SURVIVORS ↠ ZACH MITCHELL ✔️ [EDITING]

Chapter 28

     A man got out of a van, heading towards a couple of men standing around while others were inside one of the large buildings. The building was filled with cots and paramedics walking around helping the injured guests. Barry walked around, trying to find a paramedic for one of the guests.

     Scott and Karen walked in, looking around worriedly. Claire sat with Zach and Gray while Owen was checking up on Marlo. Karen noticed the three of them and brought her hands up to her face, crying. She made her way towards them, Claire noticing Karen, turning to the boys. "My God, it's your parents. It's your parents. Come on, come on." Claire stood up, Karen came running over, pulling Gray into a hug. Zach holding onto his dad.

     "Are you okay?" Karen asked Gray as he held on to him tightly. "Baby," she whispered out, kissing the top of his head. Claire stood, wrapped in a blanket as Karen looked up to her. Karen let go of Gray and pulled Claire into a hug, both of them crying.

     "I'm so sorry," Claire spoke quietly. Karen pulled away.

     "Are you okay?" Claire nodded, Karen moved to go hug Zach. "Come here. Sweetie." Zach held onto her tightly.

     Claire looked over to see Owen talking to one of the families, Marlo laying on the cot below him. Claire made her way over to them quickly. Claire looked down at Marlo with a soft smile. Owen noticed Claire and nodded at her. "She hasn't woken up yet," Owen told her quietly before looking down at Marlo.

     "She will."

     "When?"

     "Soon. You have to remember what she went through, Owen," Claire spoke softly.

     "I can't lose her."

     "You won't."

     "I just want her to wake up."

     Claire offered him a warm smile, crouching down to brush some of Marlo's fair out of her face. Owen crouched down on Marlo's left, resting his arms on the side of the cot, waiting for Marlo to open her eyes.

     "Wake up sleepy head," Owen spoke in a soft voice gently to her ears.

     Marlo groaned and tried pushing the source of the sound away from her, she scrunched up her face and moved her arm, but only managed to slap her hand to it as she was still too weak.

     "Okay, ow. Mars, you need to get up." She groaned again and rolled over to face the other way. Her head was throbbing painfully, she didn't want to have to deal with all this.

     "He's right, Marlo, you need to get up," Claire spoke up with a soft laugh.

     Marlo groaned and opened one eye and saw Claire looking at her with a small smile on her face, Claire looked passed Marlo and smiled.

     "I win." Marlo rolled onto her back and felt two arms help her sit up, they smelt of motor oil. The smell didn't make her headache any better, it seemed to add to the pain, the light from outside made her eyes hurt.

     "Owen, you smell like motor oil." She heard her older brother laugh, she had told him that before work. "Where the hell am I?" Marlo grumbled as she looked around to see people on makeshift beds and people in white coats tending to them.

     She remembered that she was hurt. Her back didn't feel as bad as it did before but it still stung, her arms and legs ached. Marlo leaned her head back onto Owen and let out a sigh as the pounding in her head began to settle down a bit more.

     "The main island, we all evacuated after...How are you feeling?" Claire said and placed a hand on her upper arm. "You know, Zach wouldn't let you go the entire time, Owen had to pull him away from you to let doctors tend to you."

     Zach.

     Marlo sat up more and looked around.

     "Oh," she heard the smirk in Claire's voice but ignored the urge to respond. Instead, Marlo got up shakily and looked around trying to find the brown haired boy. "Turn more to the right." She did as Claire said and spotted the headphones and began walking towards them. "They grow up so fast," she heard Claire before she was surrounded by a crowd of people.

     This created a deep groan from her brother, it wasn't what he wanted to hear, and Claire laughed lightly at him.

     "Ahh, move you baby hippo!" She growled out to a boy as she continued in the direction she was heading, limping slightly, not use to the feeling in her legs.

     Once she got out of the mass of people she felt a body cling to her, she looked down and saw Gray with his head buried to her stomach. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

     "Gray, are you alright? Are you hurt?" All he did was hug her tighter. "I'm glad to see you're okay," she whispered to him as he let her go.

     He walked back over to his family as Marlo watched. He bumped into Zach who looked at him, Zach looked back to see where Gray was coming from and both of his parents did the same.

     "M-Mar-" He didn't even finish as he threw his headphones off and to his father who let out—what sounded like—a confused yelp. Zach ignored him and went straight towards Marlo without breaking eye contact.

     When he reached her he pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapped around her waist tightly and his head buried at the left side of her neck. Of course, she felt the pain return from her back, but for him, it was worth the pain.

     Marlo closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, she stood on her tip toes to hug him better. Zach pulled her body closer to his until there was no more space between them, they stayed like that for a while in silence.

     He leaned down more and pulled her body off the floor making her wrap her legs around his waist. He didn't move his head, he breathed her scent in and swung her softly in the hug.

     This was the first time she had felt content, the first time she felt safe, and the first time she felt relaxed. She finally managed to breathe in a breath that wasn't due to fear or from her trying to catch her breath after running for her life.

     She tightened her grip around him and crossed her ankles over each other as she clung to him, her left hand went to his hair and her right gripped his shirt tightly. She didn't want to let go in fear of him disappearing.

     "I really like you," she whispered to him.

     She remembered how he asked her how she felt about him before, and she really liked him. More than she ever has for anyone who wasn't her family.

     "I really do." Warm tears rolled down her face as he left out a small laugh. "I never thought I'd say that." She sniffed and sighed happily.

     He was silent.