☾THE MECHANIC☽

16. Disaster

"Screw it!" You swerve the car, "Hold on!". The creature behind you slams one of its legs into the jeep's side. You swerve around the last bit of the pillar, your hands gripping tightly on the wheel causing your knuckles to turn white. You immediately head for the road. "Is everyone okay?!" You question. "The door is banged up pretty bad but none of us are hurt!" Tyler answers.

You swerve again at the sight of another root but you still manage to hit it. You yank the wheel to the left and hear a thud followed by a click. In the mirror on the driver's side, you see Tyler's door open. Your eyes widen as you see Tyler fall out of the jeep. "TYLER!!" You and Taylor shout. "GO BACK, [Y/N], GO BACK!!" Taylor cries. "I can't..!" You choke on your words. Tears brim your eyes but you quickly blink them away. "GO BACK, PLEASE!" Taylor sobs. "We will but we have to survive first!" Ashlyn replies for you, noticing your tears.

Suddenly, the jeep is jerked from the back causing you to swerve. The jeep spins off-road and you hold the emergency brake while stepping on the brake pedal. The jerk hits a tree causing everyone to jerk forward. Yours and Ashlyn's airbags deploy, 'easing' your crash. Ashlyn cuts her airbag before cutting yours. The impact of the jerk made your nose bleed. You hear trees crash behind you and you immediately try to start the engine back up. "[Y/N]... It's not going to turn back on" Logan mutters. Your jaw clenches and you slam your fist on the wheel before resting your head down. Ashlyn notices your lips quivering. "Can everyone move?" Ashlyn questions, glancing back at everyone. They nod and everyone gets out of the jeep.

You let everyone walk ahead of you. Your grip is tight on your flashlight as you swallow. Your breathing becomes slightly uneven. You feel a hand wrap around your free hand, which is clenched into a tight fist. You find out the hand around yours is Logan's. He pries open your hand and intertwines your fingers, giving your hand a few gentle squeezes. Tears brim your eyes again but you blink them away as you glance at everyone else. 'I need to stay strong for them... but God, it feels like my body is about to fall'.

You and your group search for Tyler for hours near where he could've ended up. With each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows. 'It's all my fault. I should have been more careful... I said I would protect him... and— and now he's gone... All because of me' Your sniffle attracts Logan's attention. You feel his thumb rub against the back of your hand as he continues to hold it. You hold his hand as if you're going to lose him too.

Eventually, your group ran out of time and needed to find a place to hide and all you could do when you woke up was hope that everything would be okay. Hope that he will be okay. Taylor drops to the ground in front of you, sobbing. Ben kneels beside her, comforting her. Listening to her sobs only make you feel worse. The guilt, anxiety, and sadness are starting to overflow.

Everyone's eyes shoot open and turn to Tyler. His body shaking aggressively. "TYLER!!" You and Taylor go to opposite sides of the boy. "Wake up! Wake up!" Taylor sobs. You let a few tears fall this time. "What do we do?! Tyler!" Taylor cries. "MOM!!" Taylor's yell is heart-wrenching.

"Taylor!" Mrs. Hernández runs into the bus. "Tyler, sweetheart!" Mariana and Mike kneel beside the boy as you back away. Mike lifts Tyler in the air. "Hey! What are you doing with my son?!" Mariana shouts. "We need to get him to the hospital!" Mike shouts, bringing Tyler to the front of the bus. You catch sight of Tyler's eyes, they are extremely dilated. You did this to him. You were the cause of this. Oh, how you wish you could trade places with him. "Mom!" You watch as Taylor grabs her mother's jacket. "I'm here sweetheart, let's go" Mariana holds Taylor's hand. 'Dad. Where's my dad?' You exit the bus after everyone. "[Y/N]! What happened?!" Your dad spots you first and makes his way to you. "We need to go, now!" You pause, "I'll explain later but... please!". Your dad nods and the two of you run to his car and follow Mike to the hospital.