Legends ➸ Ben Parish

09

WE ENDED UP IN some trashed motel. Roaches swarmed the floor, the smell of death infested the lobby, and rats were strewn across the building. It was a cheerleader's worst nightmare.
I was still holding Zombie's hand as we entered the building. Teacup settled in, but admired Ringer as she checked her gun.
"We're all gonna die." Ringer put the gun down.
"At least we can kill off a few others before." Cassie responded.
The dark haired, soulless bitch swung around, "How the hell is that supposed to make a difference! A few others out of thousands. No matter what we do, we'll just die in the end."
I forced myself to tune them out.

The next morning was more peaceful. Cassie, Ringer, and I stood watch at the window. The others were asleep still.
"I get Dumbo, the big ears. Nugget because Sam is so small, Teacup too. I don't get Zombie so much, Ben won't say. Poundcake probably has something to do with his size, and I'm starting to understand Ghost, but why Ringer?" Cassie questioned.
Ringer didn't answer. She was leaving soon. Teacup wanted to go with her so badly, but Ringer refused.
Zombie's wound got worse. It opened up during the escape and was most definitely infected now. He waited for ringer and I in the lobby, wearing a ski jacket over a stupid bright yellow hoodie. His face was red from his fever.
Ringer prepared to leave. She was going to the caverns. It was supposedly our only other option of shelter.
"I'll scope it out and be back in a couple of days." she took the extra brochure Zombie offered.
"I'm holding you to that promise." he was genuinely concerned.
She didn't look up again, "It wasn't a promise."
She left and I helped Zombie back upstairs. I watched her sneak away through the window. She'd be back, she's not weak enough to die. Teacup shot up, obviously upset and left. I chased after her, trying to stop her.
"Teacup!" I lowered my voice. We were in enemy territory now.
She kept going. We entered the forest, snow crunched under my boots. It sounded deafening in the silence of extinction.
I could hear the shot before it hit her. The girl crumpled over. I rushed to her side and soon enough her killer was there too.
Ringer crouched beside her. My eyes were wide with shock, Ringer didn't know. The eyepiece gave that away. She saw green and shot. Like Cassie when she saw the metallic glint of the crucifix.
Teacup reached up to touch her face. Ringer quickly began tending to the wound just below her rib cage.
"No bad thoughts soldier." she mumbles as she tries to stop the bleeding.
Teacup only has a few minutes before she bleeds out. She'd bleed more if we tried to carry her and neither Ringer nor I know what we're doing. We sat for a few minutes before the sound of choppers interrupted us.
"They can't take her. If they put her through Wonderland everyone is screwed." Ringer unholstered her side arm. She leveled it with Teacup's head.
I ran. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't let Vosch take me, but I also couldn't bear to see Ringer kill Teacup. To my surprise, no one followed me. I made it back to the hotel, crying. I burst through the door, but now Poundcake was missing too.
Zombie limped to me, "What happened?"
I was sobbing, "They're going to take her. The choppers, they found Ringer and Teacup."
"Shit, Poundcake's out there too." he slowly made his way back to the window.
I searched the room, "Where's Dumbo?"
"Goddammit." Zombie was unholstering his gun now.
Cassie handed her brother a gun and gestured for me to follow her and Zombie. We stood in between the elevator doors and the stairwell door.

Zombie lowered Cassie and I into the elevator one by one. I clenched my teeth when I let go of the other thing keeping me from shifting all of my weight onto Zombie. He's going to drop you for sure. He's weaker than Nugget with his injuries.
He didn't drop me, but he also didn't join us in the elevator.
"I hate you, Evan Walker." Cassie whispered before forcing the doors open.
We slipped into the lobby. No sign of Ben, meaning something happened to him on the way down. I sighed as we ran up the steps back up to the room.
Shots rang from inside of the room and as we neared, I could see Ben lying at the entrance. I stopped to help him, leaving Cassie to face whoever was in there with her brother.
He wasn't dead thank god.

Dumbo was back, tending to Evan Walker's wounds. That stupid silencer came back for Cassie. I leaned against the wall with Zombie.
Zombie snapped. He pushed himself off of the wall and limped to Evan's bedside.
"Wake up you son of a bitch!" he slapped Evan.
Zombie was trying to find Poundcake and Teacup. I told him about the choppers, but I hadn't told him about the shot and Teacup most likely being dead by now.
"Ben!" Cassie grabbed his wrist.
Zombie pulled free and lurched in the direction of the door, "I'll find them myself."
"You'd be too late." I spoke up, hoping to keep him from leaving me again. "They're either dead or with Vosch."
"What?" Ben turned around.
"She didn't know. She had the eyepiece and saw green." I could feel the tears forming again, "Teacup was trying to find her. Then the choppers came and I ran."
"So you don't know what happened next?" he questioned.
I shook my head, "Ringer said they couldn't take Teacup. She said something about Wonderland."

Dumbo was on watch when he found Poundcake just hanging out in the front of the hotel.
Cassie accused him of being an other although she was holding a silencer's hand.

EDITED

So almost every few minutes I'm looking down at the book to like have the locations and events somewhat correct. I'm basically rereading all three books.

I can't believe this story has so many reads! I started it because I'm a huge fan of the 5th wave, and now it's gotten a ton of other fans reading! Thanks so much if you've been reading by the way!

Anyway, if you liked this chapter make sure to vote and leave a comment!