Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Seventeen - Waiting

Even with the few people around me I felt alone, more alone than I had since this whole thing started. Brent was another name to a list of people who entered my life, made a dent, made me love them, now reduced to a mount of dirt in the earth.

The girls stayed in the shop while I buried him, I needed a moment alone to breathe. It felt like the walls were slowly closing in there was nothing I could do to keep myself grounded, his death just brought back plaguing memories of every person I'd lost and then back to him. Carter. At some point I needed to be real to myself, the probabilities were in the lower half of me finding him and he would just be another person I had to grieve.

The tears stopped the moment I covered his limp body in soil, the emotions freezing over my body as i etched his name into a makeshift cross made from leftover shelves in the shop. Sarah tried to talk to me, even Hayley, but I stayed mute.

It felt like I hours I sat by the mound of dirt, my eyes glued to the outline of houses in the distance, my knees were pulled to my chest while my chin rested on top.

I knew there were footsteps approaching behind me, I also knew it was probably another monster. Yet still I didn't move, maybe that would stop all the pain, finally free me from this never-ending nightmare I was living. That was until I heard the voice.

"Bug?".

This was a dream. It had to be. Matt wasn't here, my mind was creating scenarios. My body froze up even more when I felt him sink down behind me, his thick arms encasing me against him as his head rested on my own "Let it out Katie" Matts voice was wobbly as he gripped me tighter. Matt always had a sense of when I was holding back, I guess he knew I was at my breaking point.

"Is it really you" I turned around slowly to meet his hazy blues. The same familiar face except different, his pale skin was sunken in, his lips chapped and his eyes full of sadness "Matt?" The moment he nodded the tears hit me like a tidal wave, the numbness that was filling me was pouring into his chest as he cried with me.

"I'm here now" His hands cupped the sides of my face as I leaned into his chest, we both needed this. A moment in this nightmare to realise the build up, we'd done unimaginable things that our younger selves could have never processed, we had to face the realisation that loss was always a guarantee "I can't believe I found you again".

When the tears finally slowed down I managed to stand up, holding my hand out to pull my uncle up but it wasn't long until he pulled me in again. "You look like shit Spartacus" I laughed as the last hiccup of emotions settled.

Matts lips turned up slightly "So do you kid".

Through all the tears of finally being reunited with him I forgot the one thing he needed right now, the reason I could tell he was breaking apart on the inside "Come with me".

Matt raised a confused eyebrow but didn't argue, we were only a short walk from the shop the girls were held in. "Where are we going?" Matt questioned but we were already standing at the grimy glass doors, I went in first looking around the shop but they were still holed up in the back room.

"Guys" I spoke loud enough for just  them to hear me.

The moment Sarah stepped through the doors and laid her eyes on him she dropped her water flask to the floor, her shaky hands raising up to cover her mouth. Matt let out a harsh sob "Sarah?".

The red head nodded, not hesitating to run to his already waiting arms. Watching over them, I could practically see the void in Matt slowly filling back into place. The girl was the family he always dreamed of but never found until now. Watching the two of them reunite was amazing, but I couldn't help that small feeling of sadness.

I wanted that, I wanted my Carter back.

I left the two to catch up as I walked into the storeroom, Hayley was sound asleep on a pile of sheets in the corner of the room. Her rosy lips slightly parted as her soft sounds filled the room, I felt guilty that I almost left her alone again. If that wasn't Matt behind me and the grave I would have been gone, and at that moment, the darkest part of my mind took over and I almost let the tiny string holding me here break.

It's funny how the person you least expected could attach such a grip around you, the kind of attachment you need when times are like this.

"Hey kiddo" Matt appeared behind me with Sarah still attached to his side "Thank-you so much" he gestured to the girl.

I waved my hand pushing back the sadness I was feeling "Sarah's family, plus she kind of saved herself".

"Katie has been amazing" The red head gushed "You two really are alike". She smiled leaning her head into my uncles chest.

"I've got something for you bug" Matt waved me over to him as we walked towards the front door. The man reached into his backpack pulling out a red flare gun, a flare already loaded in the chamber "Walk to the end if this road and shoot this in the air".

I raised an eyebrow to him, why the hell would he want me to shoot a flare "Why".

Matt gave me one of his signature smiles that I'd missed these past few weeks "You trust me right" I nodded "Just do it".

"Okay... You are strange" I laughed before taking the gun from his hands and exiting the shop.

I stood in the exact place he told me, looking down at the red gun in my hands with no idea what I was doing. But I really did trust Matt, he was my only real family left.

So I aimed into the clear blue sky and let the red flame scorch the wind.