𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN!
〔 Season two, episode three 〕
𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑹𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑫 𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑬, her knees sinking into the sand as her hands dug through piles of luggage, Alicia sat next to her picking out clothing and asking Cassandra what she thought of it, the Parker girl letting out yes or no depending if she thought it suited herself or Alicia
Nick came strolling over to them both, a sun hat on his head. Making Cassandra laugh, Nick took it off his head placing it on Alicia's, crouching beside the two girls Nick started to help them search. Alicia chucked a shirt at Nick's face
All three of them raising their eyebrows at the shirt, it was some sort of uniform. Considering it was a plane. Cassandra was betting it was a Pilot shirt
Cassandra looked Nick up and down as he put the shirt on, raising her eyebrows in surprise. He actually looked good in it
"All these years never knowing where you were or what you were doing" both girls watched Nick button the shirt 'now here you are"
"I was always there." Nick replied, making Cassandra cast her glance down as she shook her head "I was just hungry"
Nick brushed his shirt out, making Alicia laugh but when Cassandra didn't say anything or laugh. He looked down at her, noticing her zoned out, he leant forward placing two fingers under her chin lifting her head up, their eyes connecting.
"How do I look?"
Cassandra looked him over a smirk tugging at her lips, she surprisingly found him quite attractive in that uniform
"Their is something about a man in uniform" she teased,
"Is that so, pretty girl?" Nick asked, making Cassandra hum in response, slipping his hand down from her chin and wrapping it around her neck, he leant over locking his lips with hers
Cassandra pulled away from the kiss, pushing him away "shoo. Me and Alicia have clothes to find"
"Alright. Alright. You two be safe" Nick pointed at them before walking away.
Cassandra continued searching through the suitcase, finding stuff like clothes and a few pain killers.
"So the people you were talking to, what we're they like?" Cassandra broke the silence looking up at Alicia only to see her stuff something in her pocket but she didn't question it
"They seemed okay." Alicia replied, standing up and brushing the sand off of her knees "I wanted to help them"
"I know"
"It was him, his brother and his sister in law. I told them about you. They heard your voice once" Alicia said,
"Yeah?" Cassandra whispered "what did you tell them about me?"
Alicia walked closer to Cassandra holding her hand out which the Parker girl took as she stood up.
"That your my sister." Alicia replied as the two of them walked side by side, there shoes sinking into the sand as they walked towards Nick who they could see a few feet away, Cassandra smiled softly, she loved hearing Alicia say that she was her sister, she loved knowing Alicia saw her the same way
Cassandra tugged at the nott on her top,
As she approached Nick, noticing him fiddling with something in his hand
"Where are Daniel and Chris?" Cassandra asked as she sat next to Nick, leaning her head on his shoulder, the Clark boy looked down at her, taking her hand and placing a silver cross necklace In it - he thought she might like it, he never really knew if she believed or didn't. He didn't think she knew but he knew the necklace might bring her some comfort with her father
"You use to wear one, when we were children" Nick whispered noticing the blank look on her face as she stared at it "I thought-"
"-thank you" Cassandra was quick to cut him off, as she played with the cross. She didn't feel any connection to it, she remembered her father saying to hold a cross in your hand, you should feel God's presence but she didn't feel anything. Infact she just felt guilty. Guilty for never believing, ashamed because she was holding a cross in her hand yet she was in the arms of a man who god would lock the gates of heaven for. A man she would give up everything for and follow him to hell...
But she accepted the cross. She knew Nick meant well. And she knew her father would want her to wear it. To protect her but it wasn't God that could protect her from this world.....it was those he would sentence to hell, its the actions that would sign her place in hell. That would keep her alive. And she knew that.
She knew that even if she didn't want to do what it took. She would have to. Because she didn't want to die.
She was afraid of this world. But she was more afraid to die.
"Where are they?" Alicia questioned again
"I think he went to look for Chris" Nick teared his eyes away from Cassandra and looked towards his sister
"They're taking to long" Alicia announced walking away from Cassandra and Nick,
"I'm right behind you" Nick replied but Cassandra knew he wasn't moving any time soon, so she rolled her eyes, throwing the cross around her neck, following after the youngest Clark, making sure she was safe
"Wait" Nick called, making the brunette stop in her tracks, turning around only to see him pulling pills out of a bag
"Nick?" Cassandra asked worriedly, every thought of him relapsing running through her mind
"Don't worry. It's not for me." Nick reassured her "It's for Ofelia"
Cassandra let out a sigh of relief, but then she heard the growling of infected and so did Nick, both of them walked towards the edge, there hair and clothes moving with the wind. Cassandra and Nick glanced over the edge seeing one of the undead trapped in sand with crabs eating it alive...well undead.
"Jesus's" Nick mumbled
"Oh god" Cassandra covered her mouth and nose at the smell, Nick stared at it with interest, he watched as the dead ate one of the crabs as the rest of them ate him. Cassandra stared at the fascination in Nicks eyes - was he really that captivated by the dead
It was ironic really. How the crabs were eating the dead yet the dead was eating them. They kept each other alive.
"Nick we should go" Cassandra tugged on his arm, making him turn towards her but as he did, his foot slipped. Making him tumble down the hill, straight towards the undead
"Nick!" Cassandra screamed, time slowed down for her as she watched the zombie grab him, she watched Nick punch and struggle against it. She felt helpless, she couldn't help him, by the time she got down there safely he could already be dead
But time sped up for Nick, panic shot through his veins as he struggled against the zombie, hearing Cassandra's cries. He held the zombie away from himself using All his strength as he reached for the pocket knife he had found earlier, flipping it out, he drove it into the infecteds head, letting the corpse fall ontop of him as he let out deep breaths
But all Cassandra could see was the dead fall ontop of him, her eyes windened
"Nick?" She called
"I'm okay" he yelled, but their yells attracted more of the dead, making one of them tumble down the hill, heading straight for Nick
"Oh shit"
〕〔
Cassandra closed her eyes, trying to slow her breathing down as she gripped onto Nicks hand. Trusting him to lead her through the hundreds of the infected. She tried her best to keep as quite as she could. Knowing if she made one sound, they both would be dead. But she couldn't bring herself to look
Nick had killed enough of the dead in the pit to cover himself in their blood and as more came, they ignored him. Which made the both of them realises if they smelled like the dead, they could walk through them
Nick had gutted one of the infected and covered Cassandra in their blood and as much as she wanted to complain, as afraid and disgusted as she was she knew it was their only option. She was trying her best not to throw up at the mere smell let alone the fear.
Cassandra knew when the day started it was to calm, it was to good to be true. This was the storm they were waiting for.
As they got closer to the shore, Cassandra could hear the others which forced her to open her eyes. She watched as Chris, Daniel and Alicia fought for their lives. But one grabbed onto Alicia, Nick let go of Cassandra's hand, tighting his grip on the weapon he hand on his hand, swinging it into the infecteds head, saving Alicia. Who stared at a blood covered Nick and Cassandra
Nick pulled Cassandra behind him as he turned around, killing some of the Infected around them. Cassandra gripped the switch blade that Nick had given her in her hand, killing any that got close to her as she joined the line Daniel had made
"Go, go"
They all ran pass the dead, trying to get back to the speed boat.
"Nick!" Alicia yelled which made Cassandra turn around. Fear running through her veins yet her face morphed into one of confusion as she saw Nick face to face with one of the undead - his new fascination might just be her breaking point, because it was going to get him killed. He always had to chose things that could get him killed.
Cassandra turned around following the others to the boat, she helped push it out
"Are you bit?" Alicia's panicked voice asked
"I'm good"
"Are you bit?" She asked again
"No, I'm good" Nick reassured his sister who barreled into his arms, he hugged his sister as he locked eyes with Cassandra
"I'm okay, I'm okay" he whispered trying to calm them both down
"Guys!" Cassandra yelled as the dead got closer.
All of them pushed the speed boat into the ocean, jumping into the boat As they sped away from the island
"We need to make a stop" a unfamiliar voice spoke out, making Cassandra notice the stranger for the first time in all of the panic - Strand wasn't going to like this.
As they sped around the island, Daniel controlling the steering, Cassandra dipped her hand in the water washing the blood off her hands and her face the best she could, feeling a hand rest on her lower back, she turned quickly wrapping her arms around Nick
"I'm okay" he whispered soothingly,
"Over there" the stranger pointed to a life boat. Making the two of them pull apart and look towards were she was pointing,
Noticing a person....a person that looked almost dead laying in the life boat
Nick and Cassandra glanced at each other warily
"Yeah. Strand isn't going to like this one bit" Cassandra whispered,
〕〔
They reached the boat, Nick helped Cassandra off the speed boat, as they stood on the deck, everybody started questioning them, Cassandra leant on Nick wishing everyone would give them a moment to breath
"Are you hurt what happened" Madison questioned helping Alicia
"I don't know exactly."
"We got separated" Daniel explained "I almost lost the kids"
"You brought them back" Madison reassured
Cassandra glanced up at Strand, Who quickly redirect his glance from herself and Nick to the strangers but she could have sworn she saw a hint of worry in his eyes for them, huh? Maybe he did have a heart
"No" Strand denied as Alicia helped the girl onto the abigail
"They're dehydrated." Alicia argued
"I don't care. There's no room" Strand denied "not here. Not where we're going"
"We don't know where we're going" Alicia replied "Mom?"
"Yes, we do. We're going to Mexico"
Cassandra let out a small laugh
"I always knew you had a destination in mind" she looked up at Strand who only gave her a smirk in return, she was smart and he knew one day she would outsmart him
"Strand has a place there" Madison annocuned noticing the looks everyone was giving her "there's food, power, water. It's close. Baja. He's invited us to stay till things clear."
Nick lead Cassandra pass his mother
"Things will never clear"
And as much as Cassandra wish he wasn't right. She knew he was.
"Then we make it our home."
"We don't know that It's safer down there then anywhere---" Ofelia argued
"We're taking a chance. If we get there and you don't like it your welcome to leave. We all are. If we think we can make it somewhere else. Truth is none of us know anything" Cassandra said standing up for Madison "Madison is doing what she thinks is best, it's all any of us can do."
Madison shot Cassandra a greatfull smile,
Nick looked down at the brunette in his arms, a subtle smile on his face. He loved it when she spoke her mind,
"How do we know its what he says it is?" Alicia asked
"It is what I say it is" Strand defended himself
Cassandra rolled her eyes, she hated all the bickering this group did. She understood why, everyone was scared and no one knew what to do to survive in this world. Everyone was just doing what they thought was best - but it was seriously giving her a headache
"Why didn't this come up before?" Ofelia asked "why are we just hearing about this now?"
"Because it's necessary now" Travis finally spoke up, defending Madison's decision "we can't stay on the water forever, Madison's right. We made a decision. We have our destination"
Alicia looked around, an unreadable expression on her face. The strangers stood behind her
"And what about them?"
"They're a liability. The boy's sick. He'll turn" Strand told the youngest Clark and as harsh as it was, Cassandra knew he was right. Taking one look at that boy, you knew he was a goner. Burns over half his body but the death sentence was the burns on his airway
"He'll turn if we don't help him."
"Madison please" Strand pleaded
"Look at him he's dying" Alicia yelled,
"Are you people really debating this?" The stranger asked desperately
"We can tow them" Travis offered "we can tow them to San Diego. In their raft"
"Travis what part of what I'm saying--"
"They don't come on the boat, okay?" Travis yelled, his switch flipping quickly making Cassandra flinch into Nick, who wrapped his arms around her, running his hand soothingly up and down her arm.
- he knew that was their cue to leave now
Taking her hand and leading her pass the group
"We're not involved" Nick told Strand as he passed them, looks of concern being thrown at Cassandra as Nick lead her away, she didn't like yelling. She never did, the clarks knew this, the others didn't.
That's why Nick hardly raised his voice around her and always ended up walking away if they ever had fights, afraid he would lose his temper especially when he was high
〕〔
Nick looked up from his hands hearing a knock on the door, sighing he stood up,
"One second" he called, walking over to the shower door, catching a glimpse of Cassandra in the mirror as she washed the blood off of her, he pulled the door close before opening the bedroom door
"Hey" Alicia said, looking up at her brother
"Hey." Nick replied, leaving the door open as he walked back into the room
"I have something for you. I found it earlier" Alicia announced sitting beside Nick, who turned to her with a grin
"Aw you shouldn't have" he laughed
"Oh shut up" Alicia pushed him, before pulling out a velvet box, making Nick look at her with slight confusion, the younger girl handed it to him and he took it carefully opening it, he stared at it with a blank look - it was a beautiful ring, a silver band, with two small diamonds and a bigger one in the middle. The perfect engagement ring. Of course he always wanted to ask Cassandra to marry him, she deserved it a thousand times over,
"Alicia-"
"I'm not saying to ask her right now. And I know you two can't really have a wedding in this world but I just thought if you ever wanted to officially make her a Clark, you would need a ring and they may be hard to find. And I also thought, you never know how much time you have in this world and i know you both would regret it, if you never got the chance" Alicia smiled as she watched her brother twirl the ring between his fingers
"Thank you" Nick whispered, locking eyes with Alicia "I do want to marry her. Well at least ask her. I don't want any doubt in her mind that I loved her, if anything we're to happen to me" when he asked her he hoped she would say yes, he wanted to wait untill they were safe, untill they could injoy it.
Cassandra Clark, he smiled at the thought. His last name really suited her but she had always been apart of his family, he couldn't wait until he actually gave her his name. But when he asked her, he had to make it worth it. He already loved her like they were married and he knew she did to, because if she didn't why would she stand by him through his addiction