✔︎ KING OF MY HEART, Zach Mitchell ²

SEVEN, Dead Girl.

CHAPTER SEVEN. Dead Girl.

    TATUM'S EXHAUSTION had gotten the best of her. She had spent half of the boat ride on that roof, laying peacefully while staring up at the sky. It was the most peaceful she had felt in hours. She needed it.

The moon was high, but hidden by the clouds. Her body was shaking in a cold sweat, and even though she couldn't see herself, she knew she was pale — drained of blood and infected with unkept wounds that surely needed to be treated. She was starving and dehydrated, but didn't have enough energy to lift herself up.

Her eyes barely stayed open, occasionally rolling into the back of her head, threatening to pass out. The feeling of throwing everything and anything up was major, haunting her stomach in a way that if she moved, she'd be met with a hit of nausea and have no choice but to suck it up and vomit whatever she could up.

Hearing the sudden roar of a dinosaur jerked her body up, causing her to moan in pain. Her body immediately began to cough up some red liquid, the blood falling into her hand. She groaned out at this, wiping the congestion away from her nostrils. She noticed a streak of dry blood ran down her arm, causing her to huff.

Tate knew she needed to get up, whether she liked it or not. Her body slowly began to wobble at her sudden movements, not prepared for it. Tate's hands helped her for support, lifting her up onto her feet. Her body sluggishly moved. If you had seen her and not understood her condition, you'd assume she was drunk.

Her body then hit the edge of the roof, her fingers clamping against the siding to secure her safety as she peered over the edge. Her eyes met an empty, thin lookout. Tate knew this was most likely her best bet, especially to ensure her safety. Hesitantly, Tate's body twisted around so she could jump down with both hands continuing to stay latched on. Her arms withered at this workout, her body holding itself up the best it could. With her feet dangling from down below, Tate took this opportunity to jump down as quietly as she could. Thankfully, the rattle of the metal floor didn't go noticed.

Her body had crouched down enough for her to not be seen, but also enough for her to get a good look of her surroundings. Tate then began to tiptoe into an empty looking corridor, lifting herself up so she was in a full standing position. Her head spiralled around in every direction, observing the area to confirm she was alone.

Once feeling safe enough, Tate began silently jogging towards where the familiar sounds of her dinosaurs were located. Knowing that this is where most of the crew would be working, she'd have to be stealthy.

The bright red light that beamed above the metal door indicated a no entry. Tate smirked at this, knowing for sure this had to be the room. Her hand slowly wrapped around the doorknob, gently creaking it open in hopes to not make too much sound. Once doing the task, her head peaked around the outside corridor, meeting an empty room. Faint noises came from the end of the hall, causing her to swiftly enter in and quietly slam the door shut. Tate swept away the sweat that had formed onto her forehead, fluttering her eyes around the loading area.

Tate searched for a staircase that would lead her down. Once successfully finding one, her footsteps patted against the metal, beginning to venture around the room, curious of what she'd find.

Hearing the sound of familiar voices coming from a rocking jeep, Tate's eyebrows had furrowed, slowly peeling back the curtains to reveal who was in the truck.

"Hi." She muttered, making her presence known. At the sound of her voice, all four friends jerked their heads towards the missing girl, stunned to see her.

"Tate!" Claire jumped forward, pulling her up so she'd be shoved into Claire's grasp. The older woman wrapped her arms around the young girl, comforting her. Tate winced at the sudden weight, patting Claire gently on the back. "Oh, my god, Tate. We- we thought you were dead."

"Yeah," Tate chuckles. "So did I." Her back falls next to Franklin inside the vehicle, rubbing her eyes as she searched for Zach, who was nowhere to be found. "Where's Zach?"

"He went to look for you. He's been gone sin-" As Owen began to explain, his words were cut off by another identity joining them in the back. All heads turned to Zach, his face flushed and eyes red with tears. He looked incredibly overwhelmed and exhausted. His body was soaked in not just sweat, but as well as ocean water, his chest beating out of his shirt causing him to look like he was hyperventilating.

"Zach." Tate muttered with relief, lunging towards him even if it hurt her entire body to do so. She didn't care. She had never missed a human being so much more than she had the past few hours. "I'm so sorry." She shakes her head into the crook of his neck, the tightness of his arms around her torso comforting her. "I'm so sorry I brought you here."

"No- no, Tate." He shakes his head, retracting himself from her. "Don't apologize. I'm okay. A- are you?" His eyes travel all around her body, noticing her horrible wounds.

"I've been better." Her lips fall, inhaling a hefty breath. "I look like shit." She laughs, holding his neck with her dirty palms. Zach couldn't help but laugh along, slowly denying what she had said.

"No, you don't." He runs a down across her hair, holding the back of her head. "You look pretty."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He confirms, pressing a kiss to her temple, before meeting his lips with hers. Tatum didn't dare reject the kiss, the familiar touch of his lips being against hers felt so right in whatever moment they were in. Tatum never thought she'd find a human being that she'd love more than her dinosaurs, but clearly, she was wrong. "I'm so happy you're okay." He pulls away as he says that, his eyes swelling with tears.

Tatum adored how vulnerable he was with his emotions when he was with her. She soaked in the feeling of knowing he was so comfortable with her, that he was completely okay to just bawl his eyes out without feeling an ounce of embarrassment.

"Me too." She whispered, before pulling him onto the jeep with them. Her arms found themselves wrapping around his torso once again, leaning her body into his so he'd act as a pillow for her. Zach happily let her do so, just grateful he was able to have Tate back into his arms.

"Is she okay?" Tate questioned Zia, noticing Blue's fatigued state.

"She is now. She was shot and hemorrhaging, but luckily, Claire and Owen went and got some t-rex blood and now, she's safe and healthy. All we can do now is let her rest."

"Trix? They got Trix on here?" Tate shifted her body to where she was still using Zach for support, but able to look directly at Owen and Claire.

"Somehow, yeah." Owen nodded his head, stroking Blue's wounded body. "They got almost all of the carnivores on here."

"Oh," Tate hummed. "This'll be fun."

authors note

MY SWEET BABIES also i personally apologize if this book lacks zach and tate content i'm trying not to let that happen but i'm just a sucker for independent woman shit🙄