𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗧.2 | 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗜𝗜
❝𝖩𝖤𝖠𝖫𝖮𝖴𝖲.❞
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗠𝗜𝗫 𝗢𝗙 colors, Tripp banging his hands on the steering wheel, frustrated, while Conrad stayed silent, looking out the front window. Clementine and I glanced at each other every few minutes, but we didn’t know if we should speak after what just happened.
Tripp: Fuck! I mean– Shit! Prescott is… gone! All those people…
Emma: I know, Tripp… I’m sorry.
Tripp: Nah… It ain’t your fault. Just– Shit!
He banged his hands against the wheel again and I sighed, looking behind us at the road disappearing into the horizon.
Emma: You think they’ll follow us?
Tripp: No… I don’t think they would. But they will be back. We should just keep heading east.
Clementine: I think the other car’s pulling over.
Conrad: Great.
Tripp pulled over to the side of the road next to the other car, all of us getting apart from Kate who was still groaning with repressed pain. I saw Mariana, pulling her into a hug as her face was filled with fright.
Emma: Hey, it’s all good now. Okay?
She nodded and we stepped apart, Tripp going over to Eleanor.
Tripp: Eleanor. Thank God.
They hugged, Tripp wrapping his arms around her firmly.
Eleanor: I can’t believe it. All of our friends, all those people… Oh, Conrad.
Javier: We’ll avenge her. I promise you that.
Conrad: Oh, so it’s “we” now? You’re the reason they came to Prescott in the first place! She’s dead because of you!
Tripp: Conrad, easy, buddy. This wasn’t his fault.
Conrad: Bullshit. Francine, Prescott… all because this washed-up cheat walked through our gates. I shoulda known it the second I looked at you. You ain’t gonna stand up for nobody but your own.
Javier: Hey, that’s not fair.
Conrad: I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks. I know what happened.
Eleanor: Calm down, Conrad, please.
Conrad: All I know is, if it wasn’t for him–
He poked his finger into Javi’s chest, but was distracted as a click of a safety turned all our attention to Gabe a few meters away, pointing a gun at the man.
Gabe: Back the fuck off, now. Just back away.
Conrad: Take it easy, son.
Javier: Gabriel! Put it away! Now!
Gabe: He’s gonna hurt you. No way.
Conrad: Just do it already! I don’t even care anymore.
Mariana: Gabe, no!
Emma: Gabe, listen to me… You pull that trigger, it won’t make you feel any better.
Clementine: Just put it down.
Tripp: Come on, kid.
Javier: Gabe, don’t make me repeat myself.
The boy looked at Javier before sighing harshly, putting the gun away with a glare.
Gabe: Don’t touch my uncle again.
He then ran down the road, away from the group.
Tripp: Fuck me.
Javier: Gabe!
He went to run after him but I stepped in front of him, shaking my head with Clementine joining me.
Clementine: Let him go. He just needs to cool off.
Behind us, Conrad let out a sob, collapsing by the side of the van, putting his head in his hands.
Conrad: We have to go back. We have to bury her.
Tripp: I wish we could. But Prescott’s overrun. We can’t go back.
Eleanor: Well, we’re not safe here, either.
Clementine: What about Richmond? I’ve heard there’s a community there. If it’s true, they’ll have food, walls, maybe even a hospital.
Emma: Why is it you know everything?
She smiled and rolled her eyes at me, making me send her a raised eyebrow.
Conrad: All I want is to find the motherfuckers who did this. They took my home! They took my… Goddamn it!
Javier: The one thing we all need is a place to call home. Maybe Richmond can be that place.
Tripp: Richmond, huh?
Eleanor: It’s something, at least.
Conrad: Yeah. Fuck it. Let’s go.
Tripp: That’s the spirit, man.
He helped the guy up from the ground while I walked over to Javier and Eleanor, Clementine leaving my side to walk over to Gabe. I watched them, the feeling in my stomach seeping back in, making me want to throw up.
Clementine: Hey, Gabe.
Gabe: Oh, hey.
Clementine: You okay?
Gabe: Yeah.
Clementine: You know, that was really impressive back there. What you did.
Gabe: You think so?
Clementine: I didn’t know anyone could point a gun at someone and still look like a huge dork.
The boy chuckled, making me ball up my fist.
Gabe: Oh, come on.
Clementine: No, it was really scary. I thought you might shoot your own foot off.
Eleanor smiled at the two of them talking, Javier having an indescribable look and me furrowing my eyebrows, trying not to feel what I was feeling.
Eleanor: Huh. Maybe they’ll hit it off.
Javier: Maybe. Emma, what do you think?
But I wasn’t listening, the blood had rushed to my ears as I tried to contain my emotions. I didn’t even know why I felt this way. Surely I should feel happy that Clementine was getting along with him, but I couldn’t stop the toxic rush that churned in my stomach.
Javier: Emma?
Shaking my head, trying to rid myself of the feeling once again, but it stuck there, eating away at me.
Emma: What?
Javier: You think those two will hit it off?
Emma: I hope not…
I tried to mutter it, but Javier heard me laughing hard. I stared at him, blinking, wanting to know what he found so funny.
Emma: What? What are you laughing at?
Javier: Is Emma Rogers jealous?
Emma: Huh? No! Fuck off!
I crossed my arms, walking away from him as he calmed himself down.
I wasn’t jealous. I was just having a bad day, maybe I had a stomach ache. I don’t know. But I am definitely not jealous.
Javier: Come on, guys. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.
This time me and Clementine got into Eleanor’s van, taking the back seat with Gabe and Mariana. I leaned my forehead against the car window, Clementine giving me a worried look as she ignored Gabe’s comments on some comic book he used to read. I ignored her, not wanting to speak right now, unsure of what I would say. She sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder and closing her eyes. Gabe seemed to understand the conversation was over and went to try and sleep himself, leaning with Mariana.
My mind kept me awake and I decided to distract myself with the conversation between Kate and Javier as the woman groaned in pain again, her face pale.
Javier: What can I do for you here?
Kate: I just… I feel like I’m burning up. And I’m dying of thirst.
The man rustled in his satchel for a minute before bringing out a water bottle, passing it to her.
Javier: Here you go.
She reached for it with a shaky hand, taking a small sip with a small, pained smile.
Eleanor: Thirsty isn’t good. How’s her forehead?
He leaned forward, putting the back of his hand to Kate’s head.
Javier: Uh… hot. Hot.
Eleanor: Fuck, it’s probably sepsis. Sooner we get to Richmond, the better.
She pressed down on the gas pedal, trying to speed up the journey, but as we drove across a pothole, Kate groaned with a huge amount of pain.
Kate: Ow, goddamn it. It really hurts…
Javier: I can’t lose you. Not now.
Kate: And I don’t want to leave you, but… Javi, we both know what’s coming.
Javier: Kate…
Kate: We do. And this is gonna sound fucked up, but… Maybe this is my chance for… Christ, I don’t know… a graceful exit? Not many people get those. I’d be one of the lucky ones.
Javier: You don’t get to just bow out.
Kate: Just think about all that’s happened. Mariana nearly died and I couldn’t even try to stop it. And Gabe… I heard what happened when we stopped. Isn’t it obvious? Look, he might be turning into David. He might be turning into you. He’s not that sweet little boy I first met. But maybe this is better.
Javier: He just needs guidance, and a lot of it.
Kate: I hope so. All I care about is him becoming who he needs to be. And it’s gonna be on you to make sure that happens. As well as for Mariana.
Javier: No, ma’am. I’m not buying this “I’m dying” shit. It’s on both of us.
Kate: You’re buying it whether you want to or not.
Another pothole and Kate yells in pain again, Javi shooting a look at Eleanor through the rearview mirror.
Javier: Hey, careful!
Eleanor: Sorry. You should get some rest, Kate. We all should, really.
Kate: With pleasure.
I heard a shuffling of clothes and a huff, most likely coming from an awake Gabe.
Gabe: Parents just love pretending the rest of us can’t hear.
Mariana: Shush, Gabe.
Clementine: I wouldn’t know.
Without looking, I subtly took her hand in my own, stroking circles with my thumb. I could almost hear her smile as she leaned further into my shoulder, and I closed my eyes, still leaning on the window.