Striving to Survive [DISCONTINUED]

6[]Fear[]

Clary turned her eyes to the still knocked out Aric. "Did I hit him that hard?" She thought aloud. "Well...Aric isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. To be more accurate, frankly he isn't even pointed." I admitted truthfully. Clary laughed. I heard an echoed yell. "CAW-CAW ESSA-ESSA!" I turned my head. "Your group?" Clary asked. I nodded. "Must be." I unbuckled the belt Clary had wrapped around me and climbed down the tree. I then cupped my hands and repeated the phrase in response "CAW-CAW ESSA-ESSA"

I heard quick running footsteps. I couldn't tell from where because the trees blocked everything so tightly, but I could hear them getting closer until I felt arms wrap around me, squeezing me until I could barely breath. "Thank god you guys are alive." Sedecca sighed after stepping back from practically harassing me. "Hardly." I replied, putting a hand over my mouth and coughing. "Where's Rydian?" I asked.

He then stepped out from behind a tree. "There, there child, your savior has arrived." I smiled and he grinned back at me. That was when he noticed..."Where's Aric?" He asked. "Goof got knocked out." Clary then jumped down as if on cue and waved. "Hiya." Rydian grabbed me with surprising swiftness and Sedecca lunged in front of me. "No!" I shouted. "She's with us!.. Me." They turned to me. And taking notice of the expression on my face they lowered their weapons.

She chuckled a little and admitted, "I kinda knocked out your friend. Sorry." Sedecca smiled and held out a hand. She liked her already. "Sedecca." Clary then smiled. "Clary." They shook hands. "Esadeth can you unbuckle him?" Rydian asked. I nodded and climbed up the tree. "Catch him?" "Sure." He said with a scoff. I unbuckled Aric and he toppled from the tree into Rydian's- BOOM. Aric slammed into the floor and awoke gasping for air.

Rydian cracked up and soon we all were either cackling of trying to hide snickers. Aric sat up and gave both me and Rydian a chilling glare. He then said in a cold voice, "I hate you. I hate you all." Before failing to hide his smile and bursting into a fit of laughter.

Everything was fine now. Aric was awake. We were all together now.

After that scene we all began to walk back towards the hotel. If we could even find it. The light that once took its place over our heads was beginning to fade. We needed to find our way back. Quickly.

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When we got to the clearing I whispered, "Race you there." And sprung off the grass. I could hear the patter of footsteps following behind me and a few giggles but it all stopped when I heard a scream. I turned around. Clary. By now the sky was dark and the sun had already set. We now had only the moonlight to rely on and all we could see was Clary getting bitten and falling to the ground in agony.

We all froze, time stopped, we were all unable to move. "Go!" She screamed. It snapped us all back to reality and suddenly this wasn't a race anymore. It was a priority. Sedecca got back first and slid through the door followed by Rydian and Aric. I stopped again to look at her...just one more time. I turned to see Clary at the bottom of the hill, the biters dead, lying beside her. She was holding something in her hand but it wasn't until the moon caught it's silver glint that I had realized it was too late. I tried to run back to her but Sedecca had grabbed me and before I knew it I screamed. Clary fell to the ground, dead. Her pale skin suddenly losing its warmth. Her hand still clutching the knife lodged into her skull.

Sedecca dragged me into the hotel. I went limp, I didn't want to move, I didn't want to talk. I most definitely didn't want to sleep. They thought I had died, or collapsed but Sedecca explained. I laid silent on my bed motionless. All I wanted to do was stay there and rot. But the thought of Echo snapped me out of it. I darted from the bed and crashed clumsily out the door. I ran to his room and slammed open the entryway just as Alba was exiting the room.

"Echo!?" I yelled, worry laced into my voice for a reason I didn't understand. Echo peered up from whatever he was writing on a paper. "Esadeth?" My brother asked in a confused tone. "What are you doing h-" but before he could finish, I immediately crashed into his arms and held him. "I'm so glad your okay." I mumbled, relieved. "What happened to you?" He asked sarcastically, but still in shock. "Just shut up and hug me." I countered back. He chuckled a little, "Yeah...um I don't do hugs-" "Shh!" I interrupted quickly. "Okay, fine." Echo complied and wrapped his small arms around me, pulling me all the more closer to him.

Echo was okay. Thank God.

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When I returned to my hotel room, I felt oddly better. But it was still a horrible thing that had happened. She was dead. Another human being, gone. Never to be seen again in this world. Clary had committed suicide because she would rather die than be transformed into one of them. And I deeply respected that. It was a tragic death. An unavoidable decision. But it was brave. So brave.

Instead of bombarding me with questions about whether or not I was okay, as I suspected the others to do, they were surprisingly respectful of my silence, and passively joined in the string of silence with me.

That night I didn't sleep. In fact, I haven't been able to sleep ever since my parents death. I wanted to fill my head with thoughts of happiness, but in the end, all that seemed to fill my mind was darkness. Dark, horrible thoughts of more people slipping through my fingers. Thoughts that there was no hope for me. Thoughts that maybe, I would be next. Maybe Echo would be next. And maybe, when we die, there would be no life after. Just the end. The unescapable, depressing end.

After the thoughts came the nightmares. It was like I was watching a horror movie displayed right in front of me. I couldn't do this anymore. I rapidly blinked my eyes, rubbing them viciously, begging the nightmares to go away. I was panting with hot, quick breaths and shook my head, attempting to shake out the bad thoughts. I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest, hiding my head. I rocked back and forth on the bed. I hated this. Why was this happening to me?

I heard the sound of a rustle next to me. It was Sedecca. Immediately I froze in place and tried to slow down my breathing. She knew though. She knew I was awake. She knew I was trying to hide the fact that I was afraid. She knew I was scared. She knew I was going through something. Of course she knew. She was my best friend.

She sat up next to me, suddenly immersed in the world of reality. "What's wrong, Esa?" She asked softly in a faint whisper. "Nothing." I lied, lips quivering. "I know something's wrong, okay? You can tell me." She replied, a bit hurt that I hadn't told her the truth. I heaved a sigh and let it out.

"It's just-I'm just scared Decca. I keep thinking about these horrible thoughts and no matter how much I try, they don't go away..." I said hopelessly. "I see nightmares even though my eyes are wide open...I feel like this world is a nightmare. I haven't been able to go to sleep. My mom and dad are dead Sedecca. Clary is dead. Who knows who will die next. I'm terrified." I admitted, a shiver rolling down my spine.

Immediately I was enveloped in her arms. "I'm scared too, Esadeth. But you have to be strong. We are going to make it through this infection. We are. Nothing in the world is going to prevent it. We are going to make it through." She whispered. Tears poured out of my eyes, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I chuckled a bit. "You sound so inspirational right now." I said, giggling in tears. She laughed a bit too, shoving me playfully. "Shut up. I'm trying to help you nerd." She said back to me. I laughed, trying to stay quiet so that the others wouldn't wake up.

I laid back down on the bed, wiping my tears only to be joined by Sedecca. "Hey, you okay now?" She asked seriously, turning her body to face me. I turned to her and honestly replied, "Yeah. Thanks to you." I smiled and she laughed. "I know I'm amazing." We both silently giggled.

"Go to bed, weirdo." She whispered to me.

I may have been afraid, but that fear was gone now. I smiled before easily drifting off into the realm of sleep with the knowledge that I was safe.