law, remember? I don't think it's gonna matter too much if we steal one Sleekmobile, Darryl."
Darryl sighed. "Okay... And let me guess, you want me to hack into it, is that right?"

Zak giggled. "Yeah -"

Darryl hit him lightly on the arm. "This is ridiculous!"
Zak's giggling turned into full blown laughter as he hit Darryl back. "It's not that hard, is it?"
Darryl sighed. "No, I guess not..."
Zak grinned. "Perfect. I guess we head towards town, then?"
Darryl nodded, and Zak stood up, yawning. There wasn't time to rest, however. He knew better than anyone that they had to stay on the move.

Darryl got up too, and they started walking through the forest again, slowly making progress through the dark, whispering trees.

After a while, Zak paused, concentrating. He waited for a second, crouching, and then stood up, a triumphant grin on his face. "The town is this way!"

Darryl frowned, crossing his arms. "How do you know?"
"I could hear it," Zak insisted.

"Yeah, right. I bet you made that up."
Zak stared at Darryl. "I did not! Why would I make that up?"

Darryl stare back, a slight grin on his face. "Well, I think its this way," he replied, pointing in the opposite direction.

Zak groaned in exasperation. "It's not that way, Darryl! I can hear it!"

Darryl pouted. "I can't hear anything!"
"Well I have the better instincts!" Zak argued.

Darryl grinned. "But -"
They were both interrupted by the loud roar of machinery. Zak tensed as it passed, coming directly from the direction he had pointed to.

It was over quickly, and Zak grinned. "Told you it was that way!"

Darryl grinned back. "Fine, you win... but I knew that all along."
Zak stared in disbelief, and then reluctant amusement. "I hate you."
Darryl kept in his laughter as they continued through the forest. Zak was still uneasy. He didn't like the forest at night - it was full of sounds and mystery, and he couldn't see two feet in front of his face, which made it hard to navigate. On top of all that, it was horribly cold. The Upturns had provided them with cloaks, but they had been left behind at the camp when they left.

After stopping for a quick snack of berries Punz had provided them, Zak noticed something.

Forest. More forest. But past that?

Metal.

A building, to be precise.

They had reached the town.

Zak pulled Darryl down, shushing him. "Ok, here's the plan: We rush the S-mob over there, see it? I'll break the door, we get in, and you code it and do whatever to make it work properly. Then, we get the heck out of here. Got it?"
Darryl nodded, and Zak tensed. "Get ready... go!"
Darryl stood as Zak sprinted out of the forest, head turned, alert, and made his way to the car in seconds. With Darryl close behind, he grabbed the S-mob door and twisted, expecting it to be locked -

It opened.

Surprise flashed across Zak's face, and then determination. He slid into the far seat, leaving Darryl in front of the screen at the front.

"Get in!"

A shout came out of nowhere. An officer, crystal pinned to his shirt, sprinted from the building across the street, a gun aimed at Darryl. Without thinking, Zak dove out of the car, tackling the guard.

Bang!

The gun fired, and Zak shoved the guard to the ground, the gun flying out of his hand. The officer fought back, landing a punch to Zak's side, but Zak grabbed his hand, forcing it to the ground.

Unexpectedly, the guard kicked upwards, hitting Zak's stomach. Zak gasped, flying backwards, the wind knocked out of him as he stumbled back, stunned.

The officer reached for the gun, but Zak was back on his feet again. He reared back and punched, hitting the guard in the shoulder - not too hard, but enough to knock him off course.

The guard grabbed at Zak, but Zak slipped under his arms nimbly and grabbed his legs, shoving him to the side.

The guard managed to land another hit to Zak's arm, but Zak pinned his left arm down, punching him in the head.

The guard wasn't bleeding, thankfully, but he slumped, cleanly knocked out. Zak grabbed the crystal from his uniform, thinking it could come in handy. Tucking it into a pocket, he stood on unsteady legs, using the floor to help him up, eyes scanning the street and adjacent building to ensure there were no more officers.

When he was satisfied, Zak wiped his hand on his pants, getting rid of the blood on his fingers.

Wait a moment.

Blood?
Fear started in Zak's heart. Had he hurt the officer? He hadn't meant to hurt anyone, only stun them so they could get out.

Dropping to his knees, Zak examined the officer. No, there was no blood there... and Zak wasn't bleeding at all... so where had it come from?
An icy wave hit Zak. It wasn't him. Wasn't the officer.

Where was Darryl?

"Z- Zak?"

Zak turned, almost not wanting to, almost scared of what he would see.

Darryl was on the ground, cradling his wrist in one hand gently, blood running down his arm.

"Zak?"

There was a bullet next to him.

"Zak?"

They had hurt Darryl.

It couldn't be real.

"Zak..."

It was real.