All This Madness
Let Them Go.
"Riot?" A small voice echoed through the room, pulling me from the darkness in my mind. "Riot, wake up."
My eyes fluttered open and I turned around, staring in the doorway to see my baby sister. She smiled brightly, flashing me her pearly whites as she straightened out her shirt. It looked new, as did the rest of her outfit, and her long, dark hair sat smoothly upon her chest.
For a moment, it felt like we were back at home. Like I was lying on my bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes as my baby sister woke me from a nap, calling me for the dinner mom had prepared for us. When I felt a jolt, however, I knew where I was. I was still on this bus, running for my life just like everyone else.
"Come on, Ri, you need to get up."
A sigh left my lips and I stretched my arms out, a yawn soon following after. I managed to pull myself up so I was sitting and let my eyes adjust to the fresh light coming through the window. I'd been out for a while. My body was still sore, but it was better. I gripped the couch and turned to look at Tori again, realizing that not everything had been a dream. She was in clean clothes, her hair was no longer tangled and her eyes weren't discolored. Her smile was bright, her voice was soft and her skin finally had more color.
"Tori?" I whispered, sliding off the couch and onto my knees, staring at her with side eyes. "Are you... Are you-"
"Cured?" Tori finished for me, nodding her head quickly as her smile turned into a laugh. "Riot, I'm not sick anymore!"
She ran into my arms, her laughter lifting my heart up as tears of joy flooded my eyes. It was hard to gather that they'd given her the cure without me, but my God, was I thankful. Somewhere in the time I was asleep, they'd found her new clothes and someone helped her comb her hair. My fingers laced through the strands and I pulled her closer, a small sniffle filling the room.
"I'm better, Riot," Tori pulled back, her smile brigthening my world. "Why are you crying?"
"These are tears of joy, baby," I whispered, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.
Pulling away, I noticed Matt standing in the doorway, a happy smile plastered to his lips. He gave me a knowing nod, which I returned, just before he motioned for us to follow him through the bus. I stood up and put my hand on Tori's shoulder, leading her through the bus. Now that I had my baby sister back, I never wanted to let her out of my sight.
However, when we made it into the front lounge, I realized more had happened while I was asleep than I expected. There were suitcases packed and propped up by the door. The bus was coming to a stop and my heart was thudding against my chest.
"Matt, where are we?"
"Baltimore," Matt responded quietly, averting his gaze from mine. "We were hoping you'd wake up earlier..."
"Why is the bus stopping?"
No one answered me. Instead, Alex pulled me into his arms and held me tight, making more tears pool in my eyes. In the back of my head, I had an idea of what was going on, but I didn't want to admit it. We're a family now. Family sticks together, doesn't it?
"Ri, I'm going to miss you so much," Alex murmured, pressing his lips sloppily to the side of my head. "I'll never regret the things that happened between us and you'll always be a best friend to me, okay?"
"Alex, what's-"
"I love you, never forget that."
Alex pulled away from me, wiping a tear from his eye before he cleared his throat and went to the door to grab one of the bags. Before I could comprehend his words, Jack was pulling me into his arms as Alex bent down to Tori's level. He held me close, kissing my shoulder over and over again, though I could feel his tear drops.
"You be good, okay? Watch over everyone."
Jack then pulled away from me to give Tori a hug. By this point, I couldn't stop myself from crying. What on Earth were they doing? The infected were out there! A hushed sob fell from my lips as Jack stood up, mocking Alex's actions as said boy opened the door. They both took their steps off of the bus.
"We love you guys," Alex whispered, biting his lip. "We'll see each other again some day, I promise."
"Wait!" I cried, gripping the door, though I never stepped of it. "I love you guys. I love you so, so much."
"We know," Jack perked up, gripping a gun tightly in his hand. "We'll be fine. Don't worry about us."
Alex gave a small nod, to which Matt responded by pulling me back on the bus and closing the door. From there, the bus started moving and I was left with nothing more than memories as I ran to the window to watch them disappear from my sight. This didn't make any sense to me. It was stupid, so fucking stupid to leave the group and go off on their own. Why was no one stopping them?!
I hit my knees, hiding my face in my hands as more tears fell. There was no way of knowing if they'd live to see another day. We'd have no way to find each other again.
"How can you just let them go?"
"Alex wanted to leave," Matt sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "He went to look for Lisa, his girlfriend. And Jack, well.. You can't expect Alex to go somewhere without Jack following.."
"But they could die," I whispered, lifting my head to wipe the tears. "They could die and we'd never know it."
"Riot, Alex has been worried about Lisa since this happened. He saw his chance to search for her and he took it. You can't blame him. We all wan to have a purpose in this mess. They have family and loved ones there."
"So do Zack and Rian, but you don't see them risking their lives!"
"Riot, our lives are in danger no matter where we go. This is something Alex had to do, he had to at least say he tried to find her. Let him go."
Though I still didn't accept it, I allowed my body to fall against Matt as I cried silently for the friends we just left behind. It felt wrong, and cruel. No chance to say goodbye, no chance of ever having closure. They were just.. Gone.
My eyes fluttered open and I turned around, staring in the doorway to see my baby sister. She smiled brightly, flashing me her pearly whites as she straightened out her shirt. It looked new, as did the rest of her outfit, and her long, dark hair sat smoothly upon her chest.
For a moment, it felt like we were back at home. Like I was lying on my bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes as my baby sister woke me from a nap, calling me for the dinner mom had prepared for us. When I felt a jolt, however, I knew where I was. I was still on this bus, running for my life just like everyone else.
"Come on, Ri, you need to get up."
A sigh left my lips and I stretched my arms out, a yawn soon following after. I managed to pull myself up so I was sitting and let my eyes adjust to the fresh light coming through the window. I'd been out for a while. My body was still sore, but it was better. I gripped the couch and turned to look at Tori again, realizing that not everything had been a dream. She was in clean clothes, her hair was no longer tangled and her eyes weren't discolored. Her smile was bright, her voice was soft and her skin finally had more color.
"Tori?" I whispered, sliding off the couch and onto my knees, staring at her with side eyes. "Are you... Are you-"
"Cured?" Tori finished for me, nodding her head quickly as her smile turned into a laugh. "Riot, I'm not sick anymore!"
She ran into my arms, her laughter lifting my heart up as tears of joy flooded my eyes. It was hard to gather that they'd given her the cure without me, but my God, was I thankful. Somewhere in the time I was asleep, they'd found her new clothes and someone helped her comb her hair. My fingers laced through the strands and I pulled her closer, a small sniffle filling the room.
"I'm better, Riot," Tori pulled back, her smile brigthening my world. "Why are you crying?"
"These are tears of joy, baby," I whispered, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.
Pulling away, I noticed Matt standing in the doorway, a happy smile plastered to his lips. He gave me a knowing nod, which I returned, just before he motioned for us to follow him through the bus. I stood up and put my hand on Tori's shoulder, leading her through the bus. Now that I had my baby sister back, I never wanted to let her out of my sight.
However, when we made it into the front lounge, I realized more had happened while I was asleep than I expected. There were suitcases packed and propped up by the door. The bus was coming to a stop and my heart was thudding against my chest.
"Matt, where are we?"
"Baltimore," Matt responded quietly, averting his gaze from mine. "We were hoping you'd wake up earlier..."
"Why is the bus stopping?"
No one answered me. Instead, Alex pulled me into his arms and held me tight, making more tears pool in my eyes. In the back of my head, I had an idea of what was going on, but I didn't want to admit it. We're a family now. Family sticks together, doesn't it?
"Ri, I'm going to miss you so much," Alex murmured, pressing his lips sloppily to the side of my head. "I'll never regret the things that happened between us and you'll always be a best friend to me, okay?"
"Alex, what's-"
"I love you, never forget that."
Alex pulled away from me, wiping a tear from his eye before he cleared his throat and went to the door to grab one of the bags. Before I could comprehend his words, Jack was pulling me into his arms as Alex bent down to Tori's level. He held me close, kissing my shoulder over and over again, though I could feel his tear drops.
"You be good, okay? Watch over everyone."
Jack then pulled away from me to give Tori a hug. By this point, I couldn't stop myself from crying. What on Earth were they doing? The infected were out there! A hushed sob fell from my lips as Jack stood up, mocking Alex's actions as said boy opened the door. They both took their steps off of the bus.
"We love you guys," Alex whispered, biting his lip. "We'll see each other again some day, I promise."
"Wait!" I cried, gripping the door, though I never stepped of it. "I love you guys. I love you so, so much."
"We know," Jack perked up, gripping a gun tightly in his hand. "We'll be fine. Don't worry about us."
Alex gave a small nod, to which Matt responded by pulling me back on the bus and closing the door. From there, the bus started moving and I was left with nothing more than memories as I ran to the window to watch them disappear from my sight. This didn't make any sense to me. It was stupid, so fucking stupid to leave the group and go off on their own. Why was no one stopping them?!
I hit my knees, hiding my face in my hands as more tears fell. There was no way of knowing if they'd live to see another day. We'd have no way to find each other again.
"How can you just let them go?"
"Alex wanted to leave," Matt sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "He went to look for Lisa, his girlfriend. And Jack, well.. You can't expect Alex to go somewhere without Jack following.."
"But they could die," I whispered, lifting my head to wipe the tears. "They could die and we'd never know it."
"Riot, Alex has been worried about Lisa since this happened. He saw his chance to search for her and he took it. You can't blame him. We all wan to have a purpose in this mess. They have family and loved ones there."
"So do Zack and Rian, but you don't see them risking their lives!"
"Riot, our lives are in danger no matter where we go. This is something Alex had to do, he had to at least say he tried to find her. Let him go."
Though I still didn't accept it, I allowed my body to fall against Matt as I cried silently for the friends we just left behind. It felt wrong, and cruel. No chance to say goodbye, no chance of ever having closure. They were just.. Gone.
@BreakingJessie_x
Hell yeah!
1/16/14