Camila's POV
"Lauren!" I yelp. I drop my gun and run at her as I jump in her arms.
She catches me and hugs me close. "God, I'm so glad to see you. I'm happy that you're okay," Lauren whispers.
I unwrap myself from her and she sets me down on the ground but keeps her arms around me.
"I was worried about you," I said.
Lauren smiles and cups my cheek. "I was too. All I could think about was you," She says.
"Ouch, that fucking hurts," Zayn says.
Lauren looks over at him and frowns when she sees the state he is in. "Are you okay, bud?" She asks.
"Just peachy," Zayn says sarcastically.
Lauren lets go of me and gently pulls him into a hug.
"We were fending off against some zombies when we were all separated and a glass shard stabbed him or he fell on it," I explain.
"How?" Lauren asks.
My face falls but Zayn gives me a look to stop feeling so guilty.
"The fuckers caught us off guard, Camila slipped, crashed into Normani, Normani crashed into me and I toppled over an aisle of glass alcoholic beverages and yeah, you can put the pieces together from there," Zayn explains.
"Come on, let's get you settled down," Lauren says.
"So is anyone with you, Lauren?" Gerald asks.
"Halsey, Liam, and Shawn," Lauren answers.
We follow her into the woods and see the other three people just chilling.
Once they see us, they run over to us and we all embrace each other.
"So I see the message reached you all," Liam says.
"Yeah. Whoever got the radio working, they deserve a drink, that's if we ever find a bottle of booze," Gerald says.
"I suppose I should say that was me," Shawn speaks up.
"Nice, man. I didn't know you can do that shit," Gerald says.
"It's stuff my father taught me," Shawn says.
"Hey, let's search those abandoned vehicles. Someone had to have some booze lying around somewhere," Gerald says.
"I'm down," Shawn says.
Gerald sets his stuff down and they both take off running to the highway filled with abandoned vehicles.
Everyone else settles down and they start minding their own business or conversing with each other as I catch Lauren and Zayn talking off to the side.
I walk over to them and they receive me with a warm smile.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey. Zayn was just telling me how attentive you were to him," Lauren says.
"I guess I kind of felt guilty but I guess I had to repay him because he always made sure I was safe," I said.
"The boss didn't give the orders but I know she would've," Zayn says.
"Zayn, thank you for keeping her safe, and thank you Camila for taking care of him," Lauren says.
"Anytime," We both said at the same time causing us to laugh.
Zayn clears his throat and takes a deep breath. "I'll leave you two alone," He says.
Once he leaves, Lauren and I stay in silence until he's out of earshot.
I feel Lauren's hands rest on my waist as she turns me around to face her, making me smile.
"I so desired to see you again," Lauren says.
I wrap my arms around her neck as I rest our foreheads together. "I did too," I whispered.
Lauren presses me against her as she sighs in relief, her hands running up my sides as if she's making sure that I'm real.
"You weren't going to tell me that you two have a thing."
We turn around to see Gerald leaning against a tree with a bottle of rum in his hand.
"You understand don't you?" I walk over to him.
"Of course, I can get overprotective but I'm happy to see that you have someone like Lauren. She's the best person you could have chosen," Gerald says.
"Thank you, Gerald," Lauren says behind me.
Gerald walks over to me and pulls me into a hug as I embrace him as well.
"But I'll still be keeping an eye on her," Gerald says once we pull away.
I playfully punch his shoulder and he laughs, ruffling my hair before he finally leaves us alone once again.
"Camila, can you help me with something?" Lauren speaks behind me.
I turn around to face her and nod. "How can I help you?" I ask.
She opens a pocket in her war/battle belt and takes out two small items, locking eyes with me. "I want you to help me put my mind to rest from my wife," Lauren says.