The First ~10K~ (book 3)

7.) Hallucinations

10K POV—

The sun beat down on me as I stood at the shore of a beach, letting the waves hit my feet and bury them under the sand. The water was cold, stabbing at my feet like needles.

The wind was chilly as it blew against the icy water. It bit at my cheeks as it whistled by. There was no sun. It was grey, like all warmth was removed from the world.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was warm, but sent a cold shiver down my spine. I turned to look, meeting my favorite pair of hazel eyes.

She smiled at me, her beauty making it hard to breathe. She cupped my face in her hands. They suddenly turned cold.

"Tommy," She spoke. It felt so real. I could feel the vibration of her voice shake the core of my body. "Tommy," She spoke again. It sounded like she was inside my head.

"Wake up."

My eyes shot open. I was met with a pair of icy blue eyes that burned into me. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and yawning.

"You slept in late," Zoey said, handing me a bottle of water.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked, taking a sip of water.

"Figured you needed it," She replied. She paused, watching me intensely. "You were...mumbling in your sleep."

"Was I?" I asked.

She nodded. "You weren't making much sense, but it sounded like you were in pain."

I got up to my feet and stretched. I laced my boots on and grabbed my gun holster. Zoey walked to the door and waited for me and I followed her out.

We made camp at a little one story home. It had a bathroom and one bedroom with a small living room and kitchen that was just big enough for an oven. It was small and crowded, but it worked for the few days we'd been here.

"Where's Ash?" I asked, looking around for her.

"She's out back picking flowers," Zoey replied nonchalantly.

I grabbed her arm and made her stop. She widened her eyes at me and yanked her arm out of my grip. "What?"

"She's outside all by herself?!" I yelled, panic rising in my gut. "You didn't go with her?"

Zoey furrowed her brows in confusion. "I didn't think it was a big deal. This whole place is surrounded by a fence and we haven't seen any Z's since we got here."

"It doesn't matter!" I shouted. Zoey flinched at the rise in my voice.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zoey asked, her voice breaking slightly. "She had a knife and a gun and she knows how to take care of herself."

"You don't let her go off by herself. You stay with her as much as you can, even when she's sleeping-"

"You're treating her like a child, Tommy," Zoey hissed, interrupting me.

"Because she is a child!" I yelled, slamming my fist against a wall. I saw Zoey jump and lose her demeanor, but she regained it as quick as she lost it.

"No, she's not," She said. "She's more of a woman than you think. And you need to let her be more independent. She's too dependent on you and that's only gonna get her killed. You're like her shadow, constantly following her and one of these days, that shadow will disappear and she won't know what to do if she's left alone."

I started at Zoey, my nostrils flaring. I was angry, and I didn't know why. Maybe because I knew she was right. Words were coming out of my mouth, and I couldn't stop them;